Visiting Northrop Acres

Where's your dream garden located? Do you favor a city lot with clearly defined boundaries — ones that keep your plant lust in check? What about a condo balcony with plenty of easy-care containers? Or do you dream of acreage and life in the country? Borrowed views that include pastures, orchards, hay-fields and a hazelnut farm?

For my friend Mindy it was definitely the latter, she and her family made the move a year ago and are living the dream in Oregon wine country...

Mindy (and family: husband and three kids) used to live in a tiny house on a tiny lot in a very urban and gritty part of Portland. She had time to blog then (Rindy Mae), which is how I know her. Us Portland bloggers are a social group who get together fairly often.

The group has held a couple of gatherings at Mindy's new place but I'd not been able to attend those, instead I had my own private viewing a couple of weeks back.

Mindy kindly took the afternoon off (kids, garden, animals, harvest, house, meals, laundry, her must-do list is never ending) and showed me around, chilled glass of wine in hand (both of our hands) of course...

I wish I could tell you how old the house is, but I'm bad with numbers. I also wish I would have snapped a couple of photos inside, because it's just so darn perfect (Mindy's got the design skills) — but I did not.

This planting bed is Mindy's work. It borders the cow pasture and if filled with plants she brought from her old garden, as well as plants from our blogger's swaps.

Hot-tub for relaxing those tired country-living muscles.

With fabulous plantings nearby.

I had to repeatedly remind myself they've only lived here a year. Vignettes like these say "home" and aren't something that materializes over-night.

Behind the garage (?) there's a stock-tank "swimming" pool.

And that's their picture-perfect barn, separated by a still-used train track. In fact I arrived just in time to see the train go by, but I hadn't pulled out my camera yet. Your loss.

We'll get back to the barn in a minute, first the garden — veggie and ornamental. Aren't those Verbascum amazing? Their checkerboard-like planting definitely plays up their architectural style.

That is a greenhouse in the distance (above). Unfortunately I don't have a close-up photo of it to share. The front (left-side) has the most amazing wall of RV windows. What they lack in style they make up for in practicality, they all open for ventilation.

Libby Lou (the dog) is a sweetheart with purpose, she made sure the stranger (me) wasn't going to bring any harm to her family.

Blueberries, so many blueberries. Fenced to keep blueberry-predators away of course.

It was hard for this city-girl to not become completely overwhelmed with the amount of work that goes into maintaining property this large. I found myself getting a little stressed out, until I remembered I was going to leave in a couple of hours it was not my responsibility.

So that barn. Wow. Inside is a party waiting to happen. Outside the party is already happening.

Hello there! The donkeys, Jackson and Elsa ,and Libby Lou. coming up on the rear.

The horse, Pride, Libby Lou and the black goat.

There's Mindy and her gang (fist appearance of the white goat), If you'd have told me I was inheriting these creatures with my new home and garden I would've declared the deal was off. Luckily for everyone Mindy and family have embraced it.

Another angle on the garden.

And a shot of the front of the home.

The driveway...

And Delilah (also inherited)

And Leonard (ditto)

But that's not all! Before I left we all hopped in Mindy's mom-van and drove over to see her neighbor's garden. Which features a tree as large as my entire city lot and a swing which Mindy's kids quickly put to use.

Can you even imagine having a garden this large and this immaculate?

The perfect size of a Monkey Puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana). Not too small, not too big.

Not just one or two sunflowers but an entire hedge of them.

And tomatoes that, well, need supports as solid as those.

I have an emotional attachment to outdoor clotheslines. The house I grew up in (until 4th grade) had one, and a sweet house we made an offer on here in Portland had one (we were outbid). This one takes it up a notch (or twelve) because it's got romantic rose bushes growing up each end.

There's a greenhouse.

And a cool old well.

I did live the country life as a child and teenager. We moved to three acres in the country when I was in the fourth grade. We had an old well on our property too, only it didn't stand proud of the ground level like this one.

I've got no desire to return to rural living, but I love visiting! Thank you Mindy and Joyce for letting me totally disrupt your Friday afternoons and sharing your gardens with me.

Weather Diary, Aug 6: Hi 92, Low 63/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

In a Vase on Monday, I found a Lily and my missing Bomarea...

I was watering the other morning (no irrigation, all by hand...) when something caught my eye. There under the Magnolia laevifolia, nestled in the Hakonechloa...

It took me awhile to place what I was looking at, a Lily, but how? They've all bloomed. Then I remembered! A package of discount "everything store" bulbs I bought and planted late...Lilium 'Salmon Star'...aha! This is them! Two of the four bulbs at least. I guess I misjudged how big the Hakonechloa would get.

Not really so salmon, but then again they'd been fighting their way to the sun, in nothing but deep shade.

Figuring I'd enjoy them more inside than hidden in the garden, I cut the two stems and stuck them in the chartreuse vase on the dining table, where the Fatsia japonica 'Variegata' (Camouflage) was still looking good from a couple weeks ago. Oh and that annoyingly long bud on the far right? Cut much shorter about 3 minutes after I took this photo.

The Lily bulbs in the driveway stock-tank also held a surprise. Just when I thought they were all done blooming two Lilium Landini decided to shoot up in height and bust into flower. I am not complaining. Although I did not cut them, I just let them be.

Sun photos or cloudy day photos? The sun photo of this palm, with the back-ground blue sky, is cheerier.

The cloudy day (we actually had one of those last week) shows the surrounding plantings better.

Passiflora lutea and a Bomarea are racing up the furry Trachycarpus trunk...

All the way to the top.

Cloudy day photo shows the Passiflora foliage better.

The tip of the Bomarea twisted around the trunk and I lost sight of it, which was only a problem because the tip is where it throws out its blooms and I love those bright orange flowers.

As luck would have it a tall friend visited my garden last week and looking up at him I saw a flash of orange over his shoulder, at the tip-top of the palm.

Odd coincidence that tall friend is the same one who gave me the Bomarea. Would I have spotted the bloom if he hadn't been standing in that exact spot as I turned towards him? Who knows, but luckily I know where to look for the second orange explosion that will start in just a couple of days.

Weather Diary, Aug 5: Hi 92, Low 60/ Precip 0

In a Vase on Monday is hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the garden. All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Fear the Walking Dead, a greenhouse visit

We've been watching The Walking Dead (our future as a zombie apocalypse, from AMC) for years now. The writing has definitely gone downhill and we've actually been enjoying the spin-off, Fear The Walking Dead much more. This season saw two characters head out on a run, looking for food, and ending up at a greenhouse. It all was so funny I had to share.

Scene: the two characters walk in to the greenhouse, after all there must be something they can plant, propagate, and eat in here, right? Main character Victor says: "now remember — no spines, no purple, no black" (what? what does that even mean?) secondary character, whose name I cannot remember, says: "you know I went to A&M, right? spent more time smokin' the plants than studying them but...I know which ones are safe to eat"...

Victor: "look here, it appears our search has born fruit. I'll see if there's a cart."

And the camera focus on this...an Echeveria!? Oh ya, everyone knows what good eating an Echeveria is! (sarcasm) I did a quick internet search to see what I could turn up, about eating an Echeveria and all I found was "Echeveria are safe around pets and humans, although it's not advisable to eat them." So not poisonus, but probably not something you want to base a meal around, even in a zombie apocalypse...

We get a nice shot of a few cactus (no Opuntia that I can see, good eating though, even though they have spines)...

And then the zombies appear! Looks like they've gotten tangled up with a few of those cactus...

Secondary character is about to be attacked so he grabs a pair of garden shears and....takes care of said zombie.

Not before he gets a few of those long spines attached to his shoulder. His comment on the whole event: "pricks"

Later Victor and secondary character have loaded up the truck and are headed back to camp with their amazing haul of edible plants. The camera pans in for a close-up...

Weather Diary, Aug 2: Hi 72, Low 60/ Precip 0

Words © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Images are screen shots of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Casa Grande National Monument, and desert eats

Casa Grande was one of Andrew's desired stops on our recent trip to the desert SW.

The largest ruin, and it's protective canopy, can be seen for miles. The design of the canopy (which protects the great house from the weather) was done by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and constructed in 1932. There's an interesting story on it here.

The ruins looked a little fake to me, probably because of the steps they've taken to restore and protect them.

What I really enjoyed at the monument was information on what the ancient peoples of the area ate (The Casa Grande was abandoned around 1450 C.E.). Of course there were the usual things like Yucca root and the Agave, but the display included so much more.

I snapped these lousy shots in the visitors center not intending to use them in a blog post. But what the heck, I thought you might find the information interesting. Prickly pear...

Palo verde

Cholla cactus...it's the buds (before they flower) which were eaten. More info here.

Creosote bush

Mesquite tree

This painting by Ron Carlos and Jacob butler was created in honor of the O'odham people, I liked it a lot, especially the fact they included devils claw (Harpagophytum procumbens actually Proboscidea altheaefolia, thank you Gerhard) seedpods in the design.

There are all sorts of medicinal uses for devils claw but I just think the seed pods are cool looking. There were several on display (I forgot to snap a photo!) but none for sale in the gift shop. I tried to find someplace selling them on our travels but never did, back home I see they're available on Etsy! If you're unfamiliar that's them in the top middle, with the curly tips. Do you suppose those are corn dogs on the left?

Weather Diary, Aug 1: Hi 85, Low 61/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Wednesday Vignette, stripes

For today's WV we're heading back to the desert SW and our stop at the Casa Grande ruins in Coolidge, AZ. I'll share more on the ruins tomorrow, but today, stripes!

Weather Diary, July 31: Hi 89, Low 62/ Precip 0

Wednesday Vignettes are hosted by Anna at Flutter & Hum. All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.