Ecovibe Home, on Alberta

You know how it is. You're cruising along, headed somewhere, when out of the corner of your eye you see...plants! Suddenly you're pulling over and parking, schedule be damned. That's how I ended up at Ecovibe Home, on Alberta Street...

I'm so glad I did...

That folded clutch in the front almost came home with me. I made myself put it down, thinking if I couldn't get it out of my head I'd go back. If it's still there then it's meant to be mine.

Dioon edule, a bit pricey at $151, but gorgeous.

Love these brass planters...

And these terrazzo planters too...

They're definitely after the houseplant crowd, lots of books especially for them.

Oh and this!

Very inspiring cork wall hangings (inspiring as in I start thinking about what I could do with this idea...)

It was difficult to pass up all the great notebook designs, but I have a tall stack of unused notebooks already, I don't need to add to it.

The wall hanging circles are clocks. I was tempted.

This was a great shop. I was a little sad, knowing the old Digs on Alberta location was just across the street, now home to a "dime a dozen" art gallery (and the "new" location of Digs has since closed too). But I'm happy know Ecovibe, a shop so planty, has moved into the neighborhood. I will be back.

Weather Diary, Sept 2: Hi 84, Low 62/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Dosch Court Hillside Garden, from the HPSO Study Weekend

You never know what you're going to see when visiting an open garden. Sure there's usually a description available somewhere, but I've visited many a garden that bear no relation to the words used to describe them. Either way I usually find something to be surprised by. Like this little slice of hot, dry beauty next to the driveway...

Agaves even!

On the other side of the drive it looks like a party is getting started.

From our Study Weekend brochure..."Eloise started her gardening adventure 25 years ago on this one-third acre property originally covered in rhododendrons, a topped pine tree, a mature Japanese maple, various other shrubs and an overgrowth of weeds...In front, the garden meanders through a boxwood garden with fountain and dining area, and separate cozy patio for entertaining. A gravel path leads to the rear of the house where there is a vegetable garden and a small "Charleston style" garden paved with dry-set bricks and framed with large Hornbean trees set in a boxwood parterre. The back garden is a 75' long alley of with shade lovers on one side and sun lovers on the other."

The repeated arcs and green stools feel a little formal, but not overly so.

It took me a minute to realize the floating flowers and the ones in the background were not the same flowers.

Do you float flowers in your garden?

Looking up at the patio area near the house. But I'm not going up there yet, I'm gonna walk around to the side...

And enter here...

I wonder if there's a mother-in-law apartment or AirBnb in the basement? This is not the main entrance to the house, we'll see that in a bit.

(hint: it's up there...)

Nice arctostaphylos and yucca combination.

By another entrance to the house...

And in the back yard "ally"...

Love that sedum.

Now we're back out by the front door, off the driveway. I didn't take anymore photos in the back yard becasue there were too many people.

Yep, there's another agave....('Blue Glow' I think)

And saracennia

That's a wrap!

Weather Diary, Sept 1: Hi 84, Low 66/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Ptilostemon afer

I'm sure I've mentioned that I'm not a particularly gifted grower of plants from seed. I can count on my 10 fingers the seeds I've had success with, that is they've gone on to become full fledged plants. Let's see...zinnia, Moluccella laevis, Cerinthe major purpurascens, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, cucamelon, carrots and basil. Years ago I grew hollyhocks from seed, and now I can add Ptilostemon afer to the list! They're the thin green and white leaves with spikes, at the center front of the "holding tank"...

How did I know I wanted to grow Ptilostemon afer? Because when Peter, Alison and I made the trek to Far Reaches Farm last August I saw these and asked about them...

Kelly identified them as Ptilostemon afer but said they didn't have any for sale. He did offer to save me seeds and then brought a pack down to the HPSO's Fall PlantFest last September. Wasn't that nice? Not only did a very busy nursery guy remember I asked about a random plant, but then he brought me seeds and wouldn't let me pay for them...

I sowed those seeds late last winter (the pressure!), along with a few other kinds that germinated right away, the Ptilostemon afer did nothing. Sadly I did a crappy job of hardening off the other seeds that did grow and ended up tossing them. How did the Ptilostemon afer make it to this stage? Because I'd  resisted tossing the rest of the bunch and left them where I had to look at them and feel guilty. Thank god I did because these finally started germinating and growing, it took months before there was any sign of life, way beyond when I'd lost hope.

I ended up with six plants total. Three are still in holding, and three went in the ground.

They're super hardy so I will probably plant two more of the three in holding once our temperatures cool and the rains return in the fall. I'll hold on to one just for insurance sake, and plant it out in the spring.

Here's the cool thistle flowers I have to look forward to...

Ptilostemon afer 6 Copenhagen Bot Garden 140625
Photo: Jan Thomas Johansson (© 2014 Jan Thomas Johansson)

And if you're now thinking these look pretty cool and wish you could have them in your garden you're in luck, because they're available on the Far Reaches Farm website now! (thanks to fellow HPSO board member Richard Hoffman for alerting me to that fact).

So, emboldened by that success, I'm hatching another seed starting plan. This beauty is Bomarea hirtella (Zone 9), photo taken by my friend Eric Peterson, whose plant this is.

His plant set seed last year, he planted them, and experienced success. He now has plant babies and gave me one, that orange arrow is pointing at it, below. It's still tiny but I'm committed to growing it on to planting-out size.

My Bomarea (unknown species) has set seed every year it's bloomed, and it's been blooming for weeks now (orange flowers, below—hidden at the top of my Trachycarpus). I'm going try my luck with these seeds. I love this plant and would be thrilled to be able to make more. Wish me luck!

Weather Diary, Aug 29: Hi 82, Low 66/ Precip .04"

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.