danger garden

Friday, January 5, 2024

Chanticleer Friday: The Ruin Garden

Once I knew I would be visiting Chanticleer Garden there were two parts I was most excited to see, the Teacup Garden, and the Ruin Garden. I find the idea of plants growing amongst the ruins of a built structure quite mysterious and alluring; nature taking over, our man-made world falling apart. Of course the fact the "ruins" at Chanticleer are not actual ruins, but purpose-built gave me pause. Would they have a Disneyland aura?

"The Ruin stands where Minder House, the residence of Janet and Adolph Rosengarten, Jr., was built in 1925 and remained until 1999 when it was razed to build the Ruin on the old foundation. The Ruin has three rooms: a "Great Hall" with a water table shaped like a large sarcophagus resting on a mosaic "rug" of tile, granite and slate; a "Library" where the books are sculpted of stone; and a "Pool Room,” where marble faces gaze up from the depths. Accenting the spaces are carved stone pieces sculpted by Marcia Donahue, including large stone acorns placed among oak saplings greet visitors entering from the nearby meadow."

"The Ruin’s granite schist walls provide the perfect stage for climbing plants and espaliered trees. These living green walls demonstrate how greenery animates an otherwise forbidding place. Plantings in beds are deliberately restricted to calming silvers and greens from ferns, Hakone grass, and Siberian bugloss. They have sufficient textural contrast to stimulate, yet a restrained range of color to remain harmonious" (source)

I first walked into the Great Hall with it's sarcophagus-shaped water table...

Or maybe I should say the Great Hall with it's plant-adorned mantel piece, because that's what I was most excited to see in "real life" in this part of the ruin. I've seem many iterations of the mantle in photos over the years and this current version—a tillandsia covered branch—did not disappoint.

I've had this image (below) of a previous version saved in my files for so long I have no idea where I found it, apologies to the photographer that I can't credit the image...

I will share more of my photos of the mantel shortly, but first I must address the tomb in the room.

I did not like it. Not one bit. It's a beautiful piece, the workmanship first rate and the reflective surface adds another dimension. However it felt completely out of place to me. Too heavy and dark. A black hole—it changed the entire feeling of the space. Maybe that was the intention? To me it was like a black leather sofa plopped down into a living room all done up in florals and pastels. Thankfully once I turned my back on it I found it easy to ignore, so my enjoyment of the Great Hall was not diminished.

That wall and the plants is what really held my eye.

Looking out through the windows was fun.

The tillandsia work was fantastic.

The fact the large T. xerographica were in bloom took the texture up a few notches.

Turning to look in the opposite direction, with my back to the mantel wall.

And now looking over the black hole towards the Library.

I'm skipping over the Library for the moment and moving right to the Pool Room.

I was captivated by this small container on chain display (there were two of these)...

So well done!

I eventually made my way to the corner and the "pool" with the Marcia Donahue carved faces. I wonder what I would have made of this had I not already known what I would see when I looked into the water?

I was prepared to not like this installation at all, but I ended up thinking it was fantastic.

Not at all awkward or a mismatch. Instead completely fitting and thought provoking.

This is the only phone-photo I worked into the post. It managed a wide-angle shot that helps give an interesting sense of the space. The pool is behind me and looking forward the Library is on the left and the Great Room on the right.

Turned around and facing back towards the Pool Room now.

And the library wall...

How can you not love a wall with Agave attenuata sticking out of it?

They're stunning.

With the Library wall behind me...

I finally spot some books!

But I was quickly distracted by the plants...

Time to head out to the patio...

The Library visible looking thru the exterior wall...

I wonder if Andrew would be okay with me stuffing an agave in the side of our house? Ya, probably not.

Just a few more photos, looking at the containers on the patio wall out to the Gravel Garden, which will be the subject of next Friday's post.

One more peek at the Library...

With just the one exception I thought the Ruin garden pulled off the illusion quite well, I loved it! Here's how it fits into the whole...

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Wednesday, January 3, 2024

An afternoon at Little Prince of Oregon

Mid-December I had the pleasure of visiting Little Prince of Oregon (LPO) with friends Evan Bean and Ann Amato, they're on the left in the photo below. I'm the one in the back in black, and in front of me is Alexa Patti, head grower at LPO.

We were treated to tour time with both Alexa and Mark Leichty, Director of Business Development at LPO, with additional bonus chat time with Mike Hicks (Production Manager); and Ernie and Marietta O’Byrne of Northwest Garden Nursery, creators of the Winter Jewels Hellebores. In case you haven't heard the big news, LPO is taking over the hellebore program from the O'Byrnes. We spent a little time in one of the green houses with the Winter Jewels stock plants and there were even blooms—in December! I'm thrilled this program is in good hands and that the O'Byrnes get to enjoy retirement.

Onward! Ann is all sorts of begonia crazy so we spent some time checking out the begonias that LPO is growing. This one is 'Froggy' (yes, very fitting for a nursery with a frog logo).

Begonia chloroneura

Begonia soli-mutata

I didn't get the name of this one, but those big leathery leaves were pretty fantastic.

This is the largest of the many greenhouses at LPO, and houses many (most?) of their houseplant selections.

I've been visiting LPO for over eight years and it's been amazing to watch them grow. Their greenhouse space has at least tripled and they've gone from selling only wholesale to selling direct on their website. Walking through the nursery you definitely see their commitment to growing fabulous plants, and the people who work there all seem really happy too.

These Cryptanthus ‘Zebrinus’ and Ananas nanus 'Cathy' were in the holding area for the Little Prince of Oregon display garden at the 2024 Northwest Flower & Garden Festival in February. I can't wait to see what they come up with this year!

Pteris quadriaurita 'Tricolor'

This cool columnar planting was in one of the greenhouses that had space set aside for overwintering of employee plants.

That's also where this colorful Blechnum brasiliense was located.

Here's Evan, Ann and I with our haul, we each left with an amazing collection of LPO plants.

Here's what I got, clockwise from the fern in the upper right-hand corner: Blechnum brasiliense, Pteris quadriaurita 'Tricolor', Blechnum appendiculatum and Begonia chloroneura.

Blechnum appendiculatum is said to be hardy to Zone 8, perhaps 7. I'll be testing that as I plan to plant it out in the springtime.

The pteris will be a house plant for me, maybe vacationing outdoors in the summertime.

Same for the begonia.

But wait, there's more! Clockwise starting with the agave on the far right: Agave stricta, Ananas nanus 'Cathy', Cryptanthus zebrinus, and Hohenbergia ‘Chocolate Tiger’ (Evan got one of these too and after a little online sleuthing is referring to it as Hohenbergia correia-araujoi).

Look at that dark color and striping!

So refined and glamorous...

I'm looking forward to watching this one grow.

Spikes! I might leave this one in a container in hopes that it stays small, cause it's so darn cute!

Two big sexy bromeliads round out my haul...Neoregelia ‘Tiger’ and Aechmea fasciata ‘Primera’.

I was pretty excited when I learned LPO was planning to offer bromeliads, everyone needs at least couple, and they're so easy to grow.

Just a little water in the cup at the center of the leaves and good light... it's that easy. Well, and don't leave them outdoors in the winter unless you're in a warm climate.

Such a fun day with plant friends and a pretty exciting haul... exactly what I needed in this cool, dark, part of the year...

Monday, January 1, 2024

Happy New Year! Let's go for a nature walk...

Can you believe its 2024? I sure can't. There was a time when New Year's Day meant recovering from an epic hangover, thanks to crazy NYE parties with friends. However now that I'm an old married lady, not so much. Getting out for a peaceful walk seems ideal, something we did yesterday—the last day of 2023—but since I've had these images in waiting for a couple of months, today seems like the perfect time to share them...

It was early November and Andrew and I were out at a spot called Wildwood Recreation Site in the Mount Hood National Forest. He was fishing and I was walking. There were so many picturesque mushrooms...

And moss, of course...

The area felt so remote, but this picnic shelter seemed rather urban-hip.

Andrew and I parted ways on the left side of that bridge. I always think I'm going to see him casting at the edge of the stream, and I'm a little worried when I don't.

Mahonia and ferns, proof I am in the Pacific Northwest.

I'm further upstream now, while Andrew was headed downstream.

This little woolly bear was one of five I saw that day. She (?) was making fast tracks across that rock.

I walked a distance to eventually join up with the Boulder Ridge Trail. The scene changed dramatically based on whether my phone camera is pointed up...

Or down...

But it was all breathtaking. I'll end with an odd colored mushroom and my wishes that you had an enjoyable end to 2023 and a great first day of 2024...