My front garden, tour 2020

It's time for my annual garden tour. Every year I take photos at the end of summer and post them here on the blog. This tradition is hugely valuable for me, as I get an annual record of what the garden looked like at a moment in time. Hopefully it's interesting for you too...

This year's photos (99% of them) were taken on August 16th and September 20th. Above I'm standing in the street looking straight at the house, below is the view from the end of our driveway. 

Now moving to the north a bit, along the public sidewalk. I couldn't decide which photos I liked the lighting of the best, so I included a few similar ones.

Glowing Yucca rostrata...

And super sexy muscular branching on the Arctostaphylos x 'Austin Griffiths'.

That's Arctostaphylos 'Monica' to the right of the front door. I'm working on opening up the structure so you can see through it (since it is in front of the door), much like 'Austin' is.

The next four images show a slightly shifting perspective on the middle of the front garden...

I am really happy with how this area is shaping up, it's exactly what I hoped for.

As is the tall tetrapanax on the far end.

It's lovely to look up through on a blue-sky afternoon.

Although those big green leaves didn't like the weird dark and smoky days in early September and started to turn yellow almost instantly.

I know I've included a photo of my Summer 2020 visitor before, but since I'll refer back to this post I thought it might be good to remind myself this is the year the bunny came to visit.

This image—of the area up against the front of the house—might look familiar to some of you, as it was used to promote I talk I gave for the Northwest Horticultural Society. It was just a random photo I took one morning in August as I was watering, but the light was perfect.

Here's the same area but later, in September. Notice the lower leaves of the Euphorbia rigida have turned yellow, kind of like the tetrapanax leaves did. I heard lots of stories of plants reacting to the smoke (and ash) filled skies. I do hope there is some organization that's compiling plant reactions to the thick smoke that covered our region for days. I know Oregon State University was asking people to submit reports.

Looking at the same vignette, but from the other side.

And here's the autumn version.

The area on the other side of the front steps is not so cohesive. I've replanted it a few times but I'm still not happy with it.

Although I'm completely in love with this—supposedly dwarf and draping—Loropetalum I managed to squeeze into the pot holding an Acca sellowiana (aka pineapple guava).

And this Agave baccarat...

Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Rainbow' does well in its dappled shade location under a large Fatsia japonica.

Switching to the other side of the sidewalk up to the house...

Agave 'Mateo' surrounded by a rosemary.

Agave parrasana 'Meat Claw'—fingers crossed for its survival. This is the second plant Sean Hogan (Cistus) has given me. He told me to put the first one in the ground but I didn't. But it wasn't happy in a container and so this time I listened and it's in the ground.

This combination of plants is what lines most of the sidewalk. I like it.

Okay then, here we are at the gate to the back garden—and that's tomorrow's post!

Weather Diary, Nov 18: Hi 52, Low 45/ Precip .81 

All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Wednesday Vignette, flatlay fail

When you're good at something you naturally make it look easy. When you're not, well, then there's this.

Inspired by the many stunning flatlay images Dan Carlson posts to his Instagram account, I thought I'd try something similar with the treasures I picked up on our recent Gorge-getaway. Obviously I need a better background than one of our pathway pavers. Something that allows the texture of the items to take the stage, not to compete with them.

I also tried using a brighter background, but since it was indoors there was a horrible reflection from the overhead lights. Still, it works for zooming in for a couple of close-ups: mossy hunk of wood, a naturally forking bit of driftwood, acorns and a lichen covered rock.

I couldn't help but bring home one of the deer vertebrae I found...

The only thing I can think that this might be is part of a handle for turning a spigot on and off.

Andrew thinks maybe this was an improvised anchor for a small fishing watercraft. I grabbed it for the rusty bit, and haven't removed the belt yet. I reminds me of one my brothers had when they were kids. I think there were holsters and toy guns involved.

I can't help but pick up shells when I see them. Here they were just the tiny white clam shells, except for this one. It has to be the smallest shell I've ever found. I'm not even sure how I spotted it. 

Weather Diary, Nov xx18 Hi 58, Low 48/ Precip .11   

Wednesday Vignettes are hosted by Anna at Flutter & Hum. All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Images from a quick Columbia River Gorge getaway...

I snapped a lot of photos when Andrew and I hit the road last month, I think a few of them are worth sharing here.

Our first stop was along the east fork of the Hood River, after travelling around the back-side of Mt. Hood. I stopped to admire the fuzzy verbascum (above), but then realized I was standing in the midst of hundreds of lady beetles. They were coming in from all directions, it was amazing. I called Andrew over, who said (in an offhand manner), "looks like they're getting ready to hibernate"...what? How did I not know that lady beetles hibernate?

Homebase for the next three nights was a hotel on the Columba River in Hood River, Oregon. The moon-rise was dreamy...

And the sunrise the next morning was equally dazzling.

We walked down the rivers edge for a bit, here I'm looking back at the Hood River Bridge, connecting Oregon and Washington.

Of course this trip involved fishing, well, for Andrew. These frost-nipped ferns were alongside the first spot we visited, at the beginning of the Hood River Penstock Flume Pipeline Trail.

In a better protected spot they were still bright green, and there were snowberries too. Well that's what I'm calling them. I have no idea what they're really called.

The trail starts by this old abandoned powerhouse. It seemed rather picturesque on a sunny, cool, morning.

And I won't lie, a little creepy too...

I took two steps inside that door but that's as far as I dared to tread.

The river. 

The trail follows along the river banks...

...eventually ending up on top of an old pipeline as it snakes along, and over, the river. Sadly we didn't make it to the pipeline part of the trail, but if you're curious this video starts on the pipe and walks the trail backwards to where we were. 

When your roots don't have to venture deep into the soil to find water...or maybe the soil was washed away?

After some exploring I left Andrew behind and went to cross a couple of nurseries off my list. 

Unfortunately at the season's end neither one had much to see. I was impressed with how much space this one (Good News Gardening) had available though. In the summer it must be fabulous.

There was a small indoor space with tools, containers, and a few houseplants. There was also a café with a few tables in the mix. I didn't linger because there was an (unmasked) couple having lunch. It sure smelled good!

Day three of our adventure we crossed over the Columbia River into Washington State.

Andrew had marked a few stops along the Klickitat River that he wanted to fish. I went exploring...

I've no idea what this plant is, but it made a great groundcover.

This groundcover (rockcover?) was really interesting. My go-to source for ID on plants like this (my friend Evan, he knows everything) IDs it as Selaginella wallacei, and after looking it up, I agree.

Isn't it fabulous? Since this site says "Conservation Status: Not of concern", I'll go ahead and admit a little piece of it came home with me. I hope I can keep it alive.

A rock with a plaque on it. I assumed someone must have died here, maybe drowned in the river?

Nope. Arnold and his friends went hunting.

A few hundred yards away I found bones, the third such siting on this vacation. I believe these were from deer, probably not Arnold and his friend's work though.

Here's a view of the Klickitat River as it winds through a narrow cannon. It was getting late or else I'm sure we would have found a way down there... 

Instead we made our way back to the hotel (through The Dalles, where I got my agave fix). The next morning it was time to pack up the car and head back to Portland. Our 4-day getaway was a lovely, relaxing, time...

Weather Diary, Nov 16: Hi 52, Low 47/ Precip .14 

All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.