MulchMaid

Pasadena in January

2012-01-27T23:09:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, we flew to Pasadena. That sounds rather blithe, but this family reunion to honor my late mother-in-law had been planned for over a year. I'll be posting about other parts of the weekend, but I'm beginning in reverse with our last day: Monday was very wet and our plans to visit the Huntington Gardens were ditched in favor of exploring some public buildings in Pasadena.

The Mulch Man was interested in finding out more about any structural damage from a freak high wind event that happened there in November and arranged to talk to a City of Pasadena building official. Afterward we wandered over to the main building of the Pasadena Library.

The lovely old building was somewhat marred by this unattractive orange mesh, apparently protecting people from falling into the ongoing fountain repair project.

The main Pasadena library has a feel something like the downtown Portland main library, and it's probably about the same age. Inside, along with a wonderful children's library, we found the Pasadena Centennial Room, a reference room devoted to publications specific to California and Pasadena.

Of course, I made a beeline for the horticulture books.

That tiny field guide in the center is from 1911. It had some beautiful drawings, but I wasn't permitted to photograph them.

There were other great titles: I was surprised to read about the large number of Opuntia species endemic to Southern California in California Cactus. The Mulch Man discovered a book on wild food by an old school friend, Chris Nyerges, in the collection. And I didn't even get inside Big Trees of California.

The large room was full of readers, but I wasn't allowed to photograph people, either, so these shots are necessarily limited.

Leaving the library through the courtyard, I enjoyed the potted plants (Dasylirion?) and a big planting of the irrepressible Bird of Paradise.

Across from the library was a bed of Agave attenuata, one plant of which had a huge, arching bloom.

As we walked back toward the car, we saw what I assumed to be evidence of the wind damage from November. The bloom stalk on this Agave americana (variegata?) was broken, although its companion's was intact. Maybe the second one came up after the windstorm.

Further down the street, branches that had fallen out of trees were still languishing over the plantings.

The size of these plantings is hard to tell from my pictures, but some of the Agave americana were over eight feet high.

I just love the huge, ropey arms on these big guys.

Here's a sight that made my heart beat faster: an entire planter filled with Agave truncata! (correction: Agave parryi var truncata ... had a brain fade there.)

And here's a lovely couple. I'm guessing from the the empty bottle in the picture below and the weedy, messy state of most of the beds that the City of Pasadena is dealing with some of the same economic issues that Portland is experiencing. Maintenance certainly appeared to be taking a back seat to other priorities.

The view back to the happy twosome along the Agave truncata planter. That's quite a bloom stalk that Agave americana is sporting.

Check out this planter full of aloes!

Some were blooming, oblivious to the wet weather. Do want!

I think that gorgeous orange is a dead ringer for Tangerine Tango, Pantone's recently announced Color of the Year for 2012. It's certainly my idea of perfection.

Snow Load

2012-01-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

Now I know why architects must calculate the weight of snow on roofs in cold climates. My garden is showing the effects of just one night of wet snow, and it's already melted, not 24 hours later.

The Pampas plumes are broken and the plant is smoothed down like a beehive hairdo.

The Eucalyptus pauciflora ssp. debeuzevilli was already listing. Now it's leaning seriously and I'm wondering what intervention, if any, would help.

Plants all over the garden are broken and battered.

The worst damage I've found was sustained by the center plant of the three 'Winter's Snowman' camellias I just posted about for Bloom Day. The leader has ripped apart from the middle of the plant.

Now this middle shrub is about half the height of the two on either side of it. So much for privacy for another several years...

At least my grandchildren had some fun with the snow!

Did your Portland area garden survive this snow event better than mine?

Bloom Day, January 2012

2012-01-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

In December I had a brief post about the only two plants blooming in my garden. This month's post is briefer still, species-wise (although I got excited and took more pictures.) My solitary garden blooms this Garden Blogger's Bloom Day are on three Camellia x 'Winter's Snowman'.

'Winter's Snowman' blooms so early that the flowers often get damaged by winter's wet weather. Some years the blooms have looked rather depressingly like little blobs of wet tissue stuck all over the plant. This year has been relatively dry, and the blossoms are lasting longer and looking much prettier.

I mentioned in an earlier post about this particular camellia's open structure and the fact that we are not overwhelmed by their ability to create privacy for us. The way they are performing so far this winter though, I'm quite prepared to enjoy them as the stars of my garden this Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.

The soft blush of pink on the opening buds is a delightful surprise up close.

Pop on over to May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in other gardens this January. There's always something there to enjoy!

My year in flashbacks

2011-12-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

No, I haven't been dropping acid. But I have been reading lots of "Best of 2011" lists and thinking about my year in the garden. I decided to select one semi-representative image from each month of this year's posts and put them together in a 2011 flashback. Got your tie-dyed T-shirt on?

In January, I was thrilled to begin my Master Gardener classes. The work of getting certified continued through September, but now I am an official, giant-orange-badge-wearing OSU Master Gardener. I highly recommend the classes and follow-up hours to anyone who wants to expand their horticultural knowledge. It was hard work, but it was and continues to be so much fun!

One good thing about living in the Pacific Northwest is our relatively short, mild winters. Although we had some serious cold weather (for us), February was already bringing the kind of small excitement that sustains me though our long wet spring. Here was one example, in the form of Arctostaphylos 'Austin Griffiths" blooms.

March was about mulch ... enough said.

April saw the continued firecracker blooms of Grevillea juniperina 'Low Red'. 'Low Red' made it through a nasty winter and bloomed from February through May, then inexplicably died in June. I still miss this one in the garden, but was somewhat consoled by Deborah at Cistus Nursery who told me knowingly, "Grevilleas will break your heart." If I decide to risk my heart again, I'll need to improve its drainage even more than I did for its predecessor.

I was so happy with this Lewisia cotyledon in May that I planted two more this summer. Lewisias are small, unassuming Northwest natives that surprise with a delightful sunset of color when they bloom.

I wait all year for the fabulous blue of Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Victoria' and in June I am rewarded. The bees are pretty happy too, since along with Ceanothus, June is a very flowery month here.

By July the garden is really filling in: all the perennials are leafing and many are flowering. Phygelius x rectus 'Passionate' bloomed with these beautiful orange trumpets from June through November. Its bonus dark reddish-green foliage is backed by the Trachycarpus fortuneii and other summer greens.

In August big leaves take center stage, as Ensete v. maurelii, shown here, stars with cannas, acanthus, and newcomers to my garden Tetrapanax and Melianthus major. Tropicalissmo!

September saw the last of the exterior work at Longview Ranch, culminating in a new paint job. A few potted plants made it back onto the deck and patio in celebration this month.

I played with blues and greens in a post about several new agaves and other mostly subtle October color combinations in the garden. Here are A. gypsofila and A. titanota, just in from our California trip.

My November Foliage Follow-up was anything but subtle. It was the most intensely colorful fall we've had since our time in this house. Witness this Acer japonica all decked out.

December was a grayer, colder month, when the only blossoms in my garden were quiet or odd, like these great sputnik blooms on my Fatsia japonica. The lack of flowers and foliage allows the garden structure to shine, so December is traditionally a great time to assess problems and devise solutions to be implemented in the coming year.

But I'm not much of a traditionalist, so won't I take off my tie-dyed T-shirt quite yet. I'll probably do a little cursory planning, then plunge in with reckless abandon with the first garden show of the season in February, buying all kinds of cool new plants I have no idea where to put in my garden.

So thank you for joining me for a little Auld Lang Syne as we leave 2011. This comes with my wish for each of you: an exciting, glorious and plant-filled 2012!

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas

2011-12-24T00:30:00.000-08:00

Since it doesn't look like we're in for a White Christmas this year, here's a little reminder of what it might have looked like.

Snow or no snow, Happy Festivus, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Seasons Greetings and a Happy New Year to all!

Foliage Follow-up - December 2011

2011-12-15T08:56:00.000-08:00

What a contrast to last month's Foliage Follow-up post! Gone are the rich red, orange and gold deciduous leaves I was reveling in on November 15th. The few leaves that remain certainly aren't as in-your-face intense as they were this time last month - just light yellow and brown on the ornamental pears and pin oaks around our neighborhood.

Today's foliage follow-up is tamer, beginning with the leaves of Nandina domestica 'Moyer's Red'. Its coloring always warms up in fall, but I was so dazzled in November that I passed it right by for last month's post.

The foliage on this summer-blooming heather has turned a delicious russet that contrasts nicely with its little white dried flower heads.

Yucca rostrata presents a perfect pouf of sword-like blue-gray foliage. I expect it to come through winter unscathed, but this is its first year so I'm not completely confident.

A softer pouf with its bright striped foliage is this Carex morrowii 'Evergold'. I've had two in pots for years on our shady front porch and they look perfect all year long. As little care as they need they could almost be artificial!

It hasn't gotten cold enough yet for the Acanthus mollis to die back. After it does, the Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' you can just see peeking out to the upper right takes over ground-cover duty around it and looks great all winter doing it.

A prostrate Oregano brightens up the mulch in the sunny part of the garden.

'Sizzling Pink' Loropetalum was probably named for its flower color, but the new growth starts out a pretty wonderful maroon. This particular shrub has been well-travelled: in two places in the garden, then back in a pot for the last couple of years. Now it's in the ground again in the shadow of a Ceanothus and the shelter of a wall. Third spot's a charm?

Looking back over these photos, I see un-raked leaves in many of them. We are surrounded by large neighborhood trees and although we clean up regularly, they blow into our garden for months. Perhaps the real theme of this month's post is following up on fallen foliage...

Foliage Follow-up is hosted by Pam Penick at Digging. Pay her a visit her to see what other foliage fun she has lined up this month.

Bloom Day - December 2011

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Of blooms this month

I have but two.

One is white,

the other, blue.

As happy as I am to have flowers in the garden, December is one of those months that reminds me I don't focus heavily on floral results. But since this part of the world isn't typically covered in snow this month, I'm also feeling lucky to have so much green around me to enjoy instead.

Click on over to May Dreams Gardens to sample lots of other beautiful flowers. Happy Bloom Day!

My indoor compost solution

2011-12-13T16:37:00.000-08:00

Kym Pokorny of the Oregonian recently blogged about alternatives to the boring plastic compost pail given to each single family home a couple of months ago. The plastic pail is part of the new "Portland Composts" waste reduction program and is intended to be filled with vegetable scraps and daily food waste, then emptied into the large green yard debris can for weekly pickup. Kym did a good job of highlighting some nicer options, but many of them cost a good bit and don't fit the look of my retro kitchen.

Portland readers are familiar with this issue. For decades our household used a half-gallon Nancy's yoghurt container for our compost, but it really wasn't much to look at and lived under the sink when we weren't using it. Probably no one I know really wants this just-short-of-ugly plastic thing sitting on their counter top waiting for carrot peelings and tea bags. And if you're anything like me, your counter top isn't exactly overflowing with extra space, especially around the sink area. Do we have to hide the new pail under the sink forever?

The Mulch Man came up with a perfect solution:

We were given this vintage ice bucket/food keeper as a housewarming gift when we moved into our 1956 ranch. Why not re-purpose it for compost?

It's a little smaller than the plastic pail, but it easily holds plenty of food waste. With just us two most of the time, it doesn't need emptying often (unless we cook with garlic!)

And it looks great beside the sink. With its Bakelite handles and its cute embossed penguins it fits right in with the Hudee ring sink surround, the laminate backsplash and the 50s vibe of the kitchen.

Its contents can go either into the outdoor compost bin if it's just vegetable waste, or the green yard debris can if there's cooked food waste.

And it's so much more fun to look at than beige plastic!

Foliage Follow Up, November 2011

2011-11-16T09:29:00.001-08:00

Focusing on foliage has real appeal as the days get shorter and we can rely less on the eye candy of flowers. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I have been loving the fall color in my garden and throughout the Northwest.

Our young Acer japonica in full autumnal regalia...the best it's ever been!

A few last dogwood leaves cling to the twigs, and a maple leaf glows against wet gravel.

Parthenocissus tricuspidata leaves are aging in a stunning green-to-red gradient, while orange-red berries on the Pyracantha x 'Mohave' provide a counterpoint to its glossy, evergreen foliage.

Please pardon the screen, but do share my view of a bright yellow Acer circinatum out of the window beside my computer:

And here's my view out of the window beside it: Tetrapanax and Melianthus major aren't going to look this good much longer, but both nicely fill the space between young clumps of bamboo for now.

The licorice fern log, dormant over summer, has sprung back to vibrant, green life following the first fall rains.

In contrast, this licorice fern-covered rock at a Hood River inn we stayed at last weekend is the epitome of Northwest natural landscaping. All we need to do to replicate it is import some gigantic basalt boulders to Longview Ranch...

And in a final note to November foliage, the Agave collection has migrated indoors to the bright south-facing breakfast room. I can't figure out how they all seem to fit there this year, when many had to live in the basement with a grow-light last winter, but I'm sure they're as happy to be above ground as I am to have them here.

Click on over to see what Foliage Follow Up host Pam Penick at Digging has going on in her monthly celebration.

Bloom Day, November 2011

2011-11-14T08:12:00.001-08:00

It's the ides of the month, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, and I can't remember a November starting out greener and bloomier than this one. The MulchMaid's memory is nothing to write home about, but really, it's been drier and warmer than usual this month. But as the month marched on, the blossoms inevitably lessened in spite of the atypical weather, and deciduous greens turned, sometimes overnight, to golds, oranges and russets. With less rain and wind, the leaves have been spectacular this fall, and I've been enjoying the seasonal color despite my aversion to colder weather. More on that tomorrow for Foliage Follow up.

So it's a modest November Bloom Day offering, with a few flowers I've been enjoying for months, and a couple of new ones that are more seasonal.

You've seen this first bloom here a few times this year, but not this particular plant. This little seedling of Agastache 'Acapulco Orange' came up this year after the mother plant kicked the bucket in winter. I had already planted a replacement Agastache, but was delighted to see the volunteer and left it to see how it fares this winter.

The actual flowers are finished on Eucomis pallidiflora ssp. pole-evansii but I can't bring myself to cut the striking flower stalk yet.

You've seen it before but I love it, so scroll on down if you don't want to gaze on Abutilon 'Temple Bells/Red Tiger' again. I'm going to try to overwinter this one.

'Dwarf Blue' Hyssop, still with a few blooms for sluggish bees.

Although the flowers on this summer-blooming heather are dry, they still give the appearance of blooms and combine with the leaf color to create a beautiful effect. Like the Eucomis, I'm including them today with your indulgence.

I picked up several prostrate Rosemary 'Bonnie Jean' at Nichols Garden Nursery, outside Albany. In my experience, prostrate rosemary has been less hardy than the upright type, so a Zone 7 plant sounds encouraging. We'll see how they do this winter. To plant these, I pulled out the 'Kent Beauty' oregano (instead of the Helianthemum 'Ben Nevis': remember the July clash of pink and orange in my brick planter?)

A last seasonal development is the Camellia x 'Winters Snowman'. These were added as back garden screening a few years ago, but they have an open structure, more like the tea camellia, Camellia sinensis. That, coupled with their very early bloom period (we were looking for something to flower in December and January) earns them regular review as candidates for removal and replacement with something more suitable. So far, their blooms have reprieved them this winter.

And that's the report from Longview Ranch this November 15th. To see what's blooming in over 100 other gardens, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!

Bloom Day - October 2011

2011-10-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

Happy October Bloom Day! Rather than repeat some of the blooms I've pictured in more recent posts, here are a few you haven't seen much of.

My passalong Persicaria (could it be 'Lance Corporal'?) is determined to take over the world, to judge from the hundreds of tiny flowers and eventual seeds that are produced by just a few plants. They look like bright pink beads on the flower stems.

The crape myrtle is way past its flowering prime and like me, it's missing the hot, sunny days of summer. But there are still full trusses of blossom that haven't opened. I wonder if they will continue to open one at a time, as it seems they are doing here.

Hardy fuchsias are long bloomers in the garden. Both this little variegated Fuchsia magellanica macrostema and the larger Fuchsia hatchbatchii below it have had flowers for months and show no signs of stopping.

A sweet little Cistus x obtusifolius keeps plugging away with a few blooms at a time.

At a distance, I didn't see the slight rain damage that became apparent when I saw the image below on my screen. It's a charming flower anyway: I'll take it any time of year.

My climbing 'Sally Holmes' rose is also suffering from the inches of rain Portland has already endured this month. This is her fourth wave of blooms this year, and the trusses are getting getting totally drenched.

The really big excitement here is that after four summers, my Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) has finally produced three panicles. I wanted (and thought I got) a white-plumed variety, so I'm a little concerned that they look pinkish (even brown in this late afternoon shot.) Maybe they'll bleach out as they age?

After driving up the coast to Big Sur, I can see why pampas are considered such a huge nuisance in California, but I still love them. I hope I'm not going to be guilty of harboring an invasive species here in Oregon in years to come...

After a very slow start this year, the dwarf Pomegranite (Punica granatum 'True Dwarf') is still putting out a few flowers.

Following three years of serious winter setbacks, both Trachelospermum jasminoides have come back like gangbusters and climbed the fence as they were originally intended to do. Although their peak bloom period is over, there are quite a few flowers and you can catch their faint scent when the sun is on them.

Three Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb' have been blooming most of the summer. I brought a pot of them from my last house five years ago and just this summer I plopped divisions into the ground to fill an open spot. They are supreme survivors, adding a splat of intense yellow to the front garden.

And finally, the Cape fuchsia, Phygelius x rectus 'Passsionate' has spires that are over my head and still flowering at the tips. The hummingbirds that were enjoying them have gone for the winter, but the flowers keep hopefully opening, just in case one returns hungry.

Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Click on over to see flowers from all over the world!

Unexpected Fall color

2011-10-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of autumn. I guess it's the inevitability of winter that really puts me off it, but even if spring came right after fall, I don't think I'd be very enthused. As I live in Portland, however, I reluctantly make my peace with fall each year. And I'm prepared to admit that the return of cloudy skies affects the way color looks in the garden in a very good way.

Some of it is subtle. I love the look of my two new agaves: A. gypsofila (left) and A. titanota are soft blue-green in blue pots against our "perfect green" paint. I acquired them from Sage Eco Nursery on our September trip to Los Osos, California, and they survived the remainder of the trip up the coast carefully cushioned from all our other traveling gear.

Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' has yet to be planted out, but it's already coloring up with the most alluring coral shade along its yellow stripes.

My Cannas typically peak both in foliage and blossoms when they're about to be slammed with autumn's cold, wet weather.

These huckleberry berries just keep getting bigger and darker purple. It beats me why they haven't been stripped off by the birds or our local raccoon population. They certainly are as ripe as I've picked them for pancakes in Gifford Pinchot.

More subtle color from Melianthus major: now that I've grown it, I understand what all the fuss is about. Who could resist the soft, new growth contrasting with the mature leaves of 'Purple Haze'?

Here's some in-your-face color contrast: Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' with Abutilon 'Tangerine'.

And another Abutilon: 'Temple Bells', finally achieving some height and sporting beautifully red-veined flowers against the pampas and other tan grasses.

Here's some traditional autumn color: We had to replace our original dogwood (Cornus x 'Eddie's White Wonder') when it died after we moved it, and although it's hard starting over, we're thrilled about the gorgeous oranges we're seeing now. I like the orange better than our last dogwood which turned a kind of dull purple color in fall.

And the orange looks even better when it's backed by the new chocolate color we painted the neighbor's garage wall.

We started out with the garage wall painted "Winchester", the same new color as our foundation. It's a great color for a foundation and works well with the new exposed aggregate patio, but it was dull, dull, dull on the garage as a backdrop to plants and trees and it had to go.

Now the wall is lovely, warm "Chocolate" (literally, that's Miller's name for it) and it's delicious behind Mahonia aquifolium and the young Mountain Hemlock.

Back to more traditional autumn color, enjoy these blond Koeleria macrantha seedheads against the pines.

In keeping with the return of wet weather, I'm enjoying the look of this rusted vertebral art against the camellia.

And for sheer contrast, how about this bright green Irish moss backing wet mulch. This is a look with which all we Portlanders will become very familiar over the next six months ... or will it be longer?

Finished! ... er, all but the plants, that is

2011-09-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

After what seems like an eternity, Longview Ranch's makeover is finally complete: new patio poured, new patio roof structure built, roof torn off and new roof applied, and new paint everywhere.

I get happier with the results every day.

Remember the gorgeous aqua (below) I wanted to paint the house?

Well, we finally compromised on a color that is a teeny bit greener and a little bit grayer, but still satisfies my need for that 1956 retro vibe. It's our own custom color, dubbed "Perfect Green" by the skilled mixer who helped us at Sherwin Williams. It's surprisingly difficult to capture the nuance of this color with my camera, but trust me, it's great, and it plays well with the roman brick around the house.

The new white fascia boards provide much better contrast and all that bright, white paint everywhere looks clean and fresh.

Potted plants and furniture have found their way back onto the deck but the patio area was the last finished and it's still waiting for new furniture and more pots.

The triple columns (replacing an awkward, ugly steel pole) and the reworked lightwell with skylights are beautiful improvements.

Because of the anticipated work on the house we held off major re-planting of the vulnerable new back yard beds, and just a few plants now grace the patio.

As the rains return, I'll be gradually adding the plants that have been patiently waiting in the wings for their turn, many since this past spring.

After all our agonizing over color, I have to conclude that "Perfect Green" may not be the optimum background color for many of our plants. We have a lot of bright green and yellow-green leaves and I'll like it as a background color better when it's also backing deep green leaves like those of Podocarpus salignus, or Podocarpus macrophylla, my new must-have species for the protected patio.

For now, adding the final touch of 50s perfection to the front garden is a trio of new flamingos. As described by Loree in a recent blog post on danger garden, they're now in honor of Dulcy Mahar, Portland's late, beloved garden columnist and defender of their delightfully tacky whimsey.

And that's great company to be in.

Foliage Follow-up (my first!) - August 2011

2011-08-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Foliage Follow-up. Hosted by Pam at Digging, Foliage Follow-up participants celebrate the leaves in our gardens on the 16th of each month. Here's what I'm seeing in my zone 8 Portland garden today:

Yucca rostrata, planted this spring, is thriving in our summer sun. I hope I've given it enough drainage to survive our wet winter.

I'm so relieved that lovely white sheaths on the new culms of Fargesia robusta bamboo are conclusive evidence it's not a return of the running Phyllostachys we evicted from the garden. It's a treat to see this new growth in mid-summer: apparently most Fargesia only shoot in spring.

Lysimachia nummilaria 'Aurea' underpins a slow-growing Acanthus. One of these years I may even get blooms!

The color of my Eucalyptus leaves is the perfect gray-green.

Irish moss is gradually re-establishing itself after spring's garden upheaval.

A passalong Persicaria with its distinct chevron.

My new Tetrapanax 'Steroidal Giant' is looking good and has BIG leaves.

Finally, a decidedly non-zone-8 plant: But Ensete maurellii has the most delicious color on its glossy gorgeous leaves.

Bloom Day, August 2011

2011-08-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

Summer is at its peak in Portland. We've had day after day of sun and warm weather, just perfect for all my heat-loving plants. Rather than move around the perimeter of the house as I usually do to show you what's blooming, today I decided to arrange my August blossoms by color, starting with red.

Helenium 'Moerheim Beauty' is past its prime, but a few new blossoms continue to open.

My inexpensive little Abutilon hybrid 'Tangerine' is covered with blooms.

In contrast, Clivia minata 'Belgian Hybrid Orange' has a restrained (but fabulous) four whole blooms. I'd grow Clivia for its gorgeous glossy foliage even if it didn't bloom.

I want to dive into the center of Zantedeschia 'Flame'.

Moving to apricot and pink, we find Agastache rupestris 'Apache Sunset'...

Agastache 'Acapulco Orange'...

A last little Lewisia blossom...

And Common Snowberry blossoms.

Magenta is covered by Cistus 'Sunset'.

In yellow we have Crocosmia 'Citronella'...

And a tiny Sisyrinchium californicum.

My first blooming pineapple lily, Eucomis pallidiflora ssp pole-evansii, moves us into green.

Blue is represented by Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue', just beginning to open, and...

Hyssopus officinalis 'Dwarf Blue', new this year, and filling in nicely.

Eryngium 'Jade Frost' is trending to purple...

And an Asian eggplant flower is straight ahead purple. I shot this photo upside down, so the sky is illuminating the flower from above.

Bloom Day is hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens. Click over to take a look at what's in bloom elsewhere across the nation and around the world today.

Happy August Bloom Day!

Ready for the Roofers

2011-08-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday and Sunday, I spent hours carefully and laboriously moving everything not secured in the ground (plants, pots, outdoor furniture, doormats, etc.) from around the house.

Plants that can tolerate a few days of added sun got moved to the perimeter of the garden.

Meliathus major looks a bit surprised to find Agave bracteosa and A. filifera cozied up next to it, with a Yellow Flax tucked in behind.

A. geminiflora shields a mixed flat of small pots that I still haven't planted due to our summer of construction.

Patio and deck chairs are banished to the furthest edges of the grass.

Smaller agaves have moved inside the sliding door in a semblance of their winter mode.

A few plants that need more shade than we can provide outdoors are out of harm's way in the garage for a few days. It looks suddenly lush in that utilitarian space.

The deck is bare.

The new patio is empty, except for the scaffold to install the skylights.

The front porch is naked.

See the lovely aqua paint test on the left side of the picture above? Sadly, it's one more color we won't be painting our house. While I think it strikes the perfect retro note and looks great with the brick and our foliage, the Mulchman is needing something a bit earthier. He'd be fine with Burma Jade, but I think it's too green to work well with the foliage around the house.

So after twelve (yes, twelve!) paint mixes, we have yet to reach agreement on a color. You would just think two design professionals would have an easier time deciding, right?

Well, we better make up our minds soon, because Mitch Perez of Brushin' N' Rollin' is scheduled to start in a week or so (Mitch comes well recommended by Loree of danger garden.)

Meanwhile, this morning I'm sitting at my computer listening to loud scraping and falling sounds emanating from my roof. The windows and planting beds next to the house are draped in blue tarps, giving our interior a weird underwater quality. But the new roof will be done tomorrow!

Hummingbird Heaven

2011-07-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's a banner year for hummingbirds in the garden. They visit multiple times a day and feast on all the tubular orange and red flowers they can find at Longview Ranch.

Crocosmia 'Lucifer' is a favorite.

It's also one of my favorite flowers this time of year, as it mixes beautifully with the gray-green foliage of the Eucalyptus pauciflora ssp. debeuzevilli.

The hummers are hard to capture with my point-and-shoot camera, but I keep trying.

Other hummingbird magnets include the hardy Fuchsia hatchbachii.

Phygelius x rectus 'Passionate' gets sampled regularly.

As does the Agastache 'Acapulco Orange'.

I have even seen the little hummers check out the Hesperaloe parviflora on the deck.

They are not interested in some of my other exciting flower developments, however. Not interested in my three Eucomis pole-evansii, one of which is finally going to flower this year.

Also not interested, at least so far, in my Clivia minata 'Belgian Hybrid Orange', also just coming into bloom. I think those bright orange trumpets may attract them once they begin to open.

The hummers may be uninterested, so far, but I'm pretty happy about these flowering developments in the gardens at Longview Ranch.

Belated Bloom Day, July 2011

2011-07-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month at Longview Ranch. We have six visiting mammals (two adults, two children and two dogs) through the end of August, and construction continues on the rebuilding of the patio cover. Consequently my posting time has been non-existent, though I've just been able to keep up with the garden.

Luckily, the established plants aren't needing much of my care. See for yourself!

Hesperaloe parviflora.

Crocosmia 'Lucifer' is attracting droves of hummingbirds this month.

Potentilla fruticosa 'McKay's White' still holding out.

Beautiful green Kniphofia.

Agastache ' Acapulco Orange' is getting more robust by the week.

Eryngium planum 'Jade Frost's' blooms are maturing from silvery-white to a lovely blue.

Phygelius x rectus 'Passionate'. I never paid much attention to Cape Fuchsias in the past, but this one with its dark red foliage and deep orange blooms caught my eye last year.

Rosa 'Darlow's Enigma' is getting huge.

I'm loving Sedum 'Angelina's' bright yellow blooms over its acid green foliage.

Zantedeschia 'Fiesta' from Joy Creek Nursery.

I was craving the scent of old-fashioned sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) earlier this year. The pastel pink, yellow and purple shown on the packaging were not my ideal choice, but the variety, 'Perfume Delight', was described as very fragrant. Every stem that has bloomed so far is pale violet fading to white, but they do smell wonderful.

Tiny Snowberry flowers are attracting bees.

Several Origanum rotundifolium 'Kent Beauty' are adding a touch of England to my brick planters.

I don't know what possessed me to add a small orange Helianthemum 'Ben Nevis' to the the same planter - yuk! It's gotta go elsewhere, and quickly!

In another bad color moment, I realized Achillea 'Summerwine' is hanging out with a common lavender. At least one of them will be moving in the future.

Crocosmia pottsii 'Culzean Pink' flowers are definitely on the bluer side of red. If they soften to a pinker shade, I'll enjoy them even more.

Yucca 'Bright Edge' is just beginning to open its rich white blooms. I love these summer bloomers that are appearing in starring roles all over town.

Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Click on over for a look at blooms everywhere this July!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, June 2011

2011-06-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

June is bringing forth her flowers in masses! Just look at Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Victoria'.

The bees are very proprietary about it, especially the large orange-haunched bumble bees who make it a challenge to photograph.

With Helianthemum 'Henfield Brilliant' at its feet it's not a shy, retiring color combo.

It's been such a cool, wet spring, it's hard to believe the Summer Solstice is next week - it still feels very spring-like here in Portland. The cool weather doesn't seem to be holding back flowering any longer, though.

I'm absolutely delighted the Trachycarpus fortunei palm is blooming for the first time - hard to photograph since the tree is still fairly short, but a great sign that it's happy.

Lewisia cotyledons have been blooming most of the month.

As have the Calla lilies. They are turning out to be a little on the thuggish side.

Tiny Lewisia rediviva has a bloom that overpowers its foliage.

It's in a trough with an equally minute no-name Dianthus. I love the Dianthus's ragged little petals.

Sedums are blooming nicely. This is Sedum spathufolium 'Cape Blanco', one of my favorites whether it's blooming or not.

I think this is Sedum kamtschaticum 'Variegatum'. The whole plant is the size of a dinner plate.

Another tiny gem, Geranium subcaulescens.

Eryngium planum 'Jade Frost'. This one sailed through winter.

Cistus x. obtusifolius.

On a suggestion from Grace of Gardening with Grace, I planted Nepeta x faasenii 'Walker's Low' instead of Agastache. (Thank you, Grace and Scott, for supplying the correct name, validated by my finding the plant tag!)

Then I hedged my bets and ordered Agastache 'Acapulco Orange' from High Country Gardens, to replace the dead plant Grace so wisely mentioned didn't last long. I enjoyed my first 'Acapulco Orange' for three years - the new one is still very small but it is blooming.

In the Northwest Territory, the native Junegrass, Koeleria macrantha is making beautiful seedheads...

The streambank Lupine, Lupinus rivularis, is blooming...

And a volunteer foxglove is making a statement.

Lilium columbianum is blooming, too. I love our native Tiger Lily.

And last, a sweet little (overdue - my fault for planting it late) Pagoda primrose, Primula vialii.

Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Click over there for a look at what's blooming this beautiful June 15th in gardens across the nation and around the world.

A (really) brief visit to Seattle

2011-05-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

The Mulchman had business in downtown Seattle this past Monday, so I rode up with him in the car. He was happy to have the company and the opportunity to use the HOV lane. I was happy to spend three hours walking around downtown Seattle.

My first stop was the new-ish Central Branch of the Seattle Public Library. This way-cool building was designed by Rem Koolhaus and opened about seven years ago.

Its exterior is very unexpected, with diagonal grids on the faces and a squeezed middle section on several sides that's much narrower than the top or bottom of the building. You can see how that affects the interior in the shot above.

The interior spaces are huge, yet the whole building is surprisingly friendly and useable. There's a coffee shop on the main level and light everywhere — enough for an interior garden.

I think these plants were in pots under all that sphagnum moss, but the overall effect was pretty pleasing.

The exterior landscaping was limited, although they had incorporated a runoff recovery system that stored rain to water parts of the grounds. But as I left the building I saw this striking variegated cedar(?) It looks like Cedrus deodora 'Cream Puff', but it was full-sized.

When I looked closer, I could see that the new growth was all white and the individual side needles were all dark green. I wonder if the color contrast disappears gradually through summer and fall.

After heading south to Pioneer Square, I walked north along the waterfront from there. It was bright, but there was a strong wind blowing and I was glad I had worn a jacket. Along a fenced area I found this lone Cistus flower in bloom.

Winter had obviously gone easy on this shrub and it was making a break for downtown through the railing.

My goal had been the Olympic Sculpture Park, but I stopped at Pier 64 when I realized it would take me a while to get back to our appointed meeting spot. An overpass there takes pedestrians over the rail lines and back into downtown. At the base of the overpass stairs was this small planting area with what looks to me like a Vireya Rhododendron. I thought they would be too tender to live outdoors, even in this somewhat protected spot.

I loved the orange of its blossoms which complemented the mosaic on the stair walls beautifully.

As I approached the building where I'd meet the Mulchman and a colleague we were transporting home, I spotted this simple but effective contrast. The pink and green of the Hellebore and the black of the Mondo grass were set off nicely by the gray aggregate wall.

Three hours isn't much time in the city, but I would never miss an opportunity to explore our nearest big city neighbor. As it was, I got to cover a few miles on foot and I came home with a fresh perspective on a few plants and buildings in downtown Seattle.

Learning Gardens at 60th and Duke

2011-05-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

As an intern Master Gardener, part of my training includes 66 hours of hands-on work. Some of this work is "direct service", like staffing the MG clinic office phone or answering questions at a farmers market, the zoo, etc. Some of the service hours are considered "indirect". To satisfy the indirect hours I have been spending a few hours each Tuesday morning working at the Learning Gardens located at 60th and Duke in southeast Portland.

It's a huge place with five greenhouses, and myriad activities including the two I'm involved with: the Multnomah County Master Gardener demonstration garden and the Lane Family Gardens program. Also happening here are Portland Public Schools programs, Portland State classes and even a greenhouse I'm told is used by Lan Su, the Chinese classical garden (I'd love to see inside but the walls are opaque.)

Here's a shot of the Multnomah MG demo garden. Veteran Master Gardeners planned the bed contents earlier this year, and one serves as the Garden Guru to direct each day's activities. They, and we interns, do all the tasks required to keep the garden growing and productive, including sowing, transplanting, watering, weeding, mowing etc.

In addition to the vegetable beds, there's a blueberry bed...

A rose bed...

And an herb bed, complete with scarecrow.

Right now, there's lots of lettuce and cool weather crop activity.

Pok Choy is doing nicely after being transplanted out about three weeks ago.

Featured for the first time this year is a Square Foot Garden. This is a system for intensive and successive planting in a very small area. The raised bed has been divided into square foot sections and a specific number of seeds or seedlings are planted in each section.

In just three weeks, the spinach, pok choy and lettuce seedlings have filled in, and the seeded radishes and carrots are sprouting. The rear third of the bed is reserved for something to be grown up a trellis later. This productive bed is only 8x3 feet, so it's a method that can work for people with only a small amount of land to garden.

To go with the Square Foot bed, two tomatoes are planted in large plastic containers and are keeping warm with a Wall-o-Water.

Doesn't this one look cozy?

Rubarb is one of the few perennials in the vegetable garden beds.

Potatoes are hilled up inside an old horizontal blind - there's a shoestring budget here so there are lots of good re-use tips for the public.

Across the driveway from the demo garden are the Lane Family Gardens. This program provides a plot, seeds, seedlings, hand tools and expertise - all free - to help families in the community learn grow vegetables. I've been matched with a young family as their mentor, but honestly, they have more recent experience than me in vegetable gardening, so I'm more of a cheering section and backup waterer, so far.

Here's the father of the family planting seeds in their plot a few weeks ago. I enjoyed his Roman reclining planting style.

We planted out lettuce seedlings, and four kinds of beans.

Yesterday, I checked on "our" plot. The lettuces are doing well, and lots of the seedlings have sprouted. We've been lucky with the rain and the family hasn't needed to do a lot of watering yet.

Greenhouse 5 is the indoor base for both the activities I've been involved with, and the warmth inside has been a boon on these wet, cold Tuesday mornings.

Inside, what initially looks like chaos is actually efficiently managed by the various users.

Young basil seedlings wait for enough warmth to be planted out in the demonstration garden.

Plastic-covered seeds stay moist to encourage sprouting. Sometimes a heat mat is used to warm them just enough to germinate.

After the warmth of Greenhouse 5, the second thing that hits you when you enter is the intoxicating scent of lemons! This old lemon tree has obviously been here awhile and it smells heavenly this time of year.

Last year, the Multnomah County Master Gardener Demonstration Garden produced over 1,100 pounds of food that was donated to food banks and Lane school. The garden is open to the public and staffed by MGs each Saturday morning from 9 to noon. If you're interested in seeing what and how they grow veggies, or have a question for a Master Gardener, stop by and chat with them. Veteran MGs have a lot of the answers, and we interns are working hard to learn and catch up to them.

Happy Birthday, Longview Ranch gardens!

2011-05-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

As I gazed at Pinus contorta candles yesterday, I realized it was the pines' birthday: three years ago they were nestled into the Northwest Territory here at Longview Ranch.

Their "birthday" candles have increased almost twice their length in just the past few days.

So, how about celebrating with some birthday flowers?

Both this year's Abutilons are blooming. I know you Californians can grow them year-round, but here in Portland, I'm just happy I can grow Abutilons as annuals. I've been smitten since I saw a lovely rose-colored one in 2009 at my brother- and sister-in-law's garden in Altadena.

This is 'Red Tiger'. Aren't those orange veins great?

Lewisia cotyledon is just beginning to bloom. These little jewels need to be moved to a place I can more easily appreciate them.

Helianthemum 'Henfield Brilliant" is rising to the challenge of its name.

This will be quite a contrast, when the Ceanothus 'Victoria' you can just see budding on the left in this picture comes into bloom.

Other small birthday flowers at Longview Ranch are the Potentilla fruiticosa, including 'McKay's White' below...

...and 'Sunset Red', whose flowers have always matured more yellow than red. Not that I'm complaining, you understand.

Last spring I planted 150 Vinca minor starts around three big sidewalk trees. They took a lot of babying to stay moist (in spite of last year's cool, wet summer) but despite die-off from drying out and dog pee, about half pulled through and are starting to look like they'll survive.

Little Arctostaphylos 'Martha Ewan'' has retained its flowers for months now. They just look whiter and whiter, especially when photographed in bright sun (sorry for the washed-out exposure.)

A few foliage plants are looking good, too. Here's a recent acquisition: Salvia argentea has the most irresistibly fuzzy leaves. I want to plant it in my front garden but I'm a little worried that it might suffer from too much fondling by passers by.

I guarantee you would not be able to stop yourself from stroking this leaf. And it's just as soft as it looks.

New vine maple foliage is the perfect green.

And new huckleberry foliage is the perfect soft red.

Since the past month has been a bust for a lot of backyard gardening due to the ongoing concrete chronicles (finally drawing to a close and soon to be documented here) I turned my gardening energy to enlarging my sunny south front garden bed.

The Ceanothus had grown so much it was overpowering the size and shape of the existing bed: more grass had to come out!

I have multiple plants ready to go in, but the soil is compacted and bad (read: clay) for most of my sun-lovers. Since each plant needs major additions of pumice and organic matter to the bed, it's taking major time and energy to do it right. You can just see three divisions of Crocosmia potsii 'Culzean Pink' at the top of the bed and an imperceptible Lagerstroemia 'Natchez' crape myrtle.

Here's a closer picture of 'Natchez'. It's small now, but it's planned to take the place of the olive that died last winter by providing a little screening between the sidewalk and our dining room window.

Last, for your foliage pleasure I present the happiest Eryngium I have ever had the pleasure to grow. 'Jade Frost' sailed through our last winter, and looked good doing it, I might add. This is the kind of birthday (and year-round) performer I need more of in the gardens at Longview Ranch.

Gardening is not always glamorous

2011-04-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

But it can be very satisfying. On March 14th, I posted about the lovely load of Nature's Needs mulch we had delivered.

What with weather and other constraints, it has taken me a while to distribute it.

Gradually, however, it has been going...

Going...

Gone! As I said: not glamorous, but very, very satisfying.

And the perfect segue to wishing a Happy Earth Day on April 22nd to all my garden blogging friends!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, April 2011

2011-04-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

It's Bloom Day, the 15th of each month, when garden bloggers everywhere share what's blooming in their gardens. So here's what's blooming at Longview Ranch today.

The inherited Camellia japonicas are in full flower.

Although the rain is hard on them, they keep opening.

Camellia 'April Kiss' is having a hard time this year. Although they look fine here, the blossoms aren't fully opening before they shatter on the ground. I hope this doesn't mean there's a disease or pest problem.

It's probably just a rain problem. I have one of those.

I keep digging these narcissus out, and each year they come right back. I guess I should take a hint.

Grevillea 'Low Red' has been blooming since February. I'll stop including it in this years' Bloom Day posts from now on: you can just assume it's in bloom unless I say otherwise.

But you've got to admit this is a fun little firecracker of a flower!

And what would a PNW spring Bloom Day post be without rosemary? I think this is 'Tuscan Blue.' It has been stopping pedestrians on my corner for weeks now.

Loropetalum chinense 'Sizzling Pink' has great little strappy petals reminiscent of witch hazel.

They start out all curly and gradually straighten out.

The few plants of Arctostaphylos uva ursi that weren't part of the Northwest Territory upheaval are blooming nicely.

And maybe all these flowers on the Vaccinium ovatum will actually translate into huckleberries for us this year.

Mahonia nervosa is blooming in spite of being dug out of the ground and replanted in a different place ten days later.

I love the slight blush of red on the unopened flowers.

Carex morrowii 'Evergold' has fuzzy little "blooms".

Moving indoors, a Schlumbergera species we call the Halloween Cactus because of its usual bloom time, has decided to bloom for the second time in six months.I think the blossoms look like little swimming shrimps.

A couple of species Streptocarpus are also gracing the living room with their blooms. The intense purply-red one hardly stops all year.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is hosted every month by that mighty dandelion hunter Carol, at May Dreams Gardens. Visit her to see what else is blooming around the U.S. and abroad this April 15th.

Happy Bloom Day!

Hardy Plant Sale haul - Northwest Territory edition

2011-04-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Due to Master Gardener service commitments, I had to wait until Sunday to attend the Hardy Plant Society's Spring sale this past weekend. There were at least two downsides to THAT, namely the two callistemons Xera had already sold when I got there. Humph.

However, it turned out there were a number of upsides to shopping on Sunday, as well. I couldn't believe my eyes as I got off MAX ("You rode MAX?" you're saying, "But what about plant hauling?" More on that later.) The parking lot was almost empty. The hall was pleasantly busy, but comfortable, and the vendors had time to talk.

But the best part about going on Sunday was the later company of the Mulchman, who as a rule, doesn't much go for a crowd (even a plant-oriented crowd), but who was hot to select some new native plants for the re-vamped Northwest Territory at Longview Ranch. He had an earlier engagement, so he met me at the sale, and by taking MAX I had an extra hour of plant mingling. I though it was the perfect mix of our two styles.

After renewing my Hardy Plant Society membership, I made a beeline for the Xera booth to check out the wares. As mentioned, they were sold out of callistemons, and they didn't have the hardy Spanish olive I'd hoped to buy. But I found out I could get it from Garden Fever, so all was well.

Next stop: Far Reaches Farm. When I heard Kelly Donovan and Sue Milliken would be at the sale, I had emailed them wondering if they'd have more Lilium columbianum.

Done! They immediately replied that they'd be happy to bring two and hold them behind the table for me, along with the Crocosmia 'Culzean Pink' they sold out of at the Seattle NWFGS.

Sue said they hadn't had time to divide the 'Culzean Pink' crocosmia: she reckoned I got about a flat-worth of plants in the pot.

What generous plant propagators! Just say the word if you'd like some, Portland area gardeners. As a reminder, it's pretty different: here's how it looks in bloom (Far Reaches photo):

While I was at the Far Reaches Farm table, I saw a couple of other must-haves, including Eryngium proteiflorum.

This very spiny Mexican Sea Holly has a marvelous structure and silver-white flowers that are "reminiscent of Proteas." I'm such a sucker for a well-written plant tag.

I also picked up Kniphofia porphyrantha from Far Reaches.
Described as "one of the finest Red Hot Pokers" the parent was originally collected by Panayoti Kelaidis (not only am I a sucker for plant-tag copy, but I confess a slight crush on Panayoti after hearing him speak at NWFGS.)

It doesn't look like so much right now, but with flower spikes it will get to 3-4 feet.

By this time the Mulchman had joined me. We went to the Nothing But Northwest Natives table where we selected three Eriophyllum lanatum or Common Woolly Sunflower. It has pretty gray green foliage and a yellow flower in summer.

We also picked up a Streambank Lupine, Lupinus rivularis. I hope it will attract butterflies.

From Humble Roots Nursery and Farm, we got a Penstemon subserratus (Fine-tooth Penstemon.) It will form a low-growing mat.

The Mulchman wanted grasses, so we found three Koeleria macrantha (Junegrass), a medium sized, clumping, PNW native grass, also at Humble Roots.

From Wild Ginger Farm we chose three Royal Penstemon, Penstemon speciosus, 12-30" tall, with bright blue flowers. It's native to the Ochoco Mountains.

A last-minute Sisyrinchium 'Devon Skies' and we were ready to check out.

It was time to collect our held plants, but when I rolled up to the counter I saw a licorice log in the holding area. The helpful volunteer looked up the vendor number for me and I raced up to the info table to find out who was selling them.

There was one left!

So that's the haul. It's fun plant shopping with a partner in crime. Especially when he picks up the tab!

Oh, and say goodbye to the lovely red concrete backdrop against which I took all these photos.

After extensive research and consultation we have found the most effective way to completely get rid of the red paint:

Jackhammer.

Moss garden dreams

2011-04-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Since we are a little stalled on our Northwest Territory makeover while we wait for concrete, my mind has been turning to the next project I see shaping up: a moss garden in our front yard.

Our modest, mid-century home is on a corner, with mature deciduous trees on the front lawn and west parking strip. These trees shade a large portion of our front yard in summer, and the lawn deteriorates every year due to the shade and our complete lack of commitment to lawns in general. We have focused on creating our backyard private spaces for the most part, but the time is coming to address our miserable excuse for a front lawn. While I would love to grow an Edible Front Yard, a la Ivette Soler, that's pretty far-fetched considering the lack of sun on our front yard in summer.

But we could grow (and already do grow) moss!

I first thought of a moss garden for Longview Ranch when I was in Seattle this past February for the Northwest Flower and Garden show. Friends and I did an architectural walking tour in the FREEZING cold, and among the sights was this delightful little courtyard of moss.

I got pretty excited about the possibility because we definitely have moss that already wants to grow, so our conditions must be favorable.

It gets greener and greener all winter. About this time of year, some people with this '"lawn" would be researching moss killer.

Not me. I'm a little more interested in grass killer, although I'm sure we'll remove the grass mechanically when the time comes. How can I argue with moss? It flourishes in my garden (with absolutely no care) and looks so beautiful doing it.

What clinched it for me was the April issue of Garden Design with a feature on Japanese temple moss gardens.

Of course there are thousands of kinds of moss, I read. You can even order different ones online.

Although we can probably grow our own (we seem to have at least three kinds already) this gorgeous inspiration (above, credited to Ben Young Landscape Architects) on the Moss Acres site, shows what you can do with purchased moss.

It'll definitely take a while before we get to this project: I see a busy summer ahead keeping the rejuvenated Northwest Territory hydrated through its first summer, and I want to get the rest of the lawn out of the south Mediterranean backyard area before starting in on the front yard.

Meanwhile, maybe I'll experiment by trying out some moss in a terrarium to keep my moss garden dream quietly growing.

Spring mud garden

2011-03-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

This past week has seen the beginnings of a long-planned revision to the Northwest Territory at Longview Ranch. It's one part of a larger project that includes rebuilding the patio roof, replacing the ugly metal roof support with three simple wood posts, and adding paving to make more seating space at the back of the house. The original trees and shrubs we added three years ago, mostly the natives of which Mulchman is so fond, have filled in nicely and looked good through winter. Now we want to get rid of the rest of the lawn in this area and increase both the privacy and seating areas.

To make these changes, we needed to move some deciduous trees and late winter is the best time for that.

Here's a photo (it seems ridiculous to shoot the screen, but I can't convert the PDF into a JPG I can upload) of the Mulchman's design.

Below are a couple of pictures of the space before we began.

I use the term "we" in all these descriptions rather grandly: we created the design, but the people actually doing the major moving are from the same landscape company we used three years ago. Four strong young guys from Winterbloom showed up Tuesday morning to begin removing grass. They made short work of it.

In addition, they lifted our Cornus x 'Eddies White Wonder' from the northeast corner, an Acer circinatum from a small bed near the back door, and all the affected small shrubs and ground covers for relocation later on.

Of course, it rained.

The next day, the crew began removing dirt for the concrete extension to the existing patio. We want a place for a table and chairs out here, and although there's quite a bit of room under cover, the arrangement of the space has always been awkward for sitting space.

And as they worked, it continued to rain. There was even a severe weather alert that day.

Above, you can see the new Tsuga mertensiana (A beautiful mountain hemlock we found at Garden World) and a new Acer circinatum waiting in the wings for their revamped beds.

On Thursday, the rounded river rock we had picked out from Valley Landscape Center arrived. It looks a little like a necklace of boulders here: they just needed to get it all set out.

The crew reused all the large rocks that were part of the original landscape. Despite this sunny picture from the end of the day, it mostly rained as the crew worked.

We had to go to four nurseries to find a vine maple we liked. We finally found one at Portland Nursery. Reasonably priced, too.

Rock arranging happened Friday, under the MulchMan's careful eye. Gravel, which we are assured looks darker than its eventual color, was added in the north sitting space where irregular quartzite pavers will add some texture.

Here are the pavers packed into the back of our Prius, along with the Hemlock and some more Gaultheria shallon we picked up at Garden World.

The crew should finish their work and some basic mulching this Monday - probably in the rain. Then Pat, the concrete guy will add the new concrete and a footer for the new patio roof support. We also have high hopes for a non-toxic stripper Pat is researching for us, to get rid of the red paint on the existing concrete (sand-blasting would be expensive and hard on our cedar siding.) The landscape crew will come back later to add drainage around the edge of the concrete and we'll be able to add back the small shrubs and groundcovers after that.

As exciting as all this quick work is, it's a sloppy mess and likely to remain so for a while. I'm definitely hoping for a few dry days to drain the soil before I get to settling all the little plants back in.

Happy Vernal Equinox!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, March 2011 - it's PINK!

2011-03-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

There's a limited but encouraging amount of bloom at Longview Ranch this month. And the theme is definitely pink. I think I must be subtly influenced by Grace of Gardening with Grace (I recommend visiting her blog if you haven't already!) who is pink's unabashed fan and convincing advocate.

Camellia x 'April Kiss' has small bright pink blossoms.

Ribes sanguinium is in full flower, although a needed pruning last fall cut back on the quantity of buds this year (note to self: don't wait until fall, next time.)

Two Camellia japonica cultivars we inherited are reliable spring bloomers. They even get a little protection from our soffits which helps keep the blooms unblemished from rain, at least for awhile.

Daphne odora 'Marginata' has been blooming for almost two months now. I can appreciate the sweet smell so much more now that I can be out in the garden on dry days.

Arctostaphylos 'Austin Griffiths' urn-shaped blossoms are bravely holding on during these wet spells we've had.

What looks like interesting speckles on this Hellebore (cultivar unknown) are actually just mud splashes from the relentless rainy periods we've had! This plant gets relatively little sun, so it seems to be about three to four weeks behind most of the Portland Hellebores I've seen.

Finally, and most decidedly not pink, Rosemarinis officinalis gears up for its major spring show.

See what other garden bloggers have blooming in their gardens by visiting Carol at May Dreams Gardens on the 15th of every month.

Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day to you!

A sure sign of spring

2011-03-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

You were expecting narcissus and crocus, or maybe tiny green shoots? Well, I don't have bulbs that bloom in early spring, and nature IS sending me lush little green shoots on lots of my shrubs.

But for a true sign of spring at Longview Ranch, look no further than the unit of delicious mulch delivered Friday from Nature's Needs in North Plains. It's dark and yummy looking and has lots of what soil needs, including mycorrhizae.

We're sharing this unit with our neighbors but the MulchMaid still has her work cut out for her.

And if you look carefully you'll see our neighbor across the street had a similar idea. Time to get out the wheelbarrow!

2011 NWF&G Show - the Plants

2011-03-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

What's a garden show without plants? However much I love to see the display gardens and hear fascinating speakers, I admit I really go to see (and hopefully buy) the Plants. That's plants with a capital "P", as in the tree Palms that Loree of danger garden observed in her post about the show, was the plant of the year.

Tree palms certainly took center stage in at least five of the gardens I saw, and were featured in others I didn't record.

This is Cyathea Brownii.

Also appearing in several gardens, especially those with a woodsy feel, was Gaultheria procumbens. I love the dark reddish leaves and berries on this prostrate eastern relative of our native salal.

Euphorbia were used in many of the gardens. Here with Carex testacea, is E. 'Ascot Rainbow' .

And Euphorbia 'Blackbird'.

I'm not a big fan of the standard garden, brilliantly-colored rhododendrons. Although I admit I have some in my garden, I'd love to figure out how to change them out for some of the more unusual varieties, especially those whose foliage is the focal point like some of these.

Rhododendron protistum.

Rhododendron hodgsonii. Aren't those huge leathery leaves just the BEST?!

Rhododendron bureavii, from Northern China.

There were other foliage plants I haven't tried, but that tempt my zone 9-10 wannabe soul.

Schefflera delaveyi.

Eriobotrya japonica (loquat). I actually saw one for sale at Marbotts here in Portland this past weekend. It seemed a bit daring for a "flower-baskets-are-us" kind of nursery, or maybe they really are hardier than I thought.

Palm Leaf Begonia, Begonia luxuriens. Sorry about the dark image, but trust me, it was gorgeous!

The many orchid vendors in the Green Marketplace were well supported in the gardens and by a big display from the Northwest Orchid Society.

Mazdevallia princeps, above.

This isn't an orchid, but this wonderful pitcher plant was for sale (no, it didn't come home with me.)

Other plants that I focused on:

A weeping Nootka Cedar, Chameacyparis nootkatensis 'Pendula'.

A gorgeous variegated abutilon.

I was excited when I saw this beautiful heather in one of the display gardens.

I was thrilled when I spotted it for sale by one of the vendors.

I was crushed when I realized Erica 'Winter Fire' wouldn't make it through even a mild Portland winter in my garden.

So what did I bring home with me?

Melianthus major 'Purple Haze'. The 'Antonow's Blue' cultivar was not available at the show, but after seeing it all over the display gardens, I had to have one Melianthus major... any one.

A cheesecake shot of the fabulous foliage:

Hesperaloe parviflora. Finally I have my Red Yucca! It's funny that I went all the way to Seattle to get a Xera selection that was probably grown right outside of Portland.

From Keeping it Green Nursery, Mahonia gracilipes. This Mahonia from China likes moist, well-drained soil and part shade.

A striking feature of this species is the chalky white indumentum on the underside of its leaves.

I had forgotten I wanted Hosta 'Sum and Substance' until I saw it at the Naylor Creek Nursery booth. It's perfect for my shady front garden.

From those certified plant geeks at Far Reaches Farm, Sue Milliken and Kelly Dodson, I got a Pagoda Primrose, Primula vialii, and one I've been hunting: our native Tiger Lily, Lilium columbianum.

This is the one that got away: Crocosmia 'Culzean Pink'. Is that an amazing color for a crocosmia, or what? But they were sold out of it by Friday. Unfortunately, Far Reaches Farm doesn't yet do mail order, but I see that Joy Creek grows it, too.

Continuing in a pink vein, I twice bought Kniphofia 'Timothy': apparently crazed by Kniphofia lust, I forgot I had managed to buy it Wednesday and I bought it again Friday. Better two than none!

From my favorite Italian seed company, Franchi, I bought seeds for Lacinato kale (Cavolo Lacinato) and Fennel bulb (Finocchio). Just last Friday my Master Gardener class was on seed propagation, so I'm all set for the gardening season!

We interrupt our regularly-scheduled post...

2011-03-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

I promised (threatened?) to continue my posting on the Northwest Flower and Garden Show with a report on the plants. But first, an alert for Portland-area gardeners about the Lan Su Chinese Garden's plant sale coming up in just two short weeks on Saturday, March 19.

This sale features plants of Chinese origin, although in my experience there are plenty of others to choose from too. Admission is free and hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Lan Su members can enter at 9 a.m.) Although the lineup of nurseries looks a little different from last year's list, there are some great vendors. I love the opportunity to shop from over 20 high-quality nurseries in one place. Check here for a list of this year's vendors.

Not to mention, Lan Su will give you a two-for-one admission coupon to the garden with each purchase. See you there!

2011 NWF&G Show - the Display Gardens

2011-03-02T22:48:00.000-08:00

For most attendees of a garden show, display gardens are a big reason they go. I am definitely in that camp, and I have to say some of the designers outdid themselves this year. For some reason, I was actually prepared to be underwhelmed by the display gardens, but NO!

The several visually lush, but elementally simple gardens were my favorites among the over 20 gardens. I spent a little while talking to Karen Stefonick, the designer of this garden, "A Wrinkle in Time."

We discussed the value of repeating elements to achieve rhythm, and she mentioned that there were only about twenty different plants used in the entire garden.

Karen used a new introduction of Melianthus major 'Antonow's Blue', pairing it with what I'm guessing is Choisya ternata 'Sundance' for a fabulous color contrast.

The simple, geometric shapes of the pavers add to the garden's appeal, while the alternating layout and river rock filler keep it from feeling stiff.

More Melianthus and Choisya, with something purple in there for more contrast.

Aloes, and tree ferns also figured in, with widely diverging textures and striking results.

The front of the garden used golden spike moss and dark purple heuchera for color impact, with some type of low grass for great textural contrast. I also spotted bright green and dark purple colocasias in the pond.

"The Japanese Garden" was designed by the Arboretum Foundation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Seattle Japanese Garden. I love this kind of serene eastern style. The huge boulders and sea of green mondo grass just drew me in.

This garden appeared to have even fewer than the aforementioned 20 plants, but the designers used their limited plant palette with beautiful results.

I like the use of rounded flat rocks and irregular pavers. It's a very different approach from the first garden, but equally successful.

And now for something completely different: This garden, "Alice's Labyrinth", was over-the-top color and craziness in one place. But it had pink flamingos in it, so how could I hate it?!

The designers even included a white rabbit.

The Alice in Wonderland theme ran riot through the garden. Perhaps this colocasia (c. esculenta 'Black Magic'?) represented spades?

The 'labyrinth" was created from long fabric tunnels filled with something mulchy and pocketed with all kinds of small plants. It was Wooly Pocket on steroids.

If you click on this small picture to enlarge it, you can better appreciate "Stepping Through a Timeless Tranquil Forest" and the scale of this garden with its amazing waterfall.

Then there were a few little details that caught my eye.

This green glass cattail sculpture was about two feet high and lit from underneath. It was in The Wind in the Willows garden. I'd be happy to have this in my garden.

In another garden, English Daisies and Babies Tears had been carefully tucked into the corners of the steps. The cottage garden isn't really my style, but this garden was so nicely thought out and finished, it was a delight.

Outside an otherwise unremarkable garden (really just raised platforms full of various plants and "walls" hung with white filmy fabric) perched goofy little papier mache birds - some with crowns.

Next up, if you're still with me: 2011 NWF&G Show - the Plants, and what I brought home with me.

2011 NWF&G Show - the Container Gardens

2011-02-28T21:26:00.000-08:00

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show is an exciting, overwhelming experience. I've attended many years and each time I look forward to seeing what's new and what the designers have done with the display gardens. Most years I haven't had as much time as I'd like to see everything. Not this year: I attended two days out of the five it was open, so I really absorbed everything I wanted to see.

The show always features container gardens on the glass skybridge that spans Pike Street. This year, I had the time to give them a bit more attention.

This succulent display was the perfect solution to the limited space. From the contrasts in foliage types to the whimsical containers, it hit every mark.

Each little detail was carefully presented.

Some of the container gardens were more limited in their component parts.

I liked this simple water bowl.

The subtle colors in this composition absolutely compelled me to record them (not to mention this is the biggest Tillandsia I have ever seen.)

Talk about color!

Another whimsical container garden had a Barbie theme (with James Dean adding a bad-boy note to the wholesome group.)

It was a definite hit with the young set. This little girl kept wanting to rearrange the participants.

This garden was a tropical dream, complete with amazing orchids.

It's easy to see how people get intrigued and infatuated with them.

One container garden had a winter patio theme, complete with "snow."

And this last container garden encouraged you to have your picture taken with Don Dirt. He didn't have a lot to say about the garden, but I liked his welcoming attitude!

My most excellent weekend

2011-02-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

The best thing about February is that it provides the perfect time of year to celebrate a birthday. Nothing else of note is usually going on except the long President's Day weekend, and occasionally, the holiday weekend coincides with my birthday. It happened this year, so I took full advantage of it, beginning with the Portland Yard Garden & Patio show on Friday.

Loree, of Danger Garden, and Scott, of Rhone Street Gardens, have posted excellent reports and photos of the show on their blogs, so I'll just share a few of my impressions, and at the end of my post show you what I schlepped home with me.

Although this effect was a bit more elaborate than I usually like, the look of the copper pipes and the vertical sedums was lush and attractive.

Yes, I know: big rocks. But the Mulchman is reworking some of the Northwest Territory at Longview Ranch, so we have rocks on the brain.

I loved these metal chairs.

I spent quite a while looking at the Hardy Plant Society's display tables. Since I want an Aucuba, this showy specimen originally from Heronswood stopped me in my tracks.

Likewise, the bright yellow-green of this Choisya ternata 'Sundance' was compelling.

Here's another plant on my want-list: Carpenteria californica 'Elisabeth'. This was just a display, but now I see where I could get it.

On Saturday, the Mulchman and I set off for Astoria. The drive out was spectacularly sunny and bright. On Sunday, we lunched at Baked Alaska on the waterfront. We'd avoided it in the past, thinking it was a little too starched-tablecloth for our style, but the food was excellent and reasonable. I enjoyed a marinated mushroom and fennel salad and watched as the Pilot boat docked right next door to let two people off.

For my birthday dinner, we went to our favorite Astoria restaurant, Clemente's. The building has some intriguing planters with the top and exposed sides planted in sedums, ferns, herbs and some perennials.

I like the effect, although I'm not entirely sure about the red painted wood.

River traffic is one of the cool things to enjoy in Astoria, even when the weather turns cloudy. Some of the lowest (and highest) tides of the year occurred while we were there, so I understand lots of people were clamming.

Back home on Monday, I got to play with my new YGP plants and clean them up for their portraits. This was done with great care: three of them are pretty pointy!

From Gossler Nursery, I got Agave parryi ssp. 'Huachucensis'. This specimen is even flatter than my A. parryi var. truncata.

Loree tipped me off to some agaves at the Bauman's Farm and Garden booth. I scored Agave geminiflora 'Rasta Man'.

Also from Bauman's is Agave victoriae-reginae 'Porcupine'. I love the white markings on its fat leaves.

I had been hoping for an inexpensive Red Tiger Abutilon to grow as an annual this summer, but the only ones I could find were large and more than I wanted to pay. When I saw this cheap 'Lucky Lantern' abutilon, I went for it. I thought that it would be tall, like other abutilons, but I found out as I was checking out that it won't get much bigger than it already is. Looks like this baby is destined for a container when the weather warms up enough.

From Dancing Oaks Nursery, I picked up Yucca linearifolia. In the past this was called Y. rostrata var. linaris but recently it has been treated as a distinctly different yucca, so Yucca rostrata goes back on my plant want-list.

I also got three Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' bulbs from Rare Plant Research. Even the bulbs have some burgundy on them!

Here's a group portrait of the newest acquisitions. It's fun coming home to birthday weekend party favors you can grow!

Tiny gardens at Terwilliger Plaza

2011-02-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

I visit my Dear Old Dad several times a week at Terwilliger Plaza. The building he lives in has a sloping drive up to the parking lot, with a sidewalk running alongside. Beside the sidewalk, in narrow alcoves in the building are several small, finely-tuned gardens with a dry stream bed running through them.

These tiny gardens were designed and are maintained by the residents of Terwilliger Plaza, but by their maturity I'd guess some of the evergreens in them have been here longer than most of the residents.

An interesting fern adds winter color.

Conifers are the mainstay of these gardens, but a carefully rounded boxwood provides some contrast above.

This section is a little less minimal. I look forward to seeing the Lewisias in bloom.

As full as a couple of the beds are, it's hard to imagine they are less than a foot wide.

And some of the gardeners clearly believe less is more.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, February 2011

2011-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of "almost!" in the MulchMaid's garden this February 15th, and a few out-and-out actual bloomers. First up this month, the ones that are trying harder.

Ribes sanguinium is nearly there and already showing gorgeous color.

Mahonia aquifolium has never been this late (not) to bloom. Although blossom trusses are forming, it's holding on fast to winter.

The big fat buds of our inherited Camellia japonica will be a few more weeks at least.

And now for the few that are actually in bloom this month.

Daphne odora 'marginata' smells intoxicating.

This young Arctostaphylos x 'Austin Griffiths' is blooming! I felt awful after killing my three-year-old Austin Griffiths last year by moving it, so I'm thrilled to see this baby plant has made it safely through winter.

Grevilla juniperina 'Low Red' is off to a running start on 2011 blooming. The firecracker blooms on this plant lasted an amazing eight months last year. These blooms are small, but they're spunky!

Sarcococca hookeriana var. 'Humilis' is perfuming the front of our home with its pungent scent. Although the intensity of the smell is a bit too much for some, it apparently attracts certain nectar feeders.

This big moth (who wouldn't hold still long enough for a clear shot) was intent on covering every flower he (she?) could find. I'm delighted to know I'm supporting the local insect life, as long as it manages to stay outside!

Visit Carol at May Dreams Garden to enjoy blossoms all over the nation and the world. Happy Bloom Day!

Union Station

2011-02-13T17:22:00.000-08:00

Union Station had a lot of renovation work done to it some years ago when it was nicely restored inside and out with a more historic look and feel. While I was there to pick up our train tickets for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, I took another look at the landscaped beds in front of the station that were revamped at the same time. For public plantings, they have a lot going for them.

This is either a Yucca rostrada or a Dasylirion wheeleri in a prominent place in one bed.

Hellebores are everywhere this time of year, and the train station is no exception.

Lots of spiky, pointy things in this bed. And is that some kind of echium in the foreground?

I'm loving this yucca, which might be 'Bright Edge', but looks a lot more colorful than mine.

Several of the beds are anchored by Trachycarpus species that are starting to get some height.

I'm guessing this is some kind of daphne (maybe D. mezereum?) but I didn't detect any scent. I haven't seen a deciduous daphne before this and it looked very healthy and happy.

Another happy yucca.

Some of the beds are edged with Sarcoccoca, which was in full bloom.

Others of the beds are edged in boxwood and hebes. And roses and grasses will fill out the summer look.

For public plantings in a well-used space, these beds are a fun green oasis of interesting plants and shapes, with some tried-and-true favorites mixed in. There's a little something for everyone here.

Mystery Plant, Revisited

2011-01-29T07:22:00.000-08:00

I'm beginning to feel like I'm in some kind of garden time warp.
It's still here. And it looks exactly the same.

Last summer I posted about a strange, cool plant that had showed up in my garden.

It was a wide, flat rosette, maybe 24 inches across, with broad, crinkly leaves set with little hooks along each leaf half. I expected to see it eventually mature, send up a flower spike, show its true weedy style, or something.

No one could identify it at the time, and it's showing no new identifying characteristics to help me out now.

Same lush, hooked and amazingly green leaves.

Same flat, unrevealing center rosette of new leaves.

Aside from a little winter wear-and-tear, exactly the way it looked in mid-July.

Maybe it's a biennial and spring will produce some different growth that will help me decide whether to keep it or haul it out. But for now I keep wondering ... just what IS this plant?

More MG goodness

2011-01-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

Two Fridays ago, our OSU Master Gardener units were on soils, compost and fertilizers. As I have in each unit presented, I learned an unbelievable amount about components, properties, benefits, problems and ways they can be addressed. The sessions were taught by Claudia Groth, (a.k.a. Doctor Dirt on KEX radio), a Master Gardener and a consultant to the horticulture industry. She was dynamic, humorous and a wealth of information (Did you know there was an Oregon State Soil? It's Jory, and it's found in the foothills around the Willamette Valley.)

Claudia brought examples of many soil components and amendments to share. She talked about soil biology, the relatively new field of soil microbes and the way microbes work to nourish plants and fight pathogens.

I always knew I shouldn't walk on wet garden beds, but now I really understand what happens when soil is compacted. I learned how soils hold water, about soil pH, and what loam really is.

In the fertilizer unit, Claudia taught us how they work, the differences between organic and synthetic fertilizers, and why you might want to use one vs. the other. She taught us to read and understand fertilizer labels, application instructions, and explained what agencies regulate fertilizer ingredients. True to form, I took seven pages of notes to supplement the day's PowerPoint handouts.

This could all be tedious, difficult stuff to absorb, but with instructors of the caliber of Claudia Groth in the MG program, each unit becomes accessible and fascinating. I'm loving my Science Fridays!

Popweed be gone

2011-01-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

My garden nemesis.

They drift in from my neighbor's garden ... I must have pulled up 687 of them today.

Addendum: Thanks to Grace of Gardening with Grace for her ID of this as Bitter Cress (Cardamine oligosperma.)

Master Gardener classes begin

2011-01-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Wow! A room full of 80 passionate gardeners! I'm pumped, yet slightly sobered by what I've taken on.

Yesterday, I attended the first in my series of eleven OSU Master Gardener classes. I've been looking forward to this for years, and it didn't disappoint: I took eleven pages of notes.

And just look at the vast binder of reading assignments provided.

They even gave us a snazzy zippered tote bag in Gardener Green to carry the notebook.

I love botanical nomenclature, but science is not my strong suite. So after sitting through the Botany for Gardeners unit, I began to realize this would be work - fascinating, of course, but definitely work. With class only once a week, I'll have time to read the chapters ahead, listen to the presenter, then review again after class. After all, I want to get the maximum value from this experience.

Time to hit the books!

Winter-hardy gardening - Portland style

2010-12-31T10:19:00.000-08:00

Baby, it's cold out there! We've already had two hard winters and seem to be seriously looking at a third here in Portland. The past two winters decimated many of the MulchMaid's marginally hardy plant choices and left her wondering just how many times she's willing to start over (so far, she's on her third arbequina olive sapling, for example.)

So on the last day of 2010, with the second freeze of this winter upon Portland, it seems a good time to take a look at some plants that can easily deal with whatever zonal irregularities Mother Nature deals out this season. These are the Northwest natives that the MulchMan loves and has incorporated into his part of the gardens at Longview Ranch. And the MulchMaid is happy to admit they look fabulous right now.

Mugo pines, a species rhododendron and kinnick-kinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) laugh at our torrential rains and current below-freezing temps (with George and Martha, the pink plastic flamingos, providing an incongruous note to the climate discussion.)

More happy kinnick-kinnick and evergreen huckleberries (Vaccinium ovatum.)

The three Western red cedars have filled in well, providing the MulchMaids with privacy and a lovely green screen from the neighbors.

Salal (Gaultheria shallon) provides a glossy note with its leathery leaves, and sword ferns (Polystichum munitum) fill the spaces below the maturing shore pines (Pinus contorta).

Rocks and Mahonia aquifolium are a nice foil for shapely vine maple (Acer circinatum) trunks.

Mahonia nervosa has great winter color.

Sisyrinchium Californicum is sending out new leaves in the dead of winter. The MulchMaid thinks it likes its new location on a slope.

The snowberry (Symphoricarpus albus) is currently bare, but looks seasonally appropriate backed by the green of Mahonia aquifolium.

Although still small, Arctostaphylos 'Martha Ewan' looks happy and right at home.

This tiny Menzies Penstemon (Penstemon davisonii v menziesii) was added to the Northwest area this past summer. It has formed a low mat about a foot across and appears (so far, anyway) to be unfazed by cold weather. Although it will return in spring even if it decides to die back, these next few days will tell more about its visible contribution to the winter garden.

This pine and rhodie mash-up epitomizes the pleasing contrast of healthy color and texture in the Northwest Territory at Longview Ranch this winter.

Up next: what is actually looking good (or not so much) right now in the Mediterranean garden beds at Longview Ranch.

Seasons Greetings

2010-12-25T07:41:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and your garden all the quiet joys of the season, whichever holiday you celebrate!

An Astoria conifer garden

2010-12-21T14:11:00.000-08:00

We got away to Astoria for a long weekend. It was perfect: a little Christmas shopping, a lot of relaxing, eating great oysters and looking at houses for sale (we dream about living there.) On Sunday it dried up and we retraced our steps to a garden we had seen on on an earlier visit.

The last time we were here, maybe 9 months ago, the homeowners had just begun this project and had the front garden of their house graded and set up in general planting areas. It wasn't evident at that point what they intended, plant-wise. Now it's abundantly clear - they LOVE evergreens!

Like almost every piece of property in Astoria, the house is on a slope. This gave them an interesting perspective, but some challenges retaining the soil and in planting.

Many of the plantings are held in place with low block walls. This is Astoria, so I know they will soon grow a soft, green coating of moss to hide the raw blocks.

More attractive to me is the rock work that retains some of the trees and shrubs.

The gardeners have used an amazing array of evergreens sporting widely contrasting colors and textures.

They have also added a few nice deciduous trees, including this paperbark maple (Acer Griseum).

I love the use of small pebbles to create dry riverbeds between some areas.

The color and variety are a delight.

The gold and chartreuse foliage on the evergreens really pays off in the dark months.

I could tell there was a lot more to this garden but the bigger trees planted in the front yard hide a lot of it. I wasn't feeling brave enough to go exploring up the front path, so I contented myself with the views available from the sidewalk.

A hummingbird serenaded me with his scratchy little song as I took photos.

He was in a larger tree, just above this weeping Serbian spruce (Picea Omorika 'Pendula'.) The owners had conveniently left some of the plant tags attached, so my few identified species are reliable. As for the rest, I have no idea but I love them together.

A last look up the hill at the brightest garden I have seen all season here in Oregon.

Evergreen Forever stamps

2010-12-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

Even if you pay all your bills on line, and keep up your correspondence by email, there's always something you need a stamp for. And for many of us, it's that time of year when we mail holiday cards to friends and family. So I was really happy to see the new crop of first class "Forever" stamps the Post Office recently issued.

Each of these four designs is a finely executed botanical illustration of an evergreen conifer species.

From Blue Spruce,

To Balsam Fir that makes me think of Maine,

To Eastern Red Cedar, with its beautiful purple berries,

To our own native Ponderosa Pine.

I really like these stamps. I've already bought several more sheets of them for my cards. Since they are "Forever" stamps, they'll mail a letter or card even if first class rates go up above a dollar (which I can easily see happening in my lifetime.) The name of the stamp sheet is Holiday Evergreens, but I'll definitely be using them all year long, and maybe, well... forever!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, December 2010

2010-12-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

I'm back in the blogging fray with a Bloom Day post, and a "thank you" to those of you who inquired about my status. Life intervened, but I hope to be more regular again now.

It may be Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, but there is only one plant blooming in the garden this month. And there are a few promising buds I can't resist showing as well.

Fatsia japonica got slammed by our early cold snap, but amazingly, its slightly-tired blooms have been holding on through the ensuing rain and wind. I love their goofy, sputnik shapes.

Vaccinium ovatum 'Thunderbird', the evergreen huckleberries from the UBC botanical garden are getting ready to bloom. Those two seem to be a little ahead of the other evergreen huckleberries that have been in for three years now.

Also looking promising for next month is Arctostaphylos 'Martha Ewan'. It is so heartening to see these Pacific Northwest hybrids taking our weird weather patterns in their stride.

Moving indoors the almost ever-blooming Streptocarpus, or Cape Primrose (a gift, so no variety name) is doing its darndest to brighten up a corner window.

In sharp contrast to the ebullient primrose above is the quiet bloom of this Aglaonema. I even had to lift some leaves to expose it for this picture.

Lastly, a stunningly-colored oncidium whose tag, if it ever had one (you know how Trader Joe's is!) is gone. This is the second time this little orchid has bloomed, and the lovely color combination brings out my inner gypsy.

Over winter, when gardening is at a minimum, it's so good to have these indoor plants to reward us. Although our last house got good daylight, we find our houseplants seem to respond even better to the big windows and bright life here at Longview Ranch.

To see what else is blooming today, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

2010-09-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

Who visits a rhododendron garden when it's not spring bloom time? Me - and a few of my walking friends.

It's been years since I went to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, but we were walking the Reed College canyon and decided on a whim to stop in. There's a $3 charge in summer (Labor Day was the last day) but whatever money they've been taking in has apparently contributed to major revitalization of the garden. New construction was evident everywhere, from paths and bridges to ramps and beautiful rock walls.

Directly above us at the entry was a stately pine with little green cones.

This simple concrete wall is enhanced by a bright green vine growing up over it.

Across the lake is Westmoreland golf course. We speculated on the health of the water with all the fertilizers and herbicides from the greens care that likely drain into it.

A tiny patch of cyclamen. There were a few confused rhodies blooming, but primarily we saw more seasonal bloomers.

Crystal Springs wouldn't be complete without ducks - and, of course, the ubiquitous Canada geese. (Will somebody please tell them it's past time to go back to Canada?)

Native plants were everywhere around the fringes of the garden, including this snowberry.

And this mullein. I think it sneaked in, though, because there were a lot of little seedlings scattered near it.

Tiny strawberries hid under their own leaves.

In an older part of the garden, campanulas were planted with huge-leaved primroses.

I've never seen such healthy looking primroses in what still felt like the middle of summer.

Rhodendrons are the focus of this garden and I'm not overwhelmed by most rhodies. They do have their place in my garden, but I like them as background or as structural elements. And in mid-summer, they aren't always at their best.

But just look at the gorgeous form of this large specimen.

Its bark is a beautiful, slightly mottled cinnamon color.

There are at least three waterfalls in the garden. They're lovely, cool focal points.

This little rhododendron impeditum was blooming away. Now this is a rhodie I love.

Zaushneria was everywhere but I didn't see any hummers partaking.

Another confused rhodie.

Hostas were thriving in the deep shade cast by some large rhododendrons.

I was told this delicious lime-green variety was "Sum and Substance". Longview Ranch needs one!

Underplantings of pulmonaria were looking fairly healthy aside from a little slug damage.

Several areas had hewn rocks and boulders nicely arranged and planted on a big scale.

I like this mixture of the pine with grasses trailing in the pond.

This long, curving wall had wonderful niches for ferns of every kind.

I liked the concept a lot, but I found the overall spacing of the ferns a little static. I hope it's relatively new and the ferns will become more irregular and more interesting as they mature.

This sleepy duck was unfazed as I came close to snap her. I couldn't resist: she looked so warm and comfy in the sunshine.

A handsome gunnera with a pool to itself.

A close-up of a small waterfall to the left of the gunnera.

After leaving the garden, we walked north to Hopworks Urban Brewery on Powell for a late lunch. It was packed, so I had plenty of time to admire the novel planters out front while we waited for a table.

These keg planters are the perfect accent for a pub, and a pub was the perfect place to relax with friends on a sunny, post-walk, Labor Day afternoon.

Fruition

2010-08-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

Here we are in the last few days of August, and finally we are getting some "fruit" at Longview Ranch. This is not to say all of it is - or necessarily ever will be - edible by the humans who live here. But the plants are busy working on production, so I have a few images to share.

A hand of cherry tomatoes ripens. Although all the MulchMaid's veggies got a very late start, I have enjoyed a few from this plant.

Seed pods on the canna. It would probably promote better flowering if I cut them off, but they're too interesting to axe.

Beefsteak-type tomato ripening. These will take awhile yet, so think positive thoughts for a long, warm September.

The fig is making lots of fruit. Earlier this summer I ate one from its breba crop. It was sweet and moist.

Some of these pretty Asian eggplants are nearly ready for harvest. I like them split and grilled with olive oil.

Grevilla 'Low Red' has been blooming non-stop since I acquired it in April. The wonderful seed pods that follow the blossoms turn from this green to a mahogany brown.

Chickadees and finches check every day to see whether the sunflower seeds are ready for their personal harvest.

My arbequina olive has two tiny olives on it. I so hope this little tree makes it through the coming winter.

The mahonia nervosa makes cute little berries immediately after blooming. They go away quickly, but I don't know where, or whether something is eating them.

Something is definitely eating these huckleberries. Mr. MulchMaid recently saw a red-shafted flicker poking away industriously at them. Like most creatures, they'll eat fruit much less ripe than we require it. I wonder if they'll leave any to ripen for the humans at Longview Ranch.

What are you (or other wildlife) enjoying from your garden as August wanes?

A few days away

2010-08-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

A weekend away in summer, however brief, is a lovely thing. Especially when Portland temperatures soar above 95 degrees F., the coast is the place to be, so that's just where the Mulchmaids went last weekend.

We stayed in Astoria, one of our favorite getaways, but we spent a good part of one day just north, at Cape Disappointment in Washington. It was anything but disappointing: Sorry my images are kind of washed out but, hey, that's what happens on perfect, sunny days!

See the large Douglas fir on the cliff above? Guess what flew across in front of us and lighted there for perfect viewing?

My point-and-shoot camera can't do justice to this magnificent Bald Eagle. He sat and preened for half an hour, giving us a great chance to study him through the binoculars. He flew away and stretched his wings, then returned for more contemplation of potential dinner on the cormorant-covered rocks beneath him.

I have never seen a bald eagle so closely. You can't see this detail, but his beak was bright gold and his head and tail were perfectly white.

Looking southwest from our position, the Cape Disappointment light house stands ready to help mariners across the Columbia bar. The Cape Disappointment Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center (behind us) is a great indoor vantage point for wet or cold weather viewing of the bar. It's quite a show when large ships are pitching and rolling in turbulent winter conditions.

There's a shady 3/4 mile trail from this point out to the lighthouse.

Dismal Nitch is another of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial locations in Washington. Although it doubles as a busy rest stop, the views across the Columbia to the south and east are great.

In Astoria, the Astoria Column provides 200 degrees of must-see views. This looks south up the Youngs River.

The return trip wouldn't be complete without a stop at Joy Creek Nursery.

We picnicked in the shade there enjoying this stunning Eucomis comosa 'Sparkling Burgundy'. (Their catalog sells 'Oakhurst' for those of you swooning over this strappy purple foliage.)

A nice mixup of large-leaved perennials (I couldn't read the tag, but I'm guessing a may apple and farfugium?)

We came home to find the heat had coaxed the oncidium Colm Wildcat 'Red Star' orchid into full bloom.

Cool!

Texture and pattern

2010-08-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

It's high summer here at Longview Ranch and the MulchMaid is trying objectively to see the garden's successes and failures. While analyzing vistas from windows and comfortable garden seats is important for planning, some plant features deserve recognition for the small rewards revealed by a closer look.

Three Eucomis 'Pole-evansii' I planted in spring have failed to produce flower heads, but have done nicely in the foliage department. Their beautiful ruffled edges are a surprise on long, smooth, green leaves.

Zantedeschia 'Flame' has great spotted leaves in completely irregular patterns.

This summer, the three-year-old Eucalyptus pauciflora is starting to show characteristic patterning of its bark. I love this rewarding garden resident in all seasons.

The texture of summer-blooming heathers is lovely. It looks like miniature cedar branches.

The pattern of radiating leaves on sempervivums is endlessly fascinating. Although it's fun when they bloom, I wouldn't mind if they never had flowers.

The texture created by multiple succulent heads makes you want to touch them. Almost everyone who sees this tiny family group explores its surface with their finger.

Pointed leaves on sedums seem to create texture and curved leaves seem to create more of a pattern.

The filaments on this sedum are so cool. It invites touching, but I don't dare because the web looks so fragile.

I love the patterning on the outside of some agave leaves.

This one is Agave Americana, and above it is A. parryii.

Other agaves create patterns in their leaf structure, like this Agave bracteosa.

Pinus contorta, the shore pines, have beautiful brushy texture.

Eryngium varifolium has beautifully marked veins creating pattern on its leaves.

These patterned veins on an Asian eggplant leaf are a gorgeous purple.

This stiff little Rhododendron impeditum has great glaucous texture. I lost two others this year, but this one is a success, probably because it gets a bit more sun in winter.

The exuberant vein patterns on this canna leaf say high summer to me.

What's your favorite pattern or texture in your garden this summer?

Sanctioned, and Unsanctioned

2010-08-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Or did my memory do a major nosedive? I'll explain:

Below is the perfectly good, expected even, result of planting a rhizome in spring. Helenium "Moorheim Beauty" gradually emerged from the ground and commenced blooming with dusky red flowers that turn a little golden as they age.

The blooms remind me of echinacea with their recurved petals, and I'm happy with the warm color. They're another in the MulchMaid's theme of simple, flat flowers.

But what IS this growing so apparently legitimately right next to it?

The leaves on this bruiser are about fourteen inches long, and they have the most fascinating small hooks set into the upper surface.

I've been waiting for some sign of a flower spike or stem, but nothing new is showing after months of growth.

I keep thinking this must be something I planted as a bulb or rhizome early this spring and have just blanked on. So far, it's not giving me any clues, just more small, hooked leaves. Since I moved a few things around in that bed, I could even have accidentally moved it myself.

It's pretty interesting, and so healthy I hope it isn't some major garden marauder weed. For now, I'm willing to give it some space, and see what develops.

Of course, if you recognize it, do let me know.

Bee Candy

2010-07-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

Bees are one of my favorite parts of summer. Really. Bees say to me that the world is balanced. It's a short-sighted view, I know, what with colony collapse, imported honey bees and the demise of our native bee population. But when I see and hear those fuzzy little honeymakers (and a few of their big bumbling and little shiny cousins) in my garden, the circle seems complete.

I've been watching which plants I see bees visiting this year. Of course, it varies, depending on the time of year and whether the plants are flowering. Sometimes they'll skim right over perfect blossoms they were mad about last week. I imagine it's like the choice between some fabulous Moonstruck chocolates or a bag of M&Ms. The M&M's will do when I have a chocolate craving, but I'd much rather have the Moonstruck chocolate, wouldn't you?

From the hordes of bees on the agastache, I'd guess this is some fine Swiss bee chocolate.

It's a bit hard to see the bees on the agastache in these pictures, but it's even harder to capture them in focus.

Don't look for bees in the photo above. But earlier in spring this snowberry shrub was covered in bees, despite its minute and hard-to-see flowers. Maybe the nectar got stale, or maybe there's just some better chocolate out there now.

McKay's White Potentilla has been blooming for months. Bees? Naah, they dip down for a quick sniff, then fly right over it.

Lambs Ear is a pass along plant I like for its quick, fuzzy grayness, but they don't have a big future in my garden.

However the local bees act like it's some kind of high-percentage cacao content chocolate from Belgium.

The flowers are so small and hard to see. But the bees seem to find them with no problem.

Lavenders are reliable bee-attractors. Even when the flowers are starting to die down, they remain popular chocolate bars for the striped set.

There's a lot you can learn about attracting bees to your garden. One good website is the Cal State Berkeley Guide to Bee-Friendly Gardening. It has a good list of plants to grow, many of them native. You just might make your garden into the next Teuscher for bees.

A late Bloom Day report, July 2010

2010-07-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

This being retired stuff is hard work! I didn't even have the time to post a proper Bloom Day report yesterday. So a day late (and a dollar short, actually) here are some glimpses of what's blooming in the MulchMaid's garden on July 16, 2010.

While I'm still battling scale insects, I think the war has essentially been won for the Meyer lemon. It's putting on a renewed burst of blossoms and the fragrance is fabulous.

When the garden was young, I planted multiple Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro' daylilies in a sunny area. They are taking over, so some thinning and moving is in their future.
But for now they're a sea of green and yellow.

This Zantedeschia 'Flame' is finally coloring this year with the sun it gets now that the bamboo isn't shading it at all. I love both the spotted foliage and the nuanced shading of the flower.

This graceful Fuchsia hatchbachii has been better every year, even with our terrible winters of late. The tag says, "To 7 feet in a single season." I don't doubt it if a clement winter is in our future.

I showed a stem of Agastashe 'Acapulco Orange' in a recent post, but the entire shrub is worth seeing in full bloom.

I am so excited that my Yucca filamentosa 'Bright Edge' bloomed this year. I've been loving the yucca blooms I see all over town this month.

I do like my Agastasches. This is Agastache rupestris 'Apache Sunset' and it differs from 'Acapulco Orange' in its fine gray foliage and smaller flower spikes. I think the contrast between the foliage and the flower color is spectacular.

This is the most floriferous part of the MulchMaid's garden, with the several potentillas near the ground, the achillea at the midpoint and the crocosmia 'Lucifer' at the top. I'm also enjoying the intense contrast between the bright orange-red of the crocosmia and the cool gray of the eucalyptus behind it.

I'm also enjoying the flowers of several sedums.

With another burst of energy, this sweet Lewisia cotyledon is putting on its second show of the year.

I'm not a rose lover in the garden, but I inherited all these from the former gardener and can't bring myself to tear out any but the sickly ones.

Here are a few for you on this lovely July 17th morning.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens. Visit her to see what was blooming in her garden and around the world yesterday.