We interrupt our regularly-scheduled post...

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

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

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

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!