Reminiscing of Summer: A Danger Garden

With our temperatures dropping into the teens this past weekend, I'm trying to accept the fact that some plants may have suffered a bit of damage or may be totally toast. At times, no matter how much you try protect or bring in, you'll always endure a bit of damage, but how much depends on just how far below freezing we get and how soon. Luckily, we didn't have a abrupt cold snap like a few years ago, but rather than whine and complain about how cold it is, I'd like to look back and be reminded of a most awesome summer and a wonderful trip down to Portland, OR (which, sadly, endured snow and much colder temperatures the past few days).  One garden was an exceptional treat and also one I'm a tad bit worried about after our freeze, but should it pull through this season, it is one fine collection by a woman who's getting quite a readership on her blog, "Danger Garden".


This is the garden of Loree Bohl:


Driving by, it's very apparent which is Loree's garden. Beautifully kept with interesting plants and big, bold textures dominate the space and, immediately, you know you're looking at a plant person's garden. Various cacti and succulents are dressed carefully with a layer of gravel  giving each specimen importance and aiding in much needed drainage. The ginormous 'Steroidal Giant' rice paper plant is a true "indicator" plant of a plant nut in the Pacific Northwest.

Growing it in somewhat of a dryer area may be smart for the plant as it has a tendency to really run. The pavement and gravel probably help it to wake up in spring much earlier as it often takes a full growing season to get this size of leaves!

 I came with plant friends Justin Galicic, Preston Pew and Matt Berberich to see Loree's remarkable garden and all three have heard of her blog and were so eager to meet her in person and see her amazing garden. She was so very welcoming and had a wonderful time dissecting the many elements of her fine garden. Not only were there cool plants, there were interesting combinations and a wonderful use of space (especially in the rear garden).

Loree is a gardener who likes to experiment; texture and dramatic form captivate her and her selections and it truly shows. There are rare plants and there are common plants as well aimed to complete a striking look. It isn't wild and over the top. There's room for plants to expand and grow and I sense a wonderful pacing of edits along the way.

A striking Agave in the foreground (left) and the beautifully placed Arctostaphylos 'Austin Griffins' with its peeling bark backlit.

A young Yucca rostrata

A striking combination of Nolina nelsonii with Canna 'Australia' backlit in the background.

  

Hardy prickly-pear Opuntias are abundant

Make your way to the back and a treasure trove of wonderful plants await! I loved the sense of a welcome by one of my most favorite broadleaf evergreen shrubs of all time, the rare Fatsia polycarpa with its long petioles and deeply, palmately lobed leaves.  And then everywhere you eye looked was a great plant. The square pavers and even the lawn was a very important feature of this space as it allowed the visitor to enter the space, give it a sense of grandeur thus allowing the eye to rest while it transition through another room.

 

 

The use of containers in this garden was quite affective. There may be too many for most people's liking because of the tedious watering some may require, but the fact that more are succulents or air plants, they lend themselves to being forgotten while they look spectacular as accents all summer long.

 

A series of sitting areas makes this garden wonderful both as an intimate space where one can decide just how much exposure they'd like and as an entertainment space to spread a crowd out so the details of each element can be appreciated and admired. 

Our sincerest thanks to Loree for sharing her wonderful garden with us and may the rest of winter be kinder until next spring as we determine what's made it and what we'll have to purchase again. =(

I'm sure all the containers came inside, but the majority of her garden should be alright knowing the lengths we (including Loree) go through to protect our "marginals", we refer to them as. 




Oh, I must throw in that she's also a Tillandsia freak like myself. I adore her compositions and, yes, even an arrangemnt in the bathroom captivated me!

Well done, Loree!


Riz

EMERGENT comes together: A new group bringing young horticultural professionals together

After the issue of Organic Gardening magazine (that had me in it!) came out, a group was formed on Facebook to help connect young horticultural professionals online and the name "EMERGENT" was introduced and we've begun to explore who we are, what we can do, what we're promoting, and also, "why?"

There have been  multiple discussions online via Google Chats, Facebook Messenger and texts and we've all been suggesting that we have a get together in person should the right opportunity present itself.

So, the Farwest Show in Portland, OR was right around the corner. This industry trade show brings in people from across the US for meetings, seminars, and the ever popular "schmooze fest"! Realizing that a handful of people would be there, we started to organize an informal "meet and greet".

With plants being the common bond we all share, I immediately thought about Xera Plants's new retail site in Portland and asked if they would host us. Greg and Paul warmly welcomed our group and had our informal gathering!

There were many familiar faces and a few I met for the very first time in person that I met via Facebook. Western Washington was well represented with my buddies Matthew Berberich, Preston Pew, Justin Galicic, and Meagan McManus Haskins.
 

Matt, Justin and fellow plantsman Erik Peterson from Oregon

Kelly on the right and Jared on the left checking out succulents at Xera

Also in attendance is the remarkable Kelly Norris who is the Horticulural Manager at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden in Iowa. He is a very well known speaker, published author (which reminds me, I need to plant my Bearded Irises very soon!) and such an advocate of the up and coming generation of gardeners. Then there's Jared Barnes, who we've dubbed "The Reverend Doctor Barnes", that I finally had the great pleasure of meeting in person. This is a young man studying floriculture at North Carolina State University and is quite a character! Super nice guy, too!


Check Jared out as "SuperSeed!"  Now, you'll have to think back to your basic biology/botany classes to find it really funny, but WOW, what a courageous and enthusiastic guy!




Another young "EMERGENT" I met and actually helped me get this meeting together is a young lady named Crystal Johnson-Cady from Salem, OR. She was a busy woman coordinating speakers for the Farwest Show for the Oregon Association of Nurseries and is a proud graduate of Oregon State University studying botany and plant pathology. Her venture, Sunflower Acres Farm and Garden, is shaping up to be another busy, but exciting endeavor!

It was incredible meeting everyone this this group. I gave a little speech and acknowledged just how incredible it was to be a part of such a talented and hard working group. Each person had their own specialties, their own personalities, and I mentioned just how important their contributions are to the future of our industry. I'm so glad that I'm not alone in my aspirations.

This was just a small gathering of who's out there as there are many more across the nation, but I hope these types of gatherings continue to occur in all the different regions of not just the nation, but also around the world. We have the technology and resources to send out information much quicker than ever before and it's vital that these meet-and-greets IN PERSON events are held.  It's great to know who's who, who specializes in what and also just learn from on another to keep us driven and motivated!


Riz

Vashon Island Garden and Nursery Excursion

Our fun group of avid plantspeople gathered once again to spend a day and explore the gardening scene across the pond about a month ago. This time it was the island of Vashon.

Vashon Island is the largest island in Puget Sound and a 25 minute ferry ride from West Seattle. With mostly rural country living, those seeking quiet solitude and space in which to farm and garden will make Vashon home. It's certainly one of the best places to retire in our area, but many of its residents work in Seattle or Tacoma.


We met up to see two private gardens and a destination nursery I've only heard about, but never had an opportunity to go. This has been such a remarkable summer. With no recordable amount of precipitation for the month of July, we've been blessed with sunshine, heat and, if you kept things watered, a lush garden such as this.

 Our team this time included a few members of our Heronswood group this spring: Meghan Fuller, Dustin Schulte, and Justin Galicic. We were joined my Preston Pew and Grace Hensley, two very talented individuals and plant lovers.

Dustin is actually a Vashon resident with his partner and we've been trying to find an opportunity to visit so we had the pleasure of checking out his property and work in progress. It was definitely a reality check just to see how much work goes into having a home and property in the island. While it may be peaceful, quiet, content with the potential for such a lavish landscape around you, the upkeep and maintenance involved is something most young couples are probably not prepared for, but they've tackled it and have made remarkable progress. It will be exciting to see them settle in and grow with the property. Dustin has his own garden maintenance firm called D&A Gardens.

Grace gives Meghan some tips on using her new camera

Grace Hensley is a young woman who's gardening prowess and keen eye is no surprise in the Pacific Northwest gardening scene as her mother is the well know photographer, Lynne Harrison. Lynne has done the photography for numerous books including all of Dan Hinkley's titles and she continues to photograph and it's only natural that she share her talents with her young daughter. Grace has a fun blog called eTilth where you can see some of her wonderful photos and experiences as an urban gardener.

and I'm sure they took a much  better photo of this stunning combination

A stunning Nicotiana or Flowering Tobacco

Can you tell what the soil pH might be?

The always lovely Hydrangea 'Izu No Hana'

The second garden we visited has this incredible chess set integrated into their manicured lawn

Meghan enjoys the soft fragrance of Phlox paniculata

Finally, we went to grab food and later hit up DIG Nursery where I finally had a chance to meet the lovely Sylvia Matlock. This nursery has always been known for their unique design ideas, fantastic containers and a plethora of unusual plants! We certainly came away with several purchases and we all chipped in for a gift certificate for Preston who was celebrating a birthday with us!

A creative idea using hardy succulents as a hanging orb

Meghan with a giant Angelica gigas!!

Awesome gabion walls at the nursery entry!

Eryngium agavifolium always looks striking backlit!

One plant that caught my eye and had to ask about: Cyperus glaber. A striking texture!

Straight out of Jurassic Park or "The Lost Gardener", the best stand of Tetrapanax 'Steroidal Giant'!

It's been such a treat to join these folks and marvel at the great gardens we've got here! There's still so much to explore around Vashon; I'm anxious to return!


R

Growing Steady: A young plantsman's garden open

It's pretty amazing to know that I'm truly not alone in my quest for new, rare and unusual plants. A few weeks back, a fellow "Next Generation Gardener" opened his garden for his neighborhood to see and I was fortunate to have been able to help out and attend.

 

If people were worried about the future of ornamental home gardening, they should meet and see the garden of Justin Galicic in Normandy Park, just south of Seattle and west of SeaTac Airport. This guy's plant collection is absolutely superb and what's most remarkable about his space is he's pretty much designed and built most of the paths and structures that hold the landscape together and selected plants that represent the wide palette that we're capable of growing here.

Justin is in his early 30's and actually made a sound decision of not taking on horticulture as a career. Hehehe

In a way, it's kind of nice to have a main profession (he's an elementary school music teacher) and garden as a pure hobby. In five short years, he's been able to create a garden so lush and complete with various rooms and features that avid gardeners all around simply marvel at.



What's most remarkable about this garden is the fact that it's only 5 years old. It truly is amazing what he's done: From the sidewalk tropical garden filled with Dahlias, Cannas, various grasses and various other fine and bold textures, you can't help but stare in amazement and from a designer's perspective, it all flows and works very well together.  I'd say he's done a better job than some other well known designers out there!






He's got just about every type of garden he's got room for. Full sun tropical borders, a shade woodland, a warm desert region with hardy palms and succulents, a most striking water feature, the elaborate and productive vegetable garden, and a very effective and carefully maintained lawn to rest the eye and be used by family and friends for recreation.

It's also a great space to have an audience and have speakers such as Dan Hinkley and Kelly Dodson present talks.

Justin writes a blog called "Growing Steady" and is truly a young gardener you want to follow as his projects seem endless and plant buying non-stop!! I look forward to seeing him and his garden develop.


R