flynn070

  I was so excited to see Linda Hannan's garden. I had the opportunity to meet her at the plant sale back in April. She is a garden designer (Hannan Garden Design) and her colorful, exuberant garden is captivating. The front entrance is very shady with an inviting circular space surrounded by hydrangeas and evergreens. A stepping stone pathway leads you along the side of the house to the back garden, which is very sunny. The front garden The back garden - the blue wall brings back memories of our purple wall in Alabama. I haven't decided how to incorporate one in our present garden. Linda's wall serves as a backdrop for Verbascum nigrum, geraniums, cannas, meadow rue and other perennials. The vine is Golden Hops (Humulus lupulus 'Aureus'). There was so much to see in this garden and when I was looking at my photos, I saw things that I missed when I was there. For example, the columnar exclamation point next to the window on the left (honeysuckle?). I love it - it...

On Saturday, we had a great time exploring 7 gardens on the ANLD (Assn. of Northwest Landscape Designers) Garden Tour in Portland. The gardens here were small gardens and we saw all of them!  Our first stop was at the garden of Kathy Langeliers. Her craftsman bungalow is surrounded by beautiful plants displayed along winding gravel pathways. It was designed by Lucy Hardiman and Susan LaTourette of Perennial Partners. This stunning hydrangea greeted us at the gate entrance. I would love to know the variety. A pathway leads around the side of the house with an elegant oakleaf hydrangea, confiers and perennials.   The border along the back of the property includes a stately yucca (yea!), along with some lovely conflowers and other perennials. I love this water feature - one of my future projects!     Okay, not part of the tour. We saw this handsome guy in the garden next door as we were leaving. Love the color on that hydrangea! ***** The Bebernes-Gawf garden is a sh...

  The second garden we toured on Sunday is the creation of Roger & Judy McElhaney. It is a large garden, a labyrinth of winding paths that showcase a collection of conifers, Japanese maples and various shrubs and trees. It was quite spectacular. Many of the plants were labeled and I should have been taking notes. This was one of my favorite views in the garden. Absolute perfection!     Ninebark ( Physocarpus ) is on my wishlist. There were a number of hydrangeas in the garden. This is an unusual one that we grew in our Alabama garden. Hydrangea aspera (if I am not mistaken). We saw a number of Gingko trees. I am sure the garden owners are collectors. I did not know there were so many different varieties. There were also several different varieties of Smoke Tree ( Cotinus ).   Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy