flynn070

Three more gardens that we toured on the HPSO Open Gardens a few weeks ago - Ann Amato is a plant collector with many unique plants packed into her small garden near Mt. Taybor. She has a fabulous courtyard area in back where she relaxes and entertains. A canopy made from four willow trees rises around the table and creates a wonderful sanctuary. I can just imagine this space at night when the lights in the trees are illuminating the area. Enchanting! After visiting the Babbit garden and Ann's garden, we headed to a group of three neighbors who all have lovely gardens next to each other. By the time we arrived, it was raining steadily and as we approached the garden of Mary DeNoyer, it was coming a downpour. Despite that, and the fact that Michael was becoming grumpier by the minute, I trudged onward. This was a beautifully designed garden and I was unhappy that I could not spend more time there. Along the front walk leading up to the house. The borders were filled with spectacul...

Kniphofia 'Shining Scepter' June has been glorious so far and we finally got some much needed rain last week. Not a lot but enough to make the garden happy. It is going to get hot next week and we really dread it. The changing weather trends really sickens me but I try not to dwell on it. On to the blooms - I am in love with the Red Hot Pokers (Kniphofia). My current favorite is 'Shining Scepter' in the above photo. 'Orange Crush' is really nice too. Kniphofia 'Orange Crush' Another favorite are the clematis. This one was an unidentified one that I brought home from the nursery last year. It appears to be 'Niobe'. Clematis 'Niobe' Clematis durandii Clematis 'Princess Diana' Clematis 'Jackmanii Superba' Another rescue from the nursery last year, Veronica 'Vernique White' was covered in powdery mildew. I brought it home, cut it back and sprayed with Neem oil. It is fine now and this has to be the #1 plant for attract...

After spending our weekends working ourselves to death in the garden, we finally took some time to visit other gardens this past Sunday. It was a rainy day and wasn't the best to be outdoors but we made the most of it and saw some wonderful gardens in Portland. The first stop was the garden of Michael Babbit and Ellen Bartholomew. This is a delightful small garden that is packed to the max with beautiful plants as well as glass art (by Ellen) and metal ornaments (by Michael). We enjoyed chatting with the owners and seeing their beautiful work. Of course, any garden that features roses and clematis is going to win me over! There were many other fabulous plants as well. There was so much to see. The "Mozart" rose was really spectacular. This unidentified rose seemed to glow in the overcast lighting. This Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lily) was also a showstopper. The gardeners are also avid bonsai enthusiasts and had a large collection of plants that they are working with. I forgo...