Neighborhood Gardens of Portland Part II

Shall we tour a few more? There are so many . . . perhaps I should make this a regular posting, the gardens around Portland and my neighborhood.

First up, is a lovely corner garden facing south up near Mt. Tabor. It has a wildflower hell-strip, lots of pollinator plants, a mini- vineyard and a lot of style.



So you can probably tell this is autumn - such colors on the maple in back, the Eutrochium purpureum (Joe Pye Weed) and David's sweater. Wow. He usually wears orange, which would have made him disappear but thankfully it's red this day.




 The corner of the property facing south.

 Same shot, a couple of months later.


 The mini-vineyard.





Moving down the street; the neighbor has a great hell-strip.

Same block - I particularly like this shot due to the contrast in the dark Douglass fir trees behind with the golden foliage in the foreground.




  Moving farther up the hill is a favorite garden we regularly pass on our weekend walks. Lots of hot colors, berries and flowers, bugs and birds.


I do like this trellis. Apologies for the bad photo.


I also really like the Japanese blood grass or Imperata cylindrdica. So lovely when light shines through it.




Now we're north from our home near the local Fred Meyer store. We call this Fred Meyer Flats. I spied a street with many mature arctostaphylos - we don't have any mature ones yet, ours are only a year or two old at the most. In fact, we lost something like seven plants this past horrific winter as they were not established yet. Therefore, I have a case of Established Arctostaphylos Envy or EAE.


Love dahlias, but we don't grow them. I don't have patience to dig up tubers. I can hardly remember where I planted things I DON'T have to dig up. This game of hide-and-seek I do not favor.


More Japanese blood grass. Lovely en-masse like this.


This interesting trunk caught my eye. I wonder if it was trained like that. Of course it was. Maybe.


I apologize for the blurriness, it's just so charming I had to share it.


How about this for maintenance? Wow. It's a little out of this world. I literally stopped in my tracks with my jaw hanging open when we encountered this sculptural wonder.


I just don't know what to say. Feel free to chime in.


Closer to our home, a local bar has this cool planting. I don't think the phormium survived the winter.


A neighbor's hell-strip.




More gorgeous flower color on the dahlias.


This is literally a block away, one of David's favorites. This planting is only a few years old, a tasteful landscaping job and already filled in. 

A sunny man with his sunny flower.


A typical Mt. Tabor neighborhood garden. Nothing specific to point out. Just nice.


Maybe I should have titled this the Japanese blood grass post? Here it is again, backlit and in a different area, another Mt. Tabor garden. 


Lovely sumac in the sun.


Nice cotinus...hadn't bloomed yet in this post (from around May).



This concludes this tour around our neighborhood gardens with more to come. There are some really wonderful ones I'll photograph later this summer so we can have some sunshine memories when the weather turns. We are very fortunate to live in a climate where we can grow so many different plants and equally as fortunate to have so many world-class nurseries nearby to support my plant habit...to mention a few, Cistus, Xera Plants, Joy Creek, Bosky Dell Natives, Echo Valley Natives, Wild Ginger FarmGarden Fever, Thicket, Portland Nursery, Gossler Farms, Seabright Gardens, Cornell Farms....the list goes on. You see why I have a plant addiction?

Thank you for reading and until next week, happy gardening!!

Comments

  1. I love the look of Japanese blood grass, but I fear its spreading tendencies, especially after seeing those two enormous swaths in this post. I never dig my Dahlias, and they come back every year, even after this past winter when we had such cold weather. They need good drainage, but you can supply that with a berm.

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    1. Oh, yes, Alison...I know...but they sure are pretty when in other places (the Japanese blood grass) ! I have one on my eco roof, it is a variety not likely to spread and hasn't in a year. Good to know about the dahlias....I'll perhaps try them next year as they are sooo lovely.

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  2. I LOVE 6175! Everything seems so matched except the random palm, which makes me love it even more. I wonder what the back garden looks like? Oh...and where is the Lupinus albifrons? How big is it? I planted one this spring (from Annie's) and would love to see what an older one looks like here in PDX.

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    1. OK I fail at finding 6175 but I'm guessing the pom poms....The Lupinus albifrons is FAB, it's on that same street up by Tabor - SE 65th near Scott Dr. right near the area where the first few pics are from.
      That pic is from last fall, I haven't noticed whether it's still there or not but it's a cool plant for sure.

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    2. Hahahah...I see it now, the address....D'OH!

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    3. Okay, that lupine just went on my wish list.

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    4. I know. Have you seen it at any PDX nursery, Heather?

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    5. Does that mean you've seen it at Portland Nursery Tamara?

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    6. No, sadly. If I do, I'll buy them all and give you each some.

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  3. So many nice gardens in your neighbourhood, very impressed! Impressed with Portland in general too, so green and it seems so many people are into gardening and care for the appearance of their front gardens. 6175...now that one is jaw dropping!

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    1. Hi there...yes, we have a lot of gardeners in the 'hood. Not all do, mark my words :) But yes, 6175 is something special indeed. Thanks for reading!

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  4. What a great neighborhood , I love that hell-strip ! I like that 6175 , they have a theme and they've kept with it.I wish my neighborhood looked like this . I'm fed up with evergreens, conifers and Rhodys !

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    1. Hi Linda, yes...that hell-strip is a knockout. I deliberately go that route when walking up to Mt. Tabor just to see it. That 6175...boy, they sure have, good for them. I wonder how long that took to become an established masterpiece. Evergreens, conifers and rhodys, oh my! We have those too...everywhere. Thanks for reading!

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  5. I love that first garden...I think I could move in and feel at home...especially lovely with all the fog! I'm in the minority, it seems, in not liking the meatball pruned yard...too fussy and static for me...but it's their garden, so all that matters is that they like it, right ;-)

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    1. I thought you might :) I was thinking of you when I took them....I got it right! It's a super cool garden, to be sure. I'm with you on the poofy shrubs...they are fun to look at but not my style of gardening, but good for them. Cheers!

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  6. Bruce Wakefield, of Old Germantown Gardens fame, told me he doesn't dig up his dahlias and they come back just fine. Have to make sure you don't let rain get down the stems and rot the tubers, though. Wow, that meatball garden was triiiippy!

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    1. Thanks for the information, Amy. Well...I may try the dahlias next year after all. Consensus says that they will do well here...but leave it to me to destroy them...hahah...and the meatball garden - well. Triiipppyy is well-said, Amy!

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  7. I've never seen so many beautiful front gardens. Amazing. I particularly love that first one, and the mini vineyard has given me ideas... Have rather fallen for thoses arctostaphylos too. As for the topiary garden, I think I would really love it if the central planting was different, but I would never have the patience.

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    1. The first one is my favorite, too....that mini-vineyard is so sweet...the birds and bees buzz around there like crazy. I'm a little wilder with my planting schemes, too....the topiaries I appreciate but I would go MAD keeping them in tip-top shape. Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  8. Omg what a splendid collection of poodle puff balls in that yard!! Wow, I'm going to have to stalk that neighborhood to see it in real life! :D

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    1. I thought you might like that, Fifi! Now....your challenge is to go find it!! waa haa haa....

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  9. I have EAE too. Maybe we should talk to our doctors about it? I lost all my John Dourley's from my hellstrip after this winter. I love this series--please keep it up!

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    1. Yes, have you spoken to your doctor about your EAE symptoms, too? Envy can cause ulcers, migraine and even stomach upset. Ugggg.....OK will keep up the series...taking a few weeks off to post some FLING-ish things now! Woo hoo!

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  10. A favorite pastime is pulling into almost any neighborhood and just wandering about looking at the gardens and houses. You have a particularly rich area to explore, so yes...keep those posts coming. I'm eating them up.

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    1. Isn't that the best? I think we all have that tendency to look at any give area's garden first then the homes. I will keep the posts up, thank you for the feedback! More to come in a few weeks. Cheers!

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  11. I love your blog . . . we live in central Washington and it is hot and dry without the rain that you get in Portland, but your blog has so many wonderful ideas for curb appeal. Even if I would not be able to grow a lot of the plants that you show, it gets my imagination going and fills my head with ideas. My husband and I just purchased a small bungalow on an acre of land. We are new to gardening, our former home of thirty three years was in a neighborhood with a small and very shady yard. Now that we have the room, I just want to plant so many things and learn to take care of what is here. Our new backyard came with apricot trees and grapes :) Your photography is wonderful . . . so much eye candy.
    Thank you.
    Your newest follower,
    Connie :)

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    1. Hi Connie, gosh, what kind words you have, thank you!! I really appreciate them. Well, yes, we are in different climates but you have some great options too. Congrats on your acre of land, I dream of that myself :) Plant plant away! I would recommend Danger Garden's blog - she used to live in Spokane so could likely recommend many successful plants for you - she's at: http://dangergarden.blogspot.com/
      Glad to know you are out there and reading, thank you again for following, reading, commenting and mostly, gardening! :) Cheers, if you are ever in Portland drop me a line!

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  12. I NEVER dig my dahlias and I'm in NE Portland. You should go for it GI Joe! :)

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    1. Hi Mindy, thank you for your comments - good to know! :) I think consensus is I need dahlias :)

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