My Portland Garden

MY PRIDE AND JOY IS MY GARDEN

My Oregon garden has been an ongoing project for the past 25 years at this location .  I adore my tropical plants which can be very borderline hardy in the Pacific NW. We are so lucky to live in a micro climate zone that is warmer than most parts of Portland.  My garden friends always tell me I’m in “zonal denial” growing plants that would not usually survive Portland weather

THE GARDEN IS EVER-EVOLVING

At one time I had over 200 varieties of daylilies but as the Douglas Fir trees expanded,  the sunny patches became less and less,  to where I now have dappled sunlight through most of our lot.  I thinned out the heat loving varieties and replaced them with shade tolerant varieties and other perennials. My current plant obsessions are Ornamental Grasses  Japanese Maples and Hostas.

BELOW ARE A FEW OF MY GARDEN IMAGES

BELOW FIND SOME OF MY GARDEN BLOG POSTS

• 
  Hellebores making an early appearanceDecember 13, 2023
  HAIKU by Ihana Above is the way the flowers are best displayed. In a low shallow dish or even a bird bath outdoors. The nodding blooms are always facing downward on the plant which hides their beautiful faces Above photo was taken last year shortly after Christmas which looks very close to how far along… Read more: Hellebores making an early appearance
• 
  NEW Denim jackets and a new auction tooNovember 10, 2023
  It has been a very busy autumn filled with so much color in the garden this year. The rains and perfect temperatures all came together for quite the show which is still ongoing with our Japanese maples. Ihana and I are keeping our paws busy in the studio and have this spectacular view out of… Read more: NEW Denim jackets and a new auction too
• 
  Portland Japanese Garden visit to see the weeping cherry in bloom. Sakura time!April 13, 2023
  We are so fortunate to live only a few miles from the world class Portland Japanese Garden, and as the seasons change and the gardens morph we love to pay this beautiful space a visit as often as possible. This week, the one and only Weeping Cherry in the garden was in full bloom which… Read more: Portland Japanese Garden visit to see the weeping cherry in bloom. Sakura time!
• 
  A rare snowfall in PortlandJanuary 12, 2017
  This has been quite the winter so far in Portland Oregon with temperatures below normal which this week brought an incredible snowfall to our neighborhood!  In my wildest dreams I could not have imagined my shed and the wrought iron tree beside it looking so amazing!!! As I look out into the back yard I… Read more: A rare snowfall in Portland
• The Redtailed Hawk babies..Class of 2012May 26, 2012
    For those of you who don’t follow my Facebook page and have been missing this year’s Redtailed Hawk babies in my neighborhood, here are some fun photos to get you up to speed!!  Above is a shot of one of the chicks hanging onto the nest as he exercises his wings.  We had 3… Read more: The Redtailed Hawk babies..Class of 2012
• WOODCHIP WEEK AND A WEEKEND GETAWAYApril 24, 2012
  As the Trunk Show dust settles I immediately jump into my next project which is to get the garden ready for the year.  One of the most relaxing "jobs" for me is hauling the 8 yards of cedar chips into the pathways and inside front garden. They are relatively lightweight in the wheelbarrow and it's… Read more: WOODCHIP WEEK AND A WEEKEND GETAWAY
• Back to the garden and a huge THANK YOU!April 15, 2012
  ASSEMBLING PRIORITY MAIL  BOXES AND LINING WITH GREEN TISSUE..JUST A HINT OF THINGS TO COME I want to first thank you all for making this 2012 Graffiti Jewelry Trunk Show the most exciting event yet.  All of last week's jewelry purchases have been lovingly wrapped, given a goodbye kiss and sent off into the world… Read more: Back to the garden and a huge THANK YOU!
• 
  THE VULTURES ARE CIRCLING…LITERALLY!October 12, 2011
  Can you imaging my surprise yesterday when Steve calls me on the cell phone as I'm sitting at my computer and says "GET OUT HERE!"   ….I sez  "GET OUT WHERE?"…..he sez  "THE DRIVEWAY" I run outside and ask whats up and he points to the sky and says "BIRDS"…  OMG there were at least 50… Read more: THE VULTURES ARE CIRCLING…LITERALLY!
• HOUSE AND GARDEN UPDATE…Asian Influence with a French AccentJuly 11, 2011
  Below  are some of the updates we did to the garden and house over the weekend.  We were surprised after visiting the local French Festival (Bastille Day Celebration) how over the years we have managed to fuse two of our favorite cultures together quite unintentionally in our decorating.   Somehow the Provence France tablecloths and the… Read more: HOUSE AND GARDEN UPDATE…Asian Influence with a French Accent
• 
  SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS…Baby Hawk finds a perch with a viewJuly 9, 2011
   Happy Saturday everyone!!! Yesterday was a wonderful day in many ways.  First, it was Steves and my 17th Anniversary….WOW time flies when you are having fun!!  It seems like yesterday when I met Steve for the first time at a Chow fun match! As we were getting ready to go out for a wonderful dinner… Read more: SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS…Baby Hawk finds a perch with a view