Fall Flower Festival

Have not really wanted to post on the blog lately. Last posting was over a month ago, seems a lot longer. Will's Father has passed away since then, one of my biggest supporters of the gardens. He has always stated when they came for a visit, "Its like being in a beautiful park". I have a beautiful dwarf red leaf Maple that he grew from seed for the gardens that is the jewel in the conifer area. One of my Uncles passed away about a week and a-half, and we got news yesterday that one of Will's Aunts, his Father's sister has also passed. But enough.........I went around the gardens on Sunday and have found a number of plants still in bloom and starting to bloom. Enjoy and I will get a group of Fall foliage photographs together for the next posting.

Nice Fall Color

EUPHORBIA
"BLACKBIRD"

This photograph is from April when most Euphorbias are in bloom, but I wanted to use it because of the Fall coloring. Click on the name for Euphorbia Blackbird info.

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

Yesterday it rained like crazy, there were a couple of good downpours. I went out to Death Valley Shack for about 1/2 hour and decided to go back inside the house. Since the weather has turned I will probably not venture out if it is not warm. I'm becoming a warm weather gardener...........and I mean very warm. Anyway these are the last of the photographs of flowers at the coast from our camping trip. Enjoy!

DAYLILY "STELLA DE ORO"

LILIES

LILY

LILY (STARGAZER?)

MIXED PLANTERS

CHEERFUL WINDOW

ECHEVERIA

CALLISTEMON

Back to the Beach

No, we did not go back. The photographs are more that I had that I had not posted.......I have always thought about when I retire the beach would be great. Now that I have taken a good look at the way plants behave there I think my mind is made up.

POPPY

POPPIES

MARSHMALLOW (?) & CROCOSMIA

ARTICHOKE


LILIES


MORE LILIES

GUNNERA

FUCHSIAS AND CLEMATIS

Rosa glauca

Rosa glauca comes from the mountains in Central France, the Pyrenees, and also Southern Austria. The beauty of this rose species is in the foliage, and the small hips that stay on the rose through winter. Introduced in England around 1830.

A great species Rose to grow that requires very little care and offers wonderful returns. Shade tolerant and drought tolerant once established. Resistant to black spot, mildew, and rust. Will reach a height to 20' and width of 8' if left to itself, I keep mine at about 5' x 5'. I'm always pruning on mine due to the fact it will get out of control. Single clear pink flowers with a white center studded by prominent yellow stamens that are about 2"across in clusters without fragrance. Turning into hips of a beautiful orange then to a brownish-red color that are a favorite for fall decorations. Not me, I leave my in the garden. Leaves appear bluish gray in full sun (with shimmering overtones of burgundy and mauve), or with an icing of silvery gray-green in part shade. This plant is also a very good at reseeding, I always have little baby glaucas all over in the back garden. Rosa glauca is a mid-summer bloomer and can also be trained into a climber.

USDA hardiness zone 2 to zone 9

More of the Oregon Coast

These are additional photos that I took while at the Oregon Coast. Wheeler, Rockaway, Cannon Beach, Seaside, Nehalem, and again Manznitia. With it being on the cooler side, Lilies have not all opened fully. So many of them still had flower buds that were not even close to opening. This is the first group,ENJOY!

POPPIES

FUCHSIAS

LILIES

CALLISTEMON

PANSIES & SEDUM

BEE ON SEDUM

A COLORFUL MIX

NASTURTIUMS AND OTHER DELIGHTS

At the Coast with Elisha Garry Landscaping

The following photographs were taken at Manzanita here on the Oregon Coast. Will & I went camping a couple of weeks ago at Nehalem Bay State Park and had a great time, weather was perfect. While wondering one day in Manzanita met two gals Elisha and Kari of Elisha Garry Landscaping out of Wheeler, OR. doing maintenance at one of the hotels on the main strip. So of course any gardener knows how it is, you always strike up a conversation with other gardening people. The photographs are a little taste of their work. You can see a lot of their work through the town.

Elisha Garry Landscaping 503-812-6477

The Snapdragon Tree

Chilopsis linearis
Desert Willow

Derived from the Greek words cheilos meaning "lip," and opsis meaning "resembling," referring to the flowers.

I have this planted in the side garden by the street. Its about 6' and 3 years old. A great plant that is drought tolerant and puts on a great flower show. Because of Portland being on the edge of zonal denial, I have always feared that this plant would not make it, but it is doing great. Its even planted on an exposed east area and is brave against the gorge wind. I have read listings from others that are in low zones that are growing this and not having any problems.

A large, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub or small tree native to southwestern North America and northern Mexico that is capable of growing to a height of 30 feet. The narrow leaves are reminiscent of willow leaves. The Penstemon like flowers appear in May (later here) and keep coming on until September or frost are 1 1/2" to 2" in length, showy, fragrant, and colors range from Pink, Rose/Mauve, Magenta (Pink-Purple), Bright Yellow, Purple, and White/Near White.

USDA hardiness zone (6 root hardy) 7 to zone 9

Sharon Pollen

Hibiscus syriacus

The bees have been working on the Rose of Sharon tree like crazy. Its a tree I planted about 3 or 4 years ago and is at a height of about 10 feet now. I have never liked it, because it is not the color I was told it was (lite pink was on the tag). I was wanting a lite pink or white with a pink center. Lite purple a dime a dozen..........The one thing about the flowers is they remind me of Hollyhocks, which is another plant I have never had luck with. I even tried the hardy Hibiscus here and it died. I do not care how hardy they say they are, they are not!

The Rose of Sharon flowers in late summer to fall when few other shrubs are in bloom. Flower colors include blue, pink, red, lavender, purple, and white, depending on the variety. Most varieties grow 8 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide.

The flowers are produced on new wood, so prune in early spring to shape and reduce size. If you prune the shrub back to 2 to 3 buds per branch in spring, it will encourage larger flowers. Plant in a location for full sun to light shade. The Rose of Sharon prefers heat, and do well even in hot humid weather, also tolerating some drought, once established. Native to India and East Asia, it is the national flower of Korea.

USDA hardiness zone 5 to zone 9

Crab Spider

Always lying in wait for a meal. I'm surprised that this little creature is on a flower that is so bright. You would think that it would want to be hid better. Last year I found one on the white Phlox in the back garden, blended in so well I almost did not see it. Come to think of it I wander how I did find it?

The larger females (typically white) have the ability of slowly changing color from white to pale green or yellow and back again depending on the flowers on which they find themselves! Red markings on the abdomen can also change in size or even disappear. The males are darker and smaller.

Better Late Than Never

HEMEROCALLIS

"BARBIE IN PINK"
2005 INTRODUCTION

How could I forget a Daylily like this..................That's what happens when it blooms later than the others and planted in the back garden tucked away. I bought this variety three years ago and it is really stunning this year. When it is stated that it takes plants about three to five years to really get comfortable where they are planted, its true. Flowers on this variety will be up to 8" wide on plants around 24" to 36" in height. The ruffled edges, pink tones, the chartreuse throat, and a faint fragrance is a wonderful combination. Barbie in Pink is also a rebloomer. If you want to see some of the most outstanding colors and flower form combos visit Frank Smith Daylilies by Pete Harry.

Kwanso Daylily

Oops! I have one more Daylily, it blooms a little later than the others. Maybe it wants to be the center of attention? Its called a Kwanso Daylily, a orange double flower with watermarks. The colors are amazing and very different than other Daylilies we are so use to. The flowers are on the larger size and the plants are an average height and width. I know that there is a variegated foliage of this Daylily available on the market. What a combination!
I did purchase a variegated Daylily called Golden Zebra from the new nursery Finch & Flora in the Hollywood area, but it has a yellow flower and the plant looks like a Spider plant. It has not bloomed and will probably have to wait till next year to see the flowers, there are no buds showing.

USDA hardiness zone 3 to zone 9

Saturday Garden Stroll

A few of the plants that are in bloom in the gardens......Enjoy!

ASIATIC LILY

HALIMIUM OCYMOIDS "SUSAN"
ORIGANUM "BRISTOL CROSS"

HARDY FUCHSIA "BLACKIE"

LILY

ASCLEPIAS SYRIACA
COMMON MILKWEED

ERICA CINEREA
"GOLDEN SPORT"

ECHINACEA PARADOX
SPECIES

CLEMATIS HERACLEIFOLIA