Like They Say On NPR

Let's do the numbers...............

2 Potato Grow Bags.......$19.98
1 Organic Bag of Soil.....$13.99
2 Lbs of Seed Potatoes.....$5.98
Total.........................$39.95

What's sad is there is just under a pound there, but it was interesting to grow them.

 The items may appear larger than they are, but their not.

 Looks like a good harvest, scroll down to the next picture for actual size.

  

I'm going to write a book and title it: 

Grow Your Own $39.95 A Pound Potatoes, 

they can put it next to the book titled The $64.00 Tomato.

 I'm leaving potato growing to the farmers. I'll just continue buying my $1.59 for 5# bag.   

Hoppy Monday!!!!!!

This little Pacific Tree-frog jumped out of a pot I was watering this morning. Funny, how you can forget the wildlife that is constantly in your yard year-round. I now have daily bees here at Beech Street Gardens at one of my water bowls, due to it having duck weed, water lettuce, and parrot feather. They love to land and walk about the duckweed. Its like a little bug airport all day long, I can sit there and watch for hours. There at least two hives visiting it. One is from the neighbors hive next door and the other is somewhere in the north(?). Among the bees there are wasps and yellow jackets, but I'm not about to do anything to the others. Its all about balance. What creatures visit or live in your gardens?????

Ladies and Gentlemen...We have a Winner!!!!!

 
I would like to congratulate Peter Herpst of Tacoma, WA. Peter is the winner of the Opuntia-A-Rama give away. I would also like to thank everyone else for joining in.  

Thursday & FRY-day Of Last Week

My goodness it got warm HOT....yes it got down right hot.

 Poor Hosta!

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you treasure 75 to 80 degrees. 

 I went around the gardens to see what got a little touch of sun.

To my surprise there were very few plants that got a little baked. 

And baked is the correct term.

Thought it would be interesting to see what has happened in other gardens.

What happened in your garden in the last heat spell you had?

Don't Miss Out!!!!!!

Just another couple of days still left for the Opuntia give-a-away. If you do not want to grow this in the garden, they do grow in pots just fine. So get your name in and follow Beech Street Gardens for the Cholla as a follower prize.

How About A Hardy Spider Plant for the Garden

Yes you say.............It would be very cool if more houseplants were able to handle the Pacific Northwest Winters, but its not going to happen here anytime soon. So here it is a plant that looks like a variegated Spider Plant .......but actually it is a Golden Zebra Daylily. The Golden Zebra is a deciduous late blooming variety that reaches a height of 18" and a spread of 24". Another perfect plant for the drought tolerant garden that will add texture and light.

Horticulture lore: In 1989, Malanseuns Pleasure Plants of South Africa, sowed seed of Hemerocallis miniature hybrids from Jelitto Seed Company, Germany. One unique seedling produced a dwarf vibrant gold and green variegated plant with rich yellow flowers nestled perfectly atop the twisty foliage.

 Beautiful golden flowers that are on a smaller size 3" to 4".

USDA hardiness zone 5b to zone 9b

Don't Miss Out On Opuntia-a-rama

Hey everyone gather around, I've decide since the Opuntia talks have been so popular the last couple of weeks its time for a give-away...............I have a rooted pad of O. polycantha with a couple of other pads on it that is rooted and ready to go live in another garden. So here's what you need to do, click on my profile over on the right side of the page and email me your name. I'll draw a name from the group and you will have a great new plant for your gardens. Deadline is midnight on August 19th. Do not worry if you live out of town, I will be happy to mail it to you. Get those names into me and cross your fingers.

This is the plant you will receive. 

Did someone say what if I'm a follower of Beech Street Gardens do I get anything extra, you bet you do, I will add a 4" potted plant of O. acanthcarpa 'Buckhorn Cholla' also rooted. So once again, set up to follow Beech Street Gardens, get your name to me, and lets see who else is going to have Opuntias in their gardens.

Bonus plant if you are a follower of Beech Street Gardens

Opuntia Fever

Opuntia Fever is on...............Awesome plants to add to any garden style no matter where you live whether in the Midwest, South, Pacific Northwest, or back East. Most varieties will handle zone 5, but there are a few that can tolerant a zone 3. Native only to the Western hemisphere; however, they have been introduced to other parts of the globe. Found in abundance in Mexico, especially in the central and western regions. Being found in the Western United States, in arid regions in the Northwest, throughout the mid and lower elevations of the Rocky Mountains such as in Colorado,  where species such as O. phaeacantha, O. polyacantha, and others are dominant, and especially in the desert Southwest. They are also the only type of cactus found to grow natively far east of the Great Plains states; O. humifusa is widespread throughout southern New England and Long Island, as well as throughout the northern Great Lakes states and southern Ontario, Canada.

Photographs are the varieties that have been planted here at Beech Street. A good note to remember, if you plant Opuntia the best time is Spring or early Summer so the roots have the time to develop better before the cold and wet weather sets in.

Opuntia acanthocarpa
'Buckhorn Cholla'  
USDA hardiness zone 5

Opuntia barliaris

'Sara's Compact' 
USDA hardiness zone 5

Opuntia erinacea var columbiana
USDA hardiness zone 5

Opuntia 
unknown variety 

Painted Hills Eastern Oregon

Opunita 
unknown variety 

Prineville Oregon

Opuntia

'Red Gem'
USDA hardiness zone 4

Opuntia santa-rita x O. basilaris

'Baby Rita'
USDA hardiness zone 6

Opuntia

Unknown Species

Opuntia polycantha

Citrus Punch
USDA hardiness zone 4 or below

Opuntia polycantha

The photographs of the O. polycanthna 

above and below represent 3 years growth. 

Yes they are single plants started with one pad.

Opuntia polycanthna

Opuntia 

unknown variety

Rooting for placement in the gardens next year

 Check out the website below for more information:

Opuntiads Web 

Lambert Gardens Late 20's to 1968

Gloriously in Bloom from April till November........Not anymore!
I'm sure not many of you have ever heard of Lambert Gardens. A private garden built on 20+ acres that was located in SE Portland at the corner of 28th and Steele St, now it is apartments. Built By Andrew Lambert who owed a landscaping business. He took the business that was on the land, dissolved it and turned it into Lambert Gardens. My parents took me there when I was very very young, the things that I remember the most are the Flamingos, Peacocks, and African Crowned Cranes. Sounds pretty fabulous doesn't it. Cost to tour was only 25 cents or you could catch the Special Lambert Gardens bus from Union Station, Multnomah Hotel (gone), Benson Hotel, Orpheum Theatre (gone), or the Broadway Theatre (gone) for 75 cents round trip and included the Gardens. 'Please note that the buses only run during the tourist season.' The scans below are items that I have collected over the last few years, there are not a lot of items but linen postcards are the most common.

Tri-fold Brochure Front

Tri-fold Inside

Trifold Back

Tri-fold Map

Italian Court I

Italian Court II

Tulip Time

Strutting Peacock

Sunken Gardens I

Sunken Garden II

Azaleas and Rhododendrons

Wishing Well

Flyer Front

Flyer Inside

Flyer Back

Now this is where I get on my soapbox and disapprove everything that City of Portland does and will do in the future. This property was offered to the city but is was turned down, but thank God we have Terry D. Schrunk park. Very similar to losing the Berry Botanical Gardens. I say no more!