There will be FOUR events in the next few weeks, so mark your calendars and be sure to stop by one (or all!) of them. All proceeds help benefit our local schools. Each of the sales will offer native plants (note that some are not on the Portland Plant List). Please see below for more details about each sale! Fort Vancouver High School Plant Sale: Wednesday, April 24, 8am-6pm, Thursday, April 25, 8am-5pm and Friday, April 26, 8am-4pm Native plants available: Trees: Cascara, Oregon White Oak, Vine Maple, Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar; Shrubs: Mock Orange, F ..read more

Himalayan Honeysuckle (Vaccinium glauco album)  Himalayan Honeysuckle (Vaccinium glauco album) has been an attractive feature along our north-facing foundation since I planted it in 2016. You will have to take my word for it since I cannot locate a photo although I know one exists somewhere in the realm of the Internet or floating on a cloud somewhere.  I did locate a photo of how it looked when it was first planted - It took a few years to fill out but it did so nicely to an attractive mound about 2 feet high by 3 feet wide.  Last year, it started to look bad ..read more

Camellia 'Donation' We've had roller coaster weather with some very dreary days - last Wednesday was particularly grim working at the nursery on a cold, windy and wet day. However, more and more days are those like today - sunny, 60-ish and sublime. It is a favorite time of year when each day brings more green. Not to mention more flowers. Herre is a sampling from the garden today - Blood Currant (Ribes sanguineum) Euphorbia 'Miner's Merlot' (Euphorbia purpurea) Anenome blanda Daphne tangutica & Blue-eyed Mary (Omphaloides verna ..read more

But first, take a look at this gorgeous rainbow that we had on Friday! The five-day stretch of warm temperatures last week really jump-started the garden. Now that plants are putting out new growth, it is easier to see what kind of damage the winter left. Back in mid-January, we experienced five straight days of below-freezing temperatures. This caused much damage in Portland and areas where frigid winds were a factor. Here, we were fortunate to not get the wind and the cold temperatures were dampened by a blanket of snow. That said, it was a tough time for the garden and there are notice ..read more

Recently Kris at Late to the Garden Party shared photos of landscapes around her neighborhood and I thought it was a great idea because I love seeing what others are doing (or not doing) in their gardens. I also love to look at houses. About a month ago, I started walking regularly, something I've never done in the past, and I like it so much that I feel guilty if I miss a day. A neighbor has been walking with me and she introduced me to her 4-mile route (10,000 steps) that goes through a very nice neighborhood that borders our own.  There is not a great deal to see garden ..read more

My season at Yard n' Garden Land has not started yet but I did work yesterday to help out in anticipation of a busy day. Nice weather was predicted and there were a lot of customers who were attending a rose seminar.  The greenhouse was beautiful (Kellie does such a great job with displays) and seeing all the colors and blooms gives a great energy boost this time of year. One entire side of the greenhouse is roses although they will be moved outside in a few weeks. This photo was taken before the rose seminar was over and lots were sold following that - There are many new p ..read more

Crocus Cyclamen coum Hellebore 'Merlin' Snowdrop Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy ..read more

The Ultimate Wildlife Habitat Garden by Stacy Tornio Timber Press, 2024 This colorful guide is a good introduction for beginning gardeners who want to attract wildlife. The focus is on four major groups - birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. There is also an additional chapter on "Other Wildlife" which offers brief notes on attracting dragonflies, spiders, amphibians, reptiles, earthworms, etc. It even mentions squirrels and rabbits, but my question is - who would want these in the garden?!! Each section begins with profiles of the major players with a description, photo and li ..read more

After months of inactivity, it seems like the "to do" list of chores in the garden is overwhelming. Most of this revolves around pruning. In the past, I've not been good at cutting plants back and I learned in my last garden that it is a mistake to just let everything grow unchecked. I'm much better now but I lack the ability to look at a plant and intuitively know where to make cuts or how to shape it. Michael is a master at this (I think it stems from him being a hairdresser) and he has shaped many of our trees beautifully. I need guidance so I am continually referring to books and YouTube ..read more

A Guide to Medieval Gardens - Gardens in the Age of Chivalry by Michael Brown White Owl Books, c2022 I would imagine that working as a garden historian would be a wonderful job. European gardens during the last few centuries would offer plenty of resources, records and physical evidence to draw from.  However, going way back in time to the medieval period, presents many challenges. As author Michael Brown notes, there is just not a lot of sources to consult. There are precious few books and records that survive (and probably not that much written in the first place). Archeological&nbs ..read more