Our upcoming speaker from Sweden, Henrik Sjöman, will discuss how trees are among our best allies in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss and how we urgently need to rethink tree selection for our parks and gardens. This presentation will explore how to find and evaluate the “trees of tomorrow” based on travels all over the world to study natural environments matching urban environments — to create first-hand guidance for finding the right tree for the right place and function. You can see this presentation in person in Portland OR on March 10, 2024. Register here. What is a ..read more

Bill Thomas of Chanticleer, a pleasure garden, tells us a little about his inspiration. How did you become interested in gardening? When I was ten, my parents said I should take over the vegetable garden. I loved growing the plants from seed and soon even began eating vegetables.   What would you tell a beginner gardener? Learn the rules and then break them as you wish. Favorite tool? Felco number 2. I love to prune and it does the job well. What would you tell your younger gardening self? Learn more, try more, and be less opinionated. Favorite garden book or garden writer? Portrait of ..read more

Preston Pew of Cistus Design Nursery speaks about his inspiration and gives us some advice. Check it out below! How did you get interested in gardening? Growing up my family always grew a vegetable garden in Summer. I remember growing my first cherry tomato from seed and all of the wonderful red tomatoes it gave and how that gigantic plant grew from a tiny seed really made an impression on me. Aside from my love of hiking around the Cascades growing up near Mt. Rainier, and being in nature in general, I had no interest in gardening until I was living in Seattle in my early 20’s and a friend o ..read more

Meet Sue Goetz. In this profile, Sue shares excellent advice and tells us a little about where she gets her inspiration. Check it out below! Register for Sue’s Lecture Here What type of garden do you have? I call it my eclectic muse- an experimental ground for what works in design that I do for others and what inspires me! I ripped out my front lawn to plant a perennial community after visiting the High Line in New  York, the Lurie Garden in Chicago, and the works of Piet Ouldolf. This part of my garden has taught me a lot about designing naturalistic meadows for clients. Other parts of ..read more

Meet Amy Campion. In this profile, Amy shares her experience creating a space for NW native plants and the insects the support. Where do I garden? I gardened for 17 years in the Cincinnati area, and I’ve gardened for the past 10 years in Portland. My current garden is in Northeast Portland on a sunny, flat, 7,000-square-foot lot. How would I describe my garden? In Cincinnati, I mostly planted things I thought were pretty or interesting. I didn’t care where they originated from. In Portland, I continued that practice. You could say I had a collector’s garden. Then, a couple years ago, I starte ..read more

Meet Michael McCoy, Australian garden designer, author, and TV host. In this profile, Michael shares his experiences adapting a traditional English gardening mindset to accomadate climate adapted plants in his garden design. Where do I garden? I garden just north of Melbourne, Australia. My elevation is approximately 600m (1900 ft) above sea level, average annual rainfall is about 700mm (28 inches). The temperature can drop to -5C (approx 25F) on a winter’s night and rise 45C (approx 110F) on a summer’s day, but these are rare extremes. How did I become interested in gardening? I had no inte ..read more

Meet Jeremy Schmidt, Researcher and Grounds Supervisor of  Plant Delights Nursery and Juniper Level Botanic Garden, and owner of Hortco. Jeremy gardens in Raleigh, North Carolina, Zone 8a. He was recently part of the team that installed the new crevice garden at Rancho Cistus with Sean Hogan.  Additionally, Jeremy is speaking at an upcoming Zoom program: “Trilliums in the Southeast…Gateway Plant to Lifelong Botanical Passion”. Click here to learn more and sign up! How would I describe my personal garden? In its tenth year of growth, my home garden, the Bristol Briar, has served as ..read more

Meet Toni Gattone, author of “The Lifelong Gardener, Garden with Ease and Joy at Any Age“. She gardens in Marin County, CA, Zone 10a. In this profile, Toni shares her passion for gardening and the importance of adopting methods to garden safely and comfortably. You can learn more about Toni at her website.  Additionally, Toni is speaking at an upcoming HPSO Zoom Program on October 5th, “You CAN Garden for Life”. Sign up here.  What type of garden do I have? My husband and I live on a small lot in a very pedestrian-oriented suburban neighborhood in Marin County, CA . We are blessed w ..read more

Meet Horticulturist Christina Pfeiffer, author of  “Pacific Norhthwest Month-By-Month Gardening”. She gardens in Seattle, Washington, Zone 8. In this profile, Christina shares her expertise in planting and maintaining gardens that are sustainable in our changing climate. You can learn more about Christina and her lectures at her website.  Additionally, Christina is speaking at an upcoming HPSO Climate-Wise Zoom program, “Cultivating a More Resilient Garden”, on June 14th. Sign up here.  What is the most important thing people can do in their garden to mitigate the impacts of cl ..read more

Meet HPSO member Ruth Clark who gardens in Vancouver, Washington, Zone 8. Ruth has been opening her peaceful, park-like garden to HPSO members for ten years and her garden will be part of the Clark County Mini-Tour on June 11th.  What methods do I use to reduce water usage in my garden? I don’t buy plants that need a lot of water. If the tag says ‘moist soil’ it goes back on the table. I’m really just trying to reduce work for myself as watering is not something I enjoy doing. I have drip lines in my vegetable garden and very few pots. What do I enjoy most about my garden? I really enjoy ..read more