A sunny Sunday full of garden visits…

It’s that time of the year here in Portland; the open garden season is in full swing! I took advantage of a (rare) open slot in the schedule and slipped out to visit a few. First stop (well actually the second, but we don’t need to talk about the first, trust me) was the garden of my friend Tamara. As you might remember she generously shared images from her Australian vacation last winter.

This is the first time I've visited her garden and I have to be honest, I have a serious crush on her house! A Mediterranean gem right here in Portland! She recently painted the front porch this fabulous charcoal color, it is so perfect with the plants.

A blue sky, white stucco...*sigh*...

The front path pavers are new too.

The garden is about 3 years old, except of course for the established trees and shrubs.

Time to check out the back garden...

Last June the garden was part of the Backyard Habitat Certification Program Tour. Every year the program sponsors a tour of about 7 gardens in the Portland metro area, all of which are certified either gold or platinum in the program. Over 200 people showed up! While this strikes fear in my heart Tamara says it "was great fun to share ideas for small urban spaces and still be a cool garden while helping out the bees and birds." (the program is a collaboration between the Audubon Society of Portland and the Columbia Land Trust). So with that experience under her belt opening for fellow Hardy Plant Society members must have been a breeze!

I heard her husband talk about laying the pavers, I love the tight pattern.

I was unable to capture the size of these Podophyllum they were huge!

Tamara practices tough love for her tender plants. They either make it or they don't.

Although she did admit to tucking a few of them up in containers against the glass doors and under the chairs when the winter weather was particularly ugly.

This beauty caught my eye.

It's a pittosporum she picked up at the Cistus Nursery tough love sale last fall.

Can you believe it? Just a buck or two, damn.

If I were going to grow Echinacea I these might be the ones.

Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca' another conifer I wouldn't mind having.

This colorful shed was in one corner of the back garden.

And this fabulous green-roofed structure in the other (they're all looking at the blue shed).

The roof was just recently finished so the plants haven't had a chance to really fill in. Can you imagine how magnificent that blood grass is going to look lit by the evening light?

These blooms were already glowing.

One last look at this beautiful garden, before we....

Visit my friend JJ's garden! I've taken a zillion photos of her space so I didn't plan to take more...but that darn camera just jumped out of my handbag!

Tablescape in the front garden.

My asparagus fern is in the very same container! (great minds)

The annticipation builds as you enter the back garden...what will I discover this time?

More containers! (I think she's pulled ahead in our "contest")...

This Agave 'royal spine' came from our trek to Flora Grubb spring of 2012.

Why do mixed plantings always look good in other people's gardens but not mine?

I've always loved her garden lighting, but as I was leaving her garden I noticed it in a new light, since I've finished my galvanized dish planters...well, I simply must steal them (or at least the idea), they would be perfect in my garden!

Onward! The final garden visit of the day wasn't open to the public, it was a special perk for us Portland Garden Bloggers as Jane (MulchMaid) opened her garden just for us!

I thought I was immune to the charms of the crocosmia.

Not this one! Just look at that orange on orange coloring! Crocosmia 'Corona'...

Jane's Eucalyptus pauciflora ssp. debeuzevilli was even better than I thought it would be. Of course you can't tell from this picture...

And she has agave pets! Lot's of them, oh and a dyckia too.

The path leads to the patio off the back of the house.

She shared this combo in a "favorite plant" post a few weeks back. It's even better in person.

Zantedeschia 'Flame'...simply perfect, Jane shared that as the flower ages it changes color, getting darker and darker.

When I shared an image of my Acanthus mollis last Bloomday Jane complemented their subtle coloring. Now I know why. Her's are knock your socks off dark! Maybe because they get more sun than mine?

Pampas Grass taller than the palm!

Right about here is where I started to wonder about the transition into the Northwest Territory.

You see Jane has the most rare of things, a gardening spouse. Mr. Mulchman gardens in (as you might have guessed) the NW corner of their lot. And although he has a distinctly different style than Jane I think they've managed to make the whole work quite well.

And that's some impressive use of large river rock.

Finally we close down the afternoon with a look at a grouping on the patio. Seems Jane is an orange lover too! Thank you Tamara, JJ and Jane for letting me visit your lovely gardens.

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.