June182013

I planted dahlias (“HS first love”) today, and a border of multicolor rudbeckia (also called Black-Eyed Susan). The rudbeckia has yet to bloom.

I’d say the garden is coming along quite nicely.

dahlia rudbeckia oregon gardening pacific northwest gardening willamette valley 

April302013

Spring Gardening at the New House, Part One

I just planted Hosta (“patriot” variety) and a row of marigolds (“bonanza flame”) in the front yard of our new house.

I’m learning which areas of the yard get a lot of shade (most of the garden), and which ones get sun. The marigolds got planted in the sunny areas; the hosta got planted in the shade.

hosta marigold oregon gardening pacific northwest garden 

March312013
Remember those primroses I planted before Christmas? These are them now.

Remember those primroses I planted before Christmas? These are them now.

primroses oregon garden primula primrose container garden pacific northwest garden spring garden 

March302013

I planted dahlias today!


It was my first planting at our new house, and I’m very proud.

I plan on digging up the yard in a few weeks to plant an entirely new garden, but there is still a danger of frost from April 15-May 1 in the Portland area, so there is a possibility the new plants would freeze.

These dahlias are a test run! I’m crossing my fingers.


Oh, I don’t think I mentioned: As of February 14 of this year, I am engaged. Our wedding will be this fall.
March202013

My rhododendron is blooming for the second time! YES!

rhododendron rhododendron pjm elite oregon garden container garden pacific northwest garden pacific northwest plants oregon shrub oregon flowers willamette valley garden willamette valley 

January202013

January in my Oregon Garden

Here’s a brief summary of how my plants are doing in January, 2013. Faithful readers of this blog — that’s right, all eight of you — may recognize some of the container plants, which I brought to our new house from our old apartment a few miles away. The other specimens are plants that were put in by the landscaper before we moved into the new home, and I didn’t have any say in what was chosen.

Japanese Lily of the Valley

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This plant came with the house. I like it, but I’m not sure if I’ll keep it in the garden when I do my own landscaping in springtime. Later in the year, the pink buds will bloom into delicate white flowers. It can be a gorgeous shrub when the bloom happens, but during the rest of the year, it looks like this. While I do like the contrast between the pink stems and the green/white variegated leaves, I’m still not positive it’s the plant for me. (Nevertheless, it will stay in the garden for a few more months, because the ground is too cold and hard to remove or plant anything right now.)

Purple and Yellow Primroses and Red Primroses

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I planted these primroses in a container in late December, and they are still thriving. Though the plant tags they came with claim they are very cold hardy, I have been moving them into the garage during nights when the temperature in the Portland area dips below freezing. (Lately, this has been almost every night.)

Since the primroses are the only plants in my garden right now with any flowers on them, I really appreciate their ability to thrive in cold weather. Plus, in case you didn’t notice, they are pretty gorgeous.

Blue Star Juniper

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This little dude also came with the house. I love its turquoise-y color against the brown mulch, but the plant grows low to the ground (at least at this stage in its life), and isn’t exactly a showstopper. Our new dog — did I mention my significant other and I adopted a dog?! — is intoxicated by its scent.


Rhododendron PJM Elite

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You may remember this black-leafed shrub from previous posts. I bought last February it at a garden center in nearby Sherwood, Oregon, and planted it into a sturdy ceramic container. It stayed on the north-facing balcony of my old apartment (which is just a few miles away from the house), and grew gorgeous pink blooms a few weeks later.

The rhododendron is still in the same container, but now lives on my porch. I expect it to bloom in a month or so — as you can see from the photo, buds are starting to form in the center of the leaves. After it is spent, and the ground gets warm enough to start plant, I will promptly plant it in my front yard, so it can start establishing roots and keep growing for years to come.

oregon garden january oregon garden january garden pacific northwest garden container garden lily of the valley primrose blue star juniper juniper rhododendron rhododendron PJM elite winter gardening 

December252012
Primroses I just tore out the lovely pink chrysanthemums I’ve featured in a few previous posts and planted primroses in their place. I should mention that the mums were long dead, and the stems had all turned brown. So far, I’m not aware of many options for flower gardening during winter in Oregon, so when I saw these primroses on display in the outdoor nursery section, I couldn’t pass them up. Impulse purchase, yes, but they’ll add great color to my front porch for a few weeks. I am still gardening only in containers right now, as it has been too cold and rainy to even think about tearing out the existing plants in our front lawn and replacing them with all the plants I want. This is something that I am going to do some serious planning for until spring arrives. Happy holidays and happy New Year.

Primroses

I just tore out the lovely pink chrysanthemums I’ve featured in a few previous posts and planted primroses in their place.

I should mention that the mums were long dead, and the stems had all turned brown.

So far, I’m not aware of many options for flower gardening during winter in Oregon, so when I saw these primroses on display in the outdoor nursery section, I couldn’t pass them up.

Impulse purchase, yes, but they’ll add great color to my front porch for a few weeks.

I am still gardening only in containers right now, as it has been too cold and rainy to even think about tearing out the existing plants in our front lawn and replacing them with all the plants I want. This is something that I am going to do some serious planning for until spring arrives.

Happy holidays and happy New Year.

primrose primroses oregon garden oregon gardening oregon container garden pacific northwest garden winter garden flower garden 

November122012

New House, New Garden

I have moved to a brand new house(!) about a mile away from the apartment I started this blog from.

As my scenery changes, so will my garden.

I’ll continue to update this blog after I get settled in to my new home.

October112012
Checking in on Stevie the Succulent The pretty purple sedum succulent you see on the left was almost dead a few months ago. I brought the plant, which I affectionately named “Stevie” after Stevie Nicks, from Santa Barbara when I moved to Portland in January. I left it outside thinking all succulents could withstand extreme temperatures (deserts get really cold, after all). To put it briefly, I underestimated how constant rainfall would effect this succulent, and “she” nearly died from drowning before I moved her inside permanently for the winter and the spring. Stevie’s been sitting outside since the sun came out in July, though, and she is doing fantastic! Weather reports say the autumn rain is supposed to start in Portland tomorrow…I’ll update this blog on my plans for this succulent shortly.

Checking in on Stevie the Succulent

The pretty purple sedum succulent you see on the left was almost dead a few months ago.

I brought the plant, which I affectionately named “Stevie” after Stevie Nicks, from Santa Barbara when I moved to Portland in January. I left it outside thinking all succulents could withstand extreme temperatures (deserts get really cold, after all). To put it briefly, I underestimated how constant rainfall would effect this succulent, and “she” nearly died from drowning before I moved her inside permanently for the winter and the spring.

Stevie’s been sitting outside since the sun came out in July, though, and she is doing fantastic!

Weather reports say the autumn rain is supposed to start in Portland tomorrow…I’ll update this blog on my plans for this succulent shortly.
October102012
My Chrysanthemums Have Begun Their Second Bloom! All of my patience (and a rather thorough deadheading session) have paid off. What a joy! Or, in the words of Borat: “Great success!”

My Chrysanthemums Have Begun Their Second Bloom!

All of my patience (and a rather thorough deadheading session) have paid off.

What a joy!

Or, in the words of Borat: “Great success!”

chrysanthemums mums container gardening container garden oregon oregon gardening Pacific Northwest garden balcony garden flowers 

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