We’re thrilled to welcome Loree Bohl, Portland gardener, author, and the creative force behind the popular danger garden blog, as the featured speaker for HPSO’s Annual Meeting on November 9th at PSU’s Hoffmann Hall. Before her upcoming talk on container gardening, we chatted with Loree about her garden influences, the plants that shaped her, and why foliage always takes center stage.   HPSO: Let’s start at the beginning—what’s your very first gardening memory? Loree: I’ve heard many other gardeners answer this question, but I’ve never stopped to think back to mine. My first memory of being really aware of plants… 

We’re counting down to PlantFest 2025, happening October 4th at Clackamas Community College, and this year, we’re thrilled to welcome Lisa Graff, founder of Lux Perennials Nursery, as our featured speaker. Lisa’s talk, “The Power of Fall Planting: Long-Blooming Perennials for Color from Spring to Fall,” will dig into how smart fall planting choices can set your garden up for vibrant success the following year. Before the event, we sat down with Lisa to talk about her favorite plants, what she thinks is underappreciated in the perennial world, and where she finds her own gardening inspiration. HPSO: Lisa, let’s jump… 

HPSO: Hello, Michael and Kevin, so good to have a chance to chat and learn a little more about both of you leading up to your presentation for us on 03/27/2025. Let’s start with the obvious: What type of garden do you have? MICHAEL: My yard is a xeric shrubscape, dominated by shrubs and forbs from southwestern north America. The garden has been started primarily through customized seed mixes. I’ve tried to reuse and repurpose as much of the material in my yard as possible, including an old, failing concrete parking pad in my backyard, which has become a rubble… 

Jill, let’s start with inspiration. Which garden has influenced you most and why? I am drawn to designers who think big. I may not love the gardens they create but I admire their experimentation and verve: Roberto Burle Marx, Charles Jencks, Edward James’ Los Pozas, Martha Swartz, Isabelle Greene, Andrea Cochran, Richard Hartlage, and Beatrix Farrand’s amazing work at Dumbarton Oaks to mention a few. That’s a great list of a “few”! Seeing what makes you tick, we bet you’ve had some big plans, too. Could you tell us about something you thought would work but failed miserably? I have… 

Dawn Redwoods (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) and Giant Redwoods (Sequoiadendron giganteum) were native to the Pacific Northwest before the last Ice Age. Though now considered endangered in the wild, they have demonstrated adaptability to a range of urban sites, soils, and moisture levels. At PlantFest Norm will cover the differences between the species’ tolerance of challenging conditions.  There will be a discussion of the availability of their dwarf and unusual conifer cultivars which present interesting and attractive options for the home gardener with the hotter and drier summers we are experiencing with climate change. Norm will also discuss how he and wife… 

Mark Akimoff will be speaking on “The Tough and Rare, Unusual Bulbs for Northwest Gardens” at HPSO’s 2024 PlantFest. He’ll be covering the lesser known and unusual bulbs for Northwest gardens and discuss how flower bulbs are perhaps the most perfectly adapted plants for climate change. Read on to learn a little more about Mark. He is one of three speakers who will be presenting at PlantFest in 2024. Do you have your tickets yet to this speaker event? Get them now here!  What is your favorite plant or genus? The genus Fritillaria, it’s diversity is stunning, I’ve enjoyed seeing… 

The current resurgence in peonies is no accident. After being overlooked for nearly half a century, peonies have been rediscovered as a perfect perennial for today’s modern gardens. Available in a broad spectrum of vibrant colors, many newer cultivars feature strong stems on compact plants. Variations in foliage color and texture offer multiple seasons of interest, while exceptional drought tolerance and deer resistance make them an excellent choice for low maintenance gardening. Lorē Sampson is one of three speakers who will be presenting on 09/21/2024 at HPSO’s fall event — PlantFest — to be held at Clackamas Community College (a… 

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… 

HPSO is proud to present its 2024 Winter Program Speaker — Bill Thomas of Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, PA 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… 

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! 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….