What do you get when a meticulous gardener with an eye for color teams up with a master craftsman? A truly one of a kind, unique garden bursting with personality. Mary and Harlan Courtney started gardening on their property in 2015 and as they gave a tour during their HPSO Open Garden day in August 2021, their excitement and love for the garden was obvious. Perched in the hills in Banks, Oregon, stunning views of the forest surround Mary and Harlan’s gorgeous garden full of fun. The Garden Layout & Design You won’t find straight lines in the garden –…
What do you do when you love propagating but don’t have room in your garden for more plants? Start a nursery in your backyard! That’s exactly what Lisa Graff did about a year ago when she started Lux Perennials, based in the hills on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. Lisa opens her garden throughout the year and opened to HPSO members on a rather drizzly, gray day in August. Enjoy this photo tour of her garden and be sure to review the Open Garden Directory to plan a visit to other member gardens this summer! She only propagates the plants…
Hortlandia 2021 was certainly an event to remember! Not only was it held at a new venue and a different time of the year, but Oregon experienced its hottest temperatures ever recorded. Since the sale was held outside to comply with pandemic restrictions, visitors and vendors alike braved the 110+ degree heat to enjoy the incredible collection of plants and garden art on display. The Show Must Go On! The community was heartbroken that Hortlandia 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic, so with restrictions easing this year, the Hardy Plant Society was committed to making this event happen safely….
Buying a property can be hit or miss when it comes to the garden. It’s rare to find a home with a beautifully maintained and established garden. Oftentimes the best-case scenario is a blank slate, a standard lawn, rather than struggling with a garden overgrown with weeds. But imagine buying a home whose previous owners were talented gardeners that had spent 30 years creating an established garden on the 1-acre property. That’s not to say Kathleen Shelman and her family haven’t made it their own. Ducks peep through the borders from their pen, artful sculptures and tokens adorn the garden,…
How many of us gardeners dream of a big piece of land to call our own and let our plant obsessions run wild? For Bruce Wakefield and Jerry Grossnickle, creators of Old Germantown Gardens, that dream is reality. They’ve been gardening here for over 30 years and have transformed a scrubby 5-acre property into a plant paradise. Bruce is heavily involved in HPSO, having served as president for years, and countless visitors have toured his garden. The garden is probably best known for the stunning displays of Giant Himalayan Lilies in summer, but I got the chance to visit in…
February in Oregon is often a dreary time. There are signs that spring is on the way – daffodils and tulips poking out of the ground, a few brave early blooms. While we may be itching to get out in the garden, there’s still a couple months before the risk of frost is over. However, there’s no better place to be in February than in Tamara & David’s 2-acre garden in Saint Helens. Tamara documents her garden on her blog, Chickadee Gardens, and plans to open their garden for tours this summer for HPSO members. Put it on your list…
The easy answer to creating a garden that looks just as good in January as it does in July is to plant more evergreens. But the skill comes in designing an evergreen garden that you want to enjoy for several months of the year without turning your backyard into an arborvitae-filled parking lot. Pomarius Nursery in Portland, Oregon, is a testament to that skill. The nursery is a prime example of how to use both tried-and-true evergreens and unique varieties in garden design to keep your garden looking fresh and modern – even through the winter. The wide range of…
As part of Virtual Hortlandia, we’re doing a series of interviews with participating nurseries so that you can learn more about them and the folks behind them. Joanne Fuller spoke with Janice Leinwebber from Highland Heather and edited the conversation for this article. How did Highland Heathers get started? I worked in the industry and actually got a degree in ornamental horticulture. I spent thirty years collecting and growing heathers. Then I added ornamental shrubs and grasses– things that mix well with heathers. It seemed natural to start the nursery. What do you like about heathers? They are year-round plants–…
**Please note: The photos from this garden visit were taken by HPSO member Hayden Brown in February 2020, prior to COVID-19 restrictions. For more information on Northwest Garden Nursery’s restrictions due to the pandemic, visit their website at https://northwestgardennursery.com No matter what 2021 brings, we can count on our gardens to be there for us. Beyond the confines of our homes, nature’s cycles of death and regeneration continues. The seasons change, flowers bloom and fade, and our gardens need our attention. Personally, nothing gets me through this isolating, post-holiday slump better than the anticipation of a new gardening season. Most…
As part of Virtual Hortlandia 2020, we’re doing a series of interviews with participating nurseries so that you can learn more about them and the folks behind them. Joanne Fuller spoke with Fred Weisensee at Dancing Oaks Nursery in Spring 2020 and edited the conversation for this article. How did you get established? Dancing Oaks is located at my childhood home. Leonard Foltz and I always assumed that we would retire here. We were living in Portland and starting to get serious about gardening. We realized that if we built our dream garden in Portland, it would be very hard…
