Portland Area Garden Bloggers' Plant Exchange Spring 2015

Twice a year, spring and fall, Portland area bloggers have a plant exchange hosted by a different blogger each time.  I don't remember how long they've been doing this but about three years ago, my pal Alison (Bonny Lassie) and I were made honorary members.  It's always worth the trip to see all of these wonderful people whose blogs we read and admire.  Throw in free plants, food, wine, and the chance to see in person a fabulous garden and it's a slam dunk.

This year Patricia (Plant Lust) hosted the party.  I parked down the hill a bit from her lovely new home and Ann (Amateur Bot-Ann-Ist)  met me with a cart to help haul Alison and my plants. Thoughtful!   Alison couldn't attend this time but sent a lot of plants to the exchange.

Here's Rickii (Sprig To Twig) arriving.

Linda (Whatsit Garden)  in ultra cute shoes.  Notice the plants, just a fraction of what was there. 

 Out in back the party had already started (check out the mimosas) Amy (The World's Best Garden Blog) is cleverly hiding hers behind Beth (Goodnight Gleanings) In the middle, is Jenni (The Rainy Day Gardener) and behind her is Heather (Just a Girl With A Hammer) talking with someone whose name has slipped my mind.  Can you help me with her name?  With the fabulous blonde hair on the move is Laura along with her Pirate Charlie (Gravy Lessons)

I love this picture of these two beautiful women who look like they're not at all pleased by what they're hearing.  That's Heather on the left and our wonderful host, Patricia.

Another sight to behold were these HUGE peonies brought by Derek (Plantgasm) They came with his new home in Portland and he's no idea what variety they are.  Do you know?  They sure are gorgeous!

Here's Derek holding them so that you can see how large they are.

The farmer in the dell, the farmer in the dell, high ho the derry-o, the farmer in the dell.  These folks know to have a good time at a party! Left to right:  Amy, Paul, someone I don't recognize from the back (do you remember?) Heather, and Loree (Danger Garden)

 The plant shopping begins. 

Cardoons and lilies and peonies, oh my!

A lovely floral arrangement brought by Mindy (Rindy Mae)

Patricia has only been in this garden for a year but she's already done a great deal with it!

 Newly planted part of her front garden. 

Ensete maurelii leaf waking from a long winter's nap 

An all- grass back yard is transforming into a garden!

This sempervivum caught everyone's attention.  Although you can't tell in the picture, it was exceptionally lage and looked very happy.

Purty peonies!

Soft grey mullein starting to bloom. 

Patricia does the empty pot as focal point thing very well!  Isn't the contrast in foliage of the Rhodocoma capensis and Fatsia japonica delicious?

A very handsome gentleman enjoying the shade. 

I'm sure I missed photographing (Scott) and mentioning several people who participated in this fun event for which I'm truly sorry.  This event is always a blast!  Thank you Patricia for hosting in your beautiful garden!

Happy new week.  If you live in the U.S. I hope you're thinking of and are grateful for those who died in service to our country and for our many freedoms. (Like three day weekends)  No, like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and the freedom of speech and the press.  Extra points if you can name the documents from which those came without the help of the internet. 

And Then, After the Plant Exchange...

Some of us went just down the hill from Alison's garden to Windmill Gardens.  This is a sad time of year to visit as Windmill severely reduces it's stock for winter and quite a bit of their greenhouse space is used to store and force plants for designers of gardens at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show which takes place in February.  While the holiday is colorful with lots of poinsettias, it's not quite the same as a nursery full of hardy plants.  It is fun, however, to sneak a peek at what the designers will be using in the show gardens.  The good news is that when we stopped by, all perennials were 75% off and there were other special sales.

 Phormium 'Pink Stripe' for only ten dollars was too good to pass up.  Jane is standing in front of Cannas on sale for only two dollars, a great buy if one had somewhere to keep them dry for the winter!

 Indoor plants here, echiverias were not on sale but beautiful nonetheless!

 Pretty but evil, this opuntia stayed at the nursery!

Loading up the cars is always fun, especially when they're already full of plants.  Laura laugh as Anna gets lost in phormium foliage.

"Where on earth will this fit?" Silly Laura, there's always room for more plants!

Alison eyeing Jane's haul.  Funny, it's awfully close to her car...

Jane rushes in just in time to claim her plants!

I came away with quite a few Cyclamen hederifolium for only two dollars each, a hawthornia, and a couple Arum italicum at 75% off to put in pots with Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' (Black Mondo Grass.) The combination of the black grass and the red orange seed heads will be stunning!

Not enough plant buying opportunities?  Next Saturday, October 18, is the Rhododendron Species Garden annual fall sale and this year, Dan Hinkley's Windcliff Selections will be featured.  I'm bummed that I can't go this year as I'll be in a class all day (yuck.) I hope you can go, get lots of plants, and tell me how wonderful it was!

Portland Area Garden Bloggers' Plant Exchange Part One - People and Plants

I've forgotten how long ago it was that Alison and I were invited to become honorary Portland area garden bloggers to attend their twice a year plant exchange.  It's been so much fun packing up extra plants and driving down to Portland to attend the exchange and have a chance to enjoy the fellowship of our blogging friends!   This fall, we invited the Portlanders here for their exchange which was originally going to be held in Alison's garden with dessert in my garden.  Because my  greenhouse project got started later than anticipated, I took dessert to Alison's garden as my garden was, and is still, filled with the evicted contents of our garage.

Here are Laura (Gravy Lessons) and our host, Alison (Bonney Lassie)  Laura brought me a cello to use in my garden, perhaps to mosaic, but after seeing how beautiful it is, I don't know if it'll make it out the door to the garden or workshop.  Instead, it may adorn the music room.  I tuned it today and played as much as I could remember from my strings methods class a billion years ago.  Such beautiful low tones!

I feel horrible that none of the pictures I took of Linda and Tom Reeder (Linda Letters) turned out.  It was so exciting to see them again!  Linda thrilled us with stories of their travels and Tom gave me lots of greenhouse pointers (He built his own and keeps geranium cuttings, among other treasures, through the winter there.)  Tom also maintains a large collection of bonsai.  The Reeders are a fascinating gardening couple!  It was a special treat to see them as they are so busy that we don't often have that opportunity.  

Nigel, Alison's other half chatting with Emily (All Things Emily.)

Anna (Flutter and Hum and The Creative Flux) photographing plants in Alison's Garden.

Loree (Danger Garden and Plant Lust) not only brought her own plants but also those of Rickii ne Ricki (Sprig to twig) who couldn't make it.

 Jane(MulchMaid) and Matthew (The Lents Farmer) enjoying the day.  It was getting warm but I was surprised, on the way home, to see a digital thermometer on a business say that it was 80 degrees outside!  What a lovely autumn day.

After feasting on delicious food that Alison had prepared for us, we moved back out to the front garden to start taking plants.  It's a gardener's dream to shop for plants that are all free!

 Jenni (Rainy Day Gardener) soaking in the last of the sun before the Pacific Northwest Rain Festival (mid October until July 5) begins. 

 Prayer circle?  No, just a group of plant nerds chatting while stealing glances at the plants that each of us brought.

That sweet little aloe in the upper right hand corner came home with me!  Thanks Rickii!  I also brought home a beautiful tender salvia from Lore, some sweet primroses from Anna, a pink crocosmia (Far Reaches origin) from Jane, and a cello from Laura. Yes, an actual cello - Interesting story for another post!  Thank you all for sharing!  

There were lots of great plants that I didn't take pictures of as I was busy checking them out!   Thank you, Alison, for being such a gracious host and for sharing your beautiful garden and home with us and thank you Oregon (and a few Washington) garden bloggers for driving up to make this exchange such a fun event!  

Tomorrow, we'll tour Alison's garden!