Hydrangea At The Post Apocalyptic Bohemian Garden

Native to Japan & Korea, there are hundreds of variaties. I used to consider them a "grandma" plant, but they have won me over with their long season show. The flowers set bud in early spring, the blooms come slowly & once open they change color every few weeks through October & beyond. One of the few plants that flower on new wood.

When we moved to Post Apocalyptic Bohemia we had inherited bad sod & a bunch of Rhododendrons pressed against the house. The land was scorched, with very little shade or cover. The back garden had been overrun with blackberries & ivy (neither native to Western Oregon) & had a dog run & clothesline. A decade later we have a shade garden, with peek-a-boo sun during the day.

We have planted many Hydrangea, which do well in our regular soil & shady conditions. They need little extra care & in the PNW, seem to have little pest problems.

The Husband May Be Old...

but his Clivia bloomed this week. Orange is my least favorite color, but I have to give it up for the drama.

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade:Angiosperms

Clade: Monocots

Order: Asparagales

Family: Amaryllidaceae

Genus: Clivia

Native of South Africa

Widely cultivated around the globe

They need a long period, at least 4 months, of cool conditions

 & minimal water

The Husband's Clivia has bloomed twice in 2011- the first week of January indoors & now 6 months later in the garden.

Not to be confused with Chlamydia, I did & it did not end pretty.

Reflections On My Garden In Summer

I suppose for a man who loves alliteration as much as I do... (I coined one my company's catchphrases-"fabulous fresh food for folks on the fly") it should not come as a surprise that I would put emphasis on collecting Heucheras, Hydrangeas, Hebes & Hostas. I believe in the redemptive power of gardening. I enjoy the hard work & the repose. Our garden in Seattle (which was published several times) & the present Portland gardens were designed, planned & planted to attract & provide food, water & shelter for critters. The front & back gardens of the Portland home (dubbed-NoPoBoHo) are also made to provide relief from the harshness of the world & give us some humor & visual puns. My hope was for the gardens to give my family, friends & acquaintances a place that is calming- yet invigorating, lovely- but funny.

A home style & gardening writer, whose work I read & admire, is doing a story on the Boys' Fort. When the photographer showed up up to do his part for the story, I greeted at the front door, a 6'4'' strawberry blond hunk of manliness, with aqua eyes & blond haired massive forearms. When Bruce said- "Wow, guys! You have a really nice garden...this will be interesting & fun to shoot", what I heard was- "Stephen, you are so skilled, smart & stylish & strong & suave... I want to stand still, seeing & swallowing Stephen's sublime surroundings! So... shall we shoot?"

Art In The Garden

My artist/designer husband creates assemblages. The are created from found materials & they almost always have a theme of "memory". I was a big fan of his work as a designer & artist from before the time that we were involved together. It has been an adventure living with this artist for 30 years. He has been known to knock out entire walls & ceilings in our home to create pieces. Here are two from our garden. The one piece is called Boys' Fort, & it is a functional piece that we use & practically live in from May- October. The other is named Terrace Queen. This piece moves around each year. I totally love living with such a creative & expressive man

A Moment

"We are stardust, we are golden & we have to get ourselves back to the garden"

Joni Mitchell

I was standing on our front porch yesterday, surveying what had been lost in one of our worst winters ever (the banana didn't make it), & reserving the right to change my mind about certain plantings. It was a near perfect morning, 75 & sunny, & I was looking forward to an entire day off from work. As I was taking stock of the garden closest to the front porch, I heard a flutter & sweet twittering song & glanced up to see an iridescent blue-green hummingbird. He hovered just three feet away from me & then chose to play, splash & bathe in our simple front porch water feature. I stood perfectly still, hoping the dogs would not show up at the front door & spoil the moment. I watched entranced as the hummer dipped, splashed & drank from the center fountain for about 5 minutes & then off he flew away. Transcendent.

I have designed & planted our gardens, front & back, to attract wildlife & there is often a pay off: Scrub Jays enjoying the suet, Monarchs in the buddleia, Dragonflys in the water features, tiny little Tits in the fennel... but the encounter with the hummingbird seemed particularly thrilling.