(Old information - thank you to all who attended!)
Please stop by, walk through the garden and say hello! We've spruced the garden up for the Hardy Plant Garden Tour, and would love to share. Our garden is open to any and everyone interested, but the larger tour is for plant group members, by prior reservation.
We hope to see you tomorrow!
- We put our first plants in the ground in 2003 and had our first photo shoot for Sunset. That's a pretty quick start for a garden! The original plantings were boisterous and brimming with variety, partly because we were using the garden as a testing ground for unusual and new (to us) plants. As the plantings have matured and the garden has grown shadier, we have edited the plantings to masses of our favorites, with room for more than a few highlights and oddballs, of course. We wonder what you'll think of the changes at the Open Garden....
- The galvanized fence was one of the few elements that we knew would be a part of the garden from the start, and it was the first thing we installed. We had a hunch that the brightness and subtle texture of the fence would be an asset in our narrow, urban lot. While metal fences clearly aren't for everyone (it's still the only one we've built!), we love how it seems to pull the sky down into the space and sets off the dark foliaged plants in front of it.
- We built almost everything by hand. From removing tons of concrete (be sure check out the "before" pictures in this post), to hauling each rock to its final location, we held true to our belief that people build better gardens than machines do. The one major exception was the driveway, which Buell swore he was going to dig by hand.... About 10 minutes with a pick convinced him that using a bobcat would be a better idea.
We look forward to sharing our garden with you on July 9. In the meantime, remember to follow us on Facebook for updates, photos and more!
Join us on Saturday, July 9 for an Open Garden! Our garden is gorgeous this year, and we want to share it with you during its peak season. Please join us to walk through the space, ask questions, say hello or just enjoy some limeade in a pretty spot.
If you've seen the garden before, you may be surprised at some of the changes. As it has grown older and shadier, we've changed and simplified some of the plantings, to what we think is an elegant effect. Of course, the maturing specimens and beautifully aging stonework don't hurt, either. Our little space offers a wealth of ideas for gardens of any size or age, and, of course, Buell and Rebecca will be on hand to chat and answer questions.
Please mark your calendar and spread the word! More information coming soon....
It's that magical time of year again, when the best specialty nurseries in Oregon flock to Eugene for a one-day plant extravaganza.... On May, 7, grab your mom for a Mother's Day Eve outing and find your new favorite plants!
The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group sale is in the Auditorium Building of the Lane County Fairgrounds from 9am-2pm. More information here.
The Avid Gardeners Plant Sale is also 9am-2pm (where to go first?!?) at Alton Baker Park. More information here and on their cute poster at right.
Plant group members and potential members, take note - volunteers get first dibs on plants, so pitch in!
Make a date with your mom or your best plant buddy! Eugene's two biggest, baddest plant sales are coming on May 8. Both sales will have an incredible selection of plants from fantastic nurseries. The best plants go fast, so arrive early and work fast! Click on the links for more information.
The Oregon Plant Fair, hosted by the Avid Gardeners, takes place at Alton Baker Park
The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Sale will be held at the Lane County Fairgrounds
Sadly, this is our last chance to buy the exquisite plants grown by Hedgerows Nursery, from McMinnville. David and Susie are moving "back east," and will be sorely missed. They have provided us with some of the best, boldest and weirdest plants in our garden. They'll have a table at the WVHPG sale but you'll have to arrive early to get the best selection....
Our friends at Northwest Garden Nursery are holding their annual Open Garden and plant sale! This wonderful little nursery and its big display garden are only open to the public only a few days a year. Ernie and Marietta O'Byrne have spent years developing the most gorgeous strains of Hellebores, with attention to the tiniest details of foliage and flower, and working in their inspiring display garden. The garden is full of rare and wonderful plants, combined with an eye for subtle, but striking combinations of color and foliage texture.
Helleborus orientalis and related hybrids are a mainstay of our plantings. Their glossy, dark, evergreen foliage enriches shady to partial sun plantings, even those that are heavily browsed by deer. We love to plant them in groups of 7 to 40, contrasted against a block of lighter or silver foliaged plants, such as Brunnera 'Jack Frost.' Their foliage alone would be good enough for us, but the stunning flowers are a magical addition to the late winter garden. Caring for Hellebores couldn't be easier. In winter, before or just as the flowers emerge, cut off the old leaves. When the flowers start to fade and set seed, cut off the whole flower stalk (with any leaves directly attached to it), leaving the new leaves that emerged after the flowers. These two simple steps will keep your Hellebore patch healthy, full and happy for years to come!
Make a date to visit Northwest Garden Nursery with your best plant buddy in the next few weeks, and start or add to your Hellebore collection.
Northwest Garden Nursery's Hellebore Garden Open Days for 2010 are:
Beginning March 11 they are open regular hours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through the end of March (March 27).
Click here for directions and a map to the nursery.
With the Eugene Symphony Music in the Garden tour coming this Sunday, it seems like a good time to share a short photo history of our space! We began hardscape construction in fall of 2002, put the first plants in the ground in 2003. The ipe deck we installed in 2004 completed the garden's structure, but a garden is never finished. We make large and small changes to the plantings every year.
Our garden has been featured in Garden Design, Sunset, Pacific Horticulture and Fine Gardening magazines. A few of those articles are available on the press page of our main website and offer a much more complete account of the design of our space than we can offer here. For now, we just hope to entice you to visit the garden and support a great cause this Sunday!
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Click on the images below to enlarge.
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Please join us for the Eugene Symphony Guild's Music in the Garden tour on Sunday, June 14, 10am - 4pm. The tour will feature seven terrific Eugene Gardens, including ours, as well as music, food and a plant sale.
Advance tickets are $12 and available at many local nurseries, including Down to Earth, Gray's, Jerry's, Johnson Brothers and Little Red Farm. Tickets are also available on the day of the tour for $15.
We will be available all day for questions and conversation. We hope to see you then!
Our friends at Gossler Farms are having an open house today through Sunday! Roger and the gang are some of the most knowledgeable plantspeople anywhere, and the selection and diversity of their stock is amazing. I'm sure the display garden is big and beautiful right now, too! Make the drive out to 1200 Weaver Rd in Springfield to check out all of the magnificent and unusual perennials, trees and shrubs. Are we lucky to live in Oregon, or what? 9-5, today through Sunday. For more information, call 746-3922.