Agave sp.
AGAVACEAE, The Agave family

Agaves sure are popular nowadays. Just look in any horticulture or design magazine and you’ll see them in every issue. They deserve the attention.

Happy Thanksgiving:

Michael and I are in New Mexico, celebrating a (mostly) vegetarian “turkey day”: Anne made mushroom wildrice soup, tamales, and amazing apple-carrot-nut spice cake with goat cheese frosting. We brought a cranberry bread that turned out very delicious. It’s something my mom made when I was growing up. It has orange juice and zest in it, plus walnuts. Mmm.

Thankful for:
Being less afraid about everything in life
Friends, family and collegues with kind and supportive advice
Finally finding the place where rock mulch looks natural and makes sense

Vanda coerula
ORCHIDACEAE, The Orchid family

My sweet client brought these two stems of Vanda orchids to me at the studio show. In my (very) cool house they are lasting well.

They have a subtle, checkered, reptilian pattern. They are native to Southeast Asia, but are widely grown comercially in greenhouses as a cut flower.

Hakonechloa macra

I can’t belive this has never been plant of the day, it is definitely one of my top 400 favorite plants!

Growing to about 18″ x 18″ but spreading into wide clumps with age, this deciduous grass thrives in partial sun and will reward regular waterings with graceful, flowing leaves from late spring through fall. The slender leaves of the cultivar ‘Aureola’ are brightly striped; ‘All Gold’ is a shocking chartruse; ‘Albostriata’ is taller with subtler white stripes; ‘Beni kazi’ is striped and a little spikier looking and has the best fall color: rich pinks, copper and gold.

In summer airy seed heads appear, slightly drooping like the leaves. When the weather turns cold the plants turn straw colored and can be left for winter interest or cut back to the ground. I prefer to leave them over the winter- I think the leaves help protect the crown while providing shelter for overwintering insects. Either way, remove old foliage before new growth begins in spring. When the clumps become large, they can be divided every 2-3 years in spring.

Japanese Forest grass looks gorgeous in masses in a woodland garden, under Japanese or vine maples, or near water features or ponds. It likes moist, well-drained soil but is pretty adaptable, so it can give a lush, watery look even when there isn’t actually abundant water, such as next to a dry creek bed or a self-contained fountain.

It’s hardy in zones 5 to 9, or with some protection in zone 4. I had ok luck with it there- it survived but was really slow growing. It’s reportedly deer resistant.

Thank you everyone who came or sent good wishes to the Boxlift Open Studio show!

I’m in the process of posting a virtual show here.

My photos of the event are posted on flickr.

Learn about other artists in the Boxlift Building at our site.

Sat. Nov. 10, 4 - 10 pm
Sun. Nov. 11 12 - 5 pm

On view: several years worth of paintings, finished, or very nearly so! Plus exciting new work from my studio mates. There will be live music on Saturday, and drinks; Sunday will be chill and conversational. Stop by!

Malus domestica
ROSACEAE, The Rose family

Another apple to love: starchy, tart, sweet candy aftertaste.

My friend Kate just sent me a link to this inspiring Minnesota Public Radio slideshow and article on Botanical Paintings of the Dalai Lama’s Garden that are on exhibit at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The artist studied at the Minnesota School of Botanical Art and now lives in India where she paints flowers on location in gardens and in the wild, in part to educate about the declining habitat and over-harvest of important medical and indigenous plants.

While some of the works are traditional botanical illustrations, the artist’s new style is to depict the plant along with notes and detail views of the seeds and flower. This makes for interesting compositions.

Slender Deutzia
I passed this Japanese shrub in the nursery today and made a note to myself to use it in a design. The opportunity came up shortly when a neat new client asked for a small cottage garden design with flowering shrubs that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and she likes blues and purples.

This low shrub fits the bill perfectly. It only grows 2 feet tall and about 2 or 3 feet wide. It has profuse white flowers in spring, and now it has its autumn color: a rich plum hue to its fine textured, serrated leaves. The best time to prune would be right after it finishes blooming.

Deutzias prefer average to moist soil in sun to partial shade. So I will probably situate this shrub in the irrigated section of the client’s front yard, where an old Magnolia will give it shade in the early part of the day but it will receive full afternoon sun. Too much shade and the flowering and fall color would be compromised.

Considering all the other ridiculous things people grow as annuals in places where they aren’t hardy, why not Restios? Some are hardy to zone 7, but even those that are decidedly more tropical could vie for attention with the tender architechtural plants that are currently hot.

I’ve only seen these in periodicals, but several species are listed in Cistus Nursery’s catalog. They seem very popular in bay area. Most are native to South Africa and there are some closely related genera that are equally new and interesting.

Any one have experience with them in the PNW?

Malus domestica
ROSACEAE, The Rose family

A new favorite! A medium size, late-ish apple (mid October) with clear green-gold skin, a rusty blush and beautiful reddish lenticels. It is sweet and slightly tart.
I chose it as one to serve at the studio show because it resists browning when cut. I was delighted with the flavor and texture, as were my apple collecting field trip companions.

The other apples for the show:
Braeburn
Empire
Cameo
Critereon

We visited Kiyokawa Family Orchard and the Draper Girls again. The two little pigs were up to their neck in pumpkin. (Happy as a pig in pumpkin?)

The new places we visited were Apple Valley, which had a lot of good food for sale such as pear dumplings, and Cascade Alpacas. They have a herd of 40 animals that they raise for fiber. Have you ever seen a baby Alpaca? Very shy but incredibly sweet, the two-week-old bleated and trotted around its mother. The other animals were also timid, unless you had some alpaca chow in your hand.