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September Surprises

It is always a thrill to stumble across a plant that I may have forgotten about or one that does something unexpected. That has happened several times over the past weeks.  First, the vine pictured above is the Eastern Prince Schisandra vine ( Schinensis chinensis ), also known as "Magnolia Vine".  I purchased it in May of 2023 from One Green World in Portland. I don't know what attracted me to it, other than the fact that I'd never heard of it before and the description sounded nice.  I didn't forget about this plant; in fact, it has grown quite vigorously up an archway at the entrance to our woodland path. It shares space alongside the rose 'Lamarque'.  I did forget that it produces berries, so I was surprised when I looked up and saw them dangling over the top of the arbor.  The berries are used in Chinese medicine. They are called the "Five Flavor Berry" and said to have five flavors in one - sweet, salty, bitter, tangy and sour.  Chinese le...

A visit to Rhone Street Gardens




I have followed Scott Weber's blog Rhone Street Gardens for many years and I was very excited to get to meet him and see the garden. I am always blown away by his amazing photography and collection of unique plants. Scott had presented a workshot at Joy Creek Nursery earlier in the day and I know he was exhausted. It was mighty nice of him and Norm to show us around late on a Saturday evening. Thank you Scott and Norm!





The house sits on a corner lot in a popular neighborhood. The garden area is small with only a few feet between the house and the sidewalk but every inch is jam-packed with an array of colorful perennials, shrubs and ornamental grasses. Scott even gardens in the roadside curb strip for maximum benefit! He has also used attractive tin containers in the driveway and path areas. I think he has one small strip of grass left but I'm betting that he has dug it up since I was there.




There were so many interesting plants and many that were unfamiliar to me. He has a large assortment of alliums, persicaria, geranium, agastache, rodgersia, and the list goes on. Stunning textural combinations and artfully arranged scenes, it is truly a lovely garden.



Allium cristophii


Panicum 'Shenandoah' and Persicaria 'Golden Arrow'

Astrantia maxima 'Roma'

Agastache 'Golden Jubilee' and Kanutia macedonica

New Zealand Wind Grass (Annemonthale lessoniana)

Silver Vein Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus henyana)

Lupine

Allium nigrum

Clematis recta purpurea



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Thanks for this great tour of Scott's garden! I hope you enjoyed your trip out to the wild west!

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  2. I enjoyed this tour so much! I read Scott's blog too, and it's so cool to see his garden from someone else's lens. What a treat it must have been.

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  3. Philip, the pleasure was all ours...so glad to have you over and to get to meet you! I hope it's the first of many visits you get to make to Portland :-)

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  4. I bet you didn't hardly know where to look next. Beautiful. My kind of garden... full.

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  5. Lovely...I have long admired his skill at combining textures and colors. It's a beautiful garden. gail

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  6. Oh wow, I will have to start following this blog. Love the garden!

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  7. I love the garden. I'm going to have to start following the blog because I do love a cat photo ;)

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  8. Another lucky day on your trip. I have followed Scott and his skilled photography for some time now.

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  9. Beautiful! Going to visit the blog now!

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  10. Beautiful! Going to visit the blog now!

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