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Swapping Huckleberries

Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album)  Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album) has been an attractive feature along our north-facing foundation since I planted it in 2016. You will have to take my word for it since I cannot locate a photo although I know one exists somewhere in the realm of the Internet or floating on a cloud somewhere.  I did locate a photo of how it looked when it was first planted - It took a few years to fill out but it did so nicely to an attractive mound about 2 feet high by 3 feet wide.  Last year, it started to look bad.  I cut it back but it had not improved and this is how it looked a few weeks ago - I decided to rip it out and plant another huckleberry - this time Vaccinium ovatum , more commonly known as the "Evergreen Huckleberry".  This is a plant that I've wanted for ages and kept putting off getting one because I could not find a good place for it. By most accounts, this is an amazing plant, a native one and excellent for
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Idaho Botanical Gardens, Boise, Idaho

The Idaho Botanical Garden is right next door to the Old Idaho State Penitentiary. It was once the farm and nursery for the penitentiary. When the prison closed in 1973, the grounds were unused until the botanical garden was established.

The garden comprises 50 acres (15 of which are in cultivation) in the Boise foothills and is divided into garden rooms and individual areas. There is an English Garden, xeric demonstration garden, alpine garden, children's garden, rose garden, meditation area, water garden, etc. Most of the plants in the garden are donated by industry and corporate partners  throughout Oregon and Idaho.

Parts of the garden run along the stone walls of the prison, giving a castle-like background to the plantings. 

The outer-lying areas of the garden are dedicated to native plants and wilderness trails. The Lewis & Clark Plant Native Plant Garden, opened in 2006,  commemorates the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark Expedition (1804-1806). This garden’s goal is to display 145 plant species collected during the expedition between Great Falls, Montana and The Dalles, Oregon. 

The fall color was astounding, especially with the vivid yellows and oranges of witch hazels, ornamental grasses and trees and bright red berries on pyracantha and hollies. 

The gardens also feature garden art by local artists.


The Rose Garden with the prison tower and walls as background.









 










Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Lisa at GreenbowNovember 19, 2014 at 1:23 PM

    I love the wild feeling of this garden.

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  2. EveNovember 19, 2014 at 6:46 PM

    So beautiful!! The colors are incredible! Thanks for sharing this trip!!

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  3. danger gardenNovember 19, 2014 at 9:58 PM

    We visited the Idaho Botanical Gardens in 2002(ish?), looks like a lot has changed and I would love to go back soon.

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  4. AaronNovember 20, 2014 at 7:59 AM

    Love the Switch Grasses (I believe) in the 4th photo. Mine looked kinda like that this year. Lovely.

    Aren't pyracanthas great? Wish they were a little less thorny, as I am an accident-prone klutz sometimes. I hear there are thornless (or less thorny) varieties, but apparently they are hard to find...

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  5. Edith KentNovember 20, 2014 at 11:06 AM

    Beautiful Phillip! Makes me want to go so bad. What a wonderful trip!

    ReplyDelete
  6. LesNovember 20, 2014 at 3:39 PM

    I love all the sage and tawny tones.

    ReplyDelete
  7. sweetbayNovember 24, 2014 at 6:48 PM

    I love the shot of the pumpkin patch with the fall colors in the background, and the last one with the sculpture.

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