Falling Leaves

July 09, 2025

More South Portland Study Weekend Gardens, pt. 2

The last three gardens on last Saturday's tour included a large shade garden, a tropical oasis and an Asian-inspired retreat. First, the Hilderbrand garden in Oregon City. This garden is set in a grove of Douglas Fir trees and has paved pathways that meander through plantings of dogwoods, hydrangeas, viburnums, kalmias and other shade-loving plants. The garden of Michael Hicks and Megan Big John is a quarter-acre plot in West Linn. This garden is packed with plantings of tropical plants with big beautiful leaves and vibrant pops of color. Helena Wagner's "4 Seasons Garden" is a garden that I have visited in the past. It features an Asian-inspired theme with beautifully placed plants, with nice colors and contrasts. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

The leaves continue to fall, especially after brisk winds last night. Before I went to bed, I could see the small leaves of the Japanese maples beginning to carpet the deck.

There are two unnamed Japanese maples by the deck steps, one on each side. They are among the first trees planted after we moved in. The tree on the right was the one losing most of its leaves. This is how it looked this morning -