Dirt Therapy

I've been wanting to visit Lux Perennials for years now and finally got a chance last week. In a word - Wow! The nursery is located at the owner's home, located west of Portland, up in the hills on Skyline Blvd. The property is breathtaking with fantastic views. A small nursery features perennials propagated from plants in the garden. There were also some plants from commercial sources, notably Proven Winners. I mainly was interested in the display garden but of course I did end up buying some plants. Of course! The nursery is located on the front side of the house and the garden is behind it. Taking the path leading back to the garden, the first thing I spotted was this stunning Monkey Puzzle Tree. Michael has wanted one of them for ages. I finally bought one last year and have it in a pot. I have no idea where such a thing would fit in our garden. Fact - the first time I ever heard of the Monkey Puzzle Tree was in one of my all-time favorite films (and one of the few films ...

The weather has been glorious, and we even got rain twice last week. I ordered a chip drop on Friday and it arrived on Monday. It isn't always that fast. The amount we received was astounding - I don't remember it being this much, but we don't have as many blank spots to cover now. Needless to say, this is way too much, and we've been pleading with neighbors to take some. We worked all day Saturday spreading as much as we could and both ended up with severe back pain. And after all that work, there is still this much left - Rainfall always makes a difference, and this time was no exception. I could actually see new growth overnight.  Cleome 'Senorita Rosalita' - my favorite annual. The fuchsias also look great this time of year. 'Lady Boothby', a climber looks especially good this year.  Another beautiful fuchsia, even though there are no blooms, is 'Autumnale'. Persicaria 'Golden Arrow' Agastache 'Navajo Sunset' Clematis 'C...

Georgian Fleabane ( Inula orientalis ) Lots of blooms for August, mostly from annuals, but I will begin with the perennials. Heliopsis 'Fire Twister' - much happier now that I moved it. Peruvian Lily 'Indian Summer' ( Alstroemeria ) Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Leycesteria formosa ) Aster 'Kickin' Purple' and Ornamental Fountain Grass 'Karley Rose' Phlox 'Jeana' Pineapple Lily Rudbeckia 'Little Goldstar' Sedum 'Autumn Joy' Echinacea 'White Swan' A few shrubs.. Abelia 'Frances Mason' Heather 'Multi-color' and Wiegela 'Wings of Fire' More heathers ('Firefly' and 'Multi-color') with Snapdragon Hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' Hydrangea 'Vanilla Strawberry' Rose 'Marjorie Fair' And finally, the annuals... Celosia (I forget the name) Celosia 'Burning Embers' Fuchsia 'La Campanella' and Coleus 'Wasabi' Geranium 'Vancouver Centennial' Snapd...