Category Archives: Gardening and Landscaping

Gardening tips, design, hardscaping, plants, perennials, shrubs and trees for urban living.

Rubus lineatus – not quite on the wild side…

Posted on August 21, 2013 by annamadeit

You can always tell the pot smokers from the non-users the first time they as new visitors walks up our driveway. At a particular point in this short journey, the hemp users invariably jump, which always makes me giggle because … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool plants, Gardening and Landscaping | Tagged Curb appeal, foliage, garden, leaves, Plants, Rubus lineatus, Shrubs | 19 Comments

‘B’ is for Bold and Beautiful

Posted on August 16, 2013 by annamadeit

On the 16th of every month, Pam Penick hosts Foliage Follow-up – a celebration of the more permanent stars of the garden. So, head over there for additional wonder and happiness! Yesterday’s Bloom Day post focused on blue flowers, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool plants, Foliage Follow-Up, Gardening and Landscaping | Tagged backdrop, black, bold, chartreuse, Color, focal point, foliage, grasses, leaves, texture, yellow | 19 Comments

‘B’ is for Blue…

Posted on August 15, 2013 by annamadeit

Can’t believe it is mid-August already! Along with the happily buzzing bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, my current garden favorites are the blues. It is such a magical color! The dark blues are especially mesmerizing – they are almost electric. Dusk … Continue reading →

Posted in Bloom Day, Color, Cool plants, Gardening and Landscaping | Tagged agapanthus, bees, Bloom Day, blooms, blue, bluebells, clematis, flowers, Purple color, Salvia | 13 Comments

Ground Control to Fledgling: Prepare for Lift-off! – what to do if your garden is used for an emergency landing.

Posted on July 28, 2013 by annamadeit

Earlier this week as I walked outside to go run some errands, I caught sight of Manneman – my furry garden companion – batting a fuzzy, round little thing back and forth. He seemed to thoroughly be enjoying himself, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Gardening and Landscaping | Tagged Audubon Society, birds, cats, fledglings, garden, learning, Nature, outdoor, rescue | 11 Comments

Let them bee…

Posted on July 25, 2013 by annamadeit

A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog entry on the demise of our bees after the introduction of neonicotinoids in the past decade. At the time, the EPA had essentially admitted that although they were going to continue … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Gardening and Landscaping, Green Living | Tagged ban, bees, colony collapse disorder, Earl Blumenauer, EPA, EU, insecticides, neonicotinoids, pesticides, The Save American Pollinators Act | 13 Comments

Alchemilla alpina – cute, cuddly and carefree!

Posted on July 16, 2013 by annamadeit

I first laid eyes on it when a relative brought a small clump of it home. It was a gift to her from a gardener friend at Bergianska Trädgården – the botanical institution at the Stockholm University in Sweden – … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool plants, Foliage Follow-Up, Gardening and Landscaping | Tagged adorable, Alchemilla alpina, cute, flowers, foliage, garden, groundcover, Plants, silvery | 37 Comments

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – July 2013

Posted on July 15, 2013 by annamadeit

Happy GBBD everyone! Well, things are definitely slowing down over here, or perhaps more so taking a break. The Asiatic lilies are spent while the orientals are coming, the crocosmias are on fire, as are the Rudbeckias. This year the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bloom Day, Cool plants, Gardening and Landscaping | Tagged agapanthus, asiatics, clematis, flowers, garden, July, lilies, orientals, Rooguchi, Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' | 32 Comments

Subtle, simple and sensual – material expressions in the Japanese Garden

Posted on July 4, 2013 by annamadeit

One of the top destinations in our fair city – in my book, at least – is the Japanese Garden. It never disappoints. Every time I go, I see new things, depending on light, weather, seasons – what have you. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool building materials, Gardening and Landscaping, Local interest, On Design | Tagged creativity, Design, fences, garden, Garden design, Japanese, Landscape design, Nature, paths, sculpture, Traditional | 9 Comments

The birth of a monster – Allium shubertii

Posted on June 9, 2013 by annamadeit

This past February, at a Portland garden show, I came across this gigantic seed head on display. It turned out to be an Allium shubertii, the like of which I had never seen before. The vendor was selling sprouting bulbs, … Continue reading →

Posted in Color, Cool plants, Gardening and Landscaping | Tagged allium, Color, flowers, foliage, garden, huge, onion, ornamental, shubertii | 6 Comments

Foliage Follow-up, May 2012

Posted on May 18, 2013 by annamadeit

Three days after my first Bloom Day, I can only succumb to the fact that I’m hooked! Taking photos of your garden and posting them online is really, really fun! But, for as great as they are – blooms are … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool plants, Foliage Follow-Up, Gardening and Landscaping | Tagged Color, contrast, Curb appeal, foliage, garden, Garden design, Pacific Northwest, plant vignettes, Plants, texture | 20 Comments