Steve’s Garden: Part II

August 4

Last time on Steve’s Garden: Part I we explored his front walk, front porch and back deck. Today we’ll take a look at his backyard, vegetable garden and perennial garden.

Behind the back porch railing is a variety of Jerusalem artichoke, a common plant on the East Coast. It has a sunflower-like daisy bloom and it’s leafs are designed to capture water.

Stepping off the porch your greeted by bronze fennel.

This planter serves as a seasonal flower tower expressing each season. It’s current state is fading, but Steve promises the fall design will include witch legs and will change with Thanksgiving, Christmas, January, spring and summer.

Along the back of the porch and house is the main vegetable garden with Swiss chard, beans, squash, radishes, carrots, onions, beets, peas, apples and sunflowers.

Butternut Squash

Crookneck Squash

These tomatoes tower above everything.

Romas

Brandywine

Early Girl

Tony's

Stupice

Sungold. Super sweet, just like candy.

Eggplant

Next to the main vegetable garden is the herb garden.

Rosemary

Oregano

Apple Mint

This columnar apple tree produces 50 to 100 Golden Delicious apples a season.

South African Mammoth Sunflowers

Shhhh, don’t startle this flock of rare birds. It’s not uncommon for this flock to migrate around the yard. What a fun idea!

Dracaena line the back of the yard. These plants are four years old and have a trunk to prove it.

The Early Garden contains broccoli, arugula, kale, cilantro, basil, sweet peppers and hot peppers.

Kale

Cilantro

Basil

Hot Pepper

Along the back of the property is a slanted bed that Steve uses to test perennials. Here he can see how they perform out of pots and share his findings with clients.

Carnation

Lavender and Grass

Echinacea

Honeysuckle with Berries

Agapanthus

Coreopsis

Gerbera Daisy

Delosperma

Thanks Steve for sharing your fun and beautiful garden and all your great knowledge! You can follow Steve's informative site Green Thumb Garden Coaching.

Steve’s Garden: Part I

My Garden Guru Steve took me on a tour of his amazing garden. His garden is in its 5^th season and just by looking up the front walk you know you're in for a treat.

Steve likes to feature seasonal plants here like this Amaranthus caudatus ‘Love-lies-bleeding,’ an eye catcher.

But there is a lot to see here.

You know I love a pot of impatiens.

The front porch is a comfortable place to relax in this beautiful surrounding.

Pot of rex begonia, nemesia, calibrachoa, petunia

Boston fern

Hanging basket with impatiens, coleus and fuchsia.

Like Steve, a little character goes a long way.

Steve’s backyard has many more bright spots. As our senses try to grapple with them, Steve is off pointing out all of his wonderful treasures. One of the first marvels to greet you is this bonsai. A birthday gift that shares his young age.

Heading down the deck your eyes are pulled in many directions at once.

This palm shaped lamp holds a basket of calibrachoa and next to it is a water feature, which holds even more surprises.

What’s bubbling up to say hello?

Lots of potted plants line the deck.

Jasmine

A bit of lettuce

In this corner of the deck is a peanut butter plant with a tomatillo plant.

In this corner is a sunflower with a laurel bayleaf.

A variegated hebe

A peak over the railing and you can see part of the backyard.

We’ll leave off here and come back next time to finish exploring in Steve’s Garden: Part II

Tyler’s Urban Garden

One of my good friends, Tyler, lives in Northwest Portland, Oregon. This area of the city has a great deal of history with a mix of old homes in the Queen Anne Style next to slick new condos. Northwest 23^rd Avenue, a main street through the area known as ‘Trendy-third,’ is full of great shopping with boutiques, up scale stores and restaurants. Tyler's building and a view of his urban garden from the street.

A view of the garden from the living room window.

A view from the kitchen window.

Once outside the view of the street.

The view toward the back of the alley.

The alley gets little light and is perfect for shade loving plants.

Black bamboo does well in this vertical space.

The brick wall across from his building makes a great backdrop for the garden.

Unique garden art add structure, texture and mysticism to the urban garden.

Thanks for sharing your beautiful and unique garden with us Tyler!