more plants...

This weekend was the Master Gardener's Spring Garden Fair out at the Canby fairgrounds. Happens the first weekend of May each year and there are lots of local growers and garden artists struttin' their stuff... 200 to be exact.

Today was a beautiful day and there were lots of people about despite the fact that I seem to have this big, empty space in the front of my photo!

These striking blooms really caught our eye. Abutilon, Red Tiger. Hardy to zone 8.

We stopped by our friend, Marta Farris' booth to check out her garden sculpture and stash our purchases while we continued to shop. That's my pal Linley on the left with Marta. Marta's metal sculptures are really fun, several live in my  backyard. Her husband, Steve, makes these gorgeous steel urns. I already know where I'd put one...

 David and Linda Neff of D & L Woodworking, make the most comfortable Adirondack chairs this side of, well, the Adirondacks. Here, David tests the merchandise. We have one of their rockers, and it's the favored chair in our backyard during the summer.

This was one of my favorite displays. The Shady Lady Nursery in Aurora had put together these bright orange pots and baskets filled with purple coleus, orange and red begonias, and a trail of lime green. Brilliant color to liven up a shady area, and those orange pots, genius. 

The Shady Lady Nursery will be hanging out at the Milwaukie farmer's market on Sundays from 9 -2, for those in the Portland area. I really want to check those pots out again...

Along with all of the great plant material and garden art, there are educational talks by master gardeners, soil testing, exhibits, and of course food. So if you live in the Portland area and have never visited the Spring Garden Fair, put it on your calendar for next year, it's well worth it!

let the gardening begin...

My gardens have been in a sad state since last Fall when I told them I was done, they could put themselves to bed... This Spring, when we've had a nice day here and there, I had other things to do, mostly spend time in that little basement studio. Today I finally got myself out there and boy am I feeling it!

Noticed lots of little things in bloom, especially the Akebia vine with it's heavenly scent...

 

Usually blooming in March, it's a bit late this year most likely due to the cool weather we've had.

It's evergreen, with a very pretty leaf. The flowers consist of small flower clusters and an occasional larger single flower. I think it's the male and the smaller ones are the females. The scent is really lovely. I get a waft of it every time I walk out the back door and if the weather is warm enough, I can open the window and let it in.

Most of the daffodils are gone, but tulips are still hanging in there, in fact I had tulips come up this year that I know weren't there last year, and no, I didn't plant any last Fall. The last time I bought a bag of 100 tulips at Costco and never got them in the ground I learned my lesson... bad me.

I really couldn't tell you what these little guys are. The were bulbs that I planted some years ago and they really multiply, so be careful, I have to dig a bunch out every so often to keep them from taking over. And the kaffir lily is the same, but easily managed. I've given them to people all over my neighborhood. Around here, you'll get blooms all year round and they look kind of like miniature gladiolas or iris. Very sweet with an insane deep salmon color.

I cut back the ferns and already see the fiddleheads emerging. The hostas are coming up and looking good. I love the colors in this little clump! It's amazing what you can find when you pull away all the debris...

The always reliable bleeding heart planted below the akebia trellis and one of a few camellia blooms that survived my husband's "pruning". 

And last but not least...well, I actually got this done first thing today and that's probably why my knees aren't working so well right now... the vegetable garden. Planted in the strip between driveways, but getting great sun, I tilled, amended and planted onion starts, and spinach, lettuce, chard, and snow peas from seed. About a month or so later than I had wanted, back then when I was doing my taxes...

Flores wasn't a huge help. Every time I got down to put the seeds in the ground, he'd put his nose in my ear. But he was nice company... Happy gardening!