Catching Up

Work on the creation of a front lawn continue.

As you can see, Parvati is in love with the heavy equipment.

It has been a very busy week. 

Our local growers' market opened last Saturday at Spencer's Creek Grange.

My favorite booth had these hand painted barn 'hex' signs. 

Entertainment included ukulele playing middle-schoolers singing Abba's "Super Trooper" - can't top that!

It was a nice why to spend part of the morning.

Then on Sunday my Mom and I went on a bus trip Plant Adventure. 

We started up in Portland at Xera Plants.

They are a wholesale nursery with a small retail location in northeast Portland. 

We received a significant discount and I took advantage of it.

Last Sunday was the hottest day of the year, so it was nice to visit the shaded Lan Shu Chinese Garden.

It is still a young garden, built on a city block in 1999.

Since I last visited the surrounding area has been revitalized. 

And now the skyline shows the juxtaposition of two cultural architectural styles.  

Bamboo is an important element in a Chinese Garden.

I loved this World in Miniature - bonsai.

Our trip ended deep in rural Polk County with a visit to Dancing Oaks Nursery.

They have a wonderful display garden...

...which included the largest Magnolia blossom I have every seen.

There were Clematis...

...and carnivorous plants.

An unusual Iris.

A lovely blue vase along a Lavender border. 

Kniphofia

The nursery is extremely bird-friendly.  There were Tree Swallow nesting everywhere and this Violet-green Swallow found a home too.

More than a few plants found their way home with me. 

The good news is that I got most of them planted within a day or two. 

Here's an arrangement on the Back Patio. 

These are all plants from Xera in new Smith and Hawkens pots from Target. 

And this is the shelf below with further succulents.

In the flowerbeds the self-sown poppies look great next to the mullien.

And this is how the front of the house currently looks.

As long as we have Big Machines, Parvati is content!