Monday, June 30, 2014

Fling Preview: Joy Creek Nursery

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After years of being frustrated by their inability to find the plants they wanted, the owners of Joy Creek founded the current nursery in 1992.

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What started out as a mail-order nursery soon grew to include both retail sales and garden design and installation.

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The nursery is located 18 miles north of Portland, Oregon, on a ridge overlooking the Joy Creek canyon and the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.

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The nursery proper occupies about seven acres of a forty-acre farm. Nestled between wooded hills, the site can very fairly be described as 'idyllic'.

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Four-and-a-half acres are devoted to gardens and stock fields, a half-acre to retail sales, and three acres to growing space.

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Many of the plants for sale can be observed in mature states in the display garden...in fact, your visit is best started in the display garden to get ideas for plants, plant combos, and design ideas.

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The staff at Joy Creek is very excited to meet you all...and, of course, so is the resident feline, Yowler!

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Friday, June 27, 2014

Fling Preview: Cistus Nursery

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Cistus Nursery is a unique micro-nursery, offering plants found virtually nowhere else in the industry. Founded in 1996 by Parker Sanderson and Sean Hogan, the nursery has a strong botanical foundation drawn from the pair’s professional backgrounds; Parker having been Horticulturalist at the Arboretum at University of California at Davis and Sean a Curator at University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley. 
Their exciting collection of treasures, gathered around the globe with brilliant plantspeople, quickly outgrew a 100-year-old greenhouse in North Portland so the nursery opened to the public on Sauvie Island in 2000, expanding in 2003.
Visitors are invited to wander the all-season, display gardens showcasing West Coast natives and Mediterranean plants, architectural desert plants for the “dry garden,” Asian specimens, shade plants, and a dazzling mixed border of summer showstoppers – gardens that echo the pavilions and courtyards in retail itself.  
Eucalyptus, olives, evergreen oaks, many delicious items from the southern hemisphere, myriad magnolias and asian delights, tropicals and mature palms, the prickly, pricky plants of the desert - these are only a few of the many enticements for gardeners of all stripes. 
The nursery staff is always willing to assist and answer questions. 

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Thursday, June 26, 2014

Public Gardens and Parks...

Staying in Portland a little longer than the Fling weekend? In case you don’t get your fill during the Fling here’s a short list of public gardens and parks you might enjoy visiting while here (each name is a link to learn more about them)…


And the smallest park in the world (according to the Guinness Book of Records)...MillEnds Park

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Fling Preview: Lan Su Chinese Garden

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After we say farewell to the fabulous folks at Timber Press, we head off on foot a few blocks to the Lan Sun Chinese Garden. The Garden is one of Portland’s great treasures and is a result of a collaboration between the cities of Portland and Suzhou, our sister city in China’s Jiangsu province that’s famous for its beautiful Ming Dynasty gardens.

Lan Su was built by Chinese artisans from Suzhou and is the most authentic Chinese garden outside of China, the garden was designed by Kuang Zhen Yan. Groundbreaking occurred in July 1999, and construction was completed 14 months later at a cost of about $12.8 million.


The garden’s grand opening was on September 14, 2000. Enclosing a full city block, roughly 40,000 sqft in the Chinatown area of Portland, Lan Su is much more than just a beautiful botanical garden, it is a creative wonder–a powerfully inspiring experience based on a 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition that melds art, architecture, design and nature in perfect harmony.

Once inside the garden’s walls, you’ll feel as if you’ve traveled through time to another era in a faraway world. Lan Su is a window into Chinese culture, history and way of thinking.

Ever changing, Lan Su always has something new to offer - by the minute, by the hour, and with the seasons. The plant collections at Lan Su present hundreds of native Chinese plant species and forms.



It is home to more than fifty specimen trees, many rare and unusual shrubs and perennials, and curated collections of Magnolia, Peony, Camellia, Rhododendron, Osmanthus and bamboo.

Up next, we board the buses and head just outside the city to Sauvie Island and Cistus Nursery.

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Monday, June 23, 2014

Portland Fling Sponsors...

Please join us in thanking our generous sponsors who have helped to make the 2014 Portland Garden Bloggers Fling possible…

At the Bloom Level of $1,000                                                                                    

We Inspire and Educate The Gardener Within. At Botanical Interests our goal is to inspire and educate the gardener in you. That is why, since 1995 we have been supplying gardeners with the highest quality seed in the most beautiful and informative seed packets on the market. Curtis and Judy started Botanical Interests because they believed that gardeners were not getting the information they needed from their seed packets. Their desire for more information along with their passion for spreading gardening wisdom led them to create a unique seed packet that is not only beautiful, but is also filled with facts, tips, recipes and quality seed.




Dramm Dramm Corporation has been a leader in watering tools and accessories for over 67 years. Imagine it all started with a man named John G. Dramm and his invention that revolutionized the way greenhouses; nurseries and gardeners water their plants. Today, Dramm continues to provide quality, durable and professional watering tools, accessories and natural fertilizers to nurseries, greenhouses and avid gardeners nationwide. Dramm strives to produce products that save time and energy while providing quality products that will last a lifetime.


Gardener’s Supply has long been a socially responsible business, which we've expressed by supporting employee volunteerism, sourcing sustainable products and donating 8 percent of our profits back to the community. To solidify our commitment, we have become a certified B Corp, a relatively new corporate designation that combines bottom-line profits and social responsibility.


Corona Founded in the early 1920s, Corona, Inc. is a leader in the marketing and manufacturing of professional and consumer tools for the lawn and garden, landscape, irrigation, construction and agriculture markets. With a retail and distribution network that extends throughout the United States and Canada, Corona's proven designs, quality manufacturing processes and unparalleled customer service make it the best choice in tools for contractors, agricultural professionals and avid gardeners alike.

Bud Level of $750

Blooms of Bressingham (Leucanthemum Freak!)
Blooms of Bressingham was founded by father and son Alan and Adrian Bloom, prolific English plantsmen who have been responsible for introducing over 200 perennial cultivars over the company’s 100 year history. A real garden showstopper, Freak!® is covered with large amounts of fluffy-looking flowers formed from layers of white petals. Large 2 to 2-1/2 inch (5 to 6 cm) flowers are evenly distributed all over compact, well-branched plants. Freak!™ reblooms, providing flowers over a long period. Dark green toothy foliage provides a clean, well-contrasting backdrop. Plants reach just 9 inches (23 cm) in containers. Bred by Har Stemkens of Syngenta Flowers. 



Root Level of $500

Our mission is to share the wonders of the natural world by publishing books from experts in the fields of gardening, horticulture, and natural history. Grow with us.









Potted Potted is the vision of Mary Gray, a former art director and set decorator, and Annette Goliti Gutierrez, a one-time screenwriter with a love for renovating homes and gardens. In 2004, we opened what we envisioned to be a mecca for like-minded, design-loving, garden enthusiasts, people like us who want to shop for the outdoor area of their homes like they do their interiors. At Potted, we create an eclectic environment filled with an array of styles, from kitsch to cottage and vintage to modern. Each have their own special personalities, and we get a huge kick out of blending them all together in our own Potted Style.


McMenamins McMenamins has been a neighborhood gathering spot throughout Oregon and Washington since 1983. Our goal is to keep the past in the present, to celebrate and connect us all with the people and events that have helped define each McMenamins property. To that end, we research, interview and compile materials to identify and commemorate our properties and their surroundings. McMenamins employs teams of year-round gardeners who work hard to keep the grounds of our properties fresh, healthy and in bloom. While Edgefield has the largest variety (including herb and vegetable gardens, an orchard, multiple flower beds and beyond), several other locations have lovely onsite gardens as well. Admission is free; take a pint on a stroll around the flora.

As a leading worldwide provider of innovative turf, landscape, rental and construction equipment, and irrigation and outdoor lighting solutions, Toro helps customers care for golf courses, sports fields, public green spaces, commercial and residential properties, and agricultural fields.  We value the trust customers place in our people and our products, and are proud to partner with many sites and events around the world.




With over 30 years of herb and vegetable growing experience, Peace Tree Farm has never seen a lavender as excellent a performer as 'Phenomenal'. One of the hardiest lavenders seen throughout Europe and the United States, 'Phenomenal' has exceptional winter survival, as it does not have the winter die back that other varieties like Munstead and Hidcote commonly demonstrate.







Seed Level of $200

Sunset Western Garden Collection™, introduced in spring 2012, is the first plant collection designed specifically for the Western gardener. Sunset® magazine and Plant Development Services collaborated to bring these superior plant introductions to retail garden centers through
out the thirteen Western states.
The Southern Living® Plant Collection, first introduced in Spring 2008, provides gardeners with innovative new plants designed to solve specific landscape challenges and to excel in Southern gardens. Each plant in the collection is the result of years of plant evaluations, plant trials and research.


Garden Design Magazine The reimagined magazine features compelling photography, captivating stories, and a striking design. Beloved and collected by avid readers for 32 years, the magazine, which will print four times per year, has a fresh aesthetic, 132 pages, and is advertisement-free, making it more akin to a "bookazine."

CobraHead LLC is a Family Business that produces and sells "The Best Tools In Earth®" - the highly acclaimed CobraHead®Weeder and Cultivator and the exceptionally useful CobraHead® Long Handle Weeder and Cultivator. CobraHead LLC was formed to develop and market the CobraHead® Weeder and Cultivator. The CobraHead® is a multi-purpose hand tool for use in gardening, horticulture, and agriculture that is superior to all similar tools. We believe the CobraHead® will become a standard design in the garden and agricultural industry.




Portland Nursery We have two great locations in southeast Portland, each of with its own personality and features. Our 100-year-old location at 5050 SE Stark is tucked in conveniently into to the Laurelhurst neighborhood. Here is where it all started. Come in and soak up the ambience of our courtyard and meet our knowledgeable staff! Our 9000 SE Division location, conveniently located off I-205, offers a similar range of plants as you will find at Stark, plus a wide selection of houseplants, water plants and an incredible selection of succulents, cactus and bonsai


Cistus Nursery is a retail micro-nursery located on scenic Sauvie Island, 15 miles northwest of Portland, Oregon. Cistus offers Mediterranean climate, southern hemisphere, hardy tropical plants, and more. Come visit the nursery and wander through the display gardens, or browse our Plant Lists and have a small piece of the nursery sent to you through the mail... Plants are our passion, and sharing our treasures with fellow plant lovers is our joy.


We founded Joy Creek Nursery in 1992 after years of being frustrated by our inability to find the plants we wanted and reliable information about them at our local nurseries. What started out as a mail-order nursery soon grew to include both retail sales and garden design and installation. Our nursery is located 18 miles north of Portland, Oregon, on a ridge overlooking the Joy Creek canyon and the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. The nursery proper occupies about seven acres of a forty-acre farm. Four-and-a-half acres are devoted to gardens and stock fields, a half-acre to retail sales, and three acres to growing space.

Oregon Decorative Rock All About Rock since 1976, Oregon Decorative Rock has all of the landscape rock, ground cover, and accents you need to beautify your residential, commercial, or industrial landscape. We have the largest selection of natural stone in the Northwest. Our natural architectural and landscape stone is perfect for any design or landscaping project. You'll find that our material bids for construction projects are very competitive.

Steel Life is a company based in Central Oregon that is committed to bringing quality, design conscience planters to the modern home and garden. We work close at hand with our team of artisans to bring the
best, luxury quality, modern planters to your doorstep. We like to support local craftsmen and small businesses in our community. We are also proud to promote other American made products through our social media sites and purchasing practices.

Since our establishment in 1997, Little Prince of Oregon Nursery has been committed to producing premium quality plants. We are a wholesale nursery located in Aurora, Oregon. Our plant offerings include perennials, ground cover, NW natives, succulents, herbs, ornamental grasses, and rare and unusual plants.


Teak Closeouts Teak Closeouts - Real Savings on Real Teak. The economy is tough and watching our dollar is more important than ever. You'll find $179 teak benches, $129 teak arm chairs, and teak tables starting at $499. If you're looking for a durable, quality folding chair, nothing beats the $39 teak folding chair. Teak Closeouts has some of the lowest teak furniture prices on the internet.


Friday, June 20, 2014

Fling Preview: Timber Press

For the next entry in our preview series, we give you the first official stop of the Fling...the much-loved local publisher, Timber Press!


DummyShelf_08_B&WTimber Press is an imprint under Workman Publishing. Founded in 1978 in Portland, Oregon, with a second office in London, Timber Press focuses on more advanced gardening topics targeted at horticulturists, botanists, naturalists, and landscape professionals.


Timber’s mission is to share the wonders of the natural world by publishing books from experts in the fields of gardening, horticulture, and natural history.

“Our mission is to share the wonders of the natural world by publishing books from experts in the fields of gardening, horticulture, and natural history. Grow with us.”


In addition to touring the offices and mini-store, the kind folks at Timber are providing us with a light continental breakfast. Coming up net, we head a few blocks to our next destination...the Lan Su Chinese Garden.

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