Archive for Plants I Recommend

Outdoor Living Oasis for Grant Park Backyard Part 2

Dream Cottage Garden Plantings for NE Portland Outdoor Living Space

Redbud Forest Pansy included in Grant Park Portland outdoor living space.

Redbud Forest Pansy Foliage photo by Doreen Wynja for Monrovia

Shade Trees for Small City Properties

An aside about shade trees…..Most clients these days want to invest in a shade tree given how much hotter summers in Portland are with global warming.  It’s tricky to get a tree that will take the heat we are expecting that will not get too big and the tree I wanted for this garden was just too mundane for these clients who love fall color.  They went with an Acer rubrum (maple) variety that will be a very large shade tree once it matures.  And they consulted with their neighbor to ensure a large shade tree that would provide shade to her landscape was wanted, which it was. 

A Small Tree for Full Season Interest

We also selected a ‘Forest Pansy’ Redbud, considered a small tree, to see from inside the kitchen.  The tiny explosion of sizzling pink flowers on bare stems in late winter, the rich burgundy heart shaped leaf in the summer and the fall color made the Redbud an obvious choice.  Plus we put it in a raised bed which greatly increases the chances of a healthy tree as Redbud can sometimes get a disease called verticillium wilt.  A raised bed ensures good drainage which is something this tree must have to live a long and healthy life. 

Columbine, a cottage garden plant added to outdoor living space in Grant Park.

The perfect cottage garden plant, Columbine.

Full Season Interest Plants

Annely wanted to see the seasons evolve in her new garden from the kitchen so we knew we needed a special touch of seasonal interest plants. She wanted plants to express a colorful cottage garden styling, and pictured in her head plants full of vibrant colors and unique texture combinations. While the original backyard could not accommodate Annelys vision, the new design allow us to create the desired outcome.  My then apprentice Alana Chau and installer Donna Burdick, (of D & J Landscape Contractors) were also part of the team.

Once those large structure plants were selected, the next step for us was selecting some of the shrubs.  Annely was familiar with her own plant collection, and it is she who decided upon and placed all the perennials you see in these spring photos.  Annely’s plants are so lovely and add so much soul to this garden.  This garden is a perfect example of designing layout and hardscape for functional outdoor living spaces while claiming perfect areas for plantings.  This kind of design outcome requires creating the layout while simultaneously holding the spaces and places for magical plantings.

Total backyard remake into dream outdoor living space in Grant Park.

Carol Lindsay founder of Landscape Design in a Day enjoys the perfect sit spot in the new garden oasis. Photo by Hilary Hutler

Hardscape Artistry Lies in the Hands of the Landscape Contractor

The stone work is so beautifully done and well thought out.  Donna Burdick had me come and finalize the shaping of the raised bed and stone wall on site and making a few decisions about where the design had to be tweaked.  This way the integrity of the design remains intact in face of many changes we were not expecting including a change about the location of the property line.

Donna and her employees put heart into the placement of the stone and walls.  I could not be happier with the way she worked this space as she thoughtfully prepped and installed the hardscape, planting soil and more.

The clients added art and so you see colorful surprises throughout the design – thoughtful touches that I think add little moments of joy and surprise as the seasons changed. The final landscape design exceeded our wildest expectations! Our clients now have a spacious outdoor living area, the planting areas are maximized, the stone work and hardscape fully supports the beauty of the plants without overwhelming the garden. 

Garden art added to dream outdoor living space for Grant Park backyard.

I love the simple steel heart hanging from the shared shared tree.

This small back yard space in NE Portland has been transformed into a tranquil oasis that can be shared with friends — a true example of what you can create with clients who dare to dream, imagination and the right professionals.  

Contact us

Looking for a true paradise in your back yard? Contact me today and we will collaborate to find the perfect landscape design for your yard.  Together we can transform your outdoor space into your own garden oasis!

 

 

Outdoor Living Oasis for Grant Park Backyard Part 1

Total backyard makeover in Grant Park, Portland Oregon.

Grant Park neighborhood backyard plant paradise with super comfy sitting area occupied by Carol Lindsay, Landscape Design in a Day

Design a Magical & Spacious Backyard Makeover for Outdoor Living in NE Portland’s Grant Park Neighborhood

Recently I had the pleasure of designing with Annely and Wayne, a lovely couple living in Portlands northeast side. They wanted to turn a small and rather typical back yard into a magical outdoor living oasis. Using my collaborative Landscape Design in a Day process, we created a garden design that would bring their dream of an outdoor haven to life.

Clients Wish List for Landscape Design for Small City Back Yard

Outdoor living space backyard design includes client plants.

Our client had lots of plants waiting for their new home.

Space was pretty limited especially since their garage ate into back yard space but Annely and Wayne were not daunted and had ambitious goals for their back yard.

Annely dreamed of a covered outdoor entertainment area with comfortable seating for 6, and a lush garden of plants. She is a passionate hobby gardener, and had a large collection of plants at the ready. She had been waiting for several years to have the garden of her dreams and she had plants sitting about in pots to prove it.  We also needed room for outdoor dining, cooking (to include BBQ, outdoor sink and prep area) and we needed easy access from the deep shared driveway to the back door.  The groceries and daily family access to the house happened through the backyard too.  

BEFORE outdoor living space design the backyard had to be cleared in Grant Park.

The newly cleared lot gives us our blank slate.

BEFORE the backyard makeover for Grant park clients in Portland

Carol and clients analyzing site conditions before design process. Photo by Alana Chau

Room for Outdoor Living with Friends

Our first step was to maximize the tiny space. We discussed possible ways to extend the small lot space, including opening up the side of the small garage to create the covered dining area, (like a casita) so the rest of the yard could be free for plantings. However, the garage storage space was too precious and a casita didn’t match their vision. 

After creating multiple backyard layout drawings and more consultation and collaboration with our clients, we decided on the multilevel raised garden bed, foregoing the covered patio, and we placed a shared with the neighbor shade tree near the property line.  By pushing the shade tree back, the neighbor would also get shade and we had more space for new colorful plantings. 

Continue the story of our Grant Park total backyard makeover in our upcoming Part 2 blog post. 

The start of Grant Park clients' outdoor living space makeover.

The patio is cut and its’ walls retained by D and J Landscape Contractors

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Are you inspired to transform your own back yard into a true paradise? Contact me today and let us create the perfect landscape design for your city garden oasis. Together we can transform your outdoor space into something remarkable!

 

 

Landscaping for Privacy in Portland Small Front Yard

Portland front yard landscape design with Magnolia grandiflora and white flowering dogwood

Small city front yard with new Magnolia grandiflora ‘Teddy Bear’ and existing magnificent Cornus x ‘Venus’, a white flowering dogwood cross between our PNW dogwood and a disease resistant Korean dogwood.

Privacy Landscape Design for Gardener’s Yard

This small city front yard was fun because my clients Sam and Austin love plants and Sam in particular was itching to get his hands in the soil.  They wanted to see year round plants in the front yard from inside the house and sit on the front porch without looking into the neighbor’s windows across the street.  We had good success with our design and a lot of fun and joy….but I acknowledge that as they settled into their new city home, they wanted even more screening.

Before photos for Portland landscape design

Before hardscape landscape design in N Portland.

Flowering dogwood gives front yard privacy in landscape design.

Here is the view from the living room picture window in May. Cornus x ‘Venus’ has 5″ across white flowers and wonderful fall color. We designed around this existing treasure, a dogwood cross between our PNW dogwood and a disease resistant Korean dogwood.

Now most of my clients don’t want experiments with plant selection.  They want my tried and true plants placed to my spacing requirements.  I stick to my spacing requirements especially for trees and the spacing is part of the value of a landscape design that will fit your property.  Most of us don’t want our plants to overwhelm the space and each other or want to referee with lots of pruning. But Sam is a gardener and loves a little trial and error.

Before and after photos of Portland front yard landscape design for privacy.

After photo of this N.E. Portland ‘No Lawn’ Landscape Design on Planting Day.

More Privacy Plantings for Small City Front Yard

He has added  more Magnolia to the parking strip to greatly increase blocking the view of the city street and apartment building.  Me, I look into the future 10 years or less and see the landscape too crowded but Sam unlike most of my clients, is prepared to prune and shape.  He has got that whole no fear gardening thing going for him so I’m excited to see how it works.  City living requires creative and different approaches for privacy, maybe even breaking the rules.

Sam, Austin and I worked closely with Donna Burdick (D & J Landscape Contractors) for the landscape installation.

Plants for this N.E. Portland Front Yard

The most important specification was creating a screen of plants to see from inside the house without burying the charm and curb appeal of the home’s front entry porch. Our plantings need to work with and enhance the existing fabulous Dogwood tree.  The style was a mix of NW Natural and Cottage Garden.  We had other specifications such as low water, pollinator friendly, fragrance.

Clients Favorite Plants in Front Yard

Acer palmatum is a dramatic focal point for Portland yard.

Acer palmatum ‘Shaina’ at a client’s large woodland garden – also used as the dramatic focal point.

The Shaina Japanese Red Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Shaina’)  is the favorite plant.  I selected it for it’s dramatic orange red spring color and also the shape.  It’s a little boxy; most Japanese maple are either weeping or have tall upright branching structures .  Shaina’s ‘boxy’ shape fits in my smaller city landscapes and provides more screening than a weeping form.  My clients just love how vibrant the red foliage is both in spring and fall.

We had played around with a pear tree for the entry walk but this was discarded for a narrow evergreen Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’.  This tree was selected by Sam for screening the street and cars as seen from the front porch and the angled view from the living room window.  The back yard has the fruit trees.

Spring Flowering Heather in privacy landscaping design in Portland.

Summer Flowering Heather and Fragrant Summer Flowering Daphne. Calluna vulgaris ‘Mrs Ron Green’ and Daphne t. ‘Summer Ice’

Three fragrant plants, all evergreens starts with Daphne odora,  Mexican Orange (Choisya ternata ‘Sundance’), and semi evergreen Daphne t. ‘Eternal Fragrance’.

These fragrant plants all bloom at different times of the year.  They are planted for my clients to enjoy the fragrances as they come and go from the front door.

Japanese anemone planted in Portland privacy landscaping.

Japanese Anemone

 

Plantings for a Small City Front Yard

Less flashy but excellent lower maintenance plants include spring flowering heather (February, March April), Iris x pacifica Rio Dorada (April and May), an evergreen Iris,  the hardy geranium groundcover Geranium x cantabrigense ‘Karmina’ flowers in May, June and July under the mature dogwood.  Japanese anemone, Anemone huphensis late summer flower add flower power at different times of the year and provide good groundcover and attractive foliage when not in flower.

Smaller Hydrangeas to Fit Small City Front Yard

The clients love mop head flowered hydrangea so we have 3 in the front.  Again size is an important consideration.  There is not enough room for the typical  6′ x 6′ hydrangea so I specified the dwarf Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Pia’ and 2 of the newer semi dwarf varieties called the City Line Series ‘Rio’ .  Rio should be only 4′ x 4′ or less and will give my client the more traditional blue and purple flower heads.  Pia is so reliably smaller than most, (and an excellent plant) at less than 3′ x 3′ but she will stay a pink mop head flower for many years and eventually go to a purple pink.  Many people like the traditional blue flower.

Pacific Northwest Native Plants

We also have a section of pure Pacific Northwest native plants on the far side of the Dogwood tree.  These are Vaccinium ovatum, native huckleberry, great for native bees and birds, Mahonia aqufolium, Tall Oregon grape for pollinators including Anna hummingbirds.  We have used PNW sword fern to good effect and it integrates much of the front yard plantings.  We want to get Oregon phacelia, a ground cover, going with the other natives but so far seeds have not been successful.  Oregon phacelia can leave small burrs in a dogs fur so not best with long furred dogs btw. My seeding efforts at my property has also failed so clearly there is a trick to it I do not have yet.  Sam has a good crop of the Tellima grandiflora (fringe cup) and that pollinator plant is working very well so if the Oregon phacelia doesn’t happen,  we still have great native plants for pollinators.

 

Portland privacy landscaping.

Before Landscape Design in a Day this family had no backyard for kids play area, and no privacy just lawn and a white picket fence.

 

Contact us

Do you love city living but want more privacy and charm to your front yard?  Going lawn less?  We love to create landscape designs with our city clients.  Contact us!

My next blog is about a family with 3 kids living in the city with no backyard, no place to play and no privacy for dining and hanging out.  Their new home, (a wonderful Portland Old House) is on a corner which is always challenging.  What to do?  Read on.

Northeast Portland Test Garden for Drought Tolerant & Pollinator Friendly Plants

Tips for Tricky Native Plants in NE Portland Garden Design

Northeast Portland Landscape Designer Hilary Hutler with pollinator friendly Fox Tail Lilly Flowers Bouquet.

Hilary Hutler North Portland Landscape Designer with Fox Tail Lilly  (Eremurus) an excellent pollinator plant

Welcome to part 2 of my blog series on drought tolerant pollinator friendly plants for North Portland home landscapes.

My disclaimer: This is my experimental and play garden so while some of the plants listed here are easy to grow and meant for a typical homeowner , others are a bit tricky or cause skin irritation, are a bit toxic or are especially thorny.  They are very interesting and plant-nerd cool plants that are also pollinator friendly and drought tolerant. I love foliage but obviously flowers feed bees and who doesn’t love flowers?

Mixing PNW Natives with Mediterranean Plants

Northeast Portland drought tolerant Canary Clover

Dorycnium hirsutum or Canary Clover is drought tolerant in St Johns Front Yard Portland Oregon

First up is Dorycnium hirsutum*. This plant loves it dry and handles the heat beautifully. It has such a soft sea foam green foliage that the wonderful flowers and colorful small fruit capsules (captivating on their own merits) are just the dessert to my mind. Be aware that this plant can seed around a bit. If you are not the person who can pull out a plant that has seeded in the wrong place…walk on by. The web still says it’s evergreen but here in Portland it often dies back and +comes back strong once the heat of summer hits. Common name is Hairy Clover Canary or Canary Clover, but it does not look anything like typical clover…hmmm. It lasts for perhaps as long as ten years but will cast a few seeds so you have a new plant to take its place.

Drought tolerant pairing of Lewisia & Artemesia Northeast Portland plants.

Lewisia thrives in north portland front yard also called Cliff Maid or Siskiyou Lewisia. Background silver plant is Artemesia ‘Valerie Finnis’.

I’m surprised with how big and healthy my Lewisia (our southern Oregon native plant Lewisia cotyledon.) I didn’t expect it to do well because it is planted in compacted heavy soil, (it prefers loose open dry soils) but it has really taken off.  It’s twice the size I typically see in Portland gardens.  As you can see by the picture,  I’ve planted it in front of the Artemisia ‘Valerie Finnis’.

Some Aggressive Plants Can Be Tamed by Planting in My Worst Soil Area

‘Valerie Finnis’ Artemisia is a beautiful mounding silver green shrub. It can be an aggressive plant so use it’s tendencies to your favor by planting it in a heavier clay soil area, as it can take over in loose open soil.  In my garden it is planted in my worst soil and totally handles the heat and dry conditions once established. You can let the flowers come on for a few weeks and then cut the whole plant back. The flowers are a pale yellow, that will feed pollinators and are not unattractive. I prefer to cut my plant back in May to prevent flowers because I love the silvery green leaves but also to keep the plant full.  If you don’t cut it back it gets leggy.   Note this plant dies back to bare stems in the winter.

Pruning tip for Artemisia:  I employ The Chelsea Chop, a pruning technique which is usually done in May and involves removing 2/3rds of a summer or fall flowering perennial.  This term was coined by Tracy DiSabiato in her excellent book “The Well Tended Perennial Garden” I happen to have sitting right next to my computer.  It’s an older book so you can get a good deal on this book at our Powells Books in Portland.

Drought tolerant & pollinator friendly plants for northeast Portland.

Drought tolerant planting combination is a thriller, colorful and great for pollinators too.

Create a Drought Tolerant Planting Combination for Year Round Interest

I’ve also had success with a combination planting of Echium*, Phormium, a small blue leafed Agave and Sedum rupestre ‘Angeliana’. This plant quartet has something going on all year round. The Phormium gives us year round structure, while the Agave gives both foliage color, contrast and texture. The mass of low semi-evergreen Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ adds a soft textured low foliage element and the Echium is the total drama queen with a 30” flower spike. Although Echium is somewhat toxic to people, the bees love it! And be aware the Sedum ‘Angelina’ is no angel and will spread, so best to use it in heavy soils and rarely water it to keep it polite.  Summer flowering Echium  must be pruned down at the end of the season to keep it from seeding about too much.  It can cause skin irritation so wear heavy gloves when handling this plant.  Echium will seed so I typically cut the spent flower stalk and put it in the garbage rather than my compost.

More Summer Flowers for Bees in North Portland

California Fuchsia, drought tolerant plant for Northeast Portland gardens.

Flowering for four months straight in hot full sun with no irrigation is my idea of a drought tolerant plant for my north Portland garden.

Epilobium ‘Catalina’ – California Fuchsia loves the hot dry Mediterranean summers we have and flowers from August through November. I see the hummingbirds flock to this plant for months.  Once it was well established it has never been watered since. This plant gets trimmed back a few times a year to keep it looking great but it’s worth it.

It also looks great adjacent to this public sidewalk in northeast Portland planted in this boulder wall.

Pollinator, bee friendly northeast Portland Eryngium.

Eryngium ‘Big Blue’ pulls our native bumble bees in by the droves. Like the Sedum ‘Matrona’ the flower itself is made  of many tiny flowers so lots of food for pollinators in a single flower.

Here’s a perfect plant that is both pollinator friendly and drought tolerant.  Eryngium ‘Big Blue’ –  Sea Holly in addition to attracting and feeding lots of pollinators, it adds dramatic beauty through the summer landscape and well into fall. The seed heads dry and remain a part of the garden view long after the silvery blue flowers have faded. Unlike many plants that claim to have blue flowers only to disappoint, this flower is absolutely blue.  And don’t forget our native bumble bees-they adore feeding from my Eryngium Sea Holly.

Purple Flowers Pollinator Plant Combination

Monardia Bradburiana – Eastern Beebalm is best in heavy soil and some shade to slow it down.  It is an excellent pollinator food plant and is native to the Midwest.  It is planted with a poppy called ‘Lauren’s Grape’ and the deep purple of this poppy is simply amazing.

Honey bees are busy feeding and collecting pollen from this dark purple poppy flower.

Papaver somniferum ‘Lauren’s Grape’ is fully drought tolerant in Hilary Hutler garden north Portland

You can grow it from seed and here is a source, Renees Garden   For great contrast with the poppy flower and foliage, I used Sedum ‘Matrona’ for its large succulent leaf.  The big flat umbel flower head is made up of a host of tiny flowers and has hundreds of nectar sites for pollinators.  It’s mauve purple foliage is a dazzler with this planting combo.

Pollinator & bee friendly northeast Portland garden plants; Eastern Bee Balm, Dark Grape Poppy and Sedum Matrona.

Eastern Bee Balm on the left, amazing poppy (Lauren’s Dark Grape) in the very back and Sedum ‘Matrona’ on the right.

My landscape in north Portland is a perfect place to experiment with plants for a drought tolerant and pollinator friendly garden in the Pacific Northwest.  With a thoughtful selection of plants, I’ve created beautiful and relatively low maintenance plantings that provide for pollinators, and is very drought tolerant.

Contact us to work with experienced landscape designers who love to use plants that conserve water, feed bees without sacrificing beauty and color in our home landscape.  We can make a difference in global warming by conserving water and protecting bees by the plantings we use in our Portland residential landscapes.

Drought Tolerant Plantings for St Johns North Portland Landscape Designs

Photo from St Johns North Portland of Cedar Wax Wings in a Mahonia 'Charity' large shrub.

Cedar Way Wings feast on fruit from Mahonia ‘Charity’ Photo by Hilary Hutler

Testing Xera Plants for Wildlife in North Portland

Welcome to Part 1 of a 2 part blog series on drought tolerant plants for North Portland front yards. As a Portland landscape designer, I understand how important it is to choose drought tolerant plants to help conserve water and beautify your landscape.

Record breaking plant sales for both Xera Plants in Portland and Cistus Designs,  a nursery on Sauvie Island, are just one indicator of the way Portlanders are embracing low water plants. 90% of prospective clients who contact me for Portland Landscape Designs ask for plantings plans that take into account our climate change and are planning for a much lower water usage in their landscape.

Test Landscape for Drought Tolerant Plants in St Johns Portland

Portland associate garden designer.

Hilary Hutler Landscape Designer in North Portland St. Johns Neighborhood

Our  associate garden designer, Hilary Hutler, uses her hot, west facing front yard in St. Johns neighborhood to test and explore the new wave of low water plants. She has a personal interest going back many years and has become well versed with drought tolerant plantings to include Pacific Northwest Native Plants and cold hardy Mediterranean plantings.

Today I’m sharing five of her current favorite low water plants that are drought tolerant, pollinator and bird food and have year-round interest.

 5 of Hilary’s Favorite Drought Tolerant Plants

Oregon Grape in Flower at Cistus Designs Nursery. North Portland

Oregon Grape, Mahonia ‘Charity’

Oregon Grape, Mahonia ‘Charity’- Hummingbird show and food source puts on a dramatic show in early winter.

Mahonia Gracilipes an evergreen shrub sports red stems from spent flowers and berries for birds. North Portland.

Mahonia Gracilipes sports red stems from spent flowers and berries for birds. Photo Hilary Hutler

Mahonia Gracilipes- This evergreen shrub has leathery, glossy dark green foliage and clusters of fragrant, yellow flowers in late winter or early spring.

Flower close up of Arctostaphylos 'John Dourley a compact and smaller shrub than most Manzanita (Arctostaphylos). North Portland

Arctostaphylos ‘John Dourley’ flower close up. Photo by Hilary Hutler

Manzanita ‘John Dourley’- is a great smaller shrub and is favored for it’s more manageable size and overall good looks and yes the flowers.

Griffiths Arctostaphylos (Manzanita) in Spring North Portland.

My photo of Hilary’s Austin Griffiths Arctostaphylos (Manzanita) just prior to flowering.

Griffith Manzanita flowers in St Johns neighborhood of North Portland

Hilary’s Austin Griffith Manzanita flowers in St Johns neighborhood of North Portland and is a fully drought tolerant plant. Photo by Hilary Hutler

Manzanita ‘Austin Griffiths’- for it’s beautiful and sinuous multi stem shape, attractive bark and late winter flowers.

Drought Tolerant Grevillea shrub in North Portland

Drought Tolerant Grevillea shrub flowering in Hilary’s garden in St. Johns neighborhood of North Portland

Grevillea- This small tree/shrub is best known for the hummingbird show it puts on along with bright tropical looking flowers.

These are just a few of the many drought tolerant plants that can help you create an attractive and visually exciting, low-water landscape.

Special Care for Drought Tolerant Plantings in Portland, Oregon

Most drought tolerant plants must be planted in soil that is well draining.  You can still plant them in our native clay soils but not in a low spot.  Some of the drought tolerant evergreens like Arctostaphylos (Manzanita) and Grevillea need special neglect in order to thrive.  Never fertilize these plants even when you are planting them.  Add no composts or mulches to the soil at planting.  Plant them in the native soil whenever possible. To read more about how to care for Arctostaphylos and Grevillea at the Xera Website.

In Part 2 of this blog series, I will share more of our favorite drought tolerant plants and give you tips on how to properly care for them. Stay tuned for more!

Contact us

Do you want to have a landscape that uses less water and embraces plantings that support pollinators and gives your landscape a new up to date style?  We are uber practical but also will release our plant nerd side when that is a benefit to our clients who enjoy plants and want to have an interesting and successful drought tolerant landscape.

Contact us.  We would love to work with your landscape wish list and give you a landscape to enjoy throughout the upcoming years which are probably going to be hotter and dryer than we would all prefer.