Portlandia filmed at our house two summers ago. They seem to need a lot of houses for filming, especially ones that are sort of run down, like ours. Periodically we get a call about filming and I've turned them down because the filming was so stressful for me and the crew made me feel so unhip. I got a series of calls this week because their producer thought our house would be perfect . . . .
. . . for putting a hot tub on the lawn. I'm not going to lie, that didn't feel great. Of course the last time they were here, our house looked like this. Actually, it was summer, so the lawn was brown.
So I get it. Lots of lawn space and a slightly dilapidated house that could conceivably shelter people who would put a hot tub on it. Regardless, I had to tell them that we don't have a lawn anymore! We have a garden! And boy do we have a lot of blooms this month.
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| Zauschneria 'Mattole Select,' Coreopsis 'Moonbeam,' Verbascum bombyciferum 'Arctic Snow' |
The cannas are still blooming like crazy, along with every grass and flower in the meadow.
Gaillardia grandiflora 'Arizona Sun' likes it hot and sunny, just like this castor bean.
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| Muhlenbergia rigens |
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| Salvia 'Amistad' |
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| Salvia 'Black and Blue' |
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| Dalea purpurea |
Geranium 'Rozanne' will never stop blooming.
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| Sunflower 'Lemon Queen' is winking at you |
Agastache 'Ava' is another one that starts blooming and never stops.
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| Rudbeckia hirta |
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| Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick' |
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| Achnatherum hymenoides (Indian Ricegrass) |
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| Panicum 'Northwind' which I always call 'Swiftwind', which was She-Ra's horse. |
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| Clematis jackmanii |
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| Gaultheria hispidula (Creeping snowberry) flowers |
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| Creeping snowberry fruits |
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| Sedum telephium 'Hab Gray' |
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| Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats) |
We got this NOID zinnia from a packet of seeds that we got upon entrance to the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam.
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| Verbena bonariensis and 'Gateway' Joe Pye Weed |
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| Sesleria autumnalis |
Lots of blooms means lots of pollinators right now. If only they'd called saying, "We need a house with bees! Lots of bees!"
But sadly, they didn't say any of that. If you need me I'll be nursing my hurt feelings, drinking a PBR in skinny jeans. Ironically.
Bloom day is hosted by Carol at
May Dreams Gardens. Be sure to stop by and check out what everyone else has blooming. Thank you, Carol!
Wow...it's always amazing to see how much you've accomplished in such a short time! Everything looks fabulous, of course...the whole front garden is a treasure. That Dalea bloom against the Anementhale foliage is stunning! You will always be our Princess of Power!
ReplyDeleteI love all of your bright colors! Too bad about the hot tub, but your front yard must give you so much more pleasure now than when it was just grass.
ReplyDeleteWell, Boo to those smug hipsters. I love all your blooms. Who wants boring lawn? Not us gardeners. That's such a great photo of the sleeping bumble. I love that Salvia 'Amistad.' I saw some at the local nursery the other day, and almost bought it. But I really don't want to bring home any more plants that need to be put in the ground this fall. I have too many waiting in the wings already.
ReplyDeleteToo bad you didn't get a call from a film crew smart enough to take advantage of that beautiful front garden. I love the winking 'Lemon Queen' sunflower - sadly, mine collapsed under its own weight early in the season...
ReplyDeleteWhat a difference two years makes. You have so much going on, so many interesting plants, and they have filled in so well! Yours is definitely not a house that would have a hot tub -- you have upped your game right out of the TV satire market and into garden stardom!
ReplyDeleteThat ' Mattole select' has been a great plant for you! I can't believe how different from When I saw your front garden , it looks fantastic"
ReplyDeletePortlandia's loss is our gain...and I'm sure "the Tina Fey of gardening" (or should I say Carol Burnett. No matter, you are your own brand) could come up with a better skit anyway.
ReplyDeleteBunnies devoured my dalea and they are still recovering. No blooms for me this year. Waaahhhh!! I love Portlandia but if they think grass is hip, they're not as cool as they think they are. Love all that color. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the earlier picture of your house! You should be proud of the huge amount of work you've to both your house and garden; both look spectacular. Un hip? You? That Portlandia crew must have had their collective head up their...cameras.
ReplyDeleteBut just think of how much plant money you could have sold that hot tub for! I mean people buy those things right?
ReplyDeleteYour front garden is amazing!
Portlandia is seriously missing out! Bees are so much better than a hot tub! Your garden is spectacular!
ReplyDeleteI knew you would get that reference and appreciate that combo. :)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Though I wouldn't mind a hot tub in the back yard . . . just a little one!
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard right now with so many places clearing out their stock not to buy up everything. I saw what had to be Amistad at Home Depot the other day, mislabeled as Salvia splendens, so I think you'll have plenty of opportunities to buy it again.
ReplyDeleteOh no, really? That's good to know. I may plant a different cultivar next year if this one can't hold itself up.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Laurrie!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for convincing me I needed that Zauschneria. I love them!
ReplyDeleteSheesh, I wish! But thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, that's so sad! They have such wonderfully bizarre blooms.
ReplyDeleteI accidentally wore my Birkenstocks (with socks, no less) and my mom jeans. And they were all super young, so I'm sure my advanced age of 36 made me seem ancient.
ReplyDeleteThat's totally how I think about things now. How many plants could that buy? And thank you for saying that--it means so much coming from you!
ReplyDeleteBees ARE better than hot tubs! And thank you :)
ReplyDeleteYour place looks great. The Zauschneria (which sounds like it should be a Yiddish word for something anatomical) looks fantastic. And our purple prairie clover is pathetic compared to yours! By the way, I get the She Ra reference, but where is He Man?
ReplyDeleteYour flowers look great! The Zauschneria is stunning. The hummingbirds must love it. I love the idea of getting rid of grass to make flowerbeds. I hate grass. Your photo of the bumblebee is cute, they are so comically fuzzy.
ReplyDeleteThanks! The hummingbirds do love that one--they tend to guard it and dive bomb us if we weed near it!
ReplyDeleteI might have to start referring to the neighborhood cat as Cringer or Battle Cat. :)
ReplyDeleteThat yellow flower is a Calendula.
ReplyDeleteLooks so lovely! Lemon queen is the best - I'll never plant any other sunflower again.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm glad to know I chose a good one, especially since I'll have them forever, right?
ReplyDeleteWe actually had a somewhat similar experience: they came over to try to film the same couple as they filmed last time at our house, prior to our kitchen remodel. Upon seeing the house on this current scout, I overheard the director say "but they're supposed to be almost at poverty level". And then he told me that we made our house too nice for the couple in the skit, which I took as a compliment. But still I thought, "really, was our house at poverty level before?"
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they would find your house unsuitable for a hot tub out front. It's beautiful!!