About the garden

I garden in what we jokingly refer to as “the fifth quadrant” of Portland, in the north. My garden is zone 8b and I’m blessed with sandy, fast draining soil, due to my proximity to the Columbia River.

Portland has a mediterranean climate, which means we’re wet in the winter (35 inches of rain on average) and dry in the summer.

The front garden is xeric, and we generally water it about twice per month in the summer when our rain stops completely.

The back garden is leaning more tropical these days and consumes more water. I use drip hoses and hand watering for the most part. Our outdoor structure was built by Bamboo Craftsman in North Portland.

I garden with quite a few natives but I’m not a native purist and don’t think you should be, either. I love agaves and grasses and my favorite genus is probably Mahonia.