Wildflower Wednesday, July, 2014 -- Cupid's Dart

For Wildflower Wednesday (which was actually yesterday), I'm featuring a flower that is a Mediterranean native -- Catanache caerulea, aka Cupid's Dart.

I've found this lovely wildflower very easy to grow from seed, having sowed it twice now during the winter. I have it planted out in my front garden bed along the street.

We had rain earlier today, a surprise thunderstorm followed by torrential rain, which is quite unusual for here in July. The rain bent this flower down to the ground.

But plenty of others are still standing tall.

I'm highly enamored of the papery bracts that hold the flower.

They dance and sway in the breeze before the flowers open.

Here's some cultivation info about Cupid's Dart.

Height: 18-24 inches
Spacing: 12-15 inches
Hardiness: Zone 4-9
Light Requirements: Full Sun
Moisture Requirements: Drought-tolerant
Bloom Time: July-September

It's called Cupid's Dart because supposedly the ancient Greeks used it as an ingredient in love potions. According to what I've read online, it's a short-lived perennial, and makes a better statement when massed, as the flowers are smallish, so I'll probably sow more this winter.

Gail Eichelberger of the blog Clay and Limestone hosts Wildflower Wednesday, which is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over the world. Check out her blog here, and if you have the urge to share about a wildflower that you grow, feel free to post about it and share the link on her site.

The New Hampshire Garden of Deanne Fortnam

Earlier this month, while I was in Massachusetts visiting my son, I took advantage of the fact that he had to work the day before his surgery, and took off, leaving Nigel in my dust, to visit Deanne Fortnam, who writes the blog Fortnam Gardens. I knew that despite living and gardening in New Hampshire, Deanne had lots and lots (really lots) of Bromeliads, and as a new convert to tropicals like that, I was dying to see them (not to mention the rest of her garden). Fortunately, it wasn't far from where we were staying to Deanne's house. Thanks to the Google iPhone app, I found my way there easily.

She greeted me at the door and happily showed me around.

A white branch of her variegated Brugmansia

Not a Cotinus -- amazingly, a Euphorbia!

Euphorbia cotinifolia flowers

Blue pots massed on the driveway, with a massive Furcraea as a centerpiece

I looked up from those blue pots, across the front expanse of lawn, and gasped. The entire border pictured below is composed of potted tropical plants in hot colors (which if you've been reading my blog lately, I am right now highly enamored of). Some of these plants -- the red banana and the deeply veined elephant ear in particular -- are enormous, taller than me (I'm a shortie, but still).

I immediately fell in lust with that orange Bromeliad.

A match made in heaven

The sun was bright that day, but that orange Bromeliad outshone it!

From there, we went around the right hand side of the house into the back garden, where this lovely patio, also surrounded by Bromeliads in pots, awaited.

Love those striations!

Running along the back of the house is a shady border with this leaf casting, painted by Deanne. I learned later, while we sat eating lunch, that Deanne is an artist. Amazingly, she initially failed her certification because of a lack of color theory knowledge. I don't think she needs to worry about that any more.

These three lush Begonias hang just above.

A sweet pond and waterfall which Deanne and her husband Doug built themselves

Hey! I recognize that plant! I bought one last winter.

To the right of the pond, another border full of potted tropical plants. This view is actually through her sun-room window. Imagine having that to look at as a view through your window!

This border in the back garden is the home of Deanne's Bromeliad tree, which I've read about on her blog. I wondered how it was made. Each Bromeliad was removed from its pot, the roots wrapped in moss and then wired to the tree. I don't have enough Bromeliads to make something like this, but some day...

A flowering Tillandsia tucked into the Bromeliad tree

Touches of art everywhere -- and a good aphorism to keep in mind, since my son's surgery was coming up the very next day.

Further back, under the tall trees is a shady area where Deanne has been fighting the predations of voles.

A fern among the Ligularia with an enormous mouthful of a name -- Athyrium filix-femina 'Cruciato cristatum' Dre's Dagger

A charming garden shed

I love the touch of "Old World" charm that this colorful, weatherproof art brings to the garden. When you turn your head, you can see the real thing, only better.

Thank you, Deanne, for feeding me lunch and for being such a lovely and welcoming hostess! You must come to the PNW so I can repay the favor.

The Ferrante Garden

Well, I think I've wallowed in self-pity long enough over not getting to go to the Garden Bloggers Fling in Portland. (Wah, wah, wah! Time to get over it.) I made up for it by taking part in the Hardy Plant Study Weekend, which I've covered in a couple of June blog posts, as well as attending the HPSO/Garden Conservancy Tour in Portland in late June with my friend Annette. Also, while I was away in Massachusetts I managed to take a day to visit a couple of gardens which I have yet to post about. And just this past weekend I went down to Long Beach, WA for the Music in the Gardens Tour. So...I'm behind on posting, which means I better get my finger out and start writing and sorting through my pictures.

You can read about the HPSO/Garden Conservancy Tour here. Basically, it was a joint effort of the Garden Conservancy and Hardy Plant Society of Oregon that focused on 6 gardens in North and Northeast Portland, small urban gardens with the stated theme: "Within the City Limits: Minimum Space - Maximum Results."

Once I start sorting through my photos it's usually easy to see which gardens were favorites -- it's the ones where I took plenty of pictures. We actually visited the Ferrante Garden third that day, but it stood out immediately. It's obvious even with a cursory glance that Jenn Ferrante has a great eye for color-matching plants, containers and garden art and for placing art and creating plant combinations that work.

From the website, in the words of the gardener: "A wonderful large corner lot is home to a seven-year-old garden filled with luscious plants and quirky art. Foliage rules here, with featured areas of both shade and sun plants. I have a definite color scheme, focusing on black, chartreuse and burgundy. No pastels in this garden! Gravel hell strips frame both sides of the garden, containing plants that thrive with little water. The west-side garden is a lovely respite containing an angled deck that puts you right in the middle of all the plantings."

I took a bad establishing photo of the lovely Craftsman style house, but I'm not going to share it.

This hanging multi-paned window and matching containers were on the front porch.

Love this fabulous rusty container

Leaf and flower belong together

These glass lanterns matched not only the foliage but also nearby chairs and seat cushions on the deck.

I love terra cotta containers

This line-up of terra cotta clay cylinders was just below the stairs

Many Flingers have remarked on Facebook and in blog posts that orange seems to be a signature Portland color. Here it is again.

Enormous Kirengeshoma palmata

This metal trough planted with succulents hung on the fence, and was topped with a dead moss-covered branch.

Simple table vignette

The purple barberry and Panicum are pretty common plants, but still make perfect companions.

Water-loving Acorus gramineus is a perfect plant for just below a rain chain

There were quite a lot of rusty garden ornaments featured here as well. We asked Jenn where she got her garden art, and she said she'd bought quite a lot of it at the Cracked Pots Art Festival, which is an annual art show that is taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, in Edgefield, OR. It showcases Northwest artists who make provocative art from reused, recycled and reimagined materials. Read about it here.

I hope you enjoyed this look at Jenn Ferrante's garden in Portland, OR. It was a fun day for me and my friend Annette. We even ran into Loree of Danger Garden and the MulchMaid herself Jane Finch-Howell.