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I live 30 miles west of Portland, OR, in the middle of 40 acres. My husband and I are empty-nesters, as our 2 daughters are out on their own pursuing their careers. We do not farm our acreage (but have 6 sheep, the remnants of the girls'4H flock - to keep the brambles down in the orchard). I have been (trying to control it) an avid plant
collector. I have large perennial beds; and one that I'm
switching over (in the mistaken impression that it will be less work intensive) from perennials to a mixed border of leafy plants. Deer are somewhat a problem as they nip the
buds off roses and lilies in particular. The dog is a
problem as she likes to chase birds right through my iris
bed. I'm having fun growing Gunnera plants in a bog created
out of a kiddie pool that has been filled in - it used to hold fish, until a gopher burrowed under the pool, and made a hole in the middle and let the water out; same thing with the Rodgersia. I'm really going for the "statement" plants these last 2 years (to my husband's horror):Cardoon, Plume Poppy, Angelica, Gunnera, Rheum palmatum, etc. I grow quite a few of Oregon's native plants that I have access to in our woodland: trilliums, goatsbeard, and a variety of irises (it's amazing the variety of color these come in: from white, lavender, chocolate to shades of violet). We have a great climate for a lot of things, but the summers have been drier and warmer over the last few years (don't believe what they say about it raining all the time in Oregon;I only wish), and it's hard to water everything adquately when you have to watch water consumption. My new project is going to
try and make castings from large leaves such as Gunnera to
be used as bird baths. Quite a few people around Portland
have tried their hand at it. The professionals at this are the Little and Lewis folks up in Washington. You can see their work on the web. Nena

I live in: United States

My zone is: z7 OR Pacific N

First registered on May 22,2002.