Where We've Been: Portland in Bloom

Always on the move in search of fresh inspiration, Design by Terrain's Matt M. visited the gardens of Portland, Oregon in late February. While cold weather was still in full force on the East Coast, signs of spring were beginning to appear in the Pacific Northwest. Matt's itinerary included stops at Leach Botanical Garden, Lan Su Chinese Garden, Xera Plants, and several more nurseries in the region. We followed along throughout his journey, and narrowed down his floral discoveries to the six beautiful blooms above. He shares a bit about each one, below.

"A recent, whirlwind nursery and garden tour in Portland revealed lush foliage and stunning winter blooms," says Matt. "Portland has a temperate climate, very similar to the Mediterranean, where summers are hot and dry while winters are mild and misty. These blooms were some of my favorites-- I kept it short and sweet since they really speak for themselves."

Slide One
Left: A winning combination of textural Dyckia, Agave geminiflora and cactus at Cistus Nursery.
Right: Gorgeous Daphne genkwa against the perfect backdrop at Pistils Nursery.

Slide Two
Left: Velvety cardoon foliage-- cardoon grows up to 8 feet tall and this one already had quite a head start in late February!
Right: The hellebores were out in full force. This blush-stained, double-flowering varietal in an urban garden was a showstopper.

Slide Three
Left: Miniature cyclamens, naturalized in a garden at Cistus.
Right: Daphne odora 'Maejima' is a major head-turner!