Hi GPODers!
At the end of last year we were introduced to Karen Safford’s stunning garden in Bend, Oregon (Check that post out here: Karen’s Oregon Garden Through the Seasons). Karen’s gardens are relatively new, having moved to her property less than 5 years ago, but she has already thoughtfully and beautifully mixed many ornamentals and natives to accommodate the dry conditions and tough terrain of the high desert. Last time we got a great overview of her diverse plantings through the seasons, today we get to see some other areas in the garden in their spring glory.
Hi! I submitted part of my garden through the seasons last year. I’m sending some photos of other areas of my garden as early spring flowers wind down here in the high desert of Oregon. All of my plants are low water and on a drip system. I have a mix of ornamentals and native plants. My intention is to water my ornamental beds twice a week and my native beds once every couple of weeks, dependent on how hot the summer ends up being. I’m trying to make as many pollinators and birds as happy as possible so I’ve got a lot of natives mixed in. We are now technically zone 6a, but everything I’ve learned is that because of our freeze-thaw cycle that can last all summer long, we should really plant for much colder— zone 4 or 5.
As I mentioned last time, I live in the high desert and have a lot of lava rock in my yard. All of the rock in the pictures is from my yard— nothing was outsources other than flagstone. This is one of my wetter beds. I have Jack Frost brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’, Zones 3–7), hosta, Johnson Blue geranium (Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’, Zones 4–8), lambs’ ear and creeping Veronica cascading down the rocks.
Wild flower tulips (Tulipa sylvestris, Zones 4–8) mixed in with my fern bush (Chamaebatiaria millefolium, Zones 4–9) and desert penstemon (Penstemon pseudospectabilis, Zones 5–9).
Ice plant (Delosperma spp. and cvs., Zones 6–10), poet’s daffodil (Narcissus poeticus, Zones 3–8), Globemaster allium (Allium ‘Globemaster’, Zones 5–8), hollyhock and creeping Veronica. Globe thistle (Echinops spp. and cvs., Zones 3–8) and phenomenal lavender in the background.
Near our water feature (the fencing is to keep the dogs from tearing through the fountain and wiping out my plants): Creeping thyme (Thymus spp. and cvs., Zones 4–9), hopflower oregano (Origanum libanoticum, Zones 5–9), globe thistle (Echinops ritro, Zones 3–8), Golden Echo daffodil (Narcissus ‘Golden Echo’, Zones 5–8), blue fescue (Festuca glauca, Zones 4–9), and yellow ice plant.
This is the area I featured last year. Everything is filling in and looks lovely in the evening light.
Down one of my garden paths—this divides my rock garden to the left with my native beds to the right, with my dog, Winston, on the path.
Final photo—our water feature—this was made with rocks from our lot. There is a vacation rental behind our house and this helps dampen any noise, it’s like having a giant white noise machine. It often has birds or dogs taking baths in it. It is flanked by native penstemons, a native juniper plant, yarrow, lavender, serviceberry, gray creeping germander (Teucrium aroanium, Zones 5–10), Blonde Ambition blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’, Zones 4–9), Blue Boa agastache (Agastache ‘Blue Boa’, Zones 5–9), stonecrops and and ice plants. I’m hoping this is the year that this garden really takes off.
Thank you so much for another fabulous tour of your garden, Karen! Your unique landscape brings along plenty of challenges, but it also allows you to create a fascinating garden full of natural interest.
We’ve seen an incredible mix of spring gardens so far this season, but there is always room for more! If you’ve been considering sharing some photos with the blog, here’s your sign to send them in. Follow the directions below to submit photos via email, or send me a DM on Instagram: @agirlherdogandtheroad.
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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