Today began with the alarm at 4:15 am. I picked up my friend who needed surgery and am now in the waiting room till they call me to meet him in recovery. It is now 9:15 am. Not sure when I will get back home. I am glad that I was able to be a friend today and help him! We all need each other!

These two varieties of Crocus seem to be the toughest and brightest in my garden. I thought that I would share them this morning before they fade! 🌱 #PNWGardening

Chanticleer and Reynard are two pivotal pieces of art in my garden that are playful and thoughtful! If one has memories of Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” still lingering in one’s brain it makes so much more sense to see the two of them eyeing one another across the gravel path! 🌱 #PNWGardening

I just seem to be enamored with their pixie cuteness! Tiny Narcissus bulbocoides! I planted them in gravel next to the asphalt, fearing that they might struggle! No, they love the heat and hard drainage! 🌱 #PNWGardening

Well, I need to make A further comment regarding the Jerusalem Artichokes, Choctaw potatoes, Sunchokes ( Helianthus tiberosus)! I roasted them in olive oil yesterday and posted a photo. They were delicious! However I have found that they produce gas and a generous amount of diarrhea in my system!

The cut up Sunchokes roasted in olive oil at 425 for 30 minutes! They are delicious, reminiscent of artichokes. I guess that is how they got their folk name!

Last evening we were driving to our grandsons music concert in Newberg! The sky was lit so we stopped at the Tualatin River Nature Reserve on the way as there is a place to park with unobstructed view! I could not help myself I needed to take a panorama video of this spectacular sunset!

The invasives were removed and in the construction of this bioswale, bark mulch was placed on the bare soil! A good step! However no maintenance plan and no planting plan to plant native plants for our wildlife, birds and pollinators. Therefore yesterday I began with two Mahonia a. 🌱 #PNWGardening

I realize that I am in my waning years of autumn for humans. 50-75 are the autumn years and then, the winter years. I have accepted this uncomfortable fact more readily, because I chose to have children and now they have given us 6 grandchildren!They bring joy and are all yet in their spring years!

Some of you asked what the clump of Matillaja Poppies. which I hacked back this fall, look like in the summer time. Well, Here you go! Taxonomically they are = Romney coulterii

Choctaw potatoes is one folk name, Jerusalem artichoke and Sunchoke are two more! A perennial sunflower, producing bucketfuls of tubers to roast in olive oil or to slice and dip hummus! YUM! Helianthus tuberosus. Full sun, good drainage, easy! 🌱 #PNWGardening

Yesterday we watched our grandson and his friends play basketball! He is our youngest and is full of vim and vigor! They each exude happiness and joy, so in this season of so much ickiness, and acrimony I am sharing my joy! ❤️❤️👏🎶🎵

One of my fave subjects, trees. Couldn't think of a clever title, so I called this one "The Tree". peggycollinsgallery.com/featured/the... #trees #treeart #colorfulart #artforsale #onlybeautifulthings #artshow

Today at our once a month Food Share by our Friends(Quaker) meeting in Portland, we handed out these small written pieces of legal information with a whistle to any Hispanic or food recipient of color! They each smiled, and we all felt a tiny bit better as we shared our carefully packed food items!

Our Helleborus orientalis are looking lovely today. It feels like a sweet backdrop for this;, “A friend is one who knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails” Peace 🌱 #PNWGardening

Despite the chilly rainy weather my Narcissus bulbocodiums are blooming! Tough little guys! A folk name is Hoop Petticoats.

Today I was shopping in the grocery part of New Seasons. I came across 9 purple passion fruit! They were $19 a pound but I could not resist purchasing one! It was $2. I cut the top off and sucked out the yellow seedy inside! I was transported to my childhood in Burundi! One of my favorite fruits!

Ahhh! The paella! YUM!!!

Enjoying a delicious Spanish dinner of Paella and stuffed piquillo peppers at La Rambla in McMinnville in the Willamette Valley. I really enjoy their light fixtures, each one different, reminiscent of colorful sombreros or possibly psychedelic mushrooms!

I decided to make a public statement and apply bumper stickers to Gracie. This is a first, in 74 years, but I think that now is a time in our history where these words and signs need to be said loudly and clearly! Love one another! Seek the light! Treat others as one would like to be treated!

Today I had the privilege of showing a retired teacher what I am doing in my community rewilding 6 areas. They are small but I believe are very important! This saying by Tolkien inspires me to carry on!! 🌱 #PNWGardening

I have changed diapers on several small humans in my lifetime it prepared me! Behind the retaining wall at our community garden there is a 3’ space. Well a homeless person used that space to poop, for several days. I sprinkled lye, placed cardboard then chips! 🌱 #PNWGardening

Well Blue Sky did not pick up the final photo. Here it is with the pots on the pavers 🌱 #PNWGardening

The camellia “Yuletide” continued to grow too big and too fast after 22 years, so I dug it up, put it in a big pot, filled the hole, placed weed fabric down, then gravel, and finally pavers. The pots were set on the pavers and it looks so much better now! 🌱 #PNWGardening

It has begin! The rewilding of the space behind the bioswale! I planted these 4 plants which I have propagated and these wild flower seeds harvested for the PNW! I will show results this summer! 🌱 #PNWGardening

The crocuses just keep on popping out of the ground! I love the color and vigor!

I realize that Daphne odora is very common here in the PNW! However when February begins to open the flowers and fill the air with its lemony-Jasmine perfume, it is almost intoxicating! When I owned Winterbloom, for 41 years, I made sure to plant one near each Client’s front door! 🌱 PNWGardening

The air is energized by the amazing fragrance of Our Edgeworthia! It is a large deciduous shrub which wears, in the growing season, rather large gray green elliptical fuzzy leaves. It joins in fragrance wafting with our Daphne and Sarcococca! 🌱 #PNWGardening

A friendly and tough rock garden plant is Polygala buxifolia. It blooms in the wintertime giving occasional sustenance to the wandering bee! It plays in the rock wall next to my giant Eucryphia x ‘Rostrevor’ 🌱 #PNWGardening

Male Urine writing has reached a new level of artistic exhibition!

Last Thursday morning, at the dawn of the day, the sky lit up as I was walking! The eastern sun shot out its message, “Red in the morning, sailors take warning, red at night, sailors delight!” That evening a big storm front came through from the Pacific and we have had rain off and on since then!

Last week I walked with a friend to the confluence of the Willamette River (on the left) and the Clackamas River on the right! The right photo shows the I-205 bridge over the Willamette River. So fortunate to live here in the PNW! I am grateful! The land of the dancing frogs and unicorns!

The erosion fence is rolled up to be reused as a base for the walkways between the beds of our community garden. If I would have bought a roll, it would have been about $200. This way it is free. If the developers would have removed it, they would have dumped it in the garbage! 🌱 #PNWGardening

Today is the big day! I rolled up the silt fence and smoothed out the ground! I will keep out the invasives until next November when I will plant native shrubs, perennials and hopefully some annuals by seed. 🌱 #PNWGardening

Yesterday I drove this group of friends to Newport at the coast to our favorite restaurant, “Local Ocean”! It was 70f and sunny with no wind! So unusual for summertime much less February! I had my favorite dish “Mogeca de Piege” Brazilian fish stew. Superb, with a Mrs Giles Mai Tai!

Here is proof that i accomplished my goal of digging out the erosion fence today! This is my third day of about 2.5 hours/ day. Back in my 50s I could have pounded it out in one full day, but now I need to pace myself! I will clean it up on my next work day and replant it with natives next November!

Today’s project is to remove this 6 year old erosion fence. It is buried in the ground with roots running through it! Tough to extract! My plan is to get this area all cleaned up and ready to plant w natives next November at the onslaught of the rainy season! 🌱 #PNWGardening

We had a hard frost last week week which gave me the opportunity to cut back the Hedychium ‘Tara’. They are tall with fragrant orange blooms in August! Usually by Christmas we have had a frost! They are now cut to the ground for another year! 🌱 #PNWGardening

Helleborus Niger, another fairly dependable winterblooming Hellebore. Its icy white blooms are always welcome on dark winter days! In our climate it MUST be planted in a well drained spot or it will rot quickly in our winter rains! 🌱 #PNWGardening

This post recently came across from a friend. In this period of time when choosing to turn on the news means churning the stomach and the nervous system, what helps me to feel real is to get out in nature, pull invasives or hike, be and talk with a buddy!

Helleborus corsicus, it does not disappoint! In our climate it reseeds randomly and blooms in January. I let this one pop up between rocks and it is now dangling over the path! I think that I love it that way! 🌱 #PNWGardening

It is that time again when my most iconic of Winterbloomers comes into its glory! A very sweet display of little propeller like blooms atop faux painted dark green heart shaped leaves! They are what I used for my Logo for 42 years of Winterbloom landscape! ❤️ 🌱 #PNWGardening

This video represents to me what is good in the USA! Here are two very talented dancers displaying their talents to the music ‘Hallelujah’ in a large cathedral! It is a big push against the discrimination coming from this administration in a positive and affirming way! Powerful!

A friend yesterday told me that he is on a diet of eating only the most antioxidant, nutrition filled, and power packed, whole foods. I asked him if he used Goji berries. He said yes, but they are so expensive and are dried! I told him that I grow them in my yard! Here is proof! 🌱 #PNWGardening

Another glorious morning, 31 degrees F with a wind! I wore several layers but it is still piercingly icy for here! The Rhododendrons are shivering! Got my 4 miles in and probably a few more by the end of the day!

A winter video of our back yard, walk through the gate, look at our daylight basement and the art, then the birdbath with deck above for entertaining and finally the water feature in the back perennial bed! 🌱 #PNWGardening

Just another reason to walk early in the morning! Mt Hood is glorious! It is frosty but clear! 🌱 #PNWGardening

Right next door to the Flower Carpet Rose are the Euphorbias and Salvias! Both are evergreen and are just itching to bloom! 🌱 #PNWGardening #Gardening

Cutting back the “Flower Carpet” pink rose. It blooms from about June 1- November sometime. It has small flowers in abundance which makes it a good landscape plant, plus it is tough and comes back reliably every year! 🌱 #PNWGardening #Gardening

Cut back the Musa basjoo banana as well! 🌱 #PNWGardening #Gardening