Friday, July 11, 2014

Morning Glory in the Garden of Sean Hogan

On our first morning in Portland, Oregon we spent some time perusing and relaxing in the private garden of horticulturist Sean Hogan, who is also the owner of Cistus Nursery located in the same city. The sun was shining, the weather was glorious, and just to make it perfect we were immersed in the beautiful personal space Sean has created.


We arrived in the city the evening before wherein Loree met us at the airport and took us to Sean's place. Afterwards we all went out for dinner but as it was well dark already by the time we got back we had to wait till the morning to have a proper look of the garden. I have to say even in the dark you can make out the silhouette of the beautiful plants and you can tell already that it's a beautiful garden. So come the morning, after a lovely breakfast we sat out to relax in the back garden.


But with so much beauty you can't really sit for long. You won't be able to help but look around. And what we saw was amazing.

Gaz catching up on Oregonian news
With very tall Trachycarpus and other plants giving canopy, privacy, and sense of enclosure to the space


The garden is a relatively small one, which according to Sean is a pretty standard garden space for a lot of Portland houses. But he has creatively put in a a lot of plants to use as much of the available space, and in layers too with planting that is lush and very leafy.

Take note of the Schefflera delavayi hedge

I'll borrow this idea, variegated Trachelospermum asiaticum climbing up a Trachycarpus trunk




Metapanax delavayi
Podophyllum pleianthum

A variegated Loquat, Eriobotrya japonica
The front garden was just as beautiful as the back...



Yucca linearifolia with variegated Hedera







Sean has created a beautiful garden, packed with loads of unusual plants and is a beautiful place to relax in. And his garden is a reflection and a taster of plant treasures that can be found in Cistus Nursery, a post about it coming up soon.

We are bracing ourselves for a busy next few days but spending time in a garden like this is certainly very revitalising!

Mark :-)

44 comments :

  1. OH my!!!!!! how beautiful. I'm green with envy. I so wish I was out there with all of you. have a wonderful time and keep posting these fabulous pics!!!!!

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    1. Wish you can join us this weekend Deanne :) it'll be busy but we'll try our best

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  2. Sean's garden is the perfect place for you to relax since you must feel right at home. No reason to miss your own garden since this one is so like yours.

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    1. Loving the garden of Sean :) it does feel similar but most of his plants are much taller than ours Shirley

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  3. Wow, what a beautiful place! Wish I was there with you. Can't wait for more beautiful photos like this!

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    1. Would have been great if you made it Candice!

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  4. Stunning, and I appreciate how he melds lush and some spikiness. What a serene morning!

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    1. It was, and the serenity was much needed too!

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  5. Certainly looks like a tropical oasis, enjoy your holiday x

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  6. From one jungle to another! Have a great time!

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  7. I felt right at home viewing those tropicalesque plants. I'll bet you did too. Thanks for the peak into a beautiful and lush garden.
    David/:0)

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    1. A pleasure David, and we got the message, thank you! Hopefully we'll get the chance to meet soon :)

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  8. This garden reminds me so much of your own. I love that gate! Have fun in Portland. My son lives there, and he has taken me on a tour of some of the neighborhoods where beautiful gardens seem to bloom with little effort. I am so jealous of his climate.

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    1. That gate is fab isn't it? So is the rest of the garden :) your son lives on a lovely part of the world Debs, where there are so many enthusiastic about gardening!

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  9. It's always amazing what the Northwest can manage in their gardens vs the rest of us in Northern states. It is all lovely.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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    1. The climate here seems to have just the right balance Cher :)

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  10. What a stunning garden, very clever planting, all those contrasting layers of foliage. Who needs flowers? I have serious gate envy now though...

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    1. It's a gorgeous foliage garden Janet, nice touch with the gate too!

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  11. Congrats on getting Sean's & Nathan's garden to yourselves. I've only seen it teeming with a fellow wine swillers--which I'm not complaining about, mind you--just sayin. Glad you're enjoying it. Nice to meet you in person finally.

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    1. It was lovely to meet you too Patricia! Sean was a fabulous host to the both of us and Gerhard, we had an amazing time in his and Nathan's company :) And we got to immerse ourselves in his fab garden too!

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  12. What a wonderful space! I can imagine that felt great after suffering through a transatlantic flight! Love the gate and all the marvelous foliage...

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    1. It was, you immediately go into relax mode the moment you step out into the garden

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  13. So wonderful that you guys are here and soaking up the best of our Portland plant scene. Gaz makes a great garden model, by the way.

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    1. Better late than never but to say that it was wonderful to experience Portland for the first time with all of you guys!

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  14. Wow, notebooks out, guys! For a first garden on your tour, this one is going to take some beating. Just glorious - all that fresh greenery and sunshine. One thing I really want to know, though - what is that fabulous glaucous pompom plant in the front garden? It's in the photo underneath the Eriobotrya japonica … I really want one!

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    1. Sean's garden was a great introduction to Portland gardens Caro! The pom pom plant is Yucca rostrata :)

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  15. Loved getting some face time with you two. How nice (and appropriate) that you could make your home away from home at Sean's. Come back soon!

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    1. It was lovely to finally meet you Ricki :) and yes we will, definitely!

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  16. I just bought my first 2 Trachycarpus. I love the look of shady enclosure and I will also want to borrow the idea of using the trunk as a scaffold for vines. Simply brilliant. Great post.

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    1. Those towering trachycarpus greatly contributes to the exotic atmosphere of Sean's garden. Well done Grace on getting your first two of this hardy palm :)

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  17. Wow, how exciting! You guys will have a ball I'm sure :) What a lovely established garden. It looks very natural and calming.

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  18. Now there's a garden I wish I could have visited!!! Thanks for the photos and hope to meet up with you guys at some future blogger event!

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    1. Same here John, be great to meet you in the near future we hope :)

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  19. You've captured Sean's garden beautifully! How fortunate that you actually got to stay there. Seeing this garden changed my mind about trachycarpus as I usually saw them lined up like soldiers in a row surrounded by concrete at car dealerships. Seeing how these (and yours) are layered and integrated with other plants had me buying my own palms a couple of years ago.

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    1. Thanks Peter! Once these palms get established you can get over a foot of growth of trunk from it every year. It'll look great in your garden I'm sure :)

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  20. Wow thanks for sharing your great photos. Hopefully I'll be able to visit his garden someday! Hope you are getting over the jetlag and back to gardening at home! It was SUCH a treat to meet you both!

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  21. What a beautiful garden!! perfect for plant lovers!! you were so lucky to stay there :). Thank you so much for the pictures!!!

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    1. A pleasure Lisa, and it was a delight to finally meet you :)

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  22. I am so glad you got to see this and also so VERY VERY jealous!! ;-)

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    1. We feel lucky to have seen Sean's garden in person :)

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