This week I made my annual trek to the Farwest Show, the horticultural trade show that takes place here in Portland, Oregon each August.  ..

This video is a walk-n-talk through my personal garden. In it, I show you six shrubs that are looking particularly good and that have done very well for me in my Portland, Oregon, USDA zone 8 garden. It is by no means a comprehensive account of what I’m growing—more a set of informal and impromptu comments on a few plants in my back garden that seemed to raise their hand to say “pick me” as I strolled my garden that morning.  ..

Trees with attractive bark add so much to the winter garden. If a tree can pull its weight in the dead of winter, it has a lot going for it and that alone can be plenty of reason to plant it. But the plants I'm showcasing below are more than a one-season-winter-wonder. In addition to a strong showing in other seasons by providing bloom, fall color, or drought tolerance (see individual notes below), I've selected these for their suitability for smaller gardens by virtue of their dwarf stature or relatively slow growth.  ..

Those of us gardening in the Pacific Northwest are accustomed to winters that includes more than our fair share of gray and stormy days.  ..

The allure of Allium stems from their charming evolution. In spring, tight buds erupt from low basal foliage, signaling the promise of blooming baubles to come; later, aging blooms extend the show. From spring until the spent orbs succumb to the ravages of time and shatter, they keep us enthralled.  ..