Alice's Garden Travel Buzz » Portland

Iconic Ira Keller Fountain: Portland

Alice Joyce — Sun, 01 May 2011 17:36:43 +0000

In the book, 1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die …there’s an entry I wrote for an iconic 20th Century Modern public space in Portland, Oregon: Ira Keller Fountain Park.

Ira’s Fountain: Dedicated by the City of Portland to Ira C. Keller

“Strength and Beauty Come From Us – Not From Tyranny”

You’ll want to download a self-guided Walking Tour Map to experience the downtown’s trove of fountains.

landscape designLandscape Design on Amazon.com

Designed by Angela Danadjieva, associate of renowned American landscape architect, Lawrence Halprin, the interactive water feature achieved the goal of providing access to water so that people might revel in its sensory pleasures. The city of Portland acknowledges how fountains can enliven a neighborhood, and to that end, offers such pleasurable spots for families and friends to gather.

In this city that celebrates fountains, the Ira Keller fountain reprises in all its contemporary angularity the wondrous power of the natural world, encountered an hour or so outside the urban environment.

Mt. Hood (Photo: Alice Joyce)

As in the crags and commanding waterfalls of Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, the lure of rushing water produces a compelling, profound effect on our sensibilities. Explore Portland and you won’t be disappointed. The city itself is a vibrant hub for adventures of all kinds, from wine and foodie fun to street festivals, markets, and proximity to rejuvenating outdoor activities.

Multnomah Falls (Photo: Alice Joyce)

Eco-friendly in every way, the city boasts convenient public transportation, a haven for cycling, and a wealth of green spaces – scroll the link — And stay tuned for additional features on the parks, gardens and scenic wonders of Portland and environs.

Columbia River Gorge (Photo: Alice Joyce)

Portland Interlude: Cistus Nursery

Alice Joyce — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:49:09 +0000

Cistus Nursery – Sauvie Island

Photo: Alice Joyce

Plant shopping while in Portland?

You’ll want to plan a stopover at one of the Portland area’s most enticing plant emporiums:

Cistus Nursery, operated by plantsman extraordinaire, Sean Hogan;

author of Trees For All Seasons … & … Flora: The Gardener’s Bible.

Zonal Denial: Cistus (Photo: Alice Joyce)

I reconnected with Sean during a trip to Portland, and reveled in the opportunity to revisit his Portland home. Its well-known, head-turning parkway and lush front yard plantings were featured in my book, Gardenwalks in the Pacific Northwest. Sean’s private garden in the rear of the house is an intimate, visually exciting space teeming with rare plants.

After catching up on the changes since my last visit, we made our way 20 minutes north of Portland to Cistus on Sauvie Island, a bucolic landscape of you-pick organic farms to delight foodies, beach camping, and a marina situated along the Multnomah Channel.

Fuchsia boliviana 'Alba' (Photo: Alice Joyce)

The Cistus nursery set-up is instructive and informative, with signage that helps to explain plant groupings and cultural needs. If you’ve a passion for plants, Cistus might prove irresistible, with arrays of exceptional species and cultivated varieties.

Cistus on Sauvie Island (Photo: Alice Joyce)

Stroll through the nursery’s borders and you’ll discover a wealth of specimens with uncommon foliage and flowers; rare trees that demand pride of place as focal points; shrubs and succulents for varied habitats and garden conditions.

Albizia j. 'Summer Chocolate' (Photo: Alice Joyce)

Click here for a link to the web site’s photo gallery of available plants.

Fargugium 'Kaimon Dake' (Photo: Alice Joyce)

Drought tolerant plants are becoming ever more popular, as the issue of global warming comes to the fore, and concern for water usage increases.

Green Roofs Thrive in Eco-Friendly Portland

Alice Joyce — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:28:21 +0000

Portland, Oregon

Multnomah County Bldg Green Roof Photo © Alice Joyce

Portland, Oregon is on top of the Green Scene. Visitors to ‘PDX’ (that’s how most Portlanders refer to their city) discover wildflowers and organic veggies cultivated on the Multnomah County Building: Covering 12,000 square feet, this landmark demonstration eco-roof features amenities such as a stone terrace and educational signage, while the produce grown here is donated.

Enjoy your own up-close look at the Multnomah Building’s eco-roof at 501 S.E. Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland: Open to the public during regular business hours – take the elevator to the 5th floor. For an overview of the project, link to Carlton Hart Architecture.

Multnomah County Bldg Green Roof Grasses/Wildflowers/Skyline Photo © Alice Joyce

: Multnomah County Roof Garden/Stone Bench Photo © Alice Joyce

: Roof Garden Detail Photo © Alice Joyce

Portland’s Central Library, the Multnomah County Library Eco-Roof is located downtown at 801 S.W. 10th Avenue. A high point of my Portland foray was touring the garden with John Cabrera, Facilities Supervisor.

Completed in September, 2008, the structure utilizes 24″ x 24″ pallets, which added to the ease of installation. The 4″ deep soil blends organic and inorganic materials, mixed with Zebra, a water-retentive product made from natural cornstarch.

: Portland Library Roof Detail

The benefits of the roof are numerous. Plantings help to capture the majority of stormwater runoff, cut down on the cost of electricity for heating and cooling, and absorb UV rays.

The roof features some 17,000 plants; drought-tolerant sedums and grasses that create a wildlife habitat, and reduce air pollution. An eco-roof is believed to filter the air, actually removing airborne particles, as it absorbs carbon dioxide. The roof’s aesthetic allure comprises a rich textural carpet knit of an abstract pattern that changes with the seasons. The summer scene pictured features peachy pink tones melded with brick red & mahogany hues alongside pale blue-grey & shades of green, with yellow blooms and feathery inflorescences!

: Central Library Eco-Roof (Alice Joyce)

Click for information on touring: Portland’s Central Library Eco-Roof

Portlanders know how to enjoy life!

PDX is not only a most hospitable city, it’s a haven for foodies, wine lovers, and beer connoisseurs. Open 7 nights a week, Noble Rot is a popular wine bar with its own rooftop Culinary garden. The restaurant on East Burnside occupies the 4th floor of an LEED platinum building with an underground aquifer for pure water; the eco-roof factors into the rating.

The 3000-square-foot kitchen garden is presided over by Chef Leather Storrs. The Chef allowed me to nibble my way through the aisles, and explore the various planting methods, including 50 shallow kiddie pools, with 3 inches of soil and a layer of perlite on the bottom. Chef Leather grows peppers, horseradish, various basils, as well as lettuces, herbs & flowers for his ‘roof greens salad.’ I sampled strawberries, sweet tender cucumbers, a lemony form of cilantro, nasturtium bloom, and the delectable Tromboncino squash.

: Noble Rot roof garden (Alice Joyce photo)

It’s a chemical free garden, with a system for composting, and raised planters. Patrons enjoy a great view of the downtown skyline from Noble Rot’s outdoor terrace, situated below the corner of the garden where the eco-roof is planted with herbs and Mediterranean low-water species.

Garden of Awakening Orchids .. Portland Chinese Garden

Alice Joyce — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:59:24 +0000

Portland’s Classical Chinese Garden is a setting of ineffable poetry. Enchantingly named, Lan Su Yuan .. The Garden of Awakening Orchids, the garden reveals the fundamental elements of classical design: Stone gives way to water elements, while the buildings, bridges, and mosaic paving are softened by dense flora.

Undulating rooflines crown open halls & intimate pavilions. And with every step, lush plantings mark the shifting seasons. The harmony and contrast of these elements imparts energy, qi, within the garden’s walls.

An authentically built classical scholar’s garden of the Ming Dynasty, the Portland Chinese Garden finds inspiration in the classical urban gardens of Suzhou: China’s garden city and Portland’s sister-city in China.

Expert artisans from Suzhou traveled to Portland to assemble the garden’s prefabricated structures, and to create decorative stonework, which boasts an incredible attention to detail. Stout stone lions stand sentry at the garden’s main portal, where visitors pass through an inscribed gate framing the entryway.

A complementary grouping, Three Friends of Winter is comprised of a pine, graceful bamboo and plum tree that traditionally appear in Chinese art.

Hibiscus syriacus 'Aphrodite' (Alice Joyce photo)

Lake Tai rocks hold prominent places within the garden. As you proceed to discover the setting’s full beauty, the symbolic nature of such distinctive rocks is revealed as integral to the philosophical character – the yin and yang - of an idealized setting.

A glassy lake harmoniously links each aspect of the landscape. Wandering through the garden, you’ll come upon terraces and foot bridges poised to look out over a pond adorned with water lilies. Elsewhere, a rockery and waterfall create a commanding tableau. Spacious pavilions with tile roofs, covered bridges, craggy limestone rocks representing cloud configurations, and mesmerizing mosaics are among the Chinese Garden’s compelling aesthetic features. Around every turn, a unique view emerges; while gazing out from the Knowing the Fish Pavilion or from the shelter of the Moon Locking Pavilion … you’ll perceive vistas designed to appear distant: the Clouds Bridge and Tower of Cosmic Reflections.

Intimate vignettes catch the eye. Plum blossom on cracked ice - a mosaic stone pattern emerges underfoot. An illustrious carved panel draws you in at eye level. Plants sourced in the Pacific Northwest encompass species indigenous to China, all sited to artfully accompany the architecture. Edgeworthia, chrysanthemums, magnolias, arising as alluring accents surrounding the Hall of Brocade Clouds.

In the courtyard outside the Scholar’s Study – the Celestial Hall of Permeating Fragrance – the perfume of gardenias and wintersweet lingers on the air.

To visit the garden is to experience a retreat from the sounds of the surrounding urban neighborhood, in a reflective atmosphere of enthralling sensory and seasonal pleasures year-round. Portland Chinese Garden