Hello from Portland, Oregon

Hi All! Just subscribed, and loving all the interesting threads!

Although I'm a soggy Willamette Valley Girl, it was a scorching summer for us last year and seems to be heading that way again with *hot* May days. When I moved into my current house last year, I was delighted with all the southern exposure in my backyard (thinking GARDEN, GARDEN!). Unfortunately, my tomatoes got all the sun I ever craved for them in the past --and then just *fried* :-(

Is the Ozone all gone already?:->

I look forward to learning and sharing. It would also be fun to eventually meet other gardeners and tour gardens!

lorianna - welcome from a new york state gardener. this is the best garden website ever. enjoy.

Hi Lorianna and welcome from an Iowa gardener. This is a great place to raise veggie gardens, but winters are bad. Hope you get some great tomatoes this year.

Hi HERBIE43, thank-you for the welcome! I have only been to the lovely state of New York once --and I really only saw Rochester and NYC, so I'm not sure how much our climates differ. I do know that my daughter was completely charmed by all the snow the first couple winters, but had lost her enthusiasm for it after a few more years:-> Apparently the winters are often far harsher than here, but I don't know about the summers? I see that you are raising one of my favorite tomatoes this year --sun gold (yum, yum!). May both our tomato crops prosper:-)

Thanks for the welcome, Brugie!

The only parts of Iowa I've seen were from a Greyhound bus, but it did look like there was room for a lot of gardens!:-) My western Oregon winters are mostly mild, mild, mild --so I'm sure you could tell me stories about Iowa winters that would make me shiver in my boots! Thanks for dropping a line, I learned something from you already --when I went to your page, I discovered your beautiful pictures about Brugmansia --I had never even heard of it before. Thanks:-)

Welcome lorianna! Warning: Don't investigate Brugmansia any further, unless you want a wonderful addiction! lol. There's a great bunch of people over on the Brug forum, and we'd be glad to get you hooked. :) You'll learn plenty and love all the friendly people here.

Thanks for the warning and the welcome, art_n_garden!:-)

It is a very intriguing looking plant, I must admit after even this short and vicarious acquaintance. I think that's one of the most wonderful things about gardening --the learning potential is infinite, so I never get bored. I really do hate being bored! I'm loving all the different threads and all the enthusiasm, as well as wisdom, here! By the way, really great family photo there! It's fun to put faces with the (virtual) voices on the posts. And I loved the little saga of the Passionflower, watching it come along from leaf to bud to flower--waiting for it to reveal its identity --what a great resource this is!

Hi Lorianna, and welcome from the other side of Oregon. There are a few other subscribers from DG in your area so your chances of getting together with them are pretty good. Give your tomatoes plenty of water and they should do just fine, mine do out here in the high desert sun. In your climate you are truly blessed with a sunny yard, I know, I have lived on your side of the mountains wishing for enough heat to ripen tomatoes and corn, and wishing for the rain to finally quit. Happy gardening!

Welcome to the best web garden ever. Looking forward to chatting with you over the fence!

A Big welcome from Alabama! Your gonna love it here, This place is Awesome.

Dixiechick

Looks like we need to get you started with another addiction this fall when cuttings are available.

Hi Lorianna - a funny thing about weather no matter where you are you'd like to tweak it. I live where God doesn't water anymore and you where it's a little too moist. But we can meet here at Dave's and learn and share.
Welcome home.

Thanks for such a warm welcome! I've been far from my computer access and just got a chance to see some of these friendly entries. Many thanks.

MaryE, you are sooooo right about wishing and hoping for enough solar blessing for ripe tomatoes and corn out here in the wet western side of the Cascades. I love the High Desert country, even if "home" means something more continually puddled to me. Wonderful to hear from your side of the state!:-)

Lilyfan, thanks for the welcome. Really enjoyed your lovely lily pictures! I'll look forward to pictures of those yellow peonies when they eventually bloom ...I'm afraid my experience has been limited to pinks, reds and whites --but they are such a wonderfully extravagant bloom!:-)

Thanks for a warm southern welcome Dixiechick! Stunning picture of that Chicago Peace rose! And nice composition of one of my favorites: Bleeding Heart. Even when I had to drag pots from apartment to apartment --when I had no yard, my dicentra faithfully bloomed in the most unlikely niches:-)

Thanks Brugie, no one has ever offered me a new addiction in such a positive way!:-)

Bloomswithaview, I feel a bit wimpy after reading about the weather in Moab. To think I complained about my comparitively temperate patch! If I get out that way, I'll bring some rain with me.

Uh ...I'm not kidding. I can't seem to travel anywhere and be there more than 24 hours before it rains. I went to California twice when there was drought and water rationing --rained as soon as I'd been there a day. A few years back I drove across the United States, with a rain storm on my heels the entire way. I got to New York City to find signs explaining that all the public fountains were turned off due to drought. Within 24 hours, it was pouring rain --and it rained the rest of time I was there and rained on me all the way back across the United States:-)

Another Iowa welcome here! Enjoy the garden!

Lorianna, I had to laugh about the rain clouds following you everywhere. Anybody who needs rain should hire you, you'd get rich quick.

Lorianna - Welcome from VA - talk about hot! It is already starting to broil here and it is only mid-May....what is it like to garden out your way...? Do roses really grow as well as I have heard in your area? I'll bet you don't have those horrid Japanese Beetles out there...here they are in abundance during the summer and they just love roses - especially mine!

Welcome from the spud state of Idaho! I live in high desert country near the Snake River on the western side of Idaho. I have friends in Amity who are gardeners and I envy what they can grow there. I know you will enjoy crusing DG forums and if you want to join in a discussion just leap right on in. I am quite sure you will find yourself having a new addiction just being here and chatting with fellow gardeners.

Lorianna, Welcome! I have a son who lives in Albany, OR and will be going on up to visit him and his wife in July. I fly into Portland. What town do you live in? Have you met Lenjo yet? She's in your area and raises marionberries.

Lois in TN.

Thanks, Grannylois, for the introduction. Welcome, Lorianna, from about 40 miles south of you on the farm east of Mt.
Angel about 4 miles in the heart of the Willamette Valley in the rain. April was gorgeous but May is slow to continue our early trends. Anyway, welcome welcome. You will love it here. There are so many great commercial gardens just starting to bloom and look wonderful. Need any information, I will be glad to steer you to a couple. Joann

Many more thanks for the welcoming!:-)

Thanks for the welcome Kooger --just don't start me on any more Presidential Trivia obsessions, I was on the internet for hours last time!--LOL!:-)

MaryE, I am always delighted to give someone a laugh. Although the rain mojo thing is almost embarrassing. I keep showing up as a tourist in places that pride themselves on rainless super-sunniness --and the locals keep apologizing to me for the uncharacteristic drizzling and dripping weather; I then feel it's only fair for me to 'fess up and explain that it's my fault. I was in Burns, Oregon and the info-lady at the Chamber of Commerce was puzzled and apologetic to the couple in front of me --about the sudden and unexpected rainstorms. I was able to explain the cause and promise it would clear up within the hour since I was leaving town. However, when I was in Lakeview last month, I duly apologized for bringing the rain --but refused to take credit for the alternating flurries of hail and snow!:->

Thanks for the welcome Joshuatoo! Yes, roses love it here. We don't call Portland "the City of Roses" for nothing! May is the annual Portland Rose Festival, complete with floral parade (floats decorated *only* with floral/vegetative materials) --although I usually just refer to it as The Portland Mud Festival, myself --which is what the waterfront fairgrounds always look like after the first day. Admittedly, there are some lovely roses blooming right now, and we can enjoy that well into Fall. It's said that some jealous non-Portlanders disdainfully refer to our roses as "cabbages" --roses that got too big for their britches or something, I guess:->

Thanks for the well wishes, Ponditis! I was noticing that my big Oregon map I keep on my wall (to inspire travels:-) has just enough Idaho borderlands to include Payette --I was trying to picture your garden in the highlands there. Ah, the Mighty Snake! When I crossed into Idaho for the first time, I stopped to admire the river --and got covered with the biggest mosquito bites of my life! It was worth it, though:-)

Hello and thanks, GrannyLois! I live smack-dab in Portland, itself. Flying to Portland? So you'll get the best view of Mt. Hood as you fly over? Many a picture of mine of Mt Hood, hiking up there, has either jet trails or a glittery UFO in the frame (another jet on its way to PDX:-)

Ah, *marionberries*!! Did someone say marionberries?? Yum, yum --I can taste marrionberry pie already, just thinking about it! 40 miles is not too far to go for that! (grin)

Thank-you, Lenjo --for your welcome. The Mt Angel area is truly lovely. Actually, I'm not knowledgeable about the commercial gardens (I'm feeling a bit silly, but I can only guess at what you mean, I feel like the ultimate newbie!), so I'd be glad to hear any ideas you would like to mention. Thanks!

Lorianna, you will just love Lenjo! I went to meet her last fall when my hubby was flying into PDX, and got to spend a few hours with her. I posted pictures of her gardens, a two part series since I took a lot of them. If you go to my member page and scroll down to about October 2003 you will find them. She kept apologizing for the way her gardens looked and I thought they were just beautiful. By then everything at my place had been well frosted and turned black, the hills had been fried for about 4 months from the summer sun and no rain, and she still had green grass, lots of trees and flowers in beautiful colors!

Mary, you are just too kind.Thank you nonetheless.

Hi there! Welcome to Dave's!

Welcome Lorianna from another newbie to DG! I've never been to OR before, but we have rented a "floating home" on the Willamette River this July for a week. You'll have to give me some tips on the area! Enjoy this addictive site and hope to chat with you soon.