Richie Steffen, curator of the Elizabeth Miller Botanical Garden, talks about his upcoming lecture at the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon’s Annual Meeting March 13, 2011.  Don’t miss out!

more in the list of what i made in 2010. nuts, yes?

More crochet work finished in 2010 — going back in time to October.

Here’s a sample of the crochet work I finished in December. I fear I’m turning into a crochet nut!

You must get over to the Elizabeth Leach gallery to enjoy the Anna Von Mertens and Hap Tivey shows, it is amazing and I was literally shrieking when I went into the empty gallery with all these magnificent works.  Hap’s light projections in the center room are on a 7 minute cycle, so be sure [...]

Here’s a sneak peek at the gardens that will be featured in tomorrow’s Portland Garden Conservancy Open Gardens.  For details, check out the article in the Oregonian and its blog. If you take the “official tour,” you will start at our house and go to the Schmidt Family Farm — the last hold out

Here are a couple more pictures taken today as we prepare for a pretty big open garden, courtesy of Garden Conservancy and Hardy Plant Society of Oregon. We are proud to have been selected as one of 5 gardens open this Saturday, June 5.  Join us for live music with Meester & Meester throughout the day!

The Oregonian had a lovely spread today about the Garden Conservancy Open Garden Tour, which will be held June 5.  Once they get a link going, I’ll share it. We join 4 other stellar Northwest Portland gardens for the tour, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Here are a few photos [...]

Tons of stuff! This week, our yoga video “Tonal Yoga” goes into duplication and we expect to have it in our hot hands by June.  We hope to have it here in time to share at the Garden Conservancy open garden event on June 5, which will be held here and at 5 other homes [...]

On Sunday, Marci Anderson performed her soul healing ritual with me in the morning. It was an interesting event, full of very subtle symbols and sharing.  Before the event, we had two animal symbols arrive — a merlin and a deer. The merlin made a clever symbol for Marci’s guru — Kaleshwar — who she

Lots of stuff!  The apples are fully leafed out and the blossoms just starting to peek.  It is exciting to walk by them daily and watch the unfolding. Pears are going in full force, despite the heavy winds and rains of the past week.  The two big cherry trees next to the tractor house are looking [...]

We will be holding a spiritual event in our tranquil yoga house. Marcie Anderson will conduct healing sessions for your soul level vibration. I have participated in a mantra that she taught me, and it was amazingly healing and helpful to my evolution. I look forward to enjoying her healing energies as well and invite you [

Folks have been asking whether the elk have been back through the property yet.  The herd of about 40 head roam through around the equinoxes each year, so they might seem a tiny bit late.  Otherwise, pretty much on cue, the elk have appeared for their closeup. Elk at Westwind I used the new Imovie, a software [...]

Today I completed a mesh shawl from the Vogue Knitting Crocheted Shawls book.  The mantra was something like “focus” because it was completed largely on airplanes between the east and west coast.  I like the idea of having something else to focus on other than the fact that I feel very cramped on an airplane.�

Mike designed an arch for the city of Troutdale, Oregon to commemorate its centennial and positioning as the entrance to the Columbia Gorge Highway.  It was installed March 16, and Daily Journal of Commerce did a video to show it off. Troutdale Arch designed by Mike McCulloch

My friend, Jean Ann Van Krevelen, is the author of Grocery Gardening.  Her book has been at #5 on the Amazon gardening list — with a bullet!  She did a commercial for the book that was shot here at Westwind.  Enjoy! JeanAnn talks about Grocery Gardening for Coolsprings Press

Last week was all muscle in the greenhouse.  Ismael, Jose and I were moving large shrubs, trees, and prickly pear cactus into either a tropical environment or a desert environment. We have half of the greenhouse filled with lovely sandy loam soil and are able to plant these beasts right into the ground. The desert look [..

Today is the anniversary. Bill died on a beautiful day, just like this one has been.  6 years ago, my husband and father of 2 young children left this beautiful place. In his honor, we have turned Westwind Farm into a garden that accentuates and integrates the house that he loved more robustly with the surroundings [...]

Actually, hats for Bob!  My old friend, Bob Clark, is coming to visit next week, so I made hats for his 2 daughters and wife.  Modeled by my daughter, Elena, and friend, Brenda. The pinkish one the Elena is wearing is made from stretchy acrylic sock yarn, dk weight. Her blue one is made with [...]

What’s blooming today: Brunnera Jack Frost — soon it will look like fairy dust all around the vine maple. Pulmonaria — phospherescent purple and magenta look great with the crocus.

I couldn’t help myself, it’s just too exciting to look at those fuchsia and want to make lots of fuchsia babies.  Fuchsia is such an easy friend to propagate, it really has a strong will to live.  So I did it, and only after did I look at the calender that I religiously consult when [...]

We had a fun visit to DisneyWorld and SeaWorld. We’re back in Portland, enjoying the burst of spring at Westwind.  The plum is beginning to flower, the daffodils are beginning their rotation and the less obvious winterhazel corylopsis and some kind of jasmin-type plant are stealing all the bees with their scent and c

A study in color matching, with crocus on the side.

This year, we are trying a new thing — to us, anyway.  We are calling it “composting in place.” Landscape designer, Laura Crockett of Garden Diva Designs told us all about it as a concept, but Ismael figured out how to execute the idea in our own unique way.   The idea is that instead of [...]

My latest achievement — a crocheted shawl for my friend, Elizabeth.  I got the pattern at the knitting bee in bethany. Here’s a similar free pattern from my new favorite site, Ravelry.com, which is full of free patterns for crochet.  I used a noro silk/kid mohair/wool/nylon blend. Since I am having a nice Jupi

It’s time for spring cleanup at westwind.  With clearing skies and warming weather, it’s time to cut back the grasses, hardy fuchsia, and faded asters.  We don’t cut back carexes or nasella tenuissima, preferring instead to comb the dead bits out so they don’t look chopped in 3 months. Here’s

It’s February and time for the burst that is spring in the Pacific Northwest.  The witch hazel bloomed beautifully for the first year since we moved it in 2007.  We have 3 or 4 crocuses left from the 1000 that were planted in 2004 (darn those squirrels!). The hellebores are their usual colorful sight — [...]

What’s a few sprinkles among us Oregonians? We have plenty of lovely indoor spaces for gardeners to enjoy the greenhouse and fireside ambience. Make your plant selections in comfort and we will put them together for pickup under our dry drivethrough. Our artists will be working under tents and in the carport.  You ca

Now is the time to plant bulbs, and Westwind’s plant sale is the place to get them! We will have 3 kinds of bulbs for $1 each and lots of other bulbs too! A lovely deep purple tulip, an all-white daffodil and a perky white pheasant’s eye daffodil which has an orange “eye” in the center [...]

Heading to the Hardy Plant Society’s Fall Plant sale next Saturday?  Stop at our plant sale on your way there.  You’ll see lots of great varieties at the lowest prices in town! We are selling 3″ and 4″ pots of ornamental grasses and low water requiring flowers for just $1.50 each or 4 for $5.  [..