Confessions of a PNW Spike-aholic

My name is Loree and I’m a spike-aholic.

I’ve been hooked on gardening with spiky plants and borderline hardy succulents for years. A mid-1990s business trip to Arizona planted the seed; in the early 2000s my brother moved to Phoenix and I found excuses to visit regularly. I learned more and more about these amazing plants and, since buying our home in NE Portland in 2005, I’ve accumulated more Agaves, Aloes, Opuntia, Yucca and other “desert plants” than I ever thought possible. While the majority of my collection lives in containers so their water needs–or lack of–can be better met, I have become more adventurous about planting them in the ground. Through my blog, danger garden, I’ve met like-minded Pacific Northwesterners. Best of all, now I hear from others that I’ve helped them better appreciate these plants.  When someone from Austin, TX, says that because of you they now see the beauty in a massive Opuntia, you know you’re doing something right! Virtually visit my garden in the photos below; watch your step!

Photo gallery of a (spike-y) PNW garden

(Click the first thumbnail to start the slides, then toggle between shots with onscreen arrows or your keyboard.)