A note to Caroline: More color this year in my urban Portland, OR garden

A view of the Woodland "Gulch" back garden

Expect the unexpected when your gardening in Portland, Oregon. It was hot this week , near 90's and I hear it it is dropping to the 70's in a few days. It has resulted in me harvesting peas with cherry tomatoes on my patio and at the community garden. That is a first for me. The photo above was taken in the "Gulch Garden". The one that I created from fighting blackberry bushes at the back of the property. I have started to only plant perennials because planting the area with annuals was a chore because I had to recreate the garden each year from the blackberries.

A view of the patio. I always create two rooms

Here is a view of the patio I am still working on. I have the space to create two outdoor rooms. One with wicker seating and the other with a patio table that I use as a potting area and place to dine. This year I decided to do a brighter color palette to create more of a tropical look. The bright orange lily and shanta daisies are now in bloom.  The gladiolas and calla lily look like they are next.

Lambs Ear gone crazy

So many perennial now need a new home. Like the lambs ear that has doubled since last year. Where to put it is a good question. It has been growing in full sun. Part of the "Gulch Garden" is very sunny and part is very shady. At the edge of the bed are succulents that also need some pruning as they are covering each other in hopes of gaining more territory. 

A bright splash of color is provided by nasturtiums

I loved growing these nasturtiums for my hanging baskets. They are very easy to grow and more economical for me than buying a pre-made basket at a garden center. They seem like a very versatile plant.

Here is a short video tour of the garden. Do you use a specific color scheme and if so what is it?