Fall Gardening, Grief and Joy

As summer quickly slips away, fall is a time when gardener grief sets in. It is a time when many of the steadfast summer bloomers start to drop their last petals. Farewell to the sweet peas, snapdragons; overcome with rust. The crocosmia seed pods have browned and the calla lilies have finished their show.  It is a time when the aphids settle in and powdery mildew takes over the underwatered lupines and the fading cosmos, dense with fine leaves slowly turning silver.

It is a time of immense gratitude for the endless joy the blooms have brought. It is a time for reflection; what worked, how could the labor of spring have been lighter or more fruitful? Or, perhaps it was just right and these weeks and weeks of armfuls of blooms were just the right amount.

This is the time to save seeds for next year. Pluck the seeds from the zinnia heads and shake them from the cress, amaranth and celosia.  Let the strawflowers open, remove the fluff and collect the tiny seeds; save the heads of the scabiosa and the brown pods of the sweet peas. Your spring self will thank you.

The work is slow in fall; clear a bed here and there or an early morning accidental clearing of a long-neglected blackberry patch or grabbing the last of the arugula before the slugs return. It’s a little cover crop planting and some hardy annual direct sowing.  Fingers crossed that the rains don’t come and wash them away before their little foxglove, calendula, sweet pea, poppy and kale roots take hold. I cover them with frost cloth until they sprout or they usually become a buffet for the migrating birds.

It is a time of farewell to a season that never lasts as long as one hopes.  Grateful for the dahlias that will provide an abundance of blooms until the first frost.  The cut and comes are bursting with buds ready for one last flush of color, zinnias, marigolds, and cosmos keep on giving until the frost takes them. While this is a season of endings it is also the beginning of hard, late fall work. Ease into that.

Ways to love your garden in fall:

  • Deadhead the cut and come flowers, they will give you joy for many more weeks.
  • Clear the plants that have shed their last petal, cut back the summer bulb foliage now brown or fading.
  • Prep your beds for winter cover crops: winter rye, winter peas, oats and buckwheat do well in zone 8 and are easy to turn into the soil come spring.
  • Roll and store trellises, drip line and soaker hoses.
  • Prep beds for fall planted bulbs, narcissus, tulips, alliums.
  • Prep beds for ranunculus, they will be delivered soon and need soaking and planting and a blanket of frost cloth is helpful for our winters.
  • Plant winter hardy annuals flowers and veggies.
  • Once first frost arrives, it will be time to dig the dahlias, wash them, sort them and store them for winter to share in the spring.
  • Most importantly, savor every last moment of sun on your face and blooms in your arms!

Happy gardening, tell your plants they’re great, always be planting, and enjoy the view!

 

 

 

Charm and Farm

 

Our wonderful first time buyers were looking to meet their unique property needs. A house that hadn’t lost its charm and a yard that would offer ample outdoor space to play and create PLUS a garden large enough to be a real urban farm. On top of that, these city cyclists wanted to live car free, so they wanted a neighborhood that could support their two wheeled life style and penchant for public transport. They found it, and more, in the growing Foster-Powell corridor on a beautiful block. We can’t wait to watch them make this charming cottage a home and see how their garden grows.

 

 

 

 

About Us:
Over the course of their professional partnership, Aryne + Dulcinea have helped over 200 clients prosper in their new lives. During this time, they have prided themselves in their top-notch selling abilities, with homes outperforming market standards, consistently exceeding list price while most of their listings sell in under 7 days. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell, Aryne & Dulcinea will work in collaboration to guide you in investing in your future and reaching your real estate goals.

Celebrate Love

Valentine’s Day is will be here soon, and there’s a whole lot of love going around. How do you celebrate love? How do you feel loved? At Pringle Creek Community, we think love starts with you and self care, and a big part of your life is usually spent at home.  Why not choose to live in a community that promotes health and well-being? The new Net Zero home is a sustainably built and innovative home that is now available in our community.

celebrate love
Inside the Net Zero home

This beautiful home has a spacious open plan positioned to let the morning sun spill into your kitchen, living room, and even the master on the main. It allows for you to breath easy by using healthy materials that have low to no VOCs. The home encourages indoor-outdoor living and extends out into the courtyard, which is great for outdoor barbeques and entertaining.

Take a jaunt around your community, where there is fresh honey from our honey bees and farm fresh eggs from Cluckingham Palace. Want to start a club on something you’re passionate about? Perfect. We also have the first LEEDPlatinum certified community center and events space that’s a resident amenity.  There are so many wonderful and sustainable amenities offered at Pringle Creek Community.

celebrate love
Inside the Net Zero home: Master on the main

The Net Zero home is one of a kind, just like Pringle Creek Community. It’s made with sustainable materials like ICF (insulated concrete forms) that help make it highly energy efficient—so efficient and healthful that the home was just awarded with a LEED Platinum certification, the most stringent and highest green certification available for homes. So, not only is it gorgeous and healthy, but it will also save you money in the long run on energy costs. If you’re curious, contact us to take a tour or come by one of our open houses, and see what living sustainably looks like . Spring is around the corner, love is in the air, and this home might just take your breath away. Come see it before someone falls in love with this stunning home.

Open House: Sunday, February 10th, from 11 – 2:00pm

Love Every Day

Start 2019 off right in a home that you love. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s time to think about love at a whole other level. Living in the beautiful and energy efficient Net Zero home could bring you love every day of the year. With an open plan that let’s in plenty of light and a master on the main, this could be your dream home. You’ll also love the courtyard and patio that is great for entertaining, too.
Step inside the Net Zero home

Pringle Creek Community is also an extension of the Net Zero home, and a great way to feel connected with nature and neighbors. Your dream home extends into the orchards, the green houses, and the babbling creek. It doesn’t stop there, there’s also Painters Hall, the community center and events space. This is a resident amenity, where you could join in on the fun of finding your inner peace with yoga or perhaps finding kinship at the book club, where books are optional and the conversation is lively.

Relax in an comfortable open plan and take in the sunshine.

Wander into the historic Lord and Burnham greenhouses and say, “Hello,” to expert Urban Farmer, Colleen Owen. The community has a 25 share CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that you could join, and a farm stand to boot. You might find yourself at Cluckingham Palace. Yes, just like the name, it’s a chicken coop filled with chickens that are held to the highest regard being fed organic produce to make the farm fresh eggs even yummier and nutritious.

The Net Zero home is a home to fall in love with, and it’s in a place to live a happy and healthy life. Curious about what the Net Zero home looks like? Experience it for yourself. There’s an open house happening this Saturday, February 2, from 11:00 – 2:00pm. See what living sustainably looks like.

OPEN HOUSE: Saturday, February 2, 11:00am – 2:00pm

Urban Farming in Grand Dame 1911 Farm House

I would say wanting the “big city” walkability but the “small town” big yard feel is a pretty popular dream for most people moving to Portland.  Coming from the beautiful town of Hood River where this already exists and artists by trade, my buyers were more attuned to this than most.  We scoured the market and wrote a few offers on ones that were very close and definitely could have worked.  But Portland is still a competitive market with multiple offers on homes like this because it’s such a driver for people moving here.  “Buyer fatigue” was definitely starting to set in for these guys.

We were out on a weekend tour of the new homes on the market and had just been disappointed by one that we had high hopes for.  Next on our list was a 1911 farmhouse close to the Foster/Powell ne

ighborhood and an easy pleasant bike ride to the Woodstock restaurants and groceries.  My buyers were contemplating skipping this one, but I had been in it before and suggested that we should keep it on the list.  Sure enough, this 2652 sq ft farmhouse with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a basement with some serious potential hit the right note.  The huge, private yard (almost a double lot) further encouraged them.  It was perhaps more of a fixer than they wanted to take on, but the future potential outweighed that in the end.  Again we submitted our offer among many,  again

we held our breath and hoped for the best.  Well, I guess the rest is history, and I am so excited to see what this beautiful Grand Dame with so much potential becomes in the future years!

 

 

The One

Pringle Creek Community is a one of a kind neighborhood, and we are excited to let you know that a very special and unique home has just become available. Like that special someone who only comes around once in a blue moon, the Net Zero home is sure to take your breath away. This unique 4-bedroom and 2.5 bath home has a master on the main with plenty of natural light, as well as a beautiful courtyard that’s ideal for entertaining guests. When we think ofthe one, this one is the home that checks all the boxes.

The One
Step into the Net Zero Home.

Taking even a closer look as to what makes the Net Zero home super energy efficient is it’s construction. It’s made out of ICF, which stands for insulated concrete forms. Essentially, 100% recycled polystyrene blocks are put up like you might think of Legos. They are connected together, and then concrete is poured in between them to make a form that provides a very tight building insulation envelope. This means, your energy bills will be significantly less, because it takes less energy to heat and cool the home.  This home exhibits expert craftsmanship thanks to Better Builders of Oregon’s expertise in building with ICF for over 25 years.

The One
Light-filled Living

Zooming back out, Pringle Creek Community also has wonderful amenities for its residents,  like the first LEED Platinum community center in the nation along with a flourishing urban farm. Residents can choose to have indoor and outdoor gardening plots, or just stop and smell the roses while picking up an extra sprig of rosemary to liven things up. The dedicated green space expands beyond the urban farm’s green houses to the meadows, orchards and spills into the serene namesake Pringle Creek. As you can see, the Net Zero home is such a unique opportunity that doesn’t come along too often. Don’t miss out on this special home situated in an urban oasis.

OPEN HOUSES

Sunday, December 2nd from 11:00am – 2:00pm

Tuesday, December 4th from 5:00pm – 7:00pm

TOURS

Please contact us to set-up a tour of Pringle Creek Community by clicking here.