Our mild climate allows the transition toward a brighter season to begin early. Spring in our gardens begins in January. There are a surprising array of flowers quite willing to bloom while pummeled by rain and sleet, buried by snow, whipped by dry east winds, and frozen solid.
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When the thermometer pushes 100 degrees, the winds roar down from the mountains, and the humidity dips, we gardeners scramble for water. Plants in ornamental containers show stress in a day or so. Hanging baskets can dry out even faster. Nursery stock we've propagated and are raising for future planting usually needs to be soaked multiple times a day. In-ground plantings put in this spring are checked and hand-watered.
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I'll begin the blogs I post about McMenamins' gardens by chatting about the most recent larger garden addition to the Kennedy School. It is also my personal favorite.
“We borrowed golf from Scotland as we borrowed whiskey. Not because it is Scottish, but because it is good.” -- Horace Hutchinson Does each McMenamins pub brew beer? Nope – only our brewpubs and breweries do. They supply our other spots. “Give me a woman who truly loves beer and I will conquer the world.” – Kaiser Wilhelm II At the Grand Lodge, the mosaics in the basement hallways were inspired by the work of Spanish artist Antonio Gaudi. The Centzon-Totochtin (“Infinite Rabbits”) was an Aztec group that represented the ways humans are affected by intoxication. McMenamins has a full-time historian on staff. He collects stories, photos, anecdotes and more about McMenamins spots, past and present. What’s the name of the Kennedy brewery? The Concordia Brewery, named for the surrounding neighborhood. What was the very first McMenamins pub, opened by Mike and Brian McMenamin? The Barley Mill on SE Hawthorne in Portland. How many McMenamins are there in the Seattle area? Three – Mill Creek, Six Arms and Queen Anne. Which beer is our best-selling ale? Hammerhead, of course. Have a pint or two today! “Wine is bottled poetry.” -- Robert Louis Stevenson Give it up for St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewers! His miracle was a tankard of ale that never ran dry… Put him on the invite list. “Wine is bottled poetry.” -- Robert Louis Stevenson Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII, was said to be able to drink any man under the table. You show ‘em, Betsy!
