Twelve years ago, in 2014, I had the opportunity to visit a garden in Portland, Oregon that was so remarkable that it stuck with me all this time. It even had a name: Floramagoria, a portmanteau combining flora and phantasmagoria (according to Merriam-Webster, “an exhibition of optical effects and illusions,” “a constantly shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined,” or “a bizarre or fantastic combination, collection, or assemblage”).
Floramagoria was the private space of Craig Quirk and Larry Neill. It was a classic example of a mullet garden — business in the front, party in the back. The front, the public-facing side, featured fairly muted conservative plantings in line with the neighborhood’s architectural character. But once you passed through the gate into the backyard, boy howdy: What an explosion of exotic plants, bold colors, and eclectic art!
To see for yourself, check out my blog post from 2015, Loree’s post from 2019, and especially this detailed (and beautifully illustrated) article that appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of Portland Monthly.
In 2023, Craig Quirk and Larry Neill left Floramagoria behind and moved to a 30-acre piece of land about 45 minutes outside of Portland where they have created a very different kind of garden. Floramagoria was a high-octane rave on a small suburban lot; their new garden, Dairy Creak Meadows, is a shift toward a more expansive, naturalistic style heavily influenced by the New Perennial movement and the work of Piet Oudolf.
When I was planning my recent trip to Portland, Loree asked me which gardens I’d like to see. “Dairy Creek Meadow” was the first thing that came out my mouth. I’d been following Craig and Larry’s progress on Craig’s Instagram and had read Loree’s posts (February 2026, July 2024, November 2023) so I had an inkling of what an extraordinary garden the two of them were making.
When I got off the plane in Portland, it felt like late winter rather than the early spring we’d been enjoying in Davis. As a result, I had to moderate my expectations of how gardens would look. Indeed, Dairy Creak Meadows was very much in what I would consider winter mode. That’s why you won’t see a lot of lush perennials in my photos below — so many plants were still dormant. But look at the aerial image above from last July when the garden was at its peak: vivid proof that Craig and Larry have created something truly special.
The heart of the garden is a fenced area designed in collaboration with Laura Crockett of Garden Diva Designs, which protects a diverse array of plantings from the local deer population. Laura has been working with Craig and Larry for a number of years; she was also instrumental in bringing Floramagoria to life.
In the middle of the fenced area are two interconnected greenhouses from Hartley Botanic which are surrounded by a massive crevice garden built by renowned rock garden experts Kenton Seth and Chris Dixon. I’ll feature them in a separate post. Today I’ll show you everything but the greenhouses and crevice garden.
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| Plantings in front of the house |
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| A lot of driftwood and rocks |
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| I love the little communities of moss and ferns |
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| Saxifraga umbrosa? Saxifrages don’t grow in our climate, so they’re as exotic to me as orchids. |
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| Trillium sp. |
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| View towards the greenhouse (see upcoming post) |
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| Crevice garden in a pot — a nod to the large-scale crevice garden around the greenhouse |
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| And another one, this one mostly sempervivums. I love (LOVE!) this and am thinking of how I can recreate it. Finding thin slabs of rocks is the biggest obstacle. |
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| Inside the fenced area, looking toward the greenhouse. Lots of plants (mostly conifers) waiting to go in the ground. |
Another major feature of the fenced area is a bog garden featuring mostly carnivorous plants (and eclectic artwork):
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| Many of the carnivorous plants in the bog garden... |
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| ...are sarracenias... |
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| ...pitcher plants native to the U.S. |
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| Black flamingos and more artwork by Marcia Donahue |
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| One of the planters moved from Floramagoria |
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| Dinosaur egg planter with horsetail rushes |
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| I don’t know what these metal cylinders are, but they would make great planters |
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| Wider view of one of the bog gardens contained in Corten rounds |
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| Sarracenia with hose bib, a peek at how the bog gardens are watered |
Moving outside the fenced area now...
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| How many people have their own creek? |
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| The side of the house facing the creek. The slope being worked on will become a massive rock garden. Apparently, each wooden post represents a basalt column. |
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| Moss-covered trees and ferns... |
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| ...my eyes are not used to that |
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| Mala beads by Berkeley ceramic artist Marcia Donahue. Marcia was in Portland, too, and I got to hang out with her a bit. |
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| Bridge across... |
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| ...the creek |
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| Pond on the other side of the creek |
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| Imagine having a pond! |
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| With a sheltered place to sit! |
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| Even the stepping stones to the covered deck... |
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| ...are works of art |
And finally a teaser of part 2, a look at the greenhouse and crevice garden:
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| Greenhouse |
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| Imagine sitting here in the middle of winter when it’s cold outside — there’s radiant floor heating |
Check back in a couple of days for the second part of this post.
© Gerhard Bock, 2026. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.
Even at the height of what amounts of winter weather there, it's obvious that it's a special place. I can't wait to see the greenhouse, not to speak of the intricate crevice gardens.
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