guildfordcycads

Cistus Nursery Dressed in Frost

Cistus Nursery Dressed in Frost

  A frosty morning at work last week had me scrambling to take as many photos as possible before it melted. The beauty of snow and frost has not lasted long this winter. Not that I’m complaining. But it is really lovely on Sauvie Island, a rather bucolic and agricultural portion of the greater Portland area. That Cistus Nursery is here makes me feel very lucky. This post is just for visual fun as I don’t have identifications for many of these plants in Sean and Preston’s garden, but I hope you enjoy them all the same. Here then is a look at my place of employment on a rather frosty February morning:

Muhlenbergia dubia, very much like my favorite Muhlenbergia rigens. This is at the front of the path and is stunning in just about all seasons.
Arctostaphylos x media ‘Point Arena’, a gorgeous low-grower. Sean graciously gave me one last summer, I am super-excited to see mine grow.

Oh, hey, how did that happen? Muhlenbergia dubia from the other side. It’s so dramatic it deserves a second round.

Crataegus x lavallei ‘Autumn Glory’
Some fabulous arctostaphylos or another. There are quite a few in this post.

Those frosty margins! I love this.

Possibly Rhamnus californica.

Garrya elliptica, silk tassel bush.

More fabulous spiky grasses.
Pinus contorta var. latifolia ‘Chief Joseph’ tucked in along the driveway.

Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’

A gravel path lined with grasses and lavenders.

Carex secta on the stairs up to the house.

A lovely place for a rest.
Mahonia x media

Mahonia fortunei

More mahonia. They look really lovely this time of the year, most of these just finished blooming.

Another arctostaphylos.

In the crevice garden.

More crevice garden treasures.

Rhamnus – possibly Rhamnus californica ssp. tomentella

Conifer love.

Lyonothamnus floribundus var. aspleniifolius, the gorgeous Catalina ironwood tree.

In the desert island garden.

Another stunning arctostaphylos.

Yucca rostrata and friends in the desert island bed.

Garden art.

More arctostaphylos.

Agave ovatifolia ‘Frosty Blue’

As you see, a quick post this week just to keep the love going. I thought a change of pace would be interesting and a visual pause, something lovely in this world. 
OK, find me this Saturday at the Benton County Master Gardeners Insights into Gardening conference, I’ll be speaking at 2:15. It looks like a lot of fun with many excellent speakers covering a myriad of topics. There is a vendor section as well as a raffle, looks like a fun day out.
That’s a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens, as always thank you so much for reading and commenting, we do love hearing from you all. Plus it’s a community, let’s stick together. You can also find me on Bluesky Social (trying to move away from Facebook bit by bit) at @chickadeegardens.bsky.social. Come join the fun!
Happy gardening, everybody.

Cistus Nursery Dressed in Frost Read More »

King Street and Tor provide $110 million financing to Soul of Japan

King Street and Tor provide $110 million financing to Soul of Japan

February 6, 2025 – King Street Capital Management and Tor Investment Management today announced a $110 million financing solution for Soul of Japan (SOJ), a 10KT land-based Atlantic salmon farm project in Tsu City, Japan. SOJ is backed by 8F Asset Management.

The financing will support the ongoing construction of the SOJ farm and the ultimate completion of the project, which commenced in 2023 and is progressing, with the first harvest expected in mid-2027. King Street and Tor’s financing is underpinned by strong aquaculture market demand, particularly as wild fish stock levels continue to decline. Once the project is completed, SOJ will operate a state-of-the-art recirculating aquaculture system and be the largest land-based facility in Asia, effectively establishing a locally produced supply of Atlantic salmon for a market that has traditionally relied exclusively on imported product.

“We are excited to partner with both the Tor and SOJ teams to support the growing demand for sustainably sourced, high-quality Atlantic salmon to the Japanese market and beyond,” said Zachary Lewis, Managing Director at King Street. “This underscores King Street’s global ability to leverage deep sponsor relationships and sourcing channels to provide compelling risk-adjusted special situations financings in our Global Drawdown Strategy.”

“Tor is proud to collaborate with King Street and SOJ on funding for this significant project in Japan, which will continue the regional growth of critical infrastructure, developing the supply of sustainable protein with efficient use of resources,”said Sean Pepper, Managing Director at Tor. “This transaction demonstrates our ability to source and structure flexible private debt solutions for quality sponsors under our Tor Asia Credit Opportunity Fund platform with attractive returns and meaningful downside protection.”

“We are thrilled to partner with King Street and Tor to continue growing Soul of Japan and to complete the construction of its land-based salmon farm project in Japan,” said Karim Ghannam, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer at 8F. “This transaction is another validation of our strategy and its advanced implementation. We look forward to working with both King Street and Tor to supply Japan with locally produced Atlantic salmon and to further the expansion of Pure Salmon globally.”

The Aquaculturists


King Street and Tor provide $110 million financing to Soul of Japan Read More »

Curious about your permaculture gardens in France. Any stories to share?

Curious about your permaculture gardens in France. Any stories to share?

Hello everyone. As my partner and I are carefully planning our future permaculture garden in France (we will open a b&b, ceramics/yoga studio space & a permaculture garden), we are curious to hear stories of people who have been enjoying building their permaculture dream in France.

When did you start building your permaculture garden? Where in France are you located and what do you like/dislike about your area? Are you noticing the effects of climate change and how are you adapting to them? Are your neighbours curious at all about permaculture and/or do you sell your produce to them?

We are very much hoping to find a community of like-minded people to keep sharing stories, experiences, and knowledge with, either close by or online.

submitted by /u/Nervous-End-277
[link] [comments]

Curious about your permaculture gardens in France. Any stories to share? Read More »

Ifapa is studying using reptiles for biological pest control in Almeria’s greenhouses

Ifapa is studying using reptiles for biological pest control in Almeria's greenhouses

The Andalusian Institute of Agricultural, Fisheries, Food, and Organic Production Research, and Training (Ifapa) have begun work in Almeria to identify and quantify reptiles in greenhouses, an investigation that seeks to assess the benefit that these species offer producers, as well as their role in pest…

Read More »