Muylisa Melco at 7 Dees and her Plantscaper Program

I'm not sure how I met Muylisa but I decided to profile her first simply because she just did a remarkable job with my front lawn/landscaping. Oh, now I remember how I met her. I was looking for big red ceramic planters for the front of my house. First I went to Bedford/Brown, a beautiful though outrageously overpriced garden/home furnishing store in NW Portland. They had pots I liked but they were about $700 each. Somehow, through my bobbing and weaving I ended up at 7 Dees, a well known gardening chain here in Portland, on 60th and Powell Blvd. They had pots that were just what I wanted (for about $179 each) and Muylisa helped me decide what plants to put in them. Well, one thing led to another and she started telling me how they have this Plantscaper program where she gives me design advice for any area I'm needing help with (for free!) and all I need to do is buy the plants from them. Seemed like a great deal.

Well, my friends, I must say that Muylisa seriously hooked me up. First of all, I've never met anyone like her. She's young AND she loves and knows absolutely everything about plants! I mean, we don't meet people like this in Jersey. To me, she reminds me of a young Katherine Hepburn. She's incredibly low key and walks around the nursery with a wide brimmed straw hat simply offering advice to customers who seek out her wisdom.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I needed help with my front yard to spruce it up considerably with colorful plants and trees. All I did was send her a picture of the space as it was, a few dimensions, some thoughts about what I liked and presto! She came back to me with renderings of a suggested planting scheme, detailing out all the items I should buy. She worked with me on price; I never felt like she was pushing anything above and beyond what I wanted to spend. The whole kit and kaboodle, from design to purchase of lots plants, a cherry blossom tree, a Japanese Maple, etc. cost me about $500. A score!

Which leads me to Rena Glasscock, my actual planter extraordinaire. But I will save her for my next post.

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This blog is intended to share my favorite finds and people in Portland and, essentially, wherever I might find myself. Through my 42 years, I have found that there is nothing I enjoy more than unearthing someone or something fresh and giving life to it through word of mouth. Call it PR, call it me having a big mouth -- I simply feel the need to expose the things I run into or up against in my life. Hope you enjoy some of the findings and perhaps take advantage of some of the things you read here.

Why Tillieboo? It really has zero connection or meaning to anything on this blog. It's just my late grandmother's nickname they gave her in the nursing home. It's my way to commemorate her and think of her every day when I visit this site to write. Here's to you, Grandma.