Monday, April 9, 2012

The Spring 2012 HPSO plant sale…my trip to Hortlandia

Another Spring HPSO plant sale has come and gone…it was a beautiful sunny (and warm!) weekend, just the type which gets your gardening sap a’ flowin. After I fought through a crowd of toddlers with Easter egg fever (our neighborhood park has a big annual hunt) and navigated around the cars of fellow "plant hunters" vying to be the first to enter the Expo Center parking lot, it was time to see what the vendors brought to the sale.

I didn’t foresee any major purchases (there was considerable plant shopping last week on a traditional pre-sale Horticultural Field-Trip...to be shared soon), I was just there out of curiosity and because I couldn’t imagine not going. The first table I stopped to look at featured a large selection of Epimediums, a plant I just don’t appreciate the way others do. But this one…
Epimedium wushanense (spiny leaf form) could change all that, too bad it was $45!
Remember the Rhododendron stenopetalum 'Linearifolium' (Spider Azalea) I was interested in at the Chinese Garden plant sale? Well here are those “deal breaking” pink flowers…

Succulents! Usually I select at least a couple of plants from this table, but none this time.
I noticed a few people carrying around containers from this booth. Some had a mixture of succulents, others just a single large plant.
I never tire of watching people’s reactions when they discover Tetrapanax (on the left) and read they can get to be 15ft tall.
Echium aculeatum, a white flowering Echium. I was tempted but managed to pass it by.
I think I’m reaching the end of my Echium obsession. Maybe because I’ve actually had the satisfaction of watching several of mine grow through the seasons now and they are finally large established plants that may bloom this year. Senecio petasitis, love the furry leaves…
I hope to finally make the pilgrimage to Far Reaches Farm this summer. Their display featured a large board covered with images of the nursery and gardens on one side and their plant hunting adventures on the other.
Argyrocytisus battandieri (Pineapple Broom)…love it.
If you are a frequent reader of my blog then you know eavesdropping on my fellow shoppers is a favorite pastime at events like this. I was standing chatting with Ian at his booth right next to this sign with the name of his nursery when a couple walked by and  I heard one of them say to the other “we don’t do desert plants”…almost as though it was a warning not to consider stopping. Excuse me? You don’t “do” desert plants? Too bad for you!

I think I’ve posted pictures of The Desert Northwest plant tags before, aren’t these just the best? A great picture and information on the plant right there…
Much better than hard to read name scribbled on a piece of plastic some nurseries give you.
I didn’t buy any plants from The Desert Northwest at the sale because I took Ian up on an offer to meet earlier when he was dropping off plants another Portlander who couldn't make it to the sale had requested.

Remember my desire to purchase the Leucadendron argenteum or Silver Tree during my visit to Flora Grubb? Well, even better I got a smaller (much less expensive) plant from Ian. And since it’s already been growing here in the PNW hopefully it will be happier than one toren from its cushy life in San Francisco would have been. Look at that silver glow to the leaves…
I also bought a Banksia canei… "This “holy grail plant” for hardy Proteaceae enthusiasts has been all too unavailable, even in relatively Protea-rich California...this shrub, which varies somewhat in form and foliage, but may reach about 6' tall and wide, is quite similar in many ways to B. marginata. The cream or yellow flower spikes may be a bit shorter than those of B. marginata, to just 2 - 3”, and more rounded. We can attest that it is no more challenging than the amenable B. marginata to grow, being an easy subject in full sun. The exciting part is that this species occurs at a higher altitude than any other Banksia, and it is the only species that occurs exclusively at high altitudes, where it is found in subalpine forests of Victoria and covered in snow every winter. It ought to be very well adapted to the Pacific Northwest, and in theory we can expect it to tolerate at least 15 °F and possibly lower with ease, though its exact hardiness has not yet been discovered.”

Very exciting! Plus much to my surprise (and appreciation) Ian brought me a replacement plant for the Banksia serrata I bought last year at the NWFG Show only to have it die (I killed it) a couple of months later. How cool is that? A year later and he remembered...

Back to the sale…I picked up one of these nice looking Aloe humilis 'Hedgehog' and even carted it to the holding area, but later it went back as a budget reject.
Happy Alocasia…
The Courting Frogs Distributing booth had many strange (and beautiful) carnivorous plants.

At the Rare Plant Research booth I fell hard for this Yucca rostrata, I would really love another trunking specimen to help balance Sammy now that the entire planting bed next to him will be empty (where the Rhody is being removed).

Great display! I’ll take it as is.
Beshorneria decosteriana.

I haul one all the way back from San Francisco to discover I could have bought one from Cistus Nursery! Funny though their bloom spikes are white where as mine is most definitely red. Is one of them a mis-tagged plant?

Asphodeline lutea getting ready to bloom.

So what did I buy at the sale? I’ve been hunting for Saxifraga x longifolia and finally bought one.
I also bought another Saxifraga macnabiana…
And a Leptospermum ‘Dark Shadow’…look at that foliage! “A tender but beautiful tee tree selection that produces dark foliage in full sun…hardy to 20F”...
Here are my selections as I work my way through the checkout line.
Oh wait! What is that??? Yes, it’s the Yucca rostrata! I imagined getting home and telling Andrew about it and how much I wished I could have bought it. I then could see him saying “well why didn’t you just get it?” I would have been crushed. To keep that from happening I called him from the sale and told him about it…saying how perfect it would be in the spot where the Rhody was, next to Sammy (our other trunking Y. rostrata). I told him the price, he was quiet for a minute, then said “you should probably get it”…so I did. But wait, it gets even better! I came home from the sale to discover when I called he’d been hard at work digging out what remained of the Rhody stumps (I’d cut everything back and all that remained where the big knarly stumps, awaiting "the man’s touch"). Do I have the best husband ever or what?

So meet lil’ Sanford, Sammy’s new friend...(Lila thought it was a family photo op)...

42 comments:

  1. Ha - that Epimedium does look right up your alley (ouch). Love the black and lime green 'checkerboard'. Plant shopping looks fun - I haven't been to any nurseries since the fall and am excited to get back.

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    1. Have you looked up the date for the Manito plant sale in June? You should definitely get to that one!

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  2. DG, I'm so bummed that I could not make the sale. Literally, I was just drooping. But, renovating this old house in West Linn is my priority this year so I can do what I *really* want to do next year!! You made great selections and I will agree that you have a great husband! Cheers, Jenni

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    1. You made the right (and very difficult) decision to not go...hard to do but in the long run so smart to do things in that order, I don't think I could be as good!

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  3. Another post of the most interesting plants. I just love the black mondo grass, hope to locate some locally.

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    1. Darla let me know if you don't get my email about the mondo grass!

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  4. I was going to comment on how large your new Yucca rostrata was until I saw the last photo, LOL. Sammy completely dwarfs it!

    Love the leptospermum and saxifrages.

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    1. I know!!! At the sale, in my car, and even once I got home he did look so big. But then when he saddled up next to Sammy I saw what a little squirt he really was. Ah well, bigger than I thought I'd be getting!

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  5. What an incredible orgy of a plant sale! And because I'd never be able to keep them alive, the saxifrages are what I desire most. The name 'Tumbling Waters' comes to mind when I see S. longifolia, but I'm not sure if it's a selection of it or not. Gads, what a beaut. So glad that Sammy has a brother, and pat Lila on the head for me. I'm on the hunt for a cheap Yucca rostrata here in LA -- might as well hunt for unicorns. And, yes, you don't deserve Andrew -- kidding!

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    1. Have you tried Poots Nursery? Of course it's north of L.A. but Gerhard got a nice Y. rostrata there and I was in correspondence with them recently about what they had. Seem to be great prices!

      Lila will get that pat and I'll let Andrew know...

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  6. Wow! I wish we had an expo like that here! There are loads of nurseries and plant sales but nothing quite like that. Well, there's the annual Zilker garden festival, but it's been sucking more and more each year that I didn't bother going this year - it's a lot of garden art/pots/furniture and landscaping plants. The only booth I get excited about is the begonia society booth, but one booth isn't worth the $8 entrance fee (plus $5 parking - who's going to take the bus to this thing???).

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    1. I know!!! This sale is right on the Max (rail) line but who wants to try and fight plants home on the train??? Luckily our sale is free, but then you do have to cough up the $8 to park.

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  7. I saw that Epimedium with the spiky leaves at the NWFGS and thought of you. It was fricking expensive there too. You bought some good stuff. I've done the "Why didn't you" conversation with my husband too. Things are always gone when I go back to get them. What a treasure yours is, for digging out the rhodie stumps. I saw some saxifrages similar to what you bought at a recent sale too. They're so cute with their little pearly edges.

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    1. I couldn't believe it when I pulled in the drive and saw what he'd been up to. Lucky me. You should try the Saxifraga macnabiana in your new gravel garden, my older ones have plumped up into really nice clumps. If you make the trek down to Portland they are available at Joy Creek (that's who I bought from).

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  8. I'm sooo happy for you, Sanford is wonderful!! It definitely belongs in that spot.

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    1. That's lil'Sanford...he gets a bit bent out of shape when you don't use his whole name (hehehe). Thanks...I love it!

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  9. It made me smile when I saw Sammy finally having a companion just like him! Great haul and fantastic selection!

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    1. Thanks guys! I was so excited to be able to add another trunking Y. rostrata to my garden.

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  10. My heartbeat suffered an arrhythmia when I saw E.wushanense - it is one that I have long been searching for - regardless of the price. That spiny foliage and the delightful larger than genus yellow flowers. I was unable to focus on the remainder of the post so will have to go back and see what else you saw and what went home with you! LOL!!

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    1. Wow I wish you had been there! I saw at least one more at the show. Here's the website of the nursery whose booth I took those pictures at: http://www.collectorsnursery.com/ ... good luck!

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  11. Hi Loree, Sorry I've been away so long. Your loot looks wonderful. I love Yucca rostrata but mine is still a wee thing. I also love and have considered buying the PINK flowered Rhododendron stenopetalum but...where to put it? I sure wish the Epimediums weren't so confounded expensive. E. wushinense looks so dangerously appealing. Thanks for taking us along.

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    1. No apologies needed Grace, I know you've been busy. Come by whenever you can!

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  12. I adore and envy every last one of your purchases. That is all. ;-)

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    1. Thanks Andrew...I'm pretty happy with them.

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  13. Nice rationalization on why to get the Yucca rostrata. Me, I just go for it...like the one I nicked the roots on (guess it didn't root into the bedrock so far), and killed...just two 12"+ root sprouts since last fall. That's a plant sale!

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    1. Oh I "just go for it" plenty but since we are a one job household and it was over $100 I figured a spousal buy-in would be the right thing to do. I'm lucky he likes plants as much as I do.

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  14. Yay for lil' Sanford! I guess I didn't realize how big Sammy really is, not until I saw him next to his little bro! I had to laugh...right next to the Tetrapanaex in your photo are some Marrubium, which I picked up to show Norm and he recoiled in horror...he apparently has an aversion to plants with "fuzz" on them. He's so weird ;-) Of course, I spent the next 20 minutes or so trying to get him to touch every fuzzy plant I could find! I've eyed that Epimedium in the past too...but yikes...that price tag...just can't quite get beyond that! Did you see there was an Epimedium there that was $125!!!!

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    1. Ya, me too! I need to dig out a couple of old pictures and see how much our little Sammy has grown. I do think having the wall-o-Rhody gone helps us truly appreciate his stature.

      I have a good friend who feels the same about plants with fuzz. I handed her one of mine to carry once and she almost dropped it out of revulsion.

      $125?! Seriously? Wow...makes lil'Sanford look like a screaming deal.

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    2. I know who bought the $125 one; in fact, he may be lurking...

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    3. Get out! Was it you? Uhm...or someone you know....

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  15. Oh wow, you had a great day at Hortlandia! Love, love, love lil' Sanford and everything else.

    Great guy to finish the rhody job just in time for your new purchases to go in.

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    1. Being one step closer to planting was a wonderful surprise. Now I just need to get some soil brought in to fill the divots from where they Rhodys were (there were actually two of them).

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  16. I couldn't go early on Saturday, and I know I missed some goodies by the big empty spots on some of the tables. I saw a (the same one you bought?) trunked Yucca Rostrata at Rare Plant Research, and thought of Sammy right away! You are such an excellent plant parent to buy him a little brother. There were so many beautiful epimediums there that I was slightly in awe and thought I'd better retrench and read up a little before plunging in...but they are definitely on my radar now. And it was fun to meet and chat with Ian of The Desert Northwest - thanks for the heads-up!

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    1. I think I finally grabbed the Yucca about noon, maybe a little after. So depending on when you were there it might have been lil' Sanford you saw. Burl also said he had others he readying for sale, but this one was "the best"...can't wait to see what you bought Jane!

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  17. Nice meeting you and Ian at the parking lot. Reminded me of buying illegal fireworks...

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    1. I was very aware of some of the looks we were getting from GF customers and employees alike. Since I never have bought illegal fireworks out of the back of a car in a parking lot (I guess you have?) I didn't feel that association. I guess I felt like it looked like Ian had ripped off a nursery and we were buying the "hot plants," which I suppose we were (buying "hot plants" I mean, hehehe - sorry, that was bad). Anyway nice to meet you too and finally know who the mysterious and knowledgeable eeldip is!

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    2. As I spent a good chunk of change and took plenty of photos for a promotional blog, there ought to be no complaints. It was great meeting you both as well! And thanks for making my plants look great; I'm not sure how you do it... LOL.

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    3. Oh I'm not worried. The owners know my plant addiction issues and wouldn't think twice if I told them what was going on. Hope you had a successful (and fun?) weekend in Portland!

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  18. What? Are you finally sated with succulents? Big ticket items should have big personalities. Lil' Sanford definitely qualifies! I bet if we wait a while, that Epimedium will drop in price.

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    1. No! Actually I was just so excited about the Yucca that I forgot to go back to that booth and pick out a couple of things. It wasn't until looking at my pictures that I remembered. Duh!

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  19. The best place to get Baksiae in California is the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum gift shop. Best place to buy any mediterranean-climate rarities, period.

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  20. Ilive in Phoenix going to buy yucca rostrata this weekend so excited from cincinnati I leave here in winter I work at a nursery there I m trying to learn my plant material here haven't had a lot of luck . Help what does she like? I think i have a perfect spot for it, really hopeful.

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