Friday, April 19, 2013

A field trip with my plant crazed friends…

As is tradition (3 years running) the Thursday before the HPSO spring plant sale I met up with some friends for a day of nursery hopping. The first year it was just Ryan, Scott, Derick and I. Last year Ann joined us and this year we had the pleasure of Heather’s company. Sounds like trouble, yes?

Our first stop was a Xera Plants where they were gearing up for the plant sale. It’s rather telling of where my mind is that I didn’t take a single photo in the xeric greenhouse (think cactus, agaves, succulents). Instead the first plant that had me doing a double take was this…

Can you guess what it is? A Barberry!

My Jasminum nudiflorum didn’t bloom this year (thanks to decapitation by the newspaper delivery). I missed those little yellow flowers.

Paul dragged me (not really) across the parking lot to point out this Grevillea juniperina 'Orange Zest.' Growing in rather poor soil it was blooming it’s heart out!

Of course I wanted one…but where to put it? Ya, that’s the question, I resisted there and then again on Saturday at the HPSO sale when I saw it at the Xera booth. Of course I’m still thinking about it.

Several of you remarked on the Pacific Coast Iris bloom I shared on my pre-HPSO sale post. Here’s a couple more, sorry I don’t know their names...

Backtracking through the greenhouses I was surprised to see this fellow.

He was harmless, that was until one of our party felt the need to pick him up, and follow me around.

Time to cash out; can you guess which plants are mine? (you might be surprised) Some are obvious, some not so much.

Next stop (after lunch) was Joy Creek Nursery. I love the way they display so many plants from the same genus together, it really allows you to examine the similarities and differences. I did a little study of Euphorbia, some previously known to me, some new. Euphorbia schillingii...

Euphorbia griffithii ‘Fire Charm’

Euphorbia sikkimensis

Euphorbia x martinii ‘Blackbird,’ complete with its ever-present aphids…

And finally Euphorbia griffithii ‘Dixter’

I was really tempted by these Yucca whipplei, since mine sadly rotted out (I let it get buried by surrounding plants). Such a beautiful little yucca.

I know it’s kinda lame but I love taking photos of plant hauls! Not all of these are mine, and this is just one of two car-fulls of plants.

My plants...the big tall one is an Aucuba japonica 'Longifolia'...my third! I love this plant for the dry shade spots where I need something of height.

Eryngium venustum (because the 4 I already have isn't enough)

Impatiens omeiana (for the shady spot by the garage)

Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ (no aphids, yet)

Eryngium agavifolium (this makes 8)

Echinocereus triglochidiatus (because my Echinocereus hybrid made it through the winter in the ground so why not try a couple more?)

Pyrrosia hastata (look at those leaves!)

And finally Dasylirion leiophyllum...

Because a girl always needs more spikes, especially when they come with curls!

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

36 comments:

  1. Great haul! Hunting for plants with a friend is the best way to spend a weekend. An expensive way to spend the weekend, given how much said friends can egg you on to buy stuff that you really, really need. (Oh, Hello, Peter!) :-)

    We're going to have to start taking pictures of the car full of plants.

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    1. I can only imagine what an enabler Peter must be...danger!

      I learned the art of the "plant haul" shot from my plantlust.com partner Megan. Back when she was an avid blogger she was very good at taking the nursery cart or car shot, I loved them!

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    2. Hello? I can hear you two talking you know! Of course it's true, but still... I must say that Alison also helped enable my plant addiction.

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    3. As I hope that she would!

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  2. I have not been able to stop thinking about that impatiens you bought. It's so good.

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    1. Have you seen them at the Chinese Garden? That's where I first fell in love. Not having met Derick back then I was under the misguided notion that impatiens were silly plants not worth my time...I couldn't believe that the gorgeous masses there at the garden were actually impatiens. Unfortunately their foliage is very desirable for garden pests.

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    2. Oh bummer, which pests?

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    3. I think it's those root weevils...(notice how evil is part of their name?), although I've never caught them in the act.

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  3. He chased you with the snake?!? How did I miss all the shenanigans?

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    1. Chased is a little strong. More like he remained ever-present near me...I think as much fun as he was having he was concerned I might really flip out and cause the poor little guy harm.

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  4. It seems dangerous to go plant shopping with gardening friends -- it seems like there would be a lot of enabling going on, helping you to ignore the little "voice of reason" that keeps you from buying everything you see. (or maybe that's just me?)

    Sure would be fun though!

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    1. Dangerous indeed...and that's why it's so much fun!

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  5. What a fun time! Love the Berberis and the Grevillea and the Pyrrosia amd everything else. Hooray for more spikes and spines!

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    1. You can never have to many spikes and spines, unless of course they're stuck in the bottom of your foot.

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  6. What a bad group to travel with, unless you leave your wallet at home. Then again, spikes and curls make it worthwhile...you know we in NM where Desert Candle / D. leiophyllum is a native, cannot buy it at all except wild-dug...

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    1. No...bad is good! That's crazy about the D. leiophyllum, it's kind of like how hard it is to find Veratrum Californicum around here when it's growing all around Crater Lake Nat Park.

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  7. Awesome plants! I'd be all over those eryngium. Sadly, I've never seen them at a nursery down here.

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    1. Seriously? I wonder why. Are you a seedy guy cause I can send you seeds later this summer. Or I can track down plants too...

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  8. A very dangerous field trip but it looks like fun! Did you run out of room in the car.

    David said it, I was trying to think where I have seen Desert Candles in a nursery in South Texas. The one time I asked about native sotol at a nursery, the guy literally looked around the outside of his fence line!



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    1. Oh we could have squeezed in a few more plants no problem. We could have (should have) stopped at Cistus on our way back into town (we thought time was an issue so we didn't), then the cars would have been full for sure.

      So did you go dig up a couple?

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  9. Great haul! I really must get an Eryngium agavifolium this year, been postponing getting one (or three) all this time.

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  10. Must drop by my neighbor (Joy Creek) and pick up one of those Pyrossia. I do love my B jamesiana for its pale yellow berries, before they turn red.

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    1. Ah the Pyrossia came from Xera, maybe call ahead to see if they've got it? If not Cistus should! (yes that is my answer to everything)

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  11. Those Iris are beautiful! I can't believe the colors! I'm always afraid of encountering a snake while gardening. I don't mind snakes but I don't like them to just suddenly appear :)

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    1. Had I stared at those iris a little bit longer I might have actually bought one...

      No snakes in my garden...please!

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  12. Spoken like a true plant-nut!

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    1. I have no idea what you're talking about.

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  13. Yay! A plant hunting field trip with fellow plant geeks, what could be better? Well coming home with E.m 'Blackbird' seems like a fitting conclusion. I have to grow it as an annual up here, but have it in a pot with Hakonechloa macra 'All Gold' on the front step every year! We had snow last night........ and of course I have perennials on the bench at work.... well in the hoop houses until Monday! Sigh!

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    1. Snow!? That's just crazy. I thought of you this morning as I was at a plant sale...lots of epimedium!

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  14. My Echinocereus triglocidiatus sails through Minnesota winters without any problems, I'm sure yours will be fine! (I'm not quite so sure how happy it is right now though...it got buried under a foot of snow last week and 7 more inches this week but I'm still betting it will be just fine)

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    1. Good to know! I think my main enemy will be our wet. I tried to site them accordingly. We shall see!

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  15. Those Iris look more like orchids.

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    1. Gorgeous aren't they? Well I guess if you like orchids.

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  16. A great haul! (I hope you left the snake behind.) I wish I could find that barberry - or the PC Iris in that plummy shade - or that Euphorbia sikkimensis. Oh well, part of the enjoyment is the hunt.

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    1. I hope I did too! I keep praying a little frog or two will hitch a ride home from a nursery someday. So far no luck.

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