Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Flora Grubb, version 3.0


I wonder…if I lived in the San Francisco area would the allure of Flora Grubb eventually wear off? Or would I be begging to work there simply to offset the cost of my purchases?

Our final stop on the 2013 Garden Bloggers Fling (and the location for our closing cocktail party) was at Flora Grubb, this was my third visit there and let me tell you…it still stops my heart. I’ve been a little Leucadendron obsessed as of late so these were calling to me through the gate before I even set foot in the nursery.

Of course this one isn't a Leucadendron, maybe it's a Phylica?

Back in May I featured Leptospermum 'Dark Shadows' as my "fav plant" mine is in a container because it's not hardy in Portland. Here it is in tree from...(sigh)...

I finally made my way into the nursery...


There was food, there was drink…but I didn’t care! I wanted to experience every square inch and kept on photographing while others lined up for refreshments.

Oh boy...what's that!...

I've been hunting for Grevillea x gaudichaudii ever since seeing it at the NW Flower and Garden Show a couple of years ago. For a moment I thought I'd found it. Instead this was Grevillea 'Austraflora Fanfare'...only hardy to 25F and $39.95...it stayed behind.

Pittosporum crassifolium 'Compactum' (Dwarf Karo)...(love it!)...



The colors and displays are divine...

Are they not?








I wouldn't have thought this idea could be successfully pulled off but here it is!



The letters are meant to be planted up with succulent cuttings. Could house numbers be far behind?



The Edsel continues to evolve...




I believe this might be the woolly-pocket planting which used to hang inside by the cash/wrap area...

And I love the new (to me at least) color behind the succulent panel...



Furcraea macdougalii I believe?



Bocconia frutescens looking much better than mine does.




So what did I buy? Only this Pseuderanthemum 'Rubrum' it's not hardy here but for $4.95 I thought it would make a nice annual accent. Next time I vow to be driving a big empty car...

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

34 comments:

  1. Oh wow. I'm pretty sure I would have some serious problems if I visited there. That is insanely amazing. The large palms are enough, but then there's the beautiful pots, and amazing plants filling out around them. You must have felt like a kid in a candy store. And I think you're onto something with succulent house numbers... that would be way cool! I could see planting up a carnivorous pedestal. that could be really fun!

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    1. And I can see you moving in Louis. Just pitching a tent right under one of those palms.

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  2. Such style! My eye is always drawn to pots, sculpture, and other ornaments -- there are some nice ones here. I think I need some big metal plates with holes cut in them now. I also think some of those chairs are meant for eyeballs only, not for bodies.

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    1. You might be surprised about those chairs, I've tried out most of them and they're very comfortable...even the low cement loungers,

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  3. AnonymousJuly 17, 2013

    The leucadendron-like plant looks like a Calothamnus species to me, maybe a villosus? That is the most common one around here. More closely related to bottlebrush, and often called 'One-sided bottlebrush', you can see the flowers on the undersides of the branches in your photo.
    Max P.

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    1. And I think you're right Max, thank you!

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  4. I was hoping you'd say that you bought some of those plantable letters so you could spell out PUG LIFE for Lila. Oh well, next time.

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    1. Ya, next time AFTER I win the lottery.

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  5. I figured out that one reason Flora's Grubb's pottery displays look better than most to me is because the pots aren't stacked - almost all are laid out singly and each one adds to the graphic patterning (and cries out for a gorgeous plant in it.) Just pop in a plant and go!

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    1. Interesting observation Jane! I came home and looked at my patio and realized why I feel so at home at Flora Grubb, I do much the same thing with my containers...grouping them in color stories.

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  6. Gosh how I wish I lived close to them, I would probably be there once a week, lol.

    Best wishes,

    Sheri
    www.pompanobeachgardening.blogspot.com

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  7. The blue/green photo and those pots really have my number. There's a slim, tiny chance I might be up in the Bay Area in the next few weeks, in which case I'm making a beeline to FG's to see if they're still carrying that dark leuc, preferably in gallon sizes. I think this nursery gets better every time I see it. Oh, and I once mail-ordered your pseuderanthemum but it dwindled away. It'll probably love the annual life in Portland.

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    1. I didn't see any gallons but then again you never know, good luck! Ya that pseuderanthemum is pretty happy already. I was worried planting it in the hot dry time of the year but it seems to be loving it.

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  8. OMG, I didn't eat or drink anything either for the same reason. What an amazing nursery and what a huge plant palette the climate allows. So many of the things we drag in every winter are perfectly hardy in the ground there. Similar to the Spokane to Portland difference, this was an incredibly stimulating visit and FG was even more than what I'd expected from reading your previous posts. O.K. So if we flew down to L.A. on an extremely early flight and had a UHaul reserved and waiting for us, and visited San Marcos on day one, drove up to the bay area on day two, Visited Flora Grub and Annie's on Day three and drove home on day four, I bet we could nearly recoup the cost of the trip by having a series of plant sales at your place and mine plus we'd get to come home with some pretty spectacular plants! (Sounds like a Lucy and Ethel plan if ever I heard one.) Or we could just order a bunch of stuff through Sally.

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    1. I think your road trip idea has wheels. Maybe on Spring Break next year?

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  9. Is there no end to the indignities heaped upon poor Edsel Ford? Everything else in this post I found purely delightful.

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    1. The Edsel was abandoned on the site and during construction they decided to move it against the wall and make the best of it by planting it up. I've kind of grown to love it...

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  10. You saw things at Flora Grubb that I missed, glad you photographed from all angles! Between Flora Grubb and Annie's I would go broke if I lived in the area.

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    1. But your garden would be amazing right?

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  11. I felt my pupils dilate while I read this post. I've always wanted to visit. Can I get in on the Uhaul plan?

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  12. You saw so much that I missed. I'm never one to pass up free food. How did I not notice those flying bicycles? Or the pedestal sink with the Sarracenias?

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    1. The sink was right by the food and bar...maybe your fellow GB's were blocking it? And you would have had to look up to see the bikes, and with all the beauty on the ground why look up?

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  13. This place oozes with style. It's not just about their stunning selection of plants, but also their stylish furniture and accessories, and even their pots are to lust for!

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    1. You're right, even the bathroom is super stylish. I managed to keep from taking a photo of it this time but I did way back on my first visit.

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  14. Holy wow!!!! I want one of everything! What a fabulous garden center. Love all those containers. (of course) Wouldn't I love to have one of those two colored ones. Beautiful

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    1. Yes we fellow container freaks can find much to love here.

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  15. Thank you so much for your post! We're loving your fresh angles on the nursery, and your scrupulous accuracy. (Yes, it's Calothamnus villosus mimicking a phylica out there on the front fence; crush a needle to smell and you'll find its myrtaceous scent.) You might say our tastes are aligned? :-)
    By the way, we've never seen our neighbors' sign, "Qube," so well-framed.
    It was a pleasure to have everyone here at the end of your Bay Area fling.

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    1. Thanks for commenting Jason, I did finally sit for a moment towards the end of our visit and looked up to see that "Qube" sign framed just like that, had to pull out the camera again!

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  16. AnonymousJuly 19, 2013

    For someone that does live in the area, no this nursery never gets old, as they make a real effort to keep it ever fresh. For what it's worth, that Pseuderanthemum has always caught my eye as well, but isn't fully hardy here in our zone 9b/10a either. Strangely it does just fine up until about mid January for me in Berkeley, but then always defoliates and dies. When I've remembered to bring one indoors by late December, (remember we aren't usually as conscientious about winter protection here), they still give up the ghost. Maybe results would be different if I brought it in by late October.
    David in Berkeley

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    1. Good to know about the Pseuderanthemum. While I don't make a habit of buying plants just to kill them I did figure this one would just go down as a summer sacrifice. I love it's super dark glossy leaves and they really finish a corner of the garden I was having issues with.

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  17. Your blog is wonderful. Do you happen to know the name of the prehistoric-looking agave with the claw-like, in-turned spines?

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    1. Thank you! I believe it's an especially nice example of Agave titanota.

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