My visit fell on a Saturday and since I have the luxury of doing most of my nursery shopping on weekdays it’s always a shock to see families out shopping. This was the weekend for (what seemed like) all of Tacoma to be out stocking up on annuals and veggie starts. Hundreds of dollars were being rung up left and right, after this stop I hit 3 other nurseries and everywhere there were carts overflowing with colorspots and tomato starts. It was truly eye opening. But of course my eyes were aimed elsewhere…like on these amazing tree ferns!
I can’t lie, I am drawn to this foliage.
No desire for a hydrangea though.
What is it about dark foliage!?
And dark tipped leaves and blossoms? This one on a Ligularia ‘Little Rocket’…
I’ve missed my disporum blooms this year.
And I’m still thrilled when I spot a schefflera…
This one is S. brevipedunculata, $41.99.
Great combination of pittosporum and loropetalum! And it was interesting to see the Monrovia label on the pittosporum. Being sold as ‘Tasman Ruffles’…
You know of course, there is always an agave…
These were A. ‘Silver Surfer’, $21.99.
Yucca elata, someday I’m going to spring for a nice big one of these. The tiny starts I keep bringing back from New Mexico just aren’t happy.
Scarlet Torch Bottlebrush, aka Callistemon rigidus ‘RutCall’, I hope anyone who buys this realizes it’s probably not hardy here. Online it’s listed as Zone 8 but yet the tag says “benefits from winter protection in zone 8”…
One thing is for sure, it’s been well pruned (yes, that's sarcasm)...
Rhamnus frangula (Fine Line Buckthorn), I planted one of these last year and I've loved it throughout the seasons.
Someday it will be this tall!
Here's the best price I've seen yet for these container size raspberies.
These were only $27.99, still I passed. In fact I didn't buy a single thing at this nursery, a pattern I didn't repeat at my other stops.
This is my entire haul for the weekend (minus the crested sedum which I'd already planted)...
I somehow lost my Osmunda regalis (Royal Fern) over the winter, it's extremely cold hardy (Zone 2) so I'm not sure what happened. Now I have another! The dark foliage of Thalictrum 'Evening Star' makes me swoon. I do have one but managed to break off most of the new growth a couple of weeks ago, this one is going in a different (safer) spot.
And those little yellow/green leaves were just too adorable to leave behind. They belong to Meconopsis paniculata...
This group looks more like me right? The puya on the right came from Jungle Fever, on the left is a pair of Yucca desmetiana 'Blue Boy'. I've had mixed results overwintering these plants but keep trying.
Besides one of them was a double, how could I pass that up?
Finally, another double, an unlabeled agave. It has definite A. parryi characteristics but it's leaves are so petite, almost like a cross between A. parryi and Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears'...
All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
That cute little unlabeled Agave! In the group shot I thought it was an Echevaria. It's been a couple of years since I've been to Portland Avenue nursery. I'm curious why you missed your Disporum blooms. Did it die on you over the winter? I don't think mine survived.
ReplyDeleteAlison I found that little guy at Bark and Garden. He was with the other agaves but had a different style container and tag than they did, just a poor unloved orphan from somewhere, I had to take him home! As for my disporum they are both just now waking up. I thought I had lost them to the cold but I guess it just severely knocked them back.
DeletePortland Avenue is an interesting nursery that I haven't visited for far too long. I may need to visit those tree ferns and that pittosporum! Looking forward to seeing your other area visits!
ReplyDeleteThere is a gardener friend here in Portland who kept his in-ground tree ferns alive last winter with plastic covers and light bulbs, so it can be done! His garden will be on the Fling so you can see them for yourself! As for my other visits there's only one other post (tomorrow), having Lila with me just wasn't conducive to a lot of photo taking.
DeleteWhat's wrong with Hydrangea aspera? I like the great big leaves you get on them. It's just a shame that they are deciduous.
ReplyDeleteThat Schefflera looks good and is so well priced. If they were that price over here I would be tempted to try one in a suitably sheltered place in my garden.
Not a thing, I just have no desire for another dark leaf deciduous plant OR a hydrangea. And if I didn't already have that Schefflera I definitely would have bought one.
DeleteOh I see, you managed to restrain your dark leaf fetish, well done!
DeleteI have a Hydrangea aspera macrophyllum and it was planted out 3 years ago this summer. It really seems to be enjoying our wet weather at the moment and is growing like crazy. I think that I am also going to be rewarded with lots of flowers this year because it must have at least 15 buds on it at the moment (I would have gone out and counted them all for you, but it is currently raining at the moment, lol!)
I don't think I could have passed up that purple hydrangea, even though I probably don't have a place for it. Your photo of Yucca 'Blue Boy' tipped the scales for me - I'd been debating getting one or more for a particular bed and now think I must...
ReplyDeleteYay! That is such a great yucca.
DeleteNice haul there, especially the doubles: yucca and unique looking and very cute Agave. Very drawn to the Rhamnus too. Speaking of schefflera I just realised a couple of weeks ago that I lost that same one last winter without even realising during that time. It just faded away I think. Must get a replacement.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad, and you guys didn't have a particularly harsh winter did you?
DeleteIt's interesting how some plants are just *made* for certain people, while others think "meh" about the exact same plant!
ReplyDeleteI saw those exact same raspberry plants (the identical labels) in a local garden center here this weekend. Makes me wonder how many bazillions of these were distributed this year...
Bazillions and bazillions!
DeleteI would be interested in trying Hydrangea aspera to see if its fuzz could fend off the deer, but they require more water than I'm willing to provide at this point. Maybe if I had an irrigation system.
ReplyDeleteI love the Schefflera, Loropetalum, and Pittosporum. I wish Yucca 'Blue Boy' was more reliable here. It's such a cool plant. Seeing your new Thalictrum is making me rethink again having passed it up. I must have been I'll that day!
I've lost a few Y. 'Blue Boy' in past winters but oddly had one sail through this last winter. Placement? Healthier plant? I wish I knew. Oh and I thought you did purchase the Thalictrum...perhaps you should go back...assuming of course you're not still I'll (ill?).
DeleteAre you talking about 'Night Heron'? I assumed mine was a casualty of winter, but now I'd better take another look. That dark leaved thalictrum is dreamy. The slugs have been feasting on mine.
ReplyDeleteBoth 'Night Heron' and 'Green Giant' were MIA until a couple of weeks ago. No blooms this year but at least there's hope for the future.
DeleteOh and one unexpected benefit of the bear in the back garden was all the slugs I managed to find and get rid of. Traipsing around with a flashlight looking for damage at 3:30 in the morning was very fruitful in that regard.
We picked up a pot of that darker Ligularia and it is gorgeous!
ReplyDelete