Thursday, June 26, 2014

Spotty!

In my earlier post on the ANLD tour I mentioned our lunch stop at Garden Fever Nursery. They recently completed construction of a deck on which they showcase their collection of garden furniture and accessories. As we entered my eyes were focused up, on the deck.

But then I saw spotty…

A little back story is required. On one of my first birthdays after we were married Andrew gifted me a spotted planter much like the one above. I was thrilled, at the time it was quite a splurge for us and I’ve always treasured it. Fast forward to this spring and when I was moving that same planter…it tipped forward, off the hand-truck, and onto our cement patio. Smashed. I was heartbroken.

I picked up all the pieces with the idea I would glue it back together, and then visited Garden Fever to see if they had a replacement in stock. They did not, but recorded my info and just a couple of weeks later I got a lovely email from Lori Volmer, co-owner of GF. She was letting me know they’d received exactly the size and finish of planter I was after, and that it was the spottiest version of that finish she’d ever seen. She held it for me for a few days, in case I still wanted it. In the mean time I’d spent a bundle on plants and acquired a few other large containers, I’d gotten over my loss and decided to pass. In fact I’d even given the broken pieces to Alison, who used them creatively in her garden.

So by the time I was at Garden Fever last week all that was forgotten, water under the bridge. Until I saw spotty.

I went on with the ANLD tour, all the while thinking about him.

The next day I went back…he was still there. I told the fellow unloading a new pallet of containers that spotty was to be mine and then strolled the nursery taking a few pictures. Most years I’m at Garden Fever at least once a week, for some reason this year has been different, it was like I was visiting with an old friend. New growth on Rhododendron sinogrande...

Eupatorium capillifolium 'Elegant Feather' and for $2 less than I paid for it!

Perfect little pads...

This looks like my brothers picnic table after an agave pup harvest from his garden. So many A. scabra and A. franzosinii pups!

Here's spotty at home in my garden. I rationalized the purchase because it's less than a month until my birthday, and my parents usually give the gift of cash. I just spent it early!

Naturally when I went to take photos of spotty the light had changed and he was in the shadows, you'll just have to take my word for it that the coloration has a lovely mottled green/blue tone. The dark spots seemed to require a dark leaf, like those on Echeveria 'Black Prince' also from Garden Fever...

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

30 comments:

  1. A lovely pot and a lovely back story Loree :D

    My wife and I still have some pots from just after we got married and I would be quite upset if one of them broke (it will be our 19th wedding anniversary in August).

    On a side note isn't technology wonderful nowadays? My last few posts on your blog have come from The Algarve in Portugal because I am on holiday with my family.

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    1. 19 years! You've got a few on us (this year is #10). Hope you're having a splendid vacation!

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  2. Spotty looks fabulous in your garden where he belongs! It's always nice to hear a story working out well. The colors look good in your garden and I like what Alison did with the first one too.

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    1. I felt so bad when I broke it that I actually called Andrew at work. His first thought "Well that's one less pot to deal with"...only 1/2 of this marriage gets sentimental about material possessions.

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  3. beautiful coloration and color combination with the Echeveria...nice....I do love Garden Fever!

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    1. I am consistently amazed at their prices. Lori mentioned once that people thing because of the neighborhood they're going to be expensive, nope, their prices are really good!

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  4. Spotty is awesome, and you matched him perfectly with those dark Echeverias. I love my broken pot, and thanks for the linkage. I've never been to Garden Fever, I wonder if a visit is in order this weekend, when I come down for the GC/HPSO tour....

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    1. Yes Alison, you should definitely stop in! 3433 NE 24th Ave, Portland, OR 97212

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  5. I'm glad you went back and got spotty. Otherwise you would have always regretted it. I speak from experience :-).

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  6. How cool that you found a replacement! Spotty is very handsome and I wish you many happy years together.

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    1. You can bet I'll be very careful when I move him from now on.

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  7. Sometimes you just have to splurge :-)

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  8. Nice to see the home of the t-shirt and tattoos ;)

    Spotty is a gorgeous pot and I'm glad to hear you finally got another one especially with the lovely association you have with it.

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    1. Ha! Forgot all about that! You've worn the tattoos, yes?

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  9. Spotty II is gorgeous, and I love what your friend Alison did with the old pot!

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    1. Me too, it would have made me so sad to see it end up in the trash.

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  10. Pots are so expensive that I sometimes, half-seriously, contemplate taking up pottery making. (I took a class once but I wasn't very good at getting my pots centered.) New Spotty is an exceptionally good looking pot - and even spottier than Old Spotty. And Alison got something in the bargain too so it's all good.

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    1. Have you read any of Gerhard's posts on making pots?
      http://www.succulentsandmore.com/2014/01/making-pots-at-donna-keith-taylor.html

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  11. Sign of a true addict when even the pots have names. Spotty is a particularly fine pot, even without the back story, so I can see why you are so pleased.

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    1. It' the first, and really could you have not named him that?

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  12. I've got a Spotty too! No sentimental back story, just bought it for myself at Rolling Greens in Culver City since it was on sale. Looks like the same glaze but not as spotted as your new one. Taking notes on this GF nursery that currently carries Agave franzosinii...

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    1. I've got a few of that glaze and they're all so different. I think that's one of the best things about it. Garden Fever is a great place to check out if you've got time!

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  13. I'm so glad you did a post about Garden Fever! I gave them a plug in my ANLD post, but I'm not sure it came across as I intended: a great place to fit into this weekend's touring.
    Tenth anniversary coming up? Wouldn't even Andrew cop to the sentimental rightness of replacing spotty in celebration?

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    1. No, I doubt he would. He can be pretty sentimental about somethings, but never anything like this...

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  14. I really like Spotty!! I'm glad you found a replacement for first Spotty. It is a sad feeling when a pot we like breaks that way...

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    1. Ya it's one thing when a freeze does it, or someone else. But to have my own stupidity (not being careful) to blame was an extra sting.

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  15. Spotty is gorgeous and fits in like it never left!

    And now, I know exactly what I'll do with that terra cotta pot that's finally starting to crqack after so many years, and it's not throw it away.}:P

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  16. Happy early birthday! Spotty looks like the perfect gift for yourself. Its coloration reminds me of a summer pond.

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