Monday, November 2, 2020

While in Seattle, I visited Swansons...

I didn't actually plan to visit Swansons Nursery while I was in Seattle last month. But after visiting the Bellevue Botanical Garden on Friday, and seeing so many fabulous plum yews, well I decided to make the time to stop at Swansons before I left town on Saturday. Swansons is the one place I've found a Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Prostrata’ (the spreading Japanese plum yew) and then only because my friend Michelle tipped me off they had a few, well actually only one by the time I got there, but I bought it!

So Swansons. It was crazy busy and I guess I was one of the few walk-ins that got in that day, as they were basically only letting in folks with prior online reservations (you know, cause COVID). I'll just cut right to the chase and let you know there were no yews... but there was plenty to get excited about.


Like this fabulous flat planting. It's not a fern table (first clue = no ferns), more of a sun-loving composition.

With moss. because it is the Pacific Northwest in autumn.

They've usually got pretty great labels on their multi-plant arrangements, sadly this one had nothing, so I can't tell you what that cute long-leafed plant is.

I love everything about this, except for the two blue round rocks at the front. They seem very out of place with the other rocks.

View from above.

This creation was long and tall. A rectangle planter with the unlikely duo of Lomandra longifolia Platinum Beauty™ and Erica arborescens.

I'll be honest, this one was all about the tree heath for me.

And this one? While I *swooned* I also think it was the unusual container that really did it for me here.

I seriously considered moving that annoying blue thing out of the way so I could get a good overall shot.

Instead I looked for other angles. The combination of the rusty metal spikes, with the black mondo grass and light creamy trailing vines...just so good!

One last shot of this one...

And we move on to a simple branch in a vase...

... and a gnarly branch on a wall.

This tree fern has been a Swansons display for years now. It's planted in a shallow dish on top of that larger container. The ferns around it's base give it a nice "fuzzy" look.

Adiantum pedatum, standing tall.

Another flat planting...

And another, this with a Polypodium scouleri looking quite lush...

A few more flat plantings that I had to photograph...

And we're back looking at the plants for sale, or rather just one of them—one I really wanted to take home, but managed to leave behind.

A very unexpected find.

So what did I buy? Just two plants. First up, a Schefflera delavayi.

It's leaves were so deeply cut that I had to have it. Of course the fact it was 30% off of $19 helped that decision along.

Here it is already planted in a large stock tank at the base of another S. delavayi that got a little tall and awkward.

Here's my crazy splurge of the trip. Pyrrosia linqua 'Dragon's Tail'...

It too was 30% off, or else I never would have even entertained the idea of bringing it home.

What can I say... strange foliage, gotta have it. 

And look at the back-side of those fronds!

Weather Diary, Nov 1: Hi 65, Low 37/ Precip 0 

All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

16 comments:

  1. Gosh, I wish I had known you were coming to Swanson's... my garden is just down the street. A standing invitation for the next time you are in the neighborhood (although I grow no agave...).
    I stopped at Swanson's just the other day. That Pyrrosia linqua 'Dragon's Tail' caught my eye too, but I was not in a splurging mood. Their flat planting arrangements are always inspiring.

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    1. Next time! Now I know and I will file that invite away for future visits, thank you! (no agaves!?) I carried that pyrrosia around for awhile, trying to decide. Even at 30% off it was still expensive.

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  2. I think they should re-name themselves Swoon-sons. Wow, just wow! Wish I could shop there. So many of their plantings are swoon-worthy.

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    1. Ha! That's a good one, and how I will think of them from now on.

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  3. Mom go-to nursery, just one dangerously close mile from home. They do have great displays and a pretty wonderful selection of plants - spendy, but plan for the spring/fall sales and you'll be ok. I think your mystery strappy leaved plant is a gentian, at least it sure looks like the one I bought there and have in a similar crevice situation in my rock wall.

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    1. Yep, that makes sense (gentian), thanks! And I agree, it can definitely be on the spendy side, but then every once and awhile there's some great bargain! (like the schefflera I grabbed)

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  4. Those flat plantings are inspiring– reminds me of a 'open-air' terrarium. I'm trying to think of some of the hardy plants around here that would look good displayed this way. Itching to create something!

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    1. I hope you will! And I'm scheming on a another...something for a sunny spot.

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  5. They took the fern table concept and made it their own, although the flat table creations that actually included ferns were my favorites of the bunch. And I'd have been tempted to move the bright blue box of boxes too...

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    1. I was a little afraid they'd ask me to leave if I started rearranging things.

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  6. The first photo of the table planting is gorgeous. Could spend a lot of time looking at that. I admire your restraint in not coming home with the Banksia. Think I would have just put in my cart and not looked at the price.

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    1. It wasn't so much the price as the lack of hardiness. I would have had to find a way to successfully over-winter it, which would be hard.

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  7. Fun to see your observations. I'll keep an eye out for the plum yews, they had them earlier in the year but in the next container size up, which seemed pricey for the size difference. I'd rather buy multiple small ones and spread them around more.

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    1. Definitely need a one gallon size, not larger. In a cram-scraped garden there's only so much room to dig a hole!

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  8. Those flat plantings are fabulous, every one. And that Maidenhair! Wow.

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  9. Wow ! This place looks heaven for plant lovers.It would be pleasure if you join my link up party related to gardening here at http://jaipurgardening.blogspot.com/2020/10/garden-affair-bleeding-heart-vine.html

    ReplyDelete

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