Last Thursday was opening day at one of my favorite local nurseries,
Secret Garden Growers, You know you've arrived when you see the witch crossing sign... (pardon the bad photo taken from inside my car)...
The day had been marked on my calendar for awhile, it was a good excuse to go for a drive (45 min to an hour from my house), see friends who work there (
Ann and
Evan) and of course a fine opportunity to ogle the plants...
Variegated Daphniphyllum
I want to clean out the pine needles and plant something in that cool slab. I forgot to ask if they had plans for it.
Lots of 'Spotty Dotty' (podophyllum)
Love the vibrant backdrop for the Schefflera delavayi.
That gunnera is wasting no time waking up and putting on some growth.
Aquilegia viridiflora Chocolate Soldier’
I bought one of these here last year that's up and blooming in my garden, but that didn't stop me from buying another on this visit.
Lathyrus vernus (spring vetch/perennial sweet pea), darn cute!
Everybody needs a rodgersia or two.
I thought I needed this euphorbia as well (Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire') but it doesn't need me. I've lost it more times than I can count.
OH MY GOD! More moss than foliage. I should have bought this! (I think it's a barberry?)
The SGG Yurt. I've never been inside.
Asarum caudatum will definitely cover some ground.
I quite like those flowers too. I recently posted a photo on Instagram of one of mine in flower and someone called it "ugliest flower in botany"... no!!!!
Rhododendron 'Tressa McMurry', how is it even possible that a rhododendron in a 4" pot is blooming?
Moving into the greenhouse now (technically not open to nursery visitors) and looking at these Aloiampelos striatula I'm reminded that mine COULD resprout from the woody base. Could. But will they?
Hardy-ish begonias. I've grown both of these but winter finally did them in.
More of that fantastic Cyrtomium macrophyllum
I scored at Hortlandia.
Evan grew these plants from spore.
Sophora prostrata 'Little Baby'. My three oldest plants are still bare after the winter cold. Fingers crossed they leaf out soon.
Marked as Abutilon 'David'.
Canna 'Cleopatra'
Schefflera delavayi babies! (maybe from my plant? Ann propagated a batch from seeds I gave SGG).
Arisaema ringens
Bletilla striata 'Shi-Ran'
Pyrrosia lingua 'Kei Kan', I believe.
I love that Pat (owner of Secret Garden Growers) shares my love of kinda obscure ferns.
Libertia some something. I love it, but it dies in my garden.
Finally I'll wrap this post with an obscenely large clematis bloom on a very small plant, Clematis 'Rooran' in a 4" pot. You go girl!
All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Nursery opening days are a foreign concept to me but I appreciate the excitement they must engender in climates less kind than mine. I'd also be excited to see all those unusual (to my eyes) plants. How can anyone think that Asarum flower is ugly?
ReplyDeleteThe garden centers/large nurseries in Portland stay open year round, it's the smaller rural ones (most who grow a lot of their own plants) that tend to close for the winter. I imagine with a lack of customers it just doesn't make sense to stay open.
DeleteOh I've got to get up there!
ReplyDeleteWe had a freeze this morning, 30.0F. How did you do up there Loree?
-artinnature
Yes you do! Our low was 39, we escaped the freeze!
DeleteWell, I got up there, went a little nuts. That place ins DANGEROUS!
DeleteScheffflera delavayi (your babies?)
Fascicularia bicolor
Blechnum chilense
Polystichum neolobatum
Saxifraga 'Harvest Moon'
Saxifraga 'Nezo Jinja' (fun to say)
Hydrangea quercifolia 'Little Honey'
Ophiopogon 'Pamela Harper'
Carex 'Bowles Golden'
Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer'
Dryopteris sieboldii
Cyrtomium macrophyllum (OMG this fern is so cool)
-artinnature
Wow. I am impressed, very well done! (and yes, I think your S. delavayi is probably one of my plant's progeny.
DeleteAll so fabulous! Thanks for the tour, Loree.
ReplyDeleteHave you been there Tamara?
DeleteInteresting. Libertia dies in my garden too.
ReplyDeleteI am not alone!
DeleteOooh, lots of great plants! I love that varigated daphniphyllum and that 'Cleopatra' canna. Very nice. I've got a slab of a tree trunk too. I was going to prop it up with cinder blocks also. LOL. Any suggestions on what to put on my "fern table"?
ReplyDeleteUhm.... pyrrosia of course! ;)
DeleteWow, rough job, but I guess someone has to do it! Thank you for taking on this burden for us 😆. I'm heading down there this weekend and really looking forward to it. I've got asarum caudatum f.'album' and forget it's a variation from the norm- until I see those red flowers on the species. It's recovered enthusiasticallly from the unexpected winter damage.
ReplyDeleteYes my Asarum caudatum lost all it's leaves and some of it's spreading meandering stems this winter. Thankfully it's recovering. Have a fun trip!
DeleteSo cool! I’ve only been there in off-season when they’re not fully open. Perusing their web site gets my ideas for combinations flowing. Got to get out there! . It’s a pretty drive too.
ReplyDeleteJim N Tabor.
It is a great drive, get down there soon!
DeleteI suspect your Aloiampelos striatula will re-sprout. Mine is returning from the ground in zone 7a (now "b") New Jersey. Thanks for sharing this pictures from the nursery.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome and I hope you are correct!
DeleteI love that Euphorbia. It seeds around gently, but eventually expires. Others seed around or spread like crazy, the expire with lots of work.
ReplyDeleteI've never had it last more than a season and never have had it seed in. It hates my garden!
DeleteI'm always amazed at anyone (Evan!) who propagates ferns from spores... there something truly awesome about that.
ReplyDeleteHardy-ish begonias... they returned a couple of years in my garden but I'd be shocked if they reappear after last winter's unusually harsh cold snap.
Very curious about the SGG Yurt. How it's being used.
Chavli
Ann said the yurt acts as Pat's office and staff meeting area. As for the ferns, me too. It's an amazing skill!
DeleteI think the little Asarum flowers are actually quite attractive and interesting. Very different from others. You should have grabbed that Berberis. So much great moss. They have got lots of great plants so looks like it was worth the trip. Did you come home with anything?
ReplyDeleteJust the Aquilegia viridiflora Chocolate Soldier’, I bought a couple things from them at Hortlandia (the HPSO spring plant sale) or else I would have bought more.
DeleteWhat a great nursery, love the diversity. I have that Canna 'Cleopatra' and adore the leaves, but it's one of the few blooms I don't care for. Weird for me, but the yellow & red looks fake or something I can't put my finger on it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I had that canna a couple of years back and I actually thought the bloom was kinda cool. I don't like most floppy canna flowers though.
DeleteI always end up buying a lot of drought tolerant plants from SGG. Got some excellent ornamental oreganos and Eryngium from them a couple years ago. Also, I appreciate the fact that they sell shrubs in 4" pots. Let's us trial things at a more reasonable price. I didn't know Evan worked there now too - cool!
ReplyDeleteI think he's only there one day a week, but enough to work a little magic.
Delete