Plants (and metal) I brought home from the Fling

Before I share any photos of the gardens we visited during the Puget Sound Fling, I have to share pics of the plants I bought, "the haul"...

Our first plant buying opportunity was on Saturday, at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, and their onsite nursery. Since that day was also my birthday I felt duty-bound to buy a few things, first up Rhododendron 'Golfer' (another dumb plant name!).

I've admired this plant in the garden several times so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make it mine.

I regretted not buying Parthenocissus henryana "a relative of Virginia Creeper and Boston Ivy, this species hails from China and features blue-green leaflets in whorls of five with prominent silver veining – quite striking. A vigorous climber that will ascend a large tree with little effort on your part. This deciduous species typically has nice fall color. A feature in the RSBG Stumpery" on my last visit, this time I didn't hesitate.

A couple photos of it in the garden, the base (photo from this visit)...

And way up in the tree, photo from my late May visit.

The 3rd and final plant from the RSBG, a Dan Hinkley wild collected begonia species that goes by the catchy and informative name DJHAP#18003. Is it hardy? I have no idea. Why did I buy it? I blame my begonia crazy friends Ann and Heather. Also, it was on sale.

Moving on, we're now in Camille's garden (yes that Camille, the one that led the Fling org team AND opened her gorgeous garden to the group), where Fling sponsor Monrovia set up this plant display. The generous Kathleen Hennessy told me to pick out a birthday plant so of course I did! What did I chose?

A fern! Athyrium otophorum, Jurassic™ Pterodactyl Eared Lady Fern. I have a few Athyrium otophorum and love their coloring, I am excited to add this one to my garden.

Here's a close up of a frond—just because.

I'd be remiss to not share this stash of plants from Little Prince of Oregon, another Fling sponsor. I brought them up with me from Portland, they were raffle prizes during the Fling Banquet on Saturday night. Here they are hanging out in the shade at Camille's garden. 

Truth be told, there were so many plants to transport that a handful never even made it up to the Fling, they stayed behind in my garden. Yes I had the blessing of the fine folks at Little Prince to keep a few plants that caught my eye, like this Echeveria 'Trumpet Pinky' (isn't it crazy cool?)...

Eucomis ‘Freckles’

Syngonium wendlandii (a houseplant).

And this crazy business, Athyrium ‘Aubergine Lady’...

Moving on, now it's Sunday we're at Windcliff, Dan Hinkley and Robert Jones' home and nursery in Indianola, WA. There's a lot to love in this photo! The dramatic schefflera on the left, the collection of square planters, and the odd Pseudopanax ferox growing at the back.

We were allowed to shop the nursery during this visit and I was still thinking about the pseudopanax when picked out my purchases, the Pseudopanax crassifolius container on the left (with three seedlings in it!) and a native ginger (on the right).

You can see the mass of seedlings I had to chose from in the background of this photo...

There is very different foliage on the seedlings at this stage...

I hope I can successfully separate the three plants.

Here's a close-up of the ginger, Asarum hartwegii HSIS 20045: "There are few native evergreen groundcovers, this found in the Siskiyous of southern Oregon, I feel are as overlooked as this species, for striking heart-shaped leaves etched in pewter, forming dense mounds to 4”. Secretive flowers hidden beneath the leaves. Tolerant of shade but resentful of overwatering and heavy soils. Utterly superb."

I failed to capture the curious magic of this container grouping at Windcliff, but seeing it sent me back to crab another pseudopanax. You see I was recently given a stash of those tall rolled-lip terracotta pots and suddenly I could see a grouping like this in my garden.

This one is a little insurance in case one of the other three doesn't make it when I tease their roots apart.

Now for the metal. The Fling visited a sweet shop/restaurant for our lunch break on Saturday (VanLierop Garden Market—lots of photos to come) and I was quite taken with this pair of metal benches, aka plant tables. 

So taken in fact that I drove out of my way (to Sumner, WA) on my way back to Portland on Monday afternoon and bought one of them, this one actually. They're pretty much twins but this is the one that spoke to me. I've got plans for it and hope to be sharing a photo of it in my garden very soon...

I'll end this post with our 2024 Fling group photo taken at the Brindley garden, there are a few people missing, but this is a great representation of our fun group.

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