Visiting Thompson's Nursery in Waldport, Oregon

For years Thompson's Nursery was a vendor at the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's spring plant sale, they were also one of the first plantlust.com nurseries. I remember my (then) plant lust partners making a business trip out to the nursery itself, in Waldport, Oregon (about 3 hours/150 miles), but I'd never been. During Andrew and my recent beach getaway I was just 26 minutes away, so I finally visited...

Back when they were at the HPSO sale, they were known for their rhododendrons, but that seams to have changed, as they had all types of plants, and a nice display garden as well.

Ginormous Schefflera delavayi.

Until the last year or so (when a friend gave me divisions of his Arisaema) I never paid mention attention to these plants, thinking they were fussy.

Now I can't get enough of them!

This was a new to me plant, Mitraria coccinea, Chilean mitre flower, a hardy vine in the gesneriacae family.There were no blooms, I was just drawn to the foliage.

I think this is a colorful Schefflera taiwaniana, but I didn't see a tag.

Oh! Let's look in the greenhouses...

This Arctostaphylos x 'Sunset' was good size and only $12, I tried so hard to rationalize the purchase but couldn't come up with a place for it and I already have A. silvicola 'Ghostly' in a container, so it stayed behind.

I love a good under the table planting...

This one was grand.

Under the table inventory is good too, Fatsia polycarpa 'Green Fingers' and Doodia media.

Love that bright new growth.

I didn't see the name of the eucalyptus, but swooned over it's powder blue color.

I've seen a lot of Echium pininana lately, I feel like I'm missing out! (these were growing right in the ground, not in pots for sale)

I don't normally look twice at Agastache, but these ‘Kudos™ Mandarin’ were lovely.

I guess the flowers were getting to me that day, because this one, Digitalis obscura, came home with me.

It's the complete package though, I love the foliage too.

You could buy a 4ft tall Melianthus major, if that was your desire.

I really wanted this tall Rhododendron macabeanum (I think the tag said alpine form), it was a very reasonable $65.

One of my fav groundcovers in my front garden, Juniperus conferta 'Blue Pacific'.

I think this was Rhododendron 'Wine and Roses'?

After I paid for my plant I did a bit more exploring.

Seeds pods on the Phormium in the photo above (isn't that small truck adorable?).

Later I learned I'd wandered into an off-limits area (I thought it was all part of the nursery/display garden) but was thrilled to come upon this old greenhouse.

I headed into the off-limits area (not knowing that) to photograph the small echium forest I couldn't get a good shot of from inside the greenhouse.

It was a great nursery visit!

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