A January Drive to the Tropics.

We've had a couple of weeks of sub zero temperatures (really only sub freezing but sub zero celsius- thanks for catching that Danger.) and about a week of morning fog which only moves a little and keeps the sky gray all day.  On such a dreary day, let's take a little winter journey.

We'll take some time to appreciate the view along the roadside.

 Where can we go to escape this oppressive and cold, albeit kind of lovely,  blanket of fog?

Still more of this frosty stuff along the way.

Here's a clue for you:  We have arrived at our destination.  If you've been here, you may recognize this scene.

Turn around, open the door and magically...

The camera lens fogs.

No, what I meant was, magically we're transported to the tropics. (Yes, I realize that these yuccas grow outside here but they sort of fit with the theme.)

The magic is that of Flower World, a great nursery in Maltby, WA where they grow their own stock. You may remember posts about our late summer visit.  If not, you can find them here.

 Flower world's three acres of covered plant area is more fun than a botanical garden because here, you can take home anything that grabs your attention.

The campus of this place is so large that the maps, posted at various locations are highly recommended.

Ctenanthe oppenheimiana 'Tricolor' likes low - medium light conditions.  The foliage looks good enough to eat!

The gorgeous flowers are an added bonus.

It feels like summer.  I feel the winter doldrums taking flight and begin walking with more of a spring in my step.

 There are even a few of these prickly things.

 This Staghorn fern looks even bigger from the other side. The Tom is included for scale.

 An added bonus to shopping here is that you can eat at the  nearby Maltby Cafe which was just voted western Washington's best place to eat breakfast.

A variegated hybiscus. 

 I always thought that crotons were the little toast cubes that one finds in caesar salad and floating on soup.

This almost came home with me again (did I mention that there's a 30% sale going on?) but it was so cold outside and I'd have to find an indoor place for it for the rest of the winter.

Now for some gratuitious screaming color..

There is a lot more to discover at Flower World!   I'm very much looking forward to visiting again in the spring! The remainder of the nursery's  15 acres  are devoted to hardy plants.  On Monday, we'll see some of what's going on in the rest of the nursery.