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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Bark and Garden Part Two

The truly impressive assortment of  conifers and broad leaved evergreens alone is worth a visit to Bark and Garden Nursery but add to that the array of perennials and it's a must see nursery.  (This feels a little like one of those Ronco commercials, "But it also makes hundreds of julienne fries in minutes.") Anyway, they also have a great selection of indoor and semi hardy plants including some of my favorite echiverias.  There were so many beautiful Hellebores that they'll get their own post. 

Here's a glimpse of some of the indoor offerings:

Mine seldom look quite this good after spending the winter inside.
 These cacti are in 4 inch pots, are reasonably priced and each pot is labeled with the botanical and common name!

Can  someone explain to me the neon grafted cactus thing?  When I was a pre teen I thought they were really cool.  At the time I had black light posters in by bedroom and had painted the walls dark purple so my color taste was questionable to say the least.   Do cacti naturally occur in these colors?   How do they dye them?  are they grafted to keep them from reverting?  Do they live very long? I've never seen one that was any larger than these.  I want to know but not badly enough to bring one of them into my house.  The larger question is, why do they do this?

 
Doesent Notocactus scopa look soft and sweet?



Hirsute cacti always make me smile.  Does that fir protect them from the blazing sun or some sort of insect pest?


This barrel of fun almost came home with me but then I remembered that I have a couple of plastic ones in the attic that don't mind our soggy winters at all. 

When Hairy
 Met Wooley (Espostoa melanostele aka Peruvian Old Lady)


 The spikes of Devil's Tongue Cactus  look like some sort of sea creature.


 
This variegated opuntia was tempting but it looks like it wants to grow in a hanging planter.  Unfortunately I got rid of all of my macrame plant hangers and the ones made of tiny sea shells too. 

That's real live sun shining on this echiveria.  Spring is coming soon!
 I never tire of echiverias and aeoniums.  Just one zone higher and we could leave them in the ground all year.
 Fortunately most years they don't so much mind spending the winter inside.
 


These are about five feet tall and are the largest Aeonium arboreum I've seen but then I don't get out much.
 This beautiful blue fern likes sharp drainage and is marginally hardy here.  The one I bought last summer came inside this fall,  has gotten very little water, and is looking as fresh and happy as when I stuck it in the dark cramped winter digs.  You should buy one!
 
 Asplundia or Jungle Drum looks interesting but since I kill house plants it's probably kindest that it stayed at the nursery.  There was a nice variety of tropical leafy things in the houseplant section that all looked happy and healthy.
 
 
I've killed this before by leaving it out all year and it's width makes it  difficult to bring in for the winter.  It's on the sale table, though and spring is coming so it would only need a space for a few more weeks.  Maybe if it's still there when I go back.

 What collection would be complete without some really big succulents.  Some for inside
And even more for outside.
 


 It does look like a recent shipment from one or two growers but it's still exciting to see more of the hardier agaves offered. 
Did I mention that the sun was out?

It was so warm in this house that the vents were open and the fans were pulling hot air out.  I took off my coat and enjoyed a little artificial summer.  If there had only been a chaise lounge and a mojito nearby the fantasy could have been complete.

 I'm so excited to have finally visited this nursery and to add it to my list of regular places to haunt.  It will be interesting to see if they keep up this level of plant offerings all year.  Happy Monday all ja Hyvää maanantai, Satu!

26 comments:

  1. Wow, they do have a good selection and they label them beyond "Cactus or Succulent". Beautiful agave shots in the sun.

    Drizzly rain here today so I have to visit Tacoma for sunshine.

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    1. Shirley, I wish I could offer you some sunshine but our sky is gray today and they are predicting p.m. showers. Tomorrow is supposed to be mostly sunny so that gives you a little time to pack. You could be here early Tuesday, enjoy the sun and then attend the Northwest Flower and Garden Show.

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  2. "You should buy one!"...were you talking to me? So how would you rate their prices?

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    1. If the shoe fits...of course. Prices were variable. The 4" cacti were $4.75, gallon helebores 15 - 18 depending on variety, not bad. The 2gallon variegated opunta was 60.00 but it might have been part of the sale table, big aeonium arboreum were 125.00. Not a bargain basement but they weren't gouging anyone either.

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  3. Peter, nice trip to this nursery, you felt like in hot summer! I love cactus but they have long needles, so I prefer succulents. Great photos!

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    1. Hi Nadezda! I prefer to live with succulents but cacti are very interestin to look at.

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  4. Stunning pictures. I like those succulents. My twins love castus. They both have one cactus on the window sill. Have a great week, Peter!

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    1. Thank you Satu! It is wonderful that your twins enjoy growg cactus! I hope you have a great week too!

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  5. My local garden centre has those neon-bright cacti too. I too wondered what the hell was going on there. Mind you, they also have some with googly eyes and all sorts of other crap stuck on them.

    Maybe I should do the same. If I rolled up at a British Cactus and Succulent Society meeting, sporting a plant wearing sunglasses and swimshorts wrapped round the pot, what's the worst that could happen?

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    1. I'm sre that the British cacts and Succulent Society would find your joke charmig and would laugh heartily right after they ban you from all future events. There is no problem so great that a pair of googly eyes can't make better. You should probably stock up and attach them to all of your plants.

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  6. Awesome collections of plants! About the colorful cacti - those ball-shaped tops are Gymnocalycium - they have no chlorophyll, so the red and yellow pigments come out, much like the leaves on the trees in autumn which stop producing green chlorophyll when the days shorten, and the reds and yellows that are there all along become evident. Since these Gymnocalyciums don't have chlorophyll, they can't survive (can't make food for themselves) without being grafted onto something else. So the bottom cactus is the rescue plant! :O) Always enjoy your posts, and you're so lucky to live close to such a fabulous nursery!

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    1. Thank you, Kathy, for the explnation of the colorful cacti. Do these non-chlorophyll bearing cacti occur on some green Gymnocalycium cacti from which they're harvested and grafted? I'm glad you enjoy my posts and your right we're very lucky in the Pacifc Nortwest to have a great number of wonderful nurseries!

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  7. This must be a huge nursery to house such a large variety of cacti and succulents! Your photos are the best commercial for their inventory :)

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  8. They are mutants! I believe that some are able to live on their own (possibly they have some chlorophyll?), but those are rare and apparently valuable! I fell in love with cacti crests at some point, which are mutants in their own way - lacking a piece of DNA or something that tells them which way to grow, and they just grow every which way! Which is the only reason I know about the neon cacti! :O)

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    1. Cool! Now I like them again! I thought that they were dyed or something. Now that they're mutants, I feel a kinship with them!

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    2. Love, love, love Grafted Moon Cactus in Orange color! You will, too, once you've grafted your own. Take a pup from any Moon Cactus and graft it yourself onto Hylocereus, they watch it grow. All you have to do is cut & match up the cactus "rings" - See link below.

      Gymnocalycium Mihanovichii, - Grafted Moon Cactus - Yellow-Orange Hibotan grafted onto Hylocereus
      Origin: Asia Grafted - Bright Light/Full Sun - Water thoroughly; allow to dry
      Soil Component & Ratio: Cactus mix - Sandy/loamy
      Fertilizer: Low-nitrogen 5-10-10 fertilizer monthly during late spring/summer/early fall
      Propagation: Individual pups need a host cactus to survive once removed from mother
      How to Graft Moon Cactus: http://faculty.ucc.edu/biology-ombrello/pow/grafted_cacti.htm
      Red Cap or Hibotan Origin: http://www.lapshin.org/cultivar/N12/histor-e.htm (not irradiated as commonly believed)

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  9. This nursery is absolutely fabulous for anyone who loves succulents! Sadly, I am not in that company. However, I really like the name of this nursery. Reminds me of a diner we were forced to stop at in Kansas called the Squat and Gobble.

    By the way, my offspring have informed me that I am the biggest dork in the world for not being familiar with "The Bird is the Word" from Family Guy.

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    1. Squat and Gobble - too funny! Sounds like a turkey laying an egg! This nursery has lots of other stuff, too but I was taken with their large collection of succulents.

      It's o.k. embrace your inner dork! We love you just the way you are.

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  10. This weekend, I went to a nursery for the first time this year...it was magical...even if I didn't buy any plants ;-)

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    1. Nurseries are wonderful places and just being in a place filled with plants is good therapy during the dark and cold times. One of the wonderful things about blogging, for me, has been that it's made me visit nurseries during the winter, something that I didn't do all that much before.

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  11. I love that last agave... Beautiful shots!

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  12. They have lots of very nice indoor offerings! And love all of their agaves, wish we had a nursery near us selling that many varieties!

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    1. I bet you do. There were really only about 6 different varieties of agaves but there were a lot of them!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.