Falling in Love onValentine's Day; Bark and Garden Part One

A glass artist friend of mine who comes to some of the classes I offer just to hang out and work on her projects lives in Olympia.  She has often spoken in glowing terms of Bark and Garden Nursery located in nearby Tumwater.  You know how it is when a person who isn't a garden fanatic talks about their home town  nursery; you never really know.  Besides, I hadn't heard anyone talk about B & G on the internet and never saw it advertised.  Maybe the name made me think that it was primarily a garden supply, gravel, bark, etc. sort of place.  Anyway, after Alison mentioned Bark and Garden's presence at the Tacoma Home and Garden Show in a recent post, I decided it was time to check this place out.  I'm very glad I did.  Only a 40 minute drive from home is this incredible nursery!

This garden space is next to the parking lot.  I think that the heavy equipment is temporary but I love the placement so that it makes an arch over the palm tree.  Industrial yard art is all the rage, right?

 I should probably warn you at this point that as we got closer to Olympia, the sun began to shine.  For those of you who see the sun on a regular basis, my mentioning this probably makes little sense, but if you live in an area where a sunbreak is a reason for a major celebration, you'll understand.  When I got out of the car in the parking lot, the sun was making everything look fabulous, colors popped, shadows and light played, and all felt right with the world.  It is sort of like in the movie The Wizard of Oz when it changes from black and white to color. 

I'm warning you because I'm sure that the beautiful weather positively influenced my visit to this place so I may just start gushing.  That being said, I love the way This nursery displays plants suggesting combinations to clients.

The vibrant red nandinas sure look fabulous this time of the year!  Red foliage in silvery February makes me smile.  Note to self: pick up a few nandinas next time I visit to plant with my Chief Joseph.

 The berries of this nandina which have been catching my eye in lots of gardens this year were present in abundance in the permanent plantings at B&G.

The front displays featured a huge variety of conifers and other evergreens. 

I don't remember the name of this Nandina but I love it.  Reminds me of Phyllis Diller!

This evergreen theme just keeps going and going!

 

As I approached the entrance, what should I spy in a Monrovia pot no less but this cutey patooty Rhodocoma capensis.  It was so soft and sweet and it wanted to come home with me but I really don't need three of them!  Both my big plant and it's back up replacement sailed through this mild winter with no problem at all.

Nice to see quite a few Monkey Puzzle Trees.  These fascinate me and I love looking at them in other people's gardens but I haven't the space for one.

Lovely lush inside and outside plants mingle.  There were so many cool succulents, cacti, and other beasts here that they'll get their own post as will the fabulous hellebores.

I couldn't stop singing this song when I saw all of the rain chains in the next picture.

Were they working on the rain chain gang? 

Is it an evergreen or a succulent?  I love the texture of this conifer!

Heuchera 'Snow Angel' almost made me put it in my cart in a moment of weakness or as Ricki says "an expansive and generous largesse."  Look at that far out color combination! 

I know it's common as dirt but Bergenia is such a tough plant,  looks fresh all winter long, and even takes on beautiful winter hues.  Personally I could live without the flowers but I don't mind them.

Epimedium 'Frohnleiten'  is another plant that may find it's way into my cart on my next visit, which will be soon!

 I'm totally falling in love with this nursery! Oodles of plants, sunlight streaming through, and a space that seems so big that you could get lost. On my first visit to large nurseries, I get that giddy, you could get lost in this space feeling.  But wow, this nursery rocks! 

Did I mention that they carry a few pots?  B& G is a large, full-service sort of nursery with bulbs for spring planting, fertilizers, and scads of other things inside the store.

If I had space for another holly, this would be the one!  The pink tint on the new foliage is sweet!

Not to mention the beautifully contrasting color of the bark on the branches.

Great treats await those wandering inside including a life-sized Ape that you can see on Alison's blog posing next to her life-sized husband.

This huge shark head might look delightful emerging from my pond with, say, the arm of a mannequin in it's mouth.

I don't really get it but we can all sleep better at night knowing that this turkey is available here should the need arise.

Fred Conlon's metal work always makes me giggle!  I'd not seen it at any other local nurseries.

For that Elvis Shrine you've been meening to install in your garden.  It's piped so that water can trickle out of the sound hole.

No jungle would be complete without a tiger and a cub.

Or two.

Bark and Garden is well worth the drive. It seems like we were only there for 20 minutes or so but it turns out that we were there for over two hours. I can't wait to go back!  I'm told that they grow some of their own stock and their selection of unusual annuals is amazing.    Stay tuned because there's more to come.  

Happy V.D. everyone!