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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.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Pine-Scented Air Freshener


 


So, I finally got one of those pine -scented air fresheners for my car that everyone has been talking about!  I thought I wouldn't like it but surprisingly, the scent was light, fresh, and remarkably realistic.

 
I love conifers but don't have a lot of them in my small garden.  It never occured to me when I visited Vassey Nursery over the weekend that I'd be bringing home something with needles.  (perhaps an especially nice acupuncturist but a small tree/shrub, probably not.
But here we were in the most romantic of spots for any gardener, a nursery filled to the gills with plants all ready for spring.
Those of us who live in this area take all of these coniferous choices for granted.  If you live in an area where these don't thrive, consider this payback for all those gorgeous pictures of cacti and succulents(especially agaves) growing beautifully outside that you post.  Not that I'm envious or anything but  I digress...

So there we were in the conifer section of Vassey and I heard my name being whispered from afar.

Could it have been pinus thunbergii whose cone clusters always bring a smile to my face?  No, this was not the one.

Then it happened our eyes met and it was love at first sight.   Pinus wallichiana 'Zebrina' was standing there looking a little shy, with luxurious long  bluish needles held in tufts.  It was like a teddy bear.  Who could resist?
I certainly tried while walking around the nursery where these other cool things were found.
 Weeping Acer palmatums have wonderful multi-season interest!


Prunus incisa 'Little Twist' has interesting zig gagging branches.
The foliage of Primula Kennedy Irish Innisfree is pretty yummy.  Now imagine redish orange flowers ...

Or you could just look at this picture that I borrowed from Skagit Gardens' site.
 
These nice-sized fatsia japonicas in two gallon pots were only twenty-five bucks.  You can never have too many of these!
I didn't manage to get a very good shot of these metal flowers but they were really sweet in person.

Chickens crossed with herons?  Whatever these are, they're interesting.

One of my favorite spring flowers is pulmonaria or lungwort.  They have beautiful foliage and cool flowers that begin life as vibrant pink and then change to this intense blue color.  The bloom at the same time as daffodils here so the combination of blue and yellow is delightful, especially under my big dark pink camellia japonica whose falling petals create a pink carpet for the daffodils and pulmonairas. 
Oh shoot, I've been gardening in my mind again.  The daffodils in that spot have deteriorated over the last few years and a smart gardener would have replanted some in the fall.  The reality is floppy daffodil foliage and pulmonarias struggling to throw blooms above the sea of camellia petals. 
Seeing these at Vassey made me check on my own when I got home.  Bless their blooming hearts, they're still alive!
Hope you are finding lots of treasures popping up in your garden and at nurseries.   If youre garden is still beneath snow,  spring will soon be here!   

22 comments:

  1. I love this Pinus, with its soft billowing needles and graceful habit, lovely!

    Conifers seems to be having a resurgence recently, long overdue me thinks as there are so many nice ones out there that don't grow to gigantic proportions.

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    1. Conifers provide great garden structure and look good year round! How to mix them with all of the big leafed tropical looking plants and bamboo in my garden is another story.

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  2. Nice air freshener, those needles do look soft. Those sculptures look like "Cherons" a new hybrid just out this year.

    The photos of all those conifers are fascinating. In my hometown of Houston agaves and pine trees grow in the same yard. Even more of a payback are the thriving Japanese Maples which I love but cannot grow here.

    It's always a challenge to reconcile the garden in your mind with reality.

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    1. Ah yes, the elusive, newly introduced Cheron. I can't believe I saw them in person and didn't even realize what they were!

      Thanks for the tip, I'll post lots of pictures of Japanese Maples when they leaf out just for you! Isn't it funny that many of us plant people desire what really doesn't want to grow in our areas? For years after moving here from Alaska, I was simply in awe of the amazing variety of plants that are hardy here (zone 3 to 8 is a big leap;) now I lust after arid plants and zone 9 stuff. Crazy!

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  3. I love those hybrid chicken/heron things! And the metal flowers. I want that metal globe too. Love your new conifer. Like you, I have trouble figuring out how to integrate them into a mostly perennial garden.

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    1. Sounds like it might be time to Visit the Puyallup nurseries! I have a lovely collection of conifers in containers.

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  4. You know I'm no fan of the conifer but wow "Zebrina" is a cutie! Northern Arizona also has an abundance of conifers growing with agave and other cactus. It's not as odd a juxtaposition as you might think.

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    1. Glad you think that Zebrina is cute! O.K. so we'll have to get them by posting pictures of moss and Acer palmatums!

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  5. hi tog, thanks for another post combining interesting stuff and giving me a good laugh. Especially the chicken-heron crosses. And the iresistable teddy bear-like pine that you fell hopelessly in love with. I hope you 2 will be very happy together and have a long, sustainable and fruitful (coneful?) relationship.

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    1. Thanks for the well wishes, Catmint! We're still in the honeymoon period. You know, it's that magical time when the effects of perfect care at the nusery haven't caught up with my poor gardening practices. We'll see what happens a year or so down the line.

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  6. Having garden visitors is a rude awakening to those of us who continually indulge in what you so aptly describe as "gardening in my mind". Only occasionally (and fleetingly) does a planting live up to my mind's eye vision.

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    1. You are so correct. That's why I only allow visitors to come to my garden for a fifteen minute period on the third of July.

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  7. I am so jealous of all the conifers! And I love your blue Zebrina. I noticed my lungwort blooming today. I was shocked to see it. I had planted tons, but only two sprigs were tough enough to stay alive. They are mocking me because obviously, I didn't plant them in the right spot.

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    1. Zebrina is sweet! Do you actually hear the plants talking about you behind your back? How long have you been hearing the voices? What are they saying now?

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  8. Judy's big into chickens. I think she's really like the heron/chicken or chicken/heron. Hicken/Cheron?

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    1. It's Hicken in rural areas and Chereon in more urban settings. I'm excited to meet you both this summer!

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  9. Peter, for me I wouldn't resist and would buy this pinus as well, its long needles are wonderful, you're right!
    Have a nice weekend!

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    1. Hooray! If you would have bought that pinus as well, I know I made the right decision.
      I hope your weekend is wonderful too!

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  10. Hey there outlaw !
    Thanks for stopping by my blog and the well wishes .. I appreciate it : )
    Love your visit to this nursery .. I wish we had a few like this in Kingston .. we really lack for a truly distinctive one here.
    I need more evergreens in my garden I think .. I will have to eyeball something special if I can find it .. you have given me lots to think about with this post .. great pine air freshener !! LOL
    Joy

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    1. It's always fun to read your blog! This is one of my favorite nurseries (I have a lot of favorite nurseries!)

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  11. We think that conifers go with all plants! We plant them with succulents, natives, South African plants, etc. And we LOVE P. w. 'Zebrina' - what a great choice. For ideas on how to use conifers and to learn more about them, the American Conifer Society is a great resource and has a very active group in the PNW. You can find them on the web and also on Facebook.

    Nice post, thanks!

    Sara

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    1. The wide array of conifers available to gardeners in the PNW is amazing and gorgeous! While I'm not quite ready to pull out everything in my garden and replace it with evergreens, the all season structure and beauty of these marvelous plants is very useful! Sorry I didn't see your comment until just now and thanks for the info on the ACS!

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