Heronswood Part One: The Sale

Driving down the driveway to Heronswood brought a flood of fond memories of this once magical place, first going to various opens and later discovering that it was much more interesting to make an appointment and stroll the place almost by myself.  The confluence of place and time for the nursery and my green education was perfect.  My last visit to Heronswood happened a very brief time before they were closed.  Much has been written about what has happened to this magnificent garden and nursery by myself and others in a forum on Dave's Garden and by many others  all over the press.  The purchase of Heronswood from George Ball by the Port Gamble S'Klallam tribe has  saved the place.  Going back after all this time was a little strange but wonderful.

 

A couple of old friends were still there to greet us like this Davidia involucrata

And Ranunculus repens 'Pleniflorus'  which I had purchased here and probably pulled with the other buttercups taking over a bed.  The foliage is quite similar.

What's left of  the few hoop houses still standing.

 

While it's nice to have on site parking and not have to park in a neighboring community and walk in, I miss the many hoop houses that used to cover this space, each filled with treasure.

There were some vendors from the tribe selling fry bread, and other tasty food items.  Alison had never had fry bread before and she seemed to like it!

There were carvers and other craftspeople as well.  This charming woman is selling her jewelry and her father's beautiful drums.  Love the one with the hummingbirds!

There was excitement in the air for this first plant sale on these grounds in many years!  One of the vendors from the tribe remarked to another that he'd never seen anything like it, the people just kept coming, with traffic through the parking being constant.

Alison and I weren't quite sure what to expect as many of the same vendors were also at the Bloedel Reserve Sale the previous month.  WOW!  were we ever blown away!   The vendors really outdid themselves and brought many different things.  Alison remarked that everyone brought their "A game." 

 

 

 Polygonatum x hybridum 'Striatum'

I'm sorry that I didn't take more plant pictures.  It was difficult to balance my camera and my ever increasing number of plants and talk at the same time.  Suffice it to say  there was something at this sale for every garden interest from unusual shade gems to great hardy aloes and agaves, grevilleas, banksias, you name it, it was there!  O.K. I didn't see any petunias but you can't have everything, right?

Hardy orchids if you like that sort of thing.

 I find them beautiful and magical in other people's gardens and in the wild but I've never had tremendous success with them living longer than a few years at my place so why torture them?

 There was also some spiky goodness!

 

 Colletia hystrix is pretty dangerous!

 

 

 For those of you not in Alaska, parts of Canada, and the Pacific Northwest, look at what we can grow here!  Hey Satu, I bet that Meconopsis 'Lingholm' would grow beautifully for you, too!

 

 

 More plants!  I also ran into a very special internal medicine specialist vet who helped me and one of my furry kids many years ago.  She was spectacular and a gardener to boot! 

 Near what used to be the check out area used to stand tall Rosa sericea  pteracantha.  Many a customer would see the sun shining through those blood red thorns and decide run back and buy one.  It's been cut back to about a foot tall but new canes are emerging.

 

 

Just as we were leaving the sale Members of the tribe sang a song of welcome and a couple of other songs as well. 

 

To a plant addict, the hard-working people who supply our drug of choice are our rock stars!  Here are a few of the many present at the sale:

 

Dan Hinkley who, with his partner Robert Jones. built Heronswood and now sells plants as Windcliff, the name of their new garden. 

Kelly Dodson  (pictured) and Sue Milliken  operate a plant geeks paradise called Far Reaches Farm.

 Ian Barclay of The Desert Northwest always has incredible plants and is happy to tell you where to go!

Heidi Kaster of the absolutely fabulous  Dragonfly Farms Nursery, "where abnormality is the normality"  will point you in the opposite direction.  I wonder if she and Ian play this back and forth game with unwary gardeners when the sale slows down as a form of entertainment? (Just kidding!)

Nils Sundquist of Sudnquist Nursery  (I've never visited but have sure bought a lot of his great plants over the years!) seems to be enjoying the day!

 

Lane McLaughlin of Steamboat Island Nursery has been supplying yummy plants to some of my favorite retailers for years.  I also had the pleasure of visiting their nursery before they stopped selling on site.  This is the first sale at which  Lane's partner, Duane Heier  hasn't been working at her side. 

The quiet dude in the shades is Arlen Hill of Keeping it Green Nursery trying to dodge the paparazzi.

 Thank you and all the other rock star vendors who work diligently at your nurseries and go into overdrive to make events like this possible!  We truly  appreciate all you do, your advice, humor, and your plants! 

 

Hey wait, who is that rising star?  It's Riz Reyes who designed the multiple-award winning "Lost Gardener" garden at the Seattle Flower and Garden show, discussing plants with a friend.

 

Tomorrow, we'll walk through Heronswood, an aging diva undergoing reconstructive surgery.