-

-
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.

Friday, May 24, 2013

The Magic of Sally Priest; WeHop Revisited

 
You may remember a post last September about my first visit to WeHop (Western Horticultural Products.)   It was great fun to see some of the plants that San Marcos Growers and Monterey Bay Growers would have available the next year.  It was also a special treat to be able to buy some plants and an incredible surprise to be given quite a few agaves to share with my pal Loree!  My behavior must not have been too awful because Sally Priest, the Western Washington Sales Representative for WeHop invited me back to see how last years pots fared through the winter and so see some more plants.  After Alison and I visited Valley Nursery and the Heronswood Sale and Garden, we headed on over to visit Sally.  Alison and I had a wonderful time on this Saturday plant spree and having the privilege of seeing these special plants was certainly a high point of the day!
 
 Surprisingly, these echiverias were left outside in this pot all winter and were just fine.  We had a mild winter but there were a few days in the 20's.

The rest of the pots had the shelter of a greenhouse and sailed through the winter (the  big pots  on the right.)  Also, Sally left a Phormium 'Guardsman' outside all winter and it was just fine.  I kept mine in a pot and brought it in for the coldest few weeks of the winter.  Maybe I'll be brave and plant it in the ground.
 
I never tire of echiverias with their flower-like forms and fabulous colors.  Ah to live in zone 9 where we could leave them in the ground all year. 

I don't remember what this plant was other than way cool!

Phormium 'Jubilee' is my new favorite (I still love you 'Guardsman!') Is that a festive color combination or what.  It was discovered as a fan of foliage on its parent 'Jester' which has red leaves with green edges.  This is definitely a pink edged green leaf!  This color combination reminds me of a line from  the musical Wicked  "Pink goes good with green!" This was a new Monterey Bay introduction several years ago but now San Marcos grows this variety as well.

These two inch pots of succulents were so cute that I could barely stand it!  Can't you just see these grouped  in pots or small beds?  (I know it's a fad but I love the geometric, flowing water, or undersea effects that designers have created with succulents.)

It's like a big succulent quilt that looks far out as a whole


and quite interesting up close!  Maybe I like Crassula adromischus cristatus (on the right) so much because the leaves look like a strangely shaped stuffed pasta.  Ravioli anyone? 

More Echiverias. Le Sigh. 

Kalenchoe beharensis, a variety without fur.  This was new to me!

 
 Sure was a looker and was ordered for a customer in another state.

I didn't find the name of this plant but am absolutely in love with its flowers.  The foliage is very similar to Costal Wollybush.
 See how the buds just pop out of the branches?  Can you I.D. this plant?
 
Many thanks to Max P. who correctly identified this beauty as Calothamnus villosus a.k.a. Silky Net Bush.  It's an Australian, a beauty in foliage, and stunning in bloom.  Hardy to 16 degrees F.

Dyckia 'Precious Metal' caught Alison's eye and her hand as she grabbed the pot!

O.K. I have a thing for Echiverias.

Aloe 'Goliath' as the name implies, gets very large.  Glad that I have a hand truck because one of these came home with me.


A fun combination! 
 I'm kicking myself for not taking any pictures of the many HUGE Aeonium 'Cyclops' available.  They were pretty impressive!

 Another of the growers that WeHop represents is creating these nifty mixed sedum pots.

Yes, they are almost a cliché but I liked them before they were the in thing and am reveling in the wide variety succulents that have been made more available due to their popularity. 
 
Sally also brought in some Begonia 'San Miguel' one of the plants that tugged at my heart  last year.  A bush-type begonia growing two to three feet tall and wide  with furry leaves, red on the back side.  Only hardy to 25-30 degrees, it'll spend the winter at work with Begonia luxurians.  The plant is much better in person - not very photogenic but it's quite cool in it's furriness. 
 
And here's the very generous, kind, funny and plant crazy Sally Priest herself showing us some new things that will be released by EuroAmerican Propagators next year: a hardy fuchsia that grows 8 - 10 feet tall. 
 

A new Tagetes that has a divine fragrance.  (Similar to 'Lemon Gem')

Another new introduction - forgot the name.

The angel wing shape of these pelargonium leaves is unusual.  This will be fun to see in nurseries!
 
Sally also gave Alison and me a cutting of a Christmas cactus that had been in her family for years.  It's  different in appearance from any I've seen before & I'll give it lots of love!

This Adenanthos sericus or Costal Wollybush is being held for a certain Portland gardener pal.

The foliage of this Grevillea is  delicate looking. 
 An interesting Austrailian called Hakea trifurcata that eventually has these leaves and also needle like leaves on the same plant.  Here's another example of flora from down under does this sort of immature to mature leaf shape shift (Eucalyptus, pseudopanax ferox) Fascinating!

Russelia equisetiformis 'Yellow' 

Impatiens niamniamensis but with a flower that is white where the yellow part usually is.
 
I fell hard for the foliage of Grevillea 'Ned Kelly' last year and nearly bought one at the Bloedel Reserve Sale.  Sally had several in 5 gallon pots from Monterey Bay.


 
Seeing these incredible  blooms on the fabulous foliage again this year encouraged me to drag yet another plant inside for the coldest part of winter.  Reading this story from the Monterey Bay Nursery site made me extra glad that I bought this plant:
 
"The first name bestowed was 'Mason's Hybrid,' but 'Ned Kelly' is such a much better handle, and also a much better story. Ned was one of the very few Australian bushrangers (outlaws) of the 1800's. He is famous because he and his mates got the bright idea to make suits and helmets of riveted sheet metal for a showdown with the police. But the police got the brighter idea of shooting at least two of them in the legs (d'oooooh!!!). He was tried, hanged, and then buried in an unmarked grave, and his remains were just recently located. The best thing about Ned Kelly was his iron suit, because if he hadn't made it he wouldn't be famous."
 
If any of these plants appeal to you, make sure to check out WeHop's  site here to see more pictures of the 2012 trial pots and inquire about these plants at your local retailer.  In addition, Sally will have lots of her plants available at a special event at Valley Nursery in Poulsbo this weekend.  Here's a picture of the sign I saw at Valley earlier in the day. 
 
 
Thanks again, Sally for sharing your wonderful world of plants with Alison and me!


33 comments:

  1. I'm glad someone there was taking notes and lots of pictures. I have lots of pictures of flowers, but whatever their names were went in one ear and out the other. Meeting Sally was a treat! That Christmas cactus she gave us was quite unusual.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Someday I'll learn to take a small pad of paper with me or a little audio recorder as my mind is like Teflon; nothing sticks. When I forget the names, I do one of those "I'll quiet and let you enjoy the images" sorts of posts.

      Delete
  2. Wow, so many cool plants! I have a thing for Echiverias too. That coastal wollybush is incredible--I assume it's for a young lady named Loree?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "young lady"...(!!!)...now who owes who cookies?

      Delete
    2. Yes but I thought it might be in poor taste to discuss someone's wollybush in mixed company:)

      Delete
    3. Oh you just had to didn't you?

      Delete
    4. Just following the lead of my blog guru who wrote of a CERTAIN variety of Petasites, "Look, it's ribbed."

      http://dangergarden.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-visit-to-tower-perennials.html

      Delete
  3. The sheer variety of options for small spaces has me thinking more on designing with that more in mind. The Dyckia ('Precious Metal' = perfection), Echiveria, and even the varieties of Sedum really grab me. Not to mention learning some of those that will do well where I'm designing. Including my future place / patio!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We're all waiting with bated breath to see where you move and how it is different from and the same as where you're leaving!

      Delete
  4. I think I'm even more jealous of your visit with Sally than your trip to Heronswood (sorry Dan). So much beauty and oh my to have a greenhouse that big!!! I think I need to visit Alison and distract her so I can steal that Dyckia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are more of those Dyckias available but I fear that Alison might not be quite that distractible as she zoomed in on that plant the second we hit the greenhouse! (One greenhouse of three or four which sit at the entrance to the driveway. Then there's the huge expanse of lawn where the pots were displayed last year and then Sally's garden and house. I'd move at the drop of a hat!) Sally's place reminds me more of you & I got more plants there than anywhere else that day.

      Delete
  5. Oh p.s. the fabulous plant with the cool bloom is a Callistemon, but I have no idea which one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It looks like a Callistemon! The foliage is so sweet and refined on this one and those soft blooms had me swooning. I think that this one in one of the display pots was the only one there but I didn't ask.

      Delete
  6. Love the containers. Quality succulents used beautifully will never go out of style. The silvery dyckia is gorgeous, need to look for that one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great statement! I agree but won't mind when the vertical killing field, oops I mean garden, fad subsides a little.

      Delete
  7. Lots of lovely plants. I especially like succulents, although I don't have any..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are some that would be hardy for you although when everything is covered with snow, it's hard to appreciate their evergreen nature.

      Delete
  8. How cool is that, to be invited behind the scenes (and such intriguing scenes)? Not only that, but you picked up a new aka: "bushranger", in case you get bored with being know as the "outlaw".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was so sweet of Sally to let us see what she does, to talk plants, and to see all the coolness. We get to go back sometime this summer an I'm so looking forward to it!

      I giggled like a teenager when I saw "bushranger."

      Delete
  9. I love this phormium Jubilee, must keep an eye out for it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's truly beautiful and would be fully hardy for you!

      Delete
  10. I think the red flowered plant is a Calothamnus villosus. Mine is blooming for the first time right now here in NoCal!
    -Max P.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Max! You are right & now we'll know what to ask for.

      Delete
  11. Peter, you took many pictures, many plants. I love begonias, they are enough hardy in cool weather and start blooming in my garden now. Succulents are awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nadezda, I got very excited by the beautiful plants! We both love begonias and succulents! Happy weekend to you!

      Delete
  12. So very many great plants!!!! I am in love with echeveria too and have quite the collection that has to come in for winter here. Wouldn't it be fabulous if they were cold hardy? Love that Phormium 'Jubilee'. What a beauty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It would be awesome if echeverias were hardy in the ground! I love visiting this place because I always see (and come away with) so many beautiful plants!

      Delete
  13. How come the plants I like best you don't remember the names of? Is that just a coincidence? OK, I did like that Grevillea at the end.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It must be intentional so as to give you a feeling of superiority upon searching for and finding the moniker of your favorites. The feelings of consternation and release provide a cathartic experience similar to that of theatre and at no cost whatsoever.

      Delete
  14. A wonderful array of plants. I love your capture of echiverias. I love succulents but it's difficult to restrict watering and they end up rotting. Sally looks like a fun and crazy plant whisperer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sally is exactly that, a fun and crazy plant whisperer! You live in such a beautiful tropical climate with so many colorful plants! You are right, succulents don't need very much water!

      Delete
  15. That looks like a really fun day. Once again, you've shown me plants I've never heard of! I'm glad succulents are all the rage right now because with more available, there are more to find irresistible. :o) Although most of these would die on our first day of winter. Oh, to have a greenhouse!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Tammy, you should have a greenhouse! We gardeners are a strange lot wanting to push the zonal envelope. Here in soggy zone 8 we shelter desert plants under cover to protect them from the rain in the winter and use greenhouses for plants for zone 9 and up. In the tropics where they can grow just about everything, they have greenhouses that are cooled to allow them to grow things from where we are. Anyway, tell the husband that this is what you want for Christmas/your birthday/ mother's day/etc. If you're handy, I've seen beautiful ones built from old window sashes that were going to be thrown away.

      Delete

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