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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, January 20, 2014

And Lead us not into Temptation. (Because we can find it pretty easily on our own.)

So, it's January.  The holidays are over, seed catalogs start arriving to warm our winter weary hearts.  Here, signs of spring are everywhere.  O.K.  we call them signs of spring when in reality we have a lot of interesting winter blooming things that respond to the increasing light almost immediately.  Anyway, a new season of growth and bloom begins early here but we  long for the lush green growth of summer.  What's a gardener to do in this weakened condition when he or she sees something like this?
 
Succumb to the temptation to visit a nursery of course!  As I've said before, I'm not a houseplant person even though I have a house full of plants but it's some kind of wonderful to take a walk in the tropics when it's stormy and cold (a relative term) and wet outside.  Molbak's and Flower World are two of my favorite places to find indoor/outdoor plants and with the big sale, we simply had to go.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to Flower world since someone spent so much time enjoying Molbak's.  That's perfectly fine as it gives us an excuse for a road trip another day and the car was full (another relative term) of plants anyway.
 
Palms are a plant that I grow well outside and usually watch die slow deaths in the house so this beautiful specimen  will get my admiration but not a ride home.


RED!  The cats are new to me and I think they're pretty groovy!


Love these oversized fruits!  So shiny and bright!

Succulents and cacti are perfect house plants for me.  I water them a couple of times a winter (or forget to water them altogether) and they don't seem to mind at all.  One of those cute Agave 'Kissho Kans' came home with me.  At 30% off now was the time to add to the collection!

I've never grown Anthuriums; have you?  Are they as easy as they seem?

Agave 'Crème Brulee' is one I admired but didn't buy. 

Gorgeous kalanchoe foliage!  These were both marked "assorted succulents"

Kind of wish that I'd gotten this one!

So beautiful in bloom!  I have some of these that have thrown pups everywhere but Cisco says that I'll probably never see them bloom again.  Have any of you grown these as houseplants (outside in the summer) and had them bloom again or should I plant them outside this summer and leave them there?

This bromeliad bloom was tempting but the foliage was a little uninteresting. 
 The new pink and red marked Aglaonemas are favorites of mine but I already have a couple.



Sansevieria grandis also sang a siren song but I remained strong in search of the prize after which I'd come searching!

Traversing the desert,
 Hacking through the jungle,

Being tempted again by a sweet blooming bromeliad, one of my favorites, in a cute little pot shaped much like me.

These tiny kalanchoes in two inch pots are adorable!

As are these diminutive African violets!

Love these sort of organically shaped pots light green on the bottom and metallic gold on top.  They'd need just the right plant/setting.

You just can't go wrong with chartreuse and black. I'm a fan of just about anything with a bird on it.

As you may have remembered, the rain was being thrown at the roof and walls of the greenhouse by strong winds.  The pounding of rain and rumbling of the panels of the greenhouses made one feel a little uneasy but walking near the calm lagoon in the café area was therapeutic.


Back outside, I found these two agaves on the 70% off shelf.  I passed on this one as it's similar to many that are already in my collection.

This one, with its sharp points called wanted to come home with me.  At only seven dollars, I should have bought them both and given the first one away.  Oh well...
We finally have come to that after which I'd been lusting, assorted Vriesias. I'd been admiring these on Deanne's blog and at a special California garden we visited on the fling this summer about which I'll post later.  The price was a little steep so I passed each time I saw them.  However, I had some Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket and at 30% off, I wouldn't have to decide on just one.   
 Aren't they cool?
 
In addition to the Agave 'Kissho Kan', a cool tillandsia in full bloom, and the big sale outdoor agave, these are the plants that came home with me:
 
Vriesia assorted



 This one is Aechnea 'Mend'

and back to Vriesia assorted

Along with some cool containers to slip them into.  These will brighten my garden this summer and be welcome indoor plants in the winter.  Danger posted about her recent indoor plant purchases at her local nursery's 30% off sale here.  How about you, have you adopted any new plants this January?

36 comments:

  1. those Vriesias are spectacular! I love having bromeliads around... it makes me feel like I'm in Hawaii!

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    1. I like that they are easy to keep alive. just keep a little water in their cup and they're happy. They seem to enjoy a little summer vacation outside too!

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  2. You found some good plants on sale. No new plants for me this year yet but probably soon.

    You'll the town all to yourselves again in a few week as everyone will be home watching some important game again.

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    1. The 30% sale on containers and indoor plants right after Christmas always gets me!

      Oh yes, I heard fireworks outside and figured that the Seahawks had won. February 2 will be an interesting day to be out and about in the ghost town!

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  3. Wonderful patterns on the Vriesias' leafs. Just a few additions to the immense fall migration into your glass room. You amaze me, Peter!
    I love the red pots, which look orange on my computer, and I love orange even more. I never placed an orange pot in the garden. It feels so risqué. I should just go for it, right?

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    1. As the young people (and those going through mid life crises) say YOLO, You only live once. Be brazen, throw orange pots everywhere! Take a look at J.J's garden http://outlawgarden.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-day-in-portland-part-four-whats-black.html By all means go for it!

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  4. 70% off! I'd have been tempted to buy everything on spec. The Vriesia are wonderful. Nursery shopping continues unabated here, where temperatures remain in the 80s.

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  5. All beautiful choices! I wonder how long the sale will last? I'd love to get a couple of those Vriesias too. The colors and stripes are spectacular.

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    1. I thought of you and our visit to that spectacular garden in California! The sale goes on all month and there are lots of Vriesias still in stock. It was so hard to choose which ones to get & I kept changing my mind.

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  6. Ah you let a $7 agave just slip through your fingers...

    Love those Vriesia, so much! Excellent purchases. I went back and bought a couple more 30% off plants for a project I've got in mind, as well as a container I've wanted for years (seriously, finally at 30% off and with Christmas money it's mine!!!).

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    1. Happy new container and plants to you! This should be an interesting growing season! (Aren't they all?) Have you started on the big removal project yet?

      Still came away with two agaves...I'm sick because my Agave 'Frosty Blue' that looked spectacular all winter is now showing some brown spots on some of the outermost leaves. The center is still firm and I think it'll grow back but it was so beautiful and big(ish.) Oh well, maybe I'll have to settle for only growing them in pots.

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  7. Those Vriesias are spectacular! Great finds.

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  8. We bough a couple of trunked Cordyline australis that were on fifty percent off last weekend. Great haul btw but if I were there I would have also bought home an Agave 'Creme Brulee', a large pear, and large cherry!

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    1. Large Codyline australis used to grow all over the Seattle area for many years but a few cold winters did nearly all of them in. There are a few on some of the islands very close to the water but mostly these are merely a fond memory for us. I'm glad that you found some for fifty percent off! I was sorely tempted by all of the large fruit but they were fairly expensive. 'Crème Brulee' is one I've admired many times at this nursery and sought them out on this visit but they were in pretty rough shape. Oh well, maybe next visit.

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  9. I have a hard time resisting pots. I have not visited any nurseries this January but I do like strolling through the beautiful displays, such as you have photographed here.

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    1. Pots are pretty wonderful, you can almost always find a place for another! Good luck with your upcoming surgery!

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  10. Well worth traipsing through the desert and hacking through the jungle. Once I saw what you were after I forgave you for all that you left behind.

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    1. Thanks for forgiving me! Much more would have come with me had I a larger plant budget! Besides, you can't have everything, where would you put it?

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  11. Dave's Garden newsletter had an article on these, http://www.telosrarebulbs.com/Lachenalia.html, a few weeks ago. I couldn't resist. I won't even get them until August, bvut i had to try them.

    Deirdre

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    1. Oh Deirdre, they look gorgeous! I hope you tell me how they perform for you when you get them!

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    2. I've had good luck with Veltheimia and Haemanthus, so I'm hopeful about these. I ordered all the fragrant ones and the blue flowered one.

      We don't need to be led into temptation. It will ambush us!

      Deirdre

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    3. How are the Vrieseas different from Bromeliads?

      Deirdre

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    4. Vriseas are a type of Bromeliad along with many others. Here's an interesting article http://home.howstuffworks.com/types-of-bromeliads.htm

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  12. Those Vrieseas are great! I would have gotten those, too! The one before Aechmea 'Mend' looks like Vriesea 'Tulip' and the one above that might be 'Red Chestnut', both near the top of my wishlist for bromeliads. Oh plant sales... :)

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    1. You are most likely correct as the labels all said "Vriesia assorted" This is very similar to the "Assorted Succulent" label on many of those! I'm thrilled to finally own these and hope that I won't kill them!

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    2. It's amazing what treasures you can find in those "assorted" piles. Actually that last Vriesea is amazing, too. I may have taken one of those home as well!

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  13. The patterns on the Vriesia assorted you bought are amazing. I love that photo with the flowering (bromeliads? Sorry, unsure) against the blue, so cheerful! The red cats and pots look excellent against that grey wall.

    Your comment about loving the pots with the birds reminds me of "Put a bird on it!" from the show Portlandia! :) Thanks for the fun tour!

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    1. I agree, the bromeliads against blue were an eye catcher and the Vriesia patterns are way cool.

      I was thinking of "Put a bird on it" when I saw those pots! Great minds think alike!

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  14. Even if I don't buy anything, I just love being in a greenhouse or garden center in the winter. It's so warm and uplifting. But I'm a sucker for a cool container, which explains why I have about 75.

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    1. I agree, the warm, moist, clean air is delightful this time of the year! Hail to thee o container queen!

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  15. I am generally not too tempted by house plants, though the African violets are nice. And it seems those Anthuriums are pointing accusing fingers at people, having them around would make me nervous.

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    1. Methinks someone is feeling guilty about something... Would you like to explore those feelings, Jason? Why do you think the nice houseplants are being accusatory?

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  16. I have one blooming bromeliad or better say finished to bloom, and I do not hope it will bloom again. You're lucky have the new bromeliad flowers, Peter.
    Nice and bright collection of indoor plants. I'd buy one kalanchoe and a plastic apple!

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    1. The plastic fruit was tempting but a little expensive. The indoor plants were lots of fun and there was a nice variety!

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