Out and Aboot

 

This weekend, I happened by the Tacoma Boys Store in Puyallup.  I'm a huge fan of  the original Tacoma Boys in Tacoma with their great produce, over the top wine and cheese selection, specialty items and so much more.  I've visited the Puyallup store before and found it less appealing space wise.  They carry mostly the same products but Tacoma has a lot more space and a lot more plants.  Hmm.  Here's a taste of Puyallup's garden offerings. 

 

These boot planters were fun.  At $110.00 the price was way to high until I did the math.  All pots here are buy one and get two of equal or lesser value free but they will sell you a single pot for 1/3 the price of three which would mean that these would be $37.00 each, a much more agreeable price.  I almost got one but I was too tired from doing all that math to care any more. 

Why not just price the pots lower to begin with?

O.K. so in the parking lot are broken pots some that might be able to be repaired some that are just too far gone to be of much use.  Notice the sign that reads "Broken Pots 1/4 of regular price."  I suppose there should be more than 1/4 of the pot left to make this at all worthwhile.  The regular price of the formerly large blue pot in the back was $550.00, 1/4 of that price is 137.50.  To have purchased the same pot in the buy one get two or 1/3 price for each, the perfect pot would have cost181.90 so the savings to haul away a badly broken pot was a whopping $44.40?  Anyway, my rule is that it's only a bargain to pay 1/4 of the price if there's at least 1/4 of the product. 

There really is a very nice and large selection of pots but The Tacoma location has them beat in that department too. 

 Spring has arrived with one of my favorite combinations daffodils and grape hyacinths!

Some good foliage plants like this variegated Fatsia japonica were dotted around.

Locally grown daffodils stacked up like cordwood were cheering on spring!

This bane of English turf lovers  is a beloved flower here.  Speaking of lawn weeds, did you know that dandelions are not native to the Americas but were brought from England by Settlers for their herb gardens.  Young dandelion greens have a very nice flavor which my mother enjoyed very much.  Each spring we'd go out, dig the dandelions out of the lawn, she'd boil them up and eat them.  Mom also liked canned spinach - go figure. 

These, of course are English daisies, the single white variety of which grows in the lawn at the school where I work.  I think they're charming. 

 Back to dandelions. Here's some information from Web MD:

Dandelion is used for loss of appetite, upset stomach, intestinal gas, gallstones, joint pain, muscle aches, eczema, and bruises.  Dandelion is also used to increase urine production and as a laxative to increase bowel movements. It is also used as skin toner, blood tonic, and digestive tonic.

Some people use dandelion to treat infection, especially viral infections and cancer.

 In foods, dandelion is used as salad greens, and in soups, wine, and teas. The roasted root is used as a coffee substitute.
I guess the difference between a weed and a sweet flower is how easily it grows and where. 

The difference between the Tacoma and Puyallup Tacoma Boys stores is that Tacoma simply has more space for interesting merchandise.