An Outlaw in Danger Country

I've read about Portland Nursery (not to be confused with Tacoma's Portland Avenue Nursery)  on Danger Garden, most recently here, for several years now.  On March First, we drove to Portland to attend the Yard, Garden, and Patio Show.  Having a little time left before we had to head home, we decided to pay a visit.  The GPS is my best friend in unfamiliar territory! Here's a little of what we saw:

I get excited about pots like these streaky glazed ones but am not sure if they would add to or detract from their contents. 

You simply can't go wrong with blue and gold!

Loree had mentioned bonsai but there were many of them both outside

and inside!  Table after table of them.  I admire these but don't think that I'd take the time to take good care of one.  They also require some blank space around them to look their best and I have a dearth of that!

Hosta leaf fountain.

 

The sign of any superior establishment is the presence of my girlfriend, Monrovia!

The day was fairly cold with a brisk wind but Monrovia didn't seem to mind even though her outfit doesn't seem very substantial.  For some reason, my coat was back at home so my outside exploration needed to come to an end.  Not, however, before a reasonably-priced Aspidistra elatior, a very inexpensive Helleborus 'Onyx Odyssey', and a few Acorus gramineus 'minimus aureus' found their way into a wagon.  

Tom saw this Cryptanthus and said, "That's crazy!"  Into the cart it went.  I keep hoping that if I get plants that he enjoys,  he'll be converted to a life of gardening.  It hasn't worked so far but it's a good justification for buying a plant.

Bromeliad-adorned tree.

 I wonder what happened to this poor bromeliad and his two siblings?  They were in the deeply discounted  area and it was tempting to bring one home but they all stayed.

 

 Someone said, "If it's weird-looking, it's probably a euphorbia."

A small one of these rode around in my cart for some time but finally went back to the table.  There is simply no space with bright light in our house that isn't already full of plants! 

 Euphorbia suzannae

These plants are toxic if eaten.  Thank goodness for the signage!  Would you think of putting one of these in your mouth?

Euphorbia stenocalata that I saw on Loree's blog and fell hard.  So beautiful, so spiky, so silvery and also so big, wanting bright light, and fairly expensive.  This love will remain unrequited.

 

Epiphyllum 'Curly' caught my eye. 

Hoya kerrii, the heart leafed hoya, in a little pink pot.  What a cute valentine this would be!

Sansevieria 'Kristi'  has sexy heavily-variegated foliage.  One like this said that she wanted to live at our place.  She'll be happy in a window with little direct sunlight and will be happy if she gets watered a few times a year.

These glass cloches present small bits of moss as works of art. 

The idea of a hose pot is great.  Simply coil your ugly hose inside this decorative pot with a handy hole on the side near the bottom for hose entry, and hose storage becomes something of beauty.  Really?  I use my hose to water pots every other day when the weather is very warm.  Even though there is a cool crank device on our hose caddy thingy, the hose doesn't get reeled in all that often.  Would you take the time to gently coil your hose inside one of these pots frequently?   This one, reminiscent of a poppy seed pod,  was quite handsome...

Table full of fun!

Very handy for holding up a cookbook while your extremities are busy chopping, stirring, etc.

Pink/red and green foliage makes me swoon!  Aglaonema 'Red Valentine'

Unknown part of the permanent collection.

Nice-looking green wall on a green wall. 

Monstera deliciosa variegate

After adding to the treasure in the car from the YGP show,  there wasn't a lot of time to visit other nurseries so we decided to have dinner in Portland before heading home.  There were a number of interesting-looking eateries near the nursery...

With the help of cell phone/interweb technology (am still amazed by it all.) we found several recommendations in another area of town. 

What's your favorite part of a plant centered road trip?  Is it the discovery of new plants/artwork/pots/ideas,  the drive home with your purchase(s), unloading the treasure, or planting/placing while remembering the day?