Stopping by Portland Avenue Nursery

Late last month, we stopped by Portland Avenue Nursery in Tacoma to see what was happening there and maybe even get a plant fix. Fritillaria meleagris is a spring favorite despite it's checkered past.

Every spring I vow to order bulbs in the fall but I usually forget.  It's best to admire them up high on a nursery table anyway.

A double pink hellebore. Can't get enough of looking at these.

Euphorbia 'Rudolph' has a nose bright enough to guide Santa's sleigh!

Isn't this exciting? Deciduous plants on the verge of leafing out.  Summer can't be far away!

Evergreens are a specialty at Portland Avenue Nursery.  These tiny babies in four inch pots would be great for miniature gardening.

A visit to this topiary is a must when you're at PAN.

Pinus koraiensis 'Oculis Draconis' looks like messy hair. Cousin Itt?

Chief Joseph Lodegepole pine seems to be very popular right now!   

Yet another winter gold pine is Pinus sylvestris 'Nisbet's Gold'

The streets might not be paved with gold but this walkway is edged with it.  Considering the price these beauties fetch, it might be cheaper to decorate with the precious metal itself which will never be bothered by pine beetles or any of the other diseases and pests that can beset pines.

Who says that evergreens are all green? 

It's sometimes tempting, when seeing so many great colors and textures of conifers, to be done with those silly plants that disappear for a season or leave a mess to be tidied by the gardener.  Wouldn't a garden of evergreens be lovely?

There wasn't a price; I didn't ask. 

I spoke with a nice young couple who were choosing a Chief Joseph.  I asked why this pine rather than one of the other winter gold conifers (there were many beauties at the nursery.) Their response was that they'd seen a Chief Joseph a few years ago and were smitten.  They weren't alone as this one was going to a new home as well. 

Holly is a commonplace plant here.  Birds plant it everywhere and it can be a bit of a pest but I still remember the first time I saw holly actually growing from the ground and not just as something in pictures.  Still makes me happy to see it, especially the variegated ones.  Hedera helix growing everywhere also seemed magic.  I'm over it.

There was a new archway cut in the old atlas cedar covering a couple of buildings.  Upon investigation, they'd added a new bathroom.  I had to peek inside.  Interesting toilet paper holder, no?

More gorgeous evergreen winter color  supplied by euonymus. 

Sure they may be overused but they're hardy, tough as nails, amd very handsome year round.

Speaking of over used but beautiful, viburnum davidii looks especially nice in berry.

There was a forest of Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide,' the sight of which makes one feel as if it were ten degrees warmer outside.  It's the opposite of wind chill.

Aptly named Camellia japonica 'Debutante' seems to glow from within. 

More coniferous texture and color.

I'm not a rose person but I grow some disease resistant varieties for fragrance, others for hips, some for color.  O.K. I like roses but refuse to grow any that need to be sprayed or coddled in any way.  'Westerlund' had been recommended by several gardeners as a great fragrant rose.  I'd looked for a couple of years but usually folks were out of it.  I was delighted to find one at PAN and threw it into my cart.   The picture on 'Ketchup and Mustard' caught my eye but I'm not sure about that color combination and it only has a slight fragrance.

It stayed at the nursery.  I packed up 'Westerland' and we headed home. 

Do you have a favorite rose and if so, what makes it special?

Happy weekend all!