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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.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Rare Plant Research Part One; The Plants

Back in the middle of May, Alison and I drove down to Oregon City to attend the annual spring nursery open at  Rare Plant Research. I'd bought RPR plants from Jungle fever and Dig for years, enjoyed their tables at a couple of Portland area plant sales, and  enjoyed Danger Garden's  posts about this annual event but I wasn't prepared for how fabulous the place, plants, and prices would be!  There were too many pictures for a single post so today we'll see some of the plants and later we'll tour the grounds.


A few agaves.

Aeonium urbicum v. Rubra seems to be glowing.  I wish I'd picked up one of these.  Oh well, RPR will be open again on June 21...

More interesting than beautiful, these were great to see. 


 Gasteria glomerata


Calibanus hookeri. Do you s the face in the caudex?

An opuntia or two and a field of Lewisia.  I seriously considered adding another opuntia to the Danger Gardentte but didn't.  Some of these followed me home though as when I went to work at Jungle fever on Saturday, there were several of these that had just arrived from RPR!

 Aha!  this is one of the plants I came looking for!  I've had Aechma blanchetiana before but am convinced that I'll be more successful in wintering it over this time!

Beautiful leaf of Musa 'Ai Ai'  This is only hardy to zone 11 and I fear that it wants way more heat and humidity that  my garden has to give.

Tibouchina grandifolia certainly lives up to the name!  That foliage is pretty gorgeous.  

Hohenbergia 'Fudgde Ripple'

More bromeliads.  One of those yellow and red ones on the right came home with me.

So many treasures!

Ananus comosa was far too beautiful not to hitch a ride to Tacoma.  

Neoregelia hybrids.  Yum. 


Sorry this post is so random, I kept darting from plant to plant getting more and more excited.  I finally did go back and explore in a more orderly fashion but decided to let you share in the thrill of discovery.  Agave americana variegata.  These always look very sweet but I don't need any more!

 Kalanchoe thyrsiflora

I'm accustomed to seeing very small numbers of these plants in retail shops so the copious amounts of every plant made me swoon.  A grower has to produce in large numbers if they are supplying many retailers.

Dyckia  mariner - laposteli  is sure swell.  Almost came home with me. 

A sea of aeoniums.  Isn't that pinky, lavender, blue color nifty?

 A field of Aloe dorotheae 

Agaves AND opuntias?  No wonder Danger loves this place.  
 Does anyone know this one?

There was one semi available (It was in someone else's cart.  They were nowhere to be seen.  All's fair in love and plants, right?)  It stayed where it belonged.  Is this a flower or something made by Judi Hook?

Aeonium 'Silk'

Here are a few of my purchases trying out possible homes for the summer. 


Thank you, Loree, for encouraging us to visit this great grower of unusual plants, for being patient with us when we arrived late and for walking the grounds with us!  The day was a great deal of fun for us!

28 comments:

  1. Us visiting this place can seriously hurt our wallets with all those goodies. That variegated Musa, its requirements seems to verge more on the tropical that we lost it even when kept in the house during winter.

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    1. The variegated Musa really wants a warmer climate than we have. Oh well. Will you be able to send plants back from the fling?

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  2. That was yet another fun and fabulous day! I really enjoyed seeing your shots of all the cool plants they had growing there, since I didn't get any. I was too busy looking around with my mouth hanging open. Looking forward to your shots of the house and grounds.

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    1. It was really difficult to photograph and be in awe at the same time! I think I went through and looked/shopped first and then went back for some pictures. What an amazing place! Looking forward to going back again.

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  3. Beautiful, beautiful. I absolutely adore bromeliads and my collection seems to grow every year. I have a A. blanchettiana that is several years old now and has turned into a HUGE magnificent specimen. It has to stay in as strong light as you can give it over winter or it burns when being set out in the spring regardless of how careful you are hardening it off. (I know I lost one that way)

    That little yellow and red one looks like Neo 'Tiger Cub'

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    1. Your posts about your bromeliad collection has made me appreciate them even more and I started getting a few as houseplants when the big January sales took place. Here it's a way to get customers to keep shopping at nurseries when there's not a lot happening outside in the garden. I would love to see more pictures of your bromeliads and how they've grown this year! Thanks for the pointer about the strong light in the winter for A. blanchettiana. I'm hoping that my garage will be a greenhouse by this fall so it'll get some nice light in there. One of the big problems I've had with them is keeping them upright. Because they don't have extensive root systems, often a huge specimen is still in a tiny pot which easily tips over.

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  4. Had I lived in the tropics I'd get a few of the Musa 'Ai Ai'. It's especially appealing to those of us who's heart flutter when we see variegated foliage: just imaging a group of them in full growth splendor.
    Love the contrast of your purchase against the blue posts: particularly unique is the one on the pillar.

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    1. That Musa is gorgeous but alas it really wants to live in a hot and humid climate. A grove of these in front of a grove of Musa 'Siam Ruby', also a very tropical customer, would look amazing! I have two of those pots and wish I'd purchased more of them when they first came in at Bamford and Bamford pots which, alas, is no longer getting them.

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  5. I love how you're showing the plants in your garden and I'm happy to hear you bought a couple of opuntia after all! What a fun day that was, thanks to you and Alison for letting me join up with you.

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    1. The pleasure was ours! Actually only got one opuntia at Jungle Fever - the shipment that followed me home (Tacoma) rather than home (my garden.) Worked there again on Saturday because Jerry's mother died. That poor man has had a really tough patch!

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  6. Your lovely red flower is a Scadoxus multiflorus I think. It used to be Haemanthus but it is one of those plants that had a change of name.
    You do find some lovely nurseries. I would love to have a look at your garden and see what you do with all the lovely plants you buy.

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    1. Thanks for the plant I.D. a nice customer at the nursery told me but I didn't write it down soon enough and it slipped out of my head. Mostly the plants are still in pots in holding areas waiting for a busy gardener to have enough time to plant them. I'm trying to get a few things planted every day and will soon have a couple of free weeks to really get things going.

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  7. You and Alison find the most wonderful plants and then bring them home and display them in such charming ways. I would be jealous, but if you didn't have one another's encouragement, your blogs would not be nearly so hearty and I wouldn't find so many great ideas.

    I'm on the way now to bring out the blue pots I shoved back in favor of terra cotta for summer.

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    1. That intense blue/purple color is one of my favorites- even painted one of the exterior walls of our garage that color as it goes so well with yellow foliage/flowers. Terra cotta is also a glorious color for plants! So many choices! Happy digging!

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  8. I really like how you have displayed your new plants in your summer garden.

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  9. I missed that sale ;( I was was at the Noel Kingsbury lecture that day. Last time I did go , I got sooo drenched , funny I got drenched again at the NK lecture…maybe I should stay home.

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    1. Oh no, don't stay home! Maybe take an umbrella? Or shampoo and soap, the choice is yours.

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  10. Wow! I like those succulents and cactus. A red Allium would be lovely in a garden. I bought red alliums' bulbs in Holland, but I don't have any. There was something wrong with the bulbs. Happy Thursday, Peter!

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    1. Thanks Satu! Friday is my last day of school with students. Hooray for the end of another academic year.

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  11. I'll see Musa Ai Ai in my dreams tonight!

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  12. The cobalt blue pots in the last photo look so wonderful with the sunset colors of the plants. I noticed that also in another blog that had a fence painted blue with plants in front. Since there are so few really blue flowers, having blue pots or fences must be the answer to having that color in the garden, and the pots would not need repainting, assuming they are frost-proof.

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    1. I call that color Little and Lewis Blue because it's from them that I got the idea of using that purple/blue as they painted a whole wall that color. Such a great color with plants! It's hard to find pots in that exact color but for a while Bamford and Bamford pots was having them made and I got a few.

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  13. What a fantastic place, amazing selection. Thanks for the tour!

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  14. That you came all the way from Tacoma for this makes me feel like a total slacker for missing it. Oh well, there's always next year (a phrase I find myself using far too often).

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    1. One can't do everything! If I lived as close to Cistus, Means, and Joy Creek as you do, I might not feel the need to wander further all that often either. It is a very interesting and beautiful place. Maybe next year we can do lunch afterward!

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