Some of us went just down the hill from Alison's garden to Windmill Gardens. This is a sad time of year to visit as Windmill severely reduces it's stock for winter and quite a bit of their greenhouse space is used to store and force plants for designers of gardens at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show which takes place in February. While the holiday is colorful with lots of poinsettias, it's not quite the same as a nursery full of hardy plants. It is fun, however, to sneak a peek at what the designers will be using in the show gardens. The good news is that when we stopped by, all perennials were 75% off and there were other special sales.
Phormium 'Pink Stripe' for only ten dollars was too good to pass up. Jane is standing in front of Cannas on sale for only two dollars, a great buy if one had somewhere to keep them dry for the winter!
Indoor plants here, echiverias were not on sale but beautiful nonetheless!
Pretty but evil, this opuntia stayed at the nursery!
Loading up the cars is always fun, especially when they're already full of plants. Laura laugh as Anna gets lost in phormium foliage.
"Where on earth will this fit?" Silly Laura, there's always room for more plants!
Alison eyeing Jane's haul. Funny, it's awfully close to her car...
Jane rushes in just in time to claim her plants!
I came away with quite a few Cyclamen hederifolium for only two dollars each, a hawthornia, and a couple Arum italicum at 75% off to put in pots with Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' (Black Mondo Grass.) The combination of the black grass and the red orange seed heads will be stunning!
Not enough plant buying opportunities? Next Saturday, October 18, is the Rhododendron Species Garden annual fall sale and this year, Dan Hinkley's Windcliff Selections will be featured. I'm bummed that I can't go this year as I'll be in a class all day (yuck.) I hope you can go, get lots of plants, and tell me how wonderful it was!
The smiles on the photos just shows how much fun you guys had that day!
ReplyDeleteIt was a heck of a fun time!
DeleteOh, I think I am done with plant buying for the fall. I really don't need any more right now. There were some great bargains there at Windmill.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't need to buy one more plant! There are tons of bulbs on the back porch waiting to be planted in addition to the pot ghetto. Maybe by January 30% off houseplant time I'll be tempted again.
DeleteWe've seen that red/orange/yellow door combo somewhere before. I love it. I have 2 doors; maybe I could take down the back door and it wouldn't be missed.
ReplyDeleteThose cannas were a real buy. You could leave them out until frost killed the tops, cut them back, put the roots in an old cooler in the garage and save until spring. Or just plant and leave in the ground well mulched as I do.
We also saw it at Watsons. Doors are reasonably easy to come by and a coat of paint changes the color scheme for the season. You're right those cannas were a great buy! That's cheaper than the cost of the rhizomes! Cannas do pretty well here in the ground provided they have sufficient drainage during the winter. They can be a bit late to emerge in the spring if we have cool temperatures.
DeleteThese last few weeks have nothing but bargains in nurseries. Who can (or want) to resist? The Arum will look wonderful with the Black grass. This fall I moved summer crocus and Mondo grass together. I'm hoping for a nice complementary display from these two.
ReplyDeleteI like your combination idea as well! the black mondo makes everything else stand out so nicely!
DeleteI wish I could have joined you guys for this part of the adventure. Or maybe I don't...those prices are too good to resist and lord knows I don't need to buy anymore plants this fall!
ReplyDeleteIt would have been fun to have you along! Need is such a subjective word when it comes to plants...
DeleteLooks to me you all enjoyed your day! Jack
ReplyDeleteWe sure did!
DeleteA $10 Phormium! Why, why can't we have sales like that here?
ReplyDeletePerhaps because you live in a magical land where phormium are reliably hardy in the winter. Some nurseries don't want to waste the time re potting and coddling plants through the winter and would rather just clear them out.
DeleteWith all the room in your new greenhouse, your friends might need to rent space for their new bargain plants! Looks like a fun time was had by all.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling that my greenhouse space will fill up fairly quickly once I start hauling in the brugmansias and other larger plants.
DeleteOpuntia 'Bunny Ears' has fooled me more than once, with its cuddly look and sweet name. It should be called 'Look Out' instead. You guys were having entirely too much fun.
ReplyDeleteI love the look of bunny ears but have had one too many glochid encounters with the likes of OBE! We did have fun, not as much fun as we could have had if you were also to be with us, but we managed.
DeleteOh, I don't want to know! I don't want to be tempted to buy more plants right now. So I'm leaving!
ReplyDeleteYou all just keep on having fun.
See how you are! Seriously though, I hope you enjoy every minute of your trip and can't wait to read all about it!
DeleteOooh, bargain plants! Be still my heart.
ReplyDeleteI know, right?
DeleteThe sale was absolutely delicious! And the company was simply the best. The new ground covers are all tucked into my new stone patio. Thanks for the fun outing.
ReplyDeleteI always have so much fun with you and am glad that you came! Thanks again for the cello. It hasn't made it to the music room yet as we're enjoying seeing it in the living room. Such a lovely thing!
DeleteOh, it was such a good time! And wouldn't you know it... most of my haul are still in their nursery pots. I think I need to get myself a headlamp so I can see what I'm doing in the dark.
ReplyDelete