-

-
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, November 26, 2014

Molbak's Nursery Delivers Christmas Sparkle!

The second nursery that I'd never seen at this time of year was Molbak's and oh my, they sure do it up in a big way for the holidays!

You may recall what these two cool rusty metal sculptures looked like this summer.



Here they are now.  I really liked the rusty metal snowflakes.

Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph' or Chief Joseph Lodgepole Pine taking on their gorgeous winter color.

Evergreen snowflake


Looking at these outdoor planters, I'm once again very grateful to live in such a mild climate.  Having lived and gardened in zone three for years, this feels positively tropical yet most of these plants are ones that many of us take for granted.

This Anna's Hummingbird  was happy to pose for a pictures ever so briefly.  The ones in my garden aren't so patient when I tell them to stay right where thy are while I go and fetch the camera.  We're also fortunate to have these cute little guys here year round.

It's hard to show or explain the amount of holiday stuff on display.  Molbak's is a huge nursery and every corner was filled with holiday stuff!

'Princettia' was new to me.  It's really that bright.  

Here's 'Tapesty' whose variagated foliage I admired last year.  A four inch pot came home with me.

Metallic gold pine cone like planter called my name; it's price tag made me realize that it must have been calling to someone else named Peter with deeper pockets.

Although it may seem like there aren't many people in the pictures, trust me, the place was crowded with happy shoppers.

A little wildlife...

Would it be wrong to display one of these hanging from a noose over my pond?  Not that I'm bitter or anything...


My eldest sister has dogs very similar to these but hers are smaller. 

If you like your chicken with stuffing...

The quietest Chihuahuas I've ever met.

Interesting underwater idea.

Let's see if we just added a little more...

 One of the many walls of decorations.  There were many areas done in various color themes complete with trees to match and in each area, copious ornaments to match.

Fab cadge but since the cute children had already escaped, I didn't buy it. 
 Nifty glass ornaments.

Hey Alison C. here's a hydrangea for you!  It blooms in these colors that already look aged.  

I forgot the name but noticed them there this summer.  You could get one now, keep it in your greenhouse and plant it out in the spring.   The houseplant sale is coming in January!
 Hot pink and chartreuse are a great combination and this display was certainly eye catching!

If you run out of space, you can always start hanging things from the ceiling!

 What a glitzy wonderland (I say that with fondness.)   Time to pay for my poinsettias (small pot of 'Tapestry' and 'Princettia')  and be off to another nursery.  I may even decorate for Christmas myself this year.  Stranger things have happened!

If you're looking for a place to beat those winter blahs and see enough holiday decor to deck the halls of a small country, look no further!  Molbak's has you covered!


27 comments:

  1. With all those Christmas decor its so easy to get the festive bug there :))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It did make me want to haul out the decorations and maybe put up a tree this year. We'll see if the motivation lasts.

      Delete
  2. Isn't Molbak's the best at Christmas? I was there a couple of years ago for the holidays, and the place was packed shoulder to shoulder. I stopped decorating for the holidays a few years ago, but if I did, I'd make a beeline for Molbak's. I would leave the large birdcage, but the steel chiminea thingy next to it might come home with me. It looks a lot like the one Pam at Digging showed on her blog a few days ago. I'd plant it up rather than burn wood in it though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just think of the plant that could go in that cage. Or perhaps children found eating ones gingerbread house...

      Delete
  3. The two metal sculptures in the 2nd picture look ever better now, hugging those amazing trees. The trees may seem a little underwhelming compared with the displays inside, but I think they look beautiful. The only good raccoon is a stuffed one, and hanging one over the pond could serve as a warning... you crack me up, Peter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know that raccoons are vicious animals but they're so darned cute. It's those masked faces. The outdoor decorated trees are beautiful!

      Delete
  4. I like your thinking on the raccoon too.. but are they smart? You might find it removed and a human effigy put in its place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right, they are pretty clever little critters!

      Delete
  5. Ah you've brought back great memories. A pre-Christmas trip to Molbaks was a must when I lived up in Seattle.

    (and funny, I've already been thinking about the houseplant sale too, ours is at Portland Nursery...)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll certainly return each year at this time as the nursery was quite interesting all decked out for the season!

      There are a couple of nurseries in the area that do the January houseplant sale. Portland Nursery on Division has some great and unusual offerings which would make the sale worth a drive down.

      Delete
  6. Displays like those are why I try to stay away from Christmas shops - I'd be broke and have nothing left to buy plants. I do love that wreath with the peacock feathers. I'm tempted to try replicating it. Maybe the peacock that paid a visit earlier in the year with make a return visit and donate some feathers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's difficult not to start piling things into the cart! I decided not to buy any Christmas decorations this year as there is a room in the basement dedicated to them and I haven't decorated in eight years. We're thinking that we may take a stab at it this year again.

      Delete
  7. That's a lot of decor! I'm not overly fond of visiting area nurseries during winter, as the lack of plants and focus on other things (like Christmas) just reminds me how much I'd rather be growing something. It's a bit different in your milder climate, as you can still get some outdoor plants.

    Let me know when they put the Easter decor out -- that's when I'll start getting excited!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is sad to see fewer plants but you are correct, there are still a lot of things for winter interest out in the nurseries now! It starts getting interesting again soon. In January, nurseries bring in a lot of houseplants for 30% off sales and there's a small home and garden show in Tacoma, February sees an increase in orchids, the camellia japonicas are in bloom along with the first of the spring bulbs and there are big garden shows in Seattle and Portland with tons of plants for sale. By March, the nurseries are packed again. Come west young man, come west!

      Delete
  8. Lovely decoration Peter! I love these one with poinsettia, very nice! I admire the many ideas that one can have there. I think you liked the most the decoration of colorful glass, didn't you?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There were a lot of wonderful ideas here. Yes, I did like the colorful glass decorations. You know me well.

      Delete
  9. What I like about Molbak's at Christmas is that they don't forget that they are a plant nursery and not just a gift shop/Christmas shop. We go every year as part of our pre-Christmas field trip.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are correct, they do still have a lot of great plants. Fortunately, they have space to include the best of both. I'm always amazed at how long one can linger there looking at everything.

      Delete
  10. So many pretties and oh, the pots! I take it you didn't get the pinecone style pot? You should have. Gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So many pots for both inside and out! The pine cone pot is gorgeous but also fairly expensive and I have so much stuff already. If there's still one there next time I visit, I'll think more about getting it because you're always right!

      Delete
  11. Oh, I do wish we had something of that magnitude down here in PDX, just for pure inspiration :) L

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow! There are decorations galore, plants and more. I could have a field day here Peter. Poinsettia's are beautiful, but these take the cake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a great nursery to visit any time of year but their holiday display is amazing. In addition, they offer complimentary coffee and Danish Kringle during the holiday shopping season.

      Delete
  13. Wow! Seeing all that made me wonder how many people it took to put all that up. Can't help comparing it with Drake's (where I work). We did what we could, but hell - there is only three of us. I admit to not being overly excited about Christmas, but Molbaks takes the cake, for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I thoroughly enjoyed all that bling, but am thinking of going minimalist this year. R always gets a little grumpy around the holidays, so I'll at least need to make it cheery.

    ReplyDelete

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