-

-
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.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Sky Nursery Ushers in the Season!


These rusty metal spheres always hang above the entrance to Sky Nursery in Seattle but they look especially festive right now.  The forms in various sizes and shapes were available for purchase inside the nursery!  Check out Sky's blog here and their website here.

In looking at my pictures, I realized that I didn't take any pictures of the many tables of plants inside and outside or the huge sculpture area which is a shame as there was a lot of great merchandise all over the place.  (Bad blogger!) I was preoccupied with a lot of the other cool stuff and it was a cold day and I forgot a coat.

Urban chickens that require no care whatsoever.  Of course, going out to the coop to collect eggs would be futile and people say that the meat of this variety has a bit of a tinny flavor.

These lanterns would look great in a greenhouse yes?

Another festive touch.  In looking at this picture, I'm reminded how lucky we are that our nurseries carry such a wide variety of frost proof pots!

Cyclamen persicum are everywhere this time of year.  Their gorgeous foliage alone is worth growing them; the colorful blooms are a nice bonus.   A couple of these came home with me to add winter color to the greenhouse.


I'm still seriously in love with this furniture even though I don't really have space in my garden for it. Although the central arrangement is in a pot, this would be a great winter use for a fire pit!

Seriously love this covered garden bench with side windows but again, where would it fit?   Bet I could make some space.



Leucadndron flowers add a special touch to this arrangement and  thy remind me of my virtual friends in Australia where it is native and California where it grows with abandon out of doors.

Orchid corner in the houseplant area.  

I don't know how I forgot to take a picture of this at the nursery but in the succulent area among a lot of echiverias, was this plant that obviously wasn't an echiveria.  It was the lone specimen of it's kind and its shape whispered agave.  From across the room,  I couldn't really see the coloring but as I approached, it became clearer (glasses were left in the car.)  Could it be?  Yes, there it was in a Seattle nursery with a price of $19.95 and a tag that read "Agave 'Joe Hoak'"  You'll notice that it isn't at the nursery anymore!

A holiday vision in pink and white.

ABCDEFGHIJK MNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.  
Someone has lost his L again this year.  If I've told you kids once, I've told you a thousand times, be careful with your alphabets or you'll drop some letters.  What is it about this time of year that makes the L especially susceptible?

Inside the store there were lots of great ornaments.  I especially liked this suitcase filled with ornaments from various parts of the world.



Even without the decorations this potting shed is wonderful!

 Musical instruments.  Notice the accordion?  Not a lot of people playing this anymore.  Do you know of anyone?

I also picked up three amaryllis bulbs to plant in the greenhouse (because Jean's are so gorgeous,) and some potting soil.  The plant mobile still has more space so we're off to the next nursery.


26 comments:

  1. Wow, you really made the rounds of all the nurseries this holiday season. I didn't realize that Sky did such a great holiday display. What a fortuitous find that Joe Hoak was. I'm so jealous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd never been to the ones up north at this time of year and wanted to see what they looked like. Joe was a great find indeed!

      Delete
  2. See, it's universal: gardeners would rather just buy plants year-round. Less holiday decorations please nurseries! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To be fair to the nurseries, the decorations represent a holiday cash cow that allows them to stock great plants the rest of the year. Also, it stands to reason that people who like to decorate their gardens with plants might also like to decorate their homes for the season. While I don't buy a lot of decorations anymore, I do love looking at the displays. Fortunately in these big nurseries, there's room for lots of both plants and decorations.

      Delete
  3. I'm loving that wooden sofa set, and that Joe Hoak is such a great find!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm very happy with Joe; he's such a handsome fellow. I often find myself gazing at him lovingly.

      Delete
  4. Chicken lesson for today: You don't have to have a rooster to get eggs if you have hens, but if you have all roosters like in the first picture, you will get no eggs, not even tin ones.

    I have a vintage suitcase. Why am I not out in the equipment barn getting down boxes of ornaments? Aren't the decorations in nurseries just for browsing while you try to spy something kewl over in the succulents, like a desirable agave?

    The wood sofa set will fit in your greenhouse if you make the plant displays more vertical.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And if you have all roosters, you'll never need an alarm clock again!

      For your amusement, the lyrics of a song I grew up singing:

      We had a chicken, No eggs would she lay.
      We had a chicken, No eggs would she lay.
      My wife said "Honey, we're losin' money
      because that chicken, No eggs would she lay.

      On day a rooster came into our yard
      And caught that chicken right off of her guard.
      She's layin' eggs now Like she never used ter,
      Ever since that Rooster Came into our yard!

      Hie thee forth to the equipment barn! We're pulling out the decorations for the first time in eight years and it's interesting to see all of these things again. You're right, that what the decorations at nurseries are for!

      I've been thinking of trying to get rid of at least on set of tables and building more vertical graduated shelves. That'll be a project for later in the year.

      Delete
  5. Your holiday nursery tours are a fun tradition. Another pretty one.

    Accordion playing is alive and well in South Texas where it is taught in school. Years ago the accordion playing German immigrants met up with the Mexican Folk music tradition and created a uniquely San Antonio sound.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B093SWH1IbQ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cool! I think of accordion playing going with polkas. I grew up watching the Lawrence Welk Show. I forgot about zydeco and didn't know about the San Antonio sound. Thanks for the video!

      Delete
  6. I'm sure you and Joe will be very happy together.
    Keep this up and you will have us all singing carols and decking the halls.

    ReplyDelete
  7. We haven't been to Sky Nursery at Christmas time. Looks like a good stop.

    ReplyDelete
  8. You scored on that agave! I steer clear of most of the Christmas displays at the garden centers out of fear that I would soon become a pauper and have to go to work selling matchsticks on the corner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was elated to find it! You should just go shop as you clearly have a back up plan. I might suggest a bit of diversification - maybe offer a line of lighters as well, perhaps some of those new e cigarettes, a few magazines, snacks... before you know it, you'd be 7-11.

      Delete
  9. You are so lucky living in the center of garden heaven with such a large section of nurseries to visit. I'm normally not a fan of garden art. Having grown up on coastal Washington surrounded by stump farms with rusty, broken down farm and logging equipment lying about making the place look junky. But I love those tin chickens. Real enough that a coyote might break his teeth on them.
    John(Aberdeen)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are right, John, we're very lucky in these parts to have so many great nurseries to visit! If coyotes would eat more rats and raccoons, I'd like them a lot more. They seem to prefer easier prey though.

      Delete
  10. What a lovely nursery! So ma y beautiful things. Happy Advent Peter!

    ReplyDelete
  11. The blue-green lanterns remind me of sea urchins. They will look great in the green house! (Did you get any?)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They do look a bit like sea urchins. Didn't get any as I have several things yet to hang in the greenhouse & then we'll see if there's any space left.

      Delete
  12. That appears to be a store that could do serious damage to my wallet. Thank you for the shopping excursion that didn't cost me a cent.

    Read your area got some snow yesterday?!?

    Beautiful find on Joe. Try him in a shallow-ish _wide_ pot so he has a better chance to present you with a few beautiful sons.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Quite festive! I need to visit a place like this to find some holiday spirit.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Those hanging metal sculptures look really fine. They are quirky, yet simultaneously cutting edge in all the post-millenial ways. I just hope that they are properly coated with anti-rust and corrosion treatments, so that they will continually be as impacting visually as they are now. Thanks for sharing that! All the best!

    Bernice Parsons @ Badger Anodising

    ReplyDelete

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