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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, February 4, 2015

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show, Another Sneak Peek. Dig!

The amount of planning, ingenuity, and hard work that goes into making the Northwest Flower and Garden Show such a grand experience always amazes me.  On Sunday Afternoon, after work, I went to Vashon Island to visit one of my favorite nurseries and to see the work they'd done on the structure for their booth for this year's show.  The owners, Sylvia and Ross have come up with another amazing creation!   Weaving black steel strips between rusty metal grid yields a beautiful effect.  Ross says that eventually the black paint will wear off and the strips will rust as well.  How cool will that be?

This had been built and they were taking it apart already in preparation of loading it up and rebuilding it at the show.

It makes me tired just thinking of the labor involved!

Like everything at dig, the structure is amazing but the focus will be plants and containers.  Here's a glimpse of some of what will be offered for sale in that woven wonder.  I already see one or two things that need to come home with me!

Sylvia has always carried tillandsias but it seemed like there were more varieties at the nursery than I remembered seeing before.  They're such cool plants and Sylvia said that she liked the fact that you could just plop them in anywhere "like jewelry."

I wish I'd taken more pictures of the wide variety of tillandsias but I was too busy admiring them (and putting them into my pile!

This stunning Yucca elephantipes 'Jewel' is only hardy to about 27 degrees but it would be a great indoor/outdoor plant!  I don't know if this will make it to the show.

Forgot to check the tag on these begonias but should have scooped one up!

 What a treat to see this euphorbia in bloom. 

 Sylvia was still working on this cool birdcage.

Loving these!

And this!

I know that at least one Begonia luxurians is going on the truck!  Aren't those large lush leaves gorgeous?

More goodies just hanging out in the greenhouse.

Swoon...Kalenchoe orygalis 

Some dolt didn't remember that Arbutus menziesii is the name of our native Madrone, one of his favorite trees.  Isn't that foliage spectacular?

Esther pots look great with cacti and succulents!

Just wait to see the cute Esther pots that Sylvia's planted for the show!  My camera lens was still recovering from coming into the moist warmth so my images didn't turn out well.

So I'll tell you that they're planted with Lithops which I find interesting but planted in shallow Esther pots, they make a statement like you wouldn't believe.

Hoya Heaven!  That curly leaved one may need to come home from thee show with me if you don't buy it first!

This greenhouse is full of treasures!  I wonder if Sylvia and Ross would mind if I moved in?  




What's weirder looking than Euphorbia flanaganii?  Euphorbia flanaganii with partial fasciation!  this plant can't decide what it wants to be when it grows up.

This one, fully fasciated, looks a bit like something from under the sea!

Opuntia monacantha variegata with new pads growing out of every surface.  Far out!

 Three words for this brass bird cage:  Fab u lous!

Burlap bag full of bromeliad anyone?   What a great way to sell these, especially at the show where carrying pots of dirt can become cumbersome!  One of these is already hanging in my greenhouse but it would be happier with company!

Cute!




These resemble rain chains; another great way to display tilandsias!
 What a great reason to bring more of these home!

Ultimate revenge!  plants growing in snail shells!



These poor grafted mutants always look sad to me or maybe unreal.

But context is everything and Sylvia can display things so seductively that one might be jumping at the chance to buy a dandelion!

See what I mean?  Now you want a windowsill of them, don't you? 

There are a lot more pictures of scrumptious things inside and out but to see more, you'll have to visit the DIG booth at the show and visit the nursery on Vashon Island!  It's good that there is a ferry ride between this nursery and my house.  Otherwise, I'd  have to simply sign my paycheck over to them each month!  

24 comments:

  1. I'm loving all their pots! Hope their hard work will pay dividends during and well after the show.

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    1. I'm hoping to win the lottery before the show so that I can buy everything they have. Unfortunately, that probably won't happen.

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  2. Too bad they didn't have anything cool to see...

    Wow, some really great stuff. Love the "Esther pots" especially!

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    1. The dearth of cool stuff is a shame, indeed:) There's always something great to see at Dig but going pre show is always fun because they get a lot of new merchandise in preparation. Sort of the first of the new and fun influx after the holidays.

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  3. Oh, I hope they're bringing most of what you photographed. I could spend my entire plant/container budget there. I need to get back to Dig soon. Those beaded Tillandsia chains are cool. The Esther pots. The little white pots with a single catcus each. The Broms in burlap. The metal file drawer full of succulents. I could go on and on.

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    1. I totally agree! So much coolness in this place. The amazing thing is how they keep it up year after year, always finding great stuff. Yes, I know that there are trade shows and gift events, etc. but still much of the "cool" factor comes from the way things are used and combined. Talent!

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  4. That's a pair that definitely doesn't let a little hard work get in the way! And you're right about Sylvia's presentation and display skills, she could definitely make me want to buy a pot of dandelions...

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    1. I've seen the work but have never noticed a bead of perspiration. Maybe they're aliens. Yes, that's it, aliens, and that woven metal structure is a device for communicating with their home planet. They're going to fund their world domination plot by selling pots of dandelions to unwary gardeners.

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  5. I would buy that sea urchin shell planter with whatever the dangly thing is.

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    1. Aren't those sweet! The dangly thing is a tillandsia (aka air plant) that needs no soil to survive. Simply mist or soak in water once a week and about every month or so, add a bit of fertilizer to the mister and that's it. I love them!

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  6. Hooray for new ideas. The succulents in the snail shells are just wonderful, as is the rain chain with tilandsias. I liked the metal rack they use in the green house for hanging and displaying plants. Would it work in your green house?

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    1. Great stuff for sure! A metal rack like that would work well in my greenhouse! I need to make more use of vertical space.

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  7. Kalanchoe orgyalis continues to haunt me. Definitely on my wish list. In the fourth picture there's a sansevieria that looks like 'Streaker'. I had one of those but must have gone temporarily insane, because I gave it away during a move. What was I thinking?! I'll have to get another someday.

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    1. I will pick up a Kalanchoe orgyalis next time I see one. When you move back to the PNW, I'll probably have all kinds of cuttings of it to give you!

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  8. Loved this whole post, but especially getting to see the structure at the beginning. By the time it is fully installed at the show, as you point out, the focus will be on the plants and that fabulous construct could well be overlooked.

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    1. Each year, they come up with something new and this one is particularly wonderful!

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  9. I'm salivating at the shopping potential! I saw some of those Esther pots in CA and was very tempted

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    1. So we'll see you carrying Esther pots at the show, won't we?

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  10. Thank you for showing these wonderful sights. There is nothing here to compare and I won't be cominng 3000 miles to see them, so all that you post is worthwhile. I sit here and scroll up, scroll down and revel in having you and Alison as my eyes in the PNW.

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    1. It would be delightful to have you come and visit the PNW sometime! We grow a lot of the same plants so you might want to drive so that you'll have space to take home lots of green things! However, since we're on opposite sides of the country, we're more than happy to be your eyes up this way.

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  11. I REALLY need to make a trip to Vashon...

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    1. Yes you do! Alison and I are thinking that a Garden Bloggers' Fling in our area might be fun in a few years!

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