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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.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Bremerton City Nursery: A Second Look

After leaving City People's Garden Store, I considered coming home and playing in the garden in the sunshine.  Instead, the plant mobile took me to Bremerton City Nursery which I'd visited for the first time in November of last year. (Post here.)  What a treat it was to discover a new place and how sad that it was toward the end of the season.  Here are a few of the many great offerings.

I wonder if those pots get planted up later or if they're decorative just the way they are. 
 The outdoor areas are beginning to fill up.  How exciting!

Ranunculus with their many delicate looking petals fascinate me.   

 I've not grown them since my Alaska gardening days where we lifted the tubers that look like little bunches of bananas each fall and stored them inside.

They probably need the same treatment here because they don't like our wet winters and critters love to eat them.

So enjoying them at nurseries is enough.  Do you grow these outside as perennials?  What kind of luck do you have?  Do you stuff them into pots as seasonal color and discard them when they're done blooming?

On to more fun stuff from the nursery -  This sun room area was added at the same time as my garage finished its surgery to change it into a greenhouse.  It was fun to compare notes with one of the owners about our first winter with new green house spaces.

The tag from the grower said only "Octopus Agave."  Could this be Agave vilmoriniana?  This one is pretty fragile, the leaves tearing easily.  It was also inexpensive so it came home with me.

I'm seeing Euphorbia flanaganii  on the market more lately. Their unusual and a bit unpredictable growth habit makes me love them!

This idea will be copied!  Replacing votive candle holders with terra cotta pots of sedum  or tillandsias is inspired!  One more thing to keep one's eyes peeled for at thrift shops!

A nice pot of fire sticks jumped in my cart as well.  Someone left his outside last fall.  Before you tell me that I should fire the firm that maintains my garden,  (Me, Myself, and I, a lazy lot but they work for nothing.) you should know that the plant had some sort disfiguring insect pest that wasn't responding to organic interventions and I didn't want to drag bad bugs into the greenhouse.

Aloe "Blue Elf"

Of course, hellebores wer everywhere.  

Because I was busy grabbing inexpensive tillandsias, I forgot to take pictures of them but they had just received a nice assortment from Little Prince of Oregon!  Bremerton City Nursery packs a lot of quality and varied merchandise into their space and is worth a visit if you're ever in the area!

Wishing you many happy garden surprises!


The End!

18 comments:

  1. My Garden Guru, Miss Billie, used to plant ranunculus. I think she used fresh bulbs every fall because I think our summers were not to their liking.

    I'm trying to avoid nurseries just now. We spent enough yesterday at HD to pay for one of those ceramic garden seats they had AND a big copper wind thingie. I guess when the days grow short again I'll be grateful for electricity in the Mule Barn instead.

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    1. How exciting! Can't wait to see your ceramic garden seat and big copper wind thingie! Hooray for electricity in the mule barn. When the greenhouse overflows, I can see grow lights fitting on some of that shelving!.

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    2. I did not make myself clear. The electrical stuff cost enough to have bought the garden seat and wind sculpture instead. I guess I could sit on a garden seat in the dark and look at a wind sculpture in the daytime.

      I already have a garden seat. It never goes out into the garden. Do people really put big expensive ceramic pieces out of doors? A dead limb would fall on mine first thing.

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  2. I'll be driving up that way on Friday, I might stop in there. I've been hoping to find a few new-to-me places. I really should check out Elandan while I'm at it, since I've never said yes to your suggestion that we stop.

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    1. Foxglove is up there in Hansville/Kingston somewhere and might be fun to visit too.

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  3. If you can't reliably grow Ranunculus in the PNW, then what chance do the rest of us have? ;)

    Looks like you have several firesticks in those pots if you want to do some repotting. Maybe you keep one inside the greenhouse all season long to help prevent another bug problem. I like having backup plants -- one of anything I really like makes me nervous.

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    1. It would be hopeless! In the pacific northwest we have backup plants but they're kept at nurseries. Since by law, there must be one nursery per 100 people, there's always one nearby:)

      Dividing that fire sticks to have a backup is a stellar idea! I'll do it.

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  4. I threatened to buy a nice pot of orange ranunculus a few weeks ago, then I forgot. They brighten the back door step so well! Also I had to laugh at Alan's remark "one of anything I really like makes me nervous"...I can't imagine how much space I would need if I were going to have multiples of the things I really like!

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    1. Ranunculus are cheerful and bright flowers!

      You'd most likely need double the garden space!

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  5. I'm also amazed by the petals of the Ranunculus; they remind me of filo dough pastry, or a flaky croissant... Wondering if the pots on the roof ever get a planted or just a ploy to keep you wondering and coming back? Sedum in place of candle is an idea worth adopting, especially if one is a thrift store junky like myself. Just needed another excuse to go!

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    1. Filo dough pastry, flaky croissant...yum! I also love thrift stores, yard sales, etc!

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  6. The early spring weather had me jumping the gun. Guess the garden centers are finally starting to gear up. Good thing: I have a Portland Nursery gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket.

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    1. Can't wait to see what you buy with your gift certificate! We all were jumping the gun. Stores had requests for tomato plants at the end of February. Totally silly but some places started getting them to supply the demand.

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  7. To have multiples and the space for it such a luxury!

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    1. I know, right? There are so many plants that I don't have space for one of!

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  8. We tried ranunculus many years ago, but gave up on them. Now I enjoy them in pots that other people plant.
    Do you have any space left in the new greenhouse?

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    1. They are such cheerful blooms but, like you, I'll appreciate them from afar.
      There's always more space! I'll be doing more re arranging, getting more high shelves and there'll be lots more space. The spring migration will take place soon but tomato plants will take up quite a bit of space this summer!

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  9. I love Ranunculus, Peter but I have no knowledge how to grow them I tried many times but unsuccessfully. So I look at them and admire.

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