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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, April 7, 2015

Springing over to Vassey Nursery

If you're a long-time reader of my blog, you know that I visit Vassey Nursery often.  Great plants, friendly, knowledgeable people, cool stuff, and on my way home from my Sunday job;  who could ask for anything more?  For more about the nursery, see their website here and see my previous visits here.   

Evergreens look great year round and Vassey carries a great selection of them.  They carry us through the winter and provide structure in the summer but it's spring and our eyes, like butterflies flit from beautiful boom to beautiful bloom and ignore the conifers for a time. 


Like the beautiful butter cream colored  blooms of my favorite yellow magnolia, 'Elizabeth.'  


The large flowers and cheery color are attractive and since my mother's name was Elizabeth, they make me smile.

Perhaps I'll make space for one in my garden someday. 

Don't you love that time of year when the hosta foliage comes out and hides so many of the sins in your garden?

 Gorgeous Saxifrage!


Attractive foliage of Itoh peonies about which read more here

 Three buddhas agree, let's skip the workout and order pizza.  There's a reason why the fat buddhas are usually happy!

Or were they just excited about all the cool plants?  

Speaking of cool plants, isn't the foliage of Erythronium dens-canis 'Snowflake'  lovely?


Re purposed flatware.

Gotta love that name!





Sweet three circle/bird hangings. 

The large spheres are sending out runners.  These will gently bend as the small ones grow allowing the spheres to take root and grow.  It's a lovely way of propagation.

Dig these cool oval planters!  

succulent beauty!

This NOID  Aloe had to come home with me. 
 Locally made concrete leaves and spheres.  I'm kind of digging the small leaves.  Having made a lot of large leaf castings, this might be a fun and certainly less heavy project!

Not really a fan of cutesy but these fairy babies are really sweet.  

One almost came home with me but I caught myself just in time.  It starts this way - you pick up one cute little thing and before you know it, fairy gardens are springing up in every extra pot you posses. Crisis averted! Although, just one on a leaf wouldn't be such a bad thing would it? 

Fun!

I like the "stuff" part of Vassey as so much of it is garden related/nature themed.   These vases are curious with the bird/nest part at the top where foliage might obscure it.  Upright contents would work well.  On the other hand, I've got lots of interesting vases that never see a flower.

 Handsome fellow!



On the way out with my plants and stuff (you knew it would happen) I walked through the Acers palmatum.  Hooray for spring!

22 comments:

  1. Oh, if any Japanese maple could win me over, it might be that last one that you showed! Looks like they have some cool stuff. I was there a couple of weeks ago, but I always forget to go into the gift shop. I'm taken with those oval planters and I love the Forked-Up Art, especially the cute mice.

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    1. I know that there's space for that Japanese maple in your garden. Maybe in that front bed by the road...

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  2. When you make a post heavy with trinkets, it makes it harder for me to keep my resolution not to succumb to 'cute' any more.

    I was able to recover my composure by going off to find Elizabeth as sung by Jimmy Fortune and Dailey & Vincent, one of my favorite groups that isn't a group. They sing together sometimes but tour separately.

    https://youtu.be/E0q_KA_Qmog

    Add Elizabeth to my list of plants to find once I get out. Elizabeth won't need pruning or repotting and will be too hard to clone for me to try. Maybe.

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    1. Oh, just a little cute would be o.k!
      What a beautiful song! I'm going to go searching for more by that group that isn't a group!
      You will love Elizabeth. I saw a large specimen today while I was out driving today, it's cheerful yellow flowers were lit from the front and the sky behind was brooding and gray. Breath taking!

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  3. As the cowardly lion would say: "ain't it the truth". Even we foliage freaks succumb to the lure of blossoms this time of year. Your scouting activities keep us wanting more. Thanks...I think.

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  4. I spy a band-aid on your finger. Hope that wasn't a run in with one of your agaves.

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    1. My agaves have been very nice to me this year! The band aid was from doing something at school, I forgot what.

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  5. Oh dear, a nursery on the path home from work! That's a dangerous distraction. Those Itoh peonies have turned up here too but I'm resisting their siren call (at least until I determine if it's possible to get the one I bought 2 years ago to rebloom).

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    1. Dangerous indeed. Lucky that it's only the one day that I pass or I'd be there far too often. Reblooming would be a good thing and might be tricky in your climate. Resisting for now is a good thing.

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  6. I feel like that first sentence should be: "If you're a long-time reader of my blog, you know that I visit EVERY Nursery often."

    BTW, some people prefer the clumping spheres, but I prefer the running types now that I've seen them. :)

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    1. Thanks for the laugh, Alan! In reality, there are some nurseries that I only am able to get to once every few years and others I've yet to visit. There are a LOT of nurseries in this area, thank goodness!

      Careful, I'v heard that the runners can take over in short order. Best to put in a barrier.

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  7. Oh, gosh. I was all excited about your report all the way through--and then that Japanese Maple at the end ... yummy. All the plants at Vassey look very healthy and the displays are beautiful. I'm sure it would be a dangerous place for me to visit, too.

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    1. It's a great place and dangerous for any plant addict!

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  8. The 'Elizabeth' magnolia is so lovely with its soft shade of yellow! I hope you find room for one. The whimsical flatware art is very fun...I too try to avoid cute and keep it natural. That said there are a few stone bunnies running around my garden : ) The aloe is a beautiful specimen and who could turn down such a beautiful J. Maple! Happy Spring

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    1. There's always room to shoehorn something else into my cramscape. Stone bunnies are natural, right?

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    2. Well if we both think so...yes! And they do love having the run of the garden while we sleep!

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  9. I love the yellow flowers of Elizabeth and it is my name too when I' m not being Chloris.
    So what did you buy?

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    1. Oh my, then you definitely need to get one of these! Think how beautiful it would look near 'Black Tulip.'
      I bought the aloe, a few pelargonium (this nursery grows the best and least expensive ones anywhere around here) and a couple of the little concrete painted spheres.

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  10. I think Vassey will be on our list on a little field trip planned for Friday.

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    1. I think you'll enjoy the nursery and the people there!

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  11. Necessity is the mother of invention, right? I wonder what Judson's Jennings' major in college was and if it helps him in any way in his new and unexpected career.
    Every garden needs at least one cute fairy for good luck.

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