Rare Plant Research Open House 2016

Although I'd bought plants originating at Rare Plant Research from some of my favorite nurseries (Jungle Fever, Dig!) for several years, it wasn't until a few years ago that I started going to their annual open houses.  Primarily a wholesale nursery, now a winery as well, they are only open to the public a couple of times a year.  If you like what you see, they will be having a one day open on June 18 from 11 - 4.  Their website with further information is here,  my previous posts about RPR are here.  This was blogging pal, Loree's, eleventh year attending the RPR open house.  Her posts can be found here.

This poor killdeer is panicked by passersby walking so close but stands by protecting her eggs.  Her plaintive cry tugging at hearts.  Thank goodness they finally put pots in the path so that people couldn't get so close. Some still walked around.  (Telephoto lens from a respectful distance.) I hope the poor thing wasn't exhausted by the end of the day.

Isn't if fun seeing what other shoppers have found?  I already have most of these in the collection.

 From the beautiful to the bizarre, you'll see it all in the greenhouses at RPR!  And that's just the shoppers, the plants are pretty interesting, too.

Everyone should have a field of hardy hippeastrum (Amaryllis) right? 

Cleverly placed out each spring, these bromeliads look like they they're always here. 

 RPR sits on farmland outside of Oregon City but once in the space, one is transported to a magical Mediterranean paradise.  There are new additions each year.  Discovering what's new in this ever-changing garden is one of the treats of visiting each year.

Envy meter goes off at the sight of this beautifully-grown Daphne x burkwoodii 'Briggs Moonlight.' Just about every gardener I know has killed at least one of these but we keep trying because that foliage is so gorgeous.

Bamboo on the move.

 Notice anything different?  A big dragon guarding the fortress perhaps?

Treacherous terrain spiked with opuntia.  Ouch!

Beware!

If you can see my teeth, you're a lost cause!

Your skull may be the newest decoration in my grotto!

So, you have to swim the moat, slay the dragon, brave the spines and glochids on the opuntia and climb up the rocky terrain to reach the castle.  Of course, you could just stay on any one of the wide and easy paths but some people like a challenge.

Gold-leafed pelargonium, with hot pink flowers paired with Tradescantia pallida, a new favorite!

Huge bromeliad bloom.

Rarest of all bananas, the variegated Ai Ai was once only grown by Hawaiian royalty.  

Can you believe that these walls are made of urbanite?  

Don't you owe it to yourself to visit on June 18?