The Heronswood Early Spring Sale

The famous Heronswood garden is once again looking grand thanks to the excellent stewardship of the Port Gamble S'klallam Tribe, the property's new owners.  Dan Hinkley, the garden's creator, is working with the tribe to lead a team of garden caretakers.  In a later post, we'll roam the garden but today, lets have a peek at the sale!

Unfortunately, I didn't stay for the lectures. Mr Hinkley is always entertaining and has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things plant.  Riz's talk, “The Influence of Heronswood: How I Learned to Travel the World in One Garden,"   sounded like it echoed the sentiments of so many gardeners in this region, myself included, who were educated and inspired by walking the magical Douglas Fir cathedral of Heronswood.

 The morning started out a bit rainy but by the time the sale started, the rain had stopped and later, walking in the garden, the sun, a welcome guest star in the drama of our spring, actually made an appearance.

So many podophyllum, so little space.  The thrill of seeing these leaves emerge each spring is still a thrill.

Podophyllum delavayi transports me to Heronswood where I first saw this, then nearly unobtainable, otherworldly foliage.

In case you were wondering, one called P. 'Galaxy,' not pictured, jumped into my hand and wouldn't leave.

Pleione formosana always make a splash in the spring.

Helleborus multifidus subsp. hercegovinus small leaf form would certainly have come home with me, had I not already noticed my own emerging beautifully from the soil.

Schefflera hoi

Fabulous fern fronds.  

Enjoyable to see so many plant-crazed patrons fondling foliage.  

Cardiocrinum giganteum var. yunnanense.  Kelly's (Far Reaches Farm) description on the tag is worth the purchase price of the plant. "Cardiocrinum is exciting enough but variety yunnanense with its burnished copper new growth causes pulses to elevate along with dilated pupils and flaring nostrils. When this is blooming it is almost as good as sex. It takes a few years but purple flushed white flowers on 12' stalks - oh yes!"

Heloniopsis acutifolia

Such a beautiful trillium.  The sight of this sent me out to my own garden to find my large clump is in bloom.  My poor garden really has been neglected this soggy spring. 

Snake-like Arisaema arising from winter slumber, as if charmed by spring's pungi.

Corydalis quantmeyerana 'Chocolate Stars' 

Sebright Gardens' irresistible mixed and tightly-packed display dripping with abutilon and fuchsia blooms.

A couple more Epimedium will be planted in my garden, due to the encouragement of an enabler.  Who can resist such a tough plant or such an avid gardener?

Leaving with treasures.  Not sure if this is Rhododendron 'Wine and Roses' or R. 'Everred' but aren't the wine-red undersides of the leaves fantastic?