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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.

Monday, May 22, 2017

In A Vase On Monday - A Weekend of Garden Friends

The weekend was a whirlwind of garden activities with friends.  On Friday I took a personal day off of work, drove to Portland and visited five nurseries.  At Joy Creek, I ran into my pal Anna of Flutter and Hum   She showed me the treasures  that she was going to take home that day.  A gardener working at a nursery is a dangerous thing!

On Saturday I hit a nursery and then met up with friend Loree of Danger Garden to go to the Rare Plant Research, a wholesale grower of all plants unusual, annual day of opening to the public. While wandering through the hoop houses, we ran into blogging friend Amy of The World's Best Gardening Blog.  Afterward, we hit a couple more nurseries together.  The plantmobile was quite full on the return trip and required many trips to unload the plants and cool pots made by Burl, the owner of Rare Plant Research.

On Sunday, after work, Tom and I met Alison of Bonney Lassie to tour the garden of  friend Camille Paulsen and that of the late Lavonne Stewart-Campbell and her co-gardener and husband Mick Campbell.  Mick decided to keep the garden open in Lavonne's honor.  By the end of the day, I felt both tired and very lucky to have so many special garden friends, all of these were fruits of  blogging.
The lucky part reminded me of a lucky coin teapot that Tom brought back from a trip to China several years ago which became the vessel for today's arrangement.

Looking for something special, cutting this first blue poppy of the season was briefly considered.
It would be hard to find mates for this.  There were a few roses that might have worked, maybe rhododendrons?  Instead, I went with some simple flowers which I have in abundance, and many will be pulled up soon.

Native bleeding hearts, some winter pansies, forget me nots, bishop weed foliage and flowers

This cutie from Far Reaches Farm whose name I've forgotten.

The last of the Spanish Bluebells.

Casually thrown into the lucky coin teapot.  What?  No props?  

I'd been waiting to use this mini circle-pot gift from Loree but it seemed fitting to use it today in the celebration of garden friends arrangement.  Truth be told, the Bishop's weed is included as I remember her chiropractor visit inducing struggle to rid her garden of this.  A tillandsia and a monkey puzzle cone seemed to be enough.

On Saturday, Loree remembered that I'd posted a picture of a three-legged pot.  She'd purchased one but never did anything with it.  Her husband was not at all fond of it and so she gave it to me.  I was pretty sure I had just the thing for this one.

A semi-spherical tillandsia clump. (Okay, I tried a lot of different things but this was my favorite.)

In this space, the teapot is obscured but I know it's there, just like my virtual friends who I don't see all the time.  Thanks friends for the delightful weekend and thank you to all of my friends from the blogosphere!
In a vase on Monday is hosted by the talented and dedicated Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Click here to join in the fun!

13 comments:

  1. So nice to be able to meet up! And love that three legged pot especially :)

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  2. A fun plant-filled weekend with visual and virtual friends: it sounds heavenly.
    I believe it was this past Saturday that the Rhododendron Botanical Garden had free admission to their blue poppy beds. I was thinking of you when I read about it in the paper; to my surprise, you start this post with your own blue poppy... Obviously, I'm curious to know what you unloaded off the plant mobile.

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  3. See, in a matter of moments you managed to make that 3-legged pot look better than I ever could. Bravo! And I'd just wondered about the mini-circle pot, if you ever found a use for it. As for that Bishop's Weed...

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  4. What a wonderful weekend you had! And your vase vignette celebrates your friendships beautifully. I wouldn't have cut that blue Meconopsis either - it needs a stage all its own.

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  5. That's a full, fun weekend! I'm pretty sure you just put your big rubber band ball into that three-legged vase... ;)

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  6. How nice to do some meet-ups in person. You have found the perfect plant for Loree's pot. I had a social weekend as well but did not manage to put a bouquet together, so I am impressed that you did so.

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  7. You always make me smile. Your vases are brilliant but the tillandsia does take the prize, just. It's just perfect! Sounds like you had a wonderful weekend but I think it's just as well I don't have a friend in a nursery.

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  8. So you have been meeting blogging friends too - how lovely! And how lovely to share bits and bobs we now longer like or need (bearded iris, anyone,,,?!)

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  9. You must have a gift for growing Tillandsia! That ball of tangled Tillandisa is special and belongs in that special pot. It was so much fun to see you this weekend. We'll have more fun this summer.

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  10. Dozens of excellent nurseries to visit with several garden blogging buddies... what could be better? So many blessings, so little time!
    I love the tillandsia in the 3-legged pot!

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  11. A true plantaholics weekend! We did the NPA South Hill tour on Sunday. Saw some really great gardens.

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  12. How fun to run into so many friends while out plant shopping! That's a lot of nurseries in one day! The blue poppy is amazing. Gorgeous.

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  13. funny...that three legged pot looks like something Loree would love. it landed in the right hands in the end.

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