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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.

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Wells Medina Nursery

Since we were already in Seattle for the Glass Eye Studio sidewalk sale in mid May, why not take take a little side trip to Wells Medina Nursery.  We're lucky in the Pacific Northwest to have an embarrassment of riches in the nursery department.  Although the trove has been diminished significantly in the last few years, Wells Medina remains one of the larger jewels in the crown.  One will find some of the usual nursery fare here but there  also  an array of specialty plants sufficient to thrill even the most jaded nursery shopper.  Let's go shopping!

Not all blooms are invasive monsters like the sulfur-flowered  Scotch Broom that turns our landscape golden in late spring, seeding freely.  Cytisus x praecox 'Hollandia' is quite a lovely thing.

Almost picked up another one of these as I had one that grew huge.  Tip:  tropical plants do not like to be on the floor of the greenhouse in the winter when a forgetful gardener doesn't close the door securely and a cold storm blows the door open in the night and it remains that way for a day.

Pelargonium 'Occold Shield' 

Phormium 'Guardsman'  has been high on my lust list since first seeing it at Flora Grubb in San Francisco.  However I'd only seen it at one nursery in the area and the price was a bit too dear for me. The thrill of finding nice large specimens at a much lower price made me a little giddy as I conducted the beauty contest between at least 30 of these.

Wouldn't it be dreamy to have space to create something like this in one's own garden? 

Anigozanthos (Kangaroo Paws) 

Fremontodendron californicum 'Spring Fever'  has red branches.  This variety was new to me. 


Coniogramme japonica



So many roses it boggles the mind.


Hosta heaven.

Dodecatheon pulchellum 'Red Wings'

Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Arisaema ringens 

bursting forth.

Polygonatum 'Greay Yellow River'  

Tapestry of purple orange, and yellow. 

Papyrus

The picture doesn't do justice to the huge contrast in colors that drew the eye and admiration of many from far across the crowded nursery.

For a conifer collector, this would be a must have specimen!  Although this is a mature specimen that won't get much larger, it's still too large for my garden. 





Acerville

Rhododendron land. 

For fans of green, R. 'Windsong' 

Apricot Fantasy

Lost the name of this one but bi-colored blooms are favorites.


Rhododendron 'Nancy Evans' is an interesting banana-yellow color. 

Davidia involucrata in bloom. 

Schefflera forest

The new growth on this camellia stopped me in my tracks.  What a beauty!


The flower shape of Rhododendron 'Lem's Stormcloud' was cool.

Rhododendron 'Blue Peter' almost came home with me because of the name and the orchid-like flowers. Okay, enough of that.  No room for more rhododendrons!   These are but a tiny fraction of the huge selection.


Phormium 'Sea Jade' 

Fab new wallpaper on the wall of the indoor area.  Wells Medina also has a nice library of reference books.  Customers may sit in the comfy room and research to their heart's desire.  This nursery is about plants and a few pots but doesn't carry gegaws, giftware, and the like.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm a lover of  interesting tchotchkes!

Last summer, this blue wall was adorned with hanging yellow and  orange pots full of succulents.  How the feeling changes when the wall plays backdrop to a pair of Cercis canadensis (Redbud trees) and a trio of green pots.  I can't wait to go back later in the season to see what they do next!

  I hope you enjoyed visiting as much as I did.  Happy June!  Can you believe that it's June already?  Okay time slow down and let us enjoy this exquisite time in our gardens a bit longer! 

23 comments:

  1. Would you believe I've never been to Wells Medina nursery... so first off, thanks for the visit. As a Seattle resident and gardener, I will have to remedy this wrong as soon as possible. That is one amazing round display; it could potentially be scaled down using a small fountain. I'm assuming the winner of the Phormium's beauty contest came home with you?

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    1. Oh yes, that bright red phormium came home with me along with a couple of rhododendrons that I don't know where I'll plant.

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  2. I haven't been to Wells Medina for, oh, almost 20 years. I'm glad it's still going strong.

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    1. Twenty years? Golly, even as a little girl you were shopping at nurseries.

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  3. Thanks for this look at Wells Medina. I really need to get myself over there for a shop. I don't need any rhodies, but all those flowers are pretty spectacular. Do you know that Blue Peter is a British children's TV show?

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    1. I didn't know that Blue Peter is a British children's TV Show. Fun! There are several NPA open for the first time gardens on the eastside this weekend so combining them with a visit to WD might be fun.

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  4. That blue wall creates a great staging area. I almost expect the redbuds to break into a song and dance routine.

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    1. That color is one of my faves in the garden. Song and dance routine reminds me of a stanza from the song "O Day Full Of Grace," a standard of the St. Olaf Choir and others in that tradition:

      Yea, were every tree endowed with speech,
      And every leaflet singing,
      They never with praise God's worth could reach,
      Though earth with their praise be ringing.
      Who fully could praise the light of life
      Who light to our souls is bringing?

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    2. My personal favorite lyric comes from 'June is Busting out All Over': "and the young Virginia creepers are a-huggin the bejeepers out of every morning glory on the fence".

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  5. That nursery borders on overwhelming (not that that's a bad thing when it comes to nurseries). I'm not generally a conifer fan but I love the one you photographed. It made me think of a Christmas tree already decorated with lights.

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    1. It's a pretty spectacular place. I'm not the biggest conifer fan in my own garden but enjoy what others do with them and this one is certainly an amazing sight for a few weeks. After that, it goes back to being a quiet presence.

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  6. What stunning photos. Greetings!

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  7. So many tempting plants! I have to get what I have in the ground - spring is so busy. But you're right, we need to take time to enjoy the fruits of our labor and the summery weather, too!

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    1. Spring is a difficult balancing act between getting tasks done in one's own garden, seeing what's new at the nurseries, and touring open gardens - oh yes, there's that job thing.

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  8. What a fabulous resource! And that blue wall offers so many great ideas for plant combos. What fun.

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    1. It's always a fun time to visit WM and see what they've done.

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  9. I confess I have an irrational aversion to brooms because of Scotch brooms. Thank goodness we have vacuums now (rim shot). That Phormium 'Sea Jade' is gorgeous. I've discovered a love of plants with those colors.

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    1. Oh Evan, you slay me! Perhaps 'Sea Jade' needs to find it's way into your garden!

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  10. We get to Wells Medina infrequently, but always enjoy browsing the plant selection. It is a premier nursery.

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    1. I sometimes feel a little under dressed for the area but everyone seems quite jovial and helpful.

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  11. What a rhododendron 'Blue Peter! Good choice! If I were there I'd buy more rhododendrons oh oh... I see Peter your trip to Seattle was lucky - no rain, the sky was partly blue. I liked this nursery, especially Dodecatheon, so nice plant.

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    1. We were lucky to have some blue sky and sun between the clouds on that day.

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