Springing over to Savage Plants

Savage Plants is another nursery that I try not to miss when I'm out in the area of Heronswood.  Here's a peek:

In addition to a lot of plants arriving for spring, Savage always has a generous supply of cool garden art.

This solitary giant rusty sphere in the center of the covered patio always elicits a giggle. 

Hey look, an agave!

What a fun gate!

 Striking poppy seed head bronze  candlesticks.

These look so cool and have no drain holes.  Water feature?  Bog garden?

Not exactly sure what these are.

This fellow, made by an area artist and admired last year finally decided to come home with me.  You may remember him from an earlier IaVoM post.

It's Holy week in the Christian tradition, seven days that begin with  Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) the last supper, crucifixion, and resurrection.  Whew, that's one busy week.  If you celebrate this week,  may it be a reflective, joyful, and meaningful time for you. 

Passover, the commemoration of God's deliverance of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, begins tonight at sunset.  For those of you celebrating Passover, חג פסח שמח.  

A Serendipitous Stop at Valley Nursery

After visiting the Heronswood plant sale and garden, I always visit nurseries in the area.  A nice young person directing traffic in the nearly full parking areas of Valley Nursery was a sign that something special must be happening.  Seems that we'd luckily happened upon the first day of their annual spring sale!  

Customers and workers alike were in a jovial mood, enjoying a warm dry day surrounded by plants.  Well, most everyone seemed happy.  This guy wasn't saying much. 

His Viking friend was equally stone-faced.

All sorts of things were discounted and some plants had really deep discounts.

Conveniently sized so that standard plastic pots can hang right inside. 

So much to see that it was hard to decide between shopping and taking pictures.  Dancing rodent topiary anyone?

So much color!

It's a good thing I didn't realize that this 'Bonfire' dwarf flowering peach is the one with gorgeous foliage I'd admired in one of Loree's posts or it would have come home with me.  I don't have space for another tree no matter how small or how beautiful the foliage!

Meanwhile, in the houseplant area...

So much prickly goodness!

These broken pot gardens are always fun.

Emerging peony foliage.  Oh to have space enough to grow more of these glorious things.

This wood-bodied pheasant was  50% off  and could hide in a back corner of a garden to surprise visitors but he decided to stay at the nursery for someone else to take home.

Um, well,  uh.  From Design Toscano comes Oktoberfest Otto, a slightly underdressed fellow. 

For those who prefer more refined garden helpers...

Either way, this is pretty good advice. 

Wednesday Vignette

Off to a rocky start?   Thick rhizomes of Darmera peltata are nearly ready to open umbrellas of foliage at Savage Plants.

Wednesday Vignette is hosted by Anna at Flutter and Hum.  Click on over to her blog to see more!

Not So Glamorous Gardening - Repotting Agaves

A few years ago, an Agave 'Mr. Ripple' came home with me.  It got potted up  a couple of times but for at least two years had languished in this pot that got dragged in and out each year.  Because the plant had totally grown over the surface of the soil, it had become very difficult to water the plant so it clearly needed a new pot but being incredibly top heavy, I didn't know how I could accomplish this without harming the agave and/or the gardener.  Turns out that putting the pot on it's side on the edge of a table with the leaves of the agave worked pretty well.  Because it was so dry, it came out pretty easily.

There were a couple of pups that needed to come off.  putting the plant in it's new pot in the greenhouse would have made it way too heavy to lug outside so I grabbed the roots and took it swiftly outside where the rest of the operation took place.

The pups got potted.  Notice all that dirt on the table?  Not the most glamorous job.

 Speaking of not-so glamorous, here's the danger gardenette at the moment during the awkward stage when the winter pots of evergreens have been moved out but the succulents and cacti aren't in place yet.   The repotted agave (sun scars are from last year's move.) is the first one out of the greenhouse and since it's supposed to be hardy to zone 7 and the pot is to big to haul around,  it'll stay outside permanently. 

Meanwhile, back inside, this poor Agave bovicornuta, one of my first that came to me in a four inch pot about ten years ago, had survived an attack of scale insects last year but never seemed to really perk up.  Seemed I couldn't give it enough water.  When I took it out of it's pot to inspect the roots, I felt horribly guilty for not checking earlier.  The poor plant was so root bound that no soil was visible, just a cylinder of dense roots.  Poor thing.  It got a larger pot and a good watering.  Today when I checked, it looked a bit more hydrated than when this picture was taken.  Hopefully it'll forgive me for torturing it so.

Currently, my entire  garden is a collection of messes where projects are underway.  The joy of the process is the thing, right?   Are you a tidy gardener?  Do you approach one project at a time, getting each one cleaned up before you start the next?  

In a Vase on Monday

It started with thoughts of camellias brought on by this thrift-store find vase. 

Joining the camellias are a couple of grape hyacinths and some Kerria japonica prunings.  

 Hastily assembled between garden tasks, it's not my best effort but will make me smile this week which is the idea behind the meme, In a Vase on Monday, hosted by the fabulous Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Click here to see more participating bloggers' vases.

Joining the vase this week are some ceramic eggs with grape hyacinths found on the sale table of a local nursery several years ago.

A Late Winter Stroll Through Heronswood

Another weekend; another plant sale.  Someone pinch me, I think I must be dreaming.  We're so lucky in this region to have so many great growers and nurseries.  Last weekend, Heronswood hosted it's first plant sale of the season and the garden was also open.  Come stroll with me through the garden which was definitely beginning to awaken.

When pulmonaria and hellebores bloom, spring is definitely near.

Veratrum

Trillium

Inside the house, there was an exhibit of the botanical art of Jean Emmons whose work graced the covers of Heronswood catalogs for years.   The art was glorious and it was a delight to view the garden through the windows of the home.

Meanwhile, back outside, peonies were popping out of the ground.  

In the distance, you can see a couple of the white canopies in the plant sale area.

Originally a potager, this garden is filled in the summer with brightly-colored annuals  as the garden is now available for use as an event venue.

Geranium palmatum

A hardy begonia seems to have just had it's protective wood-shaving protection removed. The tag only said begonia sp. and a number.  Can't wait to visit again and see what the foliage looks like!

I'll leave you with a view of this sweet Sinopanax formosanus.

Happy weekend all!