After a long hiatus, the sun made an appearance last weekend dragging gardeners out of hibernation. We emerged squinting, mole like, at the bright orb in the sky. What was that color up there? Definitely not another shade of gray. If memory serves, it's called blue. The first plant sale of the season, a benefit for the Elizabeth Miller Horticulture Library, was hosted by the Northwest Horticultural Society at the Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle and recently revived gardeners
arrived in droves to peruse the offerings of many specialty growers.
It's a treat to see the gardens here in any season.
Moss and lichen love our soggy winters.
There were even some non-gardeners enjoying the day.
Can anyone identify this huge Yucca? The consensus of those asked was that it's far too large to be Y. rostrata
On to the sale!
Ypsilandra thibetica in fragrant bloom.
Labeled Schefflera taiwaniana, this one, a Dan Hinkley selection, has especially narrow leaves and may have hitched a ride back to Tacoma.
Helleborus 'Golden Sunrise.'
I would have taken more pictures of plants but the sale was crowded with passionate plant people, arms laden with boxes of plants. Attendees were in a jovial mood and wagon after wagon filled with all manner of growing treasures rolled out to the parking areas. A clever plant cart.
Out back there was a demonstration of how raised beds should look
and how my raised beds, if I had them, would look this time of year.
This coming weekend is the Northwest Perennial Society "March Mania" sale at the Bellevue Botanical Garden and the weather is supposed to be equally delightful. Will I see you there?
I feel much the same as you when the blue sky appears...a blinking mole....Today is bright and sunny on the east coast as well. A promise of a big storm looms but for today, bright light! No plant sales yet. It will be a couple of months but dreams begin again.
ReplyDeleteThe jumping worm has really put the kibosh on a number of plant sales here. This looks like a lovely day from every standpoint. And more to come, how lucky.
ReplyDeleteI almost bought that Hinckley Schefflera, I didn't see it at the sale, but it's on the Windcliff table at Ravenna. My two S. delavayi have both done so well, I'm tempted to try a different one. Somehow it seems so much more delicate than those, which puts me off. Perhaps it's time to take the plunge. I'm sorry I missed you at the sale too! I think you must have been leaving just as we arrived (according to Kim/Urban Soule).
ReplyDeleteYou have so many of these events to enjoy! I wonder if it's the breadth of great venues that drives the garden bug in the PNW, or the number of people with the garden bug that's led to their creation? Chicken or the egg question maybe but SoCal needs more garden events like yours!
ReplyDeleteOkay, rub it in... we're getting another foot of snow tomorrow. :( sigh...
ReplyDeleteToo much fun. You are way ahead of our area.
ReplyDeleteOh, the first of many sales we'll probably miss this year. We have reached that point in gardening when we need to simplify, and just keep things going. I will enjoy many of the sales vicariously through your posts.
ReplyDeleteI arrived at the sale pretty early and was overwhelmed by the hoards of people, not to mention the huge number of boxes already full of plants waiting for their owners who went back to get more plants... So many like-minded people, it was fun.
ReplyDeleteFun fun fun! What else did you buy?
ReplyDeleteRE: the Yucca, it’s hard to understand in the photo what about it makes it “too big” to be a Y. rostrata?
Good question. The yucca is about 15 feet tall and the individual leaves are about 2-3 feet long. I don't know yuccas well enough but thought it was Y. rostrata but bigger than any I'd seen (limited experience.)
DeleteExciting! When I read your title, though, I thought you had another snowstorm coming.
ReplyDeleteWnat fun, that's what we all need right now, some serious plant buying.I have loved and lost lovely Ypsilandra thibetica. I don't know where I went wrong. What did you buy?
ReplyDelete