Next On The After Hortlandia Nurserry Hop: Cistus Design Nursery

After Heronswood was sold, (2000ish)  someone told me about a great nursery for collectors near Portland.  I don't remember where I heard about it but somehow we found our way there. (Before G.P.S. before Mapquest, before the lady in the phone.  However did we get around?  That first visit was so amazing that the car was filled with plants and they gave me a free Cistus T shirt. Since then I've visited this amazing nursery at least twice a year.  In the beginning, going to Cistus and coming home was the extent of my experience in the Portland area.  (All those scary bridges going every which way.)  With the advent of the bossy lady in the phone, finding the many treasures of Portland is a breeze!  I digress - Cistus, a long-time favorite nursery was our next stop after Cornell Nursery.  See previous posts here.

One of the many things to love here is driving through the garden on the way to the parking area.

The many seating areas come in handy if you have a non gardener along!

Wish you had a nursery this fabulous nearby?  The good news is that they do mail order so you can visit anytime!  Check it out here.

Spiny creatures!

Those large Yucca rostratas are stunning!

Colletia hystrix is also known as Barbed wire bush for good reason.  This is a seriously dangerous plant!

Pseudopanax discolor, an evergreen New  Zealander is gorgeous but only hardy to zone 9 and my green house is already quite full in the winter!

The charms of Myrsine africana 'Scarlett Marglin' made me rethink that too full thing...

Wisteria is a grand plant in other people's gardens!

So many great plants. Lots of Fremontodendron in the foreground!

Blue and gold, a classic combination!

If you visited during the Portland Fling last Summer, you know that this is a place that sometimes makes it difficult to believe that it's in the soggy Pacific Northwest!

Musa basjoo from Japan, Rhodocoma capensis and Melianthus major from South Africa among others.  Isn't it amazing how many plants are available to us these days?

And, um, this...

Alison and Vickie  resting for a moment.  

But then it was time to pack our purchases in the plant mobile and take off  for more nurseries!

Garden Bloggers' Fling 2014: Visiting Cistus and Joy Creek Nurseries

One of the many joys of attending the Garden Bloggers' Fling in Portland last summer was seeing gardens that I'd only heard about but wanted to see in person, another was visiting a couple of my favorite nurseries!  Previous posts about both of these nurseries can be found here and here.   Both of these places have great plants, both are run by great people,  both do mail order sales but they are very different places!  Cistus is on flat ground while Joy Creek is on a rolling hillside and the differences don't stop there. 

The driveway into Cistus is packed with treasures!  Notice the towering (for the PNW) eucalyptus on the left.

While the surprises and excitement is mainly in the foliage and flowers, there are a few surprises in the way of yard art.

Our native Oxalis oregana holds rain on its leaves like sparkling jewels. 

Alan (It's Not Work, It's Gardening) taking a close up which he does very well!

 Agaves and yuccas and aloes, Oh my!

While there are certainly flowering plants at Cistus, I think it's fair to say that their focus is on fabulous foliage plants from around the world like this Ficus afghanistanica which also grows in my garden.

With foliage like this, who needs flowers?

 Not far away is Joy Creek Nursery whose gardens certainly rely on foliage and include some great conifers but their focus is more on flowering plants.  Their clematis, delphinium, and hydrangea programs are well known. 

Love the bamboo flanking the entrance.

During our lunch break, we got to attend a demonstration by the Dramm Corporaition, one of the Fling Sponsors.  It's always fun to see their colorful and truly useful watering tools and we  appreciate their continued support of the GBBF!

Mondarda and clematis bloom in one of Joy Creek's beds. 

More colorful delights.

 Paths meander through the sunny and colorful gardens

 which surround the old farmhouse on the property.  

A wonderful way to continue day one of the fling!

How Do You Spell Paradise? C-I-S-T-U-S!

I still remember the first time I went to Cistus Nursery years ago and was blown away by the experience. The car was filled with plants!  As I recall, there was significant emptying of the wallet.  The staff was very kind and gave me a Cistus tshirt. (This was before I liked agaves, yuccas, or palms.)  Even without those, which often get featured in posts about this exceptional nursery, the place is amazing.  For previous visits, look here and here . 

Here are some shots of our recent visit to Cistus after attending Hortlandia.   They get ever larger specimens of yucca rostrata.  Didn't even look at the prices of the ones pictured here behind my gardening partner in crime, Alison.  

 This is what my babies will look like in about 15 years.  Don't mind waiting as they look really sweet when they're tiny as well.

Although these are pretty tempting.  Maybe when I clear out the parking strips, another summer project, there'll be space...

So much to love about these sweet plants!

A random shopper checking out some of the succulents.  I sometimes wonder if Portlanders know how lucky they are to have this place in their back yard?  

A stroll through  Cistus's "Big Top" area is like stepping into California without  that pesky air travel.  If you miss removing your shoes and being patted down, you could certainly  take your shoes off and probably one of the staff would pat you down if you asked - they're really very nice here. 

These plants love our warm, dry summers.  Our soggy winters are another story but let's not talk about that right now o.k?

My rodocoma capensis made it through the winter but it's got a great deal of brown foliage from the winter freezes.  I remained firm in my resolve to be done with restios after 10 years of growing many members of the family and watching them expire during especially cold winters.  Then I saw these... Aren't they gorgeous?  No, I will remain strong until I have a greenhouse large enough to drag one of these into during the coldest part of the winter!  (and I already found a very inexpensive gallon on sale recently...)

Heather, Scott, and Loree shopped with us.  It's always fun to shop with other addicts plant enthusiasts and bloggers.

Hosta 'Hyuga Vrajrro' has cool sword like foliage with nice yellow variegation.  Not this time.

Danae racemosa (poet's laurel) description on the tag:  Out of the Middle East comes a slow-to-propagate and rare evergreen shrub for the shade garden.  Handsome AND drought tolerant, this 3ft shrub has arching stems with waxy green leaves once used to crown atheletes and poets.  A nobel history!  White summer flowers are not showy but produce large red-orange berries that last through autumn and winter.  Part shade to shade with water to establish. Frost hardy to at least 0F, USDA zone 7.

I would love to have this simply so that I could rest on my laurels or at least tell the story of the plant to unwary passers by but I didn't love it so it stayed at Cistus.  Then I saw this article and this.  Maybe it should come home with me on my next visit.  I have an urn that would be perfect for it.

It's always a good time to check out the Schefflera delavayi in the garden.  He was posing so handsomely this day.

 Ginkgo biloba 'Mariken'  is a cutie!

Danger in her element!

Here's Heather's haul.

Loree's lovelies are to the left of the stylish purse while Alison's acquisitions are to the right.

Peter's plants.  I'm very excited about the one to the far right.  It's a hardy variegated yucca but resembles a much less hardy cordyline.  Totally cool!

Time to pack up

And ease on down the road to our next adventure.

I'm pretty sure that Cistus will be on the fling itinerary.  Can't wait!