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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.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

A visit to Alpine Nursery

Alpine Nursery's sign says, "Beauty is our Business" and there is a lot of beauty to be discovered inside this full-service garden center located in the South Hill area of Puyallup. 

One of my favorite installations in the nursery is this patio with two huge pots that drip water. 


There are many gorgeous water features throughout the nursery.



And this large koi pond inside The Pond Pad, a pond supply business located on Alpine's grounds, that carries a large selection of water plants, water garden supplies, and fish.


Alpine carries an impressive selection of maples and was one of the first nurseries in the area to have Acer pseudoplantanus 'Esk Sunset' aka 'Eskimo Sunset' which has become one of my favoiite foliage plants!
 Other specialties include berberis
 and conifers ( pictures show only a small fraction of their offerings)

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I love the cones of Abes koreana which appear on even very young specimens.

There is a large perennial section as well.  Here are some of the treasures from inside the greenhouse.



This one came home with me.  Supposedly hardy to zone 8, it will still come inside my unheated plant room for the winter.


I was sorely tempted to get one of these!

I don't remember seeing bonsai here in previous years; they've got some beauties! 
 Clever birdbath!

I laughed out loud at this lovely cross surrounded by crocosmia 'Lucifer'  hmmm...

Alpine is a fun nursery with a friendly, knowledgeable staff who are always on the lookout for something new.  Although it's a large full service garden center, it feels and shops more like a smaller specialty place; maybe because of the personable staff and clever layout.   I always find  treasures here!  Chek out their website or better yet, visit the nursery.  If you're a plant person, you'll find it difficult to leave empty-handed!

8 comments:

  1. Yay for your new blue fern...I was just admiring one on a garden visit last night. Such a cool leaf and beautiful coloration!

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  2. I love those pot fountains. I was looking at one like that on the weekend and dreaming of where and how I could incorporate one. They are stunning. Oh and your treasure is amazing!

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    1. The pot fountains aren't hard to make. You just need to find a pot that you realy like, a pump, some hose, silacone, and a metal support to sit in the underground basin that will support the weight of a water-filled pot, pond liner, pavng materials and a little time. Yea! You should make one!

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  3. Do you have the name of that delightful blue fern that made its way home with you? We have a specimen of A.p 'Eskimo Sunset' at LittleTree but sadly its magnificent foliage seems to scorch every year. Was the specimen that you photographed planted in full sun? [It looked to be so] Lucifer and the cross..... brilliant combination to titillate and offend at the same time. [I'm all for the titillation myself!]

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    1. The fern is Polypodium pseudo-aureum 'Virginia Blue' A.p."Eskimo Sunset" does just fine in full sun in my garden and everywhere else I've seen it locally. The specimen that I photographed was in a pot but was in full sun. Lucifer and the cross...sort of a western yin yang.

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  4. Thanks for letting me know about another nursery that I've never heard of, practically next door to me! I'll have to go take a look.

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    1. I only know about it because it's on the way to my sister's house and you know we can't just pass by a nursery!

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