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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.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Mad Dogs and Englishmen: Visiting Portland Avenue Nursery

So what does one do at mid day during one of the hottest days of the summer?  Why, go out to visit a nursery of course!   On this day, I decided to stop by Portland Avenue Nursery which is about six miles from my house.  PAN, first established in 1941 has been under the same ownership and management for the last 25 years and has grown from being a propagator/retailer of junipers and mugo pines into a full-scale four acre nursery.

Customers love to linger at this wonderful nursery as this truck in the parking lot can attest.
 

It's difficult to keep a nursery full of potted plants looking good during a heat wave but I didn't notice a single wilting leaf during my visit.  The friendly and knowledgeable staff is as attentive to their plants as they are to their lucky customers.


Happy looking Rodgersias in the shade house were tempting as were the clivias on the left!

Worth a visit all by itself, this huge old weeping Atlas cedar covers three sides of this building
 
 and part of the neighboring house!

 Here's the other side of the building with a view of some great Japanese maples, one of the PAN's specialties.

Here are two of the many Atlas cedars available for sale so that you too can cover a building or neighborhood with this lovely plant!
 
 
Dwarf conifers are also a specialty of PAN and they always have a dazzling selection!
 
They have several of these  Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’ or Chief Joseph lodgepole pine.  They don't look particularly special now but from late fall through early summer the needles turn the most beautiful gold color!  They've been on my lust list since I saw them here several winters ago but they're still very expensive.


This winter photograph of Chief Joseph is from WBLA_Corky's flickr stream and is used with his permission.
photo
 
Hydrangea paniculate 'Le Vasterival'  looking particulary lovely.
 PAN always has a tempting array of hardy fuchsias in full bloom at this time of the year.
 Bougenvilla seems quite fond of this heat!  I wish they were hardy here.. sigh.

There's even a Loree and Louis section!  I think I spy some Agave 'Blue Frost' that Louis has been talking about on his blog!
 I also wanted to see if they still had this Agave weberi which was one of two that were there in June when they were both the same size.  This one was still at the nursery.


 Here's the one that came home with me in June.  I'm thinking of how to build a plastic roof over this for the winter to protect it from the rain.
 
Not wanting to stay too long and have my vehicle meet the same fate as this one
 or this one,
 I put my Agave 'Blue Frost' on the wagon and checked out!
PAN always has great stuff in bloom and a very nice shade plant selection!  If you ever find yourself in my hood, do drop by the nursery!

12 comments:

  1. So nice that the grouped Louis and my plants together! And I love your new agave...

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    1. It's as if they're just waiting for you two to visit! I can't believe I'm loving those dangerous plants so much. You're a bad influence Ms. Bohl!

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  2. I love it! The Loree/Louis section is of course the best! But that pine is pretty cool. And to have an atlas cedar cover a house is a noble deed! I loooove those Chamaerops humilis, and of course frosty blue is a heart throb! Love it!!!!

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    1. Glad you liked it! I'm currently in love with Trachycarpus wagnerianus but the only ones I've seen round these parts are pretty darned expensive ($175.00) so I'll wait unitl I can either afford one or find one on sale.

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    2. I love Trachycarpus wagnerianus. Theres a nursery by my house that grow them! It's appointment only and I have been meaning to go visit but I know it could be dangerous! I have one little one that I picked up for $15 so there is hope you'll find one cheaper.

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  3. I was just there the other day looking for trees! I was in and out quick, but it is definitely worth a good long look around! Thanks for showing me what I missed.

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    1. Isn't it great that we have so many cool nurseries in our area? I was just at Vassey & their big sale is on (30% on all nursery stock) so you might see if they have a tree for you.

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  4. The weeping Cedrus has always been a major lust for me, but my Zone denies me the pleasure of getting intimate with it [were it cheaper,and had I the necessary acerage, I might consider it!] I did give pause at the gorgeous blossom of H.p 'Le Vesterival' though! Tired to death of Vanilla Strawberry and Limelight, this one looks promising but sadly is not yet available north of the border. I wonder if P.c 'Chief Joseph' is similar to one that a gardening friend grows - hers was labelled simply 'Joey.' Perhaps 'he' has improved his station in life recently and now prefers Chief Joseph'? I do like the looks of A. 'Blue Frost' most definitely!

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    1. Maybe your friend just feels close enough to Chief Joseph to call him Joey. My agave infatuation will be put to the test this winter. Some will stay outside, the more tender ones will come inside. In either case, they'll receive little to no attention from me during the winter. I kill most houseplants so we'll see if they survive.
      Is it starting to feel like fall in your neck of the woods yet?

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  5. That weeping Atlas cedar? WOW! WOW! I gotta go see that in person.

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  6. I like that Atlas cedar and the bougenvilla is awesome.That watering can is funny.

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  7. Oh my, how wonderful! I'm always amazed at how different the nursery offerings are from different areas of the country. Absolutely adore that 'Chief Joseph' pine, what is its zone hardiness? Wouldn't I love to find a spot for that here. Thanks for taking us along for the visit

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