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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, January 12, 2015

Looking For Spring at Garden Sphere

Garden Sphere is a sweet nursery that is only about a ten minute drive from my house.  In looking at their website I was shocked to see that they've been in business for nine years as it seems like just yesterday that they opened.  Unlike many other parts of the country, January here has been fairly mild so far and it seems like some winter bloomers are a little earlier than usual as a result.  Of course, this has some of us thinking that it's March already and looking for spring color.  Let's see what the neighborhood nursery has to brighten up dreary winter.


For some reason, local birds haven't discovered that Callicarpa berries are delicious so we get to enjoy their cheerful purple color until spring.

I can't describe nor does this picture show how vivid is  the variegation of Daphne odora 'Maejima,' a grand addition to any garden.  Don't forget those extremely fragrant flowers that will be opening in just a few weeks!

NOID Hamamelis (Witch Hazel) in bloom.

Ah, the bright sweetness of primroses.

The buds of Sarcococca  on the verge of bursting open and wafting perfume far and wide!  What a cool plant - can take shade and is happy to be a supporting player in beds but its winter scent makes it a star!

Garden Sphere brings in chicks each spring for keepers of urban chickens.  This time of year, these are the only chickens for sale.

Inside the gift shop, a jungle of interesting indoor plants had me browsing.
 Some fun stuff for sale, none of which I felt compelled to bring home.

More drama for indoors.  On the bottom right, between the foliage of the two bromeliads, you can see a few leaves of Sansevieria trifasciata 'Gold Flame,' one of my favorite house plants, one of which I got last year at Portland Nursery (Division.)

I can think of several people who need this sign!

Tillandsias a go go!

Loved this groovy variegated pineapple but since I was lucky enough to get one at Rare Plant Research, thought it best to leave it for someone else to love.

Gardens in glass.

I'm thinking that I should make a bit larger version of this, let it live in the greenhouse and bring it in to hang on an inside door next Christmas.
 

My first plant purchase of 2015 was six Primroses 'Danessa Apricot w/rose Eye.'  They're not quite as pink as they look here.

Here's a better view of their eye pleasing color combination which will brighten up my back stairs until summer comes and it's time to find bed space for them. 


Are you finding spots of color, joy, and warmth to help you through this dark and cool time of year?

28 comments:

  1. The garden diva sign made me laugh! Can vouch for the strong and striking variegation of Maejima!

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    1. You might need to add an "s" to the sign were it to hang in your garden.

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  2. How hardy are primroses? Years ago, Mr. Loran of Boxwood Gardens told me he'd always wanted to plant a Primrose Path but knew they would not thrive. I'm wondering now if he'd only tried them in too warm weather (near Atlanta).

    I need a sign that says Garden Diva -- needs to get to work.

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    1. Primula vulgaris is hardy from zones 6 through 9, likes light shade and blooms off and on in our cooler months and takes a break in the hottest part of the summer. Maybe they don't care for your summer heat.

      How about Garden Diva --won the lottery and has people for that.

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  3. When I saw the first photo as a small thumbnail image, I thought "what, another Christmas lights post?" :D

    Primroses (like cyclamen) always look a bit artificial to me -- too perfect to be believed I think.

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    1. Callicarpa does light up the garden but only during the day. When I buy primroses at the store they look too perfect but give them just a few days in my garden, slugs lunching on their leaves and flowers, rain beating the blooms to bits and animals napping on them and they look very, very believable.

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  4. Funny, my post today was about just that: "finding spots of color, joy, and warmth to help (me) through this dark and cool time of year"...we do what we have to, don't we?

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    1. Great minds think alike? Since the weather is so nice, I'm taking every winter blooming thing as a sign of spring even though I know better.

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  5. Last year I transplanted my primroses into the ground. They didn't die, but the slugs are enjoying them a little too much. They look pitiful, nothing like the beauties you feature here.
    Their color reminds me of Digiplexis. We expect it to reemerge this spring, right?

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    1. Primroses never look as pristine in the ground as they do the first time you bring them home. It's been a pretty mild winter so Digiplexis just may have made it through. If not, there will, no doubt, be replacements available everywhere.

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  6. This looks like a sweet nursery and it's one I haven't visited. Their pottery chickens speak to me.

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    1. Glad you like the chickens! They come in a couple of sizes. It's a fun place, not huge, but with good plants and very nice people.

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  7. Like Emily, I love those pottery chickens. You chose some lovely primroses. I have plenty growing in the ground, but the slugs do love them. They look so pristine at the nursery, they're hard to resist.

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    1. Yes, the potted beauties fresh from the greenhouse are always so sweet and sweet smelling. Once in the ground, they become a salad bar for the slugs - ugh!

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  8. Ooh, I really like the big grey tillandsia at the bottom of that wreath. Look at you, Mr. Self-control, leaving that pineapple for another lucky gardener.

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    1. That is a sweet tillandsia. It might seem a little excessive to have two of those lovely variegated pineapples. On the other hand, it's been there a while and no one has given it a home so if I went back and adopted it, I'd be doing community service really. Hmm.

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  9. Have you ever counted the number of nurseries/garden centers within an hour of where you live? I'm guessing hundreds! I just spent all of one of my nursery gift card plus some (they burn holes in my pocket) - my new rule (really, more of a guideline) is that everything should be planted before I go plant shopping again...

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    1. I've never counted but if you include seasonal places that pop up selling bedding plants and the nursery sections at hardware stores and big box places, it would be quite a few! Your guideline is interesting but seems foreign to me. What would live in the pot ghetto if there were no ladies in waiting (to be planted?)

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  10. Nurseries and garden shops are always fun for plantaholics. We are fortunate that here we have things growing and blooming even outdoors in winter.

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  11. Thank you for the lovely little write-up! We are happy you stopped by. Because of your article someone stopped in to adopt one of the ceramic chickens you wrote about.
    Stop by often as things are always changing around here.

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  12. Dreary yes, winter sort-of. Maybe it's a zone 8 thing, where winter just does a few taps and not body slams? Good indoor treats of the daphnes and witchhazels, which I've never seen before. If you're getting ready for early blooms, that sounds like compensation for dreary!

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    1. Winter here can be like water torture drip, drip, drip. Although this year has given us some beautiful sunny and warm days. Can't really complain now that the days are getting longer. It's still dark by the time I get home though.

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  13. What a fun garden shop! I love the tillandsia wreath. I might have to borrow that idea : )

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    1. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right?

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  14. Time flies when we're garden shopping.

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  15. Those are some neat looking plants. It would be nice to get some of those into my garden. I will have to talk to my garden design person and see if they can design something like this for me.
    http://www.desertgardensinc.com

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