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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.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Visiting Vassey Nursery

The wind and rain have returned but over the weekend we had some absolutely gorgeous, warm and sunny days.  On the way home from work on Sunday, I felt the need to visit a couple of nurseries.  Really, if it wasn't meant to be, they wouldn't be right there on the road home, right?  It's a great idea, if one is lucky enough to have nurseries open year round, to peek at what's looking particularly good this time of year so that our gardens can be full of plants of winter interest. The fact that there are all kinds of sales going on at this time of the year doesn't hurt, either.


Ah, red!  Such a cheerful color which I used to avoid in my garden.  Now I simply can't understand why.


Hardy Cyclamen.  I remember when these were first planted and now they've become a very attractive carpet of winter gorgeousness.



Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'

 H amamelis 'Sunburst'

Aronia melonocarpa 'Autumn Magic'  would be in my garden if there were more space. 

Salix gracilistyla 'Mt. Aso' has charming pink catkins.  

Filled with lovely plants for three seasons and now hosting an arrangement of evergreens.  Potting soil full of roots makes an excellent anchor for such things.




So much evergreen goodness!

Nandina is overused for a reason.  Look how gorgeous that foliage is.


Sheltered camellias are a bit ahead of those in the open garden. 


Leucothoe 'Rainbow' 

70% off on select items.  

One should collect this thing to remind him/her not to collect it?  

More fun stuff.


All ready for spring!


Golden acorns anyone?

These metal walnuts spoke to me.  The detail is really nice as is the finish.  They're some sort of metal poured into a mold. Bonus: they are holiday merchandise and therefore on sale! 

16 comments:

  1. Love those walnuts! We used to paint them gold as kids and hang them on the tree — after we had cracked them perfectly, extracted the nut and glued them back together with a ribbon hanger.

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  2. I am hearing the siren call of the nursery lately and you aren't helping me resist. Like Ulysses I need to lash myself to a mast somewhere.

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  3. I too heard the call of spring last weekend. I found myself at Molbak's on Sunday with 2 new overpriced Hellebores. It was a magical morning. Those plant markers are quite clever, though I would probably leave them unpainted. Very useful as I never remember where I planted bulbs the previous fall.

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  4. Ooooh, I just discovered that there's such a thing as hardy cyclamen when I was looking at bulbs online last weekend. I've never seen them in Austin. How much water do they need? Do they flower much? I have a client that these would be perfect for if the flowers are remotely plentiful.

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    1. They do fine with little to no water in the summer when they're dormant but seem to appreciate our soggy winters. They send out a lot of blooms in the fall (or spring) They aren't fond of hot summer areas and might not be very happy in Austin over the long haul but can be treated as annuals there. Here's an article about them. https://www.sarahraven.com/articles/growing_cyclamen.htm

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    2. Thanks! I think I might get a few and try them out in a few spots, but you're probably right. The heat is definitely going to be an issue. I've had a few of the popular annual cyclamens oversummer in client gardens, but they've never bounced back enough to actually flower the following winter.

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  5. Maybe it's a good thing I don't have the number of great nurseries to visit that you do. I'd be on the road all the time...

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  6. Ah...so the Outlaw is entering his Red Period. I approve.

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  7. OMG ~ so much color even in winter. In your 'fun stuff' photo I loved the geese and the bird. They make me feel happy.

    Thanks again for sharing yet another wonderful nursery ~ FlowerLady

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  8. Tempt me not! I am trying to resist buying more stuff and this makes me want to go nursery shipping. I love the golden acorns.

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  9. I LOVE the pink pussy willows! I wish I could grow nandina, just one zone too cold -rats!

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  10. The nandina has been declared an invasive here. Too bad because they are pretty. You had too much fun. I love the ceramic flowers. Good thing we don't have any around here...I don't think...well, maybe I need to go see to make sure there aren't any ceramic flowers lingering awaiting a home to enhance.

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  11. What a fun nursery. Love the witch hazel and Aronia. Nice collection of containers, too.

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  12. I wouldn't know where to start. The garden would be filled with witch hazels and then replaced with conifers and then rhododendrons and then I'd rip them all out to plant camellias. You have so many choices and they're so tempting displayed like that.
    Red is an excellent color btw, for rooms and pottery both.

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