A Portland Visit Continued - Joy Creek Nursery

It's always a pleasure to wander through the gardens and retail area at Joy Creek Nursery. It's like strolling through a friend's garden.  The space is as spectacular as the staff.   I fondly recall a visit several years ago with Alison.  We'd arrived just before closing and did a quick bit of shopping. We were getting ready to leave when Mike, a co-owner, offered to give us a guided tour of the gardens.

 Oh, that driveway!

With views like this, it's surprising that there aren't car crashes in the parking lot.  

Clematis, one of the specialties of Joy Creek.  Was it calling my name?  Someone was.

Turns out, it was my pal Anna (Flutter and Hum.)  Blogging pals Tamara and Ricki also now work with Mike and Maurice. I'm sorry I missed them but it was, as always, a pleasure to visit with Anna who was very excited to share her new favorite plants.  Her stash was on one of the front tables.  Do you think you'd actually make money working at a nursery?  

So many shady characters.

More varieties of hardy fuchsia than you could shake a stick at.

Primula 'Green Lace' 

Golden Hops Vine looks handsome with just about anything. Persicaria virginiana (maybe 'Lance Corporal') is likewise a great team player.  Together they're quite a knockout.

While admiring a new Farfugium japonicum 'Shishi Botan' leaf,  someone yelled, "Anna, come here quickly."  What could the excitement be?

It was the largest and most beautiful garter snake I'd ever seen!  Anna seemed very excited and not fazed by this sight at all.  Snakes are beautiful but I don't often see them and they can move so quickly which makes them a bit scary to me.  Unbeknownst to me, Anna, who seemed thrilled at the sighting shares my fear.  It's all here in her post.

After that encounter, I kept wondering if there were more snakes lounging about in the plants.  

That didn't keep me from finding some treasures to take home. 

Meanwhile, back in the gardens... 

Although Ricki wasn't there in person, her arrangements graced the inside of the old barn/checkout area.

 New this year is the large vegetable garden.  Oh to have this kind of space to play with..

Another exciting visit to Joy Creek drew to a close.  If you don't live in the area, Joy Creek also sells by mail order. 

Up next: Portland Nursery on Starke.

Joy Creek and Means, The Last Two Stops on the Post-Hortlandia Nursery Romp.

Joy Creek is a nursery which I frequently visit on the way home from Portland.  See previous posts here.

Joy Creek is a great retail nursery but they have even more extensive offerings in their mail order catalog here. 

Last summer, when the Garden Bloggers' Fling was in Portland, many of us fell in love with Clematis 'Oshikiri' in bloom in J.C's garden. See description and photo here.   The nursery had sold out but recommended checking their mail order list when it came out in January.  I remembered but forgot to order.  When we got to the nursery, I couldn't find one among the large selection of clematis.  Rats!  However, I asked the kind folks about it (I didn't remember the name)  and a nice young man went off somewhere and produced one.  This may be one that they bring in as the tag, including planting directions was in Japanese.  Anyway, I was so excited to have captured one of the last ones for this year (their site shows that there are now 0 available) that I forgot to take more pictures.  Oops!

 Oh well, it's always a Joy to visit Joy Creek!

Next stop, Means Nursery just down the hill and across highway 30.  Here the intrepid plant hunters Vickie and Alison check out the perennial offerings.

You may remember that Means is a large wholesale grower with fields in a couple places in Oregon and in Ohio where the corporate offices are located.  This is their only retail outlet and prices are often crazy low.  For more information, go here.

You never know when you'll find 8 foot tall magnolias on sale for ten dollars.  Their specials are sometimes out of this world.

They supply several big box stores on the east coast among other clients.  This deciduous azalea was as fragrant as it is beautiful.  Wish I had more sunny space in my garden!

Always great prices on their Acers!

 Labeled Ficus cardota 'Italian Black' (Maybe Ficus carica 'Black Italian'?) with that handsome foliage was tempting!

Again feeling a bit silly for starting tomatoes from seed this year.  The "Mighty Mato" was new to me.

I knew about grafted tomatoes but the two variety idea was really interesting. 

 So many possibilities. 

Meanwhile, in my greenhouse, the seedlings that I planted into four inch pots are ready to go into gallon pots, and the two that I bought in gallons were planted into five gallon pots and are now as tall as I and have green tomatoes that will be ready in a couple of weeks.  

Hey there experienced tomato growers, what is your opinion about pruning suckers from indeterminate tomato varieties? 

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!