My First Visit To West Seattle Nursery

Since seeing their great display garden at the Seattle Flower and Garden Show in February, I've wanted to visit West Seattle Nursery.

A small part of West Seattle Nursery's  NWFGS display garden.

 The insect hotels were a big hit!

On April 11, the plant mobile took us on  a nursery hop which included West Seattle Nursery!  We'd arrived on the day of their annual open house.  Although we arrived well after the festivities, there were still a lot of people shopping and with good reason!  This place is full of great plants!

You read the sign correctly, they're open until 8:00 p.m. I already love the nursery without setting foot inside!

Warm colors made the cool day seem less so.

Stolen  Borrowed directly from WSN's website is their definition:
"West ∙ Seattle ∙ Nursery (west sē at’l nûr’se rē), 1. the place in West Seattle where a variety of trees, shrubs and plants are nurtured and available for purchase. 2. a landmark small business operating in West Seattle for the past 31 years. 3. an eclectic group of horticulturalists and plant enthusiasts working together for the edification, service and common good of gardeners everywhere."  I can't improve on that nor can I think of a way to improve this magical nursery.

 There's something for every gardener here. You can even adopt this little cutie!

W.S.N. is not expansive in area but they've fit a lot into their space which is dripping with plants!

 You'll see clever use of vertical space throughout. 

Even a separate sale area!

I found a cardoon in a four inch pot among the many vegetable plants.  Much more affordable than the huge and glorious plant seen earlier at another nursery.

Shelving puts lavender closer to nose level!

So cool to see agaves (from Little Prince of Oregon!) mixed among the other hardy succulents. 

Hosta 'Happy Days' is aptly named.  While its appearance doesn't bring to mind the T.V. show, it's cheerful colors can't fail to make you happy, especially if you're a deer.

Azara integrifolia 'Variegata' was new to me but not to Plant Lust.  Those ladies know everything! Azara microphylla 'Variegata' is a favorite of mine and I was sorely tempted by it's larger-leaved cousin but where would I put it?  (Like that's ever stopped me before.)

There are good reasons why Chavliness, a commenting reader of O.G, says that this is her favorite nursery!

Chief among them is the focus on beautifully healthy plants!

At the Portland Yard, Garden, and Patio Show in 2014, there was a display garden that featured a group of  beheaded Pseudopanax lessonii 'Sabre.'  Do you suppose they're delivered this way?

Bidding the birds to come hither. 

Structure and some of the insect hotels from the NWFGS display garden.

 Caragana arborescens is a shrub that grew well in my Alaskan home town.  There were a few people who had clipped privacy hedges of it.  A lot of good that did.  In a town of seven hundred fifty people, everyone knew what you were doing anyway. Anyway this weeping form called 'Walker' is new to me this year and I've seen it at a couple of nurseries already.

A chicken coop with a Shotz Brewery sign.  Why?

I didn't figure out which was Laverne (Henny) Penny Marshall

And which was Shirley but this one was sipping milk and Pepsi.

The references are all to "Laverne and Shirley" which aired on U.S. T.V. from 1976 - 1983.

Trees and shrubs.

Wood made of concrete is faux bois; Are cacti made of concrete faux ouille! (ouch!)

The fading paint on the house next door adds an air of mystery.

And inside, there are more treasures to find!

Tillandsias still tickle me even though they're a bit of a fad right now.  How can a plant that's happy with a weekly bath in the kitchen sink or a spritz of water if I forget be all that bad?  Although they're called air plants, they do need water and occasional fertilizer.

Squidward here almost came home with me.  Sure is cute.  Maybe I should go back. 

Another sighting of these planters/facial tissue dispensers for the Flintstones.

Galvanized metal house-shaped display piece is interesting as are those little vases.

The best surprise was when I came across this!  Mark and Gaz from Alternative Eden posted a similar piece with which I was quite taken,  on their blog.  Theirs are light green, the top domed a bit. Might be interesting with a collection of tiny flowers tucked into the openings.  On the other hand, it's great all by itself.  

What a terrific nursery! The products were top notch and the people, even though they were probably tired from the extra work of the open house earlier in the day, were helpful, friendly and knowledgeable.  Just go!

Wordless Wednesday - Some Faces from the Northwest Flower and Garden Show 2015

Sun faces are from Inside Out Home and Garden which also does mail order here.  Are those expressions funny or what?  Ceramic Faces are by Cynthia Jenkins Pottery.  I'd admired Cynthia's work for many years and finally purchased a few pieces this year.  The problem is just choosing one or two things as they're all so fabulous!  

In A Vase(?) on Monday; Northwest Flower and Garden Show Floral Competition.

Many garden bloggers participate in a delightful meme called "In A Vase on Monday"  sponsored by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  The idea is that one is supposed to pick flowers from his/her garden and arrange them in a container and photograph them each Monday.  I've seen many cool arrangements put together by my blogging friends and have often wanted to participate but I seldom cut flowers from my garden as I enjoy seeing them outside so much and I'm far too lazy to arrange and photograph them. Today I've decided to cheat and share Floral arrangements from the NWFGS Floral Display.  The rules have been broken but after all, I am the Outlaw Gardener, right?


"Sunset Love" by The Art of Forest Blooms.  Loved the sunset painting idea.  Were the branches supposed to be paint brushes?  Foreground outside of the frame...hmm.

This was a touch of genius and made the whole thing sing for me; the artist's palette on which the paint colors are the spectrum of flowers used in the "painting"

"Perfection in Imperfection Itself" by Tiare Floral Design.

"Show Your Love With Local Flowers"  by Slow Flowers. I liked this collection of interesting containers with simple arrangement that actually look like what gardeners might bring in from outside.

"When Heart is Open" by Safeway Floral.  Am I the only on who really wants to see an article of speech used between when and heart?
There were so many elements of this arrangement that I really admired but all of them together are a bit busy and my eye wasn't sure where to rest.  I guess that when a heart is open blood gushes everywhere.  This is an arrangement to experience, not just to view from one angle.

 Floating Mandarin oranges/Clementines/tangerines are cool but what is that wire thing?

I'm fond of rich saturated colors but it's like every crayon in the box was used  in creating this celebratory explosion (Myocardial rupture?)

Come to think of it, this kind of exotic saturated color might be just what sky bridge garden "Romancing the Kasbah" could have used.  In fact, this arrangement would have added some more exotic vibe to this space. 

"Evolve" by Juniper Flowers is a collection of some of interesting things but I wasn't sure what it was evolving from or to. 

Columbia City Boquet's "Love in Flight" 

Fun.

"Falling for You" by LaVassar Florists - Simple and elegant. 

 "Woodland Wedding Cake" by Lusher Life Design

 Complete with a piece of wedding cake.  One way to get more fiber in your diet!

"A Hard Man to Love"  by Flowers Hardcore.  I didn't get it but there are a lot of things that I don't understand.  If you have an interpretation, please share!

"Love Triangle" by Ikebana by Megumi. 

Window to Your Heart by Blue Lace Design - dripping with romance.  The exposed hardware fabric and chicken wire keep it from being too cutesy.

So there you have it, my first "In A Vase on Monday" post.  Perhaps in the summer when I have more time, I'll participate without cheating.  Until then, I'll enjoy everyone else's Monday offerings!