Next On The After Hortlandia Nurserry Hop: Cistus Design Nursery

After Heronswood was sold, (2000ish)  someone told me about a great nursery for collectors near Portland.  I don't remember where I heard about it but somehow we found our way there. (Before G.P.S. before Mapquest, before the lady in the phone.  However did we get around?  That first visit was so amazing that the car was filled with plants and they gave me a free Cistus T shirt. Since then I've visited this amazing nursery at least twice a year.  In the beginning, going to Cistus and coming home was the extent of my experience in the Portland area.  (All those scary bridges going every which way.)  With the advent of the bossy lady in the phone, finding the many treasures of Portland is a breeze!  I digress - Cistus, a long-time favorite nursery was our next stop after Cornell Nursery.  See previous posts here.

One of the many things to love here is driving through the garden on the way to the parking area.


Wish you had a nursery this fabulous nearby?  The good news is that they do mail order so you can visit anytime!  Check it out here.



Colletia hystrix is also known as Barbed wire bush for good reason.  This is a seriously dangerous plant!

Pseudopanax discolor, an evergreen New  Zealander is gorgeous but only hardy to zone 9 and my green house is already quite full in the winter!






If you visited during the Portland Fling last Summer, you know that this is a place that sometimes makes it difficult to believe that it's in the soggy Pacific Northwest!

Musa basjoo from Japan, Rhodocoma capensis and Melianthus major from South Africa among others.  Isn't it amazing how many plants are available to us these days?