Fortunately, on our day of plant ogling, we had the surprise pleasure of touring Shayne Chandler's Garden. Unfortunately, our good luck kept us from being able to visit one of my favorite nurseries in the area, Dragonfly Farms Nursery. Fortunately, the nice folks at Far Reaches Farm said when we called from the road, that they'd stay open a little late for us (they close at 4:00) and Ian at The Dessert Northwest said that he'd hang around for us, too! The next stop on our whirlwind nursery hop was Far Reaches Farm. We'd seen Kelly and Sue at the Heronswood sale but a visit to this nursery is not to be missed by anyone who loves plants! You can see previous posts about Far Reaches here.
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The golden foliage alone of Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Golden Arrow,' that beautifully brightens up dark corners, would be enough to love this plant but add a flamboyant late summer/fall pink halo of bloom and this plant will hop into your hands faster than a knife fight in a phone booth!
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An impressive stand of this Zingiber was covered with these gorgeous blooms. We were there when the sun was shining right on it so the pictures of the entire clump aren't great. Gorgeous!
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Hydrangea serrata 'O-amacha Nashiki' Imagine bright pinky red petioles as they were there. Heaven! Oh, and it blooms too.
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Maianthemum oleraceum in fruit. I fell in love with this plant in bloom and now this. I hope they have some available next time I visit! You can read more about this gorgeous cousin of our native False Solomon's Seal here.
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Every time I go to Far Reaches, I admire this Rosa sericea ssp.omeiensis f pteracantha which seems to have larger thorns than others I've seen. Luckily for me, one of mine is a seedling from this one. We'll see, as it matures, if it takes after it's mama.
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Sorry for so many images but it's so gorgeous! The little white roses it produces earlier in the season look so sweet and innocent.
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"O.K. you may admire me but I won't look directly at you. You creatures with the hair and smooth skin are quite repulsive, you know!"
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We have one more special nursery to visit. Really, there's still tons of space for plants for those who have eyes to see. Wallets lighter and souls singing with the joy of new plant acquisitions, we hit the road for the 40 minute drive from Port Townsend to Sequim to visit the Desert Northwest. It's a good thing that we brought two vehicles. Next time I'm thinking that renting a van might not be a bad idea!
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The green-roofed gazebo next to the bog looks very inviting but who could sit still with so many unusual plants at which to gaze and drool.
Texture, color, contrast! Flowers, we don't need no stinking flowers!
Peony seed heads have split open and look somewhat alien!
Arum fruit makes a striking statement in several parts of the shade garden.
The golden foliage alone of Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Golden Arrow,' that beautifully brightens up dark corners, would be enough to love this plant but add a flamboyant late summer/fall pink halo of bloom and this plant will hop into your hands faster than a knife fight in a phone booth!
An impressive stand of this Zingiber was covered with these gorgeous blooms. We were there when the sun was shining right on it so the pictures of the entire clump aren't great. Gorgeous!
Hydrangea serrata 'O-amacha Nashiki' Imagine bright pinky red petioles as they were there. Heaven! Oh, and it blooms too.
Maianthemum oleraceum in fruit. I fell in love with this plant in bloom and now this. I hope they have some available next time I visit! You can read more about this gorgeous cousin of our native False Solomon's Seal here.
Who says rhododendron foliage has to be boring?
Every time I go to Far Reaches, I admire this Rosa sericea ssp.omeiensis f pteracantha which seems to have larger thorns than others I've seen. Luckily for me, one of mine is a seedling from this one. We'll see, as it matures, if it takes after it's mama.
One of my favorite plants in my winter garden is Meconopsis paniculata and its friend Meconopsis napaulensis. They're quite promiscuous in the wild and cross with each other a lot. This forms a nice large basil rosette. The low winter sun illuminates the this rather hirsute fellow's blonde hair and makes the whole plant glow with golden light. As if that weren't enough, the leaves "capture and hold raindrops displaying them as if they were fine bits of prized crystal" (Dodson)
Brings to mind Eric Whitacre's "Lux arumque" (Light and gold.)
Lux calida gravis que pura, Pura velut aurum, canunt modo natum.
Light, warm and heavy, Pure, pure as gold, they sing to the new born baby.
This little guy popped out of his hiding place to decide if he should say hello to me or not.
"Maybe I'll look a little closer before I decide."
"O.K. you may admire me but I won't look directly at you. You creatures with the hair and smooth skin are quite repulsive, you know!"
I love me some little frogs!
Inky blue agapanthus holding it's flowers shyly downward. This one's a charmer!
So, we found a couple of small plants and were happily on our way.
I hope your coming weekend is as full of wonder and delight as this one was for me!