Visiting Vassey

Vassey Nursery in Puyallup is one of my (many) favorite nurseries.  Small enough to be friendly and fun, large enough to carry a large variety of plants.  See many previous visits here for information about the nursery.



I'm increasingly drawn to these glazes, new (in the last few years) on the market.  It looks like they've been over fired or maybe they've been found at the bottom of the ocean in the hull of an ancient ship.

I asked for opinions about the glaze last year and someone said she thought it looked like a skin disease of some sort.



Got the blues?  Vassey's pot prices will cheer you up as they're very reasonable and in the fall, there's a great sale that I seldom miss!


Vassey is getting more and more adventurous in their plant offerings.  The owner credits pal Melinda with bringing in some of the more unusual plants. Crinodendron hookerianum is a lovely thing that one doesn't see every day.  Okay, I do because there are two in my garden but we're talking nurseries here.



Hands down the best pelargonium grower, Vassey gives each plant a generous 12 inches of space in the greenhouse to develop.  I always get geraniums here in the spring because for the price of a four-inch pot, I get a gargantuan plant that will fill a large space immediately.  This year, more 'Persian Queen' gold foliage under hot pink flowers.  A combination visible from space!  For some reason I didn't take any pictures of my purchases.



Tiny Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' got left there but A. ovatifolia has done so well in my garden for the last three years that perhaps adding another wouldn't be a bad idea.











I love the shade house.  Near the pond, it's the coolest place at the nursery on a hot day.  The sound of water, a gentle breeze, the shade of the great grape vine.  Who could ask for anything more?

Paw Paw (Asimina triloba) tree anyone?  Mine have once again bloomed  and I'm hoping that since the neighbors bees were visiting that there will be fruit this year.


Rhododendron 'Ebony Pearl' Mine doesn't look this happy as it doesn't get as much water as it would like.

I've enjoyed my  Hosta 'Curly Fries' which is an interesting novelty and would look great in the right pot or situation but it's not a particularly full or fast-growing plant, certainly not supersize!  

Joining the geraniums in my cart but not my camera were Saxifraga fortunei 'Pink Elf' and S.fortunei 'Magenta' aka Berry Bright both of which have sweet foliage and adorable blooms.