Wordless Wednesday: I giardini delle due donne

Climbing Monkshood (Aconitum episcopale) grown from seed.

Staghorn Fern (Platycerium) in its new home.

Pink Turtlehead (Chelone obliqua) grown from seed. Sadly the plant was eaten a bit this year.

The backyard.

Tradescantia 'Bridal Veil'.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis).

Fuchsia 'Celia Smedley'.

Unknown Rosa.

Unknown cabbage (Brassica). 

Notorious female feline.

Potted geraniums (Pelargonium), with St. Francis statuary, at the home of an Italian woman. 

Those Last Minute Fall Plant Sales!!

I am such a sucker for the Fall Plant Sale, and by that I mean the plant sales with deep discounts, the ones that often have the sad plants that look like Charlie Brown Christmas trees. Maybe it's the foster parent in me, the girl who has always been on the side of the downtrodden, sad, and neglected in life, or maybe it's the fact that I have an incredible amount of patience that is backed by this drive in me to study things over a long period of time. Who knows but at least I am not alone.

I already have a Monstera deliciosa thriving in my entry, so I knew I could resist this amazing Monstera deliciosa 'Albo Varietgata' but I won't lie, I wanted it! That frosted, glazed donut look gets me every time!

This year I limited myself to two sales and the first one I went to was at Al's Garden Center in Woodburn. When I saw that they had Woolly Pockets at a deep discount, I had to go! I'd wanted one ever since I first saw them in an amazing glossy ad, but then I promised myself I would resist all the other stuff!

One more way to stuff African Violets into your home. 

A frilly edged Asplenium nidus, or Bird's Nest Fern. 

Crocodile Fern, Microsorum musifolium.

Mounted Staghorn Ferns aka Platycerium.

I was so proud to have made it past all the ferns, but then it was this display of Bromeliads that ruined me. I saw all of them and thought, "Maybe I should keep working on this group. I bought one last winter and didn't kill it so maybe I could expand on that success!" (For such a cynic, I truly can sound ridiculously positive.) 

From left to right: Phlebodium aureum 'Mandaianum', Vriesea 'Splenriet', Dracaena 'Green Stripe', Sansevieria trifasciata 'Moonshine'.

Lucky for me I was able to find a Bromeliad on the clearance rack. At that point, after crumbling, I couldn't buy just one plant from the sale rack, so I bought the group shown here and brought them home with me.

Moving out to the perennial sales area I came across this tulip blend and the idea of a 'Wine and Cheese' tulip mix really cracked me up. Maybe this loosened me up too much though because I continued to select a few more items to purchase.

Delphinium 'Sweethearts'.

At least I was able to convince my friend to purchase this amazing Delphinium. I am not fond of pink, but I do love dusty rose. From afar, this plant really stood out too.

Doll's Eyes or White Baneberry, Actaea pachypoda.

As if by fate, while standing there trying to convince my friend to buy something, I saw these Doll's Eyes staring at me. This North American native is one I've wanted for a really long time. I bought one of them too and, of course, I quickly harvested its seeds.

The second sale I was able to commit to this year was the annual Cistus Nursery parking lot sale. Due to my rather challenging foster child that weekend we were a bit late, and many plants had already been purchased by people who'd shown up with trailers, but we had a good time anyway and found plenty of plants. 

Our cart filled up quickly with plants that were very different from the plants we'd found last year! You just never know what you'll find at this sale. That's what makes it so much fun.

This year there were a number of Windmill Palms (Trachycarpus fortunei) so I picked one up. 

My husband and I were never really sure about planting palms, but after seeing them in Japanese gardens in photographs shown during a lecture last winter up in Seattle, we felt more comfortable about adding one to our berm area.

I picked this one after the tag tugged at my heartstrings. It was grown from Portland seeds. Awhhhhhh!

Myrtus communis 'Ann McDonald'.

There was also a Myrtle so I bought it even though I already have a small one in the backyard. Myrtles fascinate me and the blooms were so pretty I couldn't resist.

Spider Plant 'Gold Nugget' (Chlorophytum 'Gold Nugget').

I also bought two plants from the nursery that were not on sale. This Spider Plant 'Gold Nugget' is one I've been wanting for awhile, and since it looked like it had some seeds, I was even more sold on the idea of it. I am curious to see how those grow. I know this must sound funny, but I really am curious.

Spider Plant 'Gold Nugget', (Chlorophytum 'Gold Nugget') seed heads.

Jasminum parkeri.

This cute little Dwarf Flowering Jasmine also caught my eye. The smell was nice too.

Has anyone else been to any great sales? What deals did you find this fall?

DIG Floral & Garden (Vashon Island, WA)

A few weeks back I promised pictures of DIG Floral & Garden out on Vashon Island and I have failed to provide those up until now. I am sorry for the cursory visit, but my ongoing hand injury recovery has really slowed me down.

Lobelia tupa.

Happiest dog I've seen all summer.

I have seen tons of blown glass balls and baubles galore at other places but this arrangement is just right.

If you're going to put a large round object in your garden make sure it's big and heavy. 

A few years ago these gabions inspired my husband to make his own at the family vineyard in California. His is much smaller but he loved that he could use rocks he'd been digging up in the vineyard to fill it up. (Note too the metal "picture" frames. They are actually recycled metal grates.) 

I think this is safely described as a bit surreal. The dissimilar objects remind me much of Lautreamont's famous quote concerning the beauty of a chance encounter between very different objects. Sometimes the odd couple pairings really do work!

If my mother-in-law enjoyed gardening, I would have to buy her one of these little handsome devils. 

I have seen simple tiered planters before but admittedly I've never really liked them. This one is completely different though because the pottery appears to have morphed its shape. It seems more alive somehow.

I have a sedum filled birdbath too so I am a bit partial to this one. 

Chuckle. 

Smile. 

Possibly a Tweedia.

Fuchsia 'Chang'.

More glass balls and this color pathway is maybe a bit less jarring. 

Surprising combination. 

These are aluminum banded planters that can be used many different ways. 

Their take on the Mediterranean theme meshes far better with my relaxed and not-so-technical side. It isn't Anglophilic or part of the Tuscanization of America. It find that refreshing. 

Now I want a totally new garden and it will have a special name inspired by this scene: Glaucous. I would even get my husband a well-trained Glaucous Macaw and train it to act like Kermit the Frog. The silliness of the idea makes it seem plausible. 

De nada!

Just in case anyone cares, that's a Beschorneria 'Ding Dong' blooming in the terracotta pot. (If you're reading this, I got that name just for you.)

This white chicken should stand beside my red wheelbarrow. I need some white concrete chickens right? That's not a want, but a need. Clearly.

The white glass baubles were also a nice touch. I still can't decide which colors I liked most though so that's why you get to see them all.

Nothing makes me happier than an Asparagus fern in a serene formal planter. It floods me with memories of the Alcazar in Seville.

This is meant to remind myself and others that if you have a Staghorn fern living unhappily in a small plastic planter, set it free!

Begonia maculata var. wightii. 

The DIG tour had to be quick because we had a ferry to catch. Two of our regular foster respite kids were waiting back in Portland for us so we had to dash off the island. That morning, the ferry had looked so mysterious and moody in the fog, but by the time we'd packed up, and arrived at the nursery, things were looking much better.

As we waited for the ferry, I sat and watched the Madrone trees.

Madrone, Arbutus menziesii.