Monday, August 18, 2014

Joy Creek Nursery, #GBFling14

Continuing on the journey with other Garden Bloggers on day one, 
we once again boarded the buses, leaving Cistus Nursery (see previous post) 
bound for Joy Creek Nursery.

The view of Joy Creek Nursery was magical and welcoming.


As we ate our lunches, we were given a Dramm demonstration and 
one of the owners talked about the Nursery.


Then it was time for exploration! What was beyond the gate?

An expanse of Hydrangeas that was as far as the eye could see.

I loved the contrast of the dark stems with the foliage and blooms.
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nigra'

And the blooms of this Hydrangea m. 'Merritt's Supreme' Blue 
were supremely gorgeous.

The plant tag for this beauty said:
H.m. need I.D. poss H.m. 'Hobella'


I really like Hydrangeas but there was so much more to see,
more paths to explore.


The Inula blooms were pet-worthy prior to beautifully blooming.


The Crocosmia attracted butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and bloggers.


The Eryngium was buzz-worthy,


as was the Monarda,


and Rudbeckia.


The Viburnum was heavy with beautiful fruits.
Moving on, from red fruit to the white blooms of

one of the many Clematis I fell in love with that day.

And another.
 
Leaving the display gardens, there was still plenty to see, 
and yearn for...
These bird baths were beautiful and unique.

But this is the one I was drooling for.....
To meet the luggage weight limit, I would have emptied my suitcase to fit this in, 
but my worry was that it would have broken in transit to St Louis. 
So, sadly for me, this bird bath remained available for another to purchase.

My head was aswirl with ideas, information, and inspiration.
But wait, there's more at the Old Germantown Gardens,
coming soon, in the next post.

Thanks for sharing this part of the #GBFling14 journey with me.
And once again, thanks to the organizers, and the Oregon bloggers who helped
make this such an action-packed, informative, and enjoyable weekend.

~Kit Aerie-el

~No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden. 
~Hugh Johnson


Thursday, August 7, 2014

Cistus Nursery, #GBFling14

So far, on Day One of the Portland Garden Bloggers Fling, we've visited 
Timber Press and the Lan Su Chinese Garden in the heart of Portland.

Next stop is Cistus Nursery, located on Sauvie Island, northwest of Portland. 
As we approach the entry, the ooo's and ahhhh's begin. 
And inside, a very fun piece of garden art greeted all.

Why, hello to you too!


Most of the time this seating was completely occupied.
I think I got this shot shortly after our arrival when most everyone was zipping about, 
snapping up treasures in this enchanting nursery.


Pretty foliage.


More pretty foliage.
I rushed to take this photo so it isn't crystal clear, 
but it shows the gorgeous colors of the very interesting foliage.
I really wanted to take this Echeveria x imbricata
home with me, but it went on my wish list instead.

And now for some dangerous foliage.
The Solanum quitoense was not added to my wish list. 
It would draw much blood at my house.
 Side view.
The stems were wickedly spiky as well as the leaves.

View of underside of Solanum quitoense leaf
  
View of the top of the leaf.
I didn't see a 'do not touch' sign anywhere, probably because
the plant did a fine job of warning off any of that nonsense.


I thought this had such an interesting structure and color.


Near the end of a path, whose entrance was almost hidden,
there appeared a gorgeous, huge, red container.
The red in the pot was echoed by the red blossoms near it.
A beautiful pop of color in the shadows.


 I loved this combination of plants along the walkway outside the nursery.


 Looking back, the weekend went by so quickly.
It was like a dream. 

Thanks to the great team of Portland Bloggers
who organized this amazing weekend:

 Jane, MulchMaid

Thanks too to all the other Portland Garden Bloggers
who welcomed us to their home city.


If you enjoyed this virtual visit to Cistus Nursery, 
please click here to see other bloggers' links about their experiences.

Our next stop..........Joy Creek, a visit to which will bring anyone much joy.

~Kit Aerie-el