One of our primary goals at plant lust is to support the fabulous independent and specialty nurseries which grow (as well as discover and then propagate/or breed) the plants we lust after. While you can always peruse their offerings on our website a visit to the actual nursery is a special treat and one we intend to share occasionally here on the blog.
Today we’re visiting Cistus Design Nursery on Sauvie Island, just 15 miles from downtown Portland. The folks at Cistus have been enthusiastic supporters of plant lust since (practically) the very beginning and we certainly feel the same about what they’re up to. Here’s a little background on the nursery: “Cistus is a unique micro-nursery founded in 1996 by Parker Sanderson and Sean Hogan. The nursery has a strong botanical foundation drawn from the pair’s professional backgrounds; Parker having been Horticulturalist at the Arboretum at University of California at Davis and Sean a Curator at University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley. Their exciting collection of treasures, gathered around the globe with brilliant plantspeople, quickly outgrew a 100-year-old greenhouse in North Portland so the nursery opened to the public on Sauvie Island in 2000, expanding in 2003.”
These photos were taken on a visit in early September, on a glorious sunny day – but I find a mid-winter or early spring, visit even more rewarding. There is inspiration every where you look…
The all-season display gardens feature “West Coast natives and Mediterranean plants, architectural desert plants for the “dry garden,” Asian specimens, shade plants, and a dazzling mixed border of summer showstoppers – gardens that echo the pavilions and courtyards in retail itself.”
And the retail, well let’s just say hours have been spent wandering through the Big Top…
And exploring the outdoor tables and pavilions, temptations are everywhere!
Here are just a few plants I thought were looking especially lovely the day of my visit…
If you find yourself in the Portland area do plan a trip to Cistus, and give yourself plenty of time. Shopping from their online offerings is splendid, but visiting in person is amazing…