As I may have mentioned, one (or twelve) times before, in Oregon we are rich with independent nurseries. We have so many to chose from it’s almost mind-boggling. Last week I had a chance to visit a couple in the Salem area, south of Portland, ones I only get to once a season — if that. Today we’ll look at Sebright Gardens and next week I’ll share photos from Dancing Oaks Nursery.
I dare you to find a better looking nursery than Sebright. Their plants are perfect, their greenhouse tidy and their display garden tour-ready. Hostas are their main focus (they carry several hundred varieties, including over 900 listed on their website, 5 of which are Sebright introductions) but to “compliment the Hostas, (they) also offer over 150 varieties of Hardy Ferns and 117 varieties of Epimediums.” And as if that wasn’t enough to keep the owners, Thomas and Kirk, busy they also operate Mid-America Garden — a bearded iris grower/mail order nursery and raise chickens. Oh and they are two of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, really.
For anyone who has ever thought Hostas boring, taking a walk through this greenhouse will quickly change your mind. I can’t imagine not finding a couple must-haves, in fact I’ve bought 5 here: ‘Lakeside Cupcake’, ‘Dust Devil’, ‘Little Sunspot’, ‘June’ and ‘Whirlwind’. The beauty below is called ‘A Many Splendored Thing’…
H. ‘Cream Topping (below): “Striking white centers white wide dark blue margins surrounding blue green margins on narrow, heart shaped leaves: excellent substance and pest resistant! Lavender flowers in summer”. If you’re wondering about the white centers, when the photo below clearly shows a creamy yellow, I can say that in my (limited) Hosta experience many times the yellow fades to white as the season goes on.
H. ‘Tangerine Tango’, a Sebright introduction, features an ” open mound of bright tangerine-yellow leaves with wide, thick and very ruffled, blue-green margins”…
So many to chose from!
H. June’, a favorite!
And how cute is this one? H. ‘Rain Forest Sunrise’, the rosette almost looks like a succulent (almost)…
H. ‘Rain Forest Sunrise’: “Dense mound of heavily textured and intensely dimpled, bright gold leaves with green margins”
And good old H. ‘Sum and Substance’ with leaves reaching to two-feet long…
If you’re wondering about the other plants here’s a sea of Epimedium…which I’ll admit I am not a fan of.
Until you tempt me with Epimedium wushanense ‘Sandy Claws’…then I want several!
Out in the display garden I stood in awe of this Paris quadrifolia clump.
And appreciated the new growth on their Quercus dentata ‘Pinnatifida’
Their tree stands much taller than mine, but they both share that awkward (yet lovable) form.
Of course when I got home I had to compare and mine is at a similar stage of leaf growth.
Finally I’ll leave you with this…
Labeled as Syneilesis ‘Kikko’ I think it might be “just” Syneilesis palmata, unless the golden veining typical of ‘Kikko’ appears later. Either way I want this! The “lust list” grows…
