Spring Shopping at Secret Garden Growers

Hello, Gardeners.

Hope everyone is getting in some spring shopping. It’s busy out there, online and at the physical nurseries. Since big group sales are off again this year, nurseries have lots of luscious wares on hand. But, they are going fast. If you have your eye on something, don’t tarry. Or it will be swooped up by a more decisive shopper, and then the plant will never look so good to you. I promise. Don’t ask me how I know.

These plants have already been claimed online by someone else. See. They look fabulous, don’t they?

 

So. We were still have frost nightly in Portland and surrounding areas, but weather guy said clouds would be clearing for a sunny Saturday afternoon. Good enough, I thought, for the trek some 30 miles south of Portland to Secret Garden Growers (SGG) in Canby, Oregon. We are thrilled to call SGG a contributing online nursery at plant lust, but nothing beats visiting in person if you can swing it.

When I first arrived, I was overwhelmed by the experience of so many plants, akin to when I step inside Powell’s Bookstore, wherein I can’t think of a single author or title; I look on in a sensory-overload stupor, and often retreat from the store empty handed. At SGG, I found two plants, and quickly faltered. Plus we had a little storm of rain and hail and had to huddle under cover with staff members for a bit. All but Intrepid Nursery Woman Pat Thompson; that’s her up top, caught in the sudden downpour.

 

And then, tada, Gail Barnard appeared at my side. Gail doesn’t technically work at SGG, but is often there Saturdays to help out. Gail has a fabulous garden that I know of only from photos, but when I clear the two week benchmark post vaccine–and get my hair cut–I’m paying Gail a visit. Fortunately, through sharing pictures on Facebook, Gail and I have a good idea of the weird and wondrous plants we both love.

 

Of course, the whole operation would be moot without the hard work or nursery staff and packing elves. So much goes into growing and then shipping a plant. The actual postage cost doesn’t begin to equate to the pre-shipment efforts. How did they ever figure how to do this, or even imagine that they could?

 

Gail is the BEST shopping buddy. In no time, my 2 plants blossomed into 2 flats.

 

It’s amazing how a shopping buddy can fine-tune your focus. My eyes fell upon a gorgeous Pseudopanax laetus, and I snapped one up for me and one for Megan. I also bought a couple of poppies, Sambucus nigra ‘Black Tower‘, Acanthopanax sieboldianus ‘Variegatus’, and several other plants too.

 

 

I’m not going to list everything I got here, because if I stop to go outside and make note, I’ll never get this post out. And then it’ll be Christmas–and this will make even less sense. But I found lots of cool plants, and I swear, more await you online and at nurseries all around the nation. But they won’t wait long.

Ready, set, go get plants!

 

 

And while you’re at it, kiss someone you love.

Cheers

p.s. The overnight frost of last week is over. Warm weather and sunny skies ahead, but oh how we desperately need rain. It’ll be hell fire and damnation around here come Summer. Not looking forward to that. Rain dance on the rise.