Thursday morning my first stop was at the Andy's Orchids booth. It's a tradition that I buy a new orchid (on a stick) from him every year, some years more than one.
I love taking my time walking around this booth, looking closely at each of the unique specimens.
Dendrobium capituliflorum
Mediocalcar bifolium type Harold Red
Dendrochilum glumaceum (large form), with bonus fern. There were a few orchids with ferns growing along side. I was thrilled. Andy (he's there all day every day, how does he do it!?) said he usually pulls them out, but decided to leave a few. Yes! Please leave the ferns!
Speaking of ferns, I managed to pass up these Pyrrosia nummularifolia. Why? Because I've tried before and failed to keep them alive, twice. I decided my money would be better spent on something else. It was not easy to leave them behind.
Cheilanthes argentea at the Alpine Gardens booth (a nursery from Springfield, Oregon).
There were nice sized Dicksonia antarctica at the Christianson's Nursery booth ($89.98).
This both was unexpected, Tropical Exotique.
I could have spent a lot of money here.
These pots of Lithops for $10 were tempting (from Gardenia Gardens and Design).
Another Oregon nursery, Molly and her Rancho Cacto were there with loads of style...
She brought so many fabulous plants!
Haworthia cooperi var. obtusa; Magical variety with almost translucent, rounded leaves in small clumps. Leaves resemble teardrops in reverse and allow you to actually see the succulence inside...
In addition to the plant shopping (which wasn't always available, I remember a few years where there were virtually no plant vendors at the show, thank god that era is behind us!) there were so many interesting seminars to chose from. The first I attended was "Native or Not: Should We Be Growing Non-native Plants? A Heronswood Perspective" with Dr. Ross Bayton, Heronswood Garden Director, and Debby Purser, Tribal Liaison (the Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe purchased the garden in 2012). That's my friend Ann Amato introducing Ross and Debbie. Rather than fight my way into the center seats I stood at the back of the room, just behind Dan Hinkley (founder of Heronswood) who seemed to enjoy the talk.
We weren't supposed to take photos during the presentations but I cheated, I fully support this approach!
During the talk Debbie described how plants are responding to our changing climate with the phrase: "change in place or shift in space" meaning they stay where they're currently growing but adapt to changes in climate, or they move—maybe a little further into the shade, or into an area with more moisture. I thought that was a great way to describe what we see happening in our gardens. Several times I've thought "I planted this over there, but now it's growing over here..."
As I mentioned in a previous post Jennifer Jewell (Cultivating Place) did a series of interviews during the show, the first one I caught was with Rochelle Greayer, the "new" editor of American Gardener (the magazine of the American Horticultural Society, the AHS).
It was interesting to listen to Rochelle contrast her experiences living in England and with the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society), and now working for the AHS in America. How over there the gardening culture seeps into everything, here, not so much. I also learned a new phrase, which I am going to repeat whenever possible: "Applebee's gardeners"... those folks who want a cookie cutter garden that could be plopped down in anywhere USA.
The next talk I attended was Dan Hinkley's "High Lights from Soaring Heights; Reflections on Four Decades of Plant Hunting" it was wonderful, but I took no photos. My favorite moment was when he spoke about discovering that "This is what I want to do with my life!" (plants) and then going on to talk about how it wasn't just about the plants, but rather the connections… the interaction between the humans and the plants. Yes. This is exactly what makes this show something I value, the humans I get to see and the plants and gardens all around.
On Friday morning Justin Henderson, Executive Director and Head Gardener at Lakewold Gardens, spoke on "Legendary Public Gardens that Define the Puget Sound" he also successfully countered Philadelphia's claim to be America's Garden Capital (and their statement they have "more public gardens than anywhere else in the country; Philadelphia has over 30 public gardens, arboreta, and historic landscapes, all located within 30 miles of Philadelphia.") with this slide...
Finally, I caught Jennifer's interview with Dan Hinkley before calling it a day... Dan reminded us all that time spent looking and observing in our gardens is not time wasted.
So what plants did I come home with? Well here's the first part of my haul...on the far right a trio of Lewisia from T&L Nursery. They're labeled as 'Rainbow Mix'... so the color of the blooms will be a surprise.
Those Lewisia, along with an Asarum splendens 'Quicksilver' from Little Prince of Oregon (far left), were take home gifts from a Thursday evening Northwest Horticultural Society talk with Stephen Orr (until recently the editor at BH&G and formerly with Martha Stewart Living). My favorite quote from that presentation: "I think Martha Stewart likes gardening so much because she can’t control it" Ha! Close-up of that weird Asarum bloom...
Not from the show, but from the Pat Culvert Greenhouse at the University of Washington Arboretum, a small Luma apiculata (Chilean myrtle). I saw one last fall at a nursery in Portland and loved the berries. There wasn't one in stock then, and this little cutie was only $4, so why not!?
From the Tropical Exotique booth, I bought an ant fern! Lecanopteris lomaroides...
They're called ant ferns because of the thick, hollow rhizome that creeps along tree branches (or fills a pot for those of us that don't live in the Philippines). In nature ants live inside the rhizomes, defending the plants from herbivores, while also providing fertilizer. Fingers crossed I can keep it alive (and no ants move in).
My Andy's Orchid's purchase was one of the orchids that also included a fern, Maxillaria tenuifolia aurea `Bert`...
And Polypodium bombycinum...
Finally, a treasure from the Rhododendron Species Botanic Garden (in Federal Way, WA, a stop on the way up to the show), Pyrrosia angustissima! Yep, that's a pyrrosia...
Such a long, wordy, post today with lots of links, so no Bit at the End. Friday I'll share my favorite of the show gardens...
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