I have an obsession with plants. Just like a wino on a street corner with a brown paper wrapper around his obsession I wait at the mail box for mine. Dreaming of the fabulous plants, wondering if I could try something new, and finally clicking ‘ORDER”… I am always tempted by mail order catalogs that come in the mail and online and have ordered so many plants over the years just from descriptions in catalogs. Dan Hinkley’s Heronswood Catalog is fun to read just for the entertainment factor. I heard him speak this year about how hard it was to come up with those individualized descriptions.
Grows to 108 inches tall Dahlia Imperialis
Now there are several I look at each year. Since I live on the Pacific Coast so many things can grow here. One of my favorite catalogs is the Plant Delights catalog. Even wrapped in brown paper from North Carolina they get here in great shape. I get a quarterly newsletter with an update plus the annual catalog. Tony Advent grows some amazing things there. I love to get the unusual things that are hardy in my area and also things like colocasia’s and gingers that are not. Every plant I have received from him, although small, has thrived. I’ve tried the huge Dahlia imperialis which is a Giant Tree Dahlia. The catalog promised that it would grow large in my area (it did) but would not bloom (it didn’t) because of lack of heat. The foliage was amazing and well worth the cost. He has 6 different liropes with only one available in my area nursery. This is just a small sampling of plant delights at Plant Delights Catalog.
Silver Vine Actinidia Polygama
Forest Farm in Oregon has been selling mail order for many years. They are a small group of dedicated gardeners that grow usual and unusual plants. Many trees and shrubs along with perennials. The first time I got a small ‘tube’ with a tree inside I was petrified. I planted it and put stakes and twine around it so it wouldn’t get trampled. It did grow and was happy, putting on substantial height and branches in just a year. I’m not so afraid of these ‘tree tubes’ now and will often order for my customers things that I can’t find in the nursery’s here. For example, the Silver Vine (Actinidia Polygama) is a great vine that should be more readily available. Forest Farm had it so I ordered it for my client. I sometimes put smaller baby plants into a pot so I can grow them on a little before I place them for a client. They also have a great selection of unusual fruit trees.
Oregon is only about 3 hours from my home. Just across the border is another wonderful nursery Cistus Nursery on Sauvie Island next to the Columbia River. They sell both retail and mail order. I am addicted to browsing that nursery because there are some larger specimens there that can fit in the back of my truck. This is about the time each year I go down and visit. They also have a lot of plants available to send mail order. They specialize in Agaves, hardy tropicals, and drought tolerant plants. Many cactus varieties too. Manzanitas that are hardy and hardy Begonias too. I planted two of my favorite things (see blog post ‘These are a few of my favorite things) from here. The Camellia sinensis ‘blushing Maiden’, and the magnolia laevifoila (Michelia yunnanensis).
Arisaema franchetianum
A regular contributor to Fine Gardening Magazine Kelly Dodson also grows near by. His nursery Far Reaches Farm is an amazing place to visit. He is also an great gardener with practical knowledge about how to grow what he sells. He grows hardy (and non hardy) tropicals, including orchids. Amazing ferns, Arisaemas, and Mediterranean plants grow in greenhouses while hardy primroses, berberis varieties, and shrubs grow outside on the ground. Many of his offerings are available mail order. He has fans all over our area and beyond of the brown paper variety.
Arisaema candidissimum
Even closer to me is a new venture opening up soon. Dragonfly Farms Nursery has been open in Hansville for several years but this year they are doing something a little different. If you know the owner, Heidi Kaster, you are not surprised by that. She is starting up a mail order business in conjunction with her retail outlet. Heidi has always done a fabulous job growing seeds from all over the world. She will be getting back to that and selling what she grows. She is also teaming up with a couple of other savvy plant growers. Dave Dewire who owns Wabi Sabi Bonsai will be grafting and selling rare conifers. These plants will be grafted as pre-bonsai and sent on to plant people all over the world. He is amazing in his pruning and grafting abilities. Not to be left out of the loop is Dan Hinkley. I think he really can’t stand being ‘retired’. He will be also bringing plants to the nursery and selling them on line. We may be able to find some of the cool and unusual things he brings back from his most recent plant travels. The new website should be up and functioning by April You can check out Dragonfly Farms Nursery website for updated information.
When you unwrap your plants from the brown paper here are a few tips…
>>Check the ‘tube’ or pot that it came in. It should be damp or wet. If not then soak the plant until all the planting medium is wet through. I usually tease the roots apart without breaking them. I plant it at the same level as it was planted in the tube or pot. Not deeper or too shallow.
>>My garden has quite a lot of animal and people traffic where plants could get trampled easily so… If my new plant is small I will pot it up first before putting it into the garden. I have a transitional area that is shaded for the pots to grow on a little.
>>Order plants that will be ready to go into the garden when you get them. In other words, order tropicals later in the year not in January unless you have a greenhouse. Hardy (in your zone) plants can be transplanted all year into the garden but you may not see much growth for the first couple of months.
Good instructions are usually included with the shipment and every time I’ve had to call and ask a question I got great help.
When I look out in my own garden right now, I see some blank spots, I see plants that look bad after the winter, I see spaces where there were annuals, and bulbs. Now is a great time to see what has year round interest and what doesn’t. Conifers are showing up more and more in my garden. They have such great structure year round and add punctuation marks to the garden stopping your eye from skimming over a bed that is low and one height. The Northwest Flower and Garden Show also highlights some great local specialty nurseries. They bring plants and sell them retail at the show. Some are just starts in bags, some are in 1 gallon and 2 gallon containers. Hope to see you all there. I’m sure you will find me with some plants stashed behind my display garden or in my car.
Nursery’s listed in this post…
