Look Out Plant Nerd Coming Through

Spring weather brings the best out in us ..... or is it the beast? Saturday we planned a trip just south of Portland meeting up with friends and attending a fund raiser sponsored by Rite-Aid.  It is a gardeners dream with every plant imaginable for very decent prices.  There are also vendor booths set up but prices are a little higher, if you are a plant nerd as myself you pretty much know what a good price is.  So like a crazed beast I hurtled up and down rows of plants loading up my cart.



For $10.00 each my first purchase being two "Bloodgood" Japanese Maples in 2 gallon pots which sell at local nurseries for $69.99 each.

5 gallon size Holly for $5.00
Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Girl'



A MeMa favorite, Pincushion Plant or  'Scabiosa columbaria' "Butterfly Blue"

We also purchased strawberry plants and some more Dahlia tubers.  Then as though that was not enough fun we jumped into the car and headed into the local farm land and stopped at a nursery that specialised in native orchids and other unusual plants.

'Poncirus trifoliata' Japanese Bitter Orange
MeMa loved this plant with its lovely green twisted branches armed with large green thorns, it has white flowers and when mature will put forth inedible orange fruit.  It is a great addition to the line of pots next to the pond.

As if I needed another orchid, but this one is a native to the Northwest so I had to have it
'Epipactis gigantean' also known as "Stream Orchid" as it grows in bog or damp areas.