Nursery Hopping

This Saturday morning found us at the care center visiting MeMa's father GGPa Dale.  Our visit  included a rousing game of Cribbage between father and daughter,  MeMa barely won in the last hand.  GGPa has been under the weather with a cold so he tired and needed to take a nap.  So off we went with our good friends and fellow "Nursery Hoppers" Jan and Brian.  We headed out to Oregon City to visit the Rare Plant Research Nursery that opens its doors to the public once a year.  Not only is it a wonderful nursery for plant geeks but the owners Burl Mostul and his wife have built the most beautiful home modeled after a 12th century Romanesque church surrounded by ponds and gardens.  This was the first visit for our friends but MeMa and I try going at least every other year and because we have quite a few rare plants purchased on previous visits we both said that this visit will be just to be chaperone's for Jan and Brian. In the first half hour of touring the many greenhouses I had my arms full of plant purchases.....I'm weak!


One of the many greenhouses.

There was wine tasting from a local vineyard as well as a selection of food available to hungry shoppers.

Among the oddities there are some more hardy flowering plants available as well

This was the greenhouse that I almost had to be sedated to get me out of. But once removed we walked up the hill to tour the grounds of a very fascinating home.

Everything was built and designed by the owners, including all the columns.



Looking into the walled courtyard that will hold the future "Tropical Garden".

So the tour completed we loaded up and headed home with some happy purchases making yet another stop at a nearby nursery........just to look mind you.....well I said I was weak. I just could not pass up this cool bird house that I will be installing an Eco roof on using miniature sedums and moss. I could have spent $80.00 and purchased one already planted but decided $30.00 was more my cup of tea as I have all the sedums at home.

Plant Purchases



Bromeliad
Neoregelia 'Fireball'

MeMa loved this little Sedum called 'Flapjacks'

Banana Canna - Canna musafolia, this will grow to twelve feet but will need to be mulched in the winter.