Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Bear Valley Nursery

You guys know me by now; I’m always up for a nursery visit! So while staying in Lincoln City, on the Oregon Coast, and I saw a sign for Bear Valley Nursery what else could I do? I had to visit.

It was surprisingly good. You know how we “big city folk” can get ideas about the hinterlands. I expected a lot of pansies and petunias. Maybe an exotic crocosmia or two (that area is positively infested with crocosmia), no…it was way better! Plus they had a great selection of those specific to the beach landscaping essentials, like the lashed together timbers for mounting a pair of concrete seagulls…

And who among us doesn’t need a big chunky rusted chain and some wire wheel rims?

Okay I’m being a little sarcastic but I really did think the selection was fun. Heck they even have picnic tables and phormiums…

And a planted trough which it looks like some critter might have been digging in.

Nice dyckia…

And there were even agaves! (there are always agaves if you just look hard enough)

I love helpful signage…

Oh what’s that…

Interesting,. I like it and it will look even better once it fills in.

These were labeled Yucca whipplei but I don’t think that’s what they are (growers label, not a nursery label). Perhaps actually Yucca baccata?

Nice

And yikes!!! “Snow on the Mountain” sounds so peaceful and sweet. I’d never heard of this common name, Bishops Weed is the one I know. I looked it up online and found these frightening words: “Fast growing and beautiful -- even grows under maple trees! It's hard to imagine a more versatile, yet beautiful ground cover than our Problem-Solver Snow-On-The-Mountain. Grows fast covering the ground in record time. What's more, this lovely 8-10" tall, green and white variegated beauty will grow in any soil or location -- rich or poor, wet or dry soils!” OMG...run run run as fast as you can away from this plant.

In an attempt to clear my mind I decided to try and be arty…

Oh look, bathrooms! With a planted bed pan...

I know the gunnera caught your eye but look to the far left, top shelf. We'll revisit those plants at the end of the post.

The gunnera.

And these yucca! I was very tempted. Look at that crazy variegation!

Even all white...I passed thought.

Yikes! Here's "truth in advertising" image for the wire vine (Muehlenbeckia axillaris)...

Even the poor frog is choking on the stuff!

So this...Agave 'Mateo' was what caught my eye earlier, on the top shelf.

Of course it came home with me! A hybrid of Agave bracteosa (known) and Agave lophantha (speculated) it's reportedly hardy down to 10-15F...

What's not to love with that subtle tone on tone stripe? The only other one of these I've seen was very very small. This one has presence! The moral of the story? You never know what your going to find. Thus you need to stop at every single nursery you come across.

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

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