Farwest 2013

The Farwest Show is an annual tradeshow put on by the Oregon Association of Nurseries. This is my 5th year at the show, and while I was thrilled to see many an engaged nursery owner taking plant orders (and lots of traffic all three days), the general feel I got at the show was everyone is playing it safe. I saw far less borderline hardy plants than in previous years and fewer succulents too.

However as is usually the case with these horticultural events it wasn’t so much the conference itself that I enjoyed (although walking around looking at plants and plant related products is never a bad thing) but the people who converge on Portland during the event. There are parties and impromptu gatherings, new people to meet and old connections to be revisited.

This year I had the pleasure of attending a couple of the morning seminars, the first was HortiCULTURE: The Gardening Revolution, by Kelly D. Norris. So many things clicked for me while listening to Kelly speak about the importance of gardening and finding the culture in horticulture. He was saying things out loud that I’d been thinking, if you have the chance to hear Kelly speak I urge you to go. Also, I’ll be on the lookout for his next book, tentatively titled Dig This: Stylish Gardening with Kickass Plants (damn I wish I would have thought of that title!!!).

The second seminar was Plantufacturing: How New Plants are Selected and Launched with Kelly again and the addition of Dan Heims. Near the beginning of the talk Dan shared his concept of the Botanical Clock (no, not to be confused with the biological clock), comparing the way plants go in and out of favor to times on the clock. At their height of popularity plants would be at 12:00 (Dan didn’t share if this was am or pm) and then they steadily fall down, down, down, until they bottom out (6:00) and then start to work their way back up to popularity again. Perhaps succulents are nearing 4:00? And in case you’re wondering Dan feels begonias are about to become very very big.

One of the displays I'm always sure to visit is the “New Varieties Showcase”…

If you’re interested in round up of all the entries click here, and if you’re curious Wild Swan™ Anemone won top honors in the showcase (no, I didn’t even take a photo of it!). Personally I was a big fan of the burlap tree, very Wizard of Oz...

Here’s what else I found interesting…

Liriodendron tulipifera 'Little Volunteer,’ a smaller version of the tulip tree, what’s not yo love about that?

This Brugmansia 'Little Angel' was gorgeous! ("Full-size white pendulous blooms on a compact plant make it well suited for containers"...says the marketing materials)

But really how could any of them compete when there was a Schefflera in their midst? Schefflera delavayi…

How exciting right? This should mean this much sought after plant will have better availability next year in the nursery biz (at least at those nurseries which order from T & L Nursery, the source for this plant in the showcase).

After voting for my favorites (we don’t yet know what the “people’s choice” award winner is…but you know what I voted for) I wandered and looked for things that caught my eye. This hybrid Gomphrena ‘Pink Zazzle’ certainly did that. Click here for much better photos and a plant profile from Hank, the Plant Provocateur (whom I had the pleasure of meeting during the SF Garden Bloggers Fling).

As did this Rhamnus frangula ‘Asplenifolia’ (Fernleaf Buckthorn)…

Did you think that dark leafed number (below) was a small phormium? I did too. Nope…Crinum x Purple Dream…

Of course I fell for its foliage but a little online hunting shows the flowers aren’t bad either. Here’s a photo and write up from that Kelly Norris character I mentioned earlier.

Another quasi phormium look-a-like! Dianella prunina Rainbow Twist…

I bought a tiny (4” container, maybe 3” tall) one from Garden World last spring but these were huge!

I fear I won’t be able to resist the pull of a cloud pruned conifer for much longer. I love them so…(I know I shouldn't, but I do!)

Oh and I LOVE this. It’s a hardy version of the dragon tree (Dracaena draco), if you don’t look too close! Okay, actually a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris).

I’m also drawn to the ornamental peach (Prunus persica 'Bonfire'), but oddly not the saguaro arborvitae.

Taiwanese Parasol Tree (Trochodendron aralioides) from Monrovia (above the Melianthus)…

Interestingly their booth only had one little Schefflera in it!

So even though this isn’t really a buying show (sure lots of orders are placed, but it’s not set up for retail monetary exchanges) I managed to purchase a couple of things. First at the Flora & Fauna booksellers booth.

The owner David is a (welcome) institution at the OAN shows, both Farwest and the Yard, Garden & Patio Show in the spring. Sadly I’ve never visited his store in Seattle but hope to make it there someday. He brought several boxes of used books this time around and I grabbed a handful.

The decorative one without it’s dust jacket is Garrett Eckbo’s Art of Home Landscaping published in 1956. When was the last time you saw one of these?

Of course there were a few plant purchases as well. If you’ve got cash in hand and are present when the show closes on Saturday you just might be able to walk away with a couple of treasures...

Mine included two of those Crinum x Purple Dream and a pair of the Dianella from Hines Growers, plus one of the Schefflera delavayi from the New Varieties Showcase (T & L Nurseries). No I didn’t “need” and another S. delavayi but it was an amazing (AMAZING) deal that I just couldn’t pass up. Surely you understand?

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

Hortlandia 2013 wrap-up…

Reports are I scooted into the sale right before traffic outside became a nightmare…thank god. There was maximum people crunch right inside the door though. Sometimes I enjoy the crowds, watching what they’re drawn to and eavesdropping on their conversations. This was not one of those times, so after dealing with the masses for the first row I bailed and walked to the back corner and then worked my way out towards the front. This plan of attack helped me keep my sanity.

I don’t know why I feel compelled to tell you about my grouchy ways that morning, unless it’s maybe a sort of apology for not having taken many photos. I did snap a couple at the Rare Plant Research booth, mainly as an excuse to remind you about their open house in May…the 18 & 19th from 11am to 4pm.

Also at the RPR booth, Sophora davidii. I seem to be hopelessly drawn to all Sophora…

Elsewhere I was drawn to this large container of Podophyllum peltatum. Since I was doing a little shopping for the “new” Schefflera planting border I did have my eye out for shade lovers.

So of course the Rodgersia here jumped right out at me...

Salvia discolor! Yay, I’ve wanted this plant since hearing about it when Paul Bonine did a talk on at Joy Creek Nursery a couple of years ago.

Seems like every time I’ve run across it has been in August or September, and that’s too late in the year to buy what will be an annual in our climate. This one will go in the sun.

The HPSO makes it so easy to shop this sale. Just look at all the plants already in the holding area! Grab them, drop them off, grab more…

(danger!)

I saw several blooming Aloes this year. Here’s a shocker though…I didn’t buy a single succulent!

Senecio petasites, such soft leaves and so tender...

There were several Echiums at this year’s sale, first up Echium wildpretii…

I would have grabbed a couple but I already had a pair at home, recently picked up at Annie’s Annuals by my friend JJ. Here are mine…

I was a little concerned the leaves were too wide and blue to be E. wildpretii, as its leaves appear narrower and with a silver cast (below, as it currently looks in my garden) but since the two different sources for plants have ones looking so similar it must be the juvenile form.


Since I’m on the subject my current E. wildpretii it has a chunky little trunk on it now (it's been in the garden for two full summers already)...

And looks like it will be blooming soon. That’s if this unpleasantness doesn't spread.

One more thing I got from Annie’s which I must share (I know this has nothing to do with the HPSO sale, c'est la vie!), Tropaeolum peregrinum “Canary Creeper”…

It’s an annual vine to help fill in the new trellis until the Clematis tibetana bulks up. I love it for the leaves but the flowers are pretty cool too.

Here are a couple more Echium from the show, E. pininana on the right and E. candicans 'Star of Madeira' on the left.

Abutilon, cannas and castor bean, oh my!

There were so many Epimediums at this sale!!! They were everywhere...

Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Multiplex’ (Double Flowered Bloodroot)

If I could have taken home anything from the sale it would have been the pair of trunking Yucca rostrata at the Cistus booth. $200 seemed a great price for such a healthy plant, whose trunk I stupidly didn’t manage to get an image of…

Also at Cistus, blooming Euphorbia x pasteurii ‘John Phillips’…

Here’s a little heads-up about the fall HPSO event, locals mark your calendars!

So what did I buy? Well I realized as I was going through these images I sadly neglected to take any photos at The Desert Northwest’s booth, I was trying to not fall too much in love with anything there because I’d already put in a special order in advance for 3 different Banksia. We’ll start with my second (ehm, okay third if you could the first one which passed on to plant heaven) Banksia serrata…

Banksia grandis…cause it’s SO cool!

And Banksia blechnifolia…because Ian (owner of TDN) suggested it and I agreed. I love it!

And a surprise Ian threw in…Grevillea rivularis, which looks like it might be soft but trust me, those sweet leaves are actually pretty prickly. If you look close on the right you can also see the beginnings of what I think is a bloom...very exciting!

Okay here’s the official HPSO plant sale haul…

The Salvia discolor

Another Libertia, because I needed one more. Love the orange!

Pyrrosia sheareri…

And Peltoboykinia watanabei, both from Far Reaches Farm.

There is a pair of Rodgersia podophylla ‘Bronze Form’…

As well as a couple of Acanthus sennii, I’d offered to watch for one for my friend Ricki and when I found two well, I couldn’t just leave one all lonely on the table…so naturally it came home with me!

There was one other plant visible in the “haul” but we’re not talking about it because it’s a gift and the person whom it’s for might just be reading this, so shhh! (pay no attention mom)

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