Roadtrip to the "City of Destiny"...

Last weekend Andrew and I went in a little road trip up to Tacoma. For those of you unfamiliar Tacoma is Washington State’s third largest city and just a little over 2 hrs north of Portland (about 34 miles south of Seattle). The purpose of our trip was to celebrate Andrew's birthday with a little getaway. I also hoped to work in a visit with my friend Peter (The Outlaw Gardener) but sadly that didn't happen (my fault).

(photo source)

I did however manage to visit a few nurseries that Peter had recommended...Vassey, Watson's, and Windmill. Unfortunately there aren’t any pictures to share, not a single one! It was raining pretty hard most of the time and there was a third party on our road trip, Lila. While Andrew was tucked away indoors at used bookstores, she and I were constant companions. A dog on your arm in a steady rain does not make for good photographic opportunities. However I do have a few new plants to share and another "find." First the plants (there is a cardboard flat under there)....

I was shopping with two distinct areas in mind. First I needed some shade plants for the area where they hydrangea was, secondly the newly open sunny areas where I removed some lawn. Shade first, Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum-Applecourt' (Japanese Painted Fern)...

Rodgersia 'Bronze Peacock'

I love them together…

I also picked up a couple of Polypodium scouleri (Leatherleaf Fern), cause they’re cute!

For the sunny area, Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire'…

One of my favorite Phormium, ‘Tom Thumb,’ this one stays small (about 2 ft by 2 ft) and I love that green/brown color combo…

And on a whim I picked up a Xerophyllum tenax (Bear grass). The tag had very little info on it and the internet connection at the nursery wasn’t allowing me look it up on my phone, so I didn’t know it could get 3ft tall and wide…that might be a little big, we’ll see.

So that other “find” I alluded to…

I hunted down the Tacoma Goodwill’s vertical garden…

“French botanist and artist Patrick Blanc’s 800-square-foot vertical garden for the Goodwill-Milgard Work Opportunity Center was unveiled in September (2010). It graces the entrance of an imposing new building designed by BCRA Architects, and is sufficiently large and fluffy to be clearly visible from busy Tacoma Avenue” (source). As I walked up to the wall these containers caught my eye, planted last fall (that’s my guess at least) and unchanged since.

I wondered what their lack of maintenance said about how the wall was, and would be, cared for.

As I moved closer I could see that there were many empty spots and a few plants that were rather crispy. There was also the wonderful sound of water dripping in a slow luxurious way.

I discovered the source. As the water irrigated the wall worked its way to the bottom along long strands of algae…

It then fell to the ground behind the teal band at the bottom of the wall.

The wall was lush in spots…

Not so in others…

But definitely interesting to look at.

I was surprised at some of the plants, like bergenia and euphorbia.

There was even a nice clump of variegated iris near the top.

And if you’re wondering about scale there’s Lila in the lower right hand corner. Being a good sport as I snap my pictures…

All-in-all a good road trip!

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