Xera retail, open for business...

You know that saying about how the rich just keep getting richer? It's true. We Portlanders are spoiled with so many excellent nurseries and yet here's another one, just opened yesterday!

If you live anywhere in Western Washington or Oregon you're no doubt familiar with the Xera Plants label as they've been supplying local nurseries with fabulous plants for years. Now they've opened their own shop in SE Portland...it's pretty amazing to look around and see nothing but Xera plants!

Paul and Greg (the owners of Xera) are sharing space with Bob Hyland who has started a new venture called Potted, which as you might imagine is selling containers, potted up and otherwise...

Nice!

But let's take a look at the plants shall we?

Fabulous texture and color. I should have went back and grabbed one of these. Next time...

Everything was so happy and healthy...ready for their new homes in YOUR garden (or mine).

Speaking of gardens Greg said he's going to put together a photo album (not online but one you can actually hold in your hands!) of both his and Paul's gardens. As you might imagine they both were created with Xera plants but one is water-wise and on the formal side of things, while the other is water-wise and wild...sounds interesting no? Plus I hope to score a tour of both soon and you know I'll share photos here...

It will be fun to watch these new plantings along the fence fill in and mature over time. I wonder if they'll be able to leave them as-is or will be tweaking and adding plants constantly? (like I would be doing)

Eryngium agavifolium is the first plant I remember buying from Xera years and years ago at a Hardy Plant Society of Oregon Plant Sale (back when it was held out in Hillsboro, for you locals) I still love the description: "Multiple, glossy, sexy rosettes with dramatic spines....Yeowrrrrrr.. In midsummer robust spikes of dark green handsome, rounded clover-like flowers ( to 30" tall.) Full sun and regular soil with occasional summer water. Impressive evergreen perennial for the front of a border, mixes well with airy flowers. Fantastic in a dry rockery planting with boulders, rocks. What do you call a gardener with multiple sexy rosettes? A HAPPY Gardener." I was hooked! (that's it dead center below)

Look at those fabulous brownish-orange flowers! Salvia africana-lutea...I was very very tempted by this one but it's only marginally hardy here and you know I've already got plenty of those.

The wonderful shiny-silver leaves of Convolvulus cneorum...

I realized too late that I didn't get a close up of the cool materials they used for the plant tables. They are a metal mesh with a nice rolled solid metal edge, on stacked concrete blocks. Simple and clean.

Of course there are succulents.

And some spikes!

I had to also take a look inside the office and check out the wall-paper from Makelike. The same talent behind my pointy poster.

Pretty cool eh?

There's a Grand Opening party this Saturday June 8th, 2013, to celebrate so if you're in the Portland area you should plan to make a stop. They're at 1114 SE Clay St... on  SE 11th Ave 1 block south of Hawthorne Blvd. If you can't make it on Saturday you'll want to pay them a visit soon, they're open Thursday - Sunday from 10 am - 6 pm... yay!

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