A Stop at Garland Nursery

Last Monday I had reason to visit Oregon State University in Corvallis. Since I was driving down there anyway I looked up possible nurseries to visit on the way back home. I only had time for one, and I had heard about Garland Nursery many times from local gardening programs and commercials on TV, so that was my stop. My decision was made easier by the fact that most of the others I would have liked to visit were closed that day. Otherwise it could have been rather gut-wrenching.

Garland is a fairly large retail nursery with a decent selection of landscape plants and a few unusual selections tossed in here and there. It isn't chock-full of geek-worthy plants like some other nurseries I know of, but it has some good, tried-and-tested plants for PNW gardens.

The entrance gives only a hint of the expanse of plants inside the nursery.

This is my first real-life encounter with the "it" plant for 2014, x Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame'. 

I know these flowers aren't open, but I still don't really see what all the fuss is about. Personally I think I'd prefer trying the much hardier Digitalis obscura.

I did appreciate the large signage that was easy to read from a distance. Quite useful in navigating a large nursery like this.

Another first face-to-face for me, Omphalodes. I'm a sucker for blue, so I definitely need to find a place to include this in my garden.

I appreciate heaths (Erica spp.) and heathers (Calluna vulgaris) for their easy culture, deer-resistance, often long bloom times, and wide array of foliage color. In this case the dark violet color of Erica cineraria 'C.D. Eason' caught my attention. Most of my current heaths are winter blooming, but 'C.D. Eason'  blooms from June through September. 

I am greatly tempted by the recent influx of new hardy gardenias, all improvements over 'Kleim's Hardy'.  The large, lush leaves of Gardenia Summer Snow look almost tropical. I could even overlook the infuriating cultivar name 'BAB1183' which, by the way, wasn't included anywhere on the label. Luckily the trademark name is included in the patent record, but that isn't Garland's fault. It's the fault of the wholesale grower who had the labels made. 

Personally I prefer the finer texture of Gardenia 'Frostproof' (which does seem to be the actual cultivar name, though it doesn't appear to have been properly registered.

I'm increasingly interested in evergreen Vaccinium species (blueberries and huckleberries), like this Vaccinium glauco-album.

I love rhododendrons with a generous helping of fur (tomentum) on their new growth. This one is 'Ken Janeck'.

Speaking of furry, Hydrangea aspera subsp. sargentiana is super fuzzy. I might even try testing this hydrangea's whiskers against the deer. 

A lovely display of dwarf conifers held hidden treasures.

I loved the bristly texture of this Picea sitchensis 'Papoose'. 

Hidden among the Lilliputian forest was a young giant (well, relatively speaking), the Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca' which I featured in this post. While the blue form of Chinese fir may grow a little slower than the green form, I'm not sure why it was placed with the dwarf conifers. It can still grow more than a foot per year.

Several shrubs caught my attention, though I didn't necessarily have an idea of where to use them at present, so all I brought back with me of these was pictures.

Carpenteria californica, a beautiful evergreen shrub with attractive white flowers.

Azara serrata Andean Gold. Doesn't appear to have a cultivar name, just the trademark, and one has to wonder whether there is anything really superior about this selection over the typical species other than the fact that it's backed by a famous horticulturist. Hey, behave yourself, blogger! Seriously, though, no offense intended.

Yet another first time in real life with Stachyurus salicifolia. Love the texture of the leaves!

Garland Nursery is also host to the retail location for Wee Tree Nursery, a wholesale grower specializing in bonsai and bonsai supplies.

Among the wide array of gorgeous bonsai and starter plants was this Satsuki azalea. I've been obsessed with multicolored azaleas since seeing a picture of a coral and white one in a bonsai book. 

In the houseplant section, I found a few cacti, succulents, and (just for a certain friend) the one agave in the whole nursery.

I enjoyed perusing the plants at Garlands. It's a great nursery for people who live in the area or if you're passing through, and I am a little jealous that I don't have a nursery like this less than an hour from where I live. That said, it's not what I would call a "destination" nursery that one would plan a trip around.