Want to Come Shopping With Me? I Bought Stuff!

Wow! Today was a busy day! I went into Seattle to a plant sale, and then to a flea market, and then stopped off at University Village in Seattle, to see what they had for sale at Ravenna Gardens. Then back home, and out to dinner with Nigel for Chinese. Well, he had Chinese, I had sushi.

Today was the Northwest Perennial Alliance's March Mania plant sale at Bellevue Botanical Gardens. Too bad it was rainy and cold, or I might have been tempted to take a look around the botanical garden. As it was, the sale was outside, but mostly under tents and awnings, so I managed to stay sort of dry. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera, and only remembered after I left the plant sale that I could take photos with my phone. I took photos of the flea market, and of Ravenna Gardens with my phone, but quite a few are blurry. I'll post the best ones, but bear with me, they're not great photos. But they'll get the point across.

I told Nigel before I left that I didn't think I'd buy much. Hah!

Famous last words.

Here are the treasures I bought at the plant sale. Most of these will be going in the gravel garden.

Lobelia tupa (in the big square pot), Sedum rupestre aureum, Sedum 'Button', Sedum ewersii, Sedum tetractinum 'Coral Reef'

Helleborus x hybridus 'Regal Ruffles', Sedum makinoi 'Ogon', Allium 'Globemaster', Allium aflatunense 'Purple Sensation', Sempervivum arachnoideum, Euphorbia characias 'Redwing'

Everything except the Hellebore and the Lobelia tupa are going into the gravel garden.

Here's a closeup of the double flower on that Hellebore.

After spending a pretty penny at the plant sale, I hopped into the car and went into Seattle to the 2nd Saturdayz flea market, at Magnuson Park in Northeast Seattle, where I found a wonderful treasure trove of antiques and other items ripe for being repurposed.

I thought three of these little gray card file drawers would make interesting plant containers. They were only $5 each, and had just the right amount of rust.

Isn't this concrete mushroom interesting? I loved it, but it didn't come home with me.

I really wanted this square washtub, but it was just a bit pricey for me.

See those longer metal card file drawers at the bottom left? Four of them came home with me. She had them priced for $14 each, but because I bought four, she let me have them for $10. I have interesting vertical gardening plans for them.

This wonderful booth had lots of lovely items too. Isn't this old gate cool?

And this blue corbel? If it had been concrete, it would almost certainly have come home with me to live in my garden.

I bought these cute decorative birdhouses on chippy painted spindles at that booth.

Several years ago, back when I lived in Massachusetts, I bought new spindles similar to these, with plans to make something similar. Did I? No. If I remember correctly, those spindles found a new home with one of my friends back east.

Only $15, and worth it to me not to have to make them myself.

My only other purchase at the flea market was these two brass sieves, destined to hold succulents. What do you think, should I polish them back to shiny brass, or leave them with this patina?

As I was on my way to the flea market, I realized I was passing University Village, a mall near the hotel where all the Flingers stayed last summer. I haven't been back to Ravenna Gardens, the boutique nursery in the mall since then, so I figured I was due for a visit.

Ravenna Gardens does wonderfully colorful displays.

I love the sentiment on that sign, but geez! They want almost $70 for it.

I wish my photos could do this unique shop justice. There are beautiful items wherever you turn.

I'm fascinated by these air plants. Silly me, I worry that they will die on me. I don't trust plants that don't need soil and water.

The shop has several racks of these non-hardy succulents. Candidates for those brass sieves, maybe?

They have lots of unique stuff outside the store too, like this cool shed. But it was cold and rainy outside.

At Ravenna Gardens I bought these two Burro's Tail Sedum. They're not hardy, so I'll have to take them in for the winter.

And I also got these three little rocks. Good things to strive for in life.

Well, that was the end of my shopping spree. Home I went! I hope you had fun coming along with me.