I went to the plant sale at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden in Federal Way today (Saturday). What a great sale! A large number of small nursery vendors took over about half the parking lot area of the garden. It was warm and sunny (in fact, I got sunburned, d'oh!) I took one long turn around, looking at everything, and then went back and picked up all the things that I had noted the first time around. They had a few grocery type shopping carts as well, and I managed to snag one. Fill 'er up!
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| There were plenty of plant vendors and plants to choose from! |
After the sale, I locked my new purchases in the car (hoping they wouldn't get too hot in there), and checked out the Rhododendron garden. I'm not a big fan of rhodies, to be honest. Yes, they're evergreen, but I've never grown one that had dense enough boughs to make a good screen. And they flower briefly in the spring (right now in fact), and then just ordinary leaves for the rest of the year. They seem to have a tendency to get twiggy and weak down below, which means they look somewhat better if you limb them up. But that, of course, makes them even less effective screens.
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| It's a lovely shaded walk from the parking lot to the garden. |
But they are beautiful when they flower.
They smell nice too. I never noticed a scent on the rhodie I grew in my garden in Massachusetts. But there was definitely a lovely, delicate scent in the air at the garden.
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| This bumble bee's butt didn't even twitch as I approached. I managed to get a picture using my macro setting, up close and personal. |
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| I came around a curve in the path, from shade into bright sunlight, and saw this hanging overhead. Just beautiful! |
Fortunately, if you're not that into rhodies, there are plenty of other plants there to amaze you.
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| This Arbutus menziesii is a fascinating specimen, with its twisty branches. |
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| The trunk had the trademark peeling bark. |
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| Under some trees a little further on is an enormous clump of Solomon's seal, looking to me like ballet dancers. |
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| Many were about to flower. |
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| Others were still emerging. |
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| Stumps and logs everywhere were covered with various kinds of moss. |
I came around another curve in the path and was confronted by this intriguing collection of stumps and twisted limbs. Is this what they call a stumpery? It was like a magical fairy tale land. I fully expected a wood nymph, or one of Tolkien's elves, to appear.
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| Rocks and soil were still caught in the roots of an upturned stump |
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| Look at that blue sky! |
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| A magnolia tree was also flowering. |
I only just scratched the surface of what's there at the Rhododendron Species Garden. There was so much more to see, but I was afraid my plants were frying in the car.
So what did I buy?
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| Peltoboykinia tellimoides -- I had never heard of this before, but I couldn't pass up those leaves! |
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| Oplopanax horridus, a native whose common name is devil's club |
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| Look at those spikes on the stem! |
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| Even the underside and top of the leaf bristles! |
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| Filipendula 'Red Umbrellas' |
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| Jeffersonia diphylla (aka twinleaf), an eastern native. I always wanted one when I lived back east. |
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| Saxifraga x geum 'Dentata' |
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| Aren't those the cutest leaves ever? |
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| Begonia grandis |
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| Cardoons, which are edible, but I bought them for the foliage |
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| Two shrubs, -- Callistemon subulatus and Grevillea 'Poorinda Leane.' |
I bought the shrubs from The Desert Northwest. I emailed Ian Barclay, the owner, and requested that he set them aside
for me, and he very gladly did! He chose fine specimens for me.
I hope you enjoyed coming along with me on my outing. I really want to go back and see even more of the garden! There's a lot I missed.
If you want to learn more about the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, check out
this link.
