OK, technically, it's not mid-winter, it's early winter, but it feels like spring is right around the corner, and besides, Molbak's in Early Winter lacks alliteration.
On a recent cold, gray, damp day Nigel and I ventured out to Molbak's, about an hour north of us in Woodinville. I had recently received an email notice form them that they were having a 30% off sale on all houseplants and pottery. Our conversation in the car went like this:
Nigel: So what's happening at Molbak's?
Alison: They're having a 30% off sale on houseplants.
N: But you don't like houseplants.
A: What? Yes, I do. All those tropical plants out in the greenhouse? Those are houseplants, it's just that they're out there.
N: Oh. Ok....Are we there yet?
Last time I was at Molbak's, before Christmas, I saw a couple of plants that I wanted, but sadly left behind, kind of the inverse of Buyer's Remorse. Call it Why Didn't I Buy That Remorse. So after getting Nigel safely ensconced in the little coffee shoppe there, I grabbed a cart and made the rounds.
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| Talavera gnomes! |
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| Last time I was there, there was a lot more Talavera pottery, including plenty of those adorable geckos hanging on the wall. |
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| I put that square pot on the right into my cart. |
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| They had lovely, large crested bird's nest ferns. |
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| I brought home one of the larger bird's nest ferns. |
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| They had quite a few smaller ones too! |
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| Look at the veins on these Alocasia 'Polly.' So cool. And irresistible! I put one of these in my cart as well. |
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| I was so very tempted by these fabulous pitcher plants. |
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| I almost put one of these in my cart. But I was afraid I'd end up killing it. |
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| Nope! I left them behind. |
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| They had lots of brightly colored Bromeliads, but I already have quite a few. |
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| So bright and colorful though! |
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| This gold-leaved Schefflera was tempting. But it's the houseplant one, not hardy outside here. |
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| Monstera deliciosa is such a great name for a plant, isn't it? |
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| I had seen these rat-rail cactus last time too, so I bought one of them. |
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| This one, in fact! |
There are apparently quite a few Latin names for rat tail cactus, and I'm not sure they're all synonyms. I think this might be
Cleistocactus winteri, which is also called tarantula cactus. They do look rather spidery. It really should be hung, because of the arms/legs, but I think for a while I may just put it in that square Talavera pot.
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| They had lots of Echevarias, but none of them grabbed me, so I didn't grab back. |
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| Some day I really should buy a Sanseveiria, I hear they're unkillable. These were a variety called 'Bantel's Sensation.' |
All the signs had a common name of Snake Plant, but I've always known
them as Mother-in-Law's Tongue.
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| This little spiky succulent is called Faucaria tigrina 'Tiger Jaws.' |
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| I bought one, but I'm not crazy about those dandelion-like flowers. |
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| Bird's nest ferns and flowering Kalanchoe |
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| I was rather taken by these Tillandsias in shells, but I worried it would be hard to water them. |
Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, it depends on how you look at it), the orchids weren't included in the 30% off sale. There were some beautiful specimens though.
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| Frost-proof AW Pottery is very popular, and was included in the sale |
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| They had lots of great cachepots too |
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| So colorful and retro-looking |
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| I was tempted by these cool pots, shaped somewhat like Hershey's kisses. |
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| Look what you can do with them! |
Anyway, Molbak's is having a sale on houseplants and pottery, from now
until the 19th of January, so if you're local, hie thee hence. I'm already suffering from Why Didn't I Buy That Remorse. Again.
The Hershey pots. The Monstera philodendron. The pitcher plant.
