An excellent plant adventure; return visits to RPR and the BigJohn Hicks Oasis

Last Saturday was the annual Rare Plant Research open house, and naturally I was there. This is the 22nd year in a row I've attended this event, which is always held the 3rd weekend in May. How is that even possible? That I've been going for 22 years, and that I've been in the same place, on the same weekend (rain or shine), that many years in a row? Crazy. Burl (owner of RPR) mentioned he was going to be winding down operations, so who knows how many more years I've got?

I was rather taken with the flowers on this Euphorbia cap-saintemariensis, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't love the plant in its non-flowering stage—plus it was expensive. Thus I left it behind.

I was a rather subdued shopper all around, only picking out a couple things I went knowing I wanted, like another saracennia. One of mine has failed to grow new pitchers this spring, wonder if it had anything to do with the ginormous slug family I found living in the pot?

I love eavesdropping at this sale, listening in on the other shoppers. My favorite quote this year came from a lady who was thrilled to spot the bug-eating African violets (yes, she was talking about the saracennia).

Killing time hoping that the long line to pay would dwindle, we (my friend Scott—maker of this garden—was my partner in crime for the day) walked up to tour around the grounds of the house above the nursery, home for Burl and his wife Cyndi. We were rewarded with a blooming Agave parryi...

What beefy bloom spike!

The bromeliad vertical garden at the house is looking a little tired. Time to add some more plants to the mix!

Ah, nice ferns!

Matteuccia struthiopteris perhaps? (ostrich fern)

Okay, we're back down at the nursery now, and it's time to pay for our plants! Here's Scott's fabulous haul: Yucca rostrata, colorful bromeliad, a NoID brown plant with small leaves (perhaps Haloragis erecta ‘Wellington Bronze’), a sarracenia, Agave montana, and three very very very spiky opuntia.

My small haul: sarracenia, tillandsia, and a bromeliad.  

After we were done at Rare Plant Research we swung by Mike and Megan's garden, the BigJohn Hicks Oasis. I was there a couple of times last summer (post here) and wondered what it would look like in mid-May. Amazing is the word, it looked absolutely amazing...

Oh the tree ferns!

And the Polygonatum kingianum... (well I suppose the Impatiens omeiana deserves a mention to).

Mike has been busy putting together creative plantings, including these kokedama creations. I loved the combination of Arthropodium candidum 'Maculatum' and Pyrrosia lingua.

So good! (I wish my photos were better)

Rhododendron 'Ever Red'

More Arthropodium candidum 'Maculatum' (the San Marcos Growers website calls it "a grassy bulbous deciduous perennial from New Zealand").

I've got a couple patches of this plant in my garden now (thanks to Little Prince Plants), but Mike and Megan's plants are next level gorgeous. 

As are their Parablechnum novae-zelandiae (aka Blechnum novae-zelandiae).

These podophyllum! The were HUGE! I should have gotten a hand in there for scale. Mike said they came from Ernie and Marietta O'Byrne.

Oh look! More Arthropodium candidum 'Maculatum' and Parablechnum novae-zelandiae. Great combination.

*Sigh*... maybe someday I'll take the plunge and get a Podophyllum difforme -Starfish Form, so strange (in the very best way)!

More tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) appreciation.

Damn! Astelia ('Red Devil'?) and Paris polyphylla var. stenophylla 'Luquanensis'. This combo gets me every time I visit.

I was so focused on the individual plants during our visit that I neglected to take any landscape images. This might be the most pulled-back shot I got. Can you believe their gunnera is so massive in mid May? The mild winter has certainly helped our PNW gardens start the season right. Sadly I keep hearing we might be paying for the odd winter with water restrictions later in the season.

The plant directly under the gunnera in the above photo, Scadoxus puniceus.

I didn't get the name of this bright happy bromeliad... isn't it stunning?

Okay, a few more new plants. We stopped at Mike and Megan's so I could drop off a plant, but ended up leaving with plants too! Schefflera  'Mato', Mike remembered I wanted one of these when I was last at Little Prince and he nabbed me one. It's not hardy here in Portland, but it will spend summer vacation outdoors.

The rest of my haul..."extras" Mike had at the house and offered up to Scott and I.

Abutilon 'Fairy Coral Red'

And a few Haworthia attenuata 'Concolor'  (green) and Gasteria 'Kaleidoscope' (brown, which may be a stress color, all the photos I saw online are green).

Okay, one last plant and it's a great one, Agave ovatifolia 'Orca', a gift from Scott. The poor thing has lived a rough life out there in the ocean (or rather being shipped across the country in a box) but from now on it's going to be treated like royalty. I'm so excited to have joined the variegated Agave ovatifolia club (one I'd been priced out of). Coincidently I believe one of the variegated agaves I featured towards the end of last Friday's RBG post (4th from the bottom) is an 'Orca'.

The Bit at the End

Do you know Niwaki? It's a Japanese company with all sorts of gorgeous garden tools and other things. They've just released a new line of garden clothing and accessories in a camo pattern, it's unlike any camo you've ever seen before, kinda fun... here.

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All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Sound Gardener's garden...

Today we're visiting my friend Michelle's garden near Carkeek Park in NW Seattle. Michelle's Instagram and (currently inactive) blog both go by the name of Sound Gardener, hence the title of the post. This is the view that greeted me as I came through the front gate...

Further in I turned back to admire the tree fern, Dicksonia antarctica (one of a pair), Michelle planted last fall (serious plant envy)...

The gate I used is in the shady area in the upper right of this photo, these plantings are in the SE corner of the garden.

It was so nice to see a loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) of this size in Seattle. I feel like it's an extremely under planted tree up there (except for in my friend Scott's garden).

Near the gate was this sad Trachycarpus (I forgot to ask, but I'm assuming winter damage) whose trunk was being used for staghorn mounting.

Looking to the west, a planted up area in the L made by the house and the garage.

Michelle is a first rate plant collector, which made this pared back planting of Aspidistra elatior and Muehlenbeckia complexa 'Big Leaf' even more special. I mean it's obviously a perfect combination with the dark charcoal of the house and built-in planter, but what restraint!

Blechnum gibbum 'Silver Lady' (I think).

Oh the Pyrrosia!

Working our way along the front of the house, dreamy Brassaiopsis dumicola.

Who needs flowers with a foliage mix like this? That's Lysimachia paridiformis var. stenophylla in the upper left, and the powdery blue foliage belongs to a Vireya.

This feels very familiar, plants hanging from branches... there's nothing better!

I meant to ask about the mossy pots, they're super cool... especially planted up with my favorite pyrrosia.

More sexy aspidistra against that dark house color, and Fatsia polycarpa 'Needham's Lace' (or maybe 'Green Fingers'?).

Turning back towards the fence; canna, and banana, and palms...

I know Trachycarpus princeps is the holy grail for PNW palm lovers, but I never really got it until looking at this plant. Yep, it's special.

Another canna, and banana, and palm shot, but looking to the left and a different section of the garden.

Love that finely cut Schefflera delavayi (Heptapleurum delavayi) foliage.

I think Michelle identified that toothy eryngium, but I cannot remember. Maybe it's E. agavifolium? Michelle thinks perhaps Eryngium pandanifolium var lesseauxii

I fully intended to tromp over closer to get a better look at the variegated Aralia elata but I forgot. At least I got a photo...

There's the second tall tree fern, over near the house.

So beautiful...

I gasped when I saw this Saxifrage, anyone know what it is?

Fun combo of volunteer fern and Sarracenia.

Nolina hibernica 'La Siberica' and Grevillea victoriae, in the foreground.

Another Eryngium on the left there, maybe E. eburneum? E. paniculatum?

These tree ferns along the north side of the house have been in place longer than the two tall ones we saw earlier, obviously Michelle knows a thing or two about overwintering them successfully.

I really need to get with it and put a couple in the ground.

We're in the back garden now and checking out the xeric plantings along the back of the house. I think this was called out as Cheilanthes lanosa.

Agave montana? It's a super spiky hottie whatever it is.

There was also a good looking Agave ovatifolia...

And a Yucca aloifolia, maybe 'Magenta Magic'.

It's not often you see a Banksia serrata (I believe) in a PNW garden. If I remember correctly Michelle picked it up for free at the Washington Park Arboretum greenhouse, fingers crossed it performs long term.

Butia capitata, I think? I am palm stupid so... Michelle reports that it's actually Butia eriospatha.

Damn! Echium pininana...

There's the Echium pininana again from the other side..

It seems everyone's got a Wollemia nobilis these days except me!

One last back garden pic, yes that's a variegated Daphniphyllum...

And a quick snap as we walk back through the front garden. I've known Michelle for 6-ish years now... it was wonderful to finally get to visit her garden! 

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All material © 2009-2025 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.