Late Autumn at Cistus Nursery

Earlier this fall, I took one last trip out to my favorite nursery, Cistus Nursery on Sauvie Island just outside of Portland. They were having their annual Tough Love sale, so I had to get in before the end of October. As it snowed in Portland today for the first time this season, it's a nice chance to look back at some colors other than white and gray.

Also, I must apologize for the tardy blog post, we experienced a family medical emergency over Thanksgiving weekend and needless to say, I have been preoccupied. All is well now and it's nice to get back in the swing of things. So, as the sign says, Walk this Way! 

Even the parking lot is fabulous! OK - let's take a tour of some colors, textures and glowiness (is that a word??) of the beauty that is the changing colors of autumn. Let's go!

But first up under the big tent is a Yucca rostrata. Love these spiky guys!

Oooo...what's the collective pronoun for a group of Yucca? A spike of Yuccas? Gaggle?

I know Loree of Danger Garden fame has photographed this corked fellow below. How handsome is he??!!

Oooo...multiple spiky things. Me want.

Multiple rosette-y things too. Me also want.

OK, so out of the big tent and on to the tables outside....here comes the red and oranges. I think I got the timing just right. Look at those maples!

Some beautiful Chrysanthemum x rubellum 'Clara Curtis' - very tempting but I walked on by. I do like some pinks, and if I were to buy any pinks, this would be it. Kind of fairy-like...nice!

More yummy autumnal foliage. I was so bad at noting what plants were what this trip, I was just a bit overwhelmed with the trip in general as I tend to be at Cistus.

Beautiful Vitis vinifera (I think)...lovely color.

Gorgeous color combinations.

Me thinks this is a Schefflera delavayi. Me thinks me loves. Will have to find room in the garden next year for one of these beauties. Maybe this current freeze we are experiencing will take care of that for me. **sniff** I hope not....but it looks like we're going to have a Phormium Killing Winter, a PKW. Darn!

The native Bear Grass - Xerophyllum tenax, a lovely native plant. Cistus has a good selection of Pacific Northwest natives.

 Purdy glowy goodness!

Some native Oxalis and ferns in the gardens...nice...for a shady area the native Oxalis is great for naturalization. I know some don't like it, but if it's given enough space and placed in a larger garden, it's quite lovely.

 Like I said, even the parking areas and surroundings are dreamy....

How about that gorgeous Acer color??

That's some fancy exfoliating bark!

Aah, the Eucalyptus. Such lovely fragrance. 

Then there was this funny tree... I did not catch the name but it had these odd fruits  hanging on.

What the corn? Anyone?

And now we've come full circle, back to the parking lot where the sale was winding down. I managed to find several little treasures to take home.

I did not photograph them, but I got three Hosta 'Mouse Ears'...so sweet, a Yucca 'Blue Boy', some Impatiens omeiana, a couple Yucca schottii - one for me, one for a friend. Nice haul, really. I know there was something else but my mind fails me right now. All in all, a steal at only $3 each.

And it wouldn't be a visit to Cistus without a beautiful Arctostaphylos. I am not sure which variety this guy is but they do have quite a large selection. If you were looking for one, they've got a great assortment and can help with one to fit your specific needs and size requirements. They are native to this area and Cistus does a great job educating the public about their many landscape virtues.

So next time around, I think we'll have to ponder the effects of the cold snowy weather we are experiencing...let's cross our fingers and hope that the spiky goodness is spared. And also hope my plant-wrapping skills are up to par. Until next time....what's new in your garden?