Replacing the Dead of Winter

The only good thing about the uncommonly cold winter (from a gardening perspective) is that I get to go shopping to replace plants we lost. Luckily (or unluckily depending on your plant-addiction level), I live within minutes of several epic nurseries. To name a few, Xera Plants, Cistus, Joy Creek, Garden Fever and Portland Nursery are all ones I've visited in the last two weeks. I know. I know. I'm spoiled.

First up is Cistus Nursery. Now, I hadn't planned on visiting recently as the Yard Garden & Patio show was at the Convention Center, that was my total focus for weeks. As luck would have it, we woke to freezing rain. Du'OH! Not that a little freezing rain scared us off--oh no! We went all the same. I had so anticipated stocking up on my grocery list of plants. I was simply giddy. Know what? I did not buy one plant. Shocker! I'm pretty picky these days, I guess. So rather than go home empty handed, we drove to Sauvie Island to Cistus and then to Scappoose to Joy Creek, which just opened for the season on the 1st of March.

 Under the big top at Cistus! See the Astelia 'Red Gem' in the middle? That bad boy came home with me. A splurge indeed.

 Out on the front porch, our two gorgeous Phormiums died. Yes, it was a PKW, Phormium killing winter. I have seen just one Phormium alive around town, but every other one is gone, baby, gone.

 My husband picked these sexy spiky plants out to replace the dead Phormiums - two gorgeous Dasylirion wheeleri, also from Cistus. I like his choice.

On an earlier trip to Cistus a few weeks ago, I bought some Sedum rubrotinctum (my previous ones are mush from the freeze), Cheilanthes tomentosa or Wooly Lipped Fern and a small Astelia 'Red Gem':

 This little Astelia replaces a mucho mushy Cotyledon. Darn. And there was another Phormuim behind this pot....also long gone and a pile of mush.

 Wooly-Lipped fern, likes sun and dry. Great! Gorgeous foliage.

 There's the sedum in the little pot and one of two Dasylirion wheeleri in the big one.

I also brought home this sexy Agave 'Blue Glow'. The friendly new chap at Cistus recommended it and went into the back nursery to pull one from mail order. Oh-my-god this is gorgeous.Yes, please!

 Here's the jumbo-sized Astelia 'Red Gem' in its new home on the front porch area. Hoping it will hide the gas meter thing eventually. The Callistemon to the left looks dead :(   Got it at Portland Nursery for my birthday. I hope he lives!

 Next up on the list is Joy Creek. Although I took no photos at the nursery (remember it was freezing rain this day...too cold to break out the camera), I managed to get a Penstemon pinifolius and Sedum 'Bertram Anderson'. This is the Penstemon that is evergreen, hardy and so cute!

Several weeks ago, I ordered a Rhodie from Gossler Farms:

 Rhododendron pachysanthum. So beautiful, those leaves. Loree of Danger Garden blogged about one she saw at Cornell Farms here.

So I ripped out an old, scraggly Rhodie that came with the house to make room for this little guy and three Polypodium scouleri (purchased at Garden Fever).

Oh, speaking of Cornell Farms, I managed to stop by there and buy a Sedeveria 'Jet Beads'.

Last weekend while the husband was out of town, I did some damage at Xera Plants, Portland Nursery and Smith Rock. No, not THAT Smith Rock for rock climbing, rather THIS Smith Rock for landscape rocks in SE Portland. 

It's called a "Bronze Bird Bowl" - they had a bunch to choose from. The owner came out, super friendly, and offered his help should I need it. I told him what I was looking for and wanted a bird bath with personality. We both went for the same one, so it was a done deal, meant to be! Who knew this little rock would weight in at 150 pounds? I guess it's not going anywhere! LOVE that Smith Rock. They have such selection of not only these, but tons (literally) of all kinds of landscape rocks.

Earlier in the day at Xera, I bought this Saxifraga x geum 'Dentata'

 This little native Iris x pacifica.

Geum 'Marmalade'. I also purchased a native Geum triflorum. Loves me some Xera Plants!

And finally,....another small-ish project that the husband took on, all those extra paver bricks which came from this project ended up in a new and improved location.

A solid path in front of the veggie bed. Nice! More "bones" for the garden.

(Hey, that's Hobbes the boy Bengal sniffing around, inspecting our handy work. He's the boss of us.)

Here's what the veggie path used to look like, all gravel and messy. 

So that's what we've been up to here at Chickadee Gardens...happily soaking in every dry moment and planting away. I guess losing a few plants is an opportunity to try new and better and HARDIER things. I bought another Vaccinium ovatum or evergreen huckleberry and a few other native guys at Portland Nursery. All my native plants have done so well that I'm continuing down that path as much as I can (and adding in a little zing from New Zealand!) Lesson learned, for now at any rate.

And last but not least, a fond farewell from my new buddy at Cistus:

 He followed me everywhere, hoping to get me to throw sticks. I happily obliged!

 What a cutie pie!

It seems we've been busy despite the fact that it's winter - and I have a feeling we'll keep going through spring which is FINE by me!

Happy gardening until next week!