I was faced with a delightful dilemma: how to use a generous gift certificate at Portland Nursery. We should all have such problems, right? Well, it’s not as easy as it sounds. I wanted it to be something really special, and it took three trips before something finally clicked. On the day that the stars aligned, I had spent the early part of the day on the ANLD pre-tour. Showy tall pots had been a theme running through all of the gardens, and a plant that had been on my want list for ages showed up looking every bit as seductive as the photo I’d been carrying around.
I started with the plant: Stachyrus salicifolius. It’s hard to capture in a photo, but the growing tips of those long, willowy leaves have a reddish tint. When I spotted this pot, the first thing I noticed was how the color matched those growing tips. It wasn’t until I got it home and started potting it up that I noticed how the carved relief of the pot echoes the leaf shapes. Then I started finding other pots to add to the grouping.
Terra cotta pots mix well, especially this one containing Drimys lanceolata with deep red bark.
Stepping back, I’m really liking the whole collection. Thank you, Marilyn, for the wonderful gift. Putting this all together is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.
Another gift (can you believe my good fortune?) We had a Dads’ Day BBQ, and this was a hostess gift. We really should entertain more often. Some of the plants I recognize and others are new to me. I love the crowded composition with many textures and colors. It’s a look I only rarely come close to accomplishing, and then only after the arrangement has had a chance to grow into lushness.
Pam Pennick at digging gives us all the gift of a forum for foliar appreciation mid-month, each and every month. Thank you, Pam.
Beautiful combination, I love that pot. Wow, the succulent garden is a lovely hostess gift.
Score on both accounts! And an A+ for container choice.
Love the habit and foliage of Stachyurus salicifolius, must have one soon! And nice pots btw!
Interesting. I didn’t know about Stachyurus salicifolia. It looks great in the pot. I too have noticed a tall pot trend and think I may have jump on the bandwagon.
That’s a smashing combo!
Fabulous pot and plant pairing, Ricki, and I like seeing the whole vignette too. So pretty! And yes, that’s a lovely hostess gift.
Shirley~Yes, Judy & Morgan definitely upped the ante where hostess gifts are concerned.
Alison~I was kind of surprised, when I got it home, that so many things played well with it.
Wendy~Long silence…welcome back!
Loree~Thanks, teach!
Mark & Gax~Lust after a plant long enough and it will find its way to you.
Sarah~I like how the tall pots elevate the plants and leave lots of room for drainage.
Heather Smashing…can’t beat that!
Pam~The tall pot in your FFU post was a stunner as well.
Thanks for this link, you have bought a plant I don’t know at all, I’m going to check to see if it would survive our winters, it would be a lovely foliage plant for the terrace.
Christina~And not only foliage…long strings of bead-like flowers in (Feb?).
Wow great pot/plant combos! What fun gifts!
Peter~That Marilyn sure knows the way into my little green heart.
Your container ensemble is amazing. I love it. The hostess gift is a very kind gesture as well. Pretty soon you’ll be sharing the pups with friends.
Grace~I was needing some new material to press onto friends. These succulents reproduce like rabbits.