Amy (Plan-it-Earth Design) and I hit the road on one of those hot August days. Our destination was Dancing Oaks Nursery, just outside of Monmouth. It involved a beautiful drive through the countryside (we took the back way and avoided the confusion of Salem) and a couple of stops along the way.

This used to be Larson Farms. It was recently taken over by new owners who have been pouring new energy into the place and it shows.

The stock is well presented and cared for, the prices are good and the service is friendly. I look forward to checking back often, as they promise to have timely events and merchandise throughout the year.

Yes, of course I bought some things but I’ll save that for a later post or we could be here all day. Speaking of all day, this is a long drive, made longer by the fact that neither Amy nor I have much of a sense of direction. Traveling back roads, we got off the track and were having too much fun to notice until a sign that said “15 miles to Lincoln City”. Oops! We were nearly to the coast.

Backtracking ate up a good deal of time, and speaking of eating…the little town of Dallas OR looked like our best bet. Too late for lunch, too early for dinner, we did NOT eat at this rather charming little restaurant. Oh, well…food was not the highest priority on this trip. Besides, the day was getting away from us.

At last! The oaks were not dancing on this hot, still late afternoon but they were no less magnificent for that. We were greeted warmly, even though by now it was nearly official closing time, and encouraged to take as much time as we liked (these guys are SO gracious).

This place is inspiring. I swear, one of these days I will start out at the crack of dawn, pack a picnic lunch and spend the whole day here.

Of course it’s about the plants, but there are plenty of ideas for presentation as well. Any trip to Dancing Oaks should include plenty of time to wander the extensive display gardens.

There is a large plaza with water features. That huge pot on a pedestal holds bog garden plants and spills water into the pond.

Some of the happiest carnivores you will ever see live in the shallows of those water features.

Overlooking the plaza is a handsome building devoted to special gatherings and events. Get a load of the size of that palm on the left!

Not sure about the identity of this tree but loved the pale trunk and the candelabras of white flowers. Any ideas? I think that is ‘Esk Sunset’ on the right.

Everywhere we looked there were layers upon layers of elegant combinations.

See what I mean?

Even in death, these Alliums put on a show. Come to think of it, they do seem eerily spectral, haunting their little corner of the garden.

The chalices of this rain chain were a nice shape…and available for sale at point of check-out.

And now for a few parting shots, any of which I offer up as a vignette to link with Anna (Flutter and Hum) for her roundup of Wednesday Vignettes.