Call it therapy

Keeping on top of everything as best as you can and not let things overwhelm you has been the theme of the past few weeks and my lack of posts and updates reflect that. My apologies to those who follow his humble blog.

I have a few blog entries Id like to write up as so much has happened and so many stories have yet to be shared!






For now, I send out my greetings from Portland, OR where I've attended a horticultural trade show, visited with friends and immersed myself with things I truly love (like this backyard!)

Farwest Trip: Sean Hogan and Cistus Nursery

The highlight of my trip down to Portland had to be my stay with Sean Hogan and Nathan Limprecht. They kindly let me stay over two night while I was down there and I couldn't have been more comfortable, more welcomed, and well, just plain spoiled!

The first night was an awesome party they threw with at least 250 people attending, flowing in and out, with many familiar faces such as garden and writer Lucy Hardiman of Perennial Partners, friends from the Miller Garden Richie Steffen and his partner Pick Peterson, Andre Suske from T & L Nursery, and even well known garden designer and nurseryman Thomas Hobbs, of Southlands Nursery, made an appearance. "Where was Dan Hinkley and Martha Stewart?" I wondered. Gosh...there were many other people who looked familiar and also new faces of wonderful people I had the pleasure of chatting with and getting to know.

After the chaos of plant driven geeks and freaks, I had some down time to chat with Sean, Nathan and a new colleague, George Hull, a friendly and knowledgeable plantsman from Arizona who was also staying with Sean and Nathan.
Sean doesn't need much of an introduction to the Pacific Northwest gardener. His Cistus Nursery has got to be the most sought after refuge for plantaholics worldwide and the vast diversity of plants he's grown and acquired over the years, and the knowledge he has about all of them, is simply astounding! He wrote a great book on broadleaf evergreens called, "Trees for all Seasons" published by Timber Press.

Nathan Limprecht is a fellow Next Generation Gardener who just blew me away when I first met him just a few years ago. A trained floral designer and a keen eye for unique and outrageous plants, he has brought so much to Cistus and to Sean; it was heart warming to see those two interact as it seems they've found a good balance between work and home life (both consumed by plants!). I dubbed Nathan as one of my best customers here at Landwave because of his curiosity for plants, his eagerness to learn, and his desire to purchase a plant that's not even fully rooted into the nursery container, but will still pay full price for it (hahah...j/k)! He must simply be in heaven working at Cistus!


The display gardens are simply breathtaking and easily overwhelming at Cistus, even to the experienced gardener!
Plants from all around the world are represented and upon entering the main sales house, you continue to hold your breath as you witness the wide assortment of choice plants for sale (and the cute guy watering them that morning).

The special treat for me was going with Sean through their production houses and private poly tunnels to see their "works in progress". Wonderful hardy Begonias and Scheffleras made my jaws drop and their selections of my new obsession, Asian Mahonia species, made my trip down to Oregon feel like Christmas!. Check out my Flickr page so I don't inundate this blog with pictures!


I want to thank Sean for his hospitality and his generosity (as he gave me a handful of treasures to grow on and evaluate, which includes this rare Mahonia eurybracteata I'm holding).

While the Farwest Show was kind of a bust, getting to spend time with wonderful friends and fantastic plants was totally worth it.

Greetings from Farwest

actually, greetings from the house of Sean Hogan, owner of the famous Cistus Nursery in Sauvie Island, OR.

I drove down to Portland to visit friends, colleagues and to attend the annual Farwest Horticultural Trade Show being held at the Oregon Convention Center.

I typically hate long drives, but having a far more reliable vehicle and having turned down invitations to visit, I felt compelled to come down, take some time off of my usual work and just take it easy. I'll always be doing plant stuff, but without the added stresses of work, clients, and a home garden that's been desperate for some attention for quite some time.

I had registered to just see the exhibits and visit with the vendors this time around, but I was a bit disappointed in what was being offered. While my primary focus is on plants, no one seemed to have anything that I absolutely must have or have to buy in to sell. Perhaps I'm just being more stingy on my finances and know that there are plants that I really can live without (HA!....haven't hit up Cistus Nursery yet...lol).

So, the show has really been about meeting up with people I've met in the past, meet new people to build on my network of growers who "speak my botanical lingo" and perhaps learn something new about a piece of equipment I can't afford.

I'm such a little guy compared to a lot of these big growers and vendors here, but my ID badge states that I'm in "Research/Education" vs. having a real specific title. According to some people I meet and chatted with today, they feel like the smaller growers are the ones actually thriving during this tough economy while bigger growers are going bankrupt. It's hard to gauge if this is really true, but I'd like to think that the interest is still there and the industry will continue to progress and move forward.

There's still lots to see and do while I'm down here. I'm hoping to visit my friend Jon Evers of Amazing Grasses who's been a bit down about poor sales this season, I'd like to offer him some moral support in the hopes that things turn around for him and it would be nice just to catch up.

Of course I plan on hitting Cistus, going back to Farwest to visit vendors I missed today and collect more literature and it'll be time to head back home.

More later!

R