Heronswood open house.

They recently rezoned this as rural/commercial. They have been building strip malls up here ever since. My neighbor has had his hay sales for years also, so I don't have to worry about that. I'll probably work M-Th and open the nursery F-Su. At least the first year. After that I hope it takes off. I'll see you tommorow Heidi!!

Go for it Gordon, When I get this place cleaned up and my bigger GH and retire thats where I'm going. You have been out here and seen it. Might not be as big as Heidi's but I could incorp. my neighbor who has the 40 acres behind me. I would so love that.

Oh and some sad news for you, if you have not been to Lynnwood lately. They just tore down Jimbo's and the pizza place on that corner, it's all been leveled. Sorry.
Tills

NWG, I told my DH about your idea and he liked it, too. I saw just the art for you today as well. (lol-kidding) I saw 2ft across terra cotta baseballs, footballs, and a basketball in a nursery I happened across today.....

Those would be so cool! Could do a sport bed! Football mums, and cheerleader mums. Could put a goal post up and grow vines up it. Must be other sport related plants. I saw on PDN that they had some of the ivy from Boston's Fenway Park, that would be cool.
There are no bad ideas, thanks Sue!

Bluestone Perennials has a wide selection of very beautiful football mums. I think it's an awesome idea! You could have Jim make one of his orbs painted like a soccer ball. Remember, we're trying to attract the high testosterone set here.

You could do baskets with team colors. That would be a challenge.

Instead of fairy gardens you could do miniature ballpark gardens, or train-set gardens... ;)

Gordon's Gardens Manursery. Looks cool and sounds cool, but how many women, who buy most of the plants and do most of the gardening in the family, are going to react. Making the bulk of nursery patrons upset won't bode well, me thinks.But then, have you ever seen the catalog for Plant Delights Nursery? The bulk of his email is people offended by his descriptions or the catalog cover. Listing salvia Black and Blue as 'Domestic Violence' wasn't to smart, but they are the best online nursery out there. Pricey, but great plants, and thats the bottom line I think for every gardener.
Does anyone else think epemidiums are the next hot plant?I think hostas are about ready to take over here.They are so big back east, and grow like weeds out here.
This is a pic of one of Jim's not named hostas. His Empress Wu series is just too cool!

Oh Lordy! He's doing an entire series with Empress Wu?? That's a very cool hosta. Plant Delight's catalog is certainly cool, but I think you called it on that salvia. Not a good choice.
I'm thinking that women would flood your place. Just try to get a woman to stay away from a nursery if she is a plant nut. It doesn't matter what it's called. Plus, I think that many people would come out of sheer curiosity. Also, there is the entire 'marketing' thing in terms of helping women buy more plants that their husband's would approve of. What husband could object to his wife buying plants that are manly?? No, I don't think you need worry about that. You could have a 'ladies' area if you really wanted to.
I do think epimidiums have been hot for awhile. I remember when it was very, very expensive to buy any kind of epimidium. Last year I was able to buy some at my local hardware store. I think that's the hardest part of setting up a nursery. Competition from the bigger stores.

Have you seen this catalog? http://www.arrowhead-alpines.com/ac-am.htm I have the paper copy. It is an interesting experience reading it. The guy must be a complete curmudgeon, but he has cool plants. Some of the plants listed are not even given any kind of description that makes sense. You should order a copy and read it. Can't believe he sells so many plants.

I think you should also stress that we live in a rainforest with wetlands and that your plants are wetland friendly. That will be another draw.

And then the HUGE feature in front with the mutliple mature Devil's Club plants will be too much to pass up. ;-)

Absolutely!!! That would bring people from miles around!!!

I'm moving all the devil's club up front then! One behind the gunnera would just look too cool!

Gordon, I don't know about a series of Empress WU. but there are several seedling crosses, SkyLight X Empress Wu, Dorothy Benedict x Empress Wu. that I'm evaluating. the one in TC will be called Blue Wu. there is one SL X EW seedling that has a blue puckered leaf, that I'm liking a lot. that might fit the bill. I don't know about the DB x EW. I'm hoping that one will have the streaking of DB, so far that hasn't happened. but some of them are going to be in the very large catagory. Melissa, a orb like a soccer ball? Jim

Hey, it could work, Jim! LOL Of course, use the metallic paint. You cannot have a 'plain' soccer ball orb.
Love the idea of a hosta called 'Blue Wu'.

Gordon, DEFINITELY put the Devil's club with the Gunnera. Very cool.

Hey, a nursery down here just had an "event" where they had one of the touring Nascar cars on display-they advertised it all over. That seems awfully "guyish" sort of thing for a nursery, so I think there has to be a reason or market-or at least it got the couples to the nursery???

Jim, your hostas are just wonderful. I wish I could come up with a name to add to your list. I'll keep thinking about it. :)

Call it a series, Jim! Nthing cooler than having one hosta followed by anouthe hosta. Look at Stained Glass, Cathedral windows, guacamole, wholly mole, sum &substance, grand canyon, all one right after anouther. Some day going to have a Wu row at my house the way you are going! So cool to know the guy who hyberdized the plant I could plant in my yard!!

Sue - good idea. There's lots of Nascar up around Snohomish, so there are probably plenty of guys driving by.

So when my nephew is planning for a big court case, they have a panel of people come, listen to their argument and then answer and debate questions. This helps them to understand where the jury is coming from.

Maybe you need a panel of guys. Then you need to show them various landscapes, garden and nursery scenes and see what appeals to them. Big grasses? Lots of grass? Big leaves? Stinky flowers? Them plants and scenes (Nascar, sports). Color? No color?

Jim - I can't believe the work you're doing with the hostas. We need to get lists of them names going for you so you can select from among them for your hybrids. LOL I may have to sneak over to Gordon's in the middle of the night and liberate a few of the Wu family . . .

Yes, Kathy, the Wu's are imprisoned at Gordon's. Better go rescue them in the dead of night! LOL! The Empress and her fam are being held by Gordon for his nursery!

Hi Pixy I have ordered from arrowhead and he has some cool plants. Heidi

Help yourself! They are planted right under the devil's club, thru the stinging nelltes, and between some nice blackberries. Good shady spot!

Nice . . .

I can tell he does, Heidi. I drool over that catalog at least once a week. I'm on a plant-buying hiatus, though. I put all my pots together to make one pot ghetto and I was disgusted at the number. I must remind myself that YOU are the one who owns a nursery, not ME. I don't need to look like a nursery here. And yet, I do. So no ordering plants for awhile.

A little variety is good for any nursery. My DH does not prefer plants with big floppy leaves. What he wants is plants with agricultural value. Whenever I bring a new plant home, his first question is, "Can you eat it?" There are many edible flowers along with fruiting shrubs and trees that we need to add to our landscape and would appreciate a good source for.

Hi Pixy I understand about buying too much. I have been much better this year. I haven't bought nearly as much as I did the year before. The nursery is packed only because I have potting up my pot gehetto and bring it down to the nursery.. I have tried to be good as well . It is tough though. Hope your son is doing OK. Sometimes I wish I could get my mouth wired shut then maybe I would loose a few pounds. Heidi

Susy, Katie, Gordon, Melissa, et al, my Skylight X Empress Wu plants are doing quite well and some are showing some interesting leaf textures and colors from blue to green. I haven't done a lot of culling because of this. I want to watch them for another year or two before I start tossing them out. none are as blue as the Blue Wu in TC though. I'm doing some hybridizing with ones that I think have potential. Jim

Just curious. Does Burpee still own Heronswood or have they sold it to someone else?

Congratulations on your variety, Jim. I will be so interested in hearing/seeing how they develop.

Pajaritomt: Yes, George Ball still owns Heronswood. According to the website, it's on sale for [only] 3 million right now, but I understand that there is a condition that no nursery will be opened. I can imagine that Mr. Ball would have a lot of egg on his face if someone opened a successful nursery after his attempts failed . . .

Besides, Mr. Ball probably doesn't want the competition. Thanks for letting me know. I heard it was for sale a while back but didn't know if anyone had bought it.

Great job Jim, Happy Day for you soon LOL.
In the highlights.
Tills

Mary, thanks for the encouragement, the summer has gone by sooo fast. it won't be long before I start germinating seeds from my crosses, usually I start in mid Oct. sometimes I feel like the mad scientest mixing up the gene pool of Hostas, Jim

Don't forget to wear your white smock. Ha Ha LOL

Hi Jim,

Wow, sounds like you've got some very nice plants in the works. Sounds like next year's babies could be veery interesting, too.
(Lol on the lab coat & mad scientist....guess you'll have to watch for dark, heavy thunderstorms to do your crossing..lol)


Seems like my pot ghetto abhors a vacuum even when I'm trying to not acquire more plants. I can't keep it empty, no matter what. Seems like it only takes a couple of weeks after I finally feel like it's under control before I can hardly walk through it again...

Mary, you've seen my basement ( dungeon ) so you know the white coat wouldn't help. I keep saying one day I'll finish the basement. but then where would I do my garden spheres. and be able to mix mortar and make a big mess. Jim

Susy, I'll always have that pot ghetto until fall, then I get them in the greenhouse or in the ground. I just try to keep them watered well until then. I haven't lost a plant yet. though, Jim

Yes I have and So has Susy, I can just picture you in a lab coat, going to one or the other like the Mad hatter. And I like your Basement, wish I had one, finished or not. Like to make messes but have do it in the kitchen then have to clean it up. LOL

Just when you think you have the getto under control, up pops more, and never ending story.

Jim, you live in the woods as me, have you see ants do this?
My DH cut into a cedar stump and hundreds of ants came out they had bored into it like making a ocean reef, so to speak. And they bite not sting. Have any clue?

This is the stump, or whats left of it. Pretty big.

Another shot, there is a ant there somewhere!!
I want to know what they are, any clue?

Mary - are you sure they're ants. Are they red and do they have wings?

We have Pacific Dampwood Termites that are emerging in their nymph form right now (at dusk, mostly) and looking for new places to roost.

I first saw them last year at (almost) exactly this time.

Sorry, they're "winged reproductives". They don't turn into nymphs until they drop their wings:

http://www.forestry.ubc.ca/fetch21/FRST308/lab8/zootermopsis_angusticollis/dampwood.html

No these are ants, no doubt about it, no wings. and I know what a termite is and there companion is which is the carpenter ant, Have them.
This is the best close up I can get.