My Favorite Nursery

I've learned so much about climate appropriate plants from working with Sean Hogan, President of the Portland Botanical Gardens and owner of Cistus Nursery on Sauvie Island, northwest of the city of Portland, OR. My new courtyard garden (photos coming soon, I promise!) will contain plants that will thrive in our Mediterranean climate - mild, wet winters, and temperate sunny and dry summers. (Well most of the time....except recently it seems.) 

I've planted a few smaller plants in my courtyard, but today I was in the mood for the big plants. So I went out to Cistus, always a joy to drive there on the island. Fortunately, the manager went to find a plant for me and found Sean propagating sempervivums in one of the greenhouses. So he came out for a visit and I left with five plants that Sean told me I need ;-)

Most exciting of all is my new olive tree! Olea europa 'Eleventh Avenue" named for a dwarf form (only 12' tall) found outside Sean's former home in the city. 

Just in case you are a plant geek, I also bought Daphne 'Perfume Princess', Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Riptide' (which you won't find anywhere but Cistus, I think); Lonicera japonica 'Gold Nancy', a Cistus introduction named after the friend who brought them the cutting, and finally, Mahonoia eurobracteata 'Cistus Silvers', also a Cistus introduction. The latter is for a large shady pot on my deck. 

So I'll plant all these tomorrow and Saturday, before the rain returns on Sunday! 

So thought I'd share Cistus Nursery on a sunny afternoon. What a place!