About 10 days ago, a friend and I paid a quick visit to Roger's Gardens, one of my favorite "local" garden centers (about 45 miles from my home). We dropped by after visiting Sherman Garden's plant sale nearby. As we had reservations for lunch, we didn't have a lot of time. In the process of doing a little plant shopping, I checked out several of the garden center's demonstration beds, which are often good sources of inspiration.
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| Roger's always plants this sloped area in the front section of the nursery with interesting plants but I'm not sure I've ever seen a more striking display than this one, featuring what I'm guessing is the new Helianthus 'Sunbelievable Brown-eyed Girl'. I bought a different bushy sunflower called 'Sunfinity' last year at another nursery but this one's reported to have more bloom power. |
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| This bed adjacent to the checkout area is replanted seasonally. As befits our dry summer conditions, numerous drought tolerant plants were used, including bright yellow Achillea 'Moonshine' in this section. Helichyrsum petiolare (aka licorice plant) and Phlomis fruticosa (or a relative) were planted nearby. |
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| At the other end of the bed, succulents and Stachys byzantina (lamb's ear) provided a muted palette. I didn't look at the succulents closely enough to determine whether they were Agaves or Mangaves but I think the vignette demonstrates how well sculptural succulents like these can be combined with softer foliage plants. |
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| I was surprised as how much I liked this block-y display, light on flowers, featuring a number of shrubs |
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| This is the same display, photographed from a different angle. I noticed what I think are Pittosporum tenuifolium and Westringia fruticosa (aka coastal rosemary) among other shrubs, as well as a mass of silvery Dichondra. |
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| The vertical garden in the background here is planted with various succulents |
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| This side of the structure, the backdrop for Roger's periodic seminars, was planted out with even more succulents, some flowering |
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| Roger's has put a lot of emphasis on planting for pollinators and wildlife in recent years. I'm not able to identify many of the plants from these photos snatched on the fly but that impressive mass of white flowers is Achillea 'Sonoma Coast'. Verbena bonariensis is planted behind it. The plants in front of the low concrete wall are pollinator-friendly specimens for sale. |
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| View of the same bed from a different angle. Sunflowers (Helianthus) are visible in the background. I suspect the sculpture pieces are by Dustin Gimbel. |
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| This display also gets changed out seasonally. It features Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Helichyrsum petiolare, and what appeared to be Senecio serpens (blue chalk sticks) on steroids, as wells as Agave, Mangave and what might have been Dianella. |
I didn't take time for closeup photos or check out Roger's exterior perimeters. Next time perhaps!
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
What a fun nursery. I can see why it is worth the drive.
ReplyDeleteIt's truly a "destination nursery."
DeleteBuy anything? Do tell! ;^)
ReplyDeleteThe Senecio is ficoides 'Mount Everest', a tall, vertical form. It looks great with the Helichrysum and the 'Itt's as a contrast, no?
Thanks for the ID on the Senecio, HB! Although I have some, I don't really much care for Senecio serpens. This one might be a different matter. I'll have to look for it.
DeleteI bought a Dahlia 'Mystic Illusion' and Mangave 'Night Owl' at Roger's. I saw it there some months back and mentioned it to a friend. She gave me a Roger's gift card for my birthday specifically with that 'Night Owl' in mind so I had to get it...
Always cool things to see at Roger's. I loved the 'Brown-eyed Girl' sunflowers - what a eye-catcher. I liked the way the block planting's center looked like a fountain (I forget the name of that hanging silver plant) and the last planting with 'Cousin Itt' and silver Helichrysum looks fountain-like, too. Cooling on a hot day!
ReplyDeleteI think the hanging silver plant you're referring to in the block construction is Dichondra argentea 'Silver Falls'. I have some in my own garden but it's not nearly that dense. I've also paired Acacia 'Cousin Itt' and Helichrysum in my garden - they make a nice contrast.
DeleteThat looks like a fun nursery to shop!
ReplyDeletePre-pandemic, I visited Roger's at least quarterly. So far, I've just been there twice this year but I'm hoping to get back to my prior "schedule."
DeleteHow gorgeous are these displays ! I absolutely love the muted colour pallet, there is something calming and restful about them. Vertical planting fascinates me but I think it would be too much work to keep up with in my neck of the woods .. if the plants would stay almost miniature I might have a chance ? LOL
ReplyDeleteSenecio serpens is such a gorgeous cool blue great contrast to Acacia cognata .. I do love the "cousin it" reference .. plant humour makes me laugh .. we can all use humour right now (and yes Canadian spelling draws the red line of misspelled .. that makes me laugh too) I would love to see this nursery in person but I don't think I could take your heat there.
There are easier vertical planters to maintain than that one I expect but I haven't been willing to invest in anything of that nature either. There are actually two 'Cousin It/t' plants, Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' (which I grow in my own garden) and Casaurina glaucus'Cousin It' (which I don't). Roger's Gardens is actually very close to the beach and so not so very hot ;)
DeleteWhat a fun outing! And, what a thoughtful gift from your friend! I think in my next life/place, I will be planting something on the vertical. The possibilities are fabulous to think of.... Dream on! :)
ReplyDeleteI do admire vertical gardens, Anna, but I think they take time, energy and money to do well, at least at time of installation. There's one I pass on my way to and from my dentist growing up the side of a building that I really need to stop and photograph one day.
DeleteWow - Rogers Gardens is a destination in and of itself - so much more interesting than simply rows of containers! This year, I've only had one outing in early summer to purchase annuals, but I'm getting the itch for a little perennial spree, even though mid-summer is the worst time to plant things up. This post is not helping my resolve to wait a little longer!
ReplyDeleteI think I was very restrained during my visit to Roger's this time, Margaret. Of course, that was probably mainly because I didn't have much time to dawdle. I'm afraid I made up for my self-restraint this week during a trip to my local garden center ;)
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