Staff Picks
Please note:
While we try to carry all of our favorite plants, books and products at the Nursery, availability will vary and some items may not be in stock. If you see something below that interests you, please call ahead to see if we have it in stock. If not, we may be able to special order it for you.
360-466-3821 • 1-800-585-8200
Favorite Books
Toni:
“Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades” by Steve Solomon
“Classic Roses” by Peter Beales
Rachel:
• “Hardy Trees and Shrubs” by Michale Dirr
• “American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants”
Kathryn:
• “Encyclopedia of Perennials” by the American Horticultural Society ~ so frequently used at the nursery that it’s held together with Duct tape
Matt:
• “Sunset Western Garden Book” and “Gardening with Native Plants” by Arthur Kruckeburg
Eve:
• “Growing at the Speed of Life” by Graham Kerr ~ fun and interesting book for a novice veggie gardener
• “Grasses” by Nancy J. Ondra ~ one of my most often-used, well loved books. Lovely pictures…very inspiring.
• “Garden Stone: Creative Landscaping with Plants and Stone” by Barbara Pleasant
• “Colors for the Garden: Creating Compelling Color Themes” by P. Allen Smith
• “The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer” by Stephanie Cohen and Nancy J. Ondra
• “The Year in Bloom” by Ann Lovejoy
Favorite Catalogs and Magazines
Toni:
Mother Earth News
Organic Gardening
Rachel:
Raintree Nursery catalog
Andrew:
Greer Catalog 2010-2011
Favorite Websites
Rachel:
Matt:
www.fallcreeknursery.com
Kris:
http://green.kingcounty.gov/gonative/Index.aspx - Fabulous resource by King County with a photo list of Northwest natives, plus a collection of landscape design plans using natives for different situations (dry shade; dry sunny; marine shoreline; moist shady; moist sunny; steep slopes; etc.).
http://www.gardenweb.com/ – especially the forums “Northwest Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening”
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/ – Oregon State University’s Landscape Plants datebase. Info and photos of shrubs and trees.
Eve:
Favorite Plants
Toni:
• Roses:
‘Jude the Obscure’ ~ wonderful fragrance and pale peach color
‘Anna Pavlova’ ~ ruffled pale pink rose with best rose fragrance ever
‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ ~ robust, fragrant, continuous blooming white climber
‘Teasing Georgia’ ~ yellow cabbage rose with old rose scent
• Lilac: ‘Beauty of Moscow’ ~ very double, ruffled pale pink flowers
• All fragrant viburnums. Great fragrance in the spring
• Citrus ‘Meyers lemon’ ~ can use in baking and in tea….again, most wonderful scent and it blooms and fruits at the same time
• Delphinium ‘Sir Galahad’ ~ white with green eye…perfect for summer borders
• Peonies: all white peonies…single and double flowered
• Tulip ‘White Parrot’ ~ ruffled white petals with striated green at the base of the flower
• Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ ~ great summer filler in perennial borders…flowers start out green, turn white and back to green with cool fall nights. Can be used for dried arrangements in the fall.
Rachel:
• Syringa patula ‘Miss Kim’ ~ small in statue with outstanding fragrance and amazing purple fall color
• Rosa ‘Hot Cocoa’ ~ weird color with great performance
• Rosa ‘Flutterbye’ ~ always in bloom, super shiny and black-spot free foliage
• Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’ ~ lovely habit and texture with long-lasting fall color
• Hosta ‘Abiqua Drinking Gourd’ ~ coarse blue foliage is cupped, which helps with slug resistance
• Rhododendron ‘Hansel’ ~ beautiful foliage! (oh, and the flowers are nice too)
• Penstemon ‘Firebird’ ~ bright red flowers with dark stems. Blooms ALL summer!
Heidi:
• Decasnia ~ exotic leaves
• Azalea ‘Irene Koster’ ~ great fragrance
• Rhododendron ‘Lem’s Cameo’ ~ beautiful flower
• Maple “Eskimo Sunset’ ~ pretty varigated leaf
• Astilboides rodgersia ~ giant leaf
• Osakazuki Japanese Maple ~ great fall color
Matt:
• Albizia Julibrissin, Mimosa Tree, the flowers and leaves are unbeatable.
•Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Dawn Redwood, I love the doughnut rings on the trunk.
• Rosa Playboy, I hate the name but I love the flower and the leaf.
• Blueberry, Jersey, probably the sweetest of all the blueberries with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg (seriously, try them).
• All manner of Begonias.
Kris:
• Corsican mint groundcover – every time you step on it, it smells wonderful.
• Any plant with winter interest, such as Acer griseum, Paperbark Maple.
• Western Swordfern, Polystichum munitum – an elegant, tough native (cut off the old fronds in early spring for an especially fresh look).
Andrew:
• Boxwood
• Lavender
• Dogwoods
• Davidii Viburnum
• Shore Pines
• Lionshead Maples
Eve:
• Lady’s Mantle ~ snail and slug resistant, lush foliage, and looks beautiful year after year
• Ornamental grasses ~ I love the motion that grasses add to the garden
• Nepeta (catmint) ~ starts blooming in June and if you trim it back, it will bloom again and again on into the Fall. Lovely waves of purple!
• Orange crocosmia ~ looks great interspersed with Nepeta and Lady’s Mantle
Favorite Products and Tools
Matt:
Safer Insecticidal Soap. It’s one of the few organic insecticidal sprays that doesn’t damage the tender new growth on plants.
Rachel:
• SLUGGO ~ non-toxic, easy to use, and it WORKS!
• Bobbex deer repellant ~ stinks to high heaven but it works!
• Hori Hori knife ~ great all-purpose weeder/transplanter
• Hula hoe ~ my second favorite tool
Andrew:
Compost, Rose Defense, and H2O!
Toni:
Old garden tools, urns, cloches, and statues. These items can make a garden seem as though it has always been in place.
More of Toni’s favorite products: good lightweight hoses and spray nozzles, hose timers, soaker hoses, organic fertilizers, good pruners, pliable and leather gloves (if you are a rose gardener).
Heidi:
SLUGGO
Eve:
There are many wonderful treasures in our Primrose Gift Shop but I especially love the Rendezvous soy candles and the Curly Girl cards.
Words of Wisdom:
Toni:
Don’t take gardening too seriously. Enjoy yourself.
Matt:
“Choosing a good plant is like choosing a good wine; the fun part is taking it home and trying it out.”
Kris:
Mulch, mulch, mulch!
Andrew:
Boxwoods are best!
