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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Random Friday

Here are a few pictures from this week all thrown together to make a post.  One might call it a week in review but it's really just random Friday.


I love visiting Tacoma Boys, a year round open 24/7 produce stand with three locations.  They carry frost proof pots, a variety of plants, and, of course, Christmas trees.  I got my first Christmas tree in Washington at Tacoma boys in 1982 when they were located in a tent across the street and down a bit from where they are now.  Currently they not only carry produce but also have all sorts of food items and  the largest wine selection in the area,  This outdoor structure is cool.

Cones are such interesting and long-lasting seed carriers.  A little dab of paint and voila, holiday magic.


Meanwhile, out in the greenhouse, a fragrant gardenia which followed me home from the grocery store.


The Meyer's Improved Lemon is blooming like nobody's business!


The paperwhites planted on a bit of gravel and water burst into bloom yesterday.

While the ones in soil in a pot are a bit behind. 


 Last night at Fred Meyer, I saw two new to me varieties of poinsettia.  The first, a deep red, almost black in some places(cell phone didn't do a great job of capturing the true color) is called 'Cortez Burgundy'

The other is really stunning and the pictures don't do it justice.  I watched the display for a while just for fun and saw person after person gravitate to this new gold and salmon bloomer called 'Autumn Leaves.'

It's autumnal colors are a bit different from what one usually uses at Christmas but  it's pretty interesting.

Both of these new varieties are grown by Smith Brothers which supplies a lot of big box stores in our area as well.  What do you think of this dose of fall foliage in the winter?
Hope you have a grand weekend!

28 comments:

  1. Oh, I would have gravitated toward that autumnal Pointsettia too. Too bad they always die on me. I adore Tacoma Boys, but of course I always go to the one in Puyallup. They have a great beer and ale selection too. Hope you have a grand weekend too. I have no plans other than to stay in my PJs as long as possible.

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    1. I got a couple of live poinsettias this year for the first time in years and they don't seem to like to dry out much as they're dropping their leaves all over the kitchen. Maybe I'll stick with fake ones. This weekend will be a really busy one for me. I'd much rather stay in my PJs!

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  2. I more than gravitated. Several other shoppers commented on its beauty, but when I told them there was one left, they all said "Oh, I'm a traditionalist".

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  3. I like the autumnal colors especially since our trees don't turn until December anyway. There are quite a few pretty Christmas decorating schemes that in include non-tradtional colors. Meanwhile my new fake poinsettia is holding up quite well in the front hall and I plan to hit the sales for more.

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    1. I'm very happy with my artificial poinsettias! They never complain about the draft in the front hall of fuss about their lack of water!

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  4. I've been off poinsettia for awhile now, however I saw a beautiful floral arrangement online the other day and now I'm a little in love with them. It's white for me though, always the white ones.

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    1. So will next year be a poinsettia year in the Danger household?

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  5. I've never grown paperwhites, but remember reading a trick for keeping them from getting that "I'm too tall for my own good" appearance: add some alcohol to the water. I can't remember the proportions, but I'm sure you can find it (for next year).

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    1. I think that it's about 1/4 cup vodka added to the water once the roots have started to develop. I considered doing that but drank the vodka instead and then forgot what I was thinking about.

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  6. Replies
    1. There's something special about going inside that space when it's cold and wet outside to discover sights and smells of summer.

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  7. I love poinsettias but I don't bring them home. Our house is just not friendly to them. The gold one is lovely with the burgundy one.

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    1. I decided to try a couple of real ones this year and they're not happy as they don't like to dry out very much. I'll enjoy the artificial ones!

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  8. The poinsettias are scrumptious. I'm also impressed that your greenhouse now not only looks good but also smells good.

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    1. On Thanksgiving, one of my little grand nieces said, "It smells like one of those places where you buy flowers." The fragrances are nice but since it's only 50 out there most of the time, they don't carry as they would on a warm summer day.

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  9. I wish a gardenia would follow me home. Then I would sniff all the goodness out of it before it never bloomed again. :-(

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    1. Just leave a trail of breadcrumbs from the store to your home and the gardenia will follow the path. If this is too tedious, simply place a gardenia in your shopping cart and drive it home. Your car will smell divine!

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  10. I agree Peter, the poinsettia as you say of autumn colors is stunning! I've looked for one yellow and finally found it. Did you buy this one?

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    1. I'm glad you found a yellow poinsettia, Nadezda! I did not buy this one because I have no more space for it. I was happy to see it though.

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  11. Those golden poinsettias do look attractive!

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  12. You got some lovely stuff growing in the greenhouse.

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    1. It's fun to have that space to look at green plants in the middle of winter!

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  13. I've never had any luck with Poinsettias, I will have to find a silk one, it will be red though, I'm a traditionalist!

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    1. Most of mine are red with a couple of white ones. I love the other colors too but red is my favorite. I am not fond of spending money on live plants that will be compost once March rolls around.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.