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| Plants ready to be shipped out |
On Sunday, I had a chance to visit the Little Prince of Oregon greenhouses for a behind-the-scenes look at their operations as well as a delicious lunch and a chance to buy plants. Mark Leichty, Director of Business Development organizes an annual event for garden writers, bloggers, photographers, etc. I wanted to go last year but could not but I finally made it this year.
The Little Prince of Oregon headquarters are located in Aurora, Oregon in the beautiful Wilamette Valley. After getting off the hectic freeway (it drives me nuts even on an un-busy Sunday morning), the drive is pleasant. There are numerous farms in the area and the greenhouses are surrounded by a horse farm.
For the past twenty years, Little Prince has supplied plants to Oregon and Washington nurseries. Gardeners are well familiar with their labels which feature the crown-wearing frog logo. There are 70 greenhouses which are full of plants.
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| Some plants are labeled and ready to go... |
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| But many are not. |
From Abutilon to Yucca, Little Prince grows a wide variety of plants but they are particularly known for their large selection of agave, ferns, heuchera, sedum and sempervivum. My haul? My very first Grevellea (Grevellea rosmarinifolia), Uruguayan Firecracker Plant (Dicliptera suberecta), Epimedium 'Amber Queen', Cotoneaster 'Mooncreeper', Cotoneaster 'Lowfast', Arching Japanese Holly Fern (Cyrtomium fortunei var. Clivicola), Tradescantia 'Blushing Bride' and 4 varieties of Chinese Ground Orchid (Bletilla) including a yellow-colored one. I think I actually got more than this but I can't remember them all.
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| A mix of succulents |
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| Acorus |
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| Some very tiny Japanese maples |
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| Mahonias |
A fun day, great shopping opportunity and I also got to meet some blogger friends in person for the first time. Thank you Mark and Little Prince of Oregon!
I remember you taking a photo of these fern and Carex pots at the same time I was. Weren't they fun? It was really nice to get to meet you Phillip. I know what you mean about that freeway. I hate it. But the back roads are so nice. I'm glad we didn't have today's shivering weather last Sunday!
ReplyDeleteIt was great to meet you Grace! Today was miserably cold and windy. I was working in the greenhouse all day and it was even cold in there.
DeleteSounds like you came away with quite a haul.
ReplyDeleteIt reads like you hit the jack pot there Phillip. Can't wait to see what and where you plant everything.
ReplyDeleteThat fern/carex combo is really cool. Sorry I couldn't make the open as it would have been nice to finally meet you in person. It's just as well, though as my pot ghetto is already full. Glad you had a good time!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful setting for growing plants. That must have been a fun day. Enjoy your Grevillea! I hope it does well for you.
ReplyDeleteOh my, that is exactly my idea of a fun day! And to come away with plants too, heaven!
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