Nursery Visit: Little Prince of Oregon 2017

Let's visit Little Prince of Oregon wholesale nursery once more. I've been fortunate enough to see this standout nursery several times, never missing an opportunity to visit with Mark, the director of business development, and the 70 or so greenhouses full of tempting treasures. You can see some of those past visits in posts here and here.

Recently a group of garden bloggers were invited to the nursery for a springtime visit. We always have a smashing time catching up with one another, talking plants and shopping, and seeing what's new in the world of this enterprise. Little Prince supplies much of the West Coast with little four-inch pots of great plant material sold at many garden centers so it's always a treat to visit the mothership, so to speak. I invite you to sit back and enjoy some of the many wonderful plants grown by Little Prince of Oregon.

Lewisia cotyledon 'Rainbow', a smashing West Coast native plant with tropical flair. These love great drainage and sunshine.




Their offices have improved! This beautiful three story building replaced a construction trailer that had been used by command central as offices. This new structure is complete with office space for all and a full kitchen, which we quite enjoyed.


In the dining area, a few bloggers get ready for a wonderful lunch Mark served to us. Front and center is Lance of the blog Garden Riots.


I've said it before but it's worth repeating, Little Prince is immaculate. No weeds or debris to be found anywhere. An impressive feat with so many greenhouses.


A large selection of what they grow are succulents and these, Sempervium ssp., or hens and chicks. Such a rainbow of colors.


Viola lutea 'Blackout' caught my attention. 


Ajuga reptans 'Metallica Crispa' for a sunny or mixed border ground cover.


Knautia 'Thunder and Lightning'- these generally have great reddish pincushion-like flowers. The variegation is a great twist to this old favorite. This is one of many plants in their upper tier of offerings in the "Fit for a King" line. This particular line I found is full of plants to which I am generally drawn. Other popular lines are "Cliff Hangers" for trailing plants, "Hebe Jeebes" for the hebe species, "Blades of Glory," "Made in the Shade," "Water Misers" and others. Clever marketing. It does simplify the process of choosing the right plant for the right place.


 Agave x leopoldii, a gorgeous agave in the "Fit for a King" line.


Heuchera sanguinea 'Snow Angel'


Sedum squares or flats. These are perfect if you have a large area to cover with sedums - you can break it apart or plant the whole thing as it is. This much sedum will, of course, spread in short order.


Dicentra x 'King of Hearts'


Sedum 'Twinkling Star'


Armeria maritima 'Rubrifolia'- a relative of our native Armeria maritima or sea thrift. I love this plant in all its forms. It's so easy, full sun or punishing conditions (think by the ocean), spreads slowly and pollinators like the flowers.


Selection of hens and chicks. Aren't all the different forms and colors amazing? So easy to grow, too.


A couple bloggers focused on some serious shopping.


Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'



 Sempervivum 'Moss Rose'


Carex dolichostachya 'Kaga Nishiki' 


Campanula 'Dickson's Gold' - I bought one of these with Mark's recommendation. With a deep blue bell flower, I can't wait to see it bloom. Spreads to a mound of 6 x 10 inches. Sun to part shade.


Mosses! I've shown similar photos before, but they make me so happy I want to share again. Think Hobbiton or some other idyllic landscape. In miniature, of course.


Heuchera 'Ginger Ale' has great flower color - a pale yellow.








Viola 'Heartthrob'- yes, the leaves are that big.


Hebe 'Quicksilver' - part of the "Hebe Jeebies" line.


 Sempervivum 'Shirley's Joy,' an alien life form.


 Sempervivum 'Magnificum'


Stipa tenuissima in green waves.


 Anigozanthos 'Bush Ranger' commonly known as kangaroo paws. Not totally hardy here, but a looker all the same.



The interesting thing here for me is the contrast in color and texture. 


Heucheras, anyone? There are certainly a plethora of colors on the market these days.



Muehlenbeckia axillaris



There's the man himself, Mark Leichty. Thank you, sir, for the great tour, lunch and letting a bunch of crazed garden bloggers loose at your incredible nursery. Thank you thank you!


OK, not my haul, a fellow blogger's but this COULD have been my haul. I planted it all before I had a chance to photograph it. I ended up with a bunch of Ceanothus 'Point Reyes' and a bunch of prostrate rosemary plants as well as the campanula I mentioned, and a beautiful variegated yucca.

It was such a fun day out and a treat to see this behind closed doors look at one of my favorite growers of super healthy plants. Thank you again, Mark! Well, that wraps it up for this week at Chickadee Gardens. Until next time, happy gardening!

Comments

  1. Love the plants and their obvious quality. I wish they were still sold in my area of SoCal.

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    Replies
    1. I wish they were sold in SoCal too! I'm surprised they aren't because Mark says they sell a lot to California.

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  2. Some of my favorite plants! A few even do well in Houston!

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    Replies
    1. Yay! They do grow a lot of perennial favorites, to be sure...plus hardy fuchsias which I did not photograph - but Mark is an expert on those.

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  3. I knew as soon as I saw your post, I would regret not driving up and attending. Looks like you had a wonderful time.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, so sorry you didn't make it Grace! Someday we'll meet in person :)

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  4. So freak'n bummed I missed it. Thanks for such a great post!

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  5. It truly is a fabulous nursery - absolutely spotless! And the range of plants they carry is rather stunning. It sounds silly, but one of the biggest kicks I get out of visiting is the plethora of patterns - the rows of greenhouses, field after field of different colors and textures - the magnified scale of it all. It's a great place!

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