Nursery Visit: Springtime at Xera Plants

Oh boy, one of my favorite nurseries, Xera Plants, is open for the year!
We visited this past weekend to see what they've been up to.


Although not every shelf was filled, they have quite a respectable amount of stock on hand. Let's look around.



 Quite a lot to see for early February; we were pleasantly surprised.


This is officially the shade section, although there are lots of sun lovers sprinkled about, too.

The people at Xera are known for growing a few specialites. Grevilleas is one.
Yes, Grevilleas ARE fascinating shrubs from down under and they make it feel more like summer time. Wait, it is summer down under, isn't it?


How can one resist such an explosion of color on a gray February day?


Grevillea juniperina 'Molonglo' - the yellow version.

Let's take a visual tour of some of the highlights of our visit. 

Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Goshiki'



What a sight for sore eyes...it seems like it's been a long long winter, although a mild one to be sure for us on the West Coast. Great to be out at a nursery.


I felt like a kid in a candy store.


My husband? Maybe not so much, but he is a trouper.


Oh, the dark beauty of it. I did not get the name of this hellebore. 


Polypodium guttatum


Primula vulgaris


Helleborus 'Winter Jewels'


Viburnum x b. 'Charles Lamont'


Jasminum nudiflorum 'Aureum'


Sempervivum 'Pacific Zofic'


Ranunculus ficaria 




Raphiolepis umbellata


Choisya x 'Aztec Pearl'


Brachyglottis monroi 


Vaccinium ovatum (A Pacific Northwest native).


Gorgeous Arctostaphylos and friends in one of the display beds.


Sweet Arctostaphylos blooms.


That's right, Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos) for gardens here in Oregon and beyond. Great plants.


So many from which to choose.


In fact, on Xera's website, there are a couple of great pages dedicated to the species Arctostaphylos. One focuses on the shape and size of the plants, see it here.


There is more information about them on this page, too.




Loropetalum, hellebore and others.


Cupressus glabra 


Trachelospermum j. 'Mandianum'


One of the many reasons I adore Xera plants is their commitment to the environment. I, as a consumer, vote with my dollars, so Xera and like-minded nurseries that do not use neonicotinoids are the first ones who I turn to for plants. They are an important source for not only pesticide-free plants but also climate-appropriate plants for my area. I feel so fortunate to be able to simply hop down to Xera on any weekend (they are open Thursday - Sunday) to go shopping. Many other nurseries also carry Xera products, so I can buy them at a number of nurseries. I hope that other growers get on board with this mentality so that everyone has the opportunity to buy plants are not treated with neonicotinoids. After all, we need our bees!


This was my haul - I have a project in mind, they have been holding these for me. I also bought a few other delights, a Primula vulgaris, a couple of these
 Ruschia pulvinaris

And a couple of those Pacific Zofic Sempervivums...

So I have some late winter planning and planting ahead. I hope you enjoyed the plants at Xera. I sometimes think just visiting a good nursery is half the fun of gardening. That's it for this week, thanks for reading, and until next week, happy gardening!

Comments

  1. You've given me a glimpse of the future -- our St. Louis area nurseries don't get rolling for another couple of months. Glad you got some Pacific Zofic Semps -- that photo made me say "oooh" when I saw it. :)

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    1. Yay! I mean that you like the semps...not the fact that your nurseries aren't rolling yet...I hope you find some of these semps, they are fab! happy (almost) spring! :)

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  2. Ah, Xera, so many fantastic plants! I'll have to remember Sempervivum 'Pacific Zofic'. I love the fuzz, and that might make it more deer resistant than the hairless ones. By the end of summer, succulents turn into little thirst quenchers.

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    1. Yes, Xera, so lovely. The fuzziness cannot be underrated. So lovely.

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  3. Your garden centre is already so beautiful green. The right place to go on a gray winter day.

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    1. It is a breath of fresh air, Janneke - to be sure. I LOVED your post about the Hammamelis - I just thought that was the bee's knees as we say :)

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  4. Oh my, so many goodies. Major lust on the Rapiolephis! They have a fab selection so early in the year.

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    1. I know! Aren't they the best? :) I'm so lucky to have Xera just 10 minutes away. Too lucky, me thinks :)

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  5. I haven't seen their plants down SoCal-way, which is too bad as I have a major addiction to Grevillea.

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    1. Oooh, well - that could be a good thing for your pocketbook! Their Grevelleas are incredible. If you really are into them, I bet they would ship to a local to you nursery - or at the very least contact them and ask who orders from them locally. They have the best plants! I hope you can shop there someday!

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  6. I forgot about Xera's early opening ! Must get over there.

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    1. Yes, yes you must, Linda! :) I hope you get over there soon! It's just so therapeutic...

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  7. great post! I love seeing their hellebore collection..can't wait to pick up a few more :)

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    1. Thanks, Jennifer! I hope you're feeling better after the nasty flu - maybe a trip to Xera is what you deserve to make you feel better! :)

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  8. Yep, I need to get on over there and see what's new!

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  9. Around this time last year I came down and bought a couple of Arctostaphylos there. They are both still doing great!

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  10. Is it bad that I have visited Xera twice already and come home with shrubs that get too big?!? Even picked up that Brachyglottis monroi because ti looks awesome. I'm looking forward to a long gardening season and the most exciting part - a Xera baby in April!

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    1. No, not bad not bad! Nice...glad you got the Brachyglottis monroi...congratulations on your Xera baby, Matthew :) What's his name? Squeee!

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  11. Brachyglottis monroi has def got my number. And I appreciate the tip on their manzanita page. I'm always wondering about shape and ultimate sizes.

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    1. Yay! Yes, that manzanita page has saved my plant bacon many times. It's a good one.

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  12. Replies
    1. I hope you get to, it's a great nursery!

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  13. Great post! I've been intending to head down there since they opened, but not gotten around to it yet. Will be sure to now... :)

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  14. You're die hard. I can't buy until the yard is completely cleaned up. Which means no looking yet. I still have some hand me down babies that I never found a place for late last summer. But the fever has started, for sure. :)

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