Is it Spring yet?

     So I've gotten three spring catalogs so far, surveyed my yard for plants that didn't make it nicely thru winter (two of my Daphne odoras lost all their leaves, but are sprouting new ones) and have to content myself with looking forward to February. Maybe this will be a magical February where the temperature gets up in the '70s. When we moved to Washington 16 years ago from Alaska, we took off (miraculously) in a howling snowstorm of minus-25 degrees. When we got to Olympia, it was 70 degrees and sunny.
     Anyway, as I've written before, last year I tore out many perennials (a truckload) and am putting in evergreens. But that doesn't mean I'm not on the lookout for new plants. Often it's not that exciting to go to big nurseries - same old, same old and everyone has the same selection of Monrovia plants. So when I'm looking for a more eclectic selection, I either shop online or go searching for small specialty nurseries.
     Online Ordering: You're not going to get "nursery quality" plants when you order online. They will be sticks with a few leaves, wrapped in plastic and with a good sized root system. That's what you're paying for. If you plant it in spring, by summer it will be leafing out and you may get a few flowers, but you'll really see the payoff the next year once the roots have gotten established. The big draw for me in ordering online is not the price, but the selection.

     As an example, at Joy Creek Nursery, a combo nursery/mail order business in Scappoose, Oregon, they have 97 different varieties of hydrangeas,  55 varieties of penstemon and 29  varieties of campanula. I've spent a lot of money there, being a big hydrangea fan. They're located 18 miles north of Portland and are open seven days a week starting in March (see their website for info). They also had chocolate chip cookies when I went on a Saturday. They have great gardens on the property with all the plants tagged so you know what they are and their online catalog is great with lots of pictures. The staff is really helpful. I called once to order and had a great chat about exactly which hydrangea I should order. They have FREE classes on Sundays in landscape design, pruning, etc. There's a handling charge of $4 per order, plus shipping charges; because it's in Oregon, there's no sales tax.

     I also like Big Dipper Farm in Auburn, Wa. Sometimes when I'm bored I'll just read thru all their plant listings and look at the pictures. Their minimum order is $25 and shipping is ground to most of the western states and costs about $8-$10. They'll take pre-season orders and ship to you when the plants are ready. They also sell seeds. I went up to their nursery a couple of years ago, and was able to look at and pick up some plants, but most of them are in greenhouses not accessible to the public. They have 5 different varieties of wild ginger, one of which has the most amazing panda faced black and white flowers called Asarum maximum 'Ling Ling'.
     Each catalog selection tells you the hardiness zone of the plant, it's dimensions (this is usually at maturity in 10 yrs.) whether it's a Great Plant Pick and its sun/shade requirement. You can also search their catalog by "Full Sun" "Part Shade" "Fragrant" "Cut Flower" and many more. You can search using the common or botanical name. They also sell trees, like Cornus Nuttallii - Pacific Dogwood, Arbutus marina - Strawberry Tree and Cercis canadensis - Weeping Redbud. Some of the trees will be marked "Too large to ship/Pick up" which means you get to visit the nursery.

     Speaking of Great Plant Picks - If you're not acquainted with this great organization, you should be. GPP "awards" plants as outstanding for the maritime Pacific Northwest - from Eugene to Vancouver, BC. The plant list gives pictures and info on the "superior qualities" of these plants for ORDINARY GARDENERS in the Pacific Northwest. Plants selected must be hardy for zones 7-8, reasonably disease and pest resistant, not invasive, and a bunch of other things which you can read about on their website. "Perennials should not require staking, continuous deadheading, or frequent division." Sounds good, doesn't it?  They also have a nursery directory so you can find and buy the Great Plant Picks.
Again. . . on a rainy January day, I could spend hours looking thru the plant picks and imagining them in my garden.