I’ve spent the last few days with a horticulture peer from near Seattle. Greg led a tour for the Pacific Horticulture Society to South Carolina, then joined me for a few days visiting little nurseries.

Since we both own little nurseries, we traded lots of ideas and plants. Right now, we’re sitting at my Momma’s kitchen table, mocking birds waking up outside the screen porch, coffee dripping, white dog brown with mud and donkey poo smelling under the table.

A Nursery is More than a Place to Sell Plants

I’ve learned from him and from visiting how important it is for all of us as customers, gardeners, friends and supporters to be delighted. That means a little nursery must be more than just a place to buy plants. At Old Goat Farm, Greg does small scale nursery tours and Christmas teas. Always there are plants to get, even in the cold gray of December.

At Weeks Feed and Seed in Aiken, SC, I watched people gazing at buckets of crowder pea seeds, peanuts, bags of crushed oyster shell, stacks of tiny chicken biddies chirping under a warm light. Weeks is old fashioned, dirty floors, great stuff and everything Mass General wants to be. But, they have real experiences. (And Aiken people, they carry my favorite, manure free, locally made Foothills Compost).

We’re doing our Crinum Cocktail Parties this summer and group tours — partly as an excuse to look closely and talk specifically about some of our more special, more rare crinum.

It’s made me think of how I learn new things, new plants. Being with people like Greg, and recently spending lots of time in Ryan Gainey’s garden, going to small nurseries and trying new plants– that’s how I learn. Immersion I guess. The same way I learned Spanish–I went and lived in Dominican Republic. Dive in, meet people, be inspired, Cross pollinate!

The same way I’ll learn new plants and ways of life when I go to visit Greg and Gary on their little farm just under Mt. Rainer — cant wait to see Vancouver and lecture in Seattle and the Gulf Island in May!

On this week’s trip, a few forgotten plants have been reinforced and a few new plants added to my garden, my classroom.

Just Planted:

Aster ‘Ezo Murasaki’ — The richest, purple,blue aster flowers on dense green leaves. Flowers in the fall. Ive grown the species and this cultivar looks just as great. (see photo) Soon to be available at Hay Hill Garden Market in Columbia.

Yucca traeculana — a giant tree form yucca. My last plant reached 10 feet tall, with 5 foot flowers. You can get this at Woodlanders Nursery Open House in mid April.

Elephant Garlic — why this isnt sold in garden centers I dont know. Buy it at the grocery store. I think Ill tract down a source and try to offer it with Crinums!

Check out Greg’s website at http://www.oldgoatfarm.com/