Secret Garden Growers

Working at Secret Garden Growers Nursery (and a few of my favorite plants)

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My job at Secret Garden Growers began back in March of 2019. Since then, I’ve been there part-time year-round for 3+ years. My relationship with the plants began years before that though. I’ve long been purchasing beautiful and well-grown plants from Pat at local sales. I just killed them off and on. Hey, it’s what we do in order to learn and as we keep moving things around.

Some hibiscus “bones” last week. I love watching this view change throughout the year. It’s definitely a four-season garden.

Long before I worked out there in Canby, I looked up the nursery location on a map. I thought it was strange I’d never driven out there because I grew up in Milwaukie and I love to drive around Clackamas County. Back then I lived in my allergy bubble though here at home, and while I DID shop a lot, I tended to buy most of my plants at plant sales. So it took a few years to get me out there.

Boy was it worth it!

I think that was the summer before I started to work there. Evan went with me.

So many beauties just waiting to go home with you.

While my job title there is propagatrix, I pretty much do lots of production work too and keep track of plant health. This means lots of primping to keep things uniform, nice, and clean. We primp those plants so often we get to know them well. Most folks don’t realize it, but so much labor goes into beautifully grown plants in containers. It’s part of what makes the experience so fun, but it’s difficult and tedious work. Luckily I can listen to music and move my hips about or listen to audiobooks. There’s nothing quite like a beautiful flat of plants. Wow! Yummy stuff!

So the rest of this post will just have some pretty photos of some plants that I really like—at least this week. In the captions you’ll find descriptions from the catalog. Just click on the caption and it will take you to the catalog. This is not something I normally do but we have a new site. (Captions are all written by Pat and the photos are mine.)

I cannot promise that these items are even available currently, but I’m happy to show off some of the plants that we grow.

Iris florentina, (ORRIS ROOT, FLORENTINE IRIS) Dried rhizomes have a strong violet fragrance and are used by perfumers and in potpourri – 18-20” tall with large white flowers in May with yellow & lavender tinged falls – Easy to grow – Attractive foliage – decent drainage, sun to part shade, drought tolerent, deer resistant USDA Z5
Blechnum chilense. Most ferns are subtle, but this one is a STUNNER! Coiled, cranberry red stems unfurl to upright fronds cloaked in thick, glossy evergreen leaves…it looks so good, people think its fake! If really happy, it can reach 5’, but usually 2-3’; eventually, young ferns will come up around the original plant from rhizomes, these can easily be removed and shared or you can have a little colony of these beautiful plants! Shady, moist and cool is best but takes some sun with lots of water. USDA Z7b
Saxifraga x arendsii ‘Rocco Red’. Not currently available online this is one we have a few of at the nursery.
Eccremocarpus scaber. Looks like we don’t have this color available right now, but we have others.
Cestrum ‘Newellii’. Evergreen shrub that blooms nearly year round in warm areas; tubular crimson red flowers in clusters attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. Upright arching stems 6-8’ tall in clumps 3-5’ wide look nice in a corner. Full sun (part shade if summers are hot) most garden soils, regular summer water; deer resistant; being in the tomato family, this plant is toxic.
Bergenia ‘Pink Dragonfly’. This petite Pigsqueak sports elongated, narrow, glossy foliage in evergreen clumps 8-10” tall and 18-24” wide, turning from green to plum tones in winter…clusters of bright pink flowers (reminiscent of cherry blossoms) with deep red centers on taller stems in mid spring, long lasting. Most soils with decent drainage, sun to part shade (warmer areas), average water, protect from winter winds. Good in pots, rock gardens, borders and woodlands. USDA Z4a
Albuca spiralis. Curious and rare South African bulbous perennial, the grassy onion like leaves are tightly curled and coiled at the ends (plant perm?), heat and dry make them coil even more! 8-12” spring spikes of sweet vanilla scented yellow flowers marked with green add more drama! This kinky plant needs well drained soil, full sun and is summer dormant, returning in fall. Let dry between waterings and find a dry spot for dormancy. Said to make a good houseplant in a sunny window and easy to overwinter indoors. Hardiness is not really known, but said to be USDA Zone 8b
Prunus incisa Zulu® Ornamental Cherry. Love flowering cherries but short on space? This one’s for you! All the beauty of a flowering cherry tree, but in a small package. A narrow shrub with all the charm and beauty of a its bigger counterparts. This delightful little space saver has small, neat leaves that emerge coppery orange and turn deep green. In mid-spring, it’s covered in full, fluffy pink flowers, each packed with dozens of petals. Medium height deciduous shrub 36” wide, 60” tall. No problems with diseases that plague other cherries. USDA Z5a
Lirope mascari ‘Okina’ Awesome new selection from Japan! The upper 2/3’s of the spring foliage is ghostly white, making this a real stunner!! The white fades back to green as the summer wears on (takes longer in cooler temps) – 10″ clump – Sun to shade – also nice in pots – Most soils – Takes some drought when established – Late summer stalks with lilac colored flowers followed by black berries. How bout alternating with Black Liriope?? USDA Z6
Salvia ‘Amistad’. Fabulous cross between S. guaranitica x S. gesnerifolia that captured the best of both species! Fast growing to 3-5’tall and wide (can get bigger in coastal areas), fragrant foliage on upright stems topped with terminal spikes of huge violet purple flowers…hummer landing pads! With a little deadheading, this baby will go from spring to fall freeze. Prefers well drained soil and sun (like most Salvia), needs at least semi-regular water. Also performs well in a large pot.
Iris x robusta ‘Gerald Darby’. Passionate purple people, take notice! This lovely Iris has spring leaves slaked with lovely purple, deepening toward ground level…flowering stems to 36″ are purple black and topped by pretty purple violet, blue flowers May > June. Prefers constantly moist or wet soils (can be grown as an aquatic 2-4″ deep) – sun to part shade. An interesting hybrid cross between I. virginica and I. versicolor. Overall 2-3′ tall and wide- Excellent at pond edge or in a garden seep! We find this iris thrives in moist, regular garden conditions…but needs wet to bloom well. USDA Z4
Ledebouria cooperi. Often overlooked, this sweet little bulbous perennial is one of the cutest plants we grow!! Only a few inches tall and a foot wide; olive green leaves are nicely marked with purple striping and decorated with rosy pink flowers April > June – Sun to part shade – most soils – wall niches, front of border, rock gardens – versatile! USDA Z7a
Dicentra spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’. Stunning, brilliant yellow-golden leaves unfurl in early spring, glowing in a shaded spot! Long season of large dangling, perfect pink heart shaped flowers complete the effect! Almost surreal! Good soil, regular moisture and shade (the golden leaves will become burnt toast in a sun!). Pure gold! USDA Z3
Abutilon pictum ‘Thompsonii’. This “Flowering Maple” creates a bright spot in the garden! Lobed leaves are generously speckled with yellow and the dangling bell flowers (late spring to frost) glow in tangerine orange! Evergreen shrub (may die back to the ground in hard freezes) grows quickly to 4-5’ tall and half as wide here in the Pacific Northwest; larger in frost free zones. Attracts hummers. AM sun, rich moist soil. USDA Z8b
Gloxinia nematanthodes ‘Evita’. This little plant has the most brilliant, glowing, red-orange flowers I have ever seen (photos cannot do it justice…). A mere 6-12″ tall, the foliage on this perennial appears every year just when you give up all hope in June or even later! This slowly expanding clump of tuberous roots enjoys well drained, enriched garden soils and moderate moisture – sun to part shade. Our stock plant has been stuffed in a pot for 5 years and is still a jaw dropper. A succession of tubular fluorescent blooms keep on coming late summer to frost. To see it…is to want it! From high elevation Argentina. USDA Z7b
Sinningia sellovii. 2-3’ wide clumps of attractive fuzzy foliage emerge in mid spring, topped in mid summer by 2-3’ tall flower stems of very showy red orange tubular flowers that say ‘come hither’ to every hummingbird for miles! Bees and butterflies like them too! USDA Z7b
Titanotrichum oldhamii. RARE, breathtaking beauty from Plant Delights! My favorite new plant in years…resembles foxglove but related to African Violet. Kind of a semi woody perennial with fuzzy silver green basal leaves…one foot spikes in Sept-Oct of stunning pendant flowers clasping the stem in a glowing shade of antique peach with bewitching burnt red interiors. 12-18” tall and 2’ wide; part sun to shade, well drained soil and regular moisture. VERY limited. USDA Z8

Hope you enjoyed “shopping” with me. I should have written more about each plant but as they’re added to my garden over time I’ll be better about doing so.

Hope you noticed the gesneriads too. You must have known I’d add them too.

Working at Secret Garden Growers

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Last March I started working part-time at Secret Garden Growers in Canby, Oregon. In addition to my job at Cistus Nursery this has meant that I’ve been working roughly 3-4 days a week but oftentimes it wasn’t nearly that much. For me, a middle-aged woman living with some serious chronic health issues, this was not only a huge hurdle to overcome, but it has been rewarding too. I’d call it an incredible opportunity.

To cover the 12 months I’ve made a collage of monthly photos below. I’m missing tons of great plants, and for some reason I didn’t find a pic I liked of the third dog, and the eldest, Gaia. (I missed the chickens too but I don’t see them nearly as often as the ducks, dogs, and cats.)

Like Cistus Nursery,  it’s a bit of a drive from where I live, but in the opposite direction. Located in Clackamas County, it’s very near to where I grew up and I very much enjoy my drives there although like Sauvie Island, it’s not easy to find a quick lunch. I get tired of packing my food, but over the last year, I’ve worked out ways of making it all work.

At the nursery I mostly propagate. I divide things, pot things up, and sometimes I do cuttings or sow seeds. During the busy months, I’ve helped with retail and weeded plenty. Like all nursery work, it’s important for everyone to chip in when and where they can.

I enjoy propagation work and I keep a nice clean space. To me it’s the writer’s version of the possibility of a blank page, dreaming of what will grow out of it. “Making the plants” as I call it, is more about the process than any vision I have but as I work, I consider the roots, how the plants grow, what I might do with them, and how I have seen them used.

My Virgo mind likes to analyze as I work with the plants and I take mental notes.

It also likes to rock to the beat to keep things from getting too serious. That’s a nice thing about working in a greenhouse. It means alone time with tunes blaring. I use my work time to stretch, to move, to help my hip out. Over the last year, my hip has continued to slowly improve but it’s been slow progress. But it’s progress!!!

As I write this now I’m nursing another manual traction that was done on my hip by the physical therapist and I continue planning to be able to stand and contribute to my life—and the lives of others. I mean that because I know that the plants I help to make help everyone else to make their own lives and private and public spaces more beautiful and that makes me happy. I know gardening doesn’t always seem that important to everyone, but I know for a fact it’s therapeutic to many of us in many ways.

Secret Garden Growers does mail-order too so be sure to check out the current inventory. (We have a lot of gesneriads!) Pat Thompson—the nursery owner who is additionally a great source for information—will also be up in Seattle this month in the Cascade Nursery Trail booth at the NW Flower & Garden Festival. Be sure to stop in and say “Hello” to her!

(If you have any questions about any of the images below feel free to ask me below in a comment. )

September 2019