Happenings At The Hollow 8

Dragonfly Farm & Nursery  Tour + Backyard Deck Plans

Hey sweet Foxes!! It’s been much too long since I did “Happenings At The Hollow” — that’s a casual post I do on occasion to catch-up with you when I’ve got something I want to share, but it’s not nesseccarily a big project or room reveal. Today I want to share a recent nursery trip we took, and some backyard plans with you! My last “happenings” post was Spring 2019, before my knee replacement. So both lots… and lots of nothing have happened. lol.

Without boring details, my surgery wasn’t very successful and no one can tell me why, yet. I’ve mainly been focusing on keeping up my home & spirits, and continuing to work. That’s about all I can manage right now. I was able to get a bone scan on Friday the 13th of March (I kid you not) before everything shut down, and I’m hoping to resume my search for answers and get back to full health soon, as things open back up, and settle down. Now on to the fun stuff!! 

Visit Dragonfly Farm & Nursery Online [click here]

The week before Mother’s Day, I happened to be online searching for a Lilac to order for delivery, and mentioned it to my niece. Shortly after, she texted me about a local nursery, letting me know they had Lilacs in-stock! So on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, Jim & I went for a drive out to Dragonfly Farm & Nursery for the first time.

Understandably, due to the current guidelines (but unbeknownst to us) they were limiting how many people were allowed on the grounds at one time by allowing you to shop by appointment or curbside pick-up. As you can imagine, being the day before Mother’s Day, the appointment time slots were all full. But the sweet little gal who helped us was so accommodating, and offered to bring some Lilacs out to us. While we waited, we met the resident nursery dogs and threw their ball for them, which was a fun way to pass a few minutes. Even though I was dying to peruse the grounds and take it all in… I could see color and yumminess everywhere I looked! As luck would have it, I was happily able to buy two Miss Kim Lilacs, and we made an appointment for the following week.

CLICK HERE FOR LILAC TIPS, FACTS & USES – MISS KIM LILAC, ABOVE

When our appointment time arrived, we were not disappointed! It’s a wonderful, sprawling nursery and we kept finding beautiful treasures in every little nook & cranny. The dogs greeted us when we exited our car, and pranced around, getting the ball thrown many times throughout our shopping trip. Running off to greet other shoppers, and then coming back. They are THE best behaved dogs. Such sweethearts. 

My niece and her husband made an appointment for the same time, and were able to be outdoors with us and shop the nursery too, which made it extra fun! We gifted them the very last 15 gallon Lilac in stock, to replace one that had a little mishap during some over excited bloom gathering. But that’s a story for another…  well never. I’m sworn to secrecy. 

I saw eye candy everywhere I looked. They had so many flowering plants that I’d have loved to grab, but don’t have a safe place for. Their hanging baskets, like the deep purple Petunia number above, were stunning! I wish I’d taken more pictures of the varieties… but wow, they were all bursting at the seams. 

It took a lot of self-control not to add to my Hydrangea hoard because they had some gorgeous plants! But with seven up on the sun deck already, I have to stop myself for sheer lack of room. 

It was predicted to absolutely pour the Saturday we had our appointment, but instead, we got this… 

Positively brilliant blue skies and blissful breezes. We were so, so incredibly thankful for the nice weather, and just being out a little bit.

I wanted to get this glorious pink Rhododendron and the sky, so I took two images. It’s a magical time in Oregon when the Rhodies are blooming! 

We brought home a new London Bloodgood Plane Tree, and some smaller annuals and perennials. I bought some Rock Roses, in a delicate white. A vibrant Lupine, and something I’m forgetting at the moment? 

If they’d have had more Lilacs we’d have bought a few for ourselves, but I was really glad that we were able to get this one! I’ll still try to grab some for us this season, if it works out.

These are the two cute babies at Dragonfly Farm & Nursery. I cut poor sweet Bella off, unintentionally. I was trying to be present, not take too many photos, and not dawdle and take up the cashiers time, as we were also checking out. The boy with the ball (his name escapes me), was so smart! They were really a highlight of the day. 

Our Rhodies are blooming here at home too, so I grabbed quick snaps of them. I’m unsure of the vivid magenta ones exact name, but the one bellow is called a Cherry Cheesecake! We’ve got a deeper purple out front, and a pale pink down by The Little Cottage! I’ll try to share those before they finish up for Spring. 

While I had been waiting for our appointment, I did some research and discovered that Deer don’t care for Viburnum, AKA Japanese Snowball Bushes, so I paid for the one they had on-hand by phone, and picked it up on our second trip. I planned to order 3 more during our visit, but they were busy so I decided to do it at the beginning of the week. I had the perfect spot for them, and was so excited with the idea of creating a natural screen to obscure our carport ( it sits between the shop and The Little Cottage). 

I was literally on the phone ordering three more, and the woman helping me needed the sku off the 3 gallon pot, so I headed outside to grab it for here and was greeted by a Viburnum stick plant. Keep in mind, this was a 4 foot tall, lush, very full Viburnum in a 3 gallon pot. So there went those plans. lol

And THAT my Foxy friends, is why I hide my flowers from the Deer, on the upper deck! 

As for the two lower decks, it looks like they saw their last Summer, last year. They may look mostly okay when I share them, but they are starting to fall a bit at the sides and sink in. After some discussion, Jimmy took off a portion and discovered that the joists/supports underneath were rotted and the whole things ripe for being replaced. So our plan is to demo them out, and replace them. I’ll be sharing more of that adventure as it unfolds, and some ideas for the new build in the coming weeks. We’ve got plans for the area behind the decks too, for better weed control and maintenance. It’s always a work in progress, right? 

Can’t wait to share the journey with you! xo Shan

Have a safe Memorial Day

Learn about the meaning behind Memorial Day, and how it became a national holiday [click here]

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