It was with a heavy heart that I walked the display garden at Joy Creek Nursery for the very last time...![]()
I'd (coincidently) planned a trip out to the nursery on the same morning the announcement was made they'd be closing for good come November 7th—it's finally time for the hardworking owners of this local gardening institution to be able to put the store to bed and retire. I had so many friends to visit!
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Obviously the people, I mean I can't think of the nursery and not think of Maurice and Mike or my friends that have worked there over the years, like Tamara—but also the plants, the ones I visit every time I'm there. Above is the Dasylirion wheeleri that bloomed July of 2020, still looking rather stately. Below are the amazing Agave neomexicana that grow by the basement entrance to the house and the headquarters for the nursery business.
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Of all the amazing plants in the Joy Creek gardens it's these I will miss the most. They are just spectacular. Perfectly planted...
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I have no idea what this beauty is but the sun started to emerge as I walked by and that foliage just begged to have it's photo taken.
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Bam! That's a lot of color...
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Seed spike in the kniphofia patch.
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The blue sky that appeared as I walked the garden was quite welcome. Our amazing summer has quickly faded into a cold and wet autumn. Too much too soon.
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This photo is to remind myself to thin out the dense branches on my loquat. Being better able to see each of those large pleated leaves might just be worth loosing some of them (can't see the forest for the trees?).
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As I admired the sculptural trunks to these shrubs/trees I remembered the late winter day Mike, Maurice and Tamara invited the Portland Garden Bloggers group out to the nursery for a lesson in pruning. It was a fun (if chilly) afternoon.
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Then I turned and my gaze fell upon the open area that was frequently used as an outdoor classroom. I've watched Richie Steffen build fern tables here, listened to Judith Jones talk fern talk, bought plants from Far Reaches Farm and even myself been the one to talk as part of a panel discussion on garden blogging. Kudos to Maurice for understanding that blogs and social media can be a community builder.
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I also need to give thanks to Maurice for encouraging me as a garden writer. I'd agreed to write for the Oregon Association of Nurseries magazine, Digger, and one of the stories I was assigned had me interviewing him. He took the time to answer every question I had, and was encouraging and supportive. I was making it up as I went but Maurice acted as though I was a pro. His confidence gave me confidence.
Here's the view of the nursery barn as you approach via the driveway through the garden.
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The morning I took these photos I stopped at Means Nursery first. I mean that's just what you do. For years my route has been to turn right at Means, shop, then franticly dash across Highway 30 to travel up the road to Joy Creek, and then on the way back into Portland take the Sauvie Island bridge turn and visit Cistus. So not only was this a good-by to Joy Creek but also to Means, as I can't imagine I'll visit there as often. Anyway (getting to the point of my story now), I mentioned to the person at Means that Joy Creek was closing. She was shocked, the first thing she mentioned was the bamboo, had I walked through it? There was nothing quite like it, she said, and I agreed.
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As is frequently the case at great gardens learned a few things that day. Meet Persicaria 'Brush Strokes', I have this plant but it's not nearly this amazing. It needs more sun. Noted. I will be moving mine.
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Joy Creek is known for many things among them clematis, fuchsia, and hydrangea. I paused to admire the hydrangea...
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And then crossed back over to the garden in front of the home, the presence of which has always made the garden seem so much more private than public.
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Wowsa!
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Another shot of the bloom-spike on the Dasylirion wheeleri, now that the sun has come out.
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Of course I have to include a photo of the small patch of lawn, famous for the gravel treatment so many of us have either done or—in my case—plan to do (here)...
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And finally, it was time to shop...
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Oh shoot well, one last garden photo as this striking Amsonia hubrichtii was snuggled up next to the shopping tables.
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Euonymus nanus var. turkestanicus, a plant I have in my garden thanks to Joy Creek...
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A plant I wish I had in my garden, Oxydendrum arboreum.
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Melicytus alpinus, another plant I have thanks to Joy Creek.
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Persicaria affinis, how cute is this? Ya, I didn't by any dammit.
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Lespedeza thunbergii, yep, another cutie that stayed behind.
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Grevillea lanigera 'Coastal Gem', I've admired this beauty in Tamara's garden but just don't have a good spot for a plant so small now, that will eventually grow to be quite large.
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Eryngium umbelliferum
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Fern tables! My love of fern tables started because of the ones at Joy Creek...
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So what did I buy that day? A lot of saxifraga, Joy Creek has been my go to for those fabulous little plants and I selected what I wanted to buy, and then went back and got more. I also grabbed a Grevillea × gaudichaudii, and a Trachelospermum asiaticum 'Ogon Nishiki'.
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I took my plants to the car, looking at the edge of the garden and trying not to over think how significant the moment was.
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The last few years have brought so many changes to my plant-centric world, this is the latest. It's hitting me hard. Thank you to the Joy Creek family who have been so welcoming all these years. I miss you already...
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