Hortlandia weekend, once again...

As long as I've been gardening in Portland, April has meant the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's plant sale, Hortlandia. That is up until 2020 when COVID cancelled it. In 2021 there was a late sale, in June. Unfortunately I was laid-up with a broken ankle and stranded at home. So it feels incredibly bizarre to say that last Friday I attended a smaller, but no less exuberant, version of Hortlandia. 

Since I am horribly out of practice when it comes to the combination of plant shopping and socializing you'll have to forgive that I didn't take any photos at the sale. These were all taken the next morning when I went out to unload my car. Here's the small but mighty haul...Hanging is a Rhipsalis cruciformis, aka Lepismium cruciformis from Rita Lee's. The new growth is especially fetching.Epimedium 'Spine Tingler' from Sebright Gardens. Of course I love it for those narrow spiny leaves.
But the flowers are nice...And the new growth is bright and colorful.Yep, another pyrrosia.I am mad for pyrrosia and this one was so cute with it's new foliage pouring out of the pot.
Pyrrosia lingua 'Yabane Fu' from Secret Garden Growers. This plant has everything, a little variegation (above) and strange shaped leaves (below)... Even tiny new leaves...From Dancing Oaks, Euphorbia stygiana. I've grown and lost this plant twice before (it's not reliably hardy in my garden), but what the heck, it's time to try it again. That foliage sends me.
This strange bloom is that of Arisaema ringens.I had three of them growing in my garden but one was either eaten or rotted out this spring. I asked Pat at Secret Garden Growers (where I purchased my original plants) if she had another to spare and what do you know!? She brought one to the sale for me. It even has a little baby popping up!
Of course I got plenty of strange looks walking around the sale with a pot labeled "NOT FOR SALE", it's fun to keep people wondering.Another look at that bloom...
These spiky beauties were my only other purchase, 3-quantity Agave impressa, from Rita Lee's.At only $4ea how could I not?
Not only was this my first Hortlandia since 2019, but it was also the inaugural plant hauling adventure for my new ride, a 2019 Mazda CX-5. The cargo area is a little larger than that of my previous vehicle, especially when you fold down those rear seats, and the rubber mat in the back seems like it was meant for plant hauling.Shiny view of the front...
And from the side...
My deep dive back into "normal" continued Saturday evening with a party—you know, people gathered...talking, eating, drinking—at Sean and Preston's house out at Cistus Nursery. It was incredible, lot's of plant people to catch up with. I took this photo as Andrew and I made our way back to our car headed home—the only thing better than spiky plants? Spiky plants lit up at night!
One of those plant people gathered for the party? None other than Marcia Donahue. She was in town to install a sculpture, and since she's an old friend of Sean's she made it to the party. Sean introduced us and we talked for awhile, then he mentioned she should visit my garden—my garden that's still in winter-mode, not at all currently something worth showing off. Yet she came, and was a wonderfully understanding, gracious and complementary guest. You guys... Marcia Donahue was in my garden!!! Here's a picture as proof. She'd just snapped a photo when I worked up the nerve to ask her friend John to take one of us. It was a weekend alright...