I finally managed a visit to Raintree Tropical in Silverton, Oregon. It's an hour long drive from home, with no traffic, so not somewhere I've ever managed to just end up at unplanned—even though I've wanted to visit for a while now.
Getting out of the car the first thing I saw was this raised pond. I guess raccoons aren't a problem in this area.![]()
I couldn't help but ogle the palm trees, this was just a small part of what I could see from the parking area.
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Peeking into the greenhouse next to the palms...
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Time to step inside...
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Oh ya, this is going to be fun! Lots of little treasures to admire.
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There was a pot underneath those Phlebodium aureum fronds. But when I bent down to look at it...
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I also discovered broken rhizomes just growing away in the wet moss and debris under the tables.
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The fronds from those rhizomes. I love this! It reminded me a bit of the greenhouse magic I experienced at Dicks back in 2019, post here.
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Finding frogs as you wander is always a good sign.
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Remember those palms at the top of the post? Here's the view looking out towards them.
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I imagine you've already figured it out, but this is not the kind of nursery visit where everything is lined up in tidy pots with labels and prices.
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Magic happens in there...
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Oh! Check out that pyrrosia!
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And that one...
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And those epiphyllum blooms...
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Stepping into another greenhouse-like space now, this one with open sides. That mangave and cordyline look fantastic together...
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Leucadendron 'Ebony'
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Callisia fragrans
Okay this one threw me. What is it!? I had to ask.
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Steve (the helpful fellow manning the fort) paused for a moment. He decided it was "just" a sword fern. Okay, I see that, but it's kind of odd too, I mean those fronds are so tall and shooting straight up. And the rachis (the center stem, I think that's the right word?) is so dark! He threw out a price that I couldn't refuse, even if it ends up growing like a common sword fern in my garden I won't be upset.
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Pteris quadriaurita 'Tricolor' (Zone 10)
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A quick step outdoors to admire more palms.
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And another concrete block pond.
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There were several cycads, something you don't see a lot of up in Portland. This one is perhaps not the happiest, but it's still quite striking.
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This one looks great!
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Love the blue encephalartos.
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Encephalartos trispinosus
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Encephalartos arenarius
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Fun times! This was my first visit, but it definitely won't be my last. In addition to the mystery fern, I also came home with a pair of pyrrosia... (can't stop/won't stop).
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