Monday, July 8, 2013

Hughes Water Garden Center

My summer is not complete without a trip to Hughes.

Hughes is out in the boonies of SW Stafford Road in Tualatin, but are well worth the trip and the gas. They are the only place I know of to buy a high quality water lily and all of them are beautiful.



My garden dream is to have a big built in pond with rocks, a waterfall, huge koi and areas for emergent plants.

But instead, I have two 100 gallon horse troughs and some small water dishes with "raccoon protection". At least twice a year I get "raccooned". Most recently July 4th at 3:30am. Little bastards! 

Perhaps some day there will be a built-in pond or another "pond" alternative with a raccoon missile defense system, but until then, the troughs will have to do. At least I have a place to grow my water lilies, all of which came from Hughes.

The plants Hughes sell are a mixture of tropical, cactus/sedum/succulent, all manner of emergent/floating/water plants and water lilies and lotus. 

They also have a nice selection of fish, pond liners and other pond supplies (fish food, net pots, pond filters, etc.).

One of my favorite things to see is the two hoop houses with Lotus and Lilies. One houses the hardy lilies and the other the tropical lilies.  It gets pretty steamy in there!  But there are so many photo opportunities with all the blooms.  I'm just afraid I will drop my phone in the water leaning over to get a good shot of a flower. 

There is also a hidden natural pond, so be sure not to miss that when you visit. 

Lots of great water features and fountains.
 

I have a spot for this in my garden!
Another cool sculpture.
Sedum/Succulent table
Mushroom fountain - I can't decide if this is a tad obscene or not?!? Just me?
A nice display to get an idea of how big the plants get. The sculpture is great too!


Lots of varieties of lilies to choose from. Great plants, reasonable prices.
Gorgeous Lotus in flower.

There are also lots of tropical lilies for sale.
Lotus in the hot house.
Tables of emergent plants.
The sale area for the hardy water lilies - don't miss the pond at the back.
 


 

3 comments:

  1. I love Hughes! And (lucky me) am planning to visit later this week, thanks for the pre-show!

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  2. Always think I'll go, but no luck yet. That purple and yellow lily is fantastic! But I guess I'll need a pond first - or at least a larger water trough to keep it alive. Don't think the kids' retired aquarium will do...

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