Plants and garden art at VanLierop Garden Market in Puget Sound
Lunch on Day 2 of last month’s Puget Sound Fling was held at Sorci’s Italian Cafe, which just so happens to share a location with VanLierop Garden Market in Sumner, Washington. Tasty appetizers, pizza, and salad plus plant and garden-art shopping? Yes indeed.
VanLierop Garden Market
After lunch on Sorci’s patio I wandered around the nursery yard. Unlike most of the Flingers, I pretty much ignored the plants — because what would survive in Austin? — but enjoyed VanLierop’s attractive displays, which include architectural salvage like this old baluster…
…and cool “spider flower” stakes, which I love, by welder Kimberly Johnson.
More of her welded garden art
And a balanced stone fountain
OK, I did look at plants a little. This ‘Amethyst Lips’ salvia tempted me. I haven’t seen this cultivar before. Has anyone in Texas tried it?
Found-objects that looked straight off the farm were for sale too, mixed in with the plants.
A little Old West flavor with a horseshoe flower and barbed-wire spheres
Washington photographer Grace Hensley of Fashion Plants and Arizona vegetable gardening influencer Angela Judd of Growing in the Garden were enjoying their lunch hour in the nursery yard. I always enjoy seeing the mash-up of gardeners from all across the country (and beyond) who meet each other at the Fling.
A birdcage elevator grill made a pretty wall decoration along the buffet line.
Inside at VanLierop’s, there were displays of florals and home decor…
…mushroom objets…
…ferns and moss ribbon…
…and other pretty things.
Plus a pianist! After a lovely lunch and shopping, it was time to continue our tour, heading to the neighborhood of Fling co-planner Camille Paulsen.
Up next: The Sage-Richards Garden, plus their neighbor’s garden. For a look back at the charming Risdahl-Pittman Garden, click here.
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I didn’t even notice that elevator grill on the wall. So cool. Was I THAT hungry in the buffet line? Thanks, Pam, for honouring all the artists at this stop, as well as Van Lierop’s itself.
That buffet line was very busy — we were all hungry! What a pretty cafe and garden shop, right? And such nice people working at both.
You got to see a lot more of the lunch stop than I did. It is nice to see what I missed! Rusted items like that would definitely feel at home in my garden. I may need to go back.
I would if I lived close enough! I loved the garden art they offered.