It’s time . . . for another of my Getting Through February field trips! This time, I’m taking you to River Street Flowerland in Kalamazoo — my favorite nursery in the area (and we have a lot of Really Fine nurseries around here to choose from) (it’s an embarrassment of riches, actually).
As you can see, I chose one of the most gloomy, dreary February days for my visit (but there was no snow on the ground) (yet). If you look really closely, you can (sort of) see the OPEN sign – lit up and glowing in a welcoming way, almost like a beacon of joy. While most area nurseries around here close for the winter months, River Street remains open year round – although with limited hours and a pared-back selection. In a couple of months, though, this place will be hoppin’! Packed with plants, loaded with inspiration, and filled with happy gardeners. For now? They have a great selection of houseplants, and the best succulents I’ve ever seen.
C’mon inside and take a peek with me!
There is always color . . . bright, lively color . . . everywhere you look. No matter the season. They do an especially good job at giving gardeners something to smile about in the dark days of winter.
Not to mention the whimsy! They carry a lot of whimsy at River Street . . . to bring a smile on even the dreariest of February days.
Such a day-brightening experience . . . on a day that really, really needed quite a bit of brightening!
What did I come home with? (Because plant spots, for me, are kinda like yarn shops. It’s nearly impossible to leave empty-handed . . . ) So I did come home with two new houseplants . . . a bromeliad with a bright pink bloom (too gloomy to even really see it in this photo, though), and a dwarf fig tree.
I decided to leave the whimsical creatures there on the shelves . . . so they can brighten someone else’s day!
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How about you? Have you taken yourself on any February field trips? I’d love to hear about them!
Your pictures are sooo inspiring to me. Makes me want to get a couple more houseplants. The fun colors are so springy! Thanks for sharing…
We stopped at a nursery yesterday on the way home from lunch. Not as much whimsy but oh so much green-it was a treat! Now how to get that same little donkey planter in your photo!
What fun! No field trips here… but I have participated in the Backyard Bird Count that is going on this long weekend. It has been cacophony of riches… a zillion birds all singing their brains out! They are convinced that spring is here! (And they might not be wrong, 70’s again this week… in February!)
We’re going to visit a local-ish nursery later this week. They have a café, and in the winter they move it to their tropical plant area and Hannah says it’s like eating in a rain forest. I
What a great place; thanks for taking us along! We have one small nursery in town and it’s closed for the winter. (Even when it’s open it’s not spectacular.) I love those stone owls with the sun and you brought home two great-looking plants. Enjoy!
You do have a wonderful nursery. I tend to think whimsey works better in a garden than any other place. (Of course not too much of it.) Love your new plants!
Now I want a ducky hand-rake AND a monster!
Now I want a ducky hand-rake AND a metal monster.
We don’t have any nurseries like that around here. Even the ones in Champaign are not open at this time of year. I do like those flower faces!
We have a couple of places to shop for plants year round, but they are more high-end and don’t have cute creatures. Not that I would buy any. We have a great backyard shop that has a wider variety. I love the dwarf fig you got!
My question: will your dwarf fig produce fruit??? What a fabulous garden center Kym. I love all the whimsey. I picked up a small succulent this morning at Trader Joe’s – I had gotten a small pot that is a cat’s head and I think it will be perfect in that and then on the window shelf at Colin & Mailing’s!
How fun! I would have a hard time leaving empty-handed, too. My daughter would love the succulent selection.
I have not really taken any field trips, but after your post about the special brownie pan, it was all I could think of, so I ordered the one where you get individual “all-corners” brownies. Naturally I’ll need to give it a test run when it arrives!
Loving the whimsies! So fun!
Oooh, I see my favorite mending book in your stack! (And I’d love to hear what you think about Michelle Obama’s new book. My dad just finished–and liked it–but said he liked Becoming better.) I know this is not a book post…
I especially like your dwarf fig! I was really drooling over the hanging basket. Like, a lot.
Field trips for me? Yes! A Charley + Edie Harper exhibit! Swoon. Fortunate to have something so special in our little corner here…
What fun! and your dwarf fig!!!! My favorite field trip has been Thomasville – and I’ll be sharing about it tomorrow.
What a fun place to visit in February. Thanks for the field trip. On Friday, I had a lovely massage and today I got a hair cut. Other than a drive through coffee, these two destinations were the best I could do for field trips. Although, sometime this week, I am planning to take my husband to a sweet little indy bookstore thirty miles to the west.