Sunday, July 10, 2005

Garden salvage rediscovered


pavers
Originally uploaded by Mysterious Traveler.
I'm tired of gagging on the exorbitant prices of pots and statuary at North Seattle nurseries and pretentious places like Lucca. (I knew the original owner of Lucca when it was on Aurora; he'd be appalled by the ugly dreck they're selling now at fleece-the-city-dweller prices.)

After spotting an ad for it in the July issue of Northwest Garden News, I went on a hunt for the eccentric, elusive garden salvage yard that appears and disappears like mirage on Highway 99 near the Lynnwood-Everett border. Several years back it occupied a lot just north of the Petticoat Junction dancewear shop; this time it turned up on the opposite side of the road, near the northwest corner of the Highway 99/148th intersection.

The stock includes estate-size fountains, statues, benches and such from as far away as Los Angeles; large slabs of marble; concrete pavers cast and dyed by the proprietor (see photo); sections of bamboo fencing; kitschy donkeys; sleek ebony African busts; oriental lanterns and pedestals; mermaids in ponds;little snails; huge orangutans and big turtles (Terry Pratchett fans, alert!); dragons; Celtic green men; brightly glazed Vietnamese pots; and slim angular terra cotta planters. In addition to the stoneware, there are several dozen huge pots (some plastic, some glazed terracotta) filled with salvaged plants, vines, shrubs and trees. At the back of the lot is a trailer with two poodles in the yard. In the middle of the lot, a large gazebo is filled with pottery, fountains, lighting, and shabby chic garden furniture.

My mother was with me on this visit and was appalled by the hodge-podge of styles. I was calculating how to get back there with a truck and pick up enough pavers to do a patio in our backyard. (A 12" by 12" paver is $5 in gray, $7.50 in either the green stains or the brown stains.)

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