What is it?

 While spring is a wonderful time for most of you, the owner and staff at Buchholz Nursery have entered into another season of production and shipping insanity. A blog from six years ago seems apt today:

What is it?

Spring is absolutely beautiful at Buchholz Nursery and in the Flora Wonder Arboretum. Magnolia blossoms come and go, pines are shooting up candles and some Japanese maples have fully leafed out in the greenhouses. We are suddenly behind, as we have been every spring of my career. The main activity that gets in the way of actually growing plants is the shipping of them, and why do trucks have to come on the nice sunny days?

While I remain virile and frisky, and could very easily write a blog, shipping manager Seth has no time to produce it. Once during shipping season he snapped,” Do you want me to make money or work on your damn blog?” I wanted to answer, “Well, both,” but I didn't push him, and eventually we did both.

Anyway, since Seth is out “making money” today, I decided to devise a contest. It is entitled What Is It? The three images from below come from a file of photos that really belong nowhere, so we created a cubbyhole called Esoteric Stuff, except that our S word contains only four letters.

If you can identify any one of these, email us promptly at info (@) buchholznursery (dot) com. The first five with a correct answer* will receive an outstanding new maple, Acer palmatum 'Japanese Princess'. Along with your answer, please provide a shipping address (PO Boxes do not work).

*If you guess all three I'll...I'll leave you in my will.

Acer palmatum 'Japanese Princess'

Contest ends next Monday (28^th) at 4:30 PM, Pacific Time, and the correct answers will be posted the following Tuesday (29^th).

Good luck.

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Answer to What is it?

Wow, there were six winners for our photo identification contest, where you guessed correctly at least one of the three.

Contest photo

Visiting Chihuly Garden and Glass

I thought I could fool you, but five of you correctly guessed the yellow object to be the Citron Icicle Tower located in Seattle. One of you thought it was located in Boston and another in Miami, so apparently there is more than one, but still you win.

Contest photo

Seattle Art Museum's painting of Leaves

A couple of you identified photo #2 to be a painting – actually a detail – by Gloria Petyarre.

Contest photo

Also, two of you correctly guessed the third photo to be peanut butter, while many of you suggested that it was the underside of a mushroom. M.S. from Seattle said it was “forked” peanut butter, and indeed I do fork my peanut butter. She also identified the icicle tower, while S.R. from Monroe, Washington guessed the tower and the aboriginal painting, so hats off to these two amazing women. Nobody could identify all three, so I don't need to amend my will, but you would have been disappointed anyway.

Your 'Japanese Princess' maples will be sent next Monday via UPS, so be sure the dog doesn't tear into the box and eat it.

Thank you for participating – I had fun with your guesses.