Staff photo/Ian Gleadle
Two life-size moss sculptures, representing owners Bill Raynolds and Jenny Gunderson, greet visitors at the store’s entry.

We spend three years of a 70-year lifetime waiting. That’s a long wait. And I hate waiting. Even that 2-second stop at the metered freeway on-ramp drives me crazy. Not only that, all those 2-second stops add up — in addition to the time we spend waiting for an elevator … for the server in the restaurant to acknowledge our presence (Yoo-hoo. We’re over here in the corrr-ner.) We wait for returned phone calls, answered prayers, coffee to brew, yeast to rise, and the plane to “pleeze” take off (I recall sitting on the tarmac in Los Angeles for what seemed like hours while the astute seven-year-old boy in the seat in front of me asked his dad, ‘Why do they have us sit on the plane when they’re not ready?”)

But most of our three years of waiting is probably done while standing in line, like at the bank, the post office or the grocery store. At least the grocery store offers tabloid headlines to enlighten us as we wait, such as “Woman delivers own baby while skydiving” and “Multiple personality man charged triple room rate.”
When I visited the garden center “My Garden” on Bothell-Everett Highway in Mill Creek, I got right in. No waiting at all. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even think about waiting. Nor did I wonder why the skydiving woman didn’t ask a midwife to jump out of the plane with her. I only thought of moss people. Two life-size moss sculptures, representing the store’s owners, greeted me soon after I sauntered in.

When I came across the store’s real owners, Bill Raynolds and Jenny Gunderson, they flashed warm smiles. Both are former Molbak’s managers who opened their garden store nursery in November 2006 at the site of the former Wilywood Nursery. The bright colorful atmosphere demonstrated a flair for fun. And the piped in happy music put me in an upbeat mood.

“The goal of our nursery is to have something for everybody,” Jenny said.

Looking around I could see the evidence. Preschoolers have a wooden train set for amusement while older children, moms, dads and grandparents can play a game of Ping-Pong.

“The idea is, if someone can beat Bill at Ping-Pong, they win a prize,” Jenny explained.

The fun doesn’t stop there. The motley of foliage perennials, small trees, copper birdhouses, glass chimes and terra cotta laughing pigs make this a place you might want to spend three years.

Jokingly, I asked Jenny if she had pink flamingos. “We may have goofy laughing pigs and a flying pig wearing a tutu but no gnomes and no pink flamingos,” Jenny replied with a laugh. Upon hearing Jenny’s response, employee Tamara Steengaard kiddingly added, “Oh, I love gnomes! You’ll have to fire me!”

With so many unusual aspects to My Garden, most garden enthusiasts won’t even notice the absence of gnomes. This nursery not only has a Ping-Pong table but a U.S. Post Office as well.

“My Post Office” will open at the end of the month and will offer basic mailing capabilities including stamps and packing materials. This is one place where “going postal” will be fun.

Jenny and Bill plan to open “My Market,” a store next door for gardeners in search of exotic garden items like Brazilian pottery or stylish red garden hats made of yak wool.

The market is still in the works. Jenny explained they also have future plans for a produce stand, cut flowers, a café for espresso drinks and sandwiches and an on-site glass blower who will create glass garden art.

And if you’re looking for some garden suggestions, there is that, too. Jenny, a certified professional horticulturist, and Bill, an herb and veggie guru, will help with questions — as will their “jazzed” (as Jenny described) staff.

Do you want to start a color-themed garden? They will help you find the right flowers in the color combination you want.

“We’re all pretty color-focused,” said Jenny.

I noticed a white-themed flower garden on display, intermingled with cherub statuary and old world balls in an exquisite fleur-de-lis design. I prefer hot colors, such as passionate pink and purple with a splash of scream-at-you orange. But I had to admit that the “white” garden had a romantic southern feel and worked well with the chartreuse contrast of helleborus ‘Gold Bouillon’ and Lamium m. ‘Aurea.’

For those of you wanting to start your own romantic white-themed garden, Bill gave me a list of the garden’s white flowers: white pansies, the elegant helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ (oh la, la! as Ciscoe would say), primula, saxifragia ‘White Pixie’, Skimmia japonica, clematis ‘Early Sensation,’ white bleeding heart, white hyacinth and magnolia ‘Edith Bogue.’

I asked Jenny about garden favorites at this time of year? “Double primroses are big on customers’ lists right now,” she said. Other favorites include the new ‘Pink Marble’ helleborus as well as ‘Hot Cocoa’ and ‘Burgundy Ice’ roses.

I left without seeing “Meowy” the bicycle-riding cat who roams the store’s premises. Meowy doesn’t really ride a bicycle, but does have a knack of moving his legs in the same motion as if he were.

I really must get back there soon. I can’t “wait” to see what’s ahead.

If you’d like to contact Bill or Jenny, you can reach them at (425) 402-1842. For a list of contrast foliage in a white-themed garden, e-mail Bronwyn at BronwynEWilson@aol.com.