For a Mother's Day outing, try one of these 10 Puget Sound-area nursery "discoveries"

Mom might really enjoy some quiet time in the garden right now, but then again, that often turns into a family work party. Instead, why not take a short trip to explore a new-to-you local nursery?

There, amid plants, demonstration gardens and colorful accessories, she can pursue her gardening passion without the danger of muddy knees. As a bonus, the perfect Mother's Day gift could be waiting right there at your destination.

"Living plants are a great choice for Mother's Day," says Tim Halloran, co-owner of urbanweeds in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood, "because they'll last longer than cut flowers" and they're a more "eco-friendly" purchase.

The nursery is one of 10 plant places a bit off the beaten path that we offer here as Mother's Day discoveries for this Sunday.

Head out of the city to Bainbridge Gardens, and you'll find two moms from the Harui family working alongside the third generation at the half-century-old Bainbridge Island nursery. "It's the way we always spend Mother's Day," laughs Donna Harui, whose parents, the late Junkoh Harui and his wife, Chris, began the nursery in 1958.

She expects to see many families on Sunday. "It's a fun place to hang out, get a coffee and wander," Harui says. "Families just enjoy poking around in here."

Owners of the much-newer My Garden Nursery in Mill Creek, now in its third year, also hope families will come for the fun, says co-owner Bill Raynolds. "Whether it's the mom, the dad, kids, anybody could have this as a little oasis where they can have fun and relax." It may be the only area nursery with a Ping-Pong table, and a large wooden train set sits on a toddler-height table near the main cash registers.

Whether around the corner or a ferry ride away, nurseries can be a unique destination for Mother's Day. Here are details on 10 nursery discoveries, along with some "side trip" attractions that might add to a fun Sunday outing.

Numbers correspond to numbers on map, Page 6.

1. urbanweeds

This small shop, now in its second year, occupies a former auto-service garage. With the tagline "The Modern Garden Shop" and a banner reading "Florus Metropolitanus," you'll find a modern aesthetic and plants for compact city gardens, deck pots and windowsills.

4302 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle; 206-632-7689; www.urbanweeds.com; open Monday-Friday noon-7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Side trip: It sits halfway between the Fremont Troll and the live creatures of Woodland Park Zoo.

2. Julius Rosso Nursery & Garden Center

This Georgetown institution is somewhat of an undiscovered gem, as people might think of it as a wholesale operation, but the public is welcome, too. You'll find a large, homey yard chockablock with plant bargains in its many shade houses. Kids will enjoy the endless parade of small planes coming in low for a landing at Boeing Field just beyond the garden fence.

6404 Ellis Ave. S., Seattle; 206-763-1888; open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

Side trip: A visit to the Museum of Flight on the west edge of Boeing Field would complete the airport experience. Or, traverse the neighborhood to see the iconic "Hat and Boots" sculptures from an old service station in the area. The giant Western-style garb has been relocated to Oxbow Park at 6430 Corson Ave. S.

3. Oasis Water Gardens

While in Georgetown, visit this compact yet comprehensive nursery focused on water features. Gurgling displays, complete with plants, offer possibilities and ideas. Water-loving grasses and lilies are in abundance, and children will gravitate to the goldfish and koi — especially the huge ones in the demonstration ponds.

404 S. Brandon St., Seattle, 206-767-9776; oasiswatergardens.com; Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Side trip: See No. 2.

4. Bonsai Northwest

The gnarled trunks and carefully sculpted branches of an old tree can be a delightful reminder of longevity and nature's process, and bonsai lovers have been manifesting those themes in miniature for centuries. Bonsai Northwest offers a greenhouse filled with the small trees and shrubs used for bonsai and a wide selection of specialty pots for their display. Table displays at eye level for youngsters let them get lost in the bonsai's imaginative landscape.

5021 S. 144th St., Tukwila, 206-242-8244; www.bonsainw.com; open Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Side trip: Work your legs at nearby Fort Dent Park. A bike trail runs along the edge of the winding Duwamish River there, and just to the south is the Family Fun Center with mini-golf and other games.

5. Bainbridge Gardens

An island institution, this nursery's varied attractions make it a great destination for visitors. The landscaped grounds offer exploration, from the old pear tree with its trunk grafted into a heart-shaped topiary to the forest of Japanese red pines that founder Zenhichi Harui started from seeds he brought from Japan. There is a nature trail lined with some of those pines, which were left as seedlings when the family was forced to evacuate the island as the U.S. entered World War II. The trees escaped their pots and now stand as reminders of that time and the family's reclaiming of the historic nursery site. An on-site cafe serves lunch and coffee.

9415 Miller Road N.E., Bainbridge Island; 206-842-5888; www.bainbridgegardens.com; open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Side trip: A stroll along the main street of Winslow, with its Blackbird Bakery, Churchmouse Yarns & Teas, Eagle Harbor Books and more.

6. DIG Floral & Garden

This colorful Vashon Island nursery is worth a ferry trip, as it will sprout a thousand ideas for your garden. There is a focus on unusual and new plants, and a vibrant pot collection provides a brilliant backdrop. DIG's designers have been recognized for their container creations, and perhaps the examples and materials will inspire Mom's artistic side. Alongside the nursery is a renovated house with display gardens and a new shop that offers household as well as garden goods.

19028 Vashon Highway S.W., Vashon Island; 206-463-5096; www.dignursery.com; open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

Side trip: A drive to Point Robinson Park to see the scenic lighthouse and stunning views of Puget Sound and Mount Rainier.

7. Boxhill Farm Nursery

A former dairy farm dating to the 1920s is the home for Boxhill Farm Nursery, whose azure blue sign dominates the corner of Highway 203 and Big Rock Road just a mile south of Duvall. Grooved pavement on gently angled floors inside the big barns remind you of the dairy operation, but the cattle stalls are lined with plants and the exterior walls are dressed with flower beds and espaliered fruit trees. Many varieties of boxwood and bamboo are Boxhill's specialty. Views across Snoqualmie Valley and visits with wandering cats are among the attractions.

14175 Carnation-Duvall Road, Duvall; 425-788-6473; www.boxhillfarm.com; open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.

Side trip: A walk or bike ride on the adjacent Snoqualmie Valley Trail.

8. Falling Water Gardens

Water cascading off two-story-high vertical rock columns greets passers-by on busy Highway 203 to announce Falling Water, created two years ago on the site of a former raspberry and strawberry farm. A miniature Stonehenge sits alongside the shop, and bubbling fountains sprinkle the under-construction landscape. Owner Rick Perry hopes to have a koi pond finished this spring. Shallow ponds hold a selection of water lilies, and the greenhouse hosts two banks of koi tanks, including one that is for "petting," where the fish will surface and suck on your finger.

17516 Highway 203, Monroe; 360-863-1400; www.fallingwatergardens.com; open 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. daily.

Side trip: Head south on Highway 522 to Maltby for a sweet treat at the Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream Parlor at the corner of Maltby Road and 86th Avenue Southeast.

9. My Garden Nursery

On the site of the former Wileywood Nursery on a busy commercial strip in Mill Creek is the young My Garden Nursery, which owners Bill Raynolds and Jenny Gunderson began in 2006. Two life-size "moss people" sculptures, complete with T-shirts and garden hats, appear to leap into the air above the plants at the nursery's entrance. Displays include a raised-bed vegetable garden and an Alzheimer's "memory garden" in honor of Gunderson's parents, who both had the disease. Visitors may "plant a head" by making a donation, and the nursery will add a stone head with plants growing from its top.

17414 Bothell Everett Highway, Mill Creek; 425-402-1842; www.mygardennursery.com; open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Side trip: Head south to Bothell to visit the historical sites at the Park at Bothell Landing, on the Sammamish River Trail.

10. Dragonfly Farms Nursery

A generous country nursery between Kingston and Hansville on the north Kitsap Peninsula, Dragonfly is just remote enough to qualify as a getaway, but not too far for a quick visit. The display gardens feature ponds and tropical plants as well as native plants and specialty grasses, but the natural landscape is visible just beyond the cultivated space. Sundays, a market is held on the grounds, where vendors offer fresh produce, fish, arts and crafts. On Mother's Day, green tote bags will be given to shoppers at the market.

34881 Hansville Road, Kingston; 360-638-1292; www.dragonflyfarmsnursery.com; open Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Side trip: Continue a few miles north to Point No Point Lighthouse, east of Hansville, or find the roadside trail to the Nature Conservancy lands at Foulweather Bluff west of town.

Bill Thorness is a freelance garden writer in Seattle: bill@thorness.com.