Monday, April 24, 2006

East Bay Nurseries Day Trip

Went to Annie's Annuals and Berkeley Hort. Yesterday. Gardening nirvana... and a financial nightmare. I did enough Visa damage that I'm thinking it's a good thing there's an hour and forty minutes between me and my favorite East Bay nurseries.

I was expecting rainy weather so was pleased with intermittently overcast skies and a bit of wind.

The raised demo beds at Annie's, amended with grape-seed compost, are looking incredible, as are the display pots at Berkeley Hort. Bought all kinds of fun stuff, traffic was a breeze and I didn't get lost in lovely downtown Richmond this time. I didn't even get lost in Berzerkely, city of invisible street signs.

New at Annie's: a chicken coop with fancy chickens, a rooster, a bunny or bunnies and some other bird I can't remember. Very cute. There seem to be more pinky/purply flower murals, as well as some new wagons with very cushy handles. Free cans of soda too!











4 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:52 PM

    We went to Annie's on Saturday and ended up closing the place we were so engrossed. It's a good thing I live close enough to there that I can reasonably go every weekend if I want. Or maybe it is not such a good thing.

    So what did you get??

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  2. Ok, here's what I bought:

    ANNIE'S ANNUALS
    Strelitzia 'Mandela Gold'
    Nasturtium 'Strawberries & Cream'
    Viola 'Frosted Chocolate'
    Cosmos 'Apricot'
    Lewisia cotyledon var. 'Heckneri'
    Aquilegia chrysantha 'Yellow Queen'
    Leptosiphon 'French Hybrids'
    Stipa arundinacea
    Selago serrata
    Echium wildpretii
    Nemesia 'Tapestry Mix'
    Malcomia maritima
    Carex testacea
    Nemophila 'Pennie Black'
    Thalictrum rochebrunianum
    Scabiosa caucasica 'Fama Blue'
    Ursinia anethoides
    Libertia ixiodes

    BERKELEY HORT.
    Osteospermum 'Peach Symphony'
    Erysimum 'Pastel Patchwork'
    Nasturtium 'Whirlybird Mahogany'
    Heuchera 'Snow Angel'
    Iris 'With This Ring' Pacifica hyb.
    Variegated buttercup (water plant)
    Water alyssum (Samolus)

    What did you buy, Ayse?

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  3. Anonymous11:16 AM

    Well, let's see:

    Babiana angustifolia
    Babiana villosa
    Borago officinalis "Borage"
    Clianthus puniceus 'Alba'
    Delphinium belladonna
    Eryngium giganteum 'Miss Wilmott’s Ghost'
    Fuschia 'Corallina'
    Marrubium cylleneum (ID unconfirmed)
    Nemophila "Pennie Black"
    Nicotiana langsdorfii
    Nicotiana suaveolens
    Rudbeckia occidentalis 'Green Wizard'
    Salvia clevelandii
    Silene asterias

    I do love that Pennie Black nemophila. I've been resisting it since I first saw it and finally gave in. I also have the Baby Five-Spot, which is a native. It's lovely. I think the main problem with Annie's is the urge to "collect all four" when you find a plant that is atttractive and grows well in your garden. That is how I ended up with eight lupines.

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  4. Looks like you did a bit of damage too. ;-)

    It's not surprising we only bought one of the same plants. She has soooooooooo many varieties!

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