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| Annie's Annuals & Perennials has a great online catalog. They're working with a skeleton staff, though, so it took longer than usual to receive my order. |
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| Here's my haul fresh out of the box, from the top down: Orthrosanthus multiflorus (3), Agrostemma 'Ocean Pearls' (3), Alstroemeria ligtu (2), Phlomis purpurea (1), and Eriogonum nudum (3) |
This delivery was different from most in that I actually had spots in mind for all these plants. I only got half of them planted yesterday but the rest will go in the ground today.
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| Orthrosanthus multiflorus (Morning Flag) should form 2x2 foot clumps |
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| The yellow flowers of Eriogonum nudum should offer a nice complement to the blue flowers I grow in this area |
I've still got Dahlia tubers to plant and Zinnia seeds to sow but the cool-season flowers in my cutting garden were slow to roll this year, giving me a short-term space problem. Some of these may have to be started in plastic pots until space opens up in my raised planters.
Puttering in the garden is a source of joy at a time like this. I hope you get to do some puttering yourself this weekend. Best wishes!
All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
I have an Annies box coming next week. And I actually have stake in the ground labeled with which plant goes in that spot. I did that once it became clear that I would go out with every morning, look mat the stake and realize I had forgotten what I decided .I guess I'm just not used to planning these things in advance !
ReplyDeleteI buy way too many plants by mail order and in garden centers on a whim, Kathy, telling myself I can find a spot for them somewhere, which generally isn't a big problem but sometimes involves pulling something else out. It was kind of nice to have spots designated for all of these. I should try your approach with stakes for all those bulbs I buy!
DeleteI do love Annie's! Our garden centers allow outside shopping: five people in a very large space. Then they take the wagon and your card details inside to total up. I agree,t he browsing around in half the fun: and, of course, I always end up with at least one thing I hadn't planned on!
ReplyDeleteYou do better than I do, Libby, if you only bring home one thing you hadn't planned on. I'd say that more than half my purchases fall into that category!
DeleteHow well packed and healthy they are Kris. You must have been delighted with them. We usually go to our local nursery at Easter time where himself treats me to a few plants in lieu of a chocolate egg. I'm pleased to say that they offer mail order so for the first time I made use of the service and recently bought a small number of plants. I have been planting up dahlia tubers this week and still have zinnias to sow đ
ReplyDeleteAnnie's is a fantastic nursery. If they weren't 400+ miles away, I'd probably be there once a week! Actually, it's probably a good thing they're not within easy driving distance...
DeleteLooking good. I can understand not being able to cruise the nursery to find alternative plants. I am going to miss the colorful aisles. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I'm going to become addicted to mail order nursery shopping, Lisa. I wish my neighborhood garden center could develop a better way of sharing what they've got in inventory. Calling and asking about individual species is a bit like playing a very slow game of bingo...and I never really liked bingo to start with.
DeleteNew plants are always exciting! I expect we'll be seeing some of these flowers in future bouquets. :)
ReplyDeleteI got the good news that my favorite plant supplier will be open April 30. It's an open air field market (less crowding) and because they sell food plants and herbs, they are considered 'essential.' I am so relieved. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to supply my clients' gardens, so I'm good to go! Yay!
btw, it snowed 4" last night - can you imagine snow here this late? Luckily, most of it has melted and tomorrow may reach 60. About time!
Snow in April just seems downright mean on Mother Nature's part! I hope spring "sticks" in your part of the country once the snow is gone. We're supposed to hit 80F here toward the end of next week, which seems a bit early...
DeleteI love the Agrostemma--the Getty garden was full of them last spring and they were fabulous. Meant to get some seeds last fall, but it didn't happen.
ReplyDeleteI got the Eriogonum latifolium, we'll have to compare notes on performance. Missing cruising nurseries looking for new plants, oh yes!
Before the lockdown, I'd planned to contact you to see if we could arrange a get-together at Roger's, HB. I never thought I'd be sitting out spring without at least one trip down that way!
DeleteAnnie's to the rescue! I may have to resort to a few mail order perennials myself though right now I'm trying to begin my first-in-a-long-time vegetable patch. Luckily my usual seed company was still shipping, just a bit slowly...
ReplyDeleteI gave up my vegetable garden almost 3 years ago in favor of a cutting garden and I've been considering the wisdom of that decision myself, Amy. I did take back a bit for space in the raised planters for strawberries and have appropriated 2 large pots for tomatoes but I haven't gone all-in yet! The artichokes on my back slope seem to be returning for another year so that's helpful.
DeleteYay for Annies and all mail-order! Spring is for new plants and if you can't get to the nursery then it's wonderful that it comes to you.
ReplyDeleteI generally order from Annie's a few times a year but I'm guessing the frequency will increase this year, Loree.
DeleteMy local plant nursery is busy building a online shop which I can't wait to open. I've looked at other mail-order websites but they seem so expensive in comparison.
ReplyDeleteI hope my local garden center will take their effort further with more photos, or even just lists, of what's in stock. The shipping charges associated with mail orders can be onerous. At least the shipping for Annie's, located in Northern California, isn't as costly as some other mail order nurseries.
DeleteIt must be difficult to buy plants online as I so much like to pick out my own and get the best of the lot. I suppose with no other option, it is better than nothing. My favorite nursery is doing order on line/pickup, but they are still also open, so I just go in and cruise the aisles. It is really nice with very few people there and a treat for the heart and soul to see everything in bloom. I don't go to Lowes or Home Depot unless I really need something, but they have better than nothing flower departments. And Meijer, my go-to grocery store has a garden center too, so when I get groceries, it fills the need to look and shop, and if I find something, the prices are better than the nurseries. Your plants look really nice for mail order. I've never done much of that, unless it is something rare and not carried locally.
ReplyDeleteIt's easier to order online once you have confidence in the seller. For example, Annie's provides photos and good information online to consider before ordering and the plants are always shipped with careful packaging that has them arrive unblemished. However, the plants are only available in 4-inch pots so, if someone wants a big splash immediately upon planting, that could be an issue. I don't visit the big box stores often and, while I've occasionally bought plants there, I've found they're best for "standard issue" varieties.
DeleteLovely selection - the morning flag looks particularly promising. Unfortunately I have to do all of my plant shopping on line. My nearest decent nursery is nearly two hours drive away. So I really understand how thrilled you were when yours arrived intact. I always rejoice when I get an undamaged delivery! Enjoy 'pottering'!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cathy! I shop nurseries online even under normal circumstances and I'm almost always thrilled to receive a delivery of that kind but I admit I also like the spontaneity of dropping in at my local garden center just 6 miles away.
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