Hip hip hooray! Annie's mail order plants are back!

In mid-September I received a notice from GrowOrganic.com, advertised as the "Online Home of Peaceful Valley Farm" located in Grass Valley, California.  They anoounced that they were going live with the mail order business they purchased after Annie's Annuals and Perennials suddenly closed its doors in October last year.  They offered a discount code for use on my first order and, when they published "Annie's Annuals & Perennials Best of Fall Collection" on September 20th, I submitted an order.  (You can find their webpage here.)  Did I "need" to order new plants now, with summer's hold on us is still in place?  No, I did not but I ordered anyway.  My order was promptly processed and my first shipment arrived as promised on Wednesday afternoon.

They're using the Annie's brand, at least for now.  Even the shipping boxes are the same as those used by the original Annie's operation.

I don'r remember a "this end up" label like this in the old days, though

My order was packed in the same fashion as my prior Annie's orders.

The internal packing was the same too, except that 2 plants had been laid on their sides on this occasion

Here's a better view of what I ordered.

I purchased 4 varieties of plants, 9 in total.  Annie's always only sold mail order plants in 4-inch pots, which I prefer when I can get them that way.

Believe it or not, I've got spots designated for everything included in this order, which isn't always the case:

The three snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus 'Double Azalea Bronze') will go into my cutting garden, where there's enough space for them given recent losses.  It's earlier than I'd like to plant snapdragons, which are cool season plants here, but I love them and my dahlias appear to be seeking an early exit.

Annie's snapdragons have been more resistant to rust than any of those I've purchased locally

The three Carex divulsa will edge the area that formerly held two overgrown and woody Coleonema album in the front garden.  I already have one specimen of this Carex elsewhere (which came from the original Annie's) so I know it handles partial shade and low water well.

The grass-like plant is attractive but also easy to care for

The two coyote mints (Monardella villosa) will be planted in empty spots in a very dry area in my back garden next to the flagstone path.  The evergreen plant is said to be a good selection for a "no-water path," which would make it perfect for the spot in question.

In the interest of full disclosure, I tried growing this plant once before and it died; however, I think I failed to give it enough water when it was in the early stages of getting established that time

The single Mexican marigold (Tagetes lemmonii) will replace the woody specimen I pulled earlier this year when it was no longer flowering as well as it had in prior years.

Tagetes lemmonii provided flushes of bright yellow-gold color in spring and fall in its former position.  The Gazanias currently in that spot don't do the job.

Everything will be tucked into place and well-watered this weekend.  The marine layer has returned and it was noticeably cooler yesterday.  I'm expecting more of the same today.

I can't claim that the Annie's/GrowOrganic order is the only one I've placed recently.  I've actually gone bonkers with bulb orders recently, including three to Dutch sellers, two of which called out six percent tariffs on their goods.

I ordered 83 bulbs from K. van Bourgondien, including Amaryllis (Hippeastrum), Orienpet Lilies, Dutch Iris, Crocus, and Tazetta daffodils

John Scheepers will supply another 101 bulbs, including more Dutch Iris, Alliums, Ipheion, species tulips, and a single Amaryllis (Hippeastrum)

What I ordered from Van Engelen are pricier bulbs sold in bulk, including Scilla peruviana, more Orienpet Lilies, and more Amaryllis.  I like to give Hippeastrums as holiday gifts and they're less expensive ordered well before the holidays.

I tallied up the expense of the fall bulb orders and, given two pre-orders of dahlia bulbs to ship in spring, I decided I'd best tuck my credit card away for awhile.  When it's not uncomfortably warm, I've been chipping away at pruning chores, boring and often arduous.  Every time I turn around, I find more plants that need such attention.  I'm going to call on my tree service to schedule the larger scale jobs I can't handle.  Although it still feels a lot like summer here, my internal clock is telling me I need to get cracking on preparations for our cool season.

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend as September comes to its end.

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