anyone know Watsonville area cactus/succulent lady?

When I lived in Santa Cruz County, I remember I went to a woman's small cactus/succulent nursery near Watsonville. (I'm not sure if it was in Watsonville itself or Freedom or Corralitos -- somewhere around there.) She sold out of her backyard, and you had to call ahead to make sure she'd be there. I bought a number of unusual succulents from her, but when I moved to the UK for a few years most of the plants died while they were in "temporary care." I'm be driving through the Santa Cruz area soon, and I'd like to stop at this woman's nursery, but I can't remember the name of it (or of her). Does anyone have a clue who this woman is, and whether her nursery has a name/number?

Nobody?

(Is that sounding pathetic enough for someone to answer?) :-)

How about
Elkhorn Native Plant Nursery
Moss Landing & Soquel http://www.elkhornnursery.com/

Native Revival Nursery http://www.nativerevival.com/
Aptos
(831) 684-1811

Ecoscape http://www.ecotree.net/
Santa Cruz

Sunset Coast Nursery
Watsonville
(831) 762-1672

Probably not the one you were looking for, but they may suit the bill.

There used to be a woman in Watsonville who had a nursery called Desert Theatre. She was smallish, older, had reddish hair, and was somewhat eccentric. Was this her? She's no longer there. One note on the above thread - Ecoscape only sells Aloe polyphylla, and he might not have any available.

But there are others you can contact in the area who can fill your car up with your heart's desires! You do need an appointment with most of them, so please call ahead. Also, if you only have one day it won't be enough to go to all of these places.

Naomi Bloss
California Succulents
Watsonville
831/722-1446

Ev Livermont
Bud 'n Ev's
Salinas
831/449-2002

Anne Shein
Shein's Cactus (she also has a lot of succulents)
Marina
831/384-7765

Robin Stockwell (male)
Succulent Gardens
Castroville
831/632-0482

Hope this helps!

Hi, Terracotta -

There is a wonderful husband and wife who live in the Eureka area, and they have a fantastic selection of Cactus and Succulents. They call their business 'Catching Cactus'. I know that they do the local farmers markets, and they sell to local garden shops. Piersons carries their stuff, although they don't take very good care of it. You would do best to buy straight from them at a farmers market, or during a special event that they attend.

I know that they'll be at the Christmas sale at the Mateel Community Center.

Good luck with your search!

Lori

PotEmUp, pekasky, and ladyrowan,

Thanks for your replies and information! I think the Desert Theater woman is who I was thinking of. She was definitely eccentric. :-)

The places that you all have recommended will be great, esp the ones that specialize in succulents. I've just returned from my trip to SoCal, so some of the Monterey Bay Area nurseries will have to wait until my next trip. (I may have to tack on a few extra days in the Santa Cruz area just to sample all those nurseries you mentioned.) In the meantime, I'll definitely try the Catching Cactus people.

Thanks again. Dave's Garden people to the rescue again!

Terri

One more that I did not get a chance to visit when I was in Fort Bragg is Simply Succulents.

You're welcome!! Anything to help!! LOL If you need some additional contacts in the SoCal area, let me know. There are quite a few people down that way too. Here's a link to get you started: http://www.cactus-mall.com/apps/california.html. A few of the sources are out of date, but most are current.

Marilyn