Whos sick of this weather

Kell, I'm not the attraction. Begoniacrazii is. She's talking about Calistoga. My town is way bigger: 7500 people. LOL.

I LOVE Kings! OF course I go there! I got my begonia grandis there. AND have you seen their over 100 year old zygocactus!

Which gas station, where, when what....

Kell, when I'm in a bind, I always do 'breakfast for dinner' the whole gang gets pancakes! How does your DH like them? Easy -cheesy. Just whip up some Krustez and get to griddling!

My Dh wants me to buy that little nursery off of forth street. I can't think of the name off hand. Hey, have you been to 'windmill' that's now 'Dig' in Cotati? They've done a nice job there. A bit spendy, but nice.

Oh, and i LOVE CalFlora in Fulton!

Oh I feel a nursery hop coming on. I haven't been up that way since last summer. So windmill has changed owners? I used to talk to that nice lady there.

I have been to 4th street alot, there are great antique stores there. I am so out of room though. You hardly can walk up the path to my front door.

OK, I have enver been to Calistoga. What is the attration there to hav eso mnay tourists? lali must have hidden talents. LOL.

And I do not believe for one minute that you eat any pancakes, Lali. LOL. I eat none for they would put me into diabetic shock, though I look like I eat them every day.

BUY that nursery and stock all our fav plants!! We will love you for always.

I have been to Dig and I'm glad they still have the rabbit. I got some gorgeous Primula Acaulis there. Do you know she and her husband (the owners of Windmill) went to work for the post office instead? Isn't that bizarre? I tried to talk her into buying Bassignani's, which is right over my back fence, because she could have done a lot with it. It's been going downhill rapidly for years.

The only nursery I can think of that's off Fourth Street (is that what you meant?) is King's. I can't think of any others there.

The one behind the gas station is on Sebastopol Avenue (but in Santa Rosa), across from a big dollar store. They don't speak a lot of English, but it doesn't matter because the prices are great. They sell their stuff at the Sebastopol flea market and that's how I heard about the nursery.

Oddly enough, I've never been to CalFlora. I don't have a car, so I'm sort of limited to the nurseries my friends like best.

One of my old students lives in Calistoga part of the time. Cathy Prevost. She's a realtor and her husband Don's a dentist in Half Moon Bay or Pacifica or someplace like that. Do you know them?

This message was edited Apr 5, 2006 8:51 PM

Just have to brag about the weather here today. Hasn't it been outrageous, the rain? Today around 1pm the sun came out and there were huge white fluffy clouds in a blue, blue sky. I took to opportunity to drive to San Luis Obispo to the Farm Supply Company's spring sale. Dropped a bundle, did I. Their jumbo packs were buy two get one free and 4" 20% off. Can't even tell you what all I got, but my car was so full I had to limit my Trader Joe's buying. Stocked up on Black Forest Compost and Bumper Crop, fish emulsion, seaweed extract and........Zuzu......Sluggo. It's completely harmless to our kitty friends and kills those slugs and snails dead, dead, dead. Takes a few days though. I'm also glad you mentioned the size of the slugs. The one I found the other morning demolishing my primroses was the size of a boa constrictor! I'm so happy to hear it might be just a water retention thing and that they don't grow that size here regularly. I was a little squeemish about picking that blob up. I remember the size of some of them when I lived under the redwoods in Guerneville. Do they still do the Slug Fest there?

I only get two days off a month at this point, but I've been following this thread and daydreaming of actually nursery hopping with ya'll. That would be so much fun and I'd just love to go back to Sebastopol (used to live there too) and hit all the great nurseries in the area.

Does anyone know of a really outrageously wonderful nursery here on the Central Coast?

Ahhh, nothing like an afternoon of sunshine, a nice walk in a park with puppy Penny and some plant shopping at Summerwinds and OSH. I had my fix for a while, found two cute angel wing begonias at OSH for $5.99 ea. and some other odds and ends. Got some big pot ideas at Summerwinds which had me buy the split leaf philodendren a OSH too.
Stopped by my parents on the way home to show off my goodies to my Mom, she loves it, Dad shakes his head and leaves. He did gift me a cymbidium of his that I have been wanting and he finally split. So that also went in the car.

Ok, so ladies, as soon as we get some nice all day sun, lets get a day up in Sebastopol going, my Mom said she's in. I'll drive.
Then another trip down south to Monterey Bay Nursery when we get the OK from Keith.

Well lookie at that, even my patio is turning green!


My new lime green cymbidium from my Dad's collection.

Oh, how very, very gorgeous that cymbidium is, Sue.

Do you ever go to Passanisi's? They always have big angel wing begonias for $2, not to mention some fabulous orchids. That should be part of our nursery run. They're in Penngrove.

Well the man just got in. I have frozen Angelini eggplant lasagne in the microwave. I must buy more of those. LOL.

Oh Stellapathic, sounds like you had fun. I have always wanted to go to San Luis Obispo and check it out. I did go thru there years ago and I remember we ate a great gardeny place. So Sluggo is good? I have am having such trouble with them this year. I used some kind and the snails love it. it is like bubble bath for them in all this rain.

LOL Zuzu, fluid retention.

You are so lucky to have Summerwind chain where you are Sue. I loved it when I was down there on that rose run in January. The prices were good too.

I bought that left corner plant you have there too at East Bay. And the opposite corner too. Those rex look so different than the ones around here. Great haul. How lucky you are to have your parents so close to you. That orchid is gorgeous.

Oh Zuzu. I want to go to Passanisi's also. I best start saving my pennies.

Passanisi's?!! Why have I never heard of this place?!! The Larkspur one is closer I think for me. http://www.passanisinursery.com/index.shtml
Another road trip!

I've never been to the Larkspur one, but they have one in San Francisco that's even closer to you. The one in Cotati is their home base, where they grow everything, so it probably has a lot more stuff than the two branches.

Well, shoot, lets' not limit ourselves to one, let's hit them all!

I just realized I was just at the SF one last Friday as I went up with a bride to select wedding flowers, I am doing her bouquets next month. I breezed thru it too fast though and nothing caught my eye, it was a small place.

This message was edited Apr 5, 2006 10:28 PM

LOL. Spoken like a true addict in spring.

Zuzu, I was confusing Empire with Kings. Yes, Kings is the one I was trying to think of the name of. Empire is way out on Guernville Rd.

DH thinks I should have Kings, but I think I'd have a hard time parting with plants! LOL. I be saying 'Um, no, that plants not for sale, I just bought it'

Have you been out to Empire? That's where I almost caved in and bought the brug. sanguinea. In full bloom. But I bought seeds off of eBay instead. Should have bought the plant. Not one seed sprouted!

Kell, Calistoga is a spa- hotsprings town. Not to mention wine country. It's a pretty cute little town. We have formula biz ordinances that preven chains and franchise type stores and golden arches out. So it's still quaint and charming. KFC was literally tarred and feathered and run out of town. Long is trying their darndest to get in, I'll move if they do.

for Nursery hopping, I have a few open weekend days
April 15 & 16
April 30
May 7th

My weekends are either family or booked so my preference is weekdays.

Is that the sun I see up there?!?!?!!?

Yep, all day! I'm heading out, got some daylilies to dig for a Sat. auction, and maybe a pot or two to plant plus some walking time with puppy Penny.

I can do weekdays too, I just assumed most would be working the 9-5 grind.
I'm open just about any weekday (nice thing about being your own boss!), so since I'm pretty flexible, I can adjust to other's schedules.

We're fogged in like soup! But I think it will clear up a bit.

I only prefer weekends if I am driving far for much less traffic. But if Sue is driving.....I am open any day but Tuesdays when I try to make a showing at work early. Sue drives like a young girl, I drive like an old lady.

Lali want to use 5/15 for going to the hibiscus place?

I am getting EXCITED!!!

Sun! I had ordered 20 daylilies to be dug on Monday and I was afraid that it would be rainjacket time in the garden but they are almost in the ground.

The people at Rainbow Acres daylilies have not been able to dig so he dug yesterday and paid for express mail. I was very pleased. But I'm sorry that they are suffering the California rain in busy season.

HI Sue and friends,

You have my OK anytime you want to plan a trip to Monterey Bay Nursery. I go there every two weeks, and I will be going next week. So get a group together and let's make it happen. It will be a blast!! But if anyone out there visits the nursery, be prepared to have a plantgasm because you will see things that you can't live without.

Isn't the sun nice? like a good friend you haven't seen for a while.

Cheers! Keith

So glad I found this thread again. I'd forgotten where I put the info.

Keith, yes the sunshine is spectacular. Had a very hard time working at the computer today, kept grabbing Lionel (the cat) and running out for a minute here and there to do this and that.

kell, the Sluggo seems to have stopped them overnight! According to the leaflet it's an iron phosphate with bait to draw them. Causes them to stop eating and they die after 3-6 days. I've had such a problem with them on the primulas, brugmansias and the ornamental kale. First thing I noticed this morning is that the new growth hadn't been touched overnight. With all this rain I've been over-fertilizing with fish emulsion and my plants seem to be responding so well that there's new growth every morning, which unfortunately the slugs/snails have been having a hay day with.

I have been lugging around plants that I got at King's for over 20 years now. My favorite hand pruners came from there too. I wonder if they still carry them? I'd sure love another pair. They are hand forged by some monks somewhere, I do remember that. Hmmm, I just plain need to come up to Sonoma County.

Monterey Bay Nursery would probably put me in debt for months but, hey, the instant gratification is worth it. I told my work that I was taking the whole month of May off, but now realize I can't possibly afford to do that. But if I know far enough ahead of time I could probably get a day off to join all of you. I'm a major lurker here, and feel like I know you all, but time constraints sometimes stop me from posting too much. Except for in the pet forum that is; Lionel demands his fans be kept updated. I sure would enjoy meeting ya'll though. Sure would.

Watch it! That Sluggo can be addicting. Pick it up the generic at Home Depot and you'll save a bundle. Then you can spend the savings at the nursery.

But keep after it. You do have to replenish every two weeks it or it will stop working.

Begonia, I thought you might be talking about Empire when you mentioned the zygocactus. Yes, I like Empire a lot, but I liked it even more years ago, when they had hundreds of roses, all in alphabetical order, and when they had gorgeous fish and fancy ducks and that whole aviary full of fancy birds. The guy eventually sold it because a bobcat kept coming after the ducks and fish and it broke his heart. After that it went through two sets of new owners. Now the original owner is back. For a while, he called the place Deja Vu, which I thought was really clever, but now it's Empire again.

There used to be another nursery in Santa Rosa that was really great. I think it was Crocker or something like that. Mostly roses, but lots of other stuff too, and fabulous Chinese furniture for sale inside. Now it's a grocery store.

Prickett's is okay, but rapidly going downhill.

King's really is the best in Santa Rosa. They had double Mandevillas before anyone else had even heard of them. Also some really fancy hydrangeas that they had years ago, and most places still don't have them.

You should have bought the Brug sanguinea from Annie's Annuals. I bought one there last year for $4 or $5 and it's quite tall now.

I'm also free any day of the week. Tuesday is the day that King's is closed. Also, if any of you want to go to Emerisa Gardens, Vintage Gardens, or Sonoma Horticultural, it's better to come later in the week. Those three are all closed from Monday until Wednesday or Thursday.

Stella, you need to come back to Sebastopol.

Doss, what's the name of the generic Sluggo at HD? I've been using Deadline, but it turns to hideous, moldy, furry, navy-blue piles of stuff in the rain. Very unsightly!

If you don't have animals, the deadline does work better and there's something else - Correy's that works better too and doesn't make blue fuzz. They are both more economical than Sluggo because it has to be replaced more often. If you have animals, then I actually can't remember the name of the product but it's pretty obvious when you go to the store. The key is that it's iron phosphate. I'll go out in the shed tomorrow and find the name for you.

Oh, and Sluggo can be toxic too if your dog eats enough of it so don't mix it with bone meal or anything else that your dog might want.

I have no dogs, Doss, and cats luckily don't eat snail bait or gopher bait or anything poisonous of that nature. In fact, they won't even eat gophers after they've ingested poison. They just kill them and leave them whole.

Then I'd use Correy's.

Great. I will. Thanks, Doss.

Zuz, if you ever get over the hill to St. Helena, Whitings is the best nursery ever! They've moved locations and are a bit smaller, but still very nice to wander through. PLUS Tra Vigne is right next door. The best house made fresh mozzerella and balsamic reduction sauce EVER. So good it'll make ya get up and slap yo mamma! (woops, the Texan in me just slipped out)

The prices at Whiting's reflect the neighborhood (read high brow) but it is still nice. IF enough folks are interested, we might get into wholesale Cottage Garden Nursery for a tour. Not sure. (they have begonias for any other begonia heads out there)
not to be confused with Cottage Gardens in Petaluma and Bennet Valley. They have nice stuff too.

Is Ray Redell's rose farm still around? I went there in Petaluma years ago. Still have 'The Fairy' rose I bought.

Oh shoot, now we are talkihg begonias. I need to move fast and rob a bank.

I heard Reddell sold it last year or maybe it was 2 year s ago. It is still a rose nursery.

OK. Corrys it is.

Keith THANKS. If Sue deoesn't chime in soon, I will go wake her up.

Stellapathic, since you are coming from the other direction, you could meet us there.

I am checking the weather reports and will talk to Keith Sat. I am not interested in even going if it rains. Wed. and Fridays are best for me, actually Wed is the best.

Begonia, you obviously have not met my mamma. It wouldn't even take a good meal for me to slap her. Kell can tell you I'm not kidding.

Yes, Ray Redell's farm is not only still around, but has been revived to more than full strength as Garden Valley Ranch. Vintage Gardens is closing its retail store at the end of May and moving all of its stock there. They already have all of the gallon roses from Vintage Gardens. The last couple of times I've been at Garden Valley, they've had a 40% off sale if you buy at least 10 roses. Not difficult to do at a place like that.

Wednesday's good, Sue, unless you wanted to go to Vintage Gardens. I think all the rest are open on Wednesdays. Should we think of narrowing this down? We have Passanisi's in Penngrove (which, by the way, has a senior citizen discount of 10% on Tuesdays, and their definition of a senior is slightly younger than Social Security's -- 55 or 60, I forget which); Cottage Gardens and Garden Valley Ranch in Petaluma; King's, Empire, Emerisa Gardens, and the nameless nursery behind the gas station in Santa Rosa; Sonoma Horticultural, Harmony Farms, Lone Pine, and Miniature Plant Kingdom in Sebastopol. I'm leaving lots of them out, I know, but that's all I can think of off hand. Vote for your favorites. They can't all be done in one day.

Begonia, where's the Cottage Gardens in Bennett Valley? It isn't in the phone book. Does it belong to the Petaluma woman?

This message was edited Apr 7, 2006 1:01 AM

There's another succulent nursery that's off the bodega highway but I can't think of the name now. It's been years.
And also Bamboo Sourcery & California Carnivores

Cottage in Bennet valley is relativel new. It's like they took over a Jack in the Box and converted it. They sell basically the same stuff, but MUCH smaller venue. It's like the cream of their crop so to speak - I bought B. 'Concord' there and some nice succulents.
here's the addy.
2780 Yulupa Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA


http://www.cottagegardensofpet.com/

we probably shouldn't bring kell there. She'll be out of control!

also http://www.picalily.com/

and CalFlora too in fulton (easy to go to if we go to Empire) and Urban Tree Farm is on the way too.

Bring me there Bring me there Bring me there.

oh forgot to say, I can't do Wednesdays now as I just started my volunteer position at Strybing greenhouses.
Thurs/Fridays are best for me.

I went to Harmony Farms today. They had a huge variety of stuff from Annie's Annuals, and the rain was pouring down, so I was the only person there (they gave me an umbrella when it started raining) and I got the pick of the litter, so to speak. I filled three flats with 4-inch plants and 6-packs and picked up a couple of pots of PCH irises too. The plants filled the back of my friend's car, and the grand total came to only $83. I get so wrapped up in my roses that I forget you can actually fill a car with only $83 worth of annuals and perennials.

Begonia, the only succulent nursery I can think of around here is Lone Pine, but there's a Wishing Well nursery in Freestone, off the Bodega Highway. Is that the one you mean?

There's also Sumigawa for bonsai and maples and there's that Clematis nursery in Healdsburg. Of course, if you want to extend this list to Russian River nurseries, there are some good ones in Monte Rio, Camp Meeker, and Guerneville.

Zuzu, this is a nursery just outside of Cotati that hardly anyone knows about. Nice people, reasonable prices. Bought a few shrubs there last year.

http://www.penngrovenursery.com/default.asp

Thank you, Chilidawg. I've seen this one on the way to Passanisi's, but I've never stopped in. It looks promising.

yep, I passed it by for years and was surprised at what they had. I think it's a better place for plants than Passanisi's. I am not too thrilled with Passanisis's. Their stock is often heat stressed and they are not cheap.

Any word if Western Hills sold? The realtor who had the listing no longer has it listed...that was my fav Sonoma county place to go. That garden was amazing.

This message was edited Apr 7, 2006 11:14 PM

This message was edited Apr 8, 2006 11:06 AM

I haven't heard anything about Western Hills, but this rain has kept me from seeing the usual crowd of gardening friends that might know something about it. As soon as I hear anything, I'll let you know.