Northern Cal-Annie's Annuals

Oh Kell, I ignore the size thing lately, I just pretend I have a big yard, I want to jungle look anyways! I can be good with container stunting too.
I have been eyeing those trees lately, I love anything that color! I may break down yet, saw them at Navalets.

How much? Shoot I bought mine at Longs. Navlets always has the better prices.

PS Longs has a big tree of it in the outside back part. They want over $1000 for it but it is a beauty. Did you see it?

This message was edited Jun 30, 2006 11:37 AM

It was at least a month ago so don't remember.

Kell, Your chocolate tree is 'way cool' Does it make seeds? Looks tropical, know is origin?

New photos from today, Crinum flowers...

It's a Mimosa. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/56536/index.html
If it's anything like the regular green one here, seedlings should pop up everywhere!

http://www.navletsgardens.com/newsletter/chocolate_mimosa.html


OK, I give, I'm going to Navelet's for one!

This message was edited Jun 30, 2006 12:10 PM

Oh Dale, your flower is stunning. I have a few Crinum myself but they started taking over. They get so big!! Of course the one I wanted to gro the most that a friend sent me, rotted! Isn' t that the way?

Sue, you are so easy. Just like me. LOL Aren't we grand?

hiya Calif_Sue

I have both D. imperialis 'Double White' and D. exelsa on my Annie's wishlist and they haven't notified me yet. Did it look like they had a bunch? Were they in gallons, or the normal 4in pots? They also didn't inform me that they now had Cassia didymbotrya available. Guess my wish list isn't updating as quickly as I'd hoped....lol.

envious,
don...

Dr Don, they often will not post anything available unless they have enough to fulfill internet orders. I found several yesterday that were on my wish list where they only had a handful. They only sell in the 4" pots as far as I know, or that's all I have ever seen.
As for the cassia, not sure what happned there but my guess is they don't send out emails each and everytime something becomes available, perhaps just on a scheduled day all at once.

See, you need to send me your wish list!!

This message was edited Jun 30, 2006 1:12 PM

lol, yes indeed.

I've placed the order and hopefully got two of each of the Dahlias and 5 of the Cassias.

When Pam and I were there in May I found a Cantua buxifolia there in a gallon can. It was toward the back of the nursery in the shade. I looked at another Salvia supplier that might help dale_a_gardener that I've had good luck with on several orders by mail. Does anyone else have any experience with Digging Dog nursery?

I haven't personally but they have good feedback in Garden Watchdog

How is your cantua doing? They must have had to put it in the bigger pot because they get so big. I have had mine a couple of years, love it! I like the odd and unusual.

This message was edited Jun 30, 2006 1:46 PM

Drdon, I think the usual email update on wishlists didn't go out this week for some reason. They usually send it once a week, on Wed or Thurs I think, and I've been getting them every week except this week, even though there are things on my wish list that were available. But in general, you should find out about them within a week of when they become available. But Sue's right, there are a lot of times plants that they have in small quantities or small plants that might not survive shipping and you can get those in person, but they won't show up on the website.

By the way, the Dahlia's are available for online purchase now as is your Cassia...they're on my wish list too so when I didn't get my wishlist email this week I went to the website to see if there was anything new that they said was available, and you can add all of them to your cart now.

Don,
I have ordered from Digging Dog and it was a good experience. They send in nice little pots and well packaged.

Donna

I use different searches every few weeks and am surprised at the different results that I get over time. The last search I did on Digitalis obscura finally paid off. I found a seed source for obscura, in of all places, metropolitan Minneapolis, my home town.

They also have a huge selection of Salvia. Most pkg's are under $2 and a couple that I have on my list. They also have many seeds that wouldn't survive a month here in a FL summer.

They aren't listed on DG's plant scout but the WDog has them as a mixed blessing - 70/100. I am hoping for the best and will keep my 1st order under $20. www.hardyplants.com Wish me luck?

Dale--they had a couple of your plants today when I was at Annies, Digitalis obscura and Sesbania formosa. Not sure if that's the white one you were after, but it's a Sesbania and it's white! I picked up one of each that I might be able to send you, only thing is they were both VERY small seedlings and there's no way they would survive shipping during the summer heat. I know you already found another source for the Digitalis, but if you want this one and I can get it through the summer and have it grow a bit I'm happy to send it. Same with the Sesbania, if you find one somewhere else and don't want it anymore I'm happy to keep it, but come fall if it's big enough that I feel more comfortable shipping it and you still want it I can send it to you. I can't guarantee that I can keep them alive until they're big enough so definitely don't give up on any other leads you may have on these--I generally don't buy plants that small in the summertime because it's so hard to keep the containers with the right amt of water, and they're also too small to plant out in the garden because they get fried, but with these I wasn't sure if/when they'd have them again so it was worth taking the chance. In case this thread isn't still active in a couple months, feel free to shoot me a dmail in Sept or so and remind me to let you know whether they're still alive and big enough to ship!

ecrane,

If you can keep them going I will take them. You won't have much problem with the Sesbania, those things can take being in the same container for months and they handle being on the dry side sometimes. The digitalis I don't know much about, I would guess they can hang on too. I have grown purpurea to blooming size in a 4 inch before, they were kind of cute. I had my best luck by watering from the bottom, like african violets

Need something from the Florida plant industry? We have lots of orchids, even epidendrum, which grow well in most parts of CA. I have an orange/red and medium orange one in my collection. We have many things most in the US call house plants. I am collecting crotons, crinum and bromileads. I am pretty sure most broms grow over the hill from the bay. I know I grew Aechmea in SF and I know folks who had Neoregelia. Many things that I have, that are rare, are high heat year around, some not. I read that Victorians grew croton as house plants, quite the rage back them. Sunset says in zones 24-27 they can grow outside, I am in zone 26. They have some extraordinary cultivars here. Crinums would be the best for outdoors. here is crinum jagus

Here is my favorite crinum, leaves grow just like agapanthus in a big healthy clump, doesn't need much water, and flowers all summer. Not as many stems as agapanthus, 3-4 at a time, but a long season. I think it is pedunculatum, not sure.

This message was edited Jul 2, 2006 5:41 PM

I do love tropicals so I'm sure I could find something in your collection to take in trade! Quite a lot of my container plant collection has come from Top Tropicals which is over in your neck of the woods somewhere (I just can't be happy only with the wonderful plants we can grow here in CA!) I'm in the East Bay so I get much hotter temperatures in summer than SF does (and colder temp's in winter too unfortunately), I believe I'm in Sunset zone 14, either that or 16 (I just moved, my old house was in one of those and my new one is in the other but I don't remember which one was which). But I don't care necessarily about growing things in the ground, containers are fine and needing protection in the winter is fine too, have lots of others that need that!

e,

A true gardener is always in zone denial. I have looked over top trop, nothing there I don't see here mostly. What kind of plant do you need, Alocalocasia? Foilage-groundcover or hanging basket? Maybe a Caesalpinia shrub? they do well in containers aka as dwarf poinciana. Let me know.

I'm more into flowers than foliage--I do love Caesalpinias (have mexicana, gilliesii, and pulcherrima right now, but my pulcherrima's keep dying on me so may need a replacement at some point!). Let me think about it while I try to keep these guys alive for the next couple months and then we can figure something out!

I'm a new subscriber (from Palo Alto). Not sure how the forum works. Apologies if I break rules.

At Marin Art & Garden center on Saturday, I saw a remarkable plant and have been searching for its identity ever since. No label at the site. It has leaves similar to hemerocallis, long and strap-like. Probably a bulb or tuber. Flower stalk is tall with small blue blossoms spaced out on a Christmas-tree shaped framework.

The main thing was the BERRIES. Intense, shiny, bright blue. About the size of a small olive. Probably inedible, but I've never seen anything like this BLUE in a garden. Maybe calling them berries is inaccurate. Anyone have a suggestion what the plant might be (from my lame description)?

Tnx, --Scottie

P.S. The photo is my blue thunbergia, thriving in semi-shade under a Redwood tree.

I think my first message was irrelevant to the "Annie's Annuals" thread. In my searching, Annie's was one of the places that came up, and it made a great impression. The OTHER plant I encountered at Marin Art & Garden, unknown and wonderfully fragrant, was one I managed to identify in my googling. Blue flowers, and available (sometimes) from Annie's. It's Salvia clevelandii (aka Cleveland Blue Sage or Fragrant Sage). I picked a dried flower/seed pod, and it's like perfume. The pod is lost somewhere in my car, and it's still fragrant.

The other source for this plant is the JLHudson seed guy. And Annie's has plants in stock right now. Anyone here know whether the flowers/pods are good in potpourri?
--Scottie

Scottie, If you can still smell it in your car, and like it, I would say yes. Trouble with potpourri is that sometimes the fragrances don't appeal to everyone. I think its a real art to make them work, is one by itself still potpourri? Anyone know French well enough to answer?

eyecandy..

Is that pic real? Can't be. Too perfect.

Kell, yes it is real.

Spotz, The blue flowered/blue berried plant--do you ever go to Strybing in GG Park, bet they have one there too. At Strybing, if the plant doesn't have a tag you can go in the library and they have maps of the stash, might find a name there. It can be a challenge matching a name from their plant list to the plants you see in the ground. You need to know family name characteristics and that has always been hard task for me. Also if you get a photo, post it in the ID forum, someone is bound to have seen it too.

Kell, here's another

spotzim,
Possibly dianella?
Sherry

Dale, your photo with the river is amazing. Also the poppy-covered hillside. Sigh....

I have not been to Strybing, though I drive through GG Park periodically. Your suggestion is a good one. Also, I may go back to Marin Art & Garden Center and take my digital camera.

Sherry, I'll look up dianella and see if it's the one. Thanks for the tip.

FYI, I ordered two live salvia clevelandii from Annie's Annuals online. Ordering was easy. Shipping cost was the same for one or two plants so I got two. I'll let you know how soon they arrive and how they look. I've ordered a lot of plants from Wayside Gardens and never had a problem, so I'm optimistic.

Sherry, You are correct, the plant I saw IS dianella caerulea. I surfed around on the web and found one picture that shows the fruit/berries (a paler color than what I saw).

I'm thrilled to know more about the plant. I may have to go back to Marin and collect some of the fruit for the seeds. I'm assuming it's not a plant one can find at local nurseries. Native to Australia, etc.

How do you know about dianella? (I'm so impressed that you deduced the genus from my description.) Am I way, way off base talking about this in the Annie's thread?

--Scottie

spotzin, if you google dianella "images", you'll find some different photos. It may be dianella tasmanica that you saw, believe the flowers/berries are darker. It's always been one that I find striking also. Usually you get better luck on an I.D. if you post in the I.D. forum. There are so many knowledgable people there.
Sherry

Scottie, you should be happy with Annie's plants, if you check the Garden Watchdog at the top here, you will see high praise from customers.
Wayside doesn't quite compare, many unhappy customers so you are fortunate to have been pleased with them.
The Garden Watchdog is a wondeerful tool for those that shop online, please add your comments when you receive your plants, feedback helps future buyers.
If you ever get a chance to go visit Annie's, it is well worth the drive. (you save those shipping costs, I know, gas money but I end up buying a lot so it's worth it) I have already been at least half a dozen times this year and have many unusual plants now thanks to Annie's.

My my Gardener Dale, amazing! Where did you find those hills of California poppies?

Spotzim, I love the arboretum and the Conservatory, Hall of Flowers is spectacular. A definite must go see. I go to the Marin Civic Center on Sunday mornings.....they have the best Farmers' Market!!

Kell,

Antelope Valley is famous for its spring flowers.

spotzim, if you make the drive to Annie's, you'll not only save on shipping but the plants themselves are also considerably cheaper. I looked up a couple of plants, and for mail order on the couple I checked you're paying $6.95 or $7.95 for something that would cost you $4.25 (I think) at the nursery. Standard 4" perennials at the nursery used to be $3.99 each, their prices went up a little this year, I think to ~$4.25 but I'm not positive, either way you're paying a couple dollars less for it if you go in person. Of course you have to factor in the cost of gas and the pain of traffic to get there, so maybe it's not worth it after all!

Ha, it's always worth the drive LOL!

Annuals are $3.25
Perennials $4.25
Rares $5.25
Super Rares are $10

spotzim, do NOT buy Dianella tasmanica, or any other Dianella, if you intend to put it in the ground or anywhere where roots can grow into the ground. It will spread like wildfire in the Bay Area and you'll spend YEARS getting rid of it.

Believe me, I know. I was tricked by its beautiful blue berries and flowers too. Little did I know!! LOL

Sure, now you say something. I put in Dianella tasmanica last year (lifted from a very well behaved yard on a garden tour) and I haven't seen any problems yet. Guess the Roundup and I will need to keep an eye on it. Guess it is good I didn't buy it.

I put it in as a background plant in a 3x10 planter. It took over the whole thing, and it took me over a year to eradicate it. It spreads via underground runners. Aaarrgghhh!

PotEmUp, what do you mean by "lifted"? heh heh Reminds me of the story of the well-known plantsman (well, well-known to someone, I can't remember his name) who would visit the greenhouse of his colleagues with his hollow cane. Slip the cap off, slip a little cutting in there, none the wiser. My Mom always said she would only go to arboretums with me if I promised not to take any seeds.
Sherry

The two small plants arrived from Annie's Annuals in fine shape. I ordered online on Tuesday, and the package arrived on Thursday. I agree, the shipping cost is high, but it's all relative. From Palo Alto, the drive to anywhere in the east bay is intimidating. I'm delighted with the mail order aspect of Annie's.

My experience with Wayside has been totally wonderful. Example: I ordered a herbaceous peony from them (Strawberries & Cream). After a year, I wrote to ask what I could do to encourage the peony which was not blooming or growing much. Their reply was to send me a check for the $35 I paid for the plant and apologies, saying they should never have shipped it to my zone (not cold enough). Late one autumn night, with a pitchfork and a brown paper bag, I dug up the pips and took them to some friends who live on Skyline, where they occasionally have snow. In the spring, their pips were gone (devoured by gophers), and my peony exploded into bloom and new growth in my garden. (Obviously, I hadn't dug up all the pips.) The peony thrives to this day and impresses the heck out of my friends from the northeast. I keep all my Wayside catalogs as encyclopedias of plants, with photos and detailed planting advice.

I prefer buying plants at my local nurseries, of course, but sometimes they don't have what I want.
--Scottie

I am glad to hear the good reviews of Annie's shipping. She, and her staff, seem like very conscientious, regular type of folks. I would really be surprised to not see them try their very best to do things right.
wcgypsy - by "lifted" I mean that I spoke very nicely and was offer a bunch by the home owner, who graciously did the spading. I thought the itty bitty little cub scout colored flower was just wonderful. I have been known to take a few of those errant seed pods hanging around at arboretums - I figger I can put them to better use than the birds. I would never really steal a full plant from anywhere, but I do carry a shovel with me at all times.

PotEmUp,
Amen to carrying a shovel. I have to 'fess up about taking one plant. I don't know who owned the land, large piece, undeveloped in the northwest. It was my first exposure years ago to buddleia and there was this large stand of them(which must give credence to those who say they can be invasive) and I thought they were so beautiful that I couldn't resist. Went home, grabbed a shovel and dug one. All my davidii to this day are descendants of the one from 25 years ago. No, I didn't seriously think you "lifted" the plant