Stir crazy, but there's nothing much in the nurseries yet

No training, just have been taking pictures for over 30 years and with digital, it's so easy to take lots, see what works and what doesn't and keep trying. Only a very few really please me though, I get pickier and pickier LOL. I have books to learn how to improve and actually branch out with the setting etc. but I do better hands on and I think I would do much better if I took a course. Some day.
The label company is MasterTag.

You are a superb photographer!

Definitely. I'll have to check into MasterTag. I've never used them, but I like the idea they are buying pics from DG members.

You can supply your own pictures too, they just bought mine when their customer didn't have one.

Thanks pirl, I try!

Macore does that too. They bought many pictures from the man I get my Japanese irises wholesale from.

Polly, will you be selling Japanese irises on your site?

Yes ma'am. Very limited quantities this year, but lots more next. I'm up to around 200 culitvars, and hope to be able to sell at least that many someday.

This year I've only got 21 different culitvars for sale.

Hi All,
Just found this thread, it's great. Makes me feel right at home. I'll have to try the popcorn and Snickers - sounds wonderful ;) CA Sue, have you guys gone up to Annie's yet? I'd make a call first to see how big the plants are. Last year I went early, about this time, and the seedlings were so small, like only 3 leaves. I'm trying to stay away a month or so more just to be safe. So, I'm really interested in the size of plants if you did go. Have you ever stopped by Alden Lane in Livermore? They have a beautiful (and expensive) nursery. They do carry a lot of Annie's Annuals there too. I doubt if they have any Annie's yet though.

I just thought I'd chime in and say what a fun it has been reading this thread. Thanks Sue for posting the 2005 pics. Sure makes me yearn for Spring. I've got spring fever really bad. Can hardly wait for the frost to be done. Well, I've got to get to bed - g-night.

Willie

Hi, Willie. Sue and I are planning to go there next week with some other friends. I've actually had good luck going in February. I always go there on my birthday in the middle of February and manage to fill a wagon or two.

I go several times throughout the year and hit several other great nurseries in Berkeley and Oakland (Longs on Broadway & 51st is a favorite!) when I'm up there. She always has a few things on the smaller side but I never fail to fill my cart in spite of that. Last time I went was in Dec.
I have been to Alden a couple of times, great place to browse. I took lots of pictures last time for the Go Gardening entry. http://davesgarden.com/products/go/view/52/

Hey Sue,
Love those pictures of AL. Very nice!!! Thanks for the heads up on the Oakland Longs. I just heard about it 2 weeks ago. Who knew Longs would have a wonderful plant selection, I sure didn't! But I'm going to Berkeley today, so if time allows, I'm going to stop by and check it out. I'll be with my girlfriend so my buying will be limited - could be a good thing ;)

Zuzu, I'd sure to know if the plants are sized up when you go to Annies. Sounds like a wonderful birthday shopping trip to me. Have fun you guys! And happy birthday, Zuzu!

Willie

I went by a nursery I just found today only to browse - they didn't have a thing! Some shrubs and that's about it.
Of course I'm thinking, "ok, people ... ya'll need to get on the ball cause I've FINALLY got dh wanting to do something with our back yard and I need stuff NOW before he changes his mind!" lol

I just finally found time to look at my Fine Gardening for February. In it there was a hakonechloa grass blooming, macra, I think. In California, of course. Hakonechloa is my very favorite grass, but I had never seen a picture of one blooming. Gorgeous.

Do you folks in California grow it, and does it normally bloom for you?

Polly, now what page do you see a blooming one? I found it on 4 pages in that magazine, 30, 35, 63 and 67 but not of a blooming one. Does it even bloom? It's my favorite grass too, I am ordering a few more from ForestFarm with my gift certificate for around my pond.

I had a H. "Aureola" for a about 5 years, and never saw a bloom on it.
I lost it in a particularly wet winter and it never came back. I think mine was a dwarf cultivar, maybe not...it never got any taller than about 16".

I've never seen them in nurseries here. Mine came from a place in Moraga, Ca. in the early 80's.

I just saved a photo from some site showing that one but can't recall if it was blooming or not.

Finally found the photo but the grass is not in bloom.

How old would that one be, Polly?

Pg 34 and 35, Sue. It's the macra one, all green. It has the #4 right on it.

Old. I've some of mine for five years, and they're not that big.

Well, doh, my eyesight is bad, I was looking at the Dec. issue LOL! No wonder!

LOL, Sue. I tried to find a picture on the net of one in bloom and couldn't.

Maybe they're one of those grasses that has inconspicuous blooms way down inside the foliage ???

In the Fine Gardening magazine they were easy to see, not stand out, but easy to see.

Willie, I'm not sure whether the Annie's trip is still on for this week. Freeway driving can be scary when there's so much wind and rain. I certainly will make a report when I do go, though, and thanks for the birthday greeting.

The Long's in Oakland has always been a treasure trove for plants. I lived a couple of blocks away from it about 25-30 years ago and everyone went there for their plants, especially after Navlet's moved away from Oakland.

I'm fine to moving the Annie's trip to a fair weather day, looks like Tues may still having lingering showers and I want to concentrate on shopping and not dodging the rain!

We'll see how it looks that morning. We know Joanne will go out in any kind of weather, and Fallon and Lali might too, but the freeway scares me even on a sunny day. As of tonight, Joanne still plans to pick me up at 12:30 that day.

Peacock Nursery, by the way, appears to be closed. The gates were closed when I rode past it yesterday and today, and the weekend is a silly time for a nursery owner to take time off, so I'm not sure what's happening there.

Well maybe he thought the weather would not bring enough customers to bother opening. Silly man!

My Mom and I went to a local nursery today that had a specialist in with citrus samples to taste. There were all kinds of oranges, lemons, limes, mandarins, kumquats and tangerines. It was inside the building which was freezing cold and then we peeked outside and looked at what we could under the arbor. The rain and winds were pretty wild but we managed to grab some sunny cheerful primroses that were on sale and looked longingly at everything else outside.

We were pretty lucky today. It was pouring rain, but it seemed to stop every time we got to a nursery. We walked around Sonoma Hort for a long time without getting wet. Polo had just pruned all of the clematis vines, so I bought six of them. His prices are just unbelievable -- gallon cans, so full of roots that they're snaking out of all the holes in the bottom, and only about $11 each.

I need to come up there earlier this year to take pictures at Sonoma Hort, this time before the rhodies.

The camellias are in bloom now, but not much of anything else.

How long do they generally bloom? I'd love to take pics of those and also later when the clematis bloom.

I'm not sure with this rain. It really has a bad effect on camellia blooms. If it keeps up, it might knock all of the petals off. I think the very best time for photos at Sonoma Hort is in April or May, when those vibrant species azaleas are in bloom. Kassia will be here in the middle of April, so we'll definitely have to go then.

Middle of April? Oh goodie! I thought it was May but that will be good time too.

She was planning to come in May, but her supervisor asked her to choose a different vacation time. The last time I took her to Sonoma Hort, there was nothing in bloom and she liked it anyway. Imagine how excited she'll be when she sees it in its glory.

http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/botanical-match-game.asp?

that was fun! i did it in 1:14, am I a genius or just your ave. garden nut??????

1:12:64

1:29 (and that was my second try!)

OK brainiacs, no need to rub it in, lol

Second try 59 seconds ^_^ Helps that you play these with grand kids LOL

New thread on Garden Talk: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/953883/

1: 19 Just luck...

This message was edited Feb 17, 2009 5:54 PM

This message was edited Feb 17, 2009 5:56 PM