Friday, January 28, 2011

Some winter herbs and veggies

We got some new plants in today, having paid a visit to one of our very favorite herb and veggie growers! Some neat cool season veggies - unusual kale, spinach, bok choy, you can grow your own stir fry! - and some herbs as well.

A few highlights:

Pine Geranium - a scented geranium that actually looks like a little mini pine tree! Very cool, you totally need to come check it out!

Samphire/Sea Fennel: Rare plant to find & even more difficult to research. Native to British cliffs where it has long been used as a salt substitute and an essential ingredient for pickles. Blue-green, highly dissected fleshy succulent looks really.... WEIRD!

Some of our unusual plants!

Balm of Gilead - has a cool Eucalyptus like aroma, beautiful pink/mauve flowers and wide variety of uses.

Wood Betony is a really striking looking herb, interesting foliage and shoots of pink flowers, and also a wide variety of herbal uses.

Mace yarrow - I had never heard of this plant before; the cut foliage on it is really interesting though, and apparently it can be used in soups and other cooking!

Mace Yarrow

We also have several varieties of salvia/sage in right now - a great plant to work into your garden this time of year for some added color.

Nice selection of salvias in right now.

And the winter veggies are not to be missed; what better way to get yourself eating healthy then by growing some chard, spinach, kale, cauliflower and peas that you can then cook up in all sorts of great ways?

New cool season herbs and veggies!

Working in the garden today after the store had closed, I was accompanied by two very large gray and white cats. Judging by their girth and their tameness - they seemed more annoyed that I was ruining their garden party by being there then anything else! - I have no doubt that these cats have homes in the neighborhood, and that our garden is their evening playhouse. I also now know why all of the catnip we had for sale was destroyed within two days! Given Grandma Johnnye’s life long love of cats - she always had at least two or three living with her at any given time - I think it’s only appropriate that we share our garden with some neighborhood felines; grandma would certainly approve!

The weather is looking beautiful - come see us this weekend!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

New Annie's just in!

We just got a really awesome batch of new plants in Friday from Annie’s Annuals and Perennials, one of our very favorite growers!

New Annie's Annuals in stock!

Here are a few highlights of what we just got in; click on the link of each plant name for more descriptions.

Aeonium hierrense is a really cool aeonium; it gets tall, about three feet, and can get that wide, a really cool accent to your garden! Forgot to take a photo, but come in and check it out, it’s really unique!

Crassula erosula 'Campfire' has got some awesome color to it!

Crassula erosula 'Campfire'

Brugmansia "Scarlet Angel's Trumpet - such a cool bloom on this one, Brugmansia in general are just a great addition to any garden, can grow into a small 6-8 foot tree.

Brugmansia "Scarlet Angel's Trupet'

Malcomia maritima "Virgina Stock"
- really really easy to grow, lots of great early spring/late winter color, goes great in bulb gardens!

Malcomia maritima "Virgina Stock"

New plants!

New plants!

Lots more in besides just these! Come in and see us soon!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Urban seeds


Read a great article today from our good friend Celia Alario: seed gumballs!

Check out the article for the full description, but in essence, it's a vending machine that sells 'seedbombs' that can be tossed on vacant spots to liven' 'em up with some botanical color. The company that produces them can even have them fine tuned for the region that they are placed in! One more simple way to make things a little greener; I had a friend in high school who used to like to toss sunflower and cosmo seeds in vacant areas to bring a little happiness to blighted spots, she would love to see this!

More info: http://thecommonstudio.com/

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Winter Gardens

Some shots from our garden this past weekend - we are enjoying these cool winter days - even doing some planting! - are you?

Winter Garden - viburnum

Callicapra - Winter Garden

Agonis flex. - winter garden

Euonymous - winter garden

Winter garden

Winter garden

Winter garden

Dried artichoke booms - winter garden

Virburnum - winter garden

Crassula - winter garden

Crassula - winter garden

Winter garden

Winter garden

Winter garden

Indoor plant display

Winter garden