Annie's Awesome Newsletter Archive

It's our favorite time of year to plant AND a great time to start planning your Spring garden!

We've got a huge selection of CA native wildflowers, drought tolerant perennials, hardy annuals, Winter veggies, plant-now-for-Spring-bloomers, succulents, Winter bloomers and more!

Learn to garden smarter, not harder with adaptive gardening expert Toni Gattone on Sept. 14 at 11 am!

Raise your hand if you've ever walked out into the garden to "just pull a few weeds" and a couple hours later, found yourself so stiff and sore you could barely crawl out? It happens to every gardener – that moment when you realize you have a "new normal" of what you can comfortably or safely do in your garden.

Strategies for Gardening on Hillsides with Horticulturalist Ellyn Shea on August 31 at 11 am!

The Bay Area is full of hills, but don’t let the steep slope of your yard scare you away from creating a beautiful garden!

Hillsides are a challenge, whether they're dry or irrigated, sunny or shady – which is why we invited Ellyn back for another installment of How to Cope with a Slope on Saturday, August 31 at 11 am! A consulting horticulturalist and certified arborist, Ellyn will share strategies for gardening on slopes so you can enjoy a beautiful and productive garden without wasting water or losing soil!

Kick your lawn to the curb with Landscape Architect & Author Sarah Sutton on Saturday, August 17 at 11 am!

From Turf to Terrific!

Join us on Saturday, August 17 at 11 am for a liberating talk by Sarah Sutton, Landscape Architect and author of the excellent book, "The New American Front Yard: Kiss Your Grass Goodbye."

Squeeze the most lemons out of life with Aaron Dillon of Four Winds Growers on Sat. August 3 at 11 am!

Luscious lemons, outrageous oranges and lively limes are yours for the plucking – with great advice from Aaron Dillon, fourth generation owner of Four Winds Growers on Saturday, August 3 at 11 am!

Birds and Bees Go Wild for Hummingbird Mint!

Ahh, the virtues of the genus Agastache are as long and as varied as the myriad ways we have of pronouncing its name! But whether you say "Aga-STAK-ee" or "A-GAS-ta-key" (heck, you can even call it Aga-STASH and we won't blink), there's a "Hummingbird Mint" for you!

Mix Succulents with Mediterranean beauties with Marlene Simon on Saturday, July 20 at 11 am!

We're excited to welcome Marlene Simon, horticulturalist with the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory, on Saturday, July 20 at 11 am! Marlene will share tips on the art of growing succulents – in containers and in the ground – alongside some of our favorite low-water Mediterranean climate annuals and perennials!

Learn the art of FREE PLANTS with propagation expert Susan Ashley on Saturday, July 6 at 11 am!

Come learn how to propagate your own menagerie of plants using a variety of tried and true methods with expert Susan Ashley on Saturday, July 6 at 11 am!

A longtime horticulture instructor with Merritt and Diablo Valley Colleges, Susan will show you how to propagate plants by cuttings, divisions, layering and stooling. Not only will you enhance your garden, you'll save money and have plenty to share with friends, too!

Towering up to 8' tall, these blousy-bloomed beauties are true cottage garden essentials! We use them extensively in our display beds and sample pots for their valuable verticality and massive blooms on multiple strongly erect flower spikes never fail to steal the show! All of our varieties are rust resistant and most are true perennials (not biennials), living five years or more and flowering extravagantly Summer thru Fall!

Understanding and improving soil health with Horticulturalist Ellyn Shea on June 22 at 11 am!

Grow healthier plants and use water more efficiently – no science degree necessary!

Come learn how to improve the tilth of your garden soil and grow a healthier garden with our favorite horticulturalist, arborist and gardener Ellyn Sheaon June 22 at 11am!