Annie's Awesome Newsletter Archive

We're getting a jump on Spring – so can you!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program of gorgeous gardens in bloom to show you what our demonstration beds REALLY look like this time of year. Annuals – done for the season – have been ripped out, perennials have been cut back and the beds have been top-dressed with a fluffy and nourishing 1" layer of organic grapeseed compost. Maybe it isn't glamorous now, but it will be come Spring! So what's next? Why, the fun part!

Magical warrior birds need sustenance – you can help!

Epic wars are waged in gardens everywhere, every day, they're just happening on such a small scale that we may not always see them.

Smart gardeners plant bare-root bulbs in Fall!

Our hand-picked selection of Spring blooming bulbs are here! And planting these bodacious bulbs in the Fall is a super-duper value, seasonally appropriate and EASY as pie!

Our tried-and-true can't-kill-'em favorites!

Does someone you know ... murder plants?

Let's face it, we've all accidentally under-watered, over-watered, under-nourished, over-loved, neglected or otherwise sent one plant or another to its doom. It's okay – gardening is a learning process. You can read and research all day long, but there's nothing like hands-in-the-dirt experience (and yes, learning from mistakes) that's a hallmark of a seasoned gardener.

Our most popular bare-root bulbs are ready!

Liberate your garden from boredom with our first-class collection of Spring blooming Freesias – available as bare-root bulbs only once a year!

Easy to grow, DEER RESISTANT and low-maintenance, masses of bodacious ultra-FRAGRANT blooms appear on branching stems held well above fresh green sword-shaped leaves. The nectar-rich flowers are a hummingbird and bee favorite. At 5-10 bulbs per bag (depending on variety), they're super economical!

What to plant right now for a Winter bloom-athon!

Here in coastal California, FALL is the BEST and most horticulturally correct time to plant! Why? Because our rainy season is almost upon us and during our mild Winters temperatures rarely go below freezing.

Pollinators need nectar year-round, plant Winter bloomers now!

Winter is Coming! While gardeners sometimes consider Winter a period of rest in the garden, that's definitely not the case for hungry pollinators. Bees, butterflies (especially Monarchs), other pollinators and beneficial insects and birds need sustenance more than ever and NOW is the time to plant nectar-rich Winter bloomers!

Got problems? Groundcovers have solutions!

Oh, how gracious groundcovers can be. Here at the nursery, for every architectural specimen, standout shrub or showy bloomer, there's a hard-working little fella doing it's job at their feet, often with little complaint and stellar results! We use groundcovers extensively in our demo beds to smooth over patchy spots, cover up knobby ankles and spectacularly spill over the edge of rock walls and containers. You don't know how much you need them, until you plant them and see how beautifully they tie the garden together!

Thinking about fire safety in our own home gardens

With wildfires once again threatening the lives and livelihoods of our friends, family and neighbors, we thought it would be a good time to revisit some excellent fire-safety garden advice that sustainability champion and garden designer Kate Frey shared with us a few years back. With Fall planting just around the corner, it's an excellent time to evaluate and renovate existing landscapes and ask ourselves what changes we can make to create a more fire-safe situation in our own gardens and neighborhoods.

Plants that can take the sizzle – without the fizzle!

Temperatures are rising, sidewalks are sizzling – and plants are parched! Here in California, water is a precious resource not to be wasted ... so what's a responsible gardener to do?