2021 nursery trip

Nurseries are back open. Tag the Greeter Dog is still greeting.

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Petunias and coleus for the front door pot. Marigolds, chives, and basil for the backyard.

oof

Well, COVID-19 has eaten all my traditional spring gardening outings. The Spring Garden Fair is cancelled, and per order of the Governor, all nurseries are closed until at least April 30 (to be re-evaluated then). The garden centers at Big Orange and Big Blue are still open — I may brave Orange to get a few bags of my usual mushroom compost.

Thanks to Jannine Cabossel over at giantveggiegardener for the updates, and leads on alternate plant start sources!

How about some pictures? All the dead growth from last summer in the east bed was bugging me, so I took down the bamboo "fence" and cleaned everything out the other day. What day? Who knows anymore? I've been at home (except for dog walks) since March 22 and working from home full time since March 16. The plants don't care about coronavirus tho. The earth tilts on its axis, days get longer, the plants come back. 💚

Before



During (oh, hi there, Philadelphus!)



After

2019 nursery trip

Took my 4 hours of seasonal admin leave this morning and went to NM Plant Co. Was a bit picked over, especially compared to my extra-early visit last year. It rained last night, and was rainy then sunny on and off.

Greeter dog Tag is still a tank, and very good at his job.
Oh hello! Welcome, person still inside your car!

I am Tag, a noble beast.

This way to the greenhouses!

Mostly geraniums and petunias, but still a good selection.

  
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I ended up getting:

• 3 marigolds (to put next to the tomatoes)
  
• 2 coleus (front pot)
  
• 2 white impatiens (front pot)
  
• 1 sweet potato vine (front pot)
  
• 3 Italian basil
  
• 2 Persian basil (when will I learn?)

Total: $25 even.

It hailed on my way home.

2018 nursery trip

Took today off, met up with Jim and Marsha at San Marcos and caravan-ed over to NM Plant Co. It was my in-laws' first time and they say they'll be back later this week to get more stuff.



Greeter dog is a tank. The guys said "it's all fur," but I dunno. Also: greeter dog's name is Tag. Hi, Tag.



Still good selection, not too busy. I'd say four or five other groups of customers while we were there.


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M+J got some herbs and mostly flowers for the big pots in their courtyard and on their front porch. As always, I'm smitten by the dahlias.





Annuals for the front door pot:

• 1 dahlia
• 2 white impatiens
• 2 multi-colored coleus
• 1 lime-green sweet potato vine

Herb starts:

• 2 Genovese basil
• 2 Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 6 chives
  (because of course all my chives died over the winter, too)

2017 nursery trip

So I decided to head out to NM Plant Co this morning (took a couple hours off from work). Turns out their official open date was Saturday. Turns out April 15 has always been their official open date, I've just never tried going that early. But they were open anyway and I wasn't the only customer there. Everything looked great, full inventory, many things not even blooming yet.

This weirdly warm spring has really messed up my sense of when it's time to BUY ALL THE PLANTS.


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Check out these crazy petunias — they're full of stars.



They also had a whole big section of dahlias! I don't remember ever seeing them here before. Either I've forgotten seeing them, they're new this year, or they sell out fast and I've never been early enough to snag any. Anyway, I was seduced — got one for the pot by the front door, even though it's a pretty shady spot. Guess we'll see.







Annuals for the front door pot:

• 1 dahlia
  (I know it's not technically an annual, I can lift the tuber in the fall, I just haven't decided yet if I will)
• 2 dark pink-red impatiens
• 1 multi-colored coleus
• 1 lime-green sweet potato vine

Herb starts:

• 2 Genovese basil
• 2 Persian basil
  (hopefully I won't kill it this year)
• 2 English thyme

Also: 2 geraniums. Total was $30 and change.

Greeter dog looked like he put on a little weight over the winter, but who hasn't?

2016 nursery trip

I took off a couple hours this morning before work and went out to NM Plant Co.


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Greeter dog was happy to greet, but was dubious about having his picture taken.





Much better selection than last year, when I waited until after the beginning of May to go. They're kind of picked-over by then.


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Got mostly shade-loving annuals for the pot by the front door (that worked out well last year):

• 1 white sage (thriller?)
• 2 white impatiens (filler)
• 2 multi-colored coleus (filler)
• 2 purple sweet potato vines (spiller?)

Also picked up 2 each starts each of:

• chives
• Genovese basil
• Persian (!) basil
• thyme

Total was $23 and change.

2015 nursery trip

So, when I ran into the ever-fabulous Bev at the Garden Fair, she told me she was on her way to NM Plant Co next, and that she's already been (of course!), and — most importantly — that they get absolutely cleaned out for Mother's Day. So, I took off a couple hours Thursday morning before work and went out by myself. I was worried that they might be closed, but things were bumpin' by the time I left!








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You can tell these guys are pros.





Got a buncha annuals for the pot by the front door (a few more shade-loving things this time):

• 3 white impatiens
• 1 dusty miller
• 2 green coleus
• 1 dark red coleus
• 2 blue petunias

Also picked up 3 chive starts and 2 sage plants — total was $25 and change. At the office, I wouldn't shut up about my plant haul and dragged three people out to my car to show off.



The selection was a little less than in previous years, but I'll chalk that up to going later in the season? Also, it wasn't as fun to go without the ladies. Next time, we lunch!

2014 nursery trip

So I took off 4 hours in the middle of the day Tuesday for this year's trip out to NM Plant Company with the ever-fabulous Bev, Teri, Aunt Marianne, Mary, and Annie. Yay! No Stacy. Boo! We met up at the SFCC fitness center parking lot at 10:30 and then headed out. I picked out plants for Jim and Stacy's place, to help with the curb appeal, paid, then went back and got my own.



The ever-fabulous Bev:



Mary:



Teri and Marianne:



The haul for Stacy + Jim (6 red geraniums, 6 coleus, 6 dusty miller, 2 red petchoa):



I got: 1 white geranium and 2 purple petchoa for the front door pot; 3 scarlet beardtongue penstemon, 2 purple and 1 white sweet alyssum for the front bed; and 2 basil starts. Closeup of some of the alyssum:



Here's my final haul:



This was Bev's second trip — she'd gotten TEN FLATS! on her first trip, got five this trip, and swore she was done for the year. Here she is with one of the NM Plant Co. guys, helping her load up her car:



Got to NM Plant Co. by 11:00 and we were all wrapped up by noon. Then we were on to San Marcos Cafe + Feed Store for the traditional post-plant-shopping Ladies' Lunch. Bev outside San Marcos:



Hello from everyone, Stacy! We missed you!

     
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