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Wonderous Winter Bloomers

Keep you garden blooming & pollinator-food-friendly all winter long.


One of the joys of living in areas with temperate winters like ours is that you can have a colorful, blooming garden even in winter. There are so many plants that happily bloom year-round, that will put a smile on your face while also providing an important winter nectar source for hungry pollinators.

Halloween for Hummers!

Candy Corn color your hummers will love to snack on!

Kids, adults and hummingbirds alike crave sweet treats - especially this time of year. Make the hummers happy by adding a floriferous Candy Corn Cuphea to your garden, or one of our other favorite Candy Corn orange and yellow flowering plants to attract and provide them with nectar sources for Halloween and in every season.

COTTAGE CLASSICS TO PLANT NOW FOR SPRING WOW!

Freesias & Ixia are Here!


Nothing beats the sweet smell of freesias. Plant the double 'Peachy Queen' and 'Single Blue' together for a WOW combo of colors. Freesias readily naturalize for more freebies every year. Blooms of the S. African Ixia 'Buttercup' last a month and a half and make excellent cut flowers. Ranunculus still available too!

FANTASTIC COLOR FOR FALL & SPRING
BULBS & CA NATIVES TO PLANT NOW

RANUNCULUS BULBS ARE HERE!
Freesia, Ixia and Narcissus bulbs coming soon!


Our first shipment of fall bulbs has arrived and they are beauties! From the Tecolote series, they're famous for having especially large flowers (4" wide), high petal count & saturated colors, that if planted now, will put on a blazing show of color in late winter or early spring. Each plant can produce 25 or more flowers! Plant in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun & water regularly during the growing season.

Dry Not Drab & Totally Fab!

Being Water-Wise has never been easier. With so many fab colorful and long blooming (non-prickly) low water plants to choose from, you can have your cake and eat it too! Now's the perfect time to transform your lawn into a low water plant oasis that will look amazing come rain, or not. If you are an Annie's local don't miss our Water-Wise Weekend with 4 FREE talks. This Saturday, Oct 1st - see details below.

Do Tread on Me!

Water-wise groundcovers and other lawn-to-garden options


Deciding to nix the lawn has never been easier! Now is a great time to plant low water, lawn alternatives because the cooler temps and fall and winter rains allow them to establish more robust root systems below, and foliage above, making it easier for them to tough it out with less water in summer. Water-wise grasses also add easy architectural interest too and not to mention look fabulous all year round.

FALLing In Love - with Fall Planting

With the Autumnal Equinox just a week away, plants, pollinators and humans can all sense the changing temperatures and light that signal the end of summer and transition to fall. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – FALL is a great time to plant! While perennial shrubs are some of the best plants to get in the ground now, there are many others such as vines, grasses and CA natives that all greatly benefit from planting in the fall. Below are some of our fall planting faves! Want more great options for fall planting?

Splendid Shrubs

Perfect plants to ground your garden and plant now.

Just like a house, every garden needs a good foundation – plantings of larger, long-lived, hardy, evergreen (or mostly evergreen) perennials that give your garden a solid presence even during seasonal transition times when your spring or summer annuals might have started to fade. Shrubs and small trees make terrific foundation plants. And fall is the best time to plant them so that they can leverage the upcoming cooler temperatures and rains to establish themselves. Planted now they’ll be all the healthier, bigger and bloomier come spring!

Growing a More Fire-Resistant Garden

With wildfires becoming an increasing threat, both in the West and other areas of the country, and with fall planting just around the corner, now’s an excellent time to look at your home gardens and evaluate what changes you can make to create a more fire-safe environment for your home and neighborhood. While all plants can burn, some plants have certain characteristics that make them more resistant to fire including an open growth habit; thick, large broad leaves vs thin or needle shaped; low leaf litter production; and watery vs gummy oily or resinous sap, to name a few. Good news is that there are probably way more plants that fit this description than you think! Here are some of our favorites.

Planting for our feathered flying friends.

Gardening for the birds is not, “for the birds.” Rather than (or in addition to) setting out bird seed and manufactured bird houses, you can create a welcoming bird habitat by growing plants that offer natural food sources, in the form of seeds, berries and nectar; shelter or nest making materials; and a water source. When selecting plants, it’s also important to be mindful of seasonality so that these blossoms and seeds develop during different times of the year. There are many many different plants to choose from depending on your garden’s size, style and microclimate. We’re highlighting a few of our favorites here, but if you want to know more about plants that will attract specific types of local or migrating birds, check out this week’s blog from Earl, the Curious Plantsman.