• Newsletter for August 2026

    You can’t have a summer garden without some Blackeyed Susans. ‘Indian Summer’ is probably still the favorite although many new varieties have been introduced. This coming week we also expect ‘Amarillo Gold’ and ‘Irish Spring’. We’re also expecting more compact sunflowers. The Echinaceas are also a great perennial to plant now as they are late…

  • Newsletter for July 2026

    The newest and flashiest Crape Myrtles come in shades of red. This is the newest variety, ‘Ruffled Red Magic’. The distinctive feature is its height – this plant only grows to about 12 feet. Crape Myrtles thrive on summer heat. You can choose from a wide selection of colors. Roses are always in demand at…

  • Newsletter for June 2026

    Vegetable sales have been great – what a healthy populace we must have! But we know that it’s not always smooth sailing. You encounter the gophers, the earwigs, and the deer. We attempt to assist you in your travails at Bay Laurel Garden Center. We recommend gopher cages, the Gopher Hawk, hunter cats. Sluggo Plus…

  • Newsletter for May 2026

    The merry month of May brings a plethora of color to the garden. Let’s begin with shrubs. The purple leaved Cotinus adds drama to the palate – the dark leaves appear before the whimsical wispy flowers. When established, it’s very drought tolerant. Coleonema sports small pink flowers and dainty leaves. A compact variety, it only…

  • Newsletter for April 2026

    There are a lot of vegetable growers in the North County and we’re trying to keep up with them at Bay Laurel Garden Center in Atascadero! The yearly favorites include Early Girl, Celebrity, Sun Gold and Sweet 100 tomatoes. Lemon cucumbers are always popular. We have lots of choices in the pepper availability include the…

  • Newsletter for March 2026

    The “jewel” of California natives! ‘Dark Star’ is among many of the colorful Ceanothus. This genus varies in both color and size. ‘Ray Hartman’ is the tallest and the low growing, ground cover types include hearstiorum and ‘Carmel Creeper’. Ceanothus are great accents – they are not known to be very long-lived, 7 to 10…

  • Newsletter for December 2025

    We have a great selection of Living Christmas Trees at Bay Laurel Garden Center in Atascadero. We have the stately Nordmann firs and Colorado Blue Spruce. Other impressive specimens include Thuja ‘Green Giant’ and Sequoia sempervirens. Looking for something a bit smaller? We have lots of choices including cones of 6″ Rosemary and Lemon Cypress.?…