Ready or not – the holiday season is upon us. And we’re here to help at Bay Laurel Garden Center in Atascadero. We have live Christmas trees small and tall. The lovely Nordmann Firs and Colorado Blue spruce are here. In addition, we have a large selection of Coastal Redwoods. Although not your typical holiday tree, you can dress them up for the holidays in a conspicuous place in the yard and plant them to enjoy in your landscape.
We still have bulbs for sale at Bay Laurel Garden Center. Among them are the spectacular “Amaryllis” (botanically Hippeastrum). They’re unusually large this year and should produce amazing flowers. Still awaiting homes – a variety of tulips, daffodils, Dutch iris and more. In addition to mixed Freesias, we have separate packages of white and yellow, thought to be the most fragrant. Freesias are a bit frost tender, so we recommend planting them close to the house or in another protected area.
Looks like we’re sticking with red at Bay Laurel Garden Center! This is the perennial favorite Camellia for the season, “Yuletide”. This type of Camellia known as Sasanqua blooms earlier with smaller leaves and typically single flowers as opposed to the Japonica varieties. We have both to fill your shade areas with gorgeous blooms and dark, shiny evergreen leaves. The plants prefer some acid soil and once established do not require lots of water.
Here are a few suggestions for your shopping list. Be sure and visit our Gift Gallery at Bay Laurel Garden Center for more ideas.
Don’t let a drop in the temperature dissuade you from a warm-up in the garden. Plant a sturdy shrub to add some subtle color to the garden all year long. The variegated form of Elaeagnus ‘Gilt Edge’is a great choice. The shrub grows 10 to 12 feet tall with golden edged leaves and a dense habit. Use as a specimen plant or plant several as an easy care screen.
A new grass-like plant from New Zealand has recently arrived at Bay Laurel Garden Center in Atascadero – Dianella ‘Blaze’. The leaves are very substantial and very dark green with red veins. It is advertised to turn a deep burgundy in cold weather but that is yet to be determined. Nevertheless, it is quite a handsome addition to the garden and retains its leaves throughout the seasons. It is said to be a good substitute for Phormium (New Zealand flax) as it should be able to survive much warmer temperatures. It grows to about 2 feet tall.
Let’s call it “The pre-bareroot season without the bareroot”. We have rows and rows of berries, figs, grapes and pomegranates in quart containers ready for planting at Bay Laurel Garden Center. Be sure to check the availability by coming to the garden center or by ordering online at https://baylaurelnursery.com. We will have many of these varieties available in bareroot in January. The advantage of planting from these containers is a larger, more developed root system. Don’t forget the organic amendment and gopher protection to give your plants a proper start.
How fortunate we are to have cold hardy annuals! These colorful plants should help us get through the cold months ahead. Prime contenders are pansies, violas, calendula and the ornamental kale and cabbage. You can plant sweet peas from six packs now to enjoy in early spring.