Fill your garden with these cold hardy lovelies at Bay Laurel Garden Center in Atascadero. Pansies and violas are always at the top of list – there’s so much diversity! Some of the newest varieties include ‘Tiger Eye’ viola and ‘Midnight Glow’ pansy. A welcome change from the yellow and orange Calendula is ‘Ivory Princess’ allowing for a more subtle tone into the mix. Lots more choices include ornamental kale and cabbage, Linaria, sweet peas, stock plus Cyclamen and English primroses for the shade.
Many perennials die totally down to the ground but others keep up their appearance. For instance – Euphorbias. These hardy plants are among the first to bloom in the spring. Cut down the spent flower stalks and witness new growth for the next spring and summer. The ever popular Greggii type Salvias (ie.’Hot Lips’) do stay above ground but should be pruned to prevent woodiness. The same is true for Lavender. A few more examples of evergreen perennials include Gazanias, Scabiosas and Teucrium.
The bareroot season looms ever closer. We normally receive berries, figs and pomegranates near the end of November at Bay Laurel Garden Center. They are mostly in small pots and not technically “bareroot”. Again, just a reminder to order your bareroot plants before they sell out. Check the web site for current availability – https://www.baylaurelnursery.com
California natives are still in good supply at Bay Laurel Garden Center in Atascadero. One of the more unusual evergreen shrubs is Peritoma, formerly named Isomeris. The plant has finely divided leaves and sports bright yellow flowers in late summer. The common name, Bladder Pod, refers to the unusual seed pots which form in fall. We are expecting some 1 gallon Matilija poppies this week. These can be difficult to establish but fall is certainly the most auspicious time for planting them.
Vegetables still arriving weekly at Bay Laurel Garden Center. New ones this week include two varieties of Kale and the newest vegetable entry, Brokali. We have snap peas; plant them now and wait till spring for them to shoot up and produce. The same is true for ornamental sweet peas. The weather will soon take down basil but you might want to grow some in a sunny window. You can use the microwave to dry the leaves.
A few samples of our extensive house plant collection – plants large and small – exotic and ordinary at Bay Laurel Garden Center. We have the fern ‘Kimberly Queen’ in 8″ containers. This variety, unlike the old ‘Boston Fern’ is a great improvement in that it does not shed its fronds about indoors!
We’ve already experienced some chilly night temperatures but the lowest is yet to come. Row cover to the rescue! We have 10′ x 12′ sheets to protect your tender plants at Bay Laurel Garden Center in Atascadero. Also available are hot caps if you have an individual plant such as a small tender succulent.
The really big Amaryllis bulbs are here at Bay Laurel Garden Center. We have plenty of Paper White narcissus. Try the alcohol method to shorten the flower stems. This year we offer Leucojum bulbs, ‘Giant Snowflake’. They flower later than many other bulbs and provide gently swaying bells in white. Christmas trees should be arriving later this month.