Newsletter for October 2024

Our fall sale expands at Bay Laurel Garden Center in Atascadero! The bareroot season is fast approaching and we will need more room – thus the sale of our lovely roses. We have a great variety – hybrid teas, climbers, floribundas and tree roses. They are all 25% off. We still have the ongoing sale of fruit trees including citrus.

A faster way to enjoy the health benefits of broccoli – sprouting broccoli. ‘Baby Burgundy’ has tender green stems and dark sprouts. It grows quickly with high yields. Try it raw as a snack! Broccoli ‘Raab rapini’ is another sprouting variety. The flavor has been described as nutty, bitter and pungent. Place in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. Saute garlic in olive oil for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the raab, saute about 8 to 10 minutes and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

A very Southwest look at Bay Laurel Garden Center. These new containers look great with the metal agaves but will look equally stylish with some live green ones!

“Wood Hyacinths” (Hyacinythioides Hispanica) are lovely bulbs to plant in shade underneath trees or among perennials. Under the right conditions they can naturalize – they are known to reseed. We have pink and blue bulbs at Bay Laurel Garden Center. Plant them 3″ deep and about 6 ” apart. Also great for containers.

No better time to plant California natives than fall. An unusual offering is the salvia ‘Desperado’ in one gallon containers. This variety is extremely drought tolerant; it’s a hybrid of Saliva apiana and Salvia leucophylla. It grows about 4 feet with lavender blue spikes in spring reaching to 5 feet. Another gem on hand at Bay Laurel Garden Center is the Fremontodendron. This shrub can grow to 20 feet with stunning golden yellow flowers. Plant away from human activity as the small hairs on the plant are a skin irritant.

A new addition to our extensive house plant collection at Bay Laurel Garden Center is Monstera deliciosa variegata. The plant is included in the Philodendron family. These are generally easy care plants. This variety may need a bit more light due to its variegation.

A couple of attractive late blooming perennials are the white flowered Campanula ‘White Cloud’ for the shade and the sun loving aster ‘Purple Dome’. You’ll find lots of perennials still in bloom at Bay Laurel Garden Center. Examples include many salvias, Penstemon, and Osteospermum.

Garvineas are back. They’re the hardy version of the Gerbera daisy. The newest variety is named ‘Majestic’. This variety has a double center. We currently have yellow and pink at Bay Laurel Garden Center. In 4″ containers you will find the hot coral and dark pink. Garvineas are considered to be sun plants but they benefit from some afternoon shade in the hottest months.