Thursday, April 30, 2015

A visit to Walter Andersen Nursery in San Diego

It looks like I'm on a bit of a California nursery roll, Tuesday we visited San Gabriel Nursery near the Huntington Gardens, today we're headed back down to San Diego and a stop at Walter Andersen, a family owned nursery dating back to 1928...

This nursery was on my list thanks to a recommendation by the man behind this garden. So while I was a little bit concerned to see Camellias and Azaleas as the big plant of interest at the entrance, I figured there had to be more interesting things inside.

I'm still not in love with the staghorn ferns.

They had a nice selection, for those who are.

Bromeliads too...

Finally out back I spotted my prey...

Agave gypsophila

Agave tequilana

Agave ghiesbreghtii

Urginea species

Grevillea fililoba

Helchrysum 'Ruby Cluster'

It was right about here I was really regretting the fact we'd flown...if only I had a car to fill up!

Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'

Leucadendron salignum 'Winter Red'

Callistemon 'Little John'

Carissa 'Boxwood Beauty'

Tables and tables of "must-haves"...

This one was very hard to leave behind, Grevillea 'Poorinda Royal Mantle'...it's potentially hardy in my garden and here was a big 5-gallon...

One last "if only" plant before I left, Bismarckia nobilis...

Oh and I did succumb to the (1-gallon) charms of Leucadendron salignum 'Winter Red', here it is gasping for air on the flight home, snugged up next to my Yucca elata from the San Diego Botanical Garden. Both made it home just fine...

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

San Gabriel Nursery and Rosemead Gardens

Today we're flashing back to December 23rd and my visit to San Gabriel Nursery in San Gabriel, California. I'd started the day at California Cactus Center, then spent a few hours at the Los Angeles County Arboretum (post coming up, soon-ish - I hope) the day finished-up here.

I knew about San Gabriel Nursery thanks to Hoov answering a question from Alison about nurseries near The Huntington (we visited there too, and yes there will be a post). I'd looked them up online but wasn't sure what to expect, plus Christmas is an interesting time to visit nurseries, it's high season for all sorts of tchotchkes (and they seemed to have more than their fair share), but of course what I really wanted to see were plants. I wasn't disappointed...

Pretty much love this sign...

The 80 degree day (in December!) was good for my soul, as was seeing plants for sale that are only high summer rarities in my climate. Echium 'Star of Madeira'...

Salvia apiana

My Portland nurseries don't have crazy alien communication towers! Oh wait, I think it's a heater, well we don't have those either...

Tropicalisimo!

Crinum A. Baby Burgundy

Asparagus densiflorus 'Myers' is so much more impressive en masse!

Somehow this sign makes the danger so much more real than the cartoon one. It looks positively radioactive.

Don't you just love a nursery with paths under established trees?

And can't you just see people returning a cactus to the nursery..."it died"..."did you water it?"..."no, it's a cactus!"...

Lots of goodies...

Abromeitiella brevifolia, display only...

I had this one in my hand...

The first one I saw looked like it was $7.98, then I realized it was actually $17.98. I put it back.

Front and center is Agave 'Snow Glow', it taunted me throughout this trip.

I know this one as Agave 'Royal Spine'

Agave gypsophila $45.98

Finally a shot of one of the "it" plants of 2014, Alstroemeria 'Rock 'n' Roll'...

But wait, there's more! Next door was Rosemead Gardens. They were closed but that didn't stop me from casing the joint...(so to speak).

Just a few different styles of statuary to chose from.

This one I liked.

A little too Siegfried and Roy for me.

The column (?) is cool...

The "star walk" at the academy awards?...

And let's not forget, it was right before Christmas...so Rudolph and friends were huddled, making plans for their big night out...

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.