Annie's Annuals & Perennials

This is THE most fantastic nursery on the planet - two and a half acres of paradise-on-earth for gardeners! It's been said, "A trip to Annie's Annuals nursery in Richmond is for true plant fanatics what a religious pilgrimage is to the devout believer." So true!! I've never seen such an array of plants anywhere, and, not only that, they're all so healthy and beautifully presented. If you're a gardener and haven't seen this place, you've missed something simply unbelievable! Feast your eyes on this - "as far as the eye can see" is only a marginal exaggeration!



The first thing you see upon entering this Eden, is a group of large beds, planted with samples to give you an idea of how things look together:



Special displays are everywhere - here's some poppies...


One of the most helpful things to me is an information card that appears with every plant that tells you more than you ever wanted to know before you buy...


My main reason for today's visit was to hear a presentation by Ivette Soler. She's a gardener from Los Angeles who advocates getting rid of your front lawn, which doesn't reward you remotely in proportion to the amount of attention and devotion you give it, and replacing it with edibles and interesting "support" plants. She's recently published this book:


Several years ago we got rid of the pathetic lawn in front of the studio house, and installed some raised beds surrounded by pathways. My dream was to plant a garden of herbs, edibles and roses. To date, the results have been as pathetic as the lawn once was, but I promised myself this would be the "Year of the Yard", and I've been taking baby steps and inching my way towards the garden of my dreams. Today's presentation by Ivette, together with her book which I purchased earlier this week, has given me a world of inspiration, and I definitely feel propelled in the direction of gardening Nirvana!