Sunday, June 5, 2011

A Visit to Annie's Annuals and Perennials

I had my camera with me on a recent visit to Annie's Annuals and Perennials in Richmond and caught a few images of their demonstration gardens to share with you guys.

aeonium flowers with cuphea behindcuphea strybing sunsethelianthus microcephalus lemon queenpapaver layia border

fuzzy wuzzy was a lepechinia?

fuzzy wuzzy

The Eriogonum umbellatum was looking great growing in the parking lot. That reminded me how much I've been enjoying growing the Eriogonum nudum 'Ella Nelson's Yellow' from Annie's. It is so gorgeously florific and has been blooming its head off for months now in a client's garden. The stems make a beautiful bouquet too.

 eriogonum umbellatumeriogonum nudum ella nelson bouquet

eriogonum ella nelson yellow

Back at Annie's the Beschorneria was showing off its floral fireworks and the Pelargonium 'Veronica Contreras' was following up with some slightly smaller explosions.

beschorneria yuccoides explosion

pelargonium veronica contreras

beschorneria yuccoides flowerspelargonium veronica contreras close

It is so hard to adequately photograph the Teucrium scorodonia 'Crispum Marginatum'. It's such a great foliage plant.

teucrium scorodonia crispum marginatumaeonium lancerottense and teucrium scorodonia crispum marginatum

Love those cute Polygala virgata flowers!

polygala virgata

The chunky Aeonium hierrense has surprisingly sweet pink flowers.

aeonium hierrense floweraeonium hierrense flowers

A few romantic bloomers that are also excellent for encouraging beneficial insects:

penstemon digitalis mysticadaucus carota stems

floating orlaya grandiflora

I thought the Lessertia was going to be terribly fussy, but it looks quite robust at Annie's.

lessertia montana

lessertia montana form

I'm definitely going to have to try this Felicia aethiopica 'Tight and Tidy' out somewhere.

felicia aethiopica tight and tidy

felicia aethiopica tight and tidy close

Some nice purples:

contrasting colors

penstemon cobaea

Another plant to find a place for - Silene asterias:

silene asteriassilene asterias close

A lovely bright Phygelius capensis:

phygelius capensis magenta closephygelius capensis magenta

The 'fro of the plant world, Deschampsia flexuosa, adds some amazing texture to a border:

deschampsia flexuosa

Some lovely combos:

cottage classic

hot colors

glaucium grandiflorumorangescineraria saxifragadelphinium royal aspirations

anchusa azureaanchusa azurea closeraquilegia yellow queenarthropodium cirratum

verbena lilacina de la mina

malcomia maritima and diascia integerrimapenstemon cobaea2no boinky antirrhinums hererudbeckia thingy

birdbathnicotiana lime green

lagurus ovatus

The also impossible to photograph black lotus flower at Annie's - those flowers just suck all the light in and look like black blobs. It's a very pretty plant though, and is blooming every time I go to the nursery. I hope Annie's will offer it soon.

the black hole of the flower world

kniphofia jenny lindkniphofia jenny lind closeisoplexis isabelliana and alstroemeriaargemone munita stems

Sphenosciadium capitellatum

phacelia gentianoides

And I always smile when I see Galvezia speciosa. The flowers look like disembodied mouths with pursed lips turned into heat seeking missiles, that will plant hundreds of small kisses on any passerbys!

galvezia speciosa heat seeking lips

13 comments:

  1. I just received an order from Annie's. I love their plants. It's a good thing I don't live closer or I'd be broke. Thank you for sharing so many gorgeous photos. I could gaze at them all day!

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  2. Making note: black lotus in production. I don't think there's ever been a nursery like Annie's that constantly cycles so many amazing plants all year long. Just when I think I'm caught up...

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  3. Just a lovely and inspiring post, thank you so much, really nice pictures, stellar flowers!

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  4. Wonderful photos ! I always take my camera when I go to Annies..I'm about due for another visit I think.

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  5. I'm dumbfounded by the clarity and crispness of your photos - composition and colors are topnotch as well!
    Thanks for the inspiration.

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  6. kelly...just super gorgeous pix! Your blog really is an inspirational site. My thumbs are greening up just looking through it.
    Marti

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  7. I'm just thinking about all the people who go on and on, unceasingly, about how much more important foliage is than flowers to garden design. Sure it is.

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  8. Wow, that was floriferous overload! I love the orange hued blooms in 3 pictures under "Some lovely combos:"

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  9. I agree - I planted a few Eriogonum nudum 'Ella Nelson's Yellow' from Annie's this winter and they have been putting on a show since March!
    Thank you for the amazing photos!

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  10. Your photos are very good, I hope you are on Annie's payroll. Thank you also for identifying them as only a few were familiar to me.

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  11. Thanks everyone for your kind words! And thank you Annie's for always having such awesome plants!

    Chuck B. - I have to say I fall into the Foliage Camp but I think you gotta have both. Foliage heavy gardens don't have that joy de vivre that a super bloomy garden has.

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  12. great post. What is the name of that black lotus?

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  13. What is the blue flower planted with lagurus ovatus? Gorgeous combination!!

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