Wednesday, February 17, 2016

First Nursery Visit of the Season


Last weekend Cottage Gardens in Petaluma, one of my favorite nurseries, had a sale on everything and of course Jo and I had to go. We love to visit for the eye candy, all the beautiful stuff they have besides plants. When I dream about my garden how one day I would like it to look, I envision fountains, sculptures, bird houses and pretty trellises. Cottage Gardens has all of that, and while I'm not buying any of these at the moment, I enjoy them.

I didn't bring my camera with me, but of course I had my phone and so I happily snapped away. The quality of these pictures is not great, I definitely prefer my DSLR, but they still give a good impression about this place.

They had a few fountains there, like the beautiful one in the top picture which would take up quite some space in a garden. The birds would love it, I'm sure.

This little cherub looks like he's cold. It was such a warm day, though!

Pretty birds for the fountain

 But a single Camellia blossom is just as beautiful!

This little guy stole my heart. Can you see how he is offering seeds to the birds? I would love to have him in my garden.

Or - what about a sleeping cat? If you look hard at the image below you can see some more cats in the background - a sitting cat, a grooming cat and another sleeping one. That day we saw a woman who bought all three of them. I can only imagine her beautiful garden.


Perhaps someone wants to turn their garden into a calm and peaceful sanctuary. Here's the perfect company for that. 


Or perhaps you prefer big old bottles, dusty with a few cobwebs? The nursery has them lined up for you!


Of course they have pots and containers as well. After all it's a nursery! 



Needles to say that Jo and I couldn't leave this wonderful place without buying a few plants. I got a Clematis "Abilene" which is pink with lighter stripes and a purple Hopseed bush. Since we've had sunny and warm weather for more than a week I have been busy in the garden. My poppies from last year re-seeded and there are way too many of them. So I'm pulling a good chunk of them and just leave "islands" of poppies. This allows the other plants in my garden to thrive as well (hopefully). Last year, too many of them were simply overgrown by the poppies. And while the poppies are absolutely stunning when they bloom, I don't want them all over the place. It will be interesting to see whether my plan will turn out successfully.

14 comments:

Maria Ontiveros said...

The weather's been so glorious that I'd planned a trip to the nursery to buy plants, but I lot motivation after doing too much weeding.
Rinda

Laurie said...

I'm dreaming of the day..... I would love to have that frog, too! He's cute!

windrock studio said...

How wonderful that you had a pretty, warm day and a friend to enjoy all this!

Elephant's Child said...

I have almost total sales resistance - except where nurseries or book shops are concerned. That looks like an absolutely delightful nursery. I hope in the fullness of time we see your purchases in bloom as well.

Barb said...

Carola, We each have different dreams for our garden. This fall I threw out more poppy seeds, hoping I'll have a bumper crop with the old that reseeded. They are some of my most trustworthy bloomers at high altitude. I can't even hope for spring yet, but your photos do make me yearn a little. It would be wonderful to visit a nursery and actually buy some plants. It will be June before I can do that.

Monika + Bente said...

... und dazu schönes, warmes, weiches Licht - so ganz anders als bei uns heute !

Liebe Grüße - Monika

La Vie Quotidienne said...

this looks like a fabulous nursery. I love garden ornaments and have to watch myself very carefully to keep from buying too many. I have been on a lavender binge; they do well in our heat. I am trying to create a lavender walk in the far back garden. Your poppies sound lovely.

Magic Love Crow said...

What a fun place to go! I want those cats! Good luck with pulling some of your poppies out and getting the other plants to grow!

Darla said...

The nursery looks like a great place for inspiration. The frog caught my attention. The recent night of thunder/lightning/pouring rain left us with a rather soggy garden at the moment.

Das Runde Haus said...

...und vielen Dank für deinen netten Kommentar auf meinem Blog. ..LG von cosmee

Roses, Lace and Brocante said...

Oh I love a good garden Nursery and this one has beautiful garden ornaments!
I've always wanted a fountain... one day!
I wish I could nab some of your poppies, they're one of my favourites threading through the garden beds!

GreenComotion said...

Totally charmed by the Sleeping Kitty and the Buddhas.
Nice share, Carola!
Have a Beautiful Day!!
Peace :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the breath of spring. I do so long for a bit of a garden, even if it's only a balcony or windowbox. Meanwhile, I do enjoy dreaming about yours.

Tammie Lee said...

This looks like good fun. We are not quite at this season yet. Our nurseries are still closed for winter.