It was time to take a road trip to the Bay Area this weekend so I could stock up on plants from Annie’s Annuals for my garden. I decided to take the scenic route up Route 1.
I stopped at Ragged Point and took a bunch of pictures of this hummingbird zipping around the Echium candicans. Even though there are several species of hummingbird in California I always assume they are Anna’s hummingbirds I am seeing because I believe they are the most common year round residents.
They are fast little buggers but I got a couple of decent pictures. Pretty sure this is the same guy but the red around their throat is only visible when the light hits it from a certain angle.
I pulled over to take a picture of this huge lupin.
Aside from lupins there were Oxalis, Ceanothus, mustard, and California poppies in bloom along the coast. On my way back I took the interior roads and there were tons of almonds, cherries, and plums in bloom. It will always be a bit strange to me that fruit trees bloom in the middle of winter here in California instead of in early spring on the east coast.
Since it was a Sunday I didn’t make too many stops because there were a lot of cars on the road and most of the parking lots were full. So I skipped the elephant seals and Nepenthe. I did stop at the vista point to take a picture of Big Creek Bridge. It was a beautiful clear winter day.
wooly Indian paintbrush
I believe this is Castilleja foliolosa but I’m not an expert on them. I do know that they are hemiparasitic (derive some of their sustenance from the roots of other plants) which is why you don’t see them for sale as a garden plant.
So happy! Every time I drive up the California coast I feel very lucky to be living here.
The waves were insane! I tried to get a picture of some of the big ones but of course they wouldn’t cooperate. The huge waves were shy and only came out when I put my camera away.
I spent Sunday night in Berkeley and woke up bright and early Monday morning and headed to Annie’s for a full day of shopping.
I made a beeline for this Athanasia pinnata. I think it will make a really nice specimen planting in my mediterranean garden so of course I had to have one.
Megan from Far Out Flora (one of my favorite garden blogs) works at Annie’s so I let her know I was coming so I could say hey.
I had a long day ahead of me. I was there for a total of 5 hours. Even though I came prepared with a list and Annie’s is very well organized I always end up running around in circles like a fool. Everyone that congratulated me for being a grown up and not buying that Globularia a few weeks ago can go ahead and revoke my adult status. Things I didn’t plan on buying were literally leaping into my cart when I wasn’t looking. To be fair it is a four hour trip so I need to stock up. And there is no other nursery in the world like Annie’s Annuals (and Perennials). The type of plants they grow are the exact sort of plants that I am in love with. It was a beautiful overcast day for taking pictures but of course it is February so the display gardens are not at their bloomiest best. There are always display plants in containers in bloom though so I did take the time to snap a few pictures.
Platystemon californicus – cream cups
Nemophila menziesii ‘Penny Black’
Lupinus succulentus – arroyo lupine and Gilia tricolor
Nemophila menziesii – baby blue eyes
Alonsoa meridionalis ‘Apricot’
I set a new record for amount of the amount of plants I can fit in my VW Golf! Twelve and a half flats. That is TWO HUNDRED four inch pots!
I purposely traveled light so I would be able to stuff plants in every available spot. I had added so many extra plants I was afraid I was going to have to balance a few on my head but as it turns out two hundred is pretty much the exact amount of plants that will fit in my car without resorting to heroic measures.
They all made it home with me safe and sound. I spent all of today placing and planting and I have a lot more planting to do tomorrow. My spring garden is going to be out of control! Thanks Annie’s Annuals!
Garden Propaganda 
TWO HUNDRED? 200!? You are my hero! That plus the fact that you actually realize how fortunate you are to live and garden where you do…lucky you, I am so happy for you!
Thank you, I very much do! I had a lovely day today creating the garden I have been dreaming about for years and years.
i had always assumed that i could fit more plants into a car than anyone else…..great post.
When I first started gardening I drove a sports car. You wouldn’t believe the plants I could fit in that car!
It’s a good thing you didn’t take anyone with you. They would have had to thumb home.
The only way I would have considered brining someone else with me is if they had a bigger car than I do that could fit more plants!
I want that Nemophila menziesii !!! As soon as i hit the reply button, I’m heading to google to see if it works in florida!
It probably wouldn’t be too happy with the heat and humidity. Most CA natives aren’t. Maybe try direct sowing seed in late fall so it blooms in winter. Still may be too hot and humid though. 😦
Woohoo…looks like you had an absolute blast…what a gorgeous drive…and those wild Lupines…just stunning! I’m so jealous of your Athanasia…I’ve been dreaming of them since Annie’s talk at the HPSO earlier this month. I think the Platystemon are just about as charming a plant as you could hope to find…so lovely. Can’t wait to see everything planted up…your place is going to look A-MAZ-ING!
I only wish I had waited to plant my Medit garden. A few of my plants (including the Athanasia) are going there and even though I left spaces it is always easier to have a totally blank slate to move plants around in. I guess I could move some plants around but I don’t want to think about that now when I still have so many things to plant. I’ll save that till the end. I also got a Hymenolepis parviflora (used to be classified under Athanasia as well).
I sure hope my Echium look that nice some day. Those lupins are huge! The ones I’ve seen are tiny little things usually under a foot tall. 200 pots of plants!?! Heaven.
In California a lot of species of Lupins are giant shrubs. Megan was telling me that she has an Echium candicans that is several years old and hasn’t bloomed yet!
I’m so jealous! (but then again, Logee’s is only 20 minutes from me, we are still frozen!). Here in Boston, I have the Annie’s catalog sitting right next to me ( I LOVE the new design on the cover!). I’m always getting offers to relocate to CA, but resist since I am a New Englander tried and true, yet these photos always make me want to change my mind. My Echium ( which came from Annies last year) is in the greenhouse, but is just starting to bud… we plant geeks love her plants so much! Even outside of California since many of them can’t be found anywhere else, and make excellent container plants here in the north. Now my secret is out!
Relocate to California! West is best!
So great to finally meet you in person! Can’t wait to watch your fresh new garden grow. Wait… Matt’s Echium is starting to bud in his greenhouse in New England?!?! That’s not fair 🙂
It was great to meet you too! Maybe if you give your Echium the impression that you are going to dig it up you can frighten it into blooming. Speak in hushed tones around it and whisper to each other while giving it side long glances, leave a shovel near it over night, buy a plant in a big pot and put it near the Echium as if you are trying to decide if it would look nicer there…
Only in a VW! I drive a Passat for my rep job w/Armstrong Growers. I’ve been forced to get quite creative as to the hauling of plant material I am sampling for customers. Some of my best passengers have leaves that get stuck in my hair or are so fragrant I could quite literally be driving under the influence of plant! Your garden will be lovely with it’s new additions.
I think my passengers with the last few trips are mostly piles of soil, spiders, and ants.
I’ve read a lot about Annies annuals, unfortunately they won’t ship to Canada. Must be fun, they have quite the selection. I too have a black vw golf that I fill to the brims with plants, I got a kick out of seeing a couple posts with it stuffed to the brim. It’s amazing how much plant life can fit in that little car, you do an exceptional good job tetrising them all in there. Awesome!
Thanks! It makes me sad that you can’t get plants from Annie’s. Now I know to never move to Canada! When I first started gardening I was driving a little sports car so I got a lot of experience squeezing a lot of plants into a small space.