Lately we have been hearing lots of positive comments regarding the nursery. "The place has never looked better" or "have you ever had so many plants?". We are very pleased with the nursery as well. Not only in sheer numbers, but in the diversity of our offerings. A relatively mild summer, major progress and improvement of our water system and an exceptional crew has all come together. With the fall planting season just around the corner NOW is the time to check us out. Folks waiting for cooler temperatures and rain to shop for plants can be disappointed with availability. Even with our outstanding inventory, the deeper into fall we get the less material we will have available. This is the story for all nurseries but particularly small operations such as Cal Flora.
Here are some highlights of what you will find:
California Lilac - Nearly 30 different varieties available. Offering an extraordinary diversity of sizes and forms, leaf shapes and textures, and shades of blue, violet and white flowers. Ceanothus grow fast, are drought tolerant and are excellent additions to the habitat garden providing food and cover for wildlife, pollinators and predatory insects.
Manzanita - Quintessential California genus and a favorite here at Cal Flora. Valued for their dramatic form, gorgeous bark, handsome foliage, early bloom period, and drought tolerance. We have a great selection including popular cultivars of Arctostaphylos such as 'Emerald Carpet' and 'Howard McMinn' as well as less common but dependable selections such as 'Sunset' and 'John 'Dourley'. Look for our local selections of Arctostaphylos manzanita hybrids which offer superior disease resistance as well as many rare and unusual selections not commonly found in the trade. Besides being tough and beautiful, manzanita flowers provide an early nectar source for bees and hummingbirds.
Other evergreens include wax myrtle, toyon, coffeeberries, coast silk tassel and ground cover and upright forms of coyote bush.
We have a good supply of the ever popular Matilija poppy, much admired for it's huge, pure white, crepe-papery blossoms on tall stems. This beauty can be tricky to establish and fall is the absolute best time for success. Once established Matilija poppy can be hard to stop and is best planted where there is plenty of room in full sun.
We have a wide array of deciduous flowering shrubs including many cultivars of flowering currants and mock oranges, wild rose and cream bush.
Riparian species such as western spice bush, red twig dogwoods, ninebark, native berries, elderberries, alders and maples. There are rushes, sedges and a wide variety of bunch grasses for both sun and shade.
We have many other plants to consider for the fall planting season. The popular sages, buckwheats, California fuchsias and monkey flowers are some of the first to sell out. Favorite woodland species include those for deep shade such as redwood sorrel, wild ginger, fringe cups, a variety of native ferns as well as the versatile and useful western sword fern. For light or part shade we have California fescue, columbine, coral bells, western buttercup and several species of Angelica. Besides oaks and buckeyes we have small numbers of hard to find trees such as Pacific dogwood, madrone and California nutmeg. Check out our inventory for a complete list of perennials, grasses, ferns, vines, shrubs and trees. Or better yet come by and look around. We are open 7 days a week through October. Plan now to take advantage of upcoming conditions perfect for planting and establishing plants in our California landscape.