03 Annie’s

Published by Sheri Burke on June 17, 2020

Annie's Annuals and Perennials

740 Market Ave, Richmond, CA 94801 • 510-215-3301
Annie's Website • Annie's Facebook

L ike I said, if you have never been, you have not lived. Seriously.

I went for the first time by myself probably 20 years ago. Annie's, woman-owned and run, is located in Richmond CA literally "on the other side of the tracks." Don’t get the wrong impression of me but, back in the day, that area of town was a little sketchy, and it wasn't just paranoia to be thinking I might get carjacked while driving through the streets.

Once I made it over the tracks and down a block or two, I started seeing green beauty, and there it was. Annie’s. Right from the entrance I knew it was going to be better than sex.

I grabbed a cart and 4 hours later--along with a deficit of $400--I was starving, exhausted and happy.

There is a lot of reading to do during 4 hours at 2.5-acre Annie's, and you must read the plant labels if only for the humor. However, the labels are also full of instructions and descriptions that, believe me, you should pay close attention to.

I do not live in Richmond's hardiness Zone 9 but in Zone 7-9 where we have heavy frost and then high heat. I was stupider back then and didn't pay attention to this important stuff on Annie's labels. So my $400 became $300-worth of death.

In my defense, I bought a lot of annuals that self-sow and to this day I have remnants of my first trip to Annie's, like the Papaver hybridum ‘Lauren’s Grape Poppy.’ Back then Annie's carried mostly annuals but since have upped the game and now offer a nice inventory of California natives and perennials, not to mention veggies, and ooh, ooh, succulents! (Hey, did you know there is a clothing store in Charleston, SC, called "Ooh! Ooh! Shoes?" Check it out.)

Since my first visit, I go back to Annie's at least 2-3 times a year during whatever specific season I need plants for. Most of the time I go with Aunt Patti. It used to be that you couldn't get food or drinks at Annie's so I learned to take my own. Aunt Patti and I use up a lot of energy shopping for plants, and thank goodness Annie's now offers items to eat and drink. (They offer porta-pottys too, however a bush will suffice if the circumstance calls for it.)

I have very little death now, if any, with plants I bring home from Annie's or anywhere else because now I’m a tad smarter. How much is a tad you ask?! Well, at 48 I went back to college for a Horticulture degree with an emphasis in Irrigation. During my studies I also became a Master Gardener. And to take it a step further I became a Landscape Designer and Contractor as well.

But back to plants...

Here are some plants I cannot live without. All can be found at Annie's. They will take the heat, snow, shade or sun, and most importantly are deer resistant. Really. They bloom for at least a month in my Zone 7-9.