03 Annie’s
June 17, 2020
05 Bang-For-Your-Buck Plants
July 7, 2020
S peaking of annuals, we stopped at Happy Bee Garden Center after a lovely visit with my brother, Joe, sister-in-law, Terry, and niece, Kayla—since they were in our "path." I’m sure they felt honored that we took the time to stop...lol. (See, it's not always about plants. Except that we did talk about plants.)
Happy Bee Garden Center (now F&B Farms and Nursery) was completely filled with annuals. Color galore!!! We couldn’t help but stop in our tracks at the door and stare. (I do a lot of staring which can be either good or bad. This was good staring).
I thought the annuals were pretty much run-of-the-mill except when I spied a stunning one-gallon Cleome hybrid Senorita Rosalita. This particular variety does not have thorns, is not sticky and is bushier in form than the more common variety. The blossoms are more vivid in color, too. There were only 2 Cleomes remaining, and I took one. You can figure out who got the other one. (Yes, Aunt Patti.)
Cleome hybrid Senorita Rosalita (on my kitchen deck) from Happy Bee Garden (2019) along with Dianthus barbatus 'Green Ball' which is dead now. Too hot.
My Cleome made me very happy, not only by its beauty, but by all the memories attached to it.
Towards the end of its life, as Fall approached, I started to check the dry flower pods for seeds so I could save and sow the following Spring. I did this every day for a month, but no seeds. It was starting to piss me off. I know a little about a lot of things and sometimes a lot about a lot of things. I do know one thing: Cleomes self sow. What was wrong with this one?
So, got on Google, and did you know that there is a sterile variety of Cleome in the world? Well I got it, of course.
Had I known earlier that it would not produce seeds and was considered to be a tender perennial, I would have taken cuttings—assuming no propagation restrictions, right?!
Or I would have put the whole damn plant in the greenhouse for safekeeping! Because that little one-gallon plant, at maturity had become a 3 by 3-foot plant that made me smile every single day. It's what I call a "bang-for-your-buck" plant if ever there was one.
So I purchased Cleome seeds from the wonderful website, Swallowtail Garden Seeds, and 3 months later I had 20 assorted Cleome babies in 4-inchers growing in my greenhouse. They have since flown the coop into my gardens, my clients' gardens, and the gardens of friends and neighbors.
As for the lovely and colorful Happy Bee Garden Center—see a slew of gorgeous photos on their Facebook—I am sorry to report that I do not have a picture of their entrance. (I borrowed the top photo from their Google listing, which they should not mind since I'm giving them "Green Thumbs, Way Up!")
...You know...Aunt Patti has just two jobs: 1) navigate, and 2) take pictures. My jobs are, 1) drive, 2) entertain, and 3) tell Patti "NO, that plant WON'T work."
P.S.: The day I finalized this blog post, I went with, guess who, Aunt Patti to a local nursery to pick up the final shrub for her new front yard—which I designed and installed. I turned a corner and, lo-and-behold, came upon a Cleome Senorita Rosalita!!!!!! But guess what? Only one left, and I grabbed it. Poor Aunt Patti...
Cleome hybrid Senorita Rosalita from Green Acres, Rocklin, California. (2020)
