B efore I get into some Flowercraft Garden Center purchases, may I register a complaint?
During this pandemic, visiting nurseries has been very difficult on Aunt Patti and me. Here's why: Most—if not ALL—their restrooms are "CLOSED TO PUBLIC." Soooo annoying!!! I mean, I get why, and some might consider this a petty problem, but...doesn’t everybody have to pee?!
In these times we're in, landscape contractors are designated "Essential Workers" so I've been able to keep my business going. and nurseries just happen to be my supplier. (Yes! Lucky me!) So I am sometimes in nurseries up to 6 hours on a day, shopping amongst crowds of masked people who never stepped into a nursery before 2020 (gee, I wonder how many dead plants they have by now?!) and who I figure must all be walking around in private no-restroom pain!
So in going forward, Aunt Patti and I have agreed on a "CLOSED TO PUBLIC" restroom solution for our nursery visits.
I'm serious. I use these in my work environment and they are fantastic! Though I never thought I would need them while hunting for joy (aka nursery hopping).
Now if we could only get nurseries to carry food. (And cupcakes.)
Okay, on to Flowercraft Garden Center...
We went on an outing a couple weeks ago and on our return trip from Half Moon Bay, Aunt Patti and I stopped at Flowercraft because 1) it was on our itinerary, 2) we love their layout and assortment of plants, and 3) they have a restroom.
This place is located in a congested area of Highway 101 and Highway 280, and for 30 years I just drove right past it. Parking is limited and on our first visit (2017) we had to park next to a dumpster in the back (common theme of ours). This time luckily we found a spot right in front where hundreds of cars whiz past.
We immediately ran to the restroom! But to our dismay we found it "CLOSED TO PUBLIC." We moaned and groaned but we weren’t at the point of needing to find a bush yet, so we started browsing through plant displays—which generally takes our minds off other issues.
Under one continuance pergola Flowercraft has installed alcoves for "annuals," "succulents," "veggies," and so on. I like these kinds of small display areas. They are not overwhelming, and because I am a plant snob and proud of it I can quickly scan and move on.
On a previous Flowercraft visit, I purchased an unusual Syrian Bear’s Breeches when its spikey leaves caught my eye and because the label said it would grow to 12 inches high—which is smaller than common Bear’s Breeches.
I kept it in my holding area for a few years but it didn’t do much for me. So out it went to the Sherwood Demonstration Garden's Perennial Garden. But as you can guess by the photo, it still does nothing for me.
Acanthus hirsutus spp. syriacus (Syrian Bear’s Breeches)
I wondered why this plant was giving me no joy, and through some research I found that Syrian Bear's Breeches can go into full or part sun and is supposed to have vigorous growth and reach a height of 2 feet. And here is the kicker: it needs a monthly feeding of phosphorus during growing season and it is recommended for Zones 8-10.
No wonder it was so wrong for my landscape and for Sherwood Demonstration Garden. First off, I never buy a plant that requires a specific nutrient so obviously I wasn't giving it any, and secondly, I only buy for Zone 7 and colder.
Lesson learned....again. You can't always trust nursery labels to give correct and complete information.
Now I have to dig the thing up again and figure out what to do with it. It needs a home someplace. Hmmmm.....maybe one of my clients....
I will stick with the common Bear's Breeches which DOES bring me joy!
Acanthus mollis (Bear’s Breeches)
Backtracking to a "containers" theme for a moment (because I can't see the photo above and keep my mouth shut), the blue of that container is not my favorite cobalt blue, but a plain old washed out blue that has been a thorn in my side. Over the years I have moved this container too many times to count and have never found a place for it that made me like that blue, though I have always loved the plant. The thing is currently living in front of my greenhouse.
Perhaps you are asking why I bought a container with such a sorry looking blue. Well, I didn't—it was a gift. It is beautiful otherwise and very heavy—which means good quality—but I have visual issues few gift givers can anticipate. So there you go.
Aunt Patti is not as interested in such things or in going so deep into plants. She loves anything colorful and likes instant gratification. So she tends to buy annuals.
Bidens hybrid ‘Beedance’
This habit of hers is becoming an issue for me. When I'm writing a blog post and ask her what plants she bought at such-and-such nursery and to please send me pics of them...well...she can't send pics because we may have visited that nursery years back, and the plants—as annuals—tend to be long dead.
When I wanted to know what she bought at Flowercraft on our "RESTROOM NOT PUBLIC" day, she texted me back with "You are work. I’m retired." And she sent me her spreadsheets from all our nursery trips so I would stop bothering her.
LOL! She knows I won’t stop bothering her. She loves me.
Now...as a must-have garden tool, I was always a fan of TubTrugs because they came in so many sizes and colors. They lasted forever as long as you kept them away from heaters that melt them and freezing temps that crack the plastic and break the handles (causing me to use colored electrical tape as a remedy).
But a few years back, TubsTrugs rebranded to Red Gorilla and there were some reviews saying the quality had changed—which made me reluctant to buy replacements. What to do?
Then Flowercraft came to my rescue when I discovered TuffTotes there. These are frost resistant, the plastic is thicker and the handles are wider. The price was comparable to TubTrugs so I bought one. As of this writing it’s only been 2 weeks, but so far so good. No melting or cracks or broken handles!
As for the desperate situation that Flowercraft's "RESTROOM NOT PUBLIC" caused Aunt Patti and me, (I know you've been sitting on the edge of your seat wondering about our fate) well...welcome to Driving Miss Viola's first cliff hanger!
To be continued...
Photos courtesy Sheri Lynn Burke. All rights reserved.
