53 Be Inspired! Be Gutsy!
March 18, 2022
55 Robby’s Nursery & Calico Gardens
April 15, 2022
Anderson’s La Costa Nursery
400 La Costa Avenue, Encinitas, CA 92024 • (760) 753-3153
Website • Instagram
W hen we arrived at Anderson’s La Costa Nursery, Aunt Patti and I just sat in the car for a bit. The marine layer was beginning to burn off and it appeared to be another gorgeous day in SoCal. (I grew up in NorCal—Eureka—where you can wait months for the sun to peek through!) We were parched and needed a snack because we’d already visited two large and eclectic nurseries that morning (both fantastic!), and it was still only 10AM!
Then we noticed this sign outside the nursery…
Remember AP’s fatal attraction to succulents? Looking at the sign, she said—to no one in particular—”I should stay in the car.” (LMAO!) This was only Day 2 of our 5-day trip and her side of the car was already 3/4-full!
I said—to her in particular—”You just need to control yourself,” because I knew NO WAY would she stay in the car with succulents on sale. She did eventually control herself. Kinda’.
Isn’t this tree gorgeous?!
I am not good at ID’ing trees so don’t ask me its name. We asked an employee what it was and still, I can’t remember the answer.
How I made it through college Plant Identification classes whenever trees came up, I don’t know. I do know the basics, and I am improving…slowly. You should hear me whenever—especially during the dormant season—a client points to a tree in their yard and asks, “What kind of tree is that?” If it’s not one I know off hand, I’m tempted to just say, “It’s deciduous, obviously!” But I usually find a way to give an intelligent answer. I am also very good at changing the subject.
One method for IDing trees is by their bark. If you want info on that, Google it. No wait! Lord knows what stupid information will pop up. Contact me or visit your local Master Gardener’s office. They will LOVE that question! LOL.
As you enter, at first glance Anderson’s appears to be a quaint and charming little nursery.
Then you start making turns and at every turn you discover the place just keeps going and going. It was awesome, I tell ya!! Definitely one of those nursery’s I would call “better than sex.” (Oh…Hi, Mike!) No worries, Reader, he’s not jealous. He feels the same way when he walks into Tool Depot or California Tools.
Here’s an example of awesome…
Leucanthemum ‘Real GoldCup’
My eye kept going to this plant!
Knowing it was a Leucanthemum (think Shasta Daisy, ugh), I wouldn’t normally jump on it and take it home. But its bright yellow color looked so cheerful to me I decided I needed it.
That was the year (2021) when ‘Real GoldCup’ showed up in retail nurseries for the first time—and with a $30 price tag. It stays small and tidy at 18-inches wide and 36-inches high. It takes full sun to part shade and is hardy to Zone 5.
And, lucky me, in my garden it’s still alive…
I have not pruned it yet because the dead foliage on top protects the crown (the base or bottom of the plant).
(There is your free Tip of the Day!)
Here’s a plant AP and I both gravitated to…
Hymenocallis lirisome (Spider Lily or Beach Spider Lily)
We were oohing and aahing and AP took this picture. But neither of us grabbed it up right then.
Often, while we find a plant we like, we have to be very selective (well…not AP), as car space is very limited (she forgets this little issue). So we tell ourselves we will look over the rest of the nursery and come back. But then our brains go on overdrive as we meander through and we forget about the plant we found at the beginning.
And, dammit, this lily bulb is not easily available in nurseries. It loves filtered shade and water, and it would have looked just lovely in my shade garden!
Yet ANOTHER wrought-iron umbrella plant stand that did not come home with me. No room…(thanks to AP).
And I hated having to pass up a piece of lovely garden art like this…
Often on our trips, I’ve wished for a large U-haul, but Mike would never agree. Which is probably for the best as I would not want my landscape to start looking like a retail store. Or to hear Mike ask me more often, “When did you get that?” Even though my usual reply, “we’ve had it forever, I just moved it” still works.
The thing I like about shade plants, besides foliage…is foliage with blossoms!
Anderson’s has an excellent choice of native plants—something you don’t always see in nurseries, though I have noticed an increase over the years. I try my best to incorporate natives in all my designs and installs, but clients always have final approval and sometimes opt out.
See what I mean by “at every turn?!”
And who knew this charming little cottage shed was tucked way in the back…
BTW, it’s the cottage that’s tilted, not my camera. And it’s certainly not me! Rest assured, it wasn’t until the end of the day that AP and I hit the bar.
Yes, Readers, the two of us do drink and nursery-hop. But for safety’s sake—including the safety of our wallets!—we never do both at the same time. I save doing THAT for when I’m with Mike.
His wallet is bigger.
