54 Anderson’s La Costa Nursery
April 1, 2022
56 On The Road Again
April 29, 2022
Robby’s Nursery & Calico Gardens
4002 Terracotta Court, Bakersfield, CA • (661) 588-0859
Website • Facebook
O n the day Aunt Patti and I visited Robby’s Nursery in Bakersfield, holy moley was it HOT!!! But even 105-degree temps cannot hold us back from a nursery visit. She and I may look like crap in that kind of heat, but we’re not in a beauty contest—the plants are!! Gawd, are we two crazy women…
In whatever weather, Robby’s is the kind of nursery that must be walked through using a method perfected by Aunt Patti and me. It goes like this: take a few very slow steps keeping your eyes wide open, then stop and do a 360-degree turn. Repeat 500 times! It’s the only way to see every fantastic thing on display.
I love that Robby’s doesn’t line the plants up in boring rows like soldiers. Instead, they are scattered throughout in clusters. If you miss them at one turn, you will see them again at another but this time displayed differently and among different companion plants. Very smart, Robby! Very smart.
I mean look at this!….
THAT is how my gardens would look if I had no self control! (AP on the other hand…lol.)
As you know with me by now, it’s a matter of fact that plants are happier with some garden art nearby. And Robby’s offers so much clever garden art. Look closely at these birdhouses…
The one on the left is hugging the stump. The other sits with legs casually crossed.
And here are some flowers that will never die!
Since I am a Foliage Gal, I love adding metal flowers like these to give a pop of color all year long.
BUT not all metal garden art is created equal. Some of it out there is definitely tacky. So I am very selective about quality, shape and especially color so I don’t have to hear Mike’s usual comment, “Starting to look like a carnival…”
If he’s so picky about looks, he should cough up some money and buy me a few Dale Chihuly glass pieces for the garden. Just sayin’.
These color spikes make it easy to add vertical color to a garden…
I bought one years ago in Carmel but the paint has how faded. Spray paint though makes an easy fix for faded or flawed garden art.
See why you have to stop and stand there just so you can take it all in? Walk too fast and you might miss some fabulous thing like this…
Casuarina glauca ‘Cousin It’ (Prostrate Swamp Oak)
I saw it out of the corner of my eye and quickly passed it over thinking it was one of these…
Acacia cognata ‘Cousin Itt’
…which cannot survive the cold at my place. I know because years ago I already killed one!
Then I looked more closely and saw it was not an Acacia but a Casuarina. In a 5-gallon container, it was priced at a hefty $55!
I resisted it at first but—me being ME—I came back to it 4 times! The owner must have been watching because on my 4th visit she came to me and explained how rare this plant is and that they had only 2 of them in stock.
I knew she was just baiting me but I lost my last shred of resistance and took one home with me.
I can report that ‘Cousin It’ is an evergreen shrub with blue-green needle-like foliage that looks stringy enough to make me want to comb it every time I pass by. At 12-inches tall and 8-feet wide, it basically would make a ground cover.
Here is what mine looks like now…
In the Fall It started to turn red but I kept it exposed to the elements because I wanted to experiment and see how it would do through the seasons. So far so good.
I plan on putting it in a 3-foot high white ceramic container so I can enjoying its weeping nature. And I have to tell you I’m so excited I found it! Coming across unusual and interesting plants is why I go on these nursery road trips. I am The Hunter!!
Now THAT is how to create an intriguing entrance into the unknown. The sight of those metal flowers from afar just pulls you right in.
And tell me this whole scene doesn’t just charm you!…
And speaking of charming…OMG, here they are again!…
I could save Mike 6 hours of driving his dump truck if he would buy these at Robby’s in Bakersfield instead of at Green Thumb Nursery all the way down in San Marcos.
And these!!…
They look just like New Zealand Flax but made of metal. I like them so much I had to really force myself to practice self-control. (…breathe…look away…breathe…walk away…)
The way the owners at Robby’s have staged their nursery is so charming, eclectic and colorful. Every scene makes you stop to enjoy the beauty and the creative fun.
Plus, Robby’s knows how to keep plants healthy and happy even with Bakersfield’s hot HOT weather. The quality of their plants is exceptional!
As for the quality of AP and me when leaving the place? We were drenched and parched. But Robby’s was soooo worth it…we’d suffer it all again.
