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Alladin Nursery & Gift Shop
2905 Freedom Blvd, Watsonville, CA 95076 • (831) 724-7517
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A lladin was the last nursery visit of the day for me and AP, and thank gawd.
It had been a damn hot day—like, OMG, 105° degrees or more. Which may sound lovely to you now in early January, but this was not January and it was NOT lovely!
Alladin’s tagline though—”For Those Who Love Plants”—called out to us and required a visit no matter how hot.
I know I complain about the heat, Friends, but I am willing to sweat for plants I love!
The nursery was celebrating its 100th year in business—as their patchy sign says—and good for them!
On our trips, AP and I always squeeze in a last-minute nursery when we can because the next day we’re off to another city. Alladin’s was our “last-minute nursery” that day. We got there just 30-minutes before closing.
When we entered through the gift shop the women working there gave us a look like “you better shop fast, you two.” Out in the nursery, however, the men were sooooo nice to us. Must have been AP’s natural charm.
She and I did shop fast (we ended up buying nothing) but not too fast to take photos.
Focus on the table here, not the gnomes.
I’ve said before how much I love “Day of the Dead” statues—all the bright beautiful colors!
I have yet to buy me one though. Usually they come 20 or more to a shelf, and I can’t ever pick just one. So I don’t.
It’s like a restaurant giving me a 10-page menu. Too many choices! Can’t do it.
Take me to a nursery though with 5,000 plants? No problemo!
I do usually have problemos with garden flamingos. At least Alladin’s are not made of plastic and displayed on white rock. Uhg!
Remember my flamingo plant container from way back in post #47?
I like it better than Aladdin’s, but I have yet to put a plant in it, and it’s been 5 years!
I don’t want to add irrigation, so the plant really needs to be a succulent—the RIGHT succulent that looks like it belongs and that I don’t have to overwinter.
I can be patient until the right one comes along. And the flamingo has been patient too. So far.
Here is Alladin’s nice display of shade-loving plants…
I especially like that yellow wall as a backdrop to showcase the foliage.
Speaking of foliage, winter is the best season to buy and plant conifers. Alladin’s had a nice variety.
Conifers come in enough shades of greens and greys and in a variety of sizes and shapes to compliment many settings. Nursery’s have them well in stock right now because, except for evergreens, honestly, what else is there to buy this time year?
If you are lucky enough to find one, get a conifer that changes to yellow in fall and winter.
We didn’t buy a thing from Alladin’s but I did spend some time moaning and groaning over this blue pot…
Its shape makes it perfect for succulents. But I asked myself, “Do I really need more succulents that I have to haul into the greenhouse to overwinter?” My answer to that was a hard “NO.”
Plus do I really need ANOTHER cobalt blue pot?! (Still an open-ended question.)
Lastly, here’s a piece of Aladdin’s garden art that I’m sure one particular reader of this blog thinks I should have purchased for myself…
She calls me “Princess” and I have never corrected her.
Why would I?!
