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Meet Annie and Dan… They are a 12-week-old rat terrier/chihuahua brother and sister we just adopted from the S.P.C.A. They are the sweetest, silliest, most playful and affectionate little puppies!
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Bulb Log

Making progress with my bulb planting… In the ground so far: Species tulips (Tulipa saxatilis), Dutch iris ‘Blue Ribbon’, Anemone ‘Blue Poppy’, Allium ‘Gladiator’, Freesia ‘Double Blue’, and ‘Angelique’ tulips. Still mulling over where to put my ‘Apricot Beauty’ tulips (leaning toward a container) and still waiting for one more mail order bulb shipment.

I’m experimenting with not chilling my “chill-requiring” bulbs this year. I always have in the past, but remember reading… in Sunset Mag. I think… that unchilled tulips, etc. will still bloom without chilling but will be shorter and smaller. We’ll see.

Looking forward to my antique bulbs order! One of the lilies I ordered, Black Beauty (1957), can grow to 8 feet tall!!! The bulbs are coming from Old House Gardens.

Annie’s Annuals Appearance at Bushnell’s

Annie Hayes of Annie’s Annuals spoke at Bushnell’s today. Great turnout and fun talk! Annie specializes in seed-grown 4″ potted annuals and perennials that do well in Mediterranean regions like Sacramento. Bushnell’s provided chairs, hot drinks and cookies (Annie munched while she talked). Even though it was alternately misty and raining, we were comfy and dry under Bushnell’s large awning.

I took notes on plants Annie said were her favorites and/or do well in our area:

Echinops (globe thistle)

Aquilegia caerulea

Aquilegia chrysantha

Salvia patens (full shade)

Deschampsia flexuosa (bright shade)

Tanacetum (chartreuse variety)

Rudbeckia occidentalis (no petals, some shade)

Viola corsica (longest-blooming)

Wine cups (Callirhoe involucrata… loves heat, great groundcover)

Dianthus superbus (evergreen)

Cheddar pinks (dense groundcover, long-blooming)

Dianthus barbatus nigrescens ‘Sooty Black’ (part sun, smells like CHOCOLATE)

Eriogonum giganteum ‘St. Catherine’s Lace’ (buckwheat, great for no water, full sun areas)

Lupinus ‘Morello Cherry’ (some shade)

Tellima grandiflora (“fringe cups”, heuchera-like)

Verbascum chiaxii (must-have)

Campanula primulifolia

Heuchera pilosissima

Silene regia

Silene dioicia

Scabiosa atropurpurea

Centauria atropurpurea

The plants offered for sale were scooped up before, during and after Annie’s talk, so call Bushnell’s if you want to know when they’ll be restocked. Now’s the IDEAL time to be planting soooooo many plants. Check out www.AnniesAnnuals.com. They even sell mail order!