From The Old Farmer's Almanac.
I am interested in Don mentioning in the last post that bare root sales are strong this year for his nursery, and that Dave Wilson Nursery, the wholesale supplier for much of the fruit trees we retail nurseries in nor. Cal. sell, is showing an upswing in sales. Also Melinda, who works at a well established nursery, also sells a lot of bare root.
We are located at 2000′ elevation compared to Dons or Melinda’s locations which are close to sea level. That means we are about three weeks behind in the march toward spring. That may mean are in for an up-tick in bare root sales as we get closer to what most people associate with planting time.
Having been in business for only four years at our current site, we may be getting a false impression of bare root sales potential. I do know that fewer garden centers are carrying bare root. On a trip today Monica and I visited Bushnell’s Nursery in Granite Bay, High Hand Nursery in Newcastle, and The Flower Mill Nursery in Loomis. None had bare root for sale! High Hand doesn’t sell fruit trees, The Flower Mill was selling fruit trees in pots planted last year, and Bushnell’s had a few fruit trees in fiber pots, none bare root. This may explain why people drive to Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis!
I suppose its like anything. The amount of enthusiasm we put into a venture the more we get out of it. I don’t intend on giving up on fruit tree sales as they do sell well for us in spring as potted plants. Being that we are a mountain nursery its harder for people to get enthused about gardening as early as the folks in the valley, where today the quince and flowering plums we’re blooming.
Thanks Melinda for finding my blog “excellent”! Knowing that people actually read what I write is quite a thrill.
The first flowers I photographed were some Daffodils in the next balcony along from our hotel room. It had a narrow balcony high above the street.I leaned out and saw a flash of yellow. They were growing in a windowbox. Very William Wordsworth I thought.
Some Pansys with Happy Faces growing on the Butte Montmartre on the way up to the Sacre Coeur. The Sun shone and made them glow with their yellow/burgundy faces.
A random window in a Paris side street. I loved the grass and Ivy growing over the planter box. A simple arrangement but perfectly centred between the shutters. This is the Parisian garden for me. The displays outside peoples houses reflect their sensibilities and green fingers..
The City of Love as well as Lights, Two Roses from the first nights Meal. Blood red, and Pure white. These have travelled back and I am looking after them now.
The Ile De Cite flower market was selling this esquisite Witchazel for 78 Euros (about £68). It smelt divine too. I want one of these for next years Winter.
A bicolour Camelia at the flower market. I love the colours. Its like a Strawberry/Vanilla ice cream mixture swirling colours.
Outside Notre Dame this bed of Daffodils were nodding in the wind, being sung to by the man with the Accordion across the pathways. The sun illiminated the Yellow flowers. Paris in the Late winter..
Beautiful Flower!
An Albino pidgeon amongst the Violas and Wall Flowers. Another of Notre Dames resident birds.
This flower is smiling almost. These have garden spirits in them! Outside Notre Dame.
Tree's. Millions of them all over Paris, All bare but quite structural in their straight lines. I want to go back when its summer and they are dressed in their best finery. Then again in Autumn to see them change colours. Trees planted like this draw you to walk along them, amongst shaded paths. Pleasure Trees!
Some Narcissus, that look like Yellow Angels..
A Huge Camelia bush was in flower outside the Walls of Notre Dame. It was covered in Flower buds and open ones. Hope my gardens Camelia flowers as well as this. It was maybe Eight foot high, growing behind some wrought iron railings.
The Last Fleurs photo. Trees and Ivy cover the walls that keep the river Seine in its same course. I liked the colours here of the Reds and Greens.
These next two posts are about the Tree's, plants, and flowers I photographed in Paris. If the city was a grande Damme then the flowers would be the ornate jewellry used to highlight her beauty. Even in cold, foggy Febuary the Parisians used plants to decorate. Here are the trees along the River Seine. Gorgeous silver Birch trees too..
The Clipped Topiary of the Tulleries gardens. I love the straight line effecct of the planting. I stood to the side to get the longer view of them. The French Royal Gardens like lines, and neatly clipped box hedges. The Louvre had masses of hedges, some poor gardener must have to clip them several times a year to maintain their shape.
Lilac Coloured Crocus with egg yolk centres were growing in the grass in the Tullerie gardens. They were planning on mass planting I think as I saw the gardeners at work further along.
Mass planting of Lavender plants. The Foreman asked me in french do you work for a magazine as I worked out a good angle. I love the shadowing to the left of the plants. These will smell and look divine in the summer. They were adding extra organic matter and turning the soil over before planting.
A multicoloured box hedge shaped like a spiral with the massed Lavender behind the spiral. Behind the garden is rows of green chairs, not benches, for sitting down and watching the people, the gardeners, the birds, and the water fountains. There were lots of Sculptures throughout the gardens. I loved the Tiger and Crocodile. They were mostly classical statues of Nymphs, great Leaders, and Idealised Women. One was dated 1722, and left in the middle of the Gardens. Not collecting dust in a Museum somewhere. The historical art is on public display, being passed by thousands of people every day.
Flowers in suprising places. These Violas and Wall Flowers were planted on the Champs Elysee. Raised Borders with log posts driven into the ground. Maybe as support for climbing plants? You can see the Pedestrians and Cars behind the plants. This was one of the busiest parts of Paris.
Plants on a boat, moored on the edge of the river Seine. How lovely to see a house boat with live plants growing.
Ornamental Cabbages? Growing at the Base of the Eiffel Tower. I loved the feathery effect of these plants, mass planted. They are unusual looking.
More unusual places to find a Tree. This was the corner of a balcony seven storeys above the Rue De Dunquerque. I was amazed to see it. Its very exposed and Windy. Bring the plants up to your window no matter how high in the air you are.
A Geranium in a planting box across from the Hotel.I leaned out of the window to photograph this. The pink and green contrast to the Black planter box, and the White Shutters and window frames. A lot of Parisians seemed to have pots or planters outside their windows. You could look out and see some nature without venturing too far. After a year without a garden I know how it is to yearn for some soil to plant seeds in, and to nurture plants. A green spirit runs through the heart of Paris.
Some Flowers in the Patisserie. I dont know if they were real, but the colours are vibrant and lead the eye into the shop. I saw plants in Offices, Travel Agents, Restaurants (lots were outside too in planters), cafe's, and places of work.
The Beautiful White Flowers of an unknown tree. i love the White simple flowers, contrasting to the Houses behind with the Black metalwork and white stonework. A suggestion that Spring may be near.
