05 Bang-For-Your-Buck Plants
July 7, 2020
07 Absolute Home & Garden
July 29, 2020
O ne thing I love about traveling to nurseries (other than the obvious!) is that they are located in areas you would not otherwise visit. Emerisa Gardens Nursery is out "in the fields" and as usual we are driving along asking ourselves "where the hell is the nursery?" Then bam, there it is, followed by screeching brakes (again), a hard turn, laughing, and—after parking—straightening our plants in the back of the car!
On our first go around at locating this nursery, the woman on iPhone Maps kept directing us to a little town—gawd knows where—and telling us "destination on the right," but it was an abandoned warehouse with boarded windows. So to be extra sure, we just HAD to drive by it 5 times. Wouldn’t want to MISS anything now would we!!
It is comical watching Patti work her navigation devices—iPhone and iPad—while I am driving to nowhere waiting for that Maps woman to direct me.
Navigating is Aunt Patti's only job, and you would think by now she'd have no difficulty, right? You’d also think I would wait to start driving until she has directions to our next destination. But this would mean losing precious minutes at the next nursery! So I just hop in and go, hoping Aunt Patti catches up.
In my defense, I have a photographic memory and since we spend months mapping out our nursery trips to make them the most productive, I already know the general direction to head while waiting on Aunt Patti and that Maps woman.
Once...I tried my hand at navigating....
Aunt Patti took over.
Emerisa Gardens also sells wholesale, and since I had purchased many of their plants at other retail nurseries, I knew the quality of their wares. So it was a real treat to visit. I have gone back there twice in the span of 3 years. (A real compliment to any nursery!)
Personally I like small nurseries and this one fits the bill. When you walk in, a sense of calm washes over you, and it is simply pure pleasure. Color everywhere—from plants to garden art—and there's a whole lot of staring going on. A good sign.
I always observe how nursery staff arrange plants to catch the eye of their customers. Most nurseries line up all 25 plants of the same species and don't bother to show you companion plants. Plus they don't change the display. EVER!
Emerisa makes the effort to design small arrangements with their plants and garden art. If in a display there is just one plant—one that I like—I tell myself that I have to have that plant because there is only one. Even though there are probably 30 more right around the corner, I still tell myself this. Now, I am not THAT stupid but this display strategy just really works on me.
Which leads me to the Taxus baccata ‘Watnong Gold’ that I saw in a display with other plants (and a cute family of mosaic quails). This time there were TWO Taxus baccatas, but I got that feeling anyway, so I bought one. And yes Aunt Patti bought the other which she ended up giving to me because she is not a shrub person. (Wha?!?!)
I have since donated her Taxus to Sherwood Demonstration Garden's Perennial Garden (future blog post!).
Taxus baccata 'Watnong Gold' in my garden with Hosta (of the 'I Can't Remember' variety),
Gentiana lutea and low-volt lighting flower.
This plant has needle-like evergreen foliage, yellow-gold in color, soft and bright. 'Watnong Gold' grows horizontally and spreads to 4' x 4'. I consider it a definite BFYB plant!
We saw other displays that included trellises (below) and obelisks made by my friend, Noah, who owns Artisan Trellis. His products can be found in just about every nursery in the United States and in my own garden.
Noah lives just down the road from me where he also manufacturers his products. He is truly one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He remembers every customer and their family as he travels across the country to deliver his products personally.
As much as I enjoyed seeing Noah's things, those mosaic quails I had seen with the Taxus was stuck in my head—a sure sign that I should have them.
I made a decision with myself years ago that if I can't stop thinking about something, after 10 minutes I buy it. I can’t count how many times I have passed up getting something I truly liked due to "Do I really need it?" A stupid question! If I can't get it out of my mind, then of course I need it, plain and simple.
Remember the car-space deal I have with Aunt Patti? We split the car's storage in half—her stuff, my stuff, equal space. With 45 nurseries to visit, you have to be selective about what you buy vs. room for it in your half of the car.
So the quail family went in my luggage.
Who needs clothes!!
All photos courtesy Sheri Lynn Burke. All rights reserved.
