At Annie’s Annuals with Growing a Greener World

by Rebecca Sweet on April 22, 2010


On Feb 7, 2011 the Growing a Greener World team (Joe Lamp’l, Theresa Loe, Chef Nathan and Christa Hanson) will be guest-hosting #gardenchat on twitter. Just log in from 6:00-7:00 PST, and type in #gardenchat to see the entire live, rapid-fire stream.

Truly, you’ll feel like you’re at a party where the topic of the night is Growing a Greener World: their past guests, the places they’ve been, funny ‘behind the scenes’ stories, and what’s coming up for season two.  Its an opportunity for everyone to ask them any question you want!  Not familiar with Growing a Greener World?  It’s only one of the most AWESOME garden shows on PBS!!

So, in honor of the folks at GGW, I’m re-posting this as a tribute to last year’s party at Annie’s Annuals, where we tagged along with them after a long and freezing day filming in the rain.  Enjoy! (And I hope to see you Tuesday night!)

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By now, many of you know what an amazing nursery Annie’s Annuals is.  The sheer amount of unusual and super-cool plants for sale is mind staggering, and the stuffed-to-the-brim planting beds provide enough eye candy to let you feast there for hours, completely losing track of time.

I was fortunate enough to attend a little soiree there last Spring, in celebration of wrapping up a long, rainy day of filming an episode for Growing a Greener World, and noticed a few things about this place that many of you may not know…

Here are some amazing photos of their to-die-for planting beds.  Inspirational, to say the least!  BUT….

...did you know if you look hard enough, you’ll find little hidden treasures throughout the beds – kind of like a Treasure Hunt?  They’re genius for doing this, as I can’t imagine a kid on earth not wanting to spend a good solid hour hunting around to find these creatures while mom & dad shop for plants!

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Even Pee Wee sleeps among the flowers…

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And finally- the piece de resistance-here’s one of the most talked about plants yesterday.  The plant that smells like dog poo.

Seriously – smells just like someone stepped in it.  And you know what?  You should’ve seen all of us run over when she said ‘Who wants to see the plant that smells like dog poo?’.  It was a stampede!

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And here’s proof that Annie is no WIMP!

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She’s going in for a deep nose-full….

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Annie even convinces Chef Nathan to inhale deeply…..but Joe’s no fool.


I can’t emphasize enough what a spectacular field trip this was.  And I highly encourage you to make the trip – no matter what the weather, no matter if it’s crowded or not, I guarantee you’ll thoroughly enjoy your day!

{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }

www.sharonlovejoy.com February 7, 2011 at 6:37 pm

What a HOOT!

I am so thankful that we still have some trail blazers like Annie’s.

Love,

Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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Lola Nafziger October 27, 2010 at 4:01 pm

I mail order from them – yea a visit would maybe be the best time ever

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Rebecca October 28, 2010 at 7:09 am

No doubt, Lola. You should really try and visit – you wouldn’t BELIEVE how great they are in person!!

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Kelly April 26, 2010 at 10:56 pm

I love roaming around Annie’s. Thanks for the inside scoop. Those little hidden treasures are so great!

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Theresa(GardenLiving) on twitter April 23, 2010 at 7:47 pm

Annie’s is truly a fabulous place. That is why we filmed there. I am so glad that we are going to expose a whole PBS viewership to them.

Can’t wait!

And it was really wonderful to see you again.
Hugs!

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Laura Livengood Schaub April 23, 2010 at 11:18 am

LOL I love how we took pictures of the same place that came out so TOTALLY different (nary a gnome in mine!) I was so inspired by this visit, and can’t wait to find spots for the wagon-load of 4″ pots I bought. That’s one of my fav things about Annie’s, btw, I love buying plants small (OK, yeah, I also hate digging big holes!) Thanks for this view! (And thanks again for driving!)

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Loree / danger garden April 22, 2010 at 8:56 pm

And to think we drove by it on our California trip last fall. If I had only known about Annie’s then!

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Matt April 22, 2010 at 2:59 pm

Dang it! You know how much it pains me to miss a good time like this. Thanks for filling us in on the important details. A dog poo plant though? Whatever floats your boat i guess. Glad you all escaped the rain for this great trip.

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Jenny Peterson April 22, 2010 at 11:46 am

I am going through major withdrawal that I’m not in CA anymore and can’t just hop on over to these kinds of things when they come up! I’m so jealous that you all have the grooviest nursery ever. Thanks, Rebecca!

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Angela Davis April 22, 2010 at 11:39 am

Well, I guess it’s good that I bought my Dianthus at Annie’s then! Thanks for giving us the inside scoop and sharing their beautiful display gardens – not sure when I’ll be back for a visit. Maybe next year…

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Kristi April 22, 2010 at 11:36 am

I hope to visit there for the first time next month. I love all of the colors and lushness. I just hope I have enough room in my trunk for all the plants I’m going to buy.
Thanks for sharing.

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Rebecca April 24, 2010 at 10:28 pm

I’m so happy you get to finally go there Kristi! Have fun and let me know what you find!

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Carri April 22, 2010 at 11:34 am

My daughter LOVES going to Annie’s- they are so kid friendly! Between the chickens, children’s toys and the wagons to cart your plants around in- I often find it hard for me to act like an adult when I’m there!

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Janit April 22, 2010 at 10:50 am

Thank you for the scoop, Rebecca! I’m just not sure of the dog-do-do plant… Perhaps it would make a good companion next to my Stink Lily! (Dracunulus vulgaris) ;o)

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