Jan, I've order Lupines from Annie's Annuals.. Typically they act like annuals here. I don't think Eremurus does well in Calif. I tried them when I worked at Smith and Hawken w/out much success. Delphiniums are kind of labor intensive, but there's that bright deep blue one that's more branching that is self supporting. I think the deer might eat them though. I've planted Linum perenne, and Linaria 'Canon Went' and 'Alba'. Deer don't eat Opium Poppies, or most of the other ones. Annies has lots of varieties and colors.. I got a pure white Digitalis from Digging Dog up in your neighborhood.. They bloom at the same time.. I'm trying some other Digitalis species too. I'm thinking the ones with smaller flowers would be a nice contrast to the Iris blooms too.. There's a pale yellow one and a rusty one... Digitalis ferruginea, & Digitalis parviflora (I think).. Dianthus are supposed to be deer resistant (although gophers like them). Sisyrinchium striatum flowers look good w/ Iris, although the foliage can look ugly...

Thanks for the suggestions, Sherry. I have already ordered some Eremurus- I just love the way it looks, and I hope it likes my valley !! I guess we'll see.

Sounds like I should make a trip up to Ft. Bragg and Digging Dog!

I have a funny story about Smith and Hawken. A friend of ours, a young gardener, back in the '80's, was advising us on what kind of garden tools to buy. He said
Bulldog tools were the best and he thought there was a new store in Palo Alto that was going to stock them. We hopped in the truck and drove for 3 hours to the address he
said. The storefront had paper on the windows. Not open yet. But we could see people inside, so we knocked and when someone opened the door and said the obvious, that they weren't open for business they must have noticed our disappointment. Someone, I think it was Paul Hawken, said they were just unloading the
English tools, invited us in, and we bought several shovels and digging tools on the spot! In his book about Growing a Business, Hawken mentions that some Philo Potters were his first customers!

You might have a little more of that je ne sais quois in your area for Eremurus that didn't work for me in Los Altos.

I doubt that we have much of that, Sherry - but if I'd seen your post earlier, I probably wouldn't have ordered it! I wonder what it would like?

Neat story Jan -- and recorded forever!!

That's the store I worked at.. I was Nursery manager and book buyer. Were you up in Mendocino at the time? The Mill Valley store was open quite a bit before the Palo Alto Store, and before that he was in a warehouse in Palo Alto. I bought my first pair of Felco clippers there. I still have several Bulldog tools. They were built to last. We used to re-handle ones that broke. I don't know anyplace that can do that now. Every corporate a-hole should read Growing A Business... Especially medical insurance CEO's, and the Comcast CEO. Just sayin'

Great story Jan!

Heading up on the 9-10th to Fort Bragg for an anniversary, I hope I can talk hubby into taking me to Digging Dog.

Let me know if you see anything good there!
Early good wishes on your anniversary. How many?

How cool was that, Sherry ! Chris says the store was in Palo Alto for sure, and may have been called Ecology Action (?) before they re-named it
Smith & Hawken? We lived in Mendocino County then and now, but our town is called Philo. It's in Anderson Valley .
I agree, "Growing a Business" is a wonderful book! We still have the Bulldog tools.And we also use Felco clippers.

38 years on the 12th Sherry. I was only 18 when we married but I have known him since I was 6 or 7 so it seems much longer!

It *always* seems longer .... but in your case it just is

Ecology Action was a different place. They started up in the late 60's or very early 70's and just closed this past year. Rents just got unsustainable in Palo Alto (Shallow Alto). It was the first place that I remember seeing big jars of seed that you could buy by the teaspoon, or weight. If you've read any of John Jeavon's books, he was connected there.

Paul Hawken started with a place called Briarpatch in Menlo Park. It was a small, cool, coop market run by hippies. I think that's where he saw a need to reach out to the gardening world by offering good tools... I was really sorry when he was forced out.. Smith and Hawken was eventually bought by Scott fertilizers, which is the antithesis of his philosophy.

There were a lot of good things going on around then... The Whole Earth catalog was centered out of Menlo Park too... Jerry Garcia worked in a music store in Menlo where I got my first guitar in the mid 60's.. I went to High School with Bob Weir, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.. Times change.. So much money in that area now it's scary.

Wow Sherry - you were there when it was all happening ! I used to read the Whole Earth Catalog.
Our memories aren't the greatest these days, I fear- but the experience
in Palo Alto is very clear to me. We were on the outskirts of hippiedom, but focussed on our pottery business.

We've just returned from the Fairgrounds in Boonville (next town) and the Seedsaver/ scion exchange.
So many people showed up! Most everything was free. ! It's great to see the younger generation into growing stuff. I got an envelope full of
milkweed seeds. If a monarch butterfly manages to reach our place, he'll find the table laid for him/her!
It is a beautiful sunny day here in N. CA. Fun to see so many of our friends. Eldercare kept Chris and I from
socializing while Mom was bedridden. She died in December at 98 years old.
Now I'm going to start some seeds for my greenhouse. Then into the pottery studio.

Gorgeous here! I just came in to change into a t-shirt and shorts!

Its 46 degrees here with very little wind but it is cloudy so definitely not a shorts and t-shirt day here. I have the heat on. BUT, this is the last day of January!!! Yippee! That means six weeks until spring. I will have bloom stalks in six weeks. sigh

Tomorrow is Feb 1st day and I always cook a ham and fix a big dinner to celebrate my survival of dreary January!

Anyone need to rent a groundhog? It is being ignored here.

I think your groundhog is vacationing out here in California, Lucy.

Happy Anniversary Sue!

The fog seems to have finally gone away! This is the 3rd day in a row with sunshine! I was out working in the garden and noticed the almond trees have their first blooms!

Thanks Jan! The years are flying by! My first grandson just turned 16 and the youngest is almost 2.

Weather was fabulous today!