Spectacular Display Gardens and Selection worth a Visit
*See note at bottom of this blog for updated information about Annie’s
Its not to often that I am confounded on the I.D. of plants but that is the case with some of the plants at Annie’s Annuals and Perennials Nursery. The nursery truly sells some unusual hybrids and varieties. Many that I haven’t come across before. Of course they have hundreds of familiar plants as well and so many favorites!
Another very unusual thing about this nursery is that they grow and sell almost everything in the catalog and nursery using 4″ pots. This is common for small plants but they even have starts of large perennials, shrubs and even some trees in the small, handleable pots.
They do a large mail/online business from catalogs so this may be the source of this practice.
I appreciate it because I can start plants in ground or in pots and let them grow. Also gives me a chance to test out a lot of things. Due to the large population of wildlife in our area, I hate to loose a 5 gallon shrub to Deer and/or Gophers!
The stock of the nursery is not limited to Annuals and Perennials- they also have some bulbs (as starts), native and ornamental shrubs, vines, and the occasional tree.
Their demonstration gardens are fabulous and a great combination of color, leaf texture, size range and weirdness. I love the free forms of the beds and all the butterflies flitting around enjoying themselves.
The staff is wonderful and very attentive- not always the case at nurseries. They have been open in the pandemic as it is open air and they have safety precautions in place. You can also order online.
They are a grower so you may see their plants in local nurseries too.
Here are a few pics I took in June 2019 and April 1, 2020:
one of the greeters at the nursery!
exuberant plantings to give idea of plants eventual size
another demonstration bed with a lovely combination of colors
price list in nursery from April 2020- may be different online and at retail nurseries
they have succulents too! lots and lots
Floribunga! This is the exit side of the entry sign. So cool
The nursery is located at:
740 Market Ave.
Richmond, Ca. 94801
phone: 1-888-266-4370
If you are not familiar with Richmond, it is not exactly the high rent district. The nursery is located in a mixed residential and commercial area. Its a safe area but not too appealing.
I applaud the nursery for bringing some vitality to the area. Plus color!
They have a good parking area and Terra Patio Furniture Outlet shares the parking.
If you enjoy outings to nurseries and beautiful examples of planting beds this is a great stop.
I was overjoyed to find that they have tons of drought tolerant plants, so this a great resource for the drought stricken Bay Area. All the plants are labeled with clear information, zones and watering requirements. They are a little over optimistic about which plants won’t eat so beware.
Cross reference with Sunset Western Garden Book for your location as needed.
I have had good luck growing many of the plants that I purchased directly from them or their
plants distributed through other nurseries, so am very happy to feature Annie’s Annuals and Perennials on the blog.
Update:
Annie’s Nursery closed and is going through a re-organization- they were purchased by another local company so hopefully this wonderful business will continue as it has. It may get a new name.
