Hello Gardeners -

Every winter people like me try to convince the world that winter is a great time for gardening. I go on about how much plants prefer real rain to your garden hose, and how the semi-dormant period is the best time to get perennials established for a spectacular show in the spring, and how the cooler weather is better for younger plants and for sure the best weather for planting trees.

This is a hard sell, though. Only true garden fanatics wake up on a cold misty morning and head to the garden instead of the movies. But, just in case, here are a few really cool plants that would just LOVE to get planted right now

Some cool plants to plant this winter...

Aloe arborescens
In the middle of winter, when our gardens are quiet, the aloes send up fireworks of orange, red, and yellow flowers. We have a big collection of Aloes coming in this week- and many of them are in spectacular bloom. There is an aloe for every purpose, from tiny little ground cover aloes such as A. 'Johnson's Hybrid' to huge aloes like A. arborescens. These beauties need little or no water one they get established and their thorns are pretty gentle compared to other succulents.
See a picture.

Aloe buhrii
Not every aloe gets huge; this is a perfectly reasonably sized aloe for even a small garden and will take a touch of shade. It reaches only a couple of feet. The flowers are so beautiful!
See a picture.

Grevillea 'Moonlight'
Wow! A white flowering Grevillea! This is a medium sized shrub with a huge bloom that makes a great cut flower. It can get big, but it will do nicely with hard pruning to keep it a reasonable size. Grevilleas tolerate lots of wind and not much water, so I like them a lot for potted deck gardens where wind is a problem.
See a picture.

Banksia ericifolia
This shrub or small tree with beautiful deep-green heathery foliage is related to the exquisite Protea, and it shows. It tolerates lots of wind, dry conditions, and poor sandy soil. In fact, it prefers very little fertilizer.
See a picture.

The construction on our new store is going beautifully. Check out the progress on our building. It looks like we will be ready to open a little earlier than expected. Mid April is a possibility- we will let you know for sure as we wrap up construction.

The siding on the building is from an old barn in Petaluma. Our friend Bug at Heritage Salvage salvages the wood from old barns that are going to be demolished. We are all in love with this wood. You have to see it in person to understand the real beauty.

We have been working with our neighbors to replace the cement medians that run down Guerrero Street with plants and trees. On March 24th We will plant the next block. Learn More.

Flora, Saul, Laura, Jim, Clarke, Hank, Saskia, Natasha, Jason, and everyone at Flora Grubb Gardens

www.floragrubb.com

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