Business and Economy

Garden Mouse Whimsy

Our local SummerWinds Nursery is back in full-swing after a fire last fall. Though firefighters arrived quickly, they made the unusual decision to let the fire burn, rather than risk toxic run-off in the nearby creek. As a result, the buildings burned to the ground. One of the bright spots, at least in my eyes, was to see the beautiful Acer still standing after the fire. Though damaged by heat and flames, the tree survived…and thrived. It’s there to greet you (see photo, below).

My camera-shy friend C. joined me at the nursery last week. We prowled through the gift shop and then the nursery out back. We’re still kicking ourselves for not buying this lovely Oregano plant.

Camera Shy

Isn’t it gorgeous? (So is my friend, by the way). I went back a day later to buy it for her birthday, but they were already sold out.

If you live in the area, you owe yourself a visit. There is much to see and a courteous staff to help you out. Yesterday I bonded with Tracy over our mutual desire to humanely keep garden snails and slugs at bay.

I brought home a car full of flowering plants and herbs for my newly-minted planting bed, along with a few gifts. I found replacement Campanula plants for Betsy’s Craft-it-forward then weighed the car down with aromatic redwood chips. Mmmmm, what a pleasant ride home. My car smelled like the forest floor.

Our new planting bed debuts later this week. In the meantime, checkout some of the treasures SummerWinds has in store.