Nursery

I carved out some time today to visit my favorite garden nursery. I caught up with my friend Doug who works there and he shared this news: someone cut through the nursery’s chain link fence in the middle of the night and made off with a prized, $250 avocado tree.

Who would steal a fruit tree? I like my avocados as much as the next Californian, but risking jail time for breaking and entering and then stealing a tree defies common sense.

Grand theft may sound like an exaggeration, but in California:

Grand theft is committed when the value of stolen property exceeds $400. Theft is also considered grand theft when more than $250 in crops or marine life-forms are stolen, “when the property is taken from the person of another,” or when the property stolen is an automobile, farm animal, or firearm. -Wikipedia

Who knew?

On the plus side, there were still plenty of plants to be had and boy did I have fun. I filled my cart with a plethora of seeds, cell packs and perennials and I’m ready to plant, plant, plant.

Check back tomorrow for show and tell. In the meantime, here’s a photo teaser:

Nursery plants

Purple Heliotrope

Yamagami’s Nursery, located in Cupertino California, has been around since 1948. In a town known for tech behemoth Apple, inc. the nursery is a delightful throw back to a simpler time. Taro Yamagami originally sold fruit from a stand on the same spot, gradually giving way to plants. It became a full-fledged nursery by the early 1950s and it remains today in its original location. If you ask any serious gardener in the Valley, chances are they’ve heard of and shopped at Yamagami’s.

Glazing Ball (I’m too clumsy to own one)

We actually left empty-handed on a recent trip, but not for lack of wanting. We were in search of beneficial insects and eventually resorted to the web since our request was somewhat obscure. They sell ladybugs, earthworms and Praying Mantis eggs but no Lacewings.

The nursery walkabout is always fun. It’s a spacious two acres, with interesting plants tucked in with gorgeous pots, garden ornaments and a help center. I always feels at home. When we were there in July they posted a sign alerting guests to the nesting bird in a nearby plant: “Shhh quiet please, bird nesting. This plant is temporarily not for sale.” I snapped a photo at a respectful distance. Even the neighboring birds feel at home.

Quiet Please, Bird Nesting

In addition to the nursery, Yamagami’s has a helpful website and a monthly newsletter covering soup to nuts issues around gardening. You can subscribe to their newsletter here.

If you’re planning a visit to Apple headquarters, be sure to visit the nursery as well.

In the meantime, here is a virtual tour of Apple, Inc. and a few more snapshots from Yamagami’s.