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Saturday May 3rd Plant Sale, 10am – 2pm
The plant sale this Saturday will be our third Saturday Sale of the year. Even I am amazed at the number and variety of plants we will have available for sale. This was a concern after our last Saturday Sale after considering the volume sold, but the warmer weather has brought on lots of new growth making them great buys for planting now. I hear that in the words of Paris Hilton, this Plant Sale is going to be "hot". (Editor's note: I'm still trying to figure that quote out.)
Summer Herbs & Vegetables: One area you should be considering planting are summer herbs and vegetables. The soil is now warm enough to plant the summer crops. Saturday in our Herb Garden tent, we will have a great selection of tomatoes (many of them heirloom), hot peppers, sweet basil, lavender, rosemary, ornamental and culinary oregano, and many other herbs.
Rose Exhibit: A special feature at the Garden Center on Saturday will be a rose exhibit sponsored by the Contra Costa Rose Society. Here's your opportunity to see the blooms of dozens of named selections. In addition, at 1 p.m., Consulting Rosarian Mary Lou Williams will talk about summer rose care. I would also like to add that the roses along the driveway leading to the Markham Garden Center are also putting on a glorious show and have never looked lovelier. They are definitely in their peak and worth the trip. Almost all of the driveway roses are named as well.
Vendors:
Troy (www.gardennatives.com) will be here to surprise us with more new and interesting drought tolerant plants:
Sophia, our ten year old repeat vendor, will be here with her personally grown plants which will more than likely include succulents which is her passion.
Chris, a vendor new to Markham, will also be here to show and sell us his succulents, the epitome of drought tolerant plants and a choice selection for that unique spot in your garden whether in the ground or in a pot.
Gift Certificates? Markham also sells Gift Certificates – a perfect gift for Mother's Day?
See you at Markham Saturday – 10am – 2pm
Penstemons
"When I look at Penstemons, they remind me of a mini version of Foxgloves. The flowers dangle like tubular bells in pyramidal clusters with names like "Sour Grapes" and "Firebird" and there are many colors to choose from. To my surprise, they are easy to grow and come back year after year. I cut them back Penstemons flowering in spring and early summer, sometimes continuing to bloom through fall." (anon)after the first flush of flowers and they continue to bloom all summer long if deadheaded. The best part about Penstemons is that humming birds love them. I first started out with a sky blue colored Penstemon, Penstemon tenuis, a true blue that shimmered like gutter in the sunlight. Then, of course, the addiction set in and I followed up with 'Firebird' (bright red). You can't really go wrong with any Penstemon you choose. I always look forward to Penstemons flowering spring and early summer, sometimes continuing to bloom through fall" (anon)
Markham has many varieties and colors of Penstemons available, including some that are California natives. There is one whole bed of Penstemons and many are considered to be drought tolerant. 'Garnet' is one of the Penstemons available, and one of my favorites. It is wine colored and very floriferous, even when not deadheaded. The dark colored stems and seedheads are an additional attraction. Garnet produces an attractive mass of fine green leaves and grows in the shape of a loose mound and is especially attractive to hummingbirds.
All for Now… See You Soon at the Markham Nursery?
How about this Saturday or any Tuesday a.m.? Call or e-mail us if you have something special you are looking for and we'll see what we can do.
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Plant Sale Every Tuesday
9 am to 12 noon |
2008 Saturday Plant Sales
May 3, June 14, Aug 2,
Sep 13, Oct 18, Nov. 15
10 am to 2 pm |
