Although restricted by an imposed flower-budget reduction, I couldn't hold back and just had to see what was up at nurseries.
A lot of folks must have felt the same way Saturday, because the nurseries were hopping. The plants looked fabulous, and the supplies were abundant.
We managed to hit four nurseries that afternoon: Sanderlin Green Houses in Appling, Nurseries Caroliniana in North Augusta, Cold Creek in Aiken and Bedford Greenhouses in Augusta. We had a blast.
We started at Sanderlin, where I scored six-packs of coreopsis and French marigolds. My buddy Sheila Stahl loaded up with sunflowers and ferns.
It is a little bit of a trip to go to Sanderlin because we live in Augusta, but it's always worth it, if only to moon over their landscaped pond inside the first greenhouse.
We took Interstate 20 east to Nurseries Caroliniana, which I will never do again until the construction is over. That doesn't mean we won't go back to the nursery; next time, we'll drive through Augusta and over the 15th Street bridge.
Nurseries Caroliniana is always a treat. I wandered through the pines to check out an amazing variety of shade-loving plants. The wow plant at the edge of the woods is an 8-foot-tall hydrangea with flowers in the deepest shade of blue you will ever see. The secret, we learned in Master Gardener class, is the aluminum content in the soil in which the plant is grown.
We managed to find the right road over to Aiken -- no small achievement for two directionally challenged southpaws -- and hit Cold Creek next. We fawned over their potted plant arrangements before Sheila picked up a couple of new crape myrtles (which no one should tell Alan about.)
We saved Bedford for last, undeterred by a little rain shower. They always have such a nice selection of flowers. I couldn't resist picking up a fuchsia.
I was thrilled to see Bedford has solomon seal. They have had it in the past, but I just recently learned about the plant. It's a beauty that loves shade. I will return after payday.
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IN THE GARDEN
GARDEN SERIES: The Columbia County Extension Service Gardening at Lunch series continues at 12:10 p.m. Wednesday, June 3. at Columbia County Library; program is gardening for kids; call extension agent Charles Phillips at (706) 868-3413.
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