On a recent to trip to Annie's, one of my most favorite nurseries and formerly known as Annie's Annuals, I took my camera along. Dismayed by the blazing, late morning sun, I thought my photos would be fairly useless. A recent look at them made me think they weren't so bad, and actually captured the bright spirit of the place.

Located in Richmond, CA, it's a must for gardeners to know about Annie's. As you can see, from the sign at the top, they do mail order. A stop by their fabulous website is a veritable education on the variety of plant life available to gardeners.

Wagons ready for a stroll down the plant aisles.

Plant purchasing takes place in the blue shed.

 Fanciful display gardens inspire planting ideas and combinations.

 Coreopsis tinctoria, on the left, and the blue flowers must be linum.

Dahlia 'Mysterious Creature' and Zinnia elegans 'Zowie'.

This same dahlia, shown here at Annie's, grows in the red section of my rose garden.

Daucus the cat loves rumex (another plant in my red section). The Bachelor's Button reminds me of my childhood; they grew wild in the fields around our house in Oregon. I hope you'll immerse yourself, when you have a chance, in Annie's beautiful plants. The blue section alone could occupy me for days.

Also, check out Annie's flickr photo pages.

C H E E R S !