DIY Network

A Visit to Annie's Annuals The Dirt On an all-organic California nursery that specializes in rare and hard-to-find annuals. From "The Dirt On..." episode DTDO-101

Annie Hayes considers herself a "flower floozy" — someone who falls in love with a new flower every week.

Visit Annie's nursery, Annie's Annuals in Richmond, California, and you might just find yourself falling into that category as well. It's a truly unique nursery specializing in hard to find, old-world annuals that are all grown hormone-free. Following are some tips and advice from Annie regarding the proper planting and care of annuals.

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You won't find any chemicals at Annie's Annuals. Instead, Annie nurtures her plants with tender care and plenty of compost. Many retail outlets use growth regulating hormones to encourage the plants to bloom early so it will entice shoppers. When you take them home and plant them in your garden, these hormones will inhibit their growth.

Annie offers gardeners a word of encouragement for those who have purchased these early bloomers. "People get discouraged in gardening," she says, "they think it's their fault. They'll feed it, it won't grow. It's not their fault, that [the plants] remain small to extend shelf life."

Annie sells all of her flowers in their pre-bloom state with a picture of what's to come. Annie explains, "If you plant a plant in it's green state while it's small, either from a six pack or a four inch pot and you let it grow in good soil of course, and it gets it's big roots down first and it puts out lots of healthy foliage, it's going to bloom so much more prolifically and larger." If you're looking to browse through the real thing and the picture alone isn't enough to sell you on these plants, Annie's planted several beauties in her demonstration garden to get your imagination growing.

For the new gardener, Annie's plants are a step in the right direction, but she's also always willing to offer up tips for success like how to pump up your soil. "The key to a spectacular garden is always the soil," she says, "so do your soil first. Dig down at least a foot and a half and mix in lots of compost. If you have really hard or clay soil, mix in lots of compost. The soil should be soft. The roots of the plant need air. They need places to move out into." This compost mix should contain manure and not a lot of wood products. Annie also adds compost on top of the soil a couple times a year to give her plants a boost and they reward her in blooms. So if you're looking to stock up for the growing season, you'll find plenty of variety, inspiration and fun at Annie's Annuals.

RESOURCES :

Annie's Annuals
www.anniesannuals.com