A visit to~

  The Dry Garden Nursery Located in Oakland, but feels like Berkeley.  It was nice to get out of the Livermore heat, and into the less hot Berkeley heat.  Although I had no plans to buy anything, it is a fun nursery with lots of inventory. They are growing zone 10a, as opposed to our 9b.  The land of milk and honey, not as hot/not as cold.  *I'm hearing rumors that Annie's Annuals will close their doors Friday.  If true, that is sad.  I knew they were having a 40% off sale, but not that it was final.  

These images were taken almost mid-day, sorry about the brightness.  An extremely spiky, Solanum pyracanthum "porcupine tomato" or devil's thorn. However, it's a spreader so a no for me.

This nursery is jam packed with plants - Aloe Hercules, golden barrels, protea, cereus repandus  and I think a monkey puzzle tree all crammed in a corner.

Cool trunk on Ceiba speciosa, Floss silk tree.  

Large agave attenuata, foxtail agave.  

Extreme crested Pachypodium lamareis.  I would love one of these, even if they've run a bit amock.  Still at over $400 way to spendy for me.  

Cool cactus pots.  

I was curious about this, Mathiasella bupleuroides, green dream -I hadn't seen one before.   From N. Mexico, listed as hardy to 20°.  The trunk seemed a bit unstable?

This whispery wattle was gorgeous, Acacia merinthophora.

This was pretty, I don't think I've seen it for sale before Sonchus canariensis, the bloom looks like a dandelion.  But I just like the leaf shape.

oh, hubba hubba! Leucadendron argenteum, silver tree.  The leaves are softer than Dr. Feelgood's ears. I've shied from these ONLY because they supposedly hate dry hot summer and are fussy. And succumb to root damage/fungal infection quite easily.  It's always the pretty ones.

Gorgeous, Strobilanthes gossypina, pewter bush. 

I disturbed someone's nap.  

Up the stairs.

A nice hearty trunk on Cyphostemma juttae 

A healthy Stephania Cepharanta, looks like messy nasturtiums to me.  

Hundreds of aloes and agaves.

Any guesses on what I couldn't resist?  Completely ridiculous Tracy, these will probably die.  Top of the slope, sharp drainage, little cottonseed meal sprinkled a few inches away and they will probably die.

It did hit 108° yesterday, but I'll admit it didn't feel it.  I was probably delirious.  I took out an orange tree near the greenhouse and continued the dry garden there.  I was able to be out in the heat only because that area gets afternoon shade (at this time of year) and I stuck my hot head in the pool to cool down.   I'll post the before & afters in the next post! How I felt when I was done...