I ordered their Gelasine coerulea last year. It's an iris relative. It's gorgeous! It set seed easily and they have germinated like crazy! I posted photos of the seedlings to Face Book and tagged Annie, asking how long it should take for them to flower. The Aristea major I purchased from them was GORGEOUS and reportedly required a decade to flower from seed for them, but she responded they should flower next year! If you like bulbs and want something really pretty to naturalize, try it.

Love that blue iris! I have purchased quite a few plants from Annie’s. Several yarrows have done well and a wild version of the freesia. But my favorite has been Viola odorata ‘Comte de Brazza’ planted fall of 2018. I picked a bouquet every weekend this spring for about 2 months! They smelled heavenly for the first two days cut and the flowers lasted over a week in the vase. It makes an excellent ground cover too. I got the purple version last year but it’s still a little small for lots of flowers...next year it should have a show though.

I got an order from them this spring and was really pleased with the quality. I want to place another but am concerned the plants will die in transit in the heat. Have others had luck at this time of year?

Edit: I'm not getting the 20% off on the web site. Are other's seeing it?

It appears in checkout !! :)

that plant is very beautiful Kim . I so wish I could grow so much more! As it is I just cram them anywhere and cross my fingers ! Lol

Thanks Lilyfinch! I just put my order in for Centaurea cyanus
‘Blue Diadem’.

https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=2960

(Same here, Lilyfinch! LOL!)

They warn not to order if temps are over 85 - so I guess I'll have to wait until September 😕

Jen, I got 2 Blue Boa Agastache about 3 weeks ago. Still waiting for blooms but I can see growth on them so hopefully soon.

My Blue Note Salvia is beautiful. I also got a hollyhock that I almost killed when I forgot about it and it hasnt been planted and didn't get watered ( bad plant mommy ) In spite of my neglect it has recovered and has taken off.

I can't wait to see what everyone gets.

gardenstate, I did not see that when I ordered. Uh, oh.

I go visit Annie's when I drive through the area, but I have learned to stick to buying the heat lovers. Their nursery is near the water and much cooler than Sacramento heat, so some of my purchases have croaked, like impatiens. Salvias have fared much better.

I was going to order $28 worth of product, but they want to charge $25 for shipping. Too much for me!

Thanks for the heads up, Deborah! They had achillea Red Velvet, which I have been trying to get for a while and even though shipping was expensive, the sale prices kind of balanced things out.

Do you think it's ok to order from them now, even though summer has hit and temps are passing 90? I'm eyeing a few things (like that achillea!) and worrying I'll just be buying myself box-cooked plants.

@ac91z6 - The ship date I received was 7/20 and so I went ahead and ordered, hoping temps will drop a bit by then 🤞. Achillea is tough and so hopefully they’ll be okay.

Myself, I would want a written guarantee before ordering in the heat of summer.

Stephanie: do the viola odorata rebloom for you? and do they gradually spread? Spread by some kind of root/runner under the soil? Which purple did you get? I got Queen Charlotte. The other viola ododrata, 'Duchess do Parme' was not available.

So many of their plants were out out of stock. Wonder if they will ever be available!

Houzz is so weird. I didn't get any notifications that anyone had read my post, so I assumed it was not useful info for anyone!

Lilyfinch -- I did place an order. I think they must be catching up on all the backorders. The order I placed weeks ago will ship the day before the order I placed when I started this thread! Love your list. We have some duplicates. Traditionally I only order low water plants, but this last year I've been planting more boldly, but may pay for it when the next drought hits... I'll have to go look up my list. I know I ordered two more agastache and another oak leaf hydrangea and more tracheleium...

Re Iochroma Princess -- I have that growing. It was slower for me than the website claims, but it is pretty and low maintenance. I like the flowers on the blue flowered one better, but that plant has been slow as molasses for me.

Roseseek - I can't wait to look up Gelasine coerulea - your photos are gorgeous!

And I have to look up Viola odorata ‘Comte de Brazza’.

That red velvet yarrow looks wonderful. I find that the yarrow (any kind) either gets eaten by the gophers or just takes over, so now I admire it from afar. Do you plant it with your roses, or in another spot altogether? I had mine with my drought tolerant plants.

I have spent way too much money at Annie's. Yes, the shipping is expensive, but everything comes so well packed and for me it's overnight shipping. So, usually the heat is not a problem. Once, two years ago, I got plants that arrived late and looked mostly dead. Turns out the company charged with the delivery had a problem and the plants sat somewhere in the heat and just roasted. So I took pictures, and Annie's replaced all the ones that probably wouldn't survive. I think I may have saved 2 that they replaced, so I got a bonus! If you sign up for their email list you can be notified of sales, which sometimes includes shipping or 20% off gift cards! That is a good one to buy, as then you buy your plants when you want and not have to wait for a sale.

One thing I had to learn when ordering the perennials -- you might have to wait a while. A local nurseryman taught me this adage for perennials: The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap! That was true for my geum, absolutely. And some others. So don't be too quick to shovel prune the perennials.

One note for those of you who love salvias and blue -- I found in my local nursery a new salvia called so cool pale blue or something along those lines. I loved it so much I went back and bought 4 more! In 4" pots. It's a pretty pale blue, like a delphinium sunny skies, and looks like it will be a gorgeous addition near pink and peach roses. And white roses. I'll see if I can find a pic and post in the summer thread.

Oh I’d loveee to find that salvia ! I hope you find a pic . I am a sucker for Salvias and blues . I did just buy a beautiful red salvia named rio red . It is very cute , and of course I bought it for my hummers . Darn those cuties I buy so much in the name of attracting them !!

I picked up a one gallon blue iochroma in early spring . I planted in a huge 22 inch Pot and it took off. Anything I’ve potted has gotten huge here . It’s at least 4 by 3 now and the hummers love it . I know they get large so I’m limiting myself to only 2 . Lol

Thanks for the heads up Deborah! I was SO tempted by the sale, as I always am. I talked some sense into myself and decided it wasn’t a good idea right now. I still have quite a pot ghetto, and I’m about 1 1/2 weeks post hip replacement surgery. As tempted as I was, I had a feeling I might regret ordering under the circumstances. I do SO love Annie’s plants. It’s just about the only online nursery I can order where I can count on just about everything offered being suitable for my zone 10a garden. About 90% of my plants that aren’t roses are from Annie’s. I adore that place! Lisa

I'm glad to read of everybody's good experience with Annie's here. I had a mixed experience with them last year; two out of around 12 plants arrived in really poor shape and didn't survive. I contacted them about it and never heard back. Everything else did very well, though, so I wasn't too upset about it. Maybe I will try again with them.

@Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca, I am growing Catananche caerulea this year for the first time. I wish in the description for the plant it stated that the flowers are closed during the day! They are so pretty, but I hardly get to enjoy them. Nobody that sells this perennial online tells you that, though! On top of that, the foliage is super low mounded and looks like crab grass. Anyway, I hope you like yours more than I like mine, haha! >.<

Main St - Annie's is in California, so maybe they work so well for me b/c it really is only one overnight from when they ship to when I get it. I'm surprised they didn't get back to you. Even when the answer is "no" (which happens to me a lot -- I'm always asking for things that are different or unique or exceptions -- from airlines to annuals), I always hear back.

Lisa -- I was glad to read elsewhere that you are recovering and that your grandbaby arrived! When covid is over I'd love to see your garden (and LIlyFinch's!). We're not that far apart.

Another great California nursery is Digging Dog. I love them too, along with Annie's.

Sheila! I bought some salvias from Digging Dog years ago. It's a great place to find the salvias the regular nurseries just don't carry.

Lilyfinch -- the other blue plant I bought was lepechina bella. Anyone growing that one? It promises true blue flowers on a sturdy shrub...

I posted my Cupid's Dart (Catanache or is it catananche?) and my new blue salvia on the Summer 2020 thread if you want to see what I was talking about.

Okay, Lilyfinch -- here is my order:

Campanula latifolia Brantwood

Philadelphus Belle Etoile Mock Orange

Agastache rugosa Heronswood Mist

Helleborus Orientalis Blushing Bridesmaid

Zinnia elegans Benarys Giant Lime

Trachelium caeruleum 'Hamer Pandora'

Trachelium caeruleum "Perennial Blue Lace Flower"

Salvia farinacea 'Henry Duelberg'

Nicotiana langsdorfii

Alchemilla sericata 'Gold Strike' "Lady's Mantle"

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'

Aristea major

Dianthus plumarius 'Rose de Mai'

Campanula medium 'Deep Blue'

Helichrysum bracteatum 'Salmon Rose'

Lepechinia bella

Gomphrena haageana 'Strawberry Fields' "Globe Amaranth"

Dianthus 'Georgia Peach Pie

Geum quellyon var. flora plena 'Blazing Sunset'

Deborah, Loved looking up the plants on your list. Especially Geum quellyon var. flora plena 'Blazing Sunset' which looks good for my area.

Katyajini, I purchased Annie’s Viola odorata ’Comte de Brazza’ and ‘Duchesse De Parme’, the double forms, that are definitely spreading by running. The white one has been in the ground since fall 2018 and its 18 x18 inch square area, at least, and looks like it will spread indefinitely. The purple double form was planted fall 2019 and looks to have exactly same growth habit as the white. I also have the purple single ‘Queen Charlotte’ but I just planted it this spring so I cannot tell if it will spread a lot or not. The white one that is now established pumped out a ton of blooms for about 6 weeks and then it was done. I went out every weekend and picked every flower I could find, easily over a dozen, to bring inside and enjoy.

Thanks Stephnie! I got one of the white and one QC. DdP was out of stock. I cant wait to see these plants and see how they do for me. I am thinking I am going to plant them in my shade garden. Do you have them in some kind of shade? Do they grow well in the shade? I am glad they are as fragrant as you describe!

Yes they are in a bright shady side yard with about and hour of direct sun at noon. They seem to tolerate the heat well and bounce back after getting a little wilty during this direct hot California sun for an hour in heat of summer. They might not bloom as much in deep shade as they also get this sun in the Spring when it’s cool and they were blooming, which was February here.

Wow, I'll have to think twice about my decision to pass on violets. I thought they hate the heat.

I don’t think I would have realized they do so well in SoCal, if we didn’t already have “wild” white single not-fragrant violets seeding themselves freely. I was going to get rid of them due to lack of fragrance, but then they showed how lovely they were. First pic are the “wild” ones all along the walk up to 12” tall, with Marie Daley in front. A much larger violet leaf/plant than the ones from Annie, but flowers are same size. The second picture is the clump of white double ones from Annie, which are wider than I remember, since that garden bed is at least 2 feet wide. They have shown no evidence of seeding, just have runners, which is great since I hope they cover all the dirt in this long side yard.

Stephanie! Thank you for sharing these pictures of violets. My goodness I had wild violets spreading all over my yard. I just realized this after what you said and from your pictures. I think they spread from seeds and rhizomes very effectively and tenaciously. there may be other means of spreading as well, or my soil is very good for them I thought they were horrible weeds that people euphemistically call wild violets.

Katyajini, hehe! They must really like your climate...you are in NJ area or near there right? The only way they get all that weedy here is if you water. They reseed but not aggressively so. I can easily weed out the strays. But the double flowers from Annie’s might not set seeds? The double flowers aren’t really natural. I looked throughout the foliage and didn’t find any of the distinctive seed heads I find in my “wild” ones and I know I didn’t pick ALL the flowers this Spring. It can be hard to find nice green ground covers for our hot dry climate so these really are gems here.

I love the idea of violets. I have always fantasized about having my own VIOLET VALE. Anyone know what book I'm inspired by ???

Of course I do! I bet many recognize The Violet Vale from A of GG. Funny I had the same thought when I purchased Queen Charlotte locally. I don‘t have mine in the ground yet, so I can’t “walk through it with reverent steps and worshiping eyes”, but that’s the plan. That was definitely what I was thinking when I saw it for sale at Green Thumb Nursery. It’s filled the enormous shallow pot I put the small, quart sized plant in already. As soon as I’m able, I’m going to plant it on the shady side of my slope. I kept a small chunk in a small pot for my patio table. Funny, I never would have thought that anyone else would think the same way. Lisa

You win the prize, Lisa! Yes, Anne of Green Gables!!!

When I went to Annie’s site I was not surprised to see that Kim’s beautiful Gelasine coerulea is already on my wishlist with them. When I went to look at the violets, I wasn’t surprised that both ‘Comte de Brazza’ and ‘Duchesse De Parme’ were already on my wishlist as well. The only reason‘Queen Charlotte’ isn’t on it is because I had already purchased it. ‘Queen Charlotte’ seems to be very vigorous and eager to spread out. Since mine is in rich potting soil, it probably filled out faster than If I had planted it directly into my clay soil.

I’ve been ordering from Annie’s since she first began shipping plants. I’ve grown Annie’s plants in three different gardens over the past.....10? 15? years. SO many of the plants you all ordered or mentioned have live in one of my gardens or currently do. Unfortunately, I managed to kill ‘Hamer Pandora’ not once, but twice! It’s supposed to be an easy plant, so I don’t know what I did wrong BOTH times. I obviously did something wrong, and I wish I knew what it was. It’s hard for me not to feel offended when I twice kill a plant listed as a “beginner plant”. I’ve killed something listed by Annie’s as “Indestructible”, as well. An equally bad feeling:)

Mmmm, you’ll enjoy that tall blue Bachelor’s button. It’s such a nice, bright blue. It resends easily for me, but the seedlings look like weeds. Be careful, I’ve accidentally pulled out lots of them.

That ‘Georgia Peach Pie’ dianthus is a real favorite of mine. I think I have 3 or 4 of that plant. They make great cut flowers.

I could go on and on about my experiences with many of the Annie’s plants mentioned here. I better stop before I get carried away. The Physical Therapist is coming soon, anyway. Lisa

The Centaurea cyanus
‘Blue Diadem’.

https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=2960

came as 4 very young plants. Two died right away and two are alive, just barely. They should have come with a warning that the bunnies LOVE them. The two that died got munched the first night. We then put protectors around all 4 but the munched ones couldn't recover. The two unmunched ones look like they are about to pass away...

Oh no! Yes, bunnies have been in my garden nonstop and I'm about to get very violent with them. The Annie's flyer does say to protect them from rabbits and birds and slugs and snails -- but it is so disheartening to have them killed by the bunnies (or snails). I put a little fence around a coreopsis and...another one that I don't even remember what it is they ate it down to nubs -- and the little fence seems to deter them.

I got another centaurea from my local nursery, in a 4" pot, and they haven't bothered that one, but maybe because it's in the front yard and they're less brazen there...

I just got a few more Annie's day before yesterday...I'm running out of room! What was I thinking?

oops -- sorry -- I just realized I didn't just plant centaurea -- I planted catananche!

Lisa -- I resonate with what you're saying. I've killed more than a few "beginner" and "fool proof" and "easy" plants.

I’m kinda glad to hear that I’m not the only one, Deborah. I feel like a pretty bad gardener when I kill “beginner plants” or “indestructible”. There are a few that I now realize need to be planted on my slope with some gravel mixed in the planting hole for better drainage. They just couldn’t handle my clay soil.

Mmmm, I would consider planting’Blue Boy’ centaurea seeds. Bachelor Buttons like cool temps, and will probably be happier in your garden than mine. Mine are long finished by now because of the heat. They are reliable self seeders, so you’ll have them forever once you let one go to seed. I scatter mine in the late fall, and they appear during the winter. I’m sure yours would appear in the later spring, but with seeds you could have as many as you want. I got the ‘Classic Magic’ mix from Floret last year. The different purples were neat, but I think I prefer the blue ones. Floret does have a blue mix called ‘Classic Fantastic’. It sure looks like the ‘Classic Fantastic’ mix contains a tall blue very similar to Annie’s ‘Blue Diadem’. Floret will have the seeds available next month again for $3.95 per packet of 100 seeds. I’m sure many other reliable seed companies carry it as well. If you can keep the bunnies and snails from eating the seedlings, I’d highly recommend starting these from seed. They grow themselves in my garden, especially the seeds that I drop into containers. I often purchase a single annual plant from Annie’s if I have trouble finding seeds or getting the seeds to germinate successfully in my garden from. Often, I’m successful with the seeds that fall from the plant when I’ve had trouble getting purchased seeds to sprout.

I purchased Annie’s a few years ago. It’s not really a Batchelor‘s Button, so I’m not sure why they call it that. It’s a perennial (in my zone) Gomphrena, so I think it should be called ‘Airy Globe Amaranth’ instead. It’s a great plant in the garden and in the vase, combining well with cut roses. It’s very much like a hot pink/maroon baby’s breath in an arrangement. I finally have a couple of self sown plants in this plants 3rd or 4th year. It’s super heat and drought tolerant. Mine are in full blazing sun against thé west side of the house. It’s really hot there on summer afternoons! I’m surprised it’s been so happy there. Anyway, that’s just a little review of one of my many Annie’s plants. I enjoy hearing about everyone’s experiences with Annie’s plants. I like finding plants that weren’t on my radar until someone mentioned it here.

I’m going to see if my Gomphrena decumbens "Airy Bachelor's Buttons" has blooms for a picture today. They last forever both on the plant and in a vase. I’m glad I have new plants coming up, so I’ll have plenty to use as fillers in arrangements.

Actually, I’m submitting this before I get my shoes on and look outside. I’m worried that it will be lost in the meantime. Lisa

Just my luck. I should have checked to see if there were blooms before I promised a picture. They went to seed while I wasn’t looking. There’s a little bit of color left on these couple blooms. It gives you an idea of how the blooms are airy and a hint of their color. Lisa

Oh, that's Airy Bachelor Button, I've grown for years. Great high heat plant, sun or shade, easily propagated.

Lisa,

Thanks for the idea of seeds! I am going to try and remember to do that next year. With shipping I wasted something like $33 on those 4 plants. So seeds sound like a much better idea. :-)

All 4 are dead now. I think the heat of the summer isn't good for such immature plants. The two that weren't eaten by bunnies turned brown and died.

Lisa -- I am growing the same plant -- and I love it! I have it in the back of the border, and it just fills in so beautifully. Started small, but now is going great guns. I'll see if I can take a photo and post it. I also am growing the fireworks version (bigger balls) and just planted a strawberry something one. It's a delightful plant, and everyone who visits comments on these and my cupcake blush cosmos (from Floret seeds).