Hello Friends –

Spring is the time in California when nature is so screamingly beautiful that even folks who don't tend to focus on the natural world buzzing all around them suddenly stop and take notice. The intensity and liveliness of the colors, scents and sounds of spring won't be ignored. And for nature lovers the drive to spend every possible moment soaking it up drives us outdoors.

Wish you could come here every day? We are hiring.

Blue-eyed grass, Sisyrinchium bellum

Mother's Day Weekend Events: Saturday, May 12 & Sunday, May 13

We've got awesome plans for your Mother's Day weekend. And the store is packed full of goodies, with new and exciting blooms, pottery, artwork, and furniture arriving every day.

Mother's Day, May 13, 1pm - 2pm: Debra Prinzing's The 50 Mile Bouquet

Come meet author (and our friend) Debra Prinzing and learn about about all the floral designers and growers she's found who are reconnecting us with the soulful local blooms that evoke ancient and visceral feelings about flowers. Gorgeous photos by David Perry illustrate the stories.

Susie Nadler, our Cutting Garden floral designer, is thrilled to be included in Debra's book. Susie will be here talking with Debra and demonstrating some of her unique floral techniques for you. Did you know that this Mother's Day, about 80% of the flowers sent to celebrate Mom will be shipped from overseas? What can be a celebration of the beauty of nature instead has become a tax on our environment. Debra has captured the stories of designers, like Susie, who are leading the movement back to using the flowers close at hand for our celebrations. Bring your mom and come enjoy hearing about this amazing movement.

Honey Tasting by Bryon Waibel, of Her Majesty's Secret Beekeeper
Sunday, Mother's Day, May 13, 12pm - 4pm

Our friend Bryon, co-proprietor of the celebrated urban beekeeping store on 20th Street in the Mission, will be offering tastes of amazing local honey made by San Francisco bees. You'll be able to stock your pantry and buy gifts from a man with deep knowledge of local apiculture (that's beekeeping for us novices), its history and traditions. Come chat with Bryon and check out his wares.

A few of Flora's favorite plants – a free talk: Saturday, May 12 at 11am

Flora will be here in person, sharing her favorite plant picks for the season with you! Flora's enthusiasm for the plants she loves is infectious, so we'll have plenty of her favorites on hand for you to adopt. We're incredibly lucky to be gardening in this time and in this place. At our fingertips is the most extraordinary array of gorgeous, durable plants for our gardens. So many of these demand less water and fertilizer than the traditional garden palette. And our unique mild climate allows us to combine them in ways that they've never been before. Come discover some of her favorite beauties – from Mexico, South Africa, the Mediterranean, Australia, and South America – and take home your favorites.

Garden Ornaments by Michelle Quan

Looking for new things to offer in the store is an adventure. Every now and then, we happen across an object that haunts us, that rings so true to us, that we become obsessed. This is how I felt when I first saw Michelle Quan's ornaments for the garden.

Bells – stoneware & hemp rope, by Michelle Quan

- Michelle Quan

Judy Jackson Stoneware: Our Favorites and New Styles

In her New York studio, ceramic artist Judy Jackson creates perfect, simple vessels. Her glazes are earthy-deep. Her pots have been a favorite for years here at the shop, but we just recently got in some new styles and colors that we love.

Planted or filled with Tillandsias, this oblong bowl will make a terrific centerpiece.

Judy Jackson's new bonsai planters are available in three beautiful colors.

Glass Obi Dish

This elevated glass dish draws the eye to its contents, giving them the quality of an offering for the senses. We think it's perfect for all the little treasures you pick up.

A Tillandsia for the Collector: Tillandsia funckiana

The Fuzzy Bowl makes a great home for this little plant.

This beautiful little tillandsia is making a rare show right now with its carmine blossoms at the tip of mini-Joshua-tree crowns. Super-easy to keep happy on a bright windowsill, it's one of our favorite "air plants."

Buddha Head Aerium

Sprouts of life inside a transparent image of the Buddha evoke a spiritual icon. Each one becomes, naturally, a unique piece.

Bright Pink Cordyline

Too much? Or just enough...the colors in this cordyline are among the most vivid in the nursery right now. Perfect for a pot or in the ground if you need a big KA-POW of color. Equally vivid in full sun or a little shade, this grassy-looking plant is tolerant of cold, drought, and wind, too!

This Just In from Our Design Department:
Patrick Lannan's Garden Designs

We're so proud of the work our design department is doing in our customers' gardens. And boy was there a ripple of excitement when these photos came in. Check out this garden, designed by our staff designer Patrick Lannan. We know you'll want to steal these ideas...or make an appointment to have Patrick design a garden for you! Contact us at design@floragrubb.com or 415-694-6454.

Beaming proud designer Patrick Lannan in one of our clients' gardens

Bright orange pottery shimmers against earthy tones, resonating with bright orange in blooms and foliage. And yes, we've got this orange pottery in stock in a whole bunch of sizes. The orange-foliage plant with the pretty bright yellow flowers is Oxalis 'Sunset Velvet', a fantastic groundcover.

We love the mix of orange, moss-green, and black pots that Patrick chose for this garden. The black pots house an herb garden for cooking. On the right you can see a Beschorneria wrightii bloom stalk is arching over, a calamondin citrus tree rises on the left, and in back, a dagger-like Furcraea macdougalii presides over Aeonium undulatum and the dainty orange blossoms of a bulbine.

Palms 101 with Jason: Saturday, May 19 at 11am

The many varieties of beautiful palms we can grow here in the Bay Area fill a wealth of garden roles, and spring is the best time for planting them. They're shade-loving foliage treats, bamboo-like hedges, tough and elegant shrubs, and easy, graceful vertical elements: Palms are often the best plant for the job. Our palm expert here at the nursery, Jason Dewees, will open up these Flora Grubb Gardens specialties to your imagination. It's a great chance for gardeners and designers to talk about choosing the best varieties for your garden and caring for them. Whether their bold beauty appeals to your design sense, or you just love the exotic story whispering in their fronds, join us for Jason's talk. Pictured above, clockwise from upper left: Trachycarpus martianus, Brahea armata var. clara, Phoenix roebelenii (leaf), & Phoenix roebelenii (fruit).

Our Newest Neighbor – All Good Pizza!

We are so excited to have a new neighbor, a pizzeria called All Good Pizza. It's half a block away, at the corner of Jerrold Avenue and Third Street! They're also serving panini and salads. Our current favorites include the margherita pizza and their muffaletta sandwich. Grab a pizza or a salad and come and eat it in the gardens, hit Ritual for a coffee afterwards, and shop the nursery on a full stomach. They're open 10am - 2pm Sunday through Friday at 1605 Jerrold Avenue at Third Street. Phone: 415-846-6960.

Did we mention that we are hiring?

Join Us on Facebook and Twitter

It's just like neighbors chatting about their gardens over the fence, but digitally. Please join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Come and see us.

– Flora and everyone at Flora Grubb Gardens