I like to give people nicknames. Poor San Geraldo (Jerry) has a million of ’em, as you may have noticed. When it comes to gardening, I call him Mr. Greenjeans (of Captain Kangaroo fame). San Geraldo grew up around farms and amid a farming family. His grandparents and father had beautiful home gardens and the most incredible rose gardens. Lawns at their homes looked like perfect carpets.
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| NO GRUÑON (GRUMPY) TO BE FOUND AT THE GARDEN CENTER. |
We both love to garden, but the research and planting gives San Geraldo so much pleasure that I tend to step back and let him enjoy himself. Most of the plants here are very familiar to us from our time in Southern California but, since we’re right on the beach, San Geraldo researched plants that are great in containers, happy in full sun, and are hardy enough to endure the sea air and sometimes heavy winds.
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| I THOUGHT WE LEFT THESE BEHIND IN SEVILLA. |
We rented a car (right downstairs) and drove into the hills (about 10 minutes away) where we were told we would find several large garden centers. The day was glorious. The garden centers were amazing. The Dowager Duchess would have been in her glory. My mother loves garden centers, loves to garden, and is amazing at nursing plants back to health. When we visit her next month, we’re sure to go to a garden center just so she can get her fix. When I was around 20, the entire family went to Germany for a few weeks. We visited a spectacular palace and, while out in the gardens, The Dowager Duchess climbed over a tiny box hedge to pull weeds. She just couldn’t help herself.
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| GARDEN CENTER #1. |
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| WE BROUGHT TWELVE WITH US FROM SEVILLA. NO NEED FOR MORE. |
We went to three garden centers and had tapas at a café inside the third before returning to the second to make all our purchases. On our first visit to the second nursery, we met a British expat. She began a 20-minute conversation while we were looking at large yuccas. In that time, we learned that she is a twice-divorced psychic; her second husband was a drunk; she had extramarital affairs (while married to the first husband who was decent but not while married to the “lying, cheating, drunk”); she has three sons (she and they are all at times suicidal); her 13-year-old granddaughter in Japan is also a psychic; she believes in reincarnation and knows she was a man at least twice; she believes she must have been an awful man in past lives and that she’s paying for it now; she has to scrape together money every month to pay her electric bill because if it gets turned off it won’t get turned back on and she’ll be evicted since she and most of her neighbors live in illegal housing. There was so much more — like her three dogs and two cats, her former collection of purebred Siamese, her son’s mother-in-law’s wealth, her few past jobs. All in 20 minutes. I’m not always a complete skeptic, but taken altogether, it was a bit much.
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| A VIEW FROM GARDEN CENTER #3. IT WAS WORTH THE EXTRA STOP. |
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| DURING LUNCH AT GARDEN CENTER #3. |
Needless to say, I didn’t give the psychic our contact information. (Anyway, she probably already knows it.) Besides, she told us to never, ever, trust a Brit. Never! (We asked if that included her, but she didn’t say.) She said there was a newer, better garden center that had much lower prices than the enormous one we were currently visiting. Although she was British, we trusted her and went to the other center further into the hills. It was beautiful and worth the drive, but it was considerably smaller than the previous garden center and had a much more limited selection. Additionally, it was more, not less, expensive.
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| AS MY NIECE, ERICKA, USED TO SAY: YOTS AND YOTS OF COYOS. (LOTS AND LOTS OF COLORS.) |
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| GLORIOUS SUNSHINE FOR OUR DAY IN THE HILLS. |
When we told the story at breakfast this morning, Tynan, our British waiter, laughed and said, “Well, two thoughts: She told you to not trust anyone who’s British, she did. Furthermore, I’ve found it to be good practice to not trust anyone who appears to be crazy.”
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| WONDERING IF WE HAVE ROOM ON THE TERRACE FOR THE WATERFALL |
Everything was delivered a few hours ago. We’ve had rain, and thunder and lightning since. Too bad. San Geraldo Greenjeans has a lot of work to do.
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OUR TERRACE NOW LOOKS LIKE THE GARDEN CENTER.
(HALF THE DELIVERY.). |
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JUST BEFORE THE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING.
THE DELIVERY GUY KINDLY TRANSPLANTED THE 3 YUCCAS… JUST BECAUSE HE WANTED TO. |
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| LOOKING AROUND THE CORNER. |
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Author: Moving with Mitchell
From Brooklyn, New York; to North Massapequa; back to Brooklyn; Brockport, New York; back to Brooklyn... To Boston, Massachusetts, where I met Jerry... To Marina del Rey, California; Washington, DC; New Haven and Guilford, Connecticut; San Diego, San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Santa Barbara, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Irvine, California; Sevilla, Spain. And Fuengirola, Málaga..
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A good day at Casa Bob y Carlos is coming home from the nursery with new plants in tow!
Bob:
It's one of our favorite things to do. There was an unbelievable nursery south of San Diego. So big that you had to drive to parts of it. We went there so often, the owners invited us up to their house one afternoon. They've since closed (Probably because we stopped paying for all their utilities!)
I love that your mom climbed a hedge to pull weeds in a public garden. She's my kind of gal!
And the nursery delivery guy who potted your plants just because he wanted to–lovely! It seems like you attract kind folks like that. You must have great karma!
Ms. Sparrow:
The delivery guy (really nursery man) was unbelievably kind. We are very lucky… and grateful.
I'm pretty sure my father too a picture of my mother weeding the palace gardens. I'll have to see if I can find that photo the next time we're there.
I remember Mr. Greenjeans! What amazing plants you bought. And what a great place to show them. It's helpful to have two green thumbs in the family – mine are black and blue.
How were the tapas?
P.S. You'd think the "pychic" would be able to judge a potential husband's character better than that.
Jo:
Jerry and I are both good with plants and both love it. The tapas at the nursery were fine. Nothing gourmet, but decent. And it was definitely a beautiful place to have lunch.
I love your comment about the psychic (so does San Geraldo). I had the same thought. For someone who always knows what's coming, she sure hasn't done very well!
I beg of you, please don't send the crazy old gal back to the UK – we have enough!
I love garden centres too and these look wonderful. The bougainvillea shots make me very envious. I'm thinking of trying one in my Scottish greenhouse this summer (heck I already have a lemon tree in there)!
Craig:
I love the vivid colors of bougainvillea. Very easy to grow here and in Southern California. (I promise to steer clear of our acquaintance from the garden center.)
Your new location looks wonderful! Wish we had time to come down for a visit 🙁 I'm sure we'll be heading for the garden centers when we get back to TX… not for us but for our daughters gardens. Your patio is great! Abrazos, (be sure to give Jerry one from me) .
Sharon:
Abrazo passed on the San Geraldo. Wow. You're fluent!
Now 'that' was a memorable experience! I remember my one session with a 'psychic'…..I ended up counselling her!!! lol
Now these are garden centres! Getting the terrace ready will half the fun! Can't wait for the finishing results.
Your posts Mitch draw me in immediately….sure YOU don't have psychic powers!!
Jim:
San Geraldo Greenjeans began planting today. The biggest stuff first. I do the lifting and moving. Nine down; fifteen to go! Oh, and 12 bougainvilleas to be transplanted into 4 large planters. (I think maybe I'll just go lie on the beach.)
Wow wow wow!! About everything! Gorgeous views, gorgeous nurseries, crazy British lady, amazing Dowager Duchess, excellent transplanting delivery guy, and your terrace!
Wow! 🙂
Judeet:
And a gorgeous day today. Work has begun. We went back to the nursery for more soil, since it's clear we would have run out. The Duchess said she enjoyed the garden centers and didn't even get tired.
What a great experience those 3 garden centers…like going to heaven and back again! That nutcase was a hoot and for you to remember everything….my head would have been spinning…heck I would have ducked into a grotto and lost her pronto. You do meet the most interesting peeps. I totally understand the DD's needs to weed gardens…weeds need to be pulled immediately! So much fun thanks!
Your balcony will so beautiful…you could have a cafe there!
Ron
Ron:
Writing about our psychic friend really woke me up to how much she told us in that short time.
We plan to have our own personal café on our terrace.
Fab photos, Mitch. The colours are just amazing and are a visual tonic-treat. However, I do look in vain for the 'terrible twosome' – you know who I mean.
(Don't take that last remark TOO seriously!)
Raybeard:
Photos of the terrible twosome exploring their developing terrace garden are forthcoming.
I think this woman is probably crazy because of oxygen deprivation. She never stops to breathe.
Kristi:
Oh, she was something else! You wouldn't believe (I can't believe) how much more I DIDN"T tell… for example: her astrologic sign (Gemini).
Those those flowers really lifted my spirits
Still muddy greedy brown here
John:
Really beautiful here again today. Wishing you some sunshine and warmth!
oh but I miss gardening. It makes me smile to see splendid gardens like these.
Spo:
It really is uplifting. But we had a great time with our desert gardening in Palm Springs, too.
Nothing like a ride on the wild side, plants and Looney Broads.
Hope you bought the red bottlebrush,that is a pretty bush.
Lots of Florida plants. I am waiting for my Lilacs, Forthisia, Peony's, lily of the vally and more.
I don't miss Florida, maybe the Bogainvillia.
They have lots of that in Spain. Well, enjoy the plants.
By the way what is toon town. yvonne
Yvonne:
That photo of the bottle brushes is on our terrace after delivery. We bought 6 and they're all transplanted. We had those and a weeping tree in San Diego that we loved.
I don't miss the weather in Connecticut but I do miss the lilacs, forsythia, peonies, tulips, daffodils…