In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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August 16, 2007

New cutting garden at local nursery

Just past the circular cement "folly" and through the tall cement pillars in what used to be Bushnell’s Garden Nursery’s daylily area is a fabulous cutting garden.

Full of zinnias, rudbeckia, coneflower, lavender, dahlias, sunflowers and more, it’s a flower arranger's dream. The flowers are there for the cutting. Or you can wander among the beds for inspiration for your own cutting garden.

It’s comprised of a series of long beds with a gravel path around them. The soil is mostly compost, and mounded up slightly. A row of conifers planted along the back gives the area definition. The flowers are a mix of annuals and perennials, and there’s also a selection of foliage plants. It’s an ever-changing mix of colors and flowers. Already the masses of dahlias have given way to a riot of zinnias, rudbeckias and sunflowers. The garden is glorious right now, but in another month or two many of the annuals will be pulled out for the winter.

Prices vary, and range from $3 for a small bunch of assorted flowers to $12.50 for a larger bunch. Stems of foliage are $1 apiece. Bring your own container, and one of Bushnell’s employees will help you select and cut the flowers. Bushnell’s Garden Nursery is located at 5255 Douglas Blvd., (between Sierra College Boulevard and Auburn Folsom Road) in Granite Bay.

The garden has certainly inspired me to plan a cutting garden of my own for next year.

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