I was in the market for a Quercus kelloggii (California black oak) to replace a walnut we had to take down, and discovered it in the inventories of two native plant nurseries I had not visited before: Oaktown Native Plant Nursery, in Berkeley, and East Bay Wilds, in the Fruitvale district of Oakland. Both are excellent native plant nurseries, each with a solid selection of some of the standards, plus some unusual plants you don't find very often, and friendly and knowledgeable staff. At Oaktown I picked up a few things, including several small pots of Tellima grandiflora, a plant I love to find growing trailside– we'll see if it can take my suburban conditions and neglect. Oaktown's oaks were not what I was looking for, so I headed to Oakland! East Bay Wilds had several very nice specimens of black oak, and the one that called out to me was raised from a Castro Valley acorn. The person who helped me seemed a little reluctant to part with that lovely little tree. $25 for a healthy tree in a 5-gallon pot... the price is right. Cash or check only at East Bay Wilds, but the corner store nearby has an ATM.
Go native!
No comments:
Post a Comment