Site Meter

Friday, April 30, 2010

Trip to the Land of Oz


It was a beautiful, sunny CA day today, so I ventured out, in a serious Luther Burbank mood, to one of my favorite places, King's Nursery.  Because it's a family owned small business, it can't compete dollar-wise with Home Depot or Lowe's; but it surely surpasses them when you factor in the beauty element. I like to look at the higher prices as an admission fee to gorgeousness.


From the street, it doesn't appear to be anything special, but once I walk through the front gate, that all changes and I am like Dorothy seeing the Emerald City for the first time. The displays are breath-taking and unusual, so I go there not only to buy but to be inspired and get ideas that I can use in my own yard.

Look at these fabulous tulips!


Hanging baskets help to add to the feeling of being surrounded by color.

 As I happily head back to my car, purchases in hand, I know my next plant shopping excursion will take me to the lower price land of the big box stores, but when I again need a loveliness fix, I'll be back at King's, the Oz of nurseries.

In these price conscious times, it is harder and harder for small businessses to survive while maintaining their quality.  I don't know how King's does it. I surmise there must be plenty of people, like me, who consider it a very special place and visit regularly, wallet in hand. It always helps to have a hefty fan base. Cheers to this local treasure! May it continue to thrive in the face of Goliath.

7 comments:

  1. Got all excited for a moment and thought you were coming for a trip to Australia!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful post, Jan!
    Love all those flowers!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such beautiful flowers! The colors and variety here is awesome. It's always so fun to bring a new plant home and find the perfect place for it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. i'm glad you went there and supported them. We all need to do that. I try to avoid Walmart and such as much as possible even though money is so tight as I don;t want to see any more homogenization across this beautiful country.

    "an admission fee to gorgeousness."
    --haha --that is wha ti say to myself too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I also made my springly visit to our local version of your Kings, called Bakers. So many choices. It was a delightful dilemma.

    ReplyDelete
  6. http://itistimetothinkformyself.blogspot.com/2010/05/happy-birthday-christina.html

    I know you may have noticed it,
    in case you need anything from there,
    please feel free to take them.
    Happy mother's Day!

    ReplyDelete

Please leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you.