we met at a friend's book party a while ago and i remember talking about morning glories and annie’s - i was glad to see a post about the closure because i’m still reeling.
i was just at annie’s this past weekend and the (rather short) email today was a terrible blow. annie's is/was a special place for me - i remember how grateful i felt to still have it in early 2020 when everything else was closed.
it's especially terrible to know that the employees (who *were* that place) didn't have much advance notice. i know so many people who would jump at the opportunity - even at great personal cost - to keep annie's open and support its workers.
Hey! Nice to see you here. And yes, I am still reeling, too, and I agree that there has to be some way to help out the workers and maybe rescue the institution. But I don’t know enough about the real situation.
The more the story unfolds, the sadder it gets. From the Annie’s employees, to the seedlings and heirloom plants, to the resident cats. Fingers are crossed that someone will be able to rescue this gem and save the legacy of the original Annie’s.
I'm heartbroken about Annie's Annua;s sudden closure as well! On a recent phone call I described a recent visit to Annie's to take my east-coast friend; she was game to go on her next west-coast trip. Where else can I go now to combine the quirkiness of dinosaurs watching over endless colorful starts of flowers and succulents while daydreaming?
Thank you for putting into words what I could not articulate after reading last night's email. I'm up in Tacoma WA. I keep my Annie's catalogs like they are family heirlooms. Esp in the dreary grayness of winter, the audacious color and exuberance of those catalogs is an instant lift. Better than any SSRI. I have also ordered from Annie over the years. A box full of scruffy plantlings shows up and I'm so so skeptical. And sometimes it takes a couple years, but the results are magical. Thank you for this memorial. Hopefully there will be a next chapter!
You know, that’s such a good point—Annie’s really forced you onto plant time. Like, no cheating: Plant the plant, tend the plant, and let it inhabit its new space to its fullest on its schedule. I had that experience many times. You could design with them, but you had to respect them as living materials, not human objects for deployment.
100% this. It's not until we lived in our house for a few years that I realized Mother Nature has quite a good sense of humor. Plants that "technically" should have thrived, didn't. Plants which were zonally not a good fit, seemed to dig in an be happy. We think we've got our world under control and plants have a gentle way of humbling us. Like you said: We're on plant time.
Happily, as is the case with many of us here, Annie's lives on in my yard almost everywhere I look. A beautiful legacy.
Ohh! My mourning went to some visceral place on this news...so sad in so many ways... and yes, the Poppies! Mine an impossible frothy pink and white thing with a glorious old fashioned name, a seed pod lies drying outside the kitchen door. Thankyou for writing a requiem to Annies
I look around my garden … a good half is from Annie’s . Heartbroken . Wish I could have helped, volunteered ? What happened to all those beautiful seedlings?
Thank you for your words. I am mourning the loss of Annie's having never had the chance to go. I was planning on going with my half-sister and her mom on my next trip up north. Annie's was special to them and they were so excited to share it with me. I worked for Tree of Life Nursery in Orange County for four years and I can't tell you how many people told me I HAD TO GO TO ANNIE's. Nursery work is hard work. It doesn't have the best pay or the best benefits. The people that worked there, did so because they loved it. I am sure your enthusiasm every time you shopped there brought joy to their days.
I spent so many weekend mornings shopping there. It was a calming haven for me, a place to reset after a busy workweek. I feel so sad for those workers and fellow garden nerds.
I’ve been a customer of Annie’s for years and just received my much-anticipated recent order. Little did I know it would be my last! Sigh…I’ve always recommended this delightful and inspiring nursery to others to share the joy of gardening with color, texture and fun. Thanks for your post. Hoping to soon hear that “interested parties” will continue the Annie’s tradition and that the employees will be back to tending the gardens and greeting happy customers.
It's a sucker punch....Annie with her delight and enthusiasm, a place of joy in the midst of so much sorrow in the world was a place to be grounded and surprised. Please let us know the next chapter.
What a beautiful ode to the beloved Annie’s. It was a gut punch to see their announcement. How many descriptions from their catalog have I read out loud to everyone in the room? Too many to count. Annie’s embodied the joy of gardening.
One of the coolest plants I got there was a Canarina canariensis with the wildest orange bell-shaped flowers. And one of the last plants I ordered from them is a little native lippia starting to take off by the back door. They all have an extra special significance now.
Our son gave us a gift certificate to Annie's every year and we would search through the maze of those table for the perfect color of foxglove, just the right saturated and surreal poppies, and psychedelic pansies. I loved that they had the picture next to the rather similar leaved plants so you could fantasize as you shopped! I am just so sad they are gone and i hope someone steps in and brings it back. 💔
If I'm not mistaken... the original Annie sold Annie's Annuals to *this* current owner that sent the email yesterday, right? Only mentioning it because I am crossing my fingers that there's a possibility, maybe, that this owner will lovingly pass it on to a new, enthusiastic business owner? There appear to be "interested parties"...
Those black poppies! And I’m sorry you’re losing Annie’s
The last paragraph, and the last line (!) says it all!
we met at a friend's book party a while ago and i remember talking about morning glories and annie’s - i was glad to see a post about the closure because i’m still reeling.
i was just at annie’s this past weekend and the (rather short) email today was a terrible blow. annie's is/was a special place for me - i remember how grateful i felt to still have it in early 2020 when everything else was closed.
it's especially terrible to know that the employees (who *were* that place) didn't have much advance notice. i know so many people who would jump at the opportunity - even at great personal cost - to keep annie's open and support its workers.
Hey! Nice to see you here. And yes, I am still reeling, too, and I agree that there has to be some way to help out the workers and maybe rescue the institution. But I don’t know enough about the real situation.
The more the story unfolds, the sadder it gets. From the Annie’s employees, to the seedlings and heirloom plants, to the resident cats. Fingers are crossed that someone will be able to rescue this gem and save the legacy of the original Annie’s.
I'm heartbroken about Annie's Annua;s sudden closure as well! On a recent phone call I described a recent visit to Annie's to take my east-coast friend; she was game to go on her next west-coast trip. Where else can I go now to combine the quirkiness of dinosaurs watching over endless colorful starts of flowers and succulents while daydreaming?
Thank you for putting into words what I could not articulate after reading last night's email. I'm up in Tacoma WA. I keep my Annie's catalogs like they are family heirlooms. Esp in the dreary grayness of winter, the audacious color and exuberance of those catalogs is an instant lift. Better than any SSRI. I have also ordered from Annie over the years. A box full of scruffy plantlings shows up and I'm so so skeptical. And sometimes it takes a couple years, but the results are magical. Thank you for this memorial. Hopefully there will be a next chapter!
You know, that’s such a good point—Annie’s really forced you onto plant time. Like, no cheating: Plant the plant, tend the plant, and let it inhabit its new space to its fullest on its schedule. I had that experience many times. You could design with them, but you had to respect them as living materials, not human objects for deployment.
100% this. It's not until we lived in our house for a few years that I realized Mother Nature has quite a good sense of humor. Plants that "technically" should have thrived, didn't. Plants which were zonally not a good fit, seemed to dig in an be happy. We think we've got our world under control and plants have a gentle way of humbling us. Like you said: We're on plant time.
Happily, as is the case with many of us here, Annie's lives on in my yard almost everywhere I look. A beautiful legacy.
Also, shoutout Tacoma. I really hope to do a book event up there this spring. (My parents live in SW Washington.)
I imagine Oakland and Tacoma share many similar charms 💕 We moved here in '95. I love my Gritty Tacoma.
Ohh! My mourning went to some visceral place on this news...so sad in so many ways... and yes, the Poppies! Mine an impossible frothy pink and white thing with a glorious old fashioned name, a seed pod lies drying outside the kitchen door. Thankyou for writing a requiem to Annies
It’s strange how hard it is hitting those of us who loved that place. A gut punch.
I look around my garden … a good half is from Annie’s . Heartbroken . Wish I could have helped, volunteered ? What happened to all those beautiful seedlings?
Thank you for your words. I am mourning the loss of Annie's having never had the chance to go. I was planning on going with my half-sister and her mom on my next trip up north. Annie's was special to them and they were so excited to share it with me. I worked for Tree of Life Nursery in Orange County for four years and I can't tell you how many people told me I HAD TO GO TO ANNIE's. Nursery work is hard work. It doesn't have the best pay or the best benefits. The people that worked there, did so because they loved it. I am sure your enthusiasm every time you shopped there brought joy to their days.
I spent so many weekend mornings shopping there. It was a calming haven for me, a place to reset after a busy workweek. I feel so sad for those workers and fellow garden nerds.
I’ve been a customer of Annie’s for years and just received my much-anticipated recent order. Little did I know it would be my last! Sigh…I’ve always recommended this delightful and inspiring nursery to others to share the joy of gardening with color, texture and fun. Thanks for your post. Hoping to soon hear that “interested parties” will continue the Annie’s tradition and that the employees will be back to tending the gardens and greeting happy customers.
It's a sucker punch....Annie with her delight and enthusiasm, a place of joy in the midst of so much sorrow in the world was a place to be grounded and surprised. Please let us know the next chapter.
What a beautiful ode to the beloved Annie’s. It was a gut punch to see their announcement. How many descriptions from their catalog have I read out loud to everyone in the room? Too many to count. Annie’s embodied the joy of gardening.
One of the coolest plants I got there was a Canarina canariensis with the wildest orange bell-shaped flowers. And one of the last plants I ordered from them is a little native lippia starting to take off by the back door. They all have an extra special significance now.
Dang, they were so good at having those special plants. 😭
Like — the best out there! No one did it like them 😢
Our son gave us a gift certificate to Annie's every year and we would search through the maze of those table for the perfect color of foxglove, just the right saturated and surreal poppies, and psychedelic pansies. I loved that they had the picture next to the rather similar leaved plants so you could fantasize as you shopped! I am just so sad they are gone and i hope someone steps in and brings it back. 💔
A beautiful memory. And I am hoping like hell someone brings it back. It can’t just be over!
If I'm not mistaken... the original Annie sold Annie's Annuals to *this* current owner that sent the email yesterday, right? Only mentioning it because I am crossing my fingers that there's a possibility, maybe, that this owner will lovingly pass it on to a new, enthusiastic business owner? There appear to be "interested parties"...
And there appear to be some hints that may be happening. I imagine this burst of news may hasten any transaction.
Plus what will happen to all those seedlings they were always propagating?? I worry about them!