Digging Dog Nursery - Worth a Visit!

I’ve wanted to visit Digging Dog Nursery in Albion, Ca. along the Mendocino coast for years. When I recently saw their website and the beautiful Alstromerias they carry that settled it.  My friend Melinda and I decided to make a day of it, stopped for coffee in Cloverdale, and headed up the coast along Hwy 128 , enjoying the old farms and barns along the way.

I was hoping the usually foggy mornings would prevail but, to my disappointment, it was one of those  super sunny mornings…..great for people….not at all great for photographing a garden.  Overhead mid-day sun is very contrasty and harsh so the photos are not what I longed for but, it’s just too nice a garden/nursery not to share so I’ll take you on a quick trip despite the lack of perfect lighting!

Arriving at the nursery you come to a closed gate.  Don’t let that deter you! Just go on in and you will be greeted by a friendly employee who will give you a catalog, describe the garden and show you where to go for the plants that interest you. We got to meet the owners, Deborah Whigham and Gary Ratway, and thoroughly enjoyed the story of their labor of love in building the gardens from the ground up! They have a wonderful selection of plants and you’ll get a new idea for your garden around every corner. (Look for  the bent re-bar used for rose arbors in the images below!) For more information go to http://www.diggingdog.com/ and plan a visit next time you’re headed to the Mendocino coast !

Here is a pictorial “walk through the garden”

The garden gate opens into a lovely area were you will begin and end your tour.

Through the beautiful living wall you will enter the nursery

To the right you will enter through another part of the living wall (be sure to ask how they planted and trained the trees that made this amazing structure) and find yourself in a lovely perennial garden:

You can walk all around the nursery on the outside of the wall and then enter back in the center to find the plants you loved available to purchase.  I found alstromerias,  Apricot yarrow, Lime Light hydrangeas….

Walking across the nursery and under the living wall on the other side we found roses growing over the pathway, trained on long, bent lengths of rebar…very cool!

You’ll enjoy plants of different textures and colors and something for any garden…

After a relaxing garden walk, you’ll emerge back at the nursery to make your selections and head home inspired to create something beautiful! Great plants, an amazing garden, friendly and knowledgeable make a drive up the coast a worth while trip!

Click on the link at the beginning of the article to visit the website and learn more and plan your visit! And, if you have a favorite garden or nursery please share! We’ll try to go visit and share your favorite here!