Her catalog was a wonder and I just hate the loss of good nurseries.

Sad! I just was given a credit of $35 last month too. I was hoping to use it next spring.

I guess we can all hope that someone steps up and buys the business.

Oh no that's so sad! I got an email today but deleted it without reading, thinking it was for a sale, & I didn't need any plants right now. I will treasure the 2 Parma violets I got from them.

I hope she will fare well with her health problems. Hate to see another nursery lost . Health problems and old age definitely can cause that. I have never ordered from them but look at their online offerings every year and thought I'd eventually place an order. I would have loved to see their display gardens in person. As popular as the place is I imagine someone will buy it.

Saw this on Reddit

The Reddit even says she is going through a lawsuit claiming she hit her previous employee, so she dropped her last name.

Tried to get rid of cats at the nursery until the community stopped her. It says employees are sad but relieved not to work with her.

That doesn’t sound good. I was there at the nursery only once since Annie sold the business to Sara. I couldn’t see anything amiss, but that doesn’t say anything. I’m doubly sad if there was foul play involved.

I hope Annie considers coming back for a little bit, save her beautiful legacy. Help make it employee owned.

I never got the chance to see it, have been ordering from them for awhile.

It’s worth a visit, SoCal, if it ever opens again and you get the opportunity. I still make it a point to stop in every chance I get when I’m back in California. I do hope someone steps in to save it, as I feel it’s very much a one-of-a-kind nursery. Whenever I dream of starting my own nursery, I think of Annie’s as the model I would like to follow.

Gosh, I'd have to go back through receipts to know how many different plants I've bought from Annie's. But it's a LOT. Some I grew only once, some to this day self-seed, some I take cuttings to over-winter, others are perennials I've grown for years. But Annie's was my go-to source when I was bored with any part of my garden and needed something to liven it up.

The email did mention that Sara is pursuing "ongoing discussions" with possible buyers. From the email:

Will you be reopening under new ownership?
While the store closed on October 3, 2024, there are ongoing discussions with potential buyers who may continue the business. We will update the community if any final decisions are made.

Here's hoping a wonderful resource survives.

EDIT: When I wrote my comment, I hadn't seen the Facebook posts above. If true, it's tragic that yet another honorable and much NEEDED business has been destroyed when it was sold to another proprietor (Chamblee's comes to mind, though they seem to have got it together. Ugh). I know there's no way to predict how a business will fare, regardless of the vetting the original owner may do before the sale. But it just seems like the horticultural world has been hit particularly hard, time and again.

Of course there are success stories (so far), too. High Country Gardens (not HC Roses), Heirloom Roses, ARE. These companies at least haven't fallen too far from their respectable beginnings when the new owners took over, even if their business practices, prices and offerings have changed. Some of that is just the facts of life. But I'm STILL hoping someone can save Annie's. It's a legacy that needs to be nurtured into the future, instead of dying and leaving a stench in our collective nostrils.

I ordered my Minoan lace (another name for it) from Annie's too . Can't find better pictures of mine but these two.

How is Lisa?

Just today I found a lot of Orlaya seedlings showing up. I sowed the seeds first time last fall and I have fell in love with them.

I hope Annie's will continue her legacy.

Long-time customer here too... I got the email yesterday as well. I did find it rather disturbing that in the FAQ part of the email (scroll down), she stated that they would not be honoring store credit or already purchased gift certificates. They just had a big in-store only 40% off sale (on everything, not just plants) for a week right before sending this email.

I got Two wonderful Datura from Annies this spring. She had the most interesting and unique plants. Im sorry that I never got an Orlaya from her

Kristine, Orlaya is very easy growing from seeds. Mine is from seeds from ebay

Datura is super easy to grow from seed, too. Just toss it out where you want it, and it will grow. Be sure to harvest its seed cases before they explode, though, and scatter datura seed all over the place. You will have those plants coming back for years. I was sick when my datura seed exploded and I paid the price. Sort of like morning glory seeds. You can't let them drop or youl'll have morning glories forever. As far as my orlaya above, it reseeded itself. I didn't do anything. I wanted it to do this. I let all kinds of plants reseed in my garden, which make less work for me. I snap off penstemon stalks with seeds and scatter them, and do the same with snapdragons, rudbeckia, and coneflowers with their seed heads. I don't buy any of these seeds, either. Same for poppies. Once you are started, the seeds are free and abundant. Diane

The snapdragons, campanula, and orlaya planted themselves in this photo. I did plant the roses.

In my first set of photos above, the third photo shows a cranesbill (hardy geranium New Hampshire) with the orlaya and snaps. I didn't plant the cranesbill, either. I believe in making the plants do the work and earn their keep. Diane

“Long-time customer here too... I got the email yesterday as well. I did find it rather disturbing that in the FAQ part of the email (scroll down), she stated that they would not be honoring store credit or already purchased gift certificates. They just had a big in-store only 40% off sale (on everything, not just plants) for a week right before sending this email.“

Disturbing? Why does this not qualify as criminal?

Well, rifis, I suppose we should all consider criminal activity disturbing, no?

Soozie and others, Select Seeds sells several kinds of Parma Violet plants for any of you wanting this violet. Diane

It does seem like fraud that Annie's will not be honoring store credit and gift certificates. Sort of like what happens when a business goes bankrupt. The little guys lose out. But having built in bad will by not honoring these debts will not help a new owner start up Annie's again. Diane

Rifis, I was trying to be diplomatic by saying "disturbing", but you all know what I meant. Particularly since I read yesterday that they were still selling gift certificates right before closing. The other "disturbing" part of the FAQ was that she's trying to decide what to do about pending orders, presumably placed within the last 2 weeks, since they always ship within a week or two, and probably already paid for. Clipped from the email:

"I have a pending order; will it be fulfilled?
We are currently reviewing all pending orders and will reach out to you directly with an update on the status of your order as soon as possible."

They've been running almost continuous sales for the past couple of months.

No worries, Susan. I know what you meant.

Don’t forget what Boutrous Boutrous-Ghali observed about diplomacy.

To be clear, I am not accusing you of that.

I am just learning now that BBG credited “a Hindu scholar” for the original observation.

FYI

I see someone else bought Annies and they are going to be reopening in a couple months

Yeah I read that too. They are changing the name to one I don't care for. Annie's Annuals was perfect.