Daniel Townsend
Daniel is our Landscape Designer. His keen eye for texture and color make the Nickel & Nickel property shine.
Archive of Daniel Townsend
on April 9, 2013
Spring is in full flower here in the Napa Valley, especially on the grounds of Nickel & Nickel. Colorful tulips, daffodils, scilla and giant hyacinth rise up, reaching for their place in the sun. The wildflowers along our Highway 29 fence line are back in force—the blue lupine dominate as far as the eye can see, soon to give way to the mountain garland, knee-high sweet peas, mixed poppy, love-in-a-mist, baby blue eyes, and the forever yellow giant lupine. The recent rains have blessed all the winter prep, planning and plantings. Now it’s time to revel in the glorious abundance, knowing our efforts and intentions have brought forth this manifestation for all to enjoy.
Spring is a time for sharing in the rebirth of life in the gardens as well as within ourselves. I recently had the special opportunity to host a group of fellow garden enthusiasts here at Nickel & Nickel. Our walk through the gardens reminded me that nothing is worth having if you can’t share it with those who truly appreciate your efforts—with those who have come before us sharing their knowledge and wisdom. I felt the garden tour was a scattering of new seeds and ideas in celebration of the fresh beginning we call spring. This is what inspires me to follow my passion and support the excellence of our winery estate.
PS–What’s your favorite spring flower?
on November 9, 2012
It’s the time of the year when we go underground. The bulbs are here and in force. Our November planting will sustain three-plus months of flowering this spring along Highway 29 in front of the Nickel & Nickel property. This year we have two all-season mixes: one consisting of blues, lavenders and purples, and the other a blend of many different reds and yellows. The idea is to have a longer bloom cycle rather than have everything go all at once. But there are a few surprises in the mix; I can’t give up all my secrets! You’ll just have to come pay us a visit this spring.
A preview of what we will be enjoying this spring.
The show will begin in early March and carries into the end of May. Throughout the spring flowering, we’ll enjoy a procession of non-stop narcissus and daffodils, creating a sea of gold among the towering tulips. The contrast between the beautiful Nickel & Nickel backdrop and the extensive planted bed in front is truly show-stopping. This is what I call curb appeal to the maximum.
There is one more part to this magical display. I have handcrafted a custom, wildflower blend to top-dress in late November, saturating the soils beneath the tulips and daffodils, creating a carpet of green. Once the bulbs have had their months in the spotlight, the wildflowers will take full command and color, reaching ever higher. The show must go on…
on August 27, 2012
Have you driven by Nickel & Nickel lately? The front of the property is awash in Zinnia Elegans Pumilia/Pompon mix and Domino Cosmo mix. Now that’s curb appeal!
This is a little extra show for the travelers driving along our Nickel & Nickel winery property. Fall will be here soon enough, which mean bulbs galore, so for now, give us a call to reserve your tour and tasting and enjoy the show of beautiful pastels running as far as the eye can see. This mix of cosmos and zinnia will re-seed itself far into the future and this season will be with us until we bring in the tulip and daffodil bulbs mid-October. Stay tuned. The garden never sleeps.
on March 21, 2012
I am writing this on the spring equinox, the gateway to a season with rewards of color and fragrance. Mother Nature and Father Time have performed their magic again! With our much needed recent rains and the former months of drier than normal weather, we are set for a spectacular showing of scale and form throughout the winery grounds. The bulbs along Highway 29 are out in force. The Red Emperor (tulip) steals the show, with countless multiplying daffodils flanking the side of the nearly 1200 foot-long bed. Just gearing up, our custom blend of wildflowers covers every square inch of soil along the highway in front of Nickel & Nickel. They are charged with carrying on the show for months to come, in shades of red, yellow and blue. Keep an eye out for the stately Yellow Lupine as it towers over its domain.
on October 20, 2011
Out with the old and beautiful and on to the new and underground—at least for a few months. The time to plant bulbs is upon us, and that means sacrifice and delayed gratification. It’s a double whammy: pulling out what was planted in the spring, which is now so gorgeous, and replacing it with something under the soil that we won’t see for months. Staying a season ahead is key, though, and planning for tomorrow is so worth the wait.
For the last four years, we’ve preserved our Dragon Wing Begonias and Coleus through the winter by removing them with care each fall and letting them thrive in our greenhouse until spring. Together with the tulips, poppies, alyssum and other flowering plants, they ensure abundant springtime color.
