When Caryn Paidl felt it was time to make her lifelong dream of
owning a nursery come true, she needed a partner. It seemed only
natural to turn to her sister Cheryl Larios.
When Caryn Paidl felt it was time to make her lifelong dream of owning a nursery come true, she needed a partner. It seemed only natural to turn to her sister Cheryl Larios. On June 11, the sisters opened Paidl Gardens and Accents. This new business features everything for the weekend hobbyist to serious gardener and everyone in between.
“My main thing was to start with the plants,” Paidl said. “That’s my love. When Cheryl called and said she’d just given her two weeks notice for her job, it seemed like the best time to start our business.”
When it comes to knowing about plants and trees, Paidl has hands-on experience. For the last several years, she’s owned her own landscaping and yard maintenance business.
“Caryn wanted someone to come in and work with the inside plants and garden accents,” Larios said. “That’s my part. I just happened to get in the business by chance. I have retail experience, but I’m still in the process of learning all the different stuff I need to know.
“The antique items people can use to put in their yards and fill with plants are very popular. Especially items like old wheelbarrows, enamel pots and potting benches. On this end of the business, we’re going to gear a lot around gifts. We have some silver jewelry coming in and more of the large houseplants.”
Both Paidl and Larios feel it’s important to support local artists and growers.
“We have a lot of stuff from local artists on consignment,” Paidl said. “They all have a garden twang to them.
“We try to order a lot of plants from local growers.”
In addition to a wide variety of trees and plants, Paidl Gardens and Accents sells such items as bird feeders, bird baths, watering cans, decorative accents, shovels, rakes, hoes and gloves. Some of the larger items available include trellises, arbors, antique windows, shutters, a cowboy bath, large pots, statuaries, fountains and garden benches.
For the plants themselves there is everything from weed killers, pest control products and fertilizers to help balance the soil.
“Amending the soil is probably the most important thing when putting in plants,” Paidl said. “Hollister is known for it’s clay soil. I usually recommend a good organic compost tilled into the ground. A lot of shade plants require acidity which comes in peat moss.
“Because I have a landscape and maintenance business, I can really say from experience what grows here. I want to educate people, not just sell them something. Location and soil are both very important. Everybody wants gardenias, but to grow them here you need a warm spot out of the direct afternoon sun.”
“She won’t sell a customer something if they don’t have the right location for it,” Larios said. “I’ve seen her put plants back rather than sell somebody the wrong thing.”
When it comes to growing things, Paidl loves learning about new plants, trees and overcoming gardening challenges.
“I encourage people with garden bugs and other problems to bring a leaf in,” she said. “I hate to guess what the problem is. I don’t’ want to sell people the wrong spray or fertilizer. There are no dumb questions in the nursery businesses. When people bring in a diseased leaf I want to find the right answer.
“Then there are the people who will come and tell me they’ve seen this tree they just love. It has green leaves and pink flowers on it – do I know what it is. I tell them to go back and bring me a leaf. We can find that hard-to-find plant people are looking for. We also specialize in special orders.”
Plans for the future include bare root trees and seasonal items for the holidays.
“We’re trying to cover the basics,” Larios said. “When customers come in here, they’ll be able to get what they need to do their gardening.”
Paidl Gardens and Accents is located at 1785-b San Felipe Rd. They are open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call 636-7281.
