If I’m headed north on the Saw Mill River Parkway (and not turning east or west on I-287), I like to turn into Rosedale Nurseries in Hawthorne for a quick look-see.

Apparently, Rosedale has been around a very long time and was able to keep its funny little driveway right from the parkway. You have to know exactly where it is ( before the turnoff for the Taconic), and be prepared to pull off quickly. (You can also get there easily from Route 9A.)

Rosedale has always been one of my favorite nurseries in Westchester, especially for shrubs and trees—great evergreens of all kinds. Healthy stuff and a nice, helpful staff.

Demonstration gardens, with labels.

I also like to see what’s in the red-tag sale area. I hate paying full price this time of year and I don’t mind buying sale stuff that’s raggedy and tattered looking. By spring, it should be fine.

Sure enough, I found a few shrubs that have been on my list. If you have room indoors, all of the tropicals are 50 percent off. Huge markdowns on roses, too.

Hostas (and astilbes) are 20 percent off.

Good-looking plant stock.

I inherited a bunch of boring plain green hostas and have been looking for variegated varieties to mix in. Here are the four I bought: ‘Stained Glass,’ ‘Frances Williams,’ Great Expectations’ and ‘Revolution.’

I also got two kinds of mountain laurel and two beautyberry shrubs.

I like these mums in bushels:

It fits!

Mountain laurel (oops, forgot to take off the red tag):

Beautyberry (Callicarpa):

Lovely purple berries this time of year:

(This is sort of trick photography—the berries aren’t much bigger than a BB.)

A few days later, I went back to get a ‘Diabolo’ ninebark and and two kinds of viburnum (Arrowwood and burkwoodii).

This is a great time of year, btw, to plant shrubs and trees.