Plant of the Month
Achillea
Common name: Yarrow
Yarrow Achillea 'Moonshine'
Yarrows are an easy care perennial for a sunny location that can grow in all zones of the West. The usually flat heads of summer blooms are long lasting, attract butterflies and make great dried arrangements. They need little care or water other than cutting back after bloom and dividing if too crowded. The foliage is finely divided, gray or green, and aromatic. Deer usually leave it alone.
Yarrows come in many colors ranging from whites, yellows, pinks, reds, wines, and salmon. One popular variety is Achillea ‘Moonshine’ with deep yellow flowers to 2’ tall. Achillea millefolium comes in many colors with ferny green foliage and spreads by underground runners. The flowers form on erect stems above the foliage. A few yarrows like Achillea x kelleri and A. ptarmica ‘The Pearl’ have a different look to the flower.
July Specials
- Green-All organic Firmulch
Buy 3 get 4th FREE - Glads, Lilies, Cannas and more
50% OFF all bulbs - Vegetable starts
50% OFF all
Ongoing Specials
- Fill a flat
- Bakers Dozen
- Roses and Fruit Trees
Buy 3 and get 4th FREE
Subscriber only coupon- 20% OFF all Fertilizer in the sales room
- Granular-All EB Stone granular fertilizer plus
- Fish Emulsion
- Earth Juice
- VH11
- Fox Farm
July Newsletter
Summer is here and the nursery if bursting with color. Lavenders, Rudbeckias, Yarrows, Hibiscus, Salvias, Echinaceas, Coreopsis, Daylilies and Crape Myrtles are budding and blooming. There is no shortage of perennial color. If it is annuals you seek then look to zinnias, vinca, lantana and petunias to bloom all summer long.
Time to start thinking of mulching to conserve water and fertilizing your blooming perennials and annuals to keep it all looking good. Many of you asked when Firmulch was going to go on special and this month it is. Take advantage that by top dressing with Firmulch you are doing two things at once. Firmulch is 15% chicken manure so not only are you mulching you are feeding at the same time. Yeah! We are also sending you a coupon for 20% off any dry or liquid fertilizer so there is no excuse not to feed your vegetables and flowers this month.
What you plant can help attract beneficial insects to the garden. Sunset garden guide has a section on bee, butterfly and hummingbird attractors. What about attracting beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings? Many plants in the carrot, daisy and cabbage families do just that. They include cilantro, dill, fennel, bishops lace, liatris, cosmos, marigolds, sunflowers, sweet alyssum, broccoli, candytuft and mustard. I picked up some beneficial insect identifier cards from our UCCE office and they are at the nursery and free for the taking.
2013 is already in the works at the nursery. Our seed company closes down in July while they switch over to the new year’s seeds. Renee’s is coming out with an all organic line in the coming year to compliment their already great lines of seed. I have already put in the rose and bare-root tree order for Jan/Feb too. Sort of scary. You have till the end of October to get me your special fruit tree (aka S.O.F.T.) orders in but that only includes some almonds. If you are thinking of nut trees, shade trees, grapes or berries in any numbers I suggest you get your order in as soon as possible.
I apologize for the inconvenience but at this date we are planning on cutting back to 6 days a week starting in August. I want to give you the heads up and yes it will be Wednesday, our traditional day to be closed.
Thank-you all for a great spring and your continued support of the nursery.
Happy Gardening,
Tanya