December Newsletter
It’s finally raining but oh so cold. It will take a little time to adjust to the cold, and I am a bit concerned that our plants did not get that gradual hardening off period and will suffer some too. Unfortunately, this is becoming a common occurrence for us. Today really feels like winter with some very cold nights ahead. At least it feels more appropriate to this time of year and holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Speaking of Christmas by the time this letter is sent out, we should have our cut trees in stock. That is if Tony Nichelini and friends are not stranded in Ashland due to weather conditions for more than a night. They are on the road with our trees as I am starting this newsletter. We should have them by Small Business Saturday, Nov. 30, the beginning of our traditional huge year-end clearance sales. Skip Black Friday and support your local business’ on Small Business Saturday, where your dollars stay local. Check out the Middletown Area Merchants Facebook page to see who is participating.
Lots of festive holiday plant material is available now at the nursery. In addition to living and cut conifers, we have wreaths, garland, Christmas Cactus, Lemon Cypress, Osmanthus, Cyclamen, Arborvitae, and other not so traditional plants to ‘spruce’ up your home. Poinsettias will be in on Monday. Need some gift ideas? We just stocked up on small glazed pottery and houseplants, succulents and potted bulbs make excellent gifts. Throw in our new shipment of pot hangers, and you have a winner. How about our metal art for indoors or out or just a really nice glazed pot? Hand tools always make a nice gift for the gardener in your life who can always use a pair of gloves or a ball of string or a Farmers Almanac Calendar. Thinking bigger? We have birdbaths, statuary, arches, and benches too. Let’s not forget the heart of the nursery-plants. Trees and shrubs make excellent gifts, especially if your family and friends still need some landscaping. Of course, if you cannot decide, a Star Gardens Gift Certificate is always appreciated. All of these gift ideas, including gift certificates, will be 25% off thru Dec 23. I just went to Santa Rosa to pick up our wreath order, and frankly, it’s a zoo over there.
We do not put out a newsletter for January as we take a break, and the nursery is ‘officially’ closed from Dec. 24-Jan 16, but we can be open by appointment, or we could be here doing some projects on nice days. Bare root trees usually arrive mid-January, except for the liner pots which are coming Friday, and roses the first of February. I will be working on our rose list, and you can find what we ordered for bare-root fruit and shade trees at https://www.davewilson.com/home-gardens/retailer-variety-list/star-gardens. Besides planning for next year, your biggest to do this month and next is pruning and protecting tender plants from the cold. Spray citrus, young oleander, and olives with anti-transpirant to help with the desiccation that comes with the cold. (Works well on your cut tree and wreaths to keep them fresher longer too.) Cover Citrus with N-Sulate frost cloth or something similar. If you need some tips on pruning fruit trees, go to davewilson.com or homeorchard.ucdavis.edu. Shape young shade trees while you still can. Do another round of dormant spraying in January. Make sure you have brought in those battery timers and have drained your irrigation valves or wrapped them and other vulnerable water pipes.
After writing about the air purifying benefits of houseplants, new information has come out saying those NASA studies were done in a vacuum and don’t apply to your home. I think I saw it said you would need thousands and they won’t do the job a good air filtration system would. I think we can agree that for most of us that love plants, that is not the only reason we have them. Plants make us feel good and add to the quality of life. Plants in the workplace can increase work productivity and satisfaction. Plants rock, period.
How was your fall color this year? Some at the nursery were good, and a lot was very disappointing. My big Pistache turned gold with no other colors mixed in this year. My usually beautifully red October Glory Maple only got hints of color. Chalk it up to the early cold night I had in October that froze a lot of leaves and the unseasonably warm weather we had.
Thank you to all who have supported us in past years, this year and the year to come. Wishing you Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year.
Tanya, Deb, Jahi, and Chelsea
December Specials
25% off
- Gift Certificates
- Indoor Plants
- Seeds and Bulbs
- Hand Tools
- 2020 Fruit Liner Pots
- Citrus and Olives
- Evergreen Shrubs
- Cyclamen, Poinsettias and Christmas Cactus
- Fertilizers and Soils
- Pottery, Statuary, and Iron
- All other dry goods
50% Off
- Annuals and Perennials
- Deciduous Shrubs
- Roses
- Deciduous Shade Trees
- 2019 Fruit Trees
Special pricing limited to stock on hand.
Not included in the sale:
- Evergreen Conifer Trees
- Cut Christmas Trees
- Wreaths and Garland