The holidays are here! At Star Gardens, that means we will be busy with Christmas tree sales for the next few weeks. We have 300 cut trees to sell plus 80 living conifers for those who prefer to go that route. If you have nowhere to plant it or anyone to gift it to, Kathy collects trees to donate to local fire victims every year. Just drop it by the nursery gate when you are ready, even if we are closed. In addition to trees, we have beautiful mixed green wreaths and cedar garland to decorate with. Our cyclamen and ‘Christmas’ cactus are popular too. We will have some Poinsettias in the coming weeks.
Our Dave Wilson Farmers Market fruit liner pots are due to arrive next week. These are our 2022 fruit selection of figs, olives, pomegranates, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, currants, and gojis. These will not be included in our huge year-end sale, nor will Oregon-grown potted conifers, cut trees, wreaths, or garland. Don’t despair because just about everything else will be 25% off starting Small Business Saturday until we close for our 3-week winter break.
Yes, you read that right. Just about our entire inventory goes on year-end special at 25% off starting November 27th. All pottery, metal, benches, arches, statuary, birdbaths, houseplants, bulbs, garden art, gloves, rain gauges, thermometers, gift certificates valid starting 2022, seeds, vegetable starts, onions, garlic, potatoes, citrus, flowers, shrubs, trees, soil, fertilizers, sprays. Literally, everything the eye can see that is not a Christmas tree, wreath, garland, or 2022 liner pot of fruit. Out with the old and in with the new for 2022.
Speaking of Small Business Saturday, this is a great way to show your support for your hard-working, community-based local business’. Another way is to participate in Christmas in Middletown from 4-8 on December 11th. Loads of fun with Santa, street vendors, games, Hospice Tree Lighting, and many shops open late. We will be open till 6 that day. This is an annual event sponsored by the Middletown Area Merchants Assoc., aka MAMA.
December is a kickback month in the garden because there is so much else going on. Please monitor the weather for freeze warnings and especially a vicious cold snap. Keep your citrus covered with N-Sulate frost cloth and any other freeze-sensitive plant. Young plants like oleander and olives are susceptible to cold damage. Make sure your plants stay hydrated in the cold. If we do not get rain, you will have to water pots and even some of your in-ground plantings.
In keeping with the global warming trend, we are way past due for a killing frost here at the nursery, but it is coming. If the warmth continues, you will have to force your roses to rest when you prune them. You do this by striping all the leaves off and pruning them back some to outward growing buds. If the bush is too crowded, remove a few older canes. Remove any dead or diseased canes too. If it is a climbing rose, I find taking all the leaves off tedious, but I do like to remove as many as possible. Climbers are pruned differently than shrub roses. Long canes are left and only cut to shape. Side shoots off the main canes are cut back to two buds. If you have fresh new vigorous canes this year, consider removing an older one that the new one can replace. For more flowers, train your canes as horizontally as possible, like in a fan shape. If the rose is a one-time spring bloomer like Lady Banks, you do not prune it now. Spring blooming roses bloom on old wood, not new growth.
Bare root trees are due mid-January, and roses February 1st. We are assuming supply could still be an issue next year. For one thing, I know our bare root rose and fruit tree suppliers have oversold their inventory, so we are expecting a few shortages. Many orders are placed months in advance, and we still can’t get our entire orders filled due to high demand. Planned inventory for a year by the growers happens years in advance for trees and even roses. No one anticipated this massive surge in gardening due to the pandemic.
Star Gardens Winter break: Closing at 2 pm on Christmas Eve and re-opening on January 14th.
We will be checking messages during that time period just in case of an emergency or plant withdrawals.
Wishing you and yours the best end of 2021 and New Year.
We appreciate and thank you for your support.
Debbie, Chelsea, Evan, Gina, Austin, Eric, and Tanya.
December Specials
25% off our entire inventory (including gift certificates)
but excluding
Christmas trees, Oregon grown conifers, garland, wreaths, and 2022 fruit tree liner pots
