Hosta- Plantain Lily

All you shade gardeners will be happy with this plant of the month selection. Hostas are grown for their foliage, although they do flower with white to light blue or purple spikes in the summer. There are hundreds of varieties from little dwarfs to over two foot tall. The leafs colors come in golds, greens, blues, limes and variegated yellows and whites. The leaves can be huge or small, mooth, wavy or crinkled. They all go completely dormant for winter and look good in the ground or containers. Grow hostas in bright shade or filtered sun and they look best in good soil. They need regular water and need protection from slugs and snails who find them particularly tasty. Bait with Sluggo if you find holes in your beautiful foliage. I find them to be an undemanding plant that looks better and better as the clumps grow with no special care. Many people are hosta collectors and have large areas planted of many types.

We have 4” pots at $1.00 off regular price and 1 gal. at $2.00 off regular price.

May specials

• Green-All Organic Potting Soil 2cf
  Buy 3 get 4th FREE
• Green-All Soil Booster (for your vegie and flower beds)
  Buy 3 get 4th FREE
• Roses
  Buy 2 and get 3rd at half price
• Plant of the month – Hosta
  $1.00 OFF 4” and $2.00 OFF 1 gal.

May 2013 Newsletter

It has been a busy spring so far, perhaps the driest spring since we opened the nursery, and the nice weather has brought many of you in. I want to thank all of you for supporting us. It also means that many of our vegetable and annual suppliers were caught off guard and have had trouble keeping up with demand. We have still managed to get a wide selection of vegetable starts in, including lots of new to us heirlooms. A few things I have been looking for I have not seen. I know many of you are still waiting to be sure all danger of frost is over and we will continue to supply vegetable starts thru May.

Now that the ground has warmed up you can start things directly in the ground from seed. Good things to sow to eat that are easy from seed are squash, beans, corn, melons, pumpkins and cukes. There are lots of flowers that start easy from seed too. Try marigolds, zinnias, sunflowers, nasturtiums and morning glories. We have re-ordered seeds on all these things so we can keep you supplied.

The nursery has gone thru its spring transformation from being bare and bloom less to lush and full offlowers. We are running out of space to put things. We are still waiting on our potted formerly bare-root shade tree stock to pop some leaves, but just about all the roses and fruit trees have leafed. The roses are starting to bloom along with this years spring crop of aphids. As many of you know we release ladybugs regularly so do not often use an insecticide. I consider it a given that roses will have aphids in spring and go with it.

As dry as it has been I am a little surprised that I have peach leaf curl on some of the peaches and something on a few of the plums too. As a matter of fact I am not sure what has caused the plums to get distorted leaves so if anyone knows what is going on there they can educate me. Always something to learn all the time in this business.

We were pretty successful with growing Proven Winner plugs again this year, putting a lot of Supertunias into pots so we can offer them at a good price point. The breeders are having a field day with petunias with so many new lines available that I can not keep track. The Lemon Slice Calibrochoa flew out of here last weekend but I have more on the way. Many have asked about lantana and annual vinca but they have not been available yet. These are some of the last things for the wholesalers to grow as they need consistent warm weather. We will have them when they become available.

I have a new product I will be trying myself called Earthshine. The claim is that instead of having to use fresh soil in your containers every year the granular product will replace all the goodies my veggies sucked out of it last year. I will just be adding this to my old soil. Ask about it if you are interested. We are also stocking their myccrorhyze and water purifier.

We just unpacked more nursery whimsy and iron just in time for Mothers Day. We have a buy 2 and get a third for half price special on roses. We just planted up some of those moss purses and have lots of Star Gardens grown hanging baskets and mixed containers.

Shrubs in color right now are Snowball, Cranberry Bush, Mock Orange, Ceanothus, Fremontia, Broom and Rockrose. Come in to feast your eyes on all our splendor. It does not quit.

Happy Gardening,
Tanya

Cercis occidentalis- Western Redbud

Western Redbud is a fantastic California, native for your garden, home, ranch-you name it. They are the magenta blooming plants that dot our Lake County roads this time of year. They are valued for their flowers, pods, form and foliage. The spring pea like blossoms form a rich reddish brown pod that gives it winter interest after the leaves have fallen. The leaves are heart shaped and almost blue-green in color and get some fall color.

Plant in a dry or low water area in full to part sun. They will need some water and young plants would benefit from a little shade to get established. Once established-3 to 5 years- they could go with no water at all during summer months. They get big, 10-18 ft tall and wide, so give them some room. Prune after bloom if necessary. These are on the deer and oak root fungus resistant list.

April Subscriber Coupon

Get one free gallon size regular priced perennial with any purchase of $35 dollars or more.
Coupon Required.  Sign-Up here.

April Specials

Plant of the Month- Western Redbud

• 20% OFF regular price. We have gallon sizes and larger starting at 11.99 regular price.

Our all fescue blend of grass seed

• 30% OFF regular price of 13.99 for 5 lbs.

Green-All Soils

• 2 cf Organic Potting Soil-Purple Bag- Buy 3, 4th FREE
• Organic Soil Booster-Orange Bag- Buy 3, 4th FREE

All new Formula 420 Growers Premium Mix

• Try it special-15% OFF regular price

Plus the ongoing Fill A Flat, Bakers Dozen and 10th free of any one kind of Bark, Soils, etc.

April 2013 Newsletter

I am writing this on a rainy morning and I can not help but think of the saying-”April showers bring May flowers”.  As you can imagine we are stocking up on those summer bloomers and have plenty of spring bloomers in now.

This is the time many wonderful shrubs are strutting their stuff. My Ornamental Quince was beautiful this year and since we sold out of most of our stock I am getting more in within the week. My Lilacs are blooming and we have many in stock for you to chose from. February’s plant of the month, Viburnum tinus is still blooming strong. The white spring blooming Spireas are starting. We have some nice 5 gal Shoe Buttons blooming now and hope to have some one gallons in on Tuesday. The Van Houts are budding and will follow the Shoe Buttons. These are tough proven deciduous shrubs that are on the deer resistant list. Plant in half to full sun with moderate water. The native ‘wild lilac’ Ceanothus are starting to bloom also. The smaller leafed varieties are more deer resistant. These are good for a well drained hillside and are available in small sizes right now. The small pots of fast growing rockroses are available now too. Our native redbuds are blooming in the county and are our plant of the month.

We are stocking up on warm season veggies. We have tomato, pepper, zucchini and a few cuke starts in now. You can still sow seeds for lettuce, cilantro, chard, beets, peas and carrots or you can get some of them in starts still. Wait until the end of the month to sow your beans, cukes, basil, corn and squash seeds in the ground. I might be pessimistic but I believe some of us are still going to have some frost. Please remember if you are planting warm season starts of tomatoes, peppers, and squash to protect at night. Most of the warm season plants need the soil to warm up before they start to grow.

The same can be said for annuals like zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers. Start indoors now or wait till the end of the month or the first of May to sow seed outdoors.

Amend your vegetable and annual flower beds with Green-All Organic Soil Booster in the orange bag. These plants deplete the soil annually so you need to add food. Our Soil Booster is buy 3 bags and get a 4th free in April. One bag will amend 30 to 50 sq. feet.

April and October are considered to be the best months to start a lawn from seed and to revamp the lawn you have. We are putting our grass seed on special for the month. Top dress your old lawn with a mix of Green-All Organic Firmulch in the blue bag. If you are starting from scratch then rototill amendments into your soil, level, seed and topdress with Firmulch. Birds can be a big problem with any seed so try to hide the seed from them.

We are growing Proven Winner Supertunias again and offering a great price to our customers. We are also getting some unique petunias in from our growers. These are available now in 4” pots now. We also have lots of petunias in 6 pks. Petunias can take a little frost so plant now. The perennial Diascias, Carnations, Guara and Catmints are looking good, along with the Nemesias, Bacopa and Million Bells.

A new shipment of iron is due next week and we have lots of fresh whimsy.

Happy Spring Gardening,
Tanya

Liatris spicata

Common name-Gayfeather

Liatris is a North American native bulb in the Aster Family. It is a showy bloomer in summer when the grassy basal growth shoots up to four feet topped with purple flower spikes that open from the top  down. All you purple flower lovers would like this one. It makes a good cut flower too.

Although it requires some water, it is deer resistant, takes the heat and cold, aridity and poor soils. It is sensitive to soggy soil during the winter while the bulbs are dormant, so a well drained soil is best.  Consider planting in your mixed containers if your soil is bad. Plant bulbs in spring. Often available potted later in the summer.

March 2013 Specials  and Plant of the Month

• Plant of the Month- Liatris bulbs are 20% off regular price
• Green-All 2 cf Organic Potting Soil—Buy 3 and get 4th free
• Buy 5 fruit trees and get 6th free
• Newly Potted Roses- Buy 2 and get 3rd at half price
• On Going-Fill a Flat and Bakers Dozen

March Newsletter

Where is our rain? At this point to be fair I will have to hope it is a rainy spring, but that is difficult. I prefer rain in January (after all that is why we close for 4 weeks) and February. The warm weather means we have potted most of our roses already but we do have a few left in bare-root if you hurry in.  We decided to put all our Weeks roses in the can as soon as they arrived as we have a massive amount of work ahead of us. The berries were starting to leaf so we are potting them up now. You can help out by coming in for fruit and shade trees in the next couple of weeks. Next in line are the peaches, plums and nectarines.

You might be asking what you should be doing in the garden now besides planting bare-root trees and roses. Things are starting to break dormancy so now would be a good time to finish up the last of your tree and shrub pruning. Remember if it is a spring blooming shrub you want to leave it alone until after it has finished blooming. Cut back your perennials and deciduous grasses if you have not done this already. March is the time to start fertilizing too. I usually want to say wait till more towards the end of the month but with the weather I know that I am starting to fertilize my accounts and the nursery as soon as I can. If the spring remains dry, fungus and bacterial problems on our plants will remain low so I guess that is a bright spot.

Speaking of the dry weather, I have had to start running the irrigation a couple of times a week. Now is the time to get out there and do a check on your system, check for winter damage and make your repairs. Hopefully we will be able to turn the system off again with some rain but things are waking up and need a drink.

So what is new here? We have some intriguing new to us or new this year roses. Check out Dark Night, Big Momma, Over The Moon, Love Song, and Cinnamon Dolce. We also have some old favorites like Veteran’s Honor, Hot Cocoa, Purple Tiger and Day Breaker. For those of you who missed out on Ketchup and Mustard last year, they are back in stock. As so many of you can not grow roses because of the deer and we are a small nursery, I try to change up the offering every year.

The moss purses were very popular last year and they are back! We just received a fresh supply of bamboo windchimes. We have new statuary and new pottery with two more pallets expected of pots we have not had before, including some Talaveras Pottery. Our new gifty items and garden décor is coming as I write this with the first three boxes waiting on my doorstep today.

Our fresh supply of Rhodies, Azaleas, Camellias, Forsythia and Quince are here. I find the rhododendrons and azaleas more difficult to grow on the valley floor and recommend them more for Cobb and Anderson Springs. The camellias and quince are a different story. The camellias make great container plants in a shady spot and the deer usually leave them alone. I feel no house should be without the deer resistant ornamental quince. You can force the branches indoors just like the forsythia and they are easy to grow and one of the first things to bloom.

Start your vegetable garden now with peas, carrots, beets, broccoli, kale and the like. I have already been asked when the peppers and tomatoes are coming. Not till April really although I might order some Early Girls next week for those of you who have to have a tomato growing and plan to protect.

Happy Gardening,

Tanya

As I write this January is coming to an end and I know Spring will be here before I know it. Most of our big dry goods orders for spring have been placed and our 2013 selection of things is starting to be delivered. As many of you are aware it begins with bare root trees. We received our 2^nd big order today of shade trees and fruit from Cooke so most of our selection has arrived. We have not received everything on order from Dave Wilson yet but most came last week. Please check out the website for a full list. You can find us at davewilson.com and I hope to have the list posted on our website as well. I am attaching the list from Cooke in this newsletter along with the new roses we expect to have by mid-February. The window for bare root roses will be small as we have to get rolling on getting things potted too.

The nursery is still in winter mode and there just is not that much available from our local wholesalers in color. Many of you are aware that I do not order from Southern CA and get almost everything from a 200 mile radius. I feel these plants are better acclimated to us. Please be patient. We have lots of fresh primrose in but the pansy selection is limited. We still have a few spring bulbs left at 75% off the marked price but summer bulbs will be here in a couple of weeks.

For the edible garden we just received our 2013 seeds, have several varieties of organic seed potatoes in stock and bare root asparagus, artichokes, rhubarb and horseradish. I also have sunchokes but I might have to get them into pots quickly as I have had them mold on me if I do not. Our bare root strawberries are here too.

Is it too late to spray my roses? Fruit trees? No it is not. Winter and spring give us the most problems with disease. Brown spot on Photinia, Peach Leaf Curl on peaches, Black Spot on roses to name a few. To help you combat these problems we will offer our subscribers a 20% off coupon with this newsletter. This will include Bonide’s copper spray (the best choice for peaches) , the amazing Bacillus culture Seranade (we used this last year on the roses and were very pleased) and our newest addition to our organic controls that we have heard good reviews on, Actinovate. Actinovate is an OMRI approved microorganism called Streptomyces lydicus strain WYEC 108. You can use it to combat lawn disease, downy mildew, black spot, root rot, damping off and more in lawns, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vegies and more.

Looking for even more savings? Join our VIP Club for more periodic special offers on your cell phone by texting 83654 and writing the message STAR.

February Specials

• Plant of the Month- 20% OFF
• Fall bulbs (for spring bloom) 75% OFF while they last
• Buy 5 fruit trees and get a 6^th FREE
• Last years potted fruit trees are HALF-OFF regular price
• We are continuing our ongoing
• Fill a Flat where you buy 7 6 packs and get the 8^th FREE. (The nursery flats normally hold 8 jumbo packs, hence the name)
• Baker’s Dozen- Buy 12 4”annuals or perennials and get a 13^th FREE.
• Get the 10^th bag FREE when you buy 9 of the same regularly priced bagged soils

Plant of the Month

Viburnum tinus ‘Spring Bouquet’
also called V. tinus ‘Compactum’

I love this evergreen, deer resistant Mediterranean native. It makes an excellent hedge, topiary or container plant, so it will take clipping. The leaves are deep green and leathery. The new stems are red colored making a nice contrast with the foliage. This shrub blooms in winter thru spring with tight clusters of pink buds that open to slightly fragrant white flowers. They produce a shiny metallic blue berry that lasts into fall.

You can plant these in full sun to light shade but powdery mildew can be a problem in shady spots. It can withstand some drought once established but will need summer water, specially in the sun. The foliage makes nice filler for flower bouquets. This is a valuable landscape shrub.

The plain V. tinus is not as common in the industry and grows up to 12′ and makes a good screen. I do get it in stock when possible.

Take 20% OFF the regular price of our one and five gallon V. tinus ‘Spring Bouquet’ in February.

Tanya

Schlumbergera x buckleyi
Christmas Cactus, Zygos

We love the bright and colorful Zygos around the holidays. In nature these cacti live on trees like orchids so they desire a rich and porous soil with regular feeding during growth and bloom. To get them to bloom for Christmas they like cool night temps in the low 50’s and 12 to 14 hours of darkness during the month of November. They can be grown outside in San Francisco but here we need to protect from frost so they are better suited as an indoor plant in the winter. They need bright indirect light or part shade if outdoors in the good weather.

If happy they can bear hundreds of multi-petaled tubular flowers. Rosy purple is the common color but you can find them in colors ranging from white, light orange, pink, scarlet, red and fuchsia pink.

We have lots of Zygos to chose from and they are all 25% off regular price in December!

December Specials Thru December 24th

DOES NOT INCLUDE EVERGREEN (CHRISTMAS) TREES, WREATHS OR GARLAND

25% OFF

• LINER POTS OF FIGS, BLUEBERRIES AND POMEGRANITES
• ALL INDOOR PLANTS INCLUDING POINTS, CYCLAMEN AND ZYGOS
• ALL DRY GOODS-SPRAYS, FERTILIZERS, SOILS, BARKS, TIES, STAKES, ETC.
• GENTLE SPIRIT WINDCHIMES, TERRACOTTA POTS
• GIFT CERTIFICATES

50% OFF

• MOST OF OUR OUTDOOR PLANTS- THIS MEANS TREES, SHRUBS, ROSES, ANNUALS, PERENNIALS AND BULBS
• IRON BENCHES, ARCHES, TRELLIS’ GLAZED POTTERY
• GARDEN ART-METAL, POLYSTONE, ETC.

Star Gardens December 2012 Newsletter

Happy holidays everyone. I hope everyone has a wonderful year end and good new year. Here at the nursery we are winding down one year and preparing for 2013 at the same time. Next years selection of figs, blueberries and pomegranates in liner pots have already arrived. Our potting area has been cleaned up in preparation for our annual bulk soil to containerize our bare root roses and trees. A lot of our spring orders have been placed. Many of our deciduous shrubs and trees have lost their leaves and although we have some beautiful fall color still happening, it could all be gone after this series of storms with wind and heavy rainfall.

We have had a small glitch with our living (Christmas) tree order. Normally they are here by now but there has been a delay with shipping

logistics. (Breaking news-They are in transit as I write this.) Eric and I plan on picking up the cut trees in time to have them by the 1st of December. We will have wreaths and garland too. We have plenty of Poinsettias, Christmas Cactus and Cyclamen for indoor decoration.

We will not have a newsletter in January as the nursery traditionally closes for the 4 weeks after Christmas. We will reopen for regular winter hours on Jan 19th. With that in mind I will remind everyone of a few tips for winter. Use anti-transpirant on your citrus, oleander and other plants that suffer cold damage. Anti-transpirant also prolongs your cut evergreens like your wreaths and holiday trees. We sell Wilt-Stop in concentrate and ready to use form. We also recommend the N-Sulate cloth cover for your citrus for added protection. I have covered my winter vegetable containers in our lightweight row cover cloth called Plant and Seed Blanket to keep them warmer but also because my local flock of wild birds were feasting on my peas and kale.

If we have a dry spell do not forget to water as dry plants are more prone to cold damage than hydrated ones. Do not forget to water those containers that do not get the winter rains. A dry spell is also a good time for your dormant spraying.

Look for the posting of the new rose and tree list on the website sometime in January. I will have them up before we re-open.

Thank-you to all our customers who have supported Star Gardens over the past year. Once again in appreciation we will be having our big year end sale.

Peace and Prosperity,
Tanya

Fabulous Fall Color Trees

Fall foliage color is beginning to happen at the nursery. Our wonderful Chinese Pistache trees are showing color as we speak. I highly recommend them as a superb shade tree for our area. Other fabulous fall foliage trees in stock and included in the featured special are Red Maple, Japanese Maples, Sweet gum (Liquidamber), Sourgum (Nyssa), Raywood Ash, Ginkgo, Crape Myrtle, and Ornamental Pear. These trees do not rely on sharp frost for good color so are all good sources to light up your yard for autumn.

November Specials

All glazed pottery – 30% OFF

Roses and deciduous fruit trees continue at 30% OFF regular price.

Plant of the Month – 20% OFF regular price - (Listed Fall Foliage Trees
Limited to stock on hand)

• Chinese Pistache
• Liquidamber
• Nyssa
• Ginkgo
• Ornamental Pear
• All Maples
• Raywood Ash
• Crape Myrtle shrubs and tree form

Subscriber Coupon:

Save 20% on our fabulous daffodils, tulips, paper whites and entire selection of spring blooming bulbs for fall planting.

November Newsletter

First things first. I want to remind everyone that our winter hours begin Sunday Nov. 4th along with the time change. Winter hours are 10-4, 6 days a week, closed Wed. We are also open by appointment if those hours do not suit you.

November 10th is my SOFT order deadline for bare-root fruit trees. Please have all your special orders in to me by then so I can collate the orders by Dave Wilson’s deadline. After that date you will be at the mercy of my selections for stock bare-root trees. I want to remind everyone that our bare root season does not begin till the end of January.

Some of us focus on trees for fall color but many shrubs put on a good show also. Our Snowball Viburnums are just starting to change. Other shrubs that put on some nice fall color before dropping their leaves are Spireas, Barberry, Rockspray Cotoneaster, Lilacs, Nine Bark, Smoke Bush and Hydrangea.

We still have a good selection of cool season vegetable starts including garlic and white and yellow onions. Turns out we will not be getting the red onions as hoped. Here are a couple of companion planting tips for now- Radishes attract leaf miners (away from your spinach and chard, etc.) and the damage they do to the foliage does not hurt the radish growing under ground. I do not know about you but I always get miner damage in my chard. Catnip along with collards reduces flea-beetle damage. Onions and chives can repel some pests also so consider planting them among your other vegetables. Chives and/or garlic with roses repel rose pests, including aphids.

November marks the beginning of the dormant spray season for fruit trees and roses. It is recommended that 3 sprayings be done each year, especially if you have had any infestation of insects or fungal type pests. Any other ornamental tree or shrub in your yard that had an infestation of some type would benefit also. (Thanksgiving, New Year and Valentines Day are easy benchmarks to remember.) The oil spray is for over wintering insects and copper spray is for fungal/bacterial things like peach leaf curl. We also stock an all purpose orchard spray that uses sulfur and pyrethrum. We now have a refrigerator for our ladybugs and beneficial nematodes and just received fresh stock of both. Beneficial nematodes are an organic control for tree borers-attacking them in the ground while they are in the pupate stage. They are also called flea destroyers as they can control fleas in the yard. It is a good practice to apply nematodes to your orchard every two to three years as a preventative.

We expect our fresh batch of balled and burlaped ( B and B) potted conifers for living holiday trees to arrive sometime around the middle of the month. We will again have a limited selection of cut Douglas and Noble Fir trees for the first week end in December until we sell out so get in early for best selection.

 Happy Gardening,
Tanya

Lilac-Syringa

Lilac Syringa vulgari

Lake County gets the chill hours to grow beautiful Lilac shrubs for spring flowers and fragrance. Best known is common lilac, Syringa vulgaris and its many hybrids but we also have S. persica and S. meyeri ‘Palibin’.

Many think the plain lavender colored common lilac has the best fragrance but others prefer the color and form of the many hybrid varieties. You can get single or double flowers in colors of pink, magenta, blue and purple. The shrub gets quite large-up to 20ft. The Persian Lilac is more open and graceful to 6’ with fragrant pale violet flowers. ‘Palibin’ is dense and twiggy growing to 5’ with fragrant pale lavender. Some have trouble getting the common lilac to bloom (it can sometimes take up to 8 years) but the other mentioned varieties have no trouble blooming at a young age.

Persian-Lilac

Lilacs require sun but can take some light shade in hot climates. I suggest a good winter sun location if you want good flowering but okay if it gets a little shade in the summer. They like well-drained soil that is neutral to slightly alkaline so many plant with lime and apply a little on a yearly basis. Prune after flowering in late spring or early summer as next springs flowers start forming now. If you prune in winter you will not get the flowers you are hoping for. To rejuvenate cut larger old branches all the way to the ground. Most pick up some nice fall color before the leaves fall off.

Lilacs are on the deer resistant list but with all plants you should protect from those critters when you first plant. They take regular water but older established shrubs are quite drought resistant.

October Specials

• 30% OFF all deciduous fruit.
• 30% OFF all roses
• 20% OFF all four inch size annuals, perennials and grasses
• 20 % OFF the Plant of the Month- Lilac
• Green-All 2 c.f . Organic Potting Soil- Buy 3 bags and get the 4th FREE

October Newsletter

Just back from the fun trade show up in Reno. No snow on the way home like last year. Deb went with me for the first time. People ask “Did you gamble?”. I say yes but not at the casino. We were betting on what would sell next spring!

Looks like we are finally cooling off for some perfect fall planting weather. If you plan a winter vegetable garden do not delay. You want to get it planted while the weather is still nice enough to get them established and growing so you will have sizeable plants that can produce through the colder months as opposed to small plants that just sit there till spring to grow.

White and yellow onions bulbs, garlic and shallots are here. We were shorted the reds but hope to get some still and plan to order the 6 packs of starts of the red torpedo. We have CA. Early, Elephant, Italian Purple and Purple Glazer garlic along with French Red shallots.

Vegetables are not the only thing to plant now. Cold hardy trees and shrubs planted in fall will be twice the size by the end of next year compared to ones planted in spring. Our spring blooming bulbs are here along with sweet peas, ornamental cabbage and kales, pansies and violas, poppies and calendula. Primroses are just starting along with cyclamen. No reason not to have a little color in your life.

We expect to get our pumpkins and gourds for decoration and sale on the 12th. Orange is one of my favorite colors so I just love the look the nursery gets with all those bright squashes, purple cabbages and great ornamental grasses.

October is also a perfect month for over-seeding or starting a lawn from seed. We have a good all fescue (the best type for our area) blend of grass seed for you to use. Top dress with our Green-All Firmulch or make a mix of seed and mulch. Remember to keep moist.

Time to do a last summer prune on your fruit trees and feed with 0-10-10. What I mean by this is thin out and cut back a lot of this years growth. If you prune now you will not be cutting out next years fruiting wood that will be starting to develop over winter and you will not have as much work to do in the cold and wet. The reason you feed with bloom food now is that it takes a while to break down into a form the trees or shrubs can use. If you apply in spring it is of no use to next springs flowers.

Time to feed all your spring blooming shrubs like Lilacs, Rhodies, Azaleas. Camellias, Quince and the like also. If it is a spring bloomer-feed it.

Last month to get in your fruit tree special orders. Otherwise your selection will be limited to what we are purchasing for stock. Availability is already limited on shade trees so if you are going to want more than one or two of a kind of shade tree you better let me know so I can get them ordered.

Happy Gardening,
Tanya

Plant of the Month

Epilobium cana / Zauschneria californica
Common names: California fuchsia, Hummingbird Flower

California Fuchsia

Now here is an easy to grow CA. native that gives you loads of orange-red trumpet shaped hummingbird attracting flowers from late summer through fall. They take full sun, but there are some varieties of the lower growing type like ‘Mattiole Select’ that prefer afternoon shade. They survive on very little water and prefer well drained soil but will adapt to heavier soils. There are several named varieties, the lower ones grow to 8” tall with taller varieties reaching to 2 ft. The foliage ranges from green to grey green to silver depending on variety. They spread by underground roots.

California Fuchsia

CA. Fuchsias go dormant in winter so I always cut the old stalks down in winter sometime after the first good freeze. They work well in the native garden, among rocks or to help with hillside stabilization. This is a very enjoyable low maintenance perennial and it is deer resistant.

September Specials

• Green-All Soil Booster 1.5 c.f. bags- Buy 3 and get 4th FREE
• 20% OFF all ‘gallon’ sizes from 1 to 15 of perennials, shrubs, citrus, olives and trees
• 30% OFF all our berries, grapes, nuts and most fruit trees.
• (Ongoing- plant of the month is $1.00 OFF 4” , Fill a Flat and Baker’s Dozen specials)

Subscriber Coupon :
Get one FREE 4” perennial or seed pack of your choice with every $25 worth of purchases

September 2012 Newsletter

My vacation to my niece’s wedding at Waterton Provincial Park has come and gone, young and old alike are back at school and the unofficial end of summer is here. Time for the second round of gardening!

It’s not too late to groom and fertilize your roses and long blooming perennials and annuals to keep them looking good through October. Now is the month to feed your fruit trees to give them a good start next year. Use our E.B. Stone Fruit Tree Food. If you postpone till next month then the E.B. Stone Ultra Bloom will be the better choice. It has no nitrogen and your trees will be going into dormancy and will not use it. Fertilize your lawn after the long hot summer. Fescue type lawns grow most in spring and fall so you will want to feed those now to keep them looking healthy.

Fall/winter vegetable starts are here and I am hoping the seed order to stock up on cool season vegetable and flower seeds will be in by Labor Day week-end. I have pulled all the warn season seeds from the shelf so you should have no problem choosing appropriate seeds. Many people plant sweet peas in the fall for early spring bloom before the days get too hot for them. We should have the beginning of our poppy and wildflower seeds coming too. Calendulas start easy from seed and can help brighten your winter yard.

Our suppliers are starting to have a nice selection of pansies, violas, ornamental cabbage and kale, stock and snapdragons. We are beginning to stock these cooler weather lovers so you can get them up to a good size before the cold weather inhibits growth. Looking for some fall container ideas? You could use the ornamental peppers with grasses, cabbage and pansies or throw some hardy succulents into the mix.

You have till the end of October to get your special fruit tree orders in for bare-root season. I will have plenty of bare-root to choose from in winter but you will be limited to the varieties I ordered for stock. Is there a special cherry or perhaps the donut peach you have always wanted? Do you make your own canned peaches and want a cling stone variety? How about an Asian Pear or a not so well known apple? Go to davewilson.com for a full listing of fruit trees to choose then call or come by the nursery with your order.

I have switched bulb companies and have had to look for onion and garlic starts elsewhere so you will be seeing some changes in selection this fall. The new company provides a smaller bag of bulk daffodils which most of you might prefer but for my customers who buy the big bags every year you will have to buy two or more. The per bulb price will be comparable so I do not see it being a big issue. Expect onions, garlic, shallots by the end of September. My iris selection is already here and I expect more flowering bulbs to arrive as the month progresses.

We are into prime planting months (Sept and early October) for hardy trees, shrubs and perennials. To help you get in the mood all one gallon and bigger size containers in stock are 20% OFF this month. Get the jump on Spring 2013 by planting this fall. Some of you have been waiting for the shorter days, slightly cooler weather and the fall nursery specials so wait no more.

Some nice late blooming perennials to choose from are CA. Fuchsia, lots of the Salvias, ornamental oregano, Black-eyed Susans, Coneflower, Swamp Sunflowers, Russian Sage, Gaura, Crape Myrtle and ornamental grasses. The nursery is still loaded with color. Shouln’t you be, too?

Tanya

Plant of the Month

Anemone x hybrida

Anemone x hybrida

We do not do many shade plants as the plant of the month but here is a real gem of a late summer blooming, long lived perennial for part shade. So many of the shade plants bloom in spring but this beauty starts showing color mid-July and goes into September. The dark green lobed leaves form an attractive clump with the flowering stems rising two to four feet above the foliage. Flowers can be white or shades of pink, single or doubles, depending on variety. The taller blooms often need staking.

Anemone x hybrida

Anemones are on the deer resistant list and are poisonous if ingested. They can be slow to establish but if conditions are right the can actually be invasive. Plant in good soil with plenty of moisture in morning sun or filtered shade. They are perfect with ferns and hostas.

August Specials

GreenAll Firmulch- Buy 3, get the 4th FREE

Plant of the Month- Anemone x hybrida- $2.00 OFF regular price of a one gallon pot.

Spring blooming shrubs- 30% OFF

• Lilacs
• Rhodies
• Camellias
• Azaleas
• Quince
• Snowball
• Forsythia
• Spireas

Ongoing:

• Buy 3 Roses or fruit trees and get a 4th FREE
• Fill-a-flat
• Baker’s Dozen

Subscriber Coupon for August
Get a third one for FREE when you purchase any 4” annuals (plants priced between $1.99 and $2.99) or 6 pack annuals (priced at $4.19)

August 2012 Newsletter

August already! How can that be? It seems like I was just getting the July newsletter out and here I am again. So far we have been lucky with the weather and although it is 100 degrees as I write this, all in all the summer has not been as hot as some.

Starting in August, Star Gardens will be open only 6 days a week and closed on Wednesdays. I hope this does not inconvenience any of you. We will still be watering first thing in the morning so if you can get us in a charitable mood or it is an emergency you could still get lucky early Wednesday. I for one am going on vacation in August which left only Debbie to man the show. One of our local residents, Alejandro, who has tons of nursery experience from Whiting Nursery will be filling in to give Deb some time off while I am gone. He is super nice and knowledgeable so I am confident I am leaving you and the nursery in good hands.

I stocked up on fertilizer for the July coupon but very few of you took advantage of it. I’m still encouraging you to feed and groom your roses and other fall and long blooming perennials if you want them to keep performing. Firmulch is still on special, if you buy 3 bags you get the 4th FREE. I received a call from someone who use to shop at Highlands. She was looking for Firmulch. She said she had tried other places in Lake County and no one had it. She said her garden is terrible this year because she could not find it, has always used it and has always had success.

I hope most of you are having good fruit set on your vegetables. I have not had as many complaints this year so either you have all been turned on to the calcium sprays, added calcium to your beds or it isn’t as bad a problem as last year. Maybe all the ants (and it seems like they have been particularly bad this year along with flour moths for me) have been pollinating our vegetables for us.

Speaking of where time goes, bulbs like saffron crocus and bearded iris arrive at the end of the month followed by more in September and a few in October. This is also the month to start thinking of the fall garden. It is time to start your broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and the like from seed. Towards the end of the month and into September you can start your peas, beets, carrots and lettuce right in the ground. Did you leave space in your beds for fall? Are you sick of zucchini and ready to yank it? We have begun to think about it here and are getting a limited selection of cooler season starts in and will be doing a fall seed order in the next week or so.

The nursery still has plenty of selection and we are fast approaching prime planting time in Northern California. Check out this list of prime blooming plants for fall available now.

Happy Gardening,

Tanya

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