Time to say farewell to another bareroot season. The few remaining fruit trees will be potted up. Still available are several figs, pomegranates and shade trees. The roses are newly situated in biodegradable containers ready to be planted. It’s almost time for “Lady Banks” roses to put on their show. They only bloom in spring but it’s spectacular! Flowers in yellow or white. Later in the season we will be adding additional varieties.
Vegetable starts are always in demand and the supply changes constantly. We have started to carry some summer varieties with a warning to protect them from the cold; we’re still experiencing some freezing temperatures which make peppers, tomatoes and basil extremely unhappy! Currently in stock, 3″ Seascape strawberries. Strawberries are extremely popular and we’ll bring them in whenever they’re available.
Some tips from two of our in-house gardeners: Joaquin Gardens in Santa Margarita. His basic method is Perma-culture. The following is his recipe for super vegetables. 5 – 15% bone meal, for nitrogen; 5 – 10% bat guano, blood meal or chicken manure; 5% kelp meal; 10% or more earthworm castings; 3 – 5% humic acid; and 5 – 15% oyster shell (calcium). He’s had great success with a method called “hugelkultur” which originated in Austria. This method has been very successful growing squash varieties. The basic premise is to build a mound on top of rotting wood. Check out the article at https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur .
Jeff does his gardening here at the nursery in containers. He’s had great results using “smart pots”. These fiber based containers are known for promoting excellent root growth. His soil preferences are bales of “Raised Bed” planting mix or “Formula 420”. He incorporates Vermi-compost and Dr. Earth Vegetable fertilizer throughout the season.
Native California plants are always an important section of the nursery. We have lots of the basics – coffee berries, manzanitas and Ceanothus. The lovely blue flowers of the Ceanothus are about to bloom. These gorgeous plants are not always terribly long-lived but they make an excellent accent in the garden. We currently have some Ribes sanguineum ‘King Edward VII’, deciduous shrubs which do well with a bit of shade. The perennial Eriophyllum lanatum ‘Siskyou’ features gray leaves and bright yellow flowers.
Don’t to forget to plant summer blooming bulbs. We still have some lovely dahlia tubers. Shown here one of the most fragrant of all bulbs – tuberose. Next to it, “Gladiolus orchids” a diminutive variety of the old fashioned Gladiola – we have some of those as well.
We’re gradually restocking the nursery. The bins will soon be filled with trees, shrubs and perennials. Coleonemas are popular spring blooming shrubs. A bit hard to detect in the picture are three different varieties. The most common is Coleonema pulchrum which grows to 5 or 6 feet. The smaller one is C. pulchrum compactum. This plant grows about 3 feet tall. The remaining variety is C .’Sunset Gold’. The leaves are a much lighter shade of green, almost chartreuse. These plants are not the deer’s favorite; at this point we are hesitate to say many things are deer resistant; the deer have recently expanded their palates!
Metal flowers are back. Folks just love ’em.
Gelsemium sempervirens has been a big seller. Aside from the vibrant yellow flowers which bloom in early spring, it’s one of the few evergreen vines that do well in the North County. Solanum jasminoides is another alternative. Star jasmine (Trachylospermum) also fits the requirement but does best with some afternoon shade.
Our artistic employee, Mick, is responsible for the charming cards on display. He’s taken many of the photographs here at the nursery. Add your own greeting inside. The cards are on sale for $4.95.