You can grow your own delicious, juicy, sweet strawberries. These plants are just starting to arrive in the nursery. At present, we have Sequoia – large, spring bearing berries and Seascape, a large everbearing variety. Other varieties will soon be arriving. Additionally, we have the small Alpine variety, Regina. This is a red alpine type advertised to be the sweetest of its type.
Onion sets are gone – 6 packs are here. We have packages of two varieties of shallots plus California and elephant garlic. The more exotic garlic, Spanish roja is available in 4″ pots. Arriving later this month – seed potatoes. We sold out earlier types but expect more including German Butterball.
It won’t be long before those small fruits will shrug off their blossoms and become edible fruits. But these fruits can use a little help. Peaches and nectarines in particular are subjected to the tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris). The effect is called cat facing, the skin having an unhealthy, scratched look. It’s important to treat this insect very early, when the blossoms have just dropped. Captain Jack and Take Down insecticides are both effective. The only caveat is the possibility in harming the bee population. Please read the instructions; it will advise spraying when there are no bees in the vicinity. Insecticidal soap and horticultural oil are also recommended. And don’t forget to thin the fruit to get a full size crop.
An early arrival is the very popular Salvia ‘Hot Lips’. It’s available in three sizes – 4″ pots, 1 gallon and 5 gallon. Many other varieties are due in the coming days. The popularity of this genus lies with its ability to stand up to hot weather, produce a long bloom period, and avoid the jaws of the deer.
Another very popular plant last year was the fuzzy, white ‘Angel Wings’. This member of the genus Senecio is also available now. The plant seemed to endure our cold temperatures this winter.
It’s about time to begin fertilizing your plants. Choices abound. There are organic and organic based formulas for specific types of plants including fruit trees, vegetables, flowers, etc. You can also choose an all purpose type. Other available soil nutrients include iron, kelp meal, sulfur, fish emulsion and lots more.
Osteospermum is the name of several flowers considered to be African daisies. New varieties are added each season with single and double flowers, in shades of white, pink, orange and blue. ‘Voltage Yellow’ is one of the oldest but perhaps one of the most durable. Keep dead heading and it will bloom and bloom.
A great selection of pottery has arrived.
A charming flowering house plant – Kalanchoe blossfeldiana with double flowers. These plants will bloom for a long time indoors. When the weather warms up, place outdoors in a semi-shady spot. Cut back all the older flowers, apply a mild fertilizer and wait for another bloom.
And so we bid farewell to another bare root season. There’s a smattering of fruit and shade trees for sale, the roses are safely housed in containers – mostly in bio-degradable pots so as not to disturb the roots when planting. We have a select group of blueberries and blackberries. Available are artichokes and lots of cool weather vegetables and herbs.