Gardening tips for July
I want to start with talking about the hillside display garden we have been working on here at the nursery. We started it two summers ago with the clearing of the blackberries and poison oak and have put in paths and benches and really nice landscaping. This spring we added a garden railroad. When you come in, please take a little time to walk through it. Cross the bridge you see in the picture above and you are there. Tell us what you think. If you have more time, bring a lunch or a snack and enjoy the picnic table or the benches and relax a bit. If any groups would like to use the area to hold meetings, we would be happy to have you use it. Just let us know. Or for any other reason you would like to use it. It really is beautiful.
We have had quite a few pretty warm days so far this summer. However, today as I write this, it is very nice. We have been watering two and three times a day here lately to make sure all the plants look good. And thanks to the hard work of everybody here, the plants look really nice.Â
The biggest thing to do this month is water. When the weather is hot it is time to deep soak and mulch. Actually deep soaking and mulching should be a year round practice. It uses less water and produces a much healthier plant. Set timers to give plants good deep soakings when they are watered. If you have not applied mulch to your flower beds and around your trees and shrubs, it really is a good thing to do. It holds the moisture in the soil and reduces the amount of water you need to use. It also helps to keep the weeds down.
If you see a plant is stressed, some signs to look for that show not enough water are wilting in the heat that does not recover when the weather cools for the evening. If water is not increased when you see this the next thing will be leaves dropping and flowers dropping before the blooms are spent. Â The next thing is edges of leaves will turn brown and then die back on branches. If you see any of these signs increase the water to the plant.
If a plant is stressed due to lack of water or other reasons, use Superthrive. Mix 1 to 3 caps of superthrive with 5 gallons of water and soak the plant. This will help the plant to recover. Also a good idea to use it when transplanting of plants during warm weather. We use it on all planting here at the nursery. We start most of our 1 and 5 gallon shrubs during the summer since it is when we have the time and we have excellent success using Superthrive when planting.
When planting during the warmer weather we highly recommend that you use Superthrive when you transplant. As I said above, we use it on all planting here at the nursery during bare root season and during hot weather and have very good success even in the hottest weather.
If you are unsure of how much water to give your plants, let us know. We have a sheet available at the nursery which shows how much water per week is required by trees during each month of the year. It can be used for shrubs as well by reducing down for the size of the plant. Basically, don’t be worried about overwatering during the summer when it is so hot. Unless the plant is soggy it is okay. It is best to soak long and deep about 2 to 3 times a week rather than short watering every day. This produces a much healthier plant that withstands the heat much better. Rmember that drip systems are rated for gallons per hour not gallons per minute. So if you have a 1 gallon per hour dripper on your plant and you run the system 15 minutes you are giving the plant a quart of water.
Mulching is an excellent way to reduce the amount of water you have to apply. It will keep the moisture in the soil rather than allowing it to evaporate. Lay mulch 2 inches deep around your trees and shrubs. When putting it around your trees, keep the mulch back away from the trunk by about 3 inches.
If you did not get the fertilizing done in June do it soon. Make sure it is cooler days and always water well the day before fertilizing. Then fertilize and water it in well.
We are going through the nursery and cleaning up and we are putting items in the reduced price area of the parking lot. These include one of a kind, not so pretty, too many, etc. Check the area when you come in. These items are always marked way down. These items are all sold as is. First come first serve. Sorry, no reservations, no guarantees, no refunds or exchanges on reduced priced items.
If you are planning on doing someplanting soon or in the fall and would like to take advantage of the 20% off coupon, come in now and select and pay for your items. We will set them aside with your name on them and they will be available when you are ready to plant. And you get the 20% discount now. It may not be available in the fall.
Recycle your used nursery pots. We will gladly take your used nursery pots. Rather than throwing them out, you can drop them off at the nursery anytime. Even if we are closed they can be left by the gate on either side of the road. We reuse the pots so they don’t wind up in the landfill.
And remember to visit the hillside display garden. I know I already mentioned it but we really want to show it off. You may get some ideas for your own landscape. Bring a lunch. See the railroad. It’s a nice place to spend some time.
Hope we see you soon.
JeffÂ
Specials for July
All Remaining Roses in Stock
$10.00
Hanging Baskets
$10.00
Lantana
Assorted Varieties
One Gallon
$3.95
Assorted Fruit Trees
Five Gallon
$20.00
(Does Not Include Citrus or Avacado Trees)
Vitex agnes castus
Chaste Tree
15 gallon
$25.00
All Special Prices Limited to stock On Hand
Special Prices Good Through July 31st Only
If you are planning on planting soon or in the fall, purchase now and we can hold it for you at the nursery and care for it until you are ready to plant. We will set your selections aside with your name on them and they will be available when you are ready to plant later in the summer or the fall.
