The weather this spring has been mild except for a couple of warm days and a little rain, and long range forecasts, aside from a couple warm days this week, indicate seasonal temperatures as far out as the forecast goes, and hopefully all the way into June. We have had a beautiful spring this year. It’s a great time to do some gardening and planting.
Check your watering systems and make sure all drippers and sprinklers are working. Don’t want to find out a dripper is not working when you see a dead or dying plant. Remember to mulch around your trees and shrubs. This will reduce your water usage by as much as 50% and your plants will withstand the warm days much better because the moisture you apply stays in the ground and does not evaporate. Two to three inches of mulch is what you want around your trees and in your planting beds. Also mulch your vegetable gardens. Saves water and gives you healthier plants and cuts down on the weeds.
If you did not get fertilizing done in April, this is a good time to do it. Use a balanced fertilizer on almost everything. Azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, and hydrangeas want an acid fertilizer. Wait until azaleas and rhododendrons are done blooming to fertilize and then fertilize 3 times, each time 30 days apart. That is enough for the season on them. Roses should be fertilized with a balanced fertilizer or a rose food about every 6 weeks through the growing season, ending in October.
Clean up blooms under camellias this month if you have not done so already. Fertilize bulbs that are done blooming with bulb food or bone meal to regenerate the bulb for the next season.
Watch roses and other plants for aphids. Lots of customers are having lots of aphids this year. Plum trees and crape myrtles are also subject to aphids among other plants. If you see curling leaves on your plum trees, check them for aphids. Spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil to help get rid of them.
Many of you have met Olive, our golden retriever. She can be a little shy at first, sometimes, when she meets new people, especially tall men with sun glasses and hats. She is a rescue so I don’t know what she experienced before here, but she loves the customers and will greet even the “scary” ones, after she is sure. And she especially loves to see other dogs. We welcome dogs on leashes at the nursery. Olive will try to play with any dog who comes in. She has a few she knows who have been in more than once and they love to play.
With this year being 40 years in business, we want to thank all our customers for your support and patronage. We will continue to strive to offer quality fully acclimated plants appropriate for our climate area at a good value. We’ve gotten through recessions and drought and we are still here thanks to the support of our customers. Looking forward to the future.
Open: Monday, Wednesday through Saturday 9-5, Sunday 10-4
CLOSED TUESDAY
Thank you and we hope to see you soon.
Jeff
