May 2016 marks 31 years in business for us. My parents, Richard and Cecilia Rice started the business in 1985. Richard Rice (Dad) passed away in 2005. Mrs. Rice (Mom) is still here almost every day. She is now moving out of the customer service capacity at the nursery. She has had some health issues this past fall which have caused some eyesight issues for her so she will no longer be writing up customer orders. She will be in a capacity of doing some of the maintenance chores around here she enjoys and also enjoys talking to folks. But myself and those who work here will be the ones waiting on customers. I hope all our customers understand and can appreciate mom’s new capacity here at the nursery that she and dad started.
May is turning out to be another beautiful spring month. Not hot except for a couple of warm days and a little rain and long range forecats indicate a little more to come. 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 without notice.
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.
If you did not fertilize in April, do it now. Many plants were under stress last year due to the dry seasons we have had. With the rain this year they are recovering and fertilizing will really help them grow vigorously and prepare them for the summer when it gets hot.
Thank you and we hope to see you soon.
Jeff