Category: gardening

Dave’s Rose Fertilizer Program

Learn from the Winning Rosarians – Feed your Roses now for a glorious display in spring. This feeding program is inspired by the late, David Lowell, a local rosarian and friend who developed a number of hybridized roses and always took home ribbons for his rose show entries.

Dave’s Rose feeding program provides for general plant vigor and beautiful looking roses! For use on established roses only (planted for at least six months). Apply in MARCH and also AUGUST.

For each rose apply:

  • Master Nursery 16-16-16 – 1/2 cup/rose (5# bag for 18 roses) (August application recommended E.B. Stone 5-5-5 fertilizer 1 cup/rose)
  • Bone Meal 1/2 cup per rose (4# bag for 18 roses)
  • Sulfur* 1/2 cup per rose (5# box for 18 roses)
  • Gypsum 1/2 cup per rose (5# box for 18 roses)
  • Magnesium Sulfate 2 Tbs. per rose (5# box for 70+ roses)
  • Chicken Fertilizer 1 shovel per rose (1 bag for ~ nine roses)

*to supply sulfur, use one of the following: Iron Sulfate, Iron Plus*, or Soil Sulfur. Iron-containing products can stain. Wash off adjacent paving after ­application. (*Iron Plus is non-staining.)

Water your roses deeply the day before feeding.

Sprinkle the first five ingredients around each rose and mix into the soil if possible. Then sprinkle the chicken fertilizer around each rose and water everything in.

DO NOT combine this recipe with systemic rose fertilizer. It poses a health risk to pets if swallowed. Pets are attracted to the bone meal and may ingest systemic rose food if included in this recipe – or applied other months in the same area.

A two-inch mulch layer may be put around your roses to conserve water and insulate roots from the summer heat. Pull the mulch back 6″ away from the plant stem.

Flavor Your Garden with Herbs

Now is the time we find ourselves dreaming of summer vegetable gardens soon to be planted. Consider adding an herb garden to round out the flavor palate. Herbs can slip into a small pot or a corner of the garden, they require very little growing time before they are useful and they add a lot of pop to barbecued meals, salads and side dishes.

Try grilling chicken with an oregano, chive, and basil marinade or filling a roasting chicken with rosemary, garlic and oregano. Potatoes take on an entirely different flavor when roasted with a basting of olive oil and rosemary, chives or dill. Take a few minutes and add herbs to the vegetable garden. You’ll find that their magic can add a savory taste to all your cooking!

BASIL (cold sensitive – plant outside when the weather warms, late March or beyond)
Basil adds zest and color to bottled vinegar, use this when preparing a fresh salad dressing.  Basil is great for salads, marinades or fresh fish dishes. The most popular basil is sweet basil with its fragrant leaves. Use it in pesto, sprinkle it with chopped garlic on prime rib, and use it liberally in Italian dishes. Basil also makes a bright accent in the flower garden. Basil plants have the added benefit of repelling flies. Enjoy as “window sill basil” to get the season going.

CHIVES
This spiky plant looks like a cluster of onions. In late May it is crowned with lavender flowers. Clip and chop handfuls of it to season potato dishes, salads, dressings, egg dishes, and soups. It is one of the most versatile kitchen herbs. You can flavor white vinegar with a few stems of this herb and enjoy it splashed over garden ripened tomatoes.

DILL
Used for pickling, dill is also wonderful in salads, sauces, soups or breads on vegetables and fish. Special tips: Try pickling green beans, carrots, new potatoes or peppers with a bit of dill.

LAVENDER
The addition of culinary grade lavender in tiny amounts can jazz up dishes as diverse as grilled pork chops, to scones, cakes, and even candy.

MARJORAM
Like oregano but sweeter, this flavor is perfect in Mediterranean dishes, meats, and vegetables.

MINT
The flavor of mint is refreshing, cool and sweet, especially good in iced drinks and teas, with lamb or in salad dressings. Special tips: Minty sun tea: Put 8 tea bags, ½ c. of fresh mint leaves and 1 gal. of water in a clear glass jar. Set in a sunny spot for several hours. Serve over ice, or simply make iced mint water. It’s so refreshing! Mint tends to overgrow its neighbors and proliferate in the garden – consider a separate pot to contain this enthusiastic grower.

OREGANO
This pungent herb is no foreigner to cooking. Use it in marinade; grind it to add to pizza, spaghetti sauce or salad dressings. And one summer favorite is to add it with fresh basil to an oil and vinegar marinade for fresh from the garden flavor.

PARSLEY
For a clean sharp and peppery taste, add to vegetables and salads as a garnish. Include in sauces, soups, stews and stuffing. Special tips: Parsley is high in Vitamins A, C and B.

ROSEMARY
Wonderful flavoring for chicken or any barbecue. Evergreen, woody shrub has aromatic foliage (It’s actually related to mint.) The flavor of rosemary is bold and piney. Use it in pickles, jams, preserves and sauces, as well as meats and soups. Special tips: Use a branch of rosemary as a basting brush at your next barbecue, or put some on the coals for a great aroma. Plant in full sun.

SAGE
Warm, slightly bitter, this flavor is a must for turkey stuffing, as well as pork, duck and sausage seasoning. Special tips: Dried sage leaves are used as a substitute for coffee or tea.

TARRAGON
A spicy, sharp flavor with licorice and mint overtones, tarragon lends itself to French cooking, egg dishes, fish, and salad dressing. Special tips: Tarragon vinegar: Pour a qt. of cold vinegar over ½ c. fresh tarragon leaves, cap and store for 4 weeks.

THYME

Thyme is another popular herb known of its culinary and medicinal properties. It has a concentrated herbal flavor with sharp grass, woody and floral notes. Thyme leaves can be added, whole or chopped, to a dish at any stage of cooking although the longer they cook, the more flavor they’ll provide.

Start Morning Glory Seeds

Start annual morning glories from seed this month and establish them in the garden or a pot by summer! Morning glories are one of the most stunning of the old-fashioned garden flowers. Flowers are huge – three to five inches across – and bright, colorful blue, purple or pink. Best of all, morning glories are easy!

Start indoors to transplant later, or directly sow in the landscape now.  Improve the soil by mixing a couple of inches of Gold Rush soil conditioner into the garden soil. Plant seeds a half inch deep. Water to get them started.

Morning glories from seed are typically annuals, dying completely in winter, though they will most likely reseed to sprout next year.

Try planting morning glory among sunflowers.  The sunflowers will grow quickly, providing a natural trellis for the Morning Glory to climb.  Sunflowers also may be started from seed outdoors now or in the coming weeks.

Deciduous Magnolias

The various deciduous magnolia hybrids are commonly referred to as tulip trees. They display an abundance of large, tulip-shaped flowers in early spring. The flowers can be up to 12 inches in diameter, depending on the variety.

Deciduous magnolias drop all their leaves by December, revealing their large silvery buds. Even in the darkest days of winter, the budded magnolias are ripe with the promise of spectacular early spring bloom.

Deciduous Magnolias would be happiest when planted in an area that gets a mid-afternoon shade break. E. B. Stone Acid Planting Mix is a worthwhile addition to our soil.

The next month is the best time to see the Magnolias in bloom. Shop early for the best selection, and you will find that Yes — Tulips do grow on trees!

Sansevieria and Other Houseplants Clean the Air

This incredible houseplant hails from West Africa and India but is very much at home in your household. It has a few familiar names, such as Snake Plant, and Mother In Laws Tongue (no comment), but its botanical name is Sansevieria, and it comes in several color variations.

It differs from most houseplants, in that it continues to produce oxygen and remove carbon dioxide all through the day and night. Most plants pause their oxygen production in the absence of photosynthesis at night.

This plant is easy to grow and presents a very sculptural element to any interiorscape. When I say EASY, I mean it. The biggest threat to this plant is overwatering, for it loves to dry out; thrives in lower light or high light; seldom needs repotting, only every few years; and it is not bothered by pests. It is also a great office plant for all those reasons.

It should be noted that Sansevieria has a low toxicity rating, mostly as indigestion or skin irritant. Although it looks “pointy” at the ends, it does not have an end thorn and is no threat.

Pollutants and airborne toxins lurk undetected from hundreds of sources inside your home or office, but there is a straightforward solution that will not only purify your air, but also add humidity to calm allergens, and add beauty and tranquility to your life. There are dozens of beautiful indoor plants that have become heroes in our household, and Alden Lane will not only immerse you in living, breathing greenery but help improve the air quality as well.

Dormant Spray for Fruit Trees

Clean Up Your Garden

Debris will harbor insects and diseases. A good general garden clean-up, removing leaves, spent flower heads, old fruits, nuts, dead and broken branches eliminates insect and disease hiding places. Although a potential problem in the garden, these materials are perfect candidates for the compost pile as long as your compost pile generates sufficient heat to kill insects, their eggs, and diseases. For more information, visit www.stopwaste.org

February into Spring (About Valentines)

coppersoapsm[1]Apply Bonide Copper Fungicide. The timing of spring sprayings for various fruit trees can be crucial.

Leaf curl on nectarines and peaches is controlled with another application of Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide or Monterey Liqui-Cop when flower buds swell but before they show any color.

To control brown rot and shot hole fungus on stone fruits, spray with Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide or Monterey Liqui-Cop when the buds crack and show color, then again 2 weeks later.

dormant-control

Sweet Winter Daphne – A Fragrant Winter Bloomer

Daphne odora or Sweet Winter Daphne is a prize in the winter landscape.  It’s the sweetest smelling plant you will find in the garden this month. Fragrant and also lovely looking; forming a shrub to about 3′ high, it requires bright shade and excellent drainage. Daphne is a great container plant – use our Master Nursery Professional Potting Soil.

Daphne comes in a few different forms, but the Daphne odora, “Aureo-marginata” is a favorite. Its leaves are delicately edged in cream. The leaves do a nice job of framing the dark pink buds. 

Daphne needs perfect drainage, but it should not go dry. This may seem an impossible combination. Let’s just say it needs both air and water. Experienced gardeners say it’s not as finicky as gardenias. One plant was observed suffering when it transitioned from hand watering “as needed” to automatic sprinklers that water all the time whether needed or not.  It’s better to water by hand.

Daphne is rewarding and worth a try. Come smell for yourself.  It’s on display now.

Grapes & Berries

Grow grapes and enjoy big bunches of beautiful berries! Dormant season planting allows roots to get a head start so the plants can take off during the growing season. Our young grape vines are here as well as blueberries, and cane berries. 

GRAPES: Plant in the sunniest spot in your yard to help ripen the fruit and keep the foliage dry. Vines are vigorous and need sturdy support to grow on, and something for the tendrils to twine around.  Train them beginning at planting time to encourage one main cane, which with time will become a sturdy trunk. Yearly pruning in January will keep your grapes fruiting for the long term.

TABLE GRAPES (seedless):

  • Princess – large, sweet, light green grape. Fruit holds well on the vine and in storage
  • Ruby – medium-sized, dark red, firm grape. A vigorous grower and heavy producer
  • Black Monukka – medium-sized, black with excellent, crisp, sweet flavor
  • Come in to see our additional varieties!

WINE GRAPES:

  • Cabernet Sauvignon – excellent producer in our area of small, round, seedy, purple-black grapes.
  • Zinfandel – a solid red wine grape related by DNA to the Italian Primitivo.
  • Chardonnay – a popular selection for white wine with flavors of plum, apple and pear.
  • Merlot – Black berry, used for distinctive red wines. 

BLUEBERRIES:

Healthful, beautiful and delicious! Find an afternoon shady corner of your yard to grow a few of our Southern Highbush Blueberries, and enjoy snacking straight from the bush. Or plant a couple of varieties in a large pot or half wine barrel. Either way, blueberries thrive in acid soil. In a pot use, 3/4 E.B. Stone Acid Planting Mix and 1/4 Potting Soil. For in ground planting combine 1/2 E.B. Stone Acid Planting Mix, 1/4 fine or medium orchid bark and 1/4 native soil. All Organic Cottonseed Meal further lowers the pH and adds nutrition. A mix of varieties aids pollination and can increase yields.

  • Jewel – one of the leading California varieties yielding lots of high-quality berries
  • O’Neal – early ripening with lighter blue fruit; arguably the best flavor of the Southern Highbush
  • Reveille – wonderful flavor and a crisp texture on an upright bush that does well in hot climates

Cane Berries:

You know you want some warm from the oven, mixed berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream melting on the top. May we suggest the following varieties.

  • Blackberry Marionberry – medium in size and tends to be longer than it is wide with a somewhat tart flavor, fairly earthy with traces of sweetness
  • Boysenberry Thornless – really big, reddish purple berries popular for flavor and high June yield
  • Canby Raspberry – summer bearing with large bright red berries on thornless canes
  • Olallieberry – much requested, and they are here! A hybrid that is about 2/3 blackberry and 1/3 raspberry and 100% delicious.

Landscaping with Roses

Roses are perhaps the most popular ways to add vibrant color to your landscape. If you don’t love them already, give them a try! Roses are available in a myriad of colors and styles; some suited for cutting, others suited for landscaping, some are climbers, others low and rambling. Roses add beauty, fragrance, curb appeal and color, and they attract beneficial pollinators to the landscape.

Most roses will bloom the first year and grow under many different climatic and soil conditions. However, when given optimum conditions, roses will thrive for years to come.

Don’t be afraid to experiment using roses in your landscape. Some uses might include:

  • low growing types for planting along beds or lawn,
  • a pathway leading to your front door,
  • mass plantings of floribundas, miniatures or even hybrid teas for a magnificent blast of color and beauty,
  • hybrid tea roses to create a beautiful and colorful cutting garden to fill your vases with all season long,
  • a climbing variety to grow up a trellis or over an arbor,
  • tree types, making a great backdrop and companion plant to other shrubs and perennials in your garden,
  • and roses which thrive in containers on a porch or deck.

Whichever you choose, all lend themselves to a very casual or formal looking landscape. Oh, my! So many options! Next time you are wondering what can I plant, consider using roses. We’re ready to help you select one, two or even three that will suit your style. You’ll be glad you did!

See our 2024 rose list HERE.

January Pruning – What to Prune When

pruning[1]We have officially entered pruning season. Most leafless plants are fair game for pruning right now. Exceptions include ornamental flowering cherries, plums, and lilacs that bloom once a year in spring and are leafless now. Prune these just after they bloom otherwise you will be cutting off next spring’s blooms. Most other plants, including fruit trees and shade trees “can” as opposed to “must” be pruned because many plants are happy with little or no pruning.

Feel free to visit us for additional information.

For additional reading, the University of California has produced an in-depth article. Click Here For Handout