Category: Flowers

Native Intelligence

California Wild Lilac (Ceanothus sp.) – spring blooms in shades of blue attract pollinators and provide homes for butterfly larvae.

An Occasional Look at Some of Our Hard-Working California Native Plants

What’s so smart about adding California native plants to your landscape? The simple answer is the delightful experience of growing a tree, shrub or perennial that gives back in so many ways. The sight of a flock of Cedar Waxwings feasting on Toyon Berries. Screaming orange California Poppies peppering the roadside. The summer surprise of big pink and purple orchid-like flowers blooming on a desert willow. A cold hummingbird is enjoying a sip of nectar from a February blooming manzanita. After you fall in love with these plants for who they are and what they bring to your garden, you’ll appreciate their good looks and practicality, thriving with whatever nature throws at them – hot, dry summers and cold, sometimes rainy winters. Here’s a focus on small native trees, usually grown with a multi-trunk form:

Western Redbud Cercis occidentalis – Beauty in every season, from the showy pink flowers clinging tightly to bare branches in spring, to the pretty heart-shaped leaves which turn a rich yellow in the fall.

Ray Hartman Ceanothus Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’ – Grow this as a single trunk tree, or plant it as a shrub and sculpt it into an attractive, purple-blue flowered evergreen tree.

Desert Willow Chilopsis linearis – Long narrow willow-like leaves belie the water sipping nature of this small tree. Pick one with the flower color you prefer, from pale pink to deeper burgundy, purple or two tones. Enjoy the flowers as much as hummingbirds do.

California Buckeye Aesculus californica – Large palmate leaves graced by showy spikes of white flowers in late spring. Adapted to dry climates by dropping its leaves as early as August, it is nevertheless beautiful when bear with its ghostly pale gray limbs.

Flannel Bush Fremontodendron species – Big, bright yellow flowers bring the wow to this fast-growing, evergreen showstopper.

October Garden Checklist

Things to do in the garden this month

checkbox[1] Select and plant spring-blooming bulbs this month and early next. Keep tulips, daffodils and hyacinths cool until the weather outside is wintery. Tulips & hyacinths benefit from being refrigerated for 4 to 6 weeks. Plant them by Thanksgiving weekend. Plant iris, freesia and others now.

checkbox[1] Plant holiday favorites now. Plant hollies and other berry-producing shrubs for winter decoration indoors and out. Try pomegranates for ornamental and edible fruit.

checkbox[1] This is the month to switch from growth to bloom food for azaleas, camellias, and rhododendrons. From October to the finish of bloom season feed monthly with Master Bloom. This phosphorous rich food is excellent for flower bud development. Rose and lilac growers have also reported that fall and winter applications of Master Bloom have enhanced bloom.

checkbox[1] Make sure to keep your gardenia green this winter. Feed with Master’s Azalea, Camellia, Gardenia Food, and Iron Sulfate. When the soil cools, they can no longer absorb nutrition.

checkbox[1] Plant sweet peas now, from seed or transplants, for late winter bloom. Choose old-fashioned climbing types or bush varieties. Protect them from snails and slugs with Sluggo Plus.

checkbox[1] Last chance for winter vegetables from transplants. Protect them from cabbage worms with Fertilome Caterpillar Control.

checkbox[1] Garlic is in stock! Hoping to see bulb onions and shallots the first week of October. Ready to plant now for harvest next summer.  Onions and garlic are shallow-rooted plants, so keep them moist and free of weeds. Hopefully, winter rains will soon do all the watering for you, making onions and garlic some of the easiest vegetables to grow in the garden.

checkbox[1] Color up your garden for Fall and Winter. For sunny spots choose pansies, violas, snapdragons, stock, & calendulas. For shade or morning sun pick cyclamen and primroses.

Fall is Time To Plant Perennials

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Fall is the perfect time for planting a perennial garden from gallon cans and four-inch pots. Perennials planted now will spend the winter putting down roots so come spring they will be ready to grow and bloom. Try drought-tolerant options this year. Planting in the fall requires much less water to establish. Drop-in and let us help you get started on a beautiful, blooming perennial border. You’ll find some of these bloom from summer into fall.

Salvia

Salvia Hot Lips

Salvias add water-wise color. The salvia family is endless! There are ornamental and edible members of this expansive family. They love the sun but even perform well with a little afternoon shade. Many Salvias are long-blooming, attract hummingbirds and butterflies, and require very little care once established.

Penstemon

Apple Blossom Penstemon

Penstemons are hardy evergreen shrub-like perennials with tubular flowers. The flowers are borne on spikes with color ranging from reds, blues, pink, salmons, purples, white and lilac. Penstemons attract hummingbirds. Penstemon are an excellent addition to the California garden because they are drought tolerant once they are established.

Shasta Daisy

Shasta Daisy

Shasta Daisies make excellent cut flowers as well as a beautiful addition to the perennial border. They bloom mid-summer through fall, finally giving in as the days get shorter and the temperatures drop. Shasta Daisies may be single or double petalled. A long leathery stem supports each flower. We have them in 4″ pots.

Lavender

Spanish Lavender

Lavender is a great looking perennial plant that is low maintenance, sun-loving, drought-resistant once established, and tolerant of benign neglect. — It is ideal for busy Valley residents who need to leverage their gardening time. By the way, lavender plants also make great additions to cut flower bouquets and are an ideal colorful, fragrant enhancement to dried flower arrangements or potpourri.

Wildflowers

Wildflower gardening is natural, easy and rewarding. Like magic, a handful of seeds can transform a little plot of soil into a bouquet of color and texture – and all with minimal effort.
 
In our Valley, it is natural for wildflowers to get started in late fall just as soon as the soil cools. So, following Mother Nature’s lead is the best approach – Fall planting is taking the path of least resistance and greatest success.
But there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure your wildflower garden is the success you want it to be:

Soil Preparation
Of course, in nature wildflowers fend for themselves without soil preparation; but Mother Nature can tolerate a much higher rate of failure than most homeowners. Some minimal soil preparation will go a long way, ensuring your wildflower success, and it does NOT have to be a major project. Just scratch the soil surface down an inch or two, rake it smooth, and distribute the seeds according to the package instructions. This small preparation will help your wildflowers get a good start and protect the seeds from becoming a bird banquet.
TIP: Use a light covering of mulch to protect your wildflower seeds then press the seeds into place by simply walking over the planting areas. For a large space borrow one of our water rollers to simplify the job.
 
Don’t Plant Too Deep
A planting depth of ¼” to ½” is preferred. While wildflower seeds will germinate at greater depths, they will not have the strength to push through the overlying soil.
 
Irrigation
Make sure the seeds stay moist; NOT WET. Avoid overwatering and make sure the location is well-drained to avoid root rot and leaf mold. Wildflowers are very hardy and drought-tolerant; more water than necessary is NOT better; when in doubt, err on the side of under-watering.
 
Patience
Wildflowers are somewhat more weather responsive than domesticated flowers – they will grow when they think it best. Here in our Valley, weather permitting it is possible to get some fall and winter color from your wildflower garden. If the weather runs too cold or wet, they will wait until spring to show up. This delay is NOT a sign of failure; it is how wildflowers have learned to survive.
Wildflowers can be a rewarding, low maintenance gardening project if you keep in mind they are “WILD” flowers and resist the temptation to micro-manage them. Generally, they will prosper best with what might be called benign neglect.

Annuals Flowers are Prolific Bloomers

Hands down the most brilliant bloomers of winter are the cool-season annuals. They flower non-stop, often blooming from fall right through winter into spring. They are tireless while blooming, and when finished, are replaced with the next season’s fresh annuals. Winter annuals do not typically live into summer, and summer annuals do not typically live beyond the first frost. So, there’s a fun “fresh start” in fall and spring.

Now is the ideal time to plant winter annuals, so they establish while the weather is mild and they can be enjoyed over the cooler months ahead.

Annuals never rest like their cousins the perennials. They are even blooming in the month of January when most of everything is resting. They just bloom and bloom until they cannot bloom anymore.

Keep your garden looking BRIGHT during those cloudy days of winter this year by planting some of these great, hard-working winter bloomers:

  • Pansy & Viola: smiling faces that say “HI” each time you go outside
  • Snapdragon: childhood memories with their “snapping” mouth shaped flowers. GREAT cut flower to cheer up a room during cloudy months.
  • Calendula: the winter marigold with its yellow and orange faces will always brighten up your garden during the grey months of winter.
  • Sweet Peas: plant knee hi or tall vining varieties. Harvest many bouquets throughout the late winter and spring. The more you harvest the flowers the more the plants will give you in return. Plant from seed.
  • Cyclamen (coming soon): These are technically not annuals but great winter bloomers for the shade garden. They will even bloom for you in the complete shade if you keep them on the dry side. They are known for blooming and blooming when everything else is still asleep during the cloudy days of winter. They can also take full sun during December, January, and February so you can do a mixture of all winter annuals for your winter garden. We hope to see some Primrose which behave similarly in October.

Do not forget that the summer annuals will do the same thing for the garden. They will always be blooming their fool heads off just to make their cousins – the perennials – look lazy.  Plant Summer annuals beginning mid-March.

Enjoy annuals. They love to show off in your garden!

Fall Mums

If there is one flower that really lets us know it’s autumn – it’s the Chrysanthemum or Mum! Richly colored and aromatic, the chrysanthemum comes in a dazzling array of colors. Choose from white, orange, yellow, maroon, and purple.

Mums are sun-loving perennial plants often blooming in both spring and fall. 

Pop some color into a bed or container to set the stage for autumn. Add Soil Moist Granules to cut watering in half.

We are carrying fresh 4″ plants as well as larger one gallon pots. Each plant is loaded with blooms just beginning its bloom cycle.

Remove finished flowers as the fade to encourage future blooms.

Don’t overhead water because this encourages blossom rot.

Black-Eyed Susan

Although we all know the chrysanthemum as one of the outstanding beauties of the autumn garden there are other glorious plants that should also have top billing especially Rudbeckia or Black-Eyed Susan. These will fire up your late summer garden with a burst of sunshine and perform well through fall.

Black-Eyed Susan has an upright growth pattern to three feet. The plants bloom from mid-summer through fall with a color range from warm yellows to browns and coppery tones capped with dark brown or black centers (hence the name Black-Eyed Susan).

Prepare the soil with Master Nursery Planting Mix as Rudbeckia like well-draining soil. Remove faded blooms to extend the flowering season. Use Sluggo snail bait on a weekly basis to keep slugs away from the foliage. Avoid overhead watering to prevent powdery mildew.

Rudbeckia make an excellent cut flower just immerse the stems in boiling water for 30 seconds before adding them to your floral arrangements.

Why Not Plant Fruit Trees in Your Front Yard?

Have fun with fruit trees in your front or back yard. You don’t need acres of ground to experience the taste of freshly picked fruit. With today’s dwarf & semi-dwarf rootstocks, everyone can grow at least one fruit tree no matter how small your yard. Consider planting a fruit tree or two in your front yard.

We still have a good stock of many varieties available, and Fall is a wonderful time to plant a tree.

Single fruit trees make wonderful accent points in a mixed border with their spring blossom and summer fruit. Persimmons make wonderful, small shade trees. Dwarf fruit trees grow very happily in large pots or half barrels.

Amaryllis Belladonna Lilies – Water-Wise Bulbs

Amaryllis Belladonna is a late summer/fall blooming lily which grows from a large bulb. They can survive with absolutely no additional water once established, putting on a lush display of strap-like leaves as soon as rains fall in November. By the dry days of summer, they shed their leaves again and remain hidden and protected to emerge in July as naked stalks reaching skyward to about 2 feet, then they bloom.

These amaryllis bulbs are hybrids, so they bloom across the pink spectrum; beautiful July, August, and into September.

Culture

amaryllisAmaryllis grow in full sun to light afternoon shade. You can find them naturalizing around old homes and wooded areas, a testament to their longevity without care.  They can do well with or without regular water, but they don’t want to sit in water or moist soil.

We have enormous bulbs ripe with potential.

 

Succulents in the Garden

Succulents are easy to grow, beautiful, and popular. And that is not hard to understand when you see all the advantages they offer, especially here in our Valley.

Why are Succulents so Grand?

Low Water – Succulents can withstand drought better than soggy soil. These plants thrive where others wilt from lack of water. Your water district recommends these plants as an essential part of landscaping and gardening water conservation.

Low Maintenance – These plants are about as close to “plant it and forget it” as you can get. Most are native to the harsh southwestern desert where they have learned to fend for themselves. If your time for gardening and landscaping is limited, succulents belong on your shopping list.

Versatility – These plants are equally happy to be in your garden, landscaping, containers, and inside your home as houseplants. As long as you keep in mind, they do have some special needs. Most require at least 6 hours of sunlight others morning sun only; all require fast-draining soil. Location is important, and some will need protection during the colder months.

Good Looks – Fortunately, you don’t have to sacrifice appearance for all these benefits. Succulents are some of nature’s most beautiful and exotic plants. Outdoors, your succulents will liven up your garden and give your home an original look. Few plants attract as much attention as these. You can use them as dramatic accents or go all out and create a complete desert garden motif. Inside, dish gardens with succulents can provide an attractive tabletop decoration that is sure to be a conversation starter.

Off-Season Blooming – When most other plants are in their dormant cycle, and the rest of your landscaping has the winter color blahs, many of these plants are at their colorful best. The aloes are in their glory from December to January; the cacti, puyas, yuccas and agave flower from April to June. A well-chosen selection and placement of cacti, succulents and their cousins will give your landscaping a year-round color look your neighbors will envy.

Here at Alden Lane, we have a large selection available for you to combine or we can suggest combinations for you. With their wide variety of architectural forms, succulents are a great garden addition.

We also have many color selections. You may like the blues, bronzes, purples or pinks of the Echeverias or the fuzzy feel of the Kalanchoe. 

These plants are among the most versatile of drought-tolerant garden offerings. They can express your artful side or your whimsy, whatever you choose. Also, they combine well with other low-water-use plants to make a lush garden display. Come in and catch on to this ongoing trend.