Category: Flowers

Container Gardening

Almost everything that grows in the ground will also grow in containers, and the portability of container gardening means you can bring plants to the patio, and enjoy a summer retreat with the beauty, color, texture, and vibrance that living plants bring.

Containers allow you to have a portable garden that you can rearrange whenever the mood strikes. Containers also provide perfect drainage, so plants thrive as long as you provide adequate water and correct sun exposure.

Perennial Gardens
Colorful annuals with perennials in containers make a winning combination. Annuals provide constant color and perennials give interesting textures, foliage color, and flowers. Perennials come in many different sizes and can provide dramatic foliage as a focal point for your moveable garden. Perennials bloom at varying times of the year, so there’s always something of interest blooming in your containers. And as the perennials grow, they provide a bigger and more beautiful display every year.

Fragrant Herb Gardens
Make your herbs a decorative centerpiece this summer. Arrange your favorite herbs in a ceramic planter, wine barrel, or fill a hanging moss basket with herbs. Put thyme, rosemary, and oregano on the sides of the basket and borage, parsley, sage, basil, and chives in the top of the basket. Fertilize twice a month. We suggest that you use Master’s Pride Professional Potting Soil and E.B. Stone Sure Start Organic Fertilizer. Both products will help you grow the best herbs in the neighborhood. Once you’ve selected your container and you’re ready to plant, remember we carry a large selection of herbs including some of the favorites such as basil, chives, dill, fennel, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, and tarragon.

Sweet Scented Citrus Gardens
If you’re looking for a plant that does it all – look no further than citrus. It’s a plant for all seasons. You have shiny leaves, fragrant flowers, showy fruit and to top it off you can plant the dwarf varieties in large containers. Lemons, limes & kumquats do well in partial shade while sweeter citrus such as oranges, grapefruit, tangerines need full sun. Citrus shows off its colorful fruit in winter when many plants are dormant.

Small Trees There are a number of smaller trees that are very happy to live in containers and can add visual “green” interest to a place where that might be missing. In addition to the citrus mentioned above, consider a “Little Ollie” non-fruiting olive tree or perhaps a Japanese maple.

An excellent soil mix is Master’s Pride Professional Potting Soil, Sure Start Fertilizer with the addition of Soil Moist water holding granules. The granules absorb many times their weight in water and release it as needed and will cut your watering frequency in half. These products will help you grow bigger, tastier vegetables and more beautiful flowers.

Gardening with Kids

Kids and gardening seem to go hand in hand. Dirt itself has a natural draw for children, as is the magic of planting a seed and discovering its power to change and morph and grow. If you have kids in your life, include them in the gardening process by planting with them or at least with them in mind.

Many childhood memories are formed in the garden and can be re-triggered later in life when certain smells re-enter consciousness. Many plants offer unique color, texture or olfactory stimulation, and of course many are edible!

Here are some plants you can place into a garden today that may be of particular interest for kids!

Radishes

Radishes from seed are extremely quick to germinate and grow to fruition within just 3 to 4 weeks from seed packet to table; radishes are the fastest way to illustrate the harvest cycle from start to finish.

Marigolds

Marigolds planted from seed have child-appeal partly due to the bright orange or yellow color and also for the distinct fragrance of the crushed leaf. Do you remember your first marigold? Marigolds are also kid-friendly because as the flower fades, the center can be tugged away to reveal the seeds as they form. These can be dried and planted again (and again), teaching the circle of life.

Cherry Tomatoes

They pop in your mouth, bite-sized, juicy, and growing at just the right height to harvest whenever a child needs a natural snack. Cherry Tomatoes climbs like a vine and can cover a trellis or arbor in a season.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums, being both colorful and edible, naturally lend themselves to gardening with children.  A few seeds set into a semi-shady spot will sprout and clamber to grace a corner with mildly spicy flowers and foliage.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are awe-inspiring both in the garden or as a cut flower on the table. Plant the “mammoth” giant blooms but don’t overlook the smaller branching ones that can be cut for a bouquet and tend to rebloom.

Pumpkins

Everyone knows that pumpkins have child appeal. The value of a pumpkin planted and harvested from one’s garden is immeasurably more memorable and valuable than one purchased from the supermarket.

Mint

A little mint underfoot will fill the air with the fragrance of so many familiar sweets. Tuck some in a shady spot near the hose spigot where it will soak up the spills. Beware! It travels and spreads if you are not looking. Mint can be invasive, so grow in a pot.

Thyme

Thyme is easy to grow and full of the familiar scent of pizza. It is always good to show kids that their food comes from the earth. Vegetable and herb gardens drive this point home.

More

There are dozens of more options for growing a kids’ garden. Consider planting veggies in with your ornamentals as long as you treat all with vegetable safe care products. Pumpkins and tomatoes can grow right in with the roses and perennials. The basic idea is to enrich the lives of the little set and provide some memories that will linger with them!

June Pollinator Power

swallowtail
Swallowtail caterpillar feeding on dill weed

Celebrate Pollinator Week June 16-22, 2025

National Pollinator Week is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what you can do to protect them.

Nearly twenty years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown into an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and beetles. Pollinator Week was initiated and is managed by Pollinator Partnership.

Milkweed and Monarchs

Monarch butterflies have been in sharp decline since the 1990s due to the loss of milkweed (Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed,) pesticides, changing weather patterns, and overwintering habitat loss.

Monarchs have lost 165 million acres of breeding habitat in the U.S. alone, so there is still more work to do to keep them from being considered endangered.

Home gardeners can help, too! Plant milkweed that is native to your area. Include native plants in the landscape to supply quality food for other pollinators. Minimize pesticide use, instead, look for garden pests regularly, dispose of them, and build a habitat that invites predatory insects.

Become a citizen scientist and share your observations, helping scientists get a fuller picture of the monarch population

Pollinator Palette

  • Lavender, sublime fragrance, and color all in a low water use “package”
  • Herbs especially when they go to seed, including Mint, Parsley, Cilantro, Oregano, Dill
  • Daisies add a bit of cheer! Shasta, African, Marguerites, Black-eyed Susans, and Coneflowers span the color spectrum
  • Summer Annuals, Marigolds, Petunias, Portulaca, Zinnias
  • Buddleia, Butterfly Bush’s purple flower spikes are a must have for bringing in its namesake
  • Asclepias, Butterfly Weed is in its full glory now and supporting our fluttering friends

Water-Wise Summer Perennials for May Planting

Our perennial section is alive with color this week. Perennials perform year-after-year. Here are a few of our water-wise favorites that provide interest over a long season. These are easy to grow and last to bloom again in future years. Now is a great time to plant so you can enjoy them as summer unfolds.

Beard Tongue (Penstemon sp.)

Beard Tongue (Penstemon sp.)Elegant and reliable perennials; valued by gardeners for their spires of foxglove-like flowers. Outstanding color varieties make it difficult to choose just one. Hummingbirds aren’t choosy; they like them all. Penstemon will perform all summer with regular deadheading, full sun & good garden soil.

Gaura Lindheimeri

Gaura LindheimeriGaura means “superb”, and it is. Imagine tall, loose wands of pinkish white stars, dancing on the wind. From spring to fall, this plant will flourish on a hot, dry slope, and in many other water-restricted sites. Blended with other perennials, it serves as a softening element for brighter colors. Give it a full season to establish.

Lavender (English, French & Spanish)

These heat-of-summer bloomers produce fragrant flower spikes that you’ll love. Their lavender-blue flowers are great for dry arrangements, sachets, or they may be made into aromatic stove-top potpourri simply by boiling. Cool the water, strain; use as a counter-top cleaner. Different varieties range in height from 18″ to 3′ with an equal spread. Well-drained soil is essential.

Salvia Greggii

salvia180Known as Autumn Sage, they are available in a number of flower colors – red, yellow, pink, white and purple. Erect growth to about three feet with medium green foliage. Blooms for much of the season, spring through fall. Plant in full sun.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Evergreen Perennial usually in the range of 18″ high, creating a spreading mat much of the year, then stretching to full height when it blooms with white, cream, pink red or yellow “landing pads”. Butterflies love them, and so do ladybugs!

Santa Barbara Daisy

ErigeronOne of the easiest daisies to grow, and very water-wise.  Adds sparkle to the flower garden, usually grows about 12″ high and 18″ wide. Blooms heavily in spring and then moderately through the warm season.

Leading Ladies

To celebrate Women’s History month, let’s take a look at some lovely roses named after inspiring women.

Doris Day
Frida Kahlo
Gina Lollobrigida
Judy Garland
Julia Child
Marilyn Monroe
Martha Stewart
Queen Mary 2
Queen Elizabeth
Rosie the Riveter
Barbara Streisand

Select Summer Flowering Bulbs Now

Splashes of bright color can brighten your summer gardens by planting summer blooming bulbs as the weather warms. Make your selections now! You can guarantee yourself a glorious summer filled with many cut flower bouquets.

Some of the summer blooming favorites include Gladiolus, Dahlias, Lilies and Tuberous Begonias. Their bright and dramatic colors make great garden accents for the long, hot summer days.

If you plant the Gladiolus every two weeks, you will have cut flowers through the summer. Dahlias are available in different heights and flower forms. Dahlia tubers get bigger every year and provide a larger and more colorful show.

If you have a shady spot in the garden that needs cheering up consider using hybrid Begonias. Tuberous Begonias are available in hanging basket and upright varieties.

Tips for Pruning Roses

obj6306geo2742pg239p7[1]The suggested time for pruning roses is January in Northern California. Even though your roses may still be leafy, budded or blooming it is time to force them to rest. Pruning them back now, removing every single leaf and dormant spraying with copper will provide a healthy beginning for the coming season.

Here are some tips in advance of our pruning classes.

What You’ll Need:

  • Body armor – safety or prescription glasses, a hat, and a long-sleeved sweatshirt will go a long way insulating you from thorny branches. A good pair of leather gloves such as gauntlet types will do a superior job of protecting your forearms
  • Pruning shears – sharp hand shears along with a long-handled lopper and a pruning saw are helpful for hard to reach or extra large wood
  • Pruning seal – sealing cuts prevents the cane borer insect from invading and killing stems
  • Copper dormant spray like Monterey Liqui-Cop to control over-wintering diseases

For specific variety and form (bush, miniature, tree & shrub) pruning tips, come in and one our rose experts will be happy to help. In the meantime here are some pruning basics. For the most part, roses produce flowers on current season growth. Therefore, the more new growth you have, the more bloom potential you’ll enjoy. Pruning is one way of stimulating new growth.

If your bush form roses have grown sky high lop off the top one-quarter to one-third of the plant so you can more easily and safely do the ‘fine pruning.’ For bush and tree forms you always want to maintain evenly spaced canes (stems) around the outside of the plant. The number of canes that you leave depends on the vigor of the plant. Three to seven is the rule in the case of bush roses. Tree roses rarely sprout new ones as they age so encourage and maintain those well-spaced branches. The final height of the stems depends on the variety and vigor of the plant.

We have gotten away from pruning roses to within an inch of their life (6-12 inches). The general rule is to prune back by at least 1/3rd, and no more than 1/2. Leaving the canes a bit longer provides the plant with extra energy for the coming season’s performance. Prune to an outside bud where a leaf was to ensure that the next branch will grow in an outward direction. On both tree and bush roses remove all twigs and stems that are crowding the center of the plant. The extra sunlight will warm the bud union and encourage more young stems to grow that will eventually be selected to replace the older canes. The light also stimulates increased flower production.

The bud union is the area where desirable buds from the specific rose variety join the rose rootstock .

Always remove any stems coming from below the bud union. These suckers are vigorous and can over-grow the desirable rose. If your white or pink rose is producing small red flowers, it has been taken over by the rootstock rose.

Maintain a nice compliment of permanent climbing rose canes that you will arch against the fence, wall or train over an arbor. The stems that grow off these permanent canes are pruned back to four buds. The resulting new growth will produce a mass of flowers. There are always exceptions to the rule so touch base with our rose experts for just the right pruning guidance.

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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 2025 rose list HERE.

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.

Bougainvilleas


We have started to get in Bougainvilleas which can be a stunning addition to a frost protected area. Many varieties are available in bloom at the nursery now – you can choose the perfect color for your arbor, trellis or groundcover. Bougainvilleas vibrant colors come from the three large bracts that surround the small inconspicuous flower. Frequent pinching keeps new growth so compact the color will almost cover the leaves. 

Bougainvilleas can color up an arbor or trellis, or function as a rambling ground cover. They are typically in full bloom through summer. Plant them where you can protect them from frost. A spot against a south-facing wall is often ideal, where the eves provide overhead cover.

Location

In our area, protect bougainvilleas from frost by planting them against a warm south or west-facing wall. Tenting with frost protection fabric and decorating with older non-LED Christmas tree lights on cold nights adds extra protection. It is a vigorous grower and will bloom continuously all summer long and is very drought tolerant once established.

Planting

Take care not to disturb the roots when planting. Carefully remove from the nursery pot and gently set in place. Do not massage the roots. Their roots don’t form a tight ball and can be damaged if you remove them from the can in the usual fashion.