Here are a few pictures of plants showing color in the nursery this week.
What is Blooming Now?
Category: Flowers
Getting Roses off to a Great Start
Now that your roses are budding and ready to reward you with their glorious blooms, it is time to get a care plan in place to sustain them all season.
Insects
With the warmer, sunny days also come insects, keep an eye on new growth and watch for infestations of aphids, these insects are usually light green in color and cluster on new growth and buds. They can be hosed off with a strong jet of water which renders them unable to feed or spray with Bonide All Seasons Oil which will smother them. Follow up in a week or two with a release of live Ladybugs, they are voracious feeders and will devour any new hatchlings.
Fungus Diseases
Powdery Mildew is a dusty looking white powder spread across leaves and stems. Rust will cause yellowing leaves and orange pustules that rub off easily on the undersides of leaves. Blackspot will also cause yellowing with black spots on leaves that fall off easily. If you notice any of these symptoms, it is best to act quickly with fungicide sprays like Bonide Copper Fungicide or Neem Oil. Also, clean up any leaf litter from around the plant and remove infected leaves from the plant.
With a little bit of loving care, you’re on your way to a rich reward of blooms all season.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing will get your roses thriving for a sustained blooming period.
How you water – sprinkler vs. drip vs. hand/hose will determine what type of fertilizer you use. If you have a drip irrigation system on your roses, you will need to use a liquid or water soluble fertilizer like Maxsea 16-16-16 or Master Nursery Liquid Gold 15-6-3. Both of these are concentrates that are diluted with water and watered in. Always remember to water your plants the day before fertilizing.
If you have a sprinkler system or hand water you can use granular products like E.B. Stone Organic Rose & Flower Food 5-6-3 or Master Nursery Rose and Flower Food 5-10-5, again remember to always water the day before and water your fertilizer in well.
Japanese Camellias
Now is the prime Camellia time! Our Camellia japonicas are budded & blooming with spring splendor.
Camellias are among spring’s first bloomers. The lovely shrubs spend the year standing tall in the shade garden with glossy evergreen foliage. Even in fall, springs buds are beginning to fatten up. They’re exploding into bloom now and are ripe for selecting.
It’s the perfect time to pick the flower style and color you love. Among the many varieties we stock are:
- DEBUTANTE
A medium-sized peony flower with light pink blossoms which appear January through early March. - KRAMER’S SUPREME
has large, lightly fragrant, full peony, deep red to rose-red blossoms which appear late February through March. - NUCCIO’S GEM
a medium to large, formal double flower with pure white blossoms which blooms January through early March. - PEARL MAXWELL
a large, formal double flower with shell-pink blooms which appear early to mid-February through March. - SILVER WAVES
A large, wavy, semi-double flower with white blossoms and sprays of stamens which appear February through March.
Camellia ‘Ferris Wheel’
Take a look at relative newcomer FERRIS WHEEL. This red, pink and white striped semi-double is quite the stunner.
Planting
Camellias are slow to moderate growers. Habits vary from compact and upright to loose and spreading. Plant in well-drained organic soil (Acid Planting Mix). Filtered or bright shade all day is the best exposure, early a.m. sun before 10 or late day sun after 5:00 p.m.would also be okay. Protect from the heat of the day.
Feed monthly September through March with Master Bloom and monthly April through August with Master’s Azalea, Camellia, Gardenia Acid Food. Quarterly applications of Iron will keep your leaves bright green.
We also have a sizable collection of Sasanqua Camellias. Sasanquas typically bloom earlier than the Japonicas.
Dahlias are Showing Off
Dahlias are beautiful because they are bright and often very large and have the added benefit of attracting pollinators. They also have a long blooming season and make an ideal, long-lasting cut flower. We have tubers now.
This beautiful sun-loving perennial bloomer is the official flower of the City of Seattle and also the national flower of Mexico. We have sought out Dahlias in a wide variety of heights and forms to suit any garden or landscaping theme.
Plant large dahlias 3 to 4 feet apart; plant smaller dahlias 2 feet apart — plant dahlias in full or morning sun in soil that drains well. Select tubers now and plant them as the ground begins to warm in spring (store in a cool spot until ready).
Planting
Dig a big hole, 8-10″ deep and improve the soil with a generous amount of Gold Rush soil amendment. Add and mix in Master Nursery Bone Meal in the bottom of the hole and plant the bulb (actually a tuber) on their side, 4″ deep with the cut stem, if visible facing up. Nurture them with water and an additional feeding of Rose & Flower Food as the buds form in summer and also feed monthly through September. Watch for a spectacular summer display that will continue right into fall.
Water in and then only water when you see leaves emerge. Dahlias then appreciate moderate watering, which should look like a nice thorough soaking 2 to 3 times a week after the weather warms.
For best appearance and to keep the blooms coming, snip off the faded blossoms.
In fall, many gardeners dig up their dahlia tubers to store in a cool, dry spot for winter. We are in a mild winter region, so ours planted here at the nursery bloom year after year without lifting and storing.
Dahlia Tubers Now In Stock
Spring bulbs are here now and more are coming in the weeks ahead. These include corms, tubers, and rhizomes for most of the summer blooming flowers such as gladiolus and dahlias.
Dahlias are beautiful because they are bright and often very large and have the added benefit of attracting pollinators. They also have a long blooming season and make an ideal, long-lasting cut flower.
This beautiful sun-loving perennial bloomer is the official flower of the City of Seattle and also the national flower of Mexico. We have sought out Dahlias in a wide variety of heights and forms to suit any garden or landscaping theme.
Plant large dahlias 3 to 4 feet apart; plant smaller dahlias 2 feet apart. Plant dahlias in a spot in the garden with full sun or morning sun. Give them soil that drains well. Select tubers now and plant them as the ground begins to warm in spring (store in a cool spot until ready).
Planting
Dig a big hole, 8-10″ deep and improve the soil with a generous amount of Gold Rush soil amendment. Add and mix in Master Nursery Bone Meal in the bottom of the hole and plant the bulb (actually a tuber) on their side, 4″ deep with the cut stem, if visible facing up. Nurture them with water and an additional feeding of Rose & Flower Food as the buds form in summer and also feed monthly through September. Watch for a spectacular summer display that will continue right into fall.
Water in and then only water when you see leaves emerge. Dahlias then appreciate moderate watering, which should look like a nice thorough soaking 2 to 3 times a week after the weather warms.
For best appearance and to keep the blooms coming, snip off the faded blossoms.
In fall, many gardeners dig up their dahlia tubers to store in a cool, dry spot for winter. We are in a mild winter region, so ours planted here at the nursery bloom year after year without lifting and storing.
Tea Camellias
Call it a “hot cuppa” or “leaf soup” (thanks to Sheldon and Amy of The Big Bang Theory), tea is a perfect warming winter drink, and we can help you grow tea leaves at home. Tea Camellias, known botanically as Camellia sinensis, are the most widely grown Camellias in the world. Choose one from our abundant stock and make your own flavorful, aromatic green, oolong or black teas. They thrive in well-draining, slightly acidic soil in a light shade area. Periodic fertilizing will have these evergreens, white winter blooming shrubs thriving – and producing flavorful tea leaves – for many years to come.
Growing Climate
Camellia sinensis – or Tea Camellia grows in a broad variety of climates around the world. Tea is grown commercially in both tropical & temperate zones including China, Japan, and the US.
In our area, the Tea Camellia plant prefers a bright shade location. The morning sun side of your house or under the dappled shade of a large tree would suit the plant well.
Soil should remain moist, not wet and drain should drain well. It also needs to be kept on the acidic side. Therefore, plant all camellias in a mixture of Nurseryman’s Acid Planting Mixed 75% with 25% native soil. Feed with Azalea Camelia food and treat 2-3 times a year with Iron Sulfate to keep the pH on the acidic side.
Harvest
Tea is harvested as the first flush of leaves emerge in early spring. Another can occur when a second and possible third flush of leaves appear in late spring/summer. Flowers arrive in fall; ours are blooming now.
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Success!
Your garden, no matter how small, does matter!
We recently got the news that the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge put on by the National Pollinator Garden Network achieved and surpassed its goal of signing up one million gardens for pollinators.
Gardeners like you commit to providing food, shelter, and a water source to benefit honeybees, native bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other wildlife critical for pollinating our food crops.
If you are interested in signing up, please visit www.millionpollinatorgardens.org.
Consider taking up the 2019 Challenge to add three new pollinator plants, including a spring bloomer, a summer bloomer, and a fall bloomer.
Some Alden Lane favorites to help out our little winged friends:
Spring
California Wild Lilacs (Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman,’ ‘Valley Violet,’ and others); Rosemary, California poppies and Iceland Poppies, Spirea, Lilac Vine, Grevillea, Manzanitas, Redbuds, Mallows/Lavatera.
Summer
Gaillardia, Butterfly Bush (Buddleia sp.), Milkweed (Asclepias sp.), Yarrow, Lantana, Alyssum, Catmint, Lavender, Sunflowers, Fuchsia, Santa Barbara Daisy, ‘Hot Lips’ Sage, Coreopsis, Echinacea, Black-eyed Susans.
Fall
Mexican Bush Sage, Chrysanthemums, Asters, Herbs allowed to go to seed, Tecoma, Xylosma, Pineapple Sage, Scarlet Sage, Lion’s Tail, California Fuchsia, Buckwheats, Bulbine, Japanese Anemone, Verbena.
Perennials from 6-packs
The end of summer marks a perfect time to invest in your garden with a few starts of perennial color. Planting these young plants now will allow them to establish over winter and bloom gloriously next spring. This is a very satisfying way to garden. These plants are small, young, easy to plant and grow, and for a small investment, you can enjoy a wealth of rewards next year.
Perennials continue to bloom beyond a couple years and more. These include Coral Bells, various daisies, Delphinium and Verbena. Candytuft, Lupine, and Armeria. Planting in the fall is gentle on plants and allows them to establish more easily.
See our 6-pack and 4″ perennial collection.
A
lso look in our 6-pack sun groundcover section; Verbena, Santa Barbara Daisy and African Daisy, Sea Pink, among others are great perennials to plant now.
Prepare a generous planting hole for each plant. (If you prepare a 1-gallon size hole for these 2″ plants, you will soon have a 1-gallon size plant.)
Start them out well with E. B. Stone Sure Start Organic Fertilizer with Mycorrhizae (a beneficial fungus).
Blooming Now – Puya has Teal-Colored Flowers
Our wonderful Puya alpestris, a teal flowering, pineapple cousin is blooming in our demonstration garden. It has often gone years between flowering, so it is a blessing to see it twice in 2 years. It’s teal colored flower, sporting contrasting orange stamens make this plant especially unusual and a real treat to see blooming in the succulent garden now.
Come in and see the strikingly beautiful bloomer and bring your camera!
Puya is kind of rare, and we have gallons in stock.
Nurture your Plants with Maxsea Fertilizer
Maxsea water-soluble fertilizer provides the rich elements of seaweed, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
Give all your plants a generous feeding to help them recoup energies spent blooming and fruiting. Maxsea water soluble fertilizer is a favorite among staff members. It works quickly and provides many micro-nutrients (derived from kelp).
GOOD FOR YOUR PLANTS AND KIND TO THE EARTH
MAXSEA combines the best of nature and technology. It is a blend of the finest natural seaweed with vital secondary micronutrients and the purest plant foods available.
The resulting fertilizers are remarkably effective, easy-to-use concentrates that dissolve instantly & completely in water for fast acting, immediate results. In solution, MAXSEA’s natural brown granules turn dark seaweed green and have the fresh, clean aroma of the sea, a pleasure to use and completely safe for the environment.
Professional growers and home gardeners alike use MAXSEA plant foods with great success.
HOW TO USE
MAXSEA PLANT FOODS are an excellent choice for foliar or root feeding, as well as for use in hydroponic systems. They are easy to apply using hose-end applicators, drip systems or fertilizer injectors, or by using a gardener’s watering can. One tablespoon of Maxsea yields one gallon of plant food.
BASIC INSTRUCTIONS: Dissolve one heaping tablespoon per gallon of water. Distribute each gallon over a 3’x2′ area (6 square feet).
Additional Information from maxsea-plant-food.com