Category: gardening

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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January Garden Checklist

checkbox Brighten the garden with colorful bedding plants. Refresh your garden beds and containers with primroses, pansies, Iceland poppies and more. Check with the staff for helpful advice and ideas.

checkbox Feed camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons monthly with Master Bloom through March.

checkbox Prevent crabgrass before it starts. Apply Bonide Crabgrass & Weed Preventer (with fertilizer) now to keep crabgrass seeds from sprouting in your lawn. Apply Bonide Crabgrass & Weed Preventer (without fertilizer) to ornamental landscape. Use Corn Gluten around edibles.

checkbox Spray Your Roses Now. An application of dormant oil just after winter pruning will help reduce pest populations by smothering over-wintering eggs. Spraying copper fungicides, as well, will halt diseases such as rust, blackspot and powdery mildew. Bonide All Seasons Spray Oil and copper are listed for use on organic gardens.

checkbox Protect tender plants when frosts are expected. If it hasn’t been raining, make sure to water plants ahead of a cold snap. Cover with drawstring frost bags or drape with protective frost blanket. String non-LED Christmas tree lights on your frost-tender plants when a freeze is expected. The warmth from the bulbs will provide another measure of protection.

checkbox Keep up your New Year’s Resolution . . . join the Livermore-Amador Valley Garden Club (lavgc.org) and the Mt. Diablo Rose Society (mtdiablorosesociety.org), Northern California Daffodil Society (daffodil.org), Iris Society (MtDiabloIris@gmail.com) and Valley Bonsai Society (valleybonsaisociety.com).

Have you Tried Growing Potatoes?

Did you know that home grown potatoes taste different than store bought? They have amazing flavor and are so easy to grow! Potatoes grow under ground – it is fun to dig for buried treasure. The whole family will enjoy growing and eating home grown potatoes.

Normally arriving in January. Our first potatoes have arrived very early!

Potatoes are planted mid-February in a sunny location. Follow these simple instructions for success with this culinary favorite.

  • Sifra Potatoes are white potatoes with high moisture and low starch content which are excellent for boiling, salads, stews, or roasting. During boiling these potatoes keep their shape.
  • Prince of Orange Potatoes are a red-skinned dark yellow fleshed table potato, suitable for general use. Constance has a buttery taste and smooth texture making it ideal for mashing, boiling or baking.
  • Red La Soda Potato has a rosy skin and waxy white flesh which is tasty baked, boiled or fried. Red La Soda keeps well and withstands our heat and drought.
  • Russian Blue Potato is purple-blue inside and out with a delicious mild flavor.  The color remains – imagine purple potato salad.

Planting Tips

Storing Before Planting
Potatoes can be stored for months before eating or planting. If you are purchasing potatoes before planting time, store them in a cool, dry place. Keep the potatoes in a cardboard box or brown paper bag during their hibernation period. Keep in mind that they require ventilation, so do not stack or pile the potatoes too high. 

Preparing the Soil
Potatoes prefer a loose, well-drained soil. Our native soil is not ideal and must be amended. We recommend mixing at least 3″ of MASTER NURSERY BUMPER CROP into the top 6″-12″ of soil; you’ll need 3 bags for each 50 square feet of planting area. In addition, incorporate two pounds of MASTER NURSERY 0-10-10 to encourage root and stem growth and 2 pounds Iron Sulfate to neutralize the soil pH. Or plant your potatoes in fabric “potato bags”. Talk about an easy harvest – just dump them out. No digging required.

Choose “Certified Potatoes”
Our potatoes have been inspected to assure they are disease-free and are ready to be planted in your garden. Potatoes purchased from the supermarket have been treated with a sprouting retardant making them marginal for use in the garden. Choose from our improved selection which includes many of the popular new colored varieties.

Cut and Dry the Potatoes
Cut the potatoes into chunks 1 ½” square with at least two eyes. Spread them in a single layer (cut side up) and allow to air dry at least overnight. Cut surfaces should be dry to the touch. The air-dried cut pieces are less likely to rot in the cool, wet soil. Dusting with sulfur before planting will further decrease the chance of disease infection. If potatoes are small, simply plant the whole thing.

Plant
Form rows that are 4″ deep and 2′ apart. Set the seed potato pieces in rows, cut side down, 12″ – 18″ apart. Do not plant if the soil is very wet, but be sure to water thoroughly after planting. Or plant in our fabric bags with professional MASTER NURSERY POTTING SOIL and some EB STONE TOMATO AND VEGETABLE FOOD. Fabric bags are great to grow in, and harvesting is easy. In a bag pieces can be set about 4″ apart.

Hilling Up
The potatoes will form above, not below, the planted pieces. When the plants reach 5″ – 6″ tall, draw up loose soil (or a soil/straw mix) around the plants so that only 2″ of the stem is exposed. Hill soil up again in 2-3 weeks. Hilling up gives the potatoes a light soil to expand into as they grow.

Water & Feed
After growth begins, give the plants regular deep watering (once per week). Feed potatoes monthly with EB STONE TOMATO AND VEGETABLE FOOD, a balanced fertilizer. This along with the MASTER NURSERY 0-10-10 and Iron Sulfate incorporated at planting completes the nutritional requirements.

Harvest
Dig early or “new” potatoes when plant tops begin to flower (around June), dig mature potatoes when tops die down (late summer). Dig carefully to avoid bruising or cutting them. Store in a dark place at approximately 40 degrees.

What you will need:
  • Master Nursery Bumper Crop
  • EB Stone Tomato & Vegetable Food
  • Master Nursery 0-10-10
  • Iron Sulfate

Time to Plant Your Fall Bulbs

Think spring now! The second shipment of bulbs has arrived, bringing our collection up to a peak, Most bulbs have arrived including tulips, hyacinths, crocus, daffodils/narcissus, iris, freesias, ranunculus, and more…

For the best selection shop early. Store bulbs in a cool dry place until the weather substantially cools this fall before planting. Refrigerate tulips and hyacinths for 6-8 weeks. The chilling enhances flower development providing for nice long stems. Put the bulbs in paper bags, label them, date them, and put them in the crisper. Do not mistake them for soup ingredients. Be prepared to plant them as soon as you take them out of refrigeration (each day you delay you lose a week of chilling benefit).

Consider planting bulbs in containers. This is a great way to accent your porch or patio. When they are finished blooming you can then relocate them to a side yard where they can continue to be watered and nurtured allowing them to dry down naturally. It’s important that the bulb is allowed to reabsorb all the energy of the leaves before they rest in summer.

Add another dimension to your bulb pot or garden by planting a blooming blanket of flowers over the top. Here are some great double deck combinations: yellow daffodils and dark blue/purple pansies; peach tulips and light blue forget-me-nots; white tulips and pastel yellow pansies; red tulips, white paludosum daisies with blue pansies.

Most bulbs are planted point up, but when in doubt, plant sideways! Our nursery professionals will show you what’s up and what’s down.

Choose bulbs that will provide a succession of bloom. There are varieties of tulips, daffodils, narcissus, and iris that will provide early, mid, or late spring bloom. 

The layered look not only works in fashion but in the garden too. In a pot or garden bed plant bulbs in layers to produce a mixed bouquet look. Bulbs are planted 2½ times their diameter deep. So plant the larger bulbs, like daffodils deep. Over the top of daffodils plant tulips, then freesia and finally grape hyacinths.

You can even layer the same kind of bulb. For instance plant all daffodils some at the recommended depth of 6-8″ and another layer at 4″.  The shallower ones will bloom first and the deeper later.

Master Nursery Bulb Food

Formulated to aid in the development of strong root systems, sturdy and colorful flowers. Use at planting time and during the growing season. Provides ample quantities of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash for good growth and bulb development for next years bloom.

Get Ready to Winter-Proof your Garden

Temperatures are dropping, and its only a matter of time before we get another cold snap. Let the weather reports be a reminder to protect frost-tender plants.

  • Water your plants (except succulents) before cold temperatures; thirsty plants suffer.
  • Spray with Wilt Stop to help insulate.
  • Use frost bags & protective grow fabric over citrus, bougainvilleas & other tropicals.
  • Drape non-led string lights over a plant before covering for added warmth.

Cover frost-tender plants with a frost protection fabric or bag.

Decorate your frost-tender plants like citrus, bougainvillea and hibiscus with non-led outdoor Christmas tree lights then cover them with a fleece jacket made of translucent fabric (it can stay on all season).

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Keep an eye on soil moisture levels around plants.  Plants use less moisture in cool weather but can actually go dry if we stretch a few weeks without rain. Water occasionally as necessary. A well-watered plant going into a freeze is more resilient. A thirsty plant may suffer.

December Garden Checklist

Things to do this month

checkbox[1] Indoor Bulbs – Start paperwhites, hyacinth or amaryllis now for showy blooms in the weeks ahead. They bloom indoors and make an ideal housewarming gift. We have instructions along with an assortment of bulbs suitable for forcing at https://www.aldenlane.com/paperwhites

checkbox[1] Come on by the nursery and pick up a gift card for your favorite gardening pal, the postal carrier or the babysitter. It’s a gift sure to please anybody and everybody on your shopping list.

checkbox[1] Prevent Peach Leaf Curl! Protect fruit trees and deciduous shade trees from overwintering diseases and pests. Use Monterey Liqui-Cop, or Bonide Liquid Copper Spray now if you haven’t already. For more details, to go https://www.aldenlane.com/dormant-spray.

checkbox[1] Protect frost tender plants when frosts are expected. For added protection cover with “Fleece Bags” or drape plants with plant blanket fabric. String ­non-LED Christmas tree lights on your frost-tender plants when a freeze is expected. The warmth from the bulbs will provide another measure of protection. Click on https://www.aldenlane.com/winter-proof.

checkbox[1] Poinsettias and cyclamen make wonderful hostess gifts and thank you’s to work associates. And don’t forget to treat yourself and decorate the home too.

checkbox[1] Take care of gift plants by placing them in a comfortable, well-lit area of the home. Punch a hole in the foil covering for drainage. Place away from drafts.

checkbox[1] Prune most fruit trees, roses, and other leafless trees and shrubs from December through January. WARNING: Do not prune spring-blooming shrubs and trees such as magnolia, quince, flowering cherry, etc. until the blooming period is over.

checkbox[1] Keep up your New Year’s Resolution . . . Join the Livermore-Amador Valley Garden Club (www.lavgc.org), Mt. Diablo Rose Society (mtdiablorosesociety.org), Valley Bonsai Society (valleybonsaisociety.com), Mt. Diablo Iris Society, Northern California Daffodil Society (Daffodil.org).

checkbox[1] Think Summer pies and jams! By mid-month we’ll have all the perennial vegetables and fruits. Currently, we have rhubarb, raspberry, blackberry, and many other cane fruits.

checkbox[1] Set out winter blooming annuals for a garden filled with color. Choose primroses, pansies, Iceland poppies, ornamental cabbage, and kale. Check with the staff.

Alternatives to the Traditional Christmas Tree

Consider a living tree to decorate this holiday season — Colorado and Alberta spruce are two great traditional choices.  If you want to be daring here are some fun alternatives:

  • Citrus already decorated with fruit
  • Japanese maple with stunning branches
  • Holly plant
  • A blooming Yuletide camellia whose bright red single flowers may well be decoration enough, or
  • A fruitless or fruiting olive
  • Bay Laurel makes a beautiful container plant. They can be trained to form a small tree, cone, or remain as a bush.
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Meyer Lemons

All of these possibilities would make great landscape plants at the season’s end. If there’s no room in your garden, consider donating your plant to the garden of a local school, park or church? What a great way to green our communities.

Here are some helpful hints to keep your living Christmas tree healthy and happy.

This is a hard one – try to minimize its indoor time. A week to ten days is a good maximum to be in the house. Choose a well-lit area away from the heat of a fireplace or furnace. Protect the floor with a cork trivet topped with a large saucer to catch the watering water. In between deep waterings water your plant with ice cubes that slowly melt (helpful hint: use a turkey baster to relieve excess water from the saucer after the plant has had an hour or so to absorb it).

Decorate with small lights and light-weight ornaments.

Herb Gardening in Winter

As the temperatures drop and the desire to garden remains high, cold hardy herbs can fill a need to grow something edible.  Herb gardening can be enjoyed in a kitchen window, a container on the deck or out in the garden bed, and they are perfect for Thanksgiving Stuffing, winter stews, salads and more. 

So take a few minutes and add herbs to the vegetable or kitchen garden. You‘ll find that their magic can add a savory taste to all your cooking!

chives 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 salads, dressings, potato & 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.
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Lavender
The addition of culinary grade English or French lavender in tiny amounts can jazz up dishes as diverse as grilled pork chops, to scones, cakes, and even candy.
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Mint
The flavor of mint is refreshing, cool and sweet, especially good in iced drinks and teas, with lamb or in salad dressings. Remember to grow mint in pots as it spreads rapidly by runners and will come up in the “living room” if left unimpeded. 
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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.
rosemary150 Rosemary
Wonderful flavoring for chicken or any barbeque. Evergreen, woody shrub has aromatic foliage (It’s 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 barbeque or put some on the coals for nice aroma. Plant in full sun.
sage150 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.

Bare Root Onions

Bare root onions have arrived.  At the moment we have red (Burger), white (Castle), yellow (Merlin), Walla Walla & red torpedo onions.

Our supplier starts the onions from seed in August and carefully nurtures them along to the bare-root stage. We bundle them in packs of 30. Bare-root is the preferred method of planting for many long-time gardeners.

Onions grow best during cool weather and are usually planted in the fall in California for late spring harvest. Plant in rows 1 to 2 feet apart in a moist seedbed, in full sun. Bare root seedlings should be planted 1 inch deep and 6″ apart.

Use our Recipe for Good Garden Soil and then get ready to plant.

Sasanqua Camellia – a Versatile Early Bloomer!

We just received a sizable shipment of Sasanqua camellias; some are beginning to bloom. Sasanqua Camellias are, “the other Camellia,” one of the stars of the winter garden. This cousin of the commonly planted Japanese Camellia is a bit more sun tolerant (until 10:30-11:00am), and depending on the variety makes an excellent gracefully branching ground cover or espaliered shrub, informal hedge as well as an excellent container plant. You might also plant a Sasanqua Camellia under trees to give color to otherwise green backdrops. Some varieties of Sasanquas begin blooming now, and other variations are colorful at Christmas.

Planting Sasanqua Camellias

You will want to follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system.  Provide well-drained soil, rich in organic matter amended with E.B. Stone Acid Planting Mix. Keep roots cool with a thick layer of mulch.  Pruning time should be done in the spring after flowering has ceased.

Below find the top varieties that have outstanding ability to perform. Not only are they covered with hundreds of flowers during the fall and winter months, but the dark green evergreen foliage is a plus for any garden.

EARLY SEASON

  • Shishi Gashira. Semi-double to peony form, lovely soft pink blooms. Low spreader.
  • Show No Sakae. Semi-double to rose-form flowers with a lovely soft pink color.  This camellia is very versatile and does great in a large hanging basket, as a groundcover or vining up a wall.
  • Yuletide:  Brilliant, fiery red, single blooms centered with bright yellow stamens. Upright.

MIDSEASON

  • Apple Blossom is a vivid cerise red coloring edge the white petals of these large single blossoms. The crown of golden stamens adds lovely contrast. Upright growth pattern and blooms in mid-season.
  • White Doves. White semi-double to loose peony form. Spreader.

masterbloomFeed camellias through the cooler months with Master Bloom to promote flower and bud development. Suitable for all your blooming and fruiting plants, including roses, lilacs, perennials, azaleas, and citrus.

Feed Camellias monthly during spring and summer with Camellia, Azalea, Gardenia, & Rhododendron Food.