We carry a wonderful selection of gifts for any occasion. During the holidays, we add even more unique items for you to consider. Some of these items are located in the Garden Store with our Christmas Shoppe.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Wind Chimes – Wind chimes are a gift that can be enjoyed by everyone, but you may not think to buy yourself. Many sounds and styles available.

Wall Art – We have a variety of wall art for indoors and outdoors in different mediums including wood, metal & canvas. Themes include trendy farmhouse, inspirational quotes and gorgeous botanicals.

Gourmet Products – Another great gift idea for many to enjoy are some of our wonderful gourmet goodies. Soup, desserts, olive oil, honey, and candy galore. We would be happy to help you put together a selection to make a basket.

Lotions & Soaps – Always a welcome gift available in a wide variety of scents. We have lavender, lemon, grapefruit just to name a few scents.

Livermore & California Swag – Show your pride in our special city or the state with some fun, personalized items. We have books (our favorites are the Holm Family Cookbook & Chasing Spring), towels, cutting boards, ornaments and more!

Kid’s Section – If you are looking to inspire the next generation of gardeners, we have tools that are just their size. We also have some unique toys and plush animals.

Books – We can help you out with a nicely curated selection of gardening & plant books.

Garden Flags & Doormats – If you are looking to add a splash of color to your front porch or yard, consider a flag or bright doormat. We have some fun ones!

Bird Feeders – Give someone a gift that will attract feathered friends into their yard. Our assortment of styles, sizes & food options is sure to ruffle your feathers.

Garden Decor – We have all sorts of fun things to which can be the perfect addition to a yard or patio.

We are happy to help you select the right thing for everyone on your list. The best part is that we are happy to gift wrap your items in our signature wrapping for FREE.

We have lots of gift ideas for the gardener including some unique tools gardeners may not be aware of that others cherish. Buy a gift a gardener might too lavish for him or herself but will ease the tasks and leave them thanking you.

Hori-Hori Knife

Discover one of the most useful tools in a gardener’s toolbag. The Japanese Hor-Hori knife is part spade, part serrated knife. Excellent for dividing perennials and squeezing a new plant in an established pot. Those gardeners who own one, swear they are their most useful tool.

Felco Tools

Felcos are well-made Swiss made pruners. They are simply the best! They are the pruner of choice for landscape & vineyard professionals. Give a Felco tool to a gardener and expect them to be astonished.

 

Garden Kneelers

A folding kneeler serves as a seat too. One of our more popular gardener gifts. Makes gardening tasks more comfortable and enables greater mobility.

 

Hand Rake

This handy tool would be a perfect stocking stuffer. Super useful in the garden for reaching in and cleaning up around your plants.

 

 

 Trowels

Buy a Book!

We have a wonderful selection of books for experienced and new gardeners alike Learn to Prune – One of the most comprehensive, easy to understand pruning books in out there. This is our most popular selling book, explains in easy terms with illustrations, how to prune a large variety of fruit trees and roses.

We also have Livermore specific books including Livermore history and local family cookbooks.

Houseplants, just like people, need to adjust to winter conditions. Without making some seasonal changes, our houseplants may begin to look unhealthy. Visible symptoms include sudden leaf loss, leaf tips turning brown, and a generally droopy or wilted appearance.

Reduce Watering

Houseplants experience a slower rate of growth during the cold weather, and some even go completely dormant. Because of this, they need a little less water during the winter months. Allow your plants soil to dry out more than usual during this time. The top surface soil might appear dry, but you should poke your finger into the soil and check to see if it is dry an inch or two below the surface.

Watch the Temperature

Windows can get chilly in the winter time, so it’s best to move your plants away from them. Additionally, you should make sure to move your plants away from doors that might bring in a cold draft. Be careful not to put your plants near a hot vent or other sources of heat. Fluctuations in temperature can kill houseplants just as easily as prolonged periods of heat or cold.

Spray with Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide or Monterey Liqui-Cop. If rains occur within 48 hours of applying, reapply spray.

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

With all the crazy in the world around us, we are lucky to be here every day at the Nursery surrounded by plants. As we have mentioned, there are so many benefits to adding plants to your interior or spending time outside in nature. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits. Concentration & Memory Being around plants has been shown in multiple studies to improve concentration and memory. People who are around nature performed better and with greater accuracy. Attention span and memory performance can benefit by being in a natural environment which helps to successfully complete tasks. Plants and Flowers Generate Happiness It goes without saying that having plants and flowers around improves people’s moods. That’s why we send them to our friends in the hospital! The natural aesthetic is soothing and reduces stress levels. When stress levels are lowered, your positive energy and outlook grow. They offer pleasing visual stimulation and an increase in perceived happiness which helps improve overall mental health. Health & Recreation Being inspired by your natural surroundings can increase desire to move. Your body and mind benefit from continued movement and physical activity. Increase physical activity makes you less susceptible to physical ailments and more resilient when a minor illness comes along. The soothing powers of just seeing plants help you heal more quickly when illness does occur. Improved Relationships People who spend time taking care of plants are more likely to have better relationships with others. Taking time to think of someone or something and their needs instead of your own develops compassion and empathy. Extended contact with nature encourages people to want to better their environment and the people in it. We would love to help you find a way to be “under the influence” of plants.

We have talked a lot over the last few months about the many great benefits of houseplants – they remove pollutants from the air, add oxygen, reduce stress, etc. If you are looking for an easy houseplant that offers these benefits, consider a ZZ plant.

The ZZ plant, which is short for Zamioculcas zamiifolia, thrives in a number of adverse indoor environments that might challenge another plant. Regarding light, the ZZ plant prefers to be in indirect light (meaning away from windows and direct sun). It even works in offices with fluorescent light or a room that doesn’t have windows!

The deep green leaves look tropical, but it actually is a succulent. It has rhizomes (bulbs under the soil that store water) so it is naturally adapted to survive long periods without water. During the cooler months, the ZZ plant only needs to be watered about once a month or so – when the top inch or two of the soil gets completely dry. During the warmer months, you will need to offer your plant more water. Make sure you get to know your plant throughout the year as your indoor conditions vary and with it your plant’s water needs. A sure way to kill it is to overwater it!

Another great feature of the ZZ plant is that it has very few pest and disease problems. It also doesn’t need to be fertilized much – maybe a small application in spring and summer.

Looking to purify the air in your home? Houseplants to the rescue. These air cleaning plants will help you remove toxins and improve air quality.

1. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

One of the easiest houseplants to care for. It likes light, but can live in lower light. They like to dry out between waterings. It’s trailing, heart shaped leaves come in different colors.

2. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)

Peace Lilies are another easy plant. Their glossy leaves & white flowers make them a great addition to any room. They can tolerate lower light, are very happy in bright indirect light and love water.

3. Philodendron

Another heart-shaped leaf, philodendron is a welcome addition to indoor spaces. They are relatively easy to care for. They just need moderate water and bright, indirect sunlight.

4. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Spider plants are a favorite of new plant parents or those with a bad track record. They thrive in bright, indirect sunlight and tolerate a wide temperature range.

5. Rubber plants (Ficus elastica)

These popular ornamental plants are hardy indoor addition. They love bright, filtered light and weekly* watering in summer (you can go to twice a month in winter). Rubber plants can vary in size. They will grow in a small pot or can be encouraged into a larger indoor tree.

*watering frequency varies with pot size, light and room temperature.

6. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata v. Bostoniensis)

This lovely fern with sword-shaped fronds makes it perfect for a hanging basket or plant stand. The Boston Fern likes a more humid environment and requires consistent moisture – think about your bathroom. They do like bright indirect sunlight near windows, balconies and patios.

7. ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas)

If you are looking for a unique, easy care plant, consider a ZZ Plant. They do well in low light to medium and like to dry out completely between watering.

8. Dracaena

Dracaena are another statement plant as they can grow up to ceiling height. They have one of the widest range of “looks” – colors and width of leaves vary quite dramatically. These guys love indirect sunlight and can survive in lower light than many. They definitely won’t do direct sunlight.

9. Ficus/Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)

Like many of it’s air purifying friends, the ficus prefers bright, indirect sunlight. They enjoy regular water and like to dry out between drinks.

10. Snake Plant/Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)

One of our customer favorites is the Sansevieria or Snake Plant. It is a succulent plant that grows fairly straight upright. Sansevieria is a low-maintenance plant that is hardy and thrives on neglect. It is one of the few houseplants that continues to produce oxygen round the clock. This plant needs to go dry between waterings!

Chrysanthemums just say “Fall”! We will have many wonderful colors to choose from. Use in the garden, for pots and for seasonal indoor decorating. Come in and check out what’s new.

Sow flower seeds. Many wildflowers and spring annuals grow from seeds scattered now. Try California Poppy, Bachelor Button and Alyssum.

Feed your fruit trees one last time until March for increased vigor in the spring. Use Master’s Fruit and Vine Food.

September is a wonderful time to set out winter vegetables and flowers. We will have a full range of cool-season seedlings by the middle of the month. Plant root crops like carrots, radishes, and beets from seed now.

Revitalize your lawn now with these easy steps: Thatch, aerate, add Iron Sulfate, Gypsum, seed, Master Start Fertilizer and top with Gold Rush. 

Attend to acid-loving plants such as camellias, gardenias, and azaleas now. Feed them this month with Master’s Camellia, Azalea, Gardenia, Rhododendron Food. In October start feeding with Master Bloom 0-10-10 Fertilizer monthly through March. For Gardenias, continue the acid fertilizer through November then transition to the Master Bloom.