Category: Uncategorized

Penstemons

Penstemons are easy to care for and beautiful and water-wise. A North American native; these living jewels thrive in the arid west tolerating poor soil as long as it drains well. Amending our heavy clay soil with Gold Rush is an easy fix. Consider adding this showy perennial to your garden this summer.

Penstemons are the perfect size plant for a bed or a border at about 30″ x 30″. The flowers look a bit like foxglove, tubular in shape, running the length of the stem. The colors are vibrant, some with white throats. Color options range from pale pink to red, purple and lavender and from soft pastels to near true blues. We even have California native varieties.

Care is easy. If you tend to neglect to fertilize and keep your watering on the dry side, penstemons will be a welcome garden addition. Removal of spent flower stems ensures continuous bloom from early summer through fall. Most Penstemons are evergreen and prefer full sun.

Water-Wise Products

Wilt Stop
Wilt Stop forms a clear, flexible film on treated plants which holds moisture in on plant foliage reducing moisture loss. You spray it on the leaves of a plant . Make sure the plant roots have been well-watered the day before. You don’t want to apply it on the hottest days of summer or when the plant is thirsty.

Soil Moist
Soil Moist is a polymer that was developed in the early ’70s. It is an amazing product that will cut your water use in half if you incorporate it into your potting soil in a pot or in the ground; remarkable stuff. For plants already planted, take a pencil or chop stick and poke holes in the soil around the plant. Then carefully sprinkle just a little bit in each hole. Use the pencil or chopstick to help direct the dry polymer deeper into the soil. Too much and you will end up with “jello” like material oozing out of the ground.

EZ-Wet
EZ-Wet actually breaks the surface tension of water and allows it to penetrate our heavy clay soil rather than allowing water to run off. We are saving that water and giving extra to the plant.

Gypsum
Gypsum is a really a great addition to salty, heavy clay soil.  It can relax the soil, allowing it to absorb moisture a little more willingly as it will release the salts.

Shutoff Valve
Any kind of watering device that has a shutoff is really helpful so you can focus your watering, rather than doing wide spray type watering. If you have a shutoff, you can go from plant to plant and turn your water off between plants.

Invasion of the Earwigs!

So many of our customers are coming in right now reporting that they are finding overnight destruction of many of the leaves in their garden. The leaves are filled with holes. This is especially prevalent in the vegetable garden. The culprit is likely earwigs!

Earwigs are mostly nocturnal and find moist, dark hiding spots during the day. When they come out at night, and feed on a wide variety of plants including foliage, flowers and various crops.

How do you rid your garden of these nefarious pests? We have several products we recommend and a few home remedies to try:

The first product we reach for is Sluggo Plus. Sluggo Plus helps gardeners control some of the most infamous garden pests. It combines proven slug and snail control with the addition of Spinosad which is an insect killer to control not only earwigs, but cutworms, sowbugs and pillbugs as well. Sluggo Plus can be used around all organic vegetables, fruits and berries. People and pets can enter area after product is applied.

Make 3 lines of defense – Sprinkle immediately around the effected plant, around the bed where they are growing and then hand cast some Sluggo Plus under nearby low-growing shrubbery where they hang out during the day.

All organic Captain Jacks Deadbug Brew® kills does just as the name implies. It kills earwigs, bagworms, borers, beetles, caterpillars, codling moth, gypsy moth, loopers, leaf miners, spider mites, tent caterpillars, thrips and more! Again, the active ingredient is Spinosad which is a product first isolated from a naturally occurring soil dwelling bacterium.

For home remedies, you can try a few different options. Take an empty tuna or cat food can (or maybe a metal pie dish), sink it into the ground near the most affected plants and pour in a little soy sauce (which attracts them) and cooking oil (which traps them). Alternately, you can fill the can/dish with a thin layer of beer and see who you can catch.

4-22-25 Veggie Roll Call

Please note that availability is subject to change and this list does not represent stock on hand – we sell out very quickly so if you see something you want, hurry in!

Tomato
Ace
Alice’s Dream
Amy’s Sugar Gem
Beef Master
Beef Steak
Berkeley Tie Dyed
Better Boy
Big Beef
Big Rainbow
Black Beauty
Black Cherry
Black Krim
Black Zebra
Brad’s Atomic Grape
Brandywine Red
Brandywine Sudduth’s Pink
Brandywine Yellow
Carbon
Celebrity
Champion
Cherokee Purple
Chocolate Sprinkles
Copia Striped
Costulato Genovese
Dr. Wyche’s Yellow
Early Girl
Green Zebra
Hybrid Cherokee Carbon
Hybrid Genuwine
Hybrid Perfect Flame
Indigo Blue Berries
Indigo Cherry Drops
Indigo Rose
Jetsetter
Juliet
Kellogs Breakfast
Kuzco
Midnight Snack
Pear Red
Pineapple
Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye
Premio
Purple Zebra
Red Husky Cherry
Roma
San Francisco Fog
San Marzano
San Marzano Redorta
Solar Falre
Stupice
Sugar Rush
Sun Gold
Sun Sugar
Sun Sugar
Sungold
Sweet 100
Sweet Baby Girl
Vintage Wine
Watermelon Sugar Baby
Whopping Red
Yellow Pear

Tomatillo
Cisneros
De Milpa
Purple
Verde Puebla

Pepper
Anaheim
Calabrian
Carolina Reaper
Cascabella
Chile De Arbol
Chiltepin
Chipolte
Fresno
Ghost Chocolate
Golden Bell
Guajillo
Gypsy
Habanero
Hatch Green
Italian Long
Italian Roaster
Jalepeno
Jalepeno Purple
Jalepeno Sweet Poppers
Jimmy Nardello
Manzabo Orange
Marchant Italian Pickling
Orange Sun
Padron
Poblano
Red Bell
Red Knight
Red Marconi
Roumanian Rainbow
Santa Fe Grande
Scorpion
Scotch Bonnet
Serrano
Shishito
Sriracha Hybrid
Sweet Banana
Sweet Italian Roaster
Thai
Thai Hot
The Big Early
Trinidad Scorpion
Yolo Bell
Yum Yum Mix

Squash
Anton
Bush Baby
Butternut
Gold Bar Zucchini
Italian Rampicante
Jasper Zucchini
Patty Pan Bennings Green Tint
Patty Pan G Star Green
Patty Pan Lemon Sun Fruit
Patty Pan Sunburst

Cucumber
Armenian
Burpless
Diva
English
Homemade Pickles
Japanese Brocade
Lemon
Longfellow
Mini Me
Natsu Suzumi
Patio Snacker
Persian
Pickling
Sultan Perian
Sweet Success
True Lemon
Tsuyataro

Eggplant
Black Beauty
Ichiban
Japanese
Millionaire
Nadia

Melon
Ambrosia
Honeydew Early Honeymoon
Honeydew Honey Orange
Sugar Cube
Watermelon Sugar Baby

2025 Iris Show – April 12 & 13

The annual Mt. Diablo Iris Society spring show and plant fundraiser will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2025, between 1:00 and 5:00, and Sunday April 13, 2025, from 9:00 to 4:00 at Alden Lane Nursery, 981 Alden Lane, Livermore, CA. This is a judged show of many colorful and different varieties of iris cultivars and will also feature flower arrangements, a demonstration, and a photo contest open to public contributors. Admission is free. For additional information, call Mary Sindicic at 925 606-0355 or email MtDiabloIris@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Eventbrite.

Let Spring’s Floral Fireworks Begin

March brings our “Bud Break” Season. Spring bloomers are waking up from their winter rest and are ready to put on a SHOW! Here are some of our favorites.

Plums, almonds, pears, apples, peaches & nectarines lead the way when it comes to ornamental and fruit-bearing trees. Ranging from white to soft pink, blossoms light up the bare branches. As the petals release and flutter in the breeze, we enjoy our version of a soft snowfall.

Magnolias are real show stoppers. Their big fuzzy buds will give way to the tulip and daisy-shaped flowers. The architecture of the plant coupled with stunning lavender to white blossoms is a real eye-catcher. Find a garden spot that has a shade break in the heat of the afternoon and these plants will thrive for years. 

Forsythias are easy to grow and real knockouts. When you see lemon yellow flowers covering its branches, you know spring is around the corner. Plant in full to half day sun nestled into your evergreen border and it will surprise you each year with its sunny blooms.

Enjoy the Spring Garden Color Explosion!

Pluots – Delicious Fruits for your Backyard Orchard

pluot-clusterPluots are amazing hybrid fruits that are part plum and part apricot in heritage. These fruits were initially developed in the late 20th century by Floyd Zaiger in neighboring San Joaquin Valley and are now happily grown commercially and in backyard orchards in parts of Washington and California.

Pluots have a majority of plum parentage and therefore, have smooth skin like plums. Some varieties of pluots are sometimes called interspecific plums or dinosaur eggs.

Check with us about varieties for cross pollination.

The pluot is often confused with the aprium which is another plum and apricot hybrid with mostly apricot heritage. Like apricots, apriums have a slightly fuzzy skin. Pluots and apriums are known for their sweetness and flavor; the sugar content of these fruits is much higher than that of a plum or apricot alone. Each of these varieties requires another pluot or a Japanese plum to pollenize.

Flavor King
Taste test winner. Unique plum-apricot hybrid with a sensational bouquet and sweet, spicy flavor. Reddish-purple skin, crimson flesh. Naturally small tree.

Dapple Dandy
Taste test winner. Ranks with Flavor King Pluot® among the all-time top five best-flavored fruits at Dave Wilson Nursery tastings. Creamy white and red-fleshed freestone with wonderful plum-apricot flavor. Skin greenish-yellow with red spots, turning to a maroon and yellow dapple.

Splash
Small to medium size red-orange colored fruit with very sweet orange flesh. Round to heart shaped fruit is excellent eaten fresh, dried or in desserts. Upright tree sets large crops once established. Chilling requirement 400 hours or less.

Multi-Grafted Pluot Tree
Enjoy 3-4 varieties of pluots on one tree. These trees have several grafts from different varieties on a single trunk.  Pluots taste amazing, but a multi-graft tree brings the benefit of progressive ripening through the season. Some are ripe early, and some are ripe late…Plus, the different varieties pollenize each other.

goldrush200We recommend Gold Rush planting amendment when planting fruit trees. Gold Rush is a blend of Fir Bark Compost and 15% Chicken Manure.

As a compost, fir bark holds up well over time. The addition of chicken manure provides a needed boost of nitrogen plus other trace nutrients.

Mix Gold Rush with existing soil at a ratio of 50/50.

Houseplant Helpers

Was your house full of decoration during the holidays and feels empty now? We have the perfect solution!

Houseplants have made a huge resurgence in popularity recently probably because they can not only decorate our interior environment but also benefit our mental health. Plants can be a visual reminder of when, and how, to take care of ourselves.

They promote mindfulness

When we take time to check on our plants – for dead leaves, water needs and adjustments for light, etc.  – this little bit of caring for something else (who isn’t talking back) helps calm & center you. This is an example of mindfulness, a very helpful practice for coping with stress and anxiety.

They provide “low expectation” companionship

There is nothing better than connecting with friends and family, but sometimes it’s nice to have a companion that isn’t expecting a conversation or a give-and-take interaction. You can lean on your green friends.

They improve well-being

Not only does gardening restore mood, but additional studies have also shown that even tiny doses of nature in our everyday lives can have big benefits for our happiness and well-being.

Taking care of your “plant babies” is a great way to focus positive energy on the little things which can help ground you.

They are happy reminders of nature

Just as we decorate our spaces with comforting touches of family photos and travel souvenirs, bringing plants indoors makes our homes more beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. They can help bring the joy of nature inside. Science has shown that reminders of the natural world inside our homes can evoke various positive effects on your mood.

And last but not least, they are SOOO pretty.

Show Off Your Garden!

What is a Beautification Award?

These awards recognize the efforts of our community members in enhancing and increasing the aesthetic attraction of Livermore and also promote creativity, community pride and economic vitality.

Nominated property category ideas:

  • residential site improvements
  • retail or commercial upgrades
  • water wise or native plant landscapes
  • historical renovations
  • other structural renovations, restorations, and new builds that include noteworthy landscape design

Award Selection Criteria

Improvements to outdoor spaces, including landscape and hardscape renovations, are important components for award selection:

  • How the project visually enhances the property.
  • How the home/business incorporates design, maintenance, color, organization and creativity to compliment and/or enrich the visual appeal of the existing community.
  • How the home/business structure, architectural design and landscaping are combined for maximum visual effect.

Official Entry Form Submission Deadline: September 15, 2024

Submit completed entry form plus two (2) photos, including a “before,” if available, and “after,” both from the same angle.

Application Requirements:
– Properties must be located within the corporate limits of the City of Livermore.
– Projects must be visible from a public street or trail.
– Submissions must have the consent of the owner.
– Self-nominations are encouraged.
– Projects that have won in the previous five (5) years are not eligible.

Visit The City of Livermore website for more information.