Taming the Garden

Fairy Barrels!

2008-04-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

My children go to a Waldorf methods school, where fairy play is very popular amongst the younger ones. I decided to use the 1/4 wine barrels to make some fairy gardens for my girls!

So far they have really enjoyed rearranging the rocks and sticks and finding seed pods and such in the yard for the fairies ("this can be a fairy slide!"). The girls have declared the baby NEEDS HER OWN and the boys, too old for silly fairies, want their own barrels. The nine year old like succulents and so will get a rock garden/succulent one. The older boy suggested a miniature landscape for action figures. I will post when they are done!

April in my yard

2008-04-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

It frosted here in Napa again! April 20th! Ergh. And if that werent bad enough I came home from work and found this:

My purple hopseed tree I planted from a 24" box last year. I realize now I should have staked it better. Im a little heartbroken. But on to more positive pictures:

My Philadelphus is in full bloom.
And just as my Michelia X Jack Fogg finishes blooming my Michelia figo Port Wine begins...ahhh heavenly smells!

The old gallica rose way in the back (that is trying to take over the yard) is starting to bloom.

A close up of the blossom, it is powerfully fragrant.

Some shots from the front yard. my postage stamp cottage garden. It is looking better all the time. I put down cocoa mulch and it really made a difference.

Cestrum smithii Elegans. This poor plant is being propped up by that old tractor
seat. I have had it at least 10 years and to feel how loose the steam is in the ground you would think it should be dead. But nope, keeps on blooming!

And lastly here is a "Sunset" Iochroma I bought recently and put in a wine barrel on the front porch.

The Growing Challenge Week..uh...??

2008-04-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

Im here! Im here!
Melinda must think I fell off the planet but no, I am just insanely busy!
(for info on The Growing Challenge click on the button of the same name to the right under the topics)
Its hard having both my job and my hobby be spring intensive, and the kids school too!
Sooo, we have been working in the yard every spare moment. Not all has been on edibles, the front yard is turning into a awesome cottage garden.
What have we got going?
1.Finished all the raised beds, hauled 10 yards of dirt into new ones and topped off old ones.
2.Finished planting the blueberry patch, 12 plants in all.
3.Have heirloom squash, melon and cucumber seeds starting.
4.Planted tomatoes, they froze and today I planted 17 more.
5.In our center salad box we have swiss chard, shallots, green onions, tons of lettuce (from discards), three types and colors of carrots, radish, thymes and (dont laugh) peanuts!
6.Planted Italian Long Green, Sweet Cherry and Mini Chocolate peppers today.
7.Got the bean supports half done and put in the red noodle asparagus bean seed today.
8.Planted a columnar apple in one corner of one bed, am starting garlic chives from seed, going to put under apple...read they were good companions. Also planted a Jonagold along the vegetable fence and am training it into a espalier.
9. Along the fence we planted 7 various 'rescued' grapes from work and 2 pomegranates.

10.Bought two figs: Panache (Striped Tiger) and Brown Turkey, not yet planted.
11. Bought a Lane Late Navel Orange, not yet planted. Am researching the rest of the citrus I want to get this spring.

12.Started 2 flats of alpine strawberries form seed, one red and one yellow.

A few pictures:

Dont look at the weeds! This is the mini apple-pear orchard...ha ha. I am laying rocks around these beds so you have to envision rock lined pathways here, and filled with beautiful plants of all types where the weeds are, ok?

Above is the bed with the red noodle beans along back, columnar apple in corner, and the purple tomatoes: Black Krim, Black from Tula, Cherokee Purple and Prudens Purple. And the peppers too.

The enter "salad" bed. Note: teh tomato on the bottom left is Giuseppe's Bigga Boy. I planted all my tomatoes (and I KNEW better)on March 31st. That night I heard the vineyard fans kick on. We had a week of frost....that Giuseppe's was UNTOUCHED. The rest turned black and wilted down. And they were all hardened off the same.

The box above will have the Blue Lake pole beans along the back. I carefully charted out my tomatoes in a book this year...no lost tags. In tried to group them so we have the group of German Johnson, Caspian Pink x2 and Moskovich and the group of HillBilly, Arkansas Traveler and Box Car Willy. And I threw the french girl Dona in there with them for fun. We are getting straw this week to line all the walkways and mulch the beds.

This bed has Aunt Rubys German Green x2, Green Grape (my favorite) and Persimmon. In the back of the bed those metal stakes are going to be used for the cucumbers. I want to try and trellis them this year. You can see the new beds in the back of the picture. The squash and melons go in there.

And lastly...we did not get the blackberries removed yet BUT my husband did bushwhack a path to the back fence. Not sure why we need to walk to the back fence but we an now, if we so choose. I would love to clear this out, but I think it will be a bit yet.
And so thats it, thats what we have been doing in the fruit/veggie department!
I hope all of the other "growers" are doing well!

Beneficial Insects....a sign of a healthy garden!

2008-04-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

I just came in briefly to post these pictures. As I passed by my rather woody, badly-in-need-of-a-haircut honeysuckle I was startled by hundreds of bugs raining down onto me and the ground below. Luckily bugs (except potato monsters..agh) do not bother me. Upon closer inspection I realized it was covered in aphids, the bugs falling are soldier beetles eating the aphids! How cool is that? They are doing a good job too. Personally, I tell customers at work the best thing they can do for their yard is to plant more flowers. The more diverse your yard/garden the better natural balance of bugs will be.

Also: Bees!
My wisteria is blooming as are my two large Michelias one huge Osmanthus and several medium ones, two jasmines, and orange among many others. Not only does it smell FANTASTIC right now but the fat and happy bees are so thick it nearly sounds like a horror movie. Most customers freak if a plant attracts bees....but rarely do any of us get stung. They are busy do their bee thing and we don't bother them = no problems!

Hummers at the Nursery..

2008-04-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have so, so much I need to post: fruiting quince, smelly flowers, growing challenge, purchases, Goldsmith Seed trials.....and on and on! But I am so tired!

Tonight let me post a couple of cute hummingbird nests (with mama and babies) we had at the nursery last week.

This first one is up in a 15 gallon Pittosporum Eugenoides tree. As soon as a nest is discovered the tree is covered in SOLD tags and pt off limits. Jake climbed into the tree next to this one and used the zoom, so as not to disturb the precious (and tiny) occupants.

This mama hummer built her nest right at the very front of the nursery, at the top of the wooden overhang, 15 feet in the air. For this picture Ben stood on a pallet and he was slowly raised by forklift until he could zoom in. We were wondering what she must of thought of this mans face slowly rising over her horizon? Hmmm....

This last one is terribly blurry but I love the birds eye view of the nursery. Just when we thought we had seen every aisle, every crack in the cement form every angle...nope!

OK, bonus shot: These daffs were given to me by the nursery after they didnt sell and it was getting way too late to plant them. I then hauled them around for a few more weeks until it was really too late to plant them. But, I finally stuck them in one of the wine barrels I had made for my sons class. Arent they gorgeous doubles?

Purchases!

2008-03-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

I am so tardy on posting my purchases. With it being spring I am a little busy and tired from both my own yard and work....PLUS, the purchases this time of year can be a little difficult to confess right here in front of everyone...lol.

Here are some from the past few weeks:

Tomatoes!! I am going to try and control myself this year! So far: Aunt Rubys German Green, Green Grape, German Striped, Black Krim, Giuseppes Bigga Boy, Caspian Pink, Brandywine, Sungold, Mortgage Lifter, and one mystery....must...control...myself.........
This Armeria.....I love it because it is large enough to hold is own place in the flower bed.

The Oxalis on the left I actually bought in the fall but I bought the golden feverfew a couple of weeks ago and I love the way the two look together.
This is a variegated Photinia. I never thought much of this shrub but I like not only this variety but the dwarf "Fireball" very much too.
A couple of Salvias for the front yard. A peachy Greggii named "caviar" and then a tutti fruiti sage (S. dorisiana), love the way the leaves smell, similar to pineapple sage but leave are much larger and flower is hot pink.
Euphorbia "Jessie".
Euphorbia "Excalibur".
A bunch of succulents form various places. Most from the nursery, some purchases and some that needed some TLC.

Today I went out to DJs Growing Place here in Napa. Its not a competitor really because it is a different type of nursery. They propagate most of their stuff themselves and its fun to search the place for treasures, which they do have...like these 3 succulents above! They have good prices too. I remember when they started...gosh about 20years ago. DJ was their son who they lost to a childhood illness.

We have had this one at the nursery before, it is a Salvia with odd orange-brown flowers. I have seen this before in books and always thought I should try it because my oldest son is Russell....this is Russelia. I have a plant for almost every kid now....even got a David Austin rose named for my son, Braeden (different spelling).
Ok, here is a 1 gallon climbing rose named "Lavender Falls". I am a sucker for climbing roses, and this is just my size (price). Havent found anything on the internet about it yet. To the right is a climbing Hops vine. We had these but these soldbefore I could get one and the price was great. In the back is Campanula punctata "Wedding Bells" I just ordered some seeds for the pink ones.
Here is one I have never seen or heard of, but did find it online after I bought it. Devils Tobacco. Lobelia tupa. 6ft tall, full sun, red flowers. Looks cool!
And finally a Iochroma cyaneum "salmon". They start out kinda orangey but the blossoms fade to a very nice peachy-salmon.

So there you have it, confessions are out. I also pickedup 3 climbing roses just before bareroot was over: Colette, Night Owl and Red Eden. Also bought some more seeds: mainly red and yellow alpine strawberries. And a few little odds and ends...6 pack of pink forget me nots, a gold marjoram...dont jusdge me harshly! Its hard to work in a nursery this time a yea when hundreds of plants are ariving...heck thousands...daily!
Next I hope to update my growing challenge!

Elizabeth Magnolia

2008-03-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

I said no more Magnolia posts UNLESS the yellow one at work bloomed. Not only did it blossom but so did one a few houses down from me. The fact that I do not ever remember seeing the one in my own neighborhood before is proof to how dim I had been allowing the horticultural part of my brain to grow over the past several years. "sigh" (I am shaking my head in disgust)

Anyhow, here are two of thee baby one at work:

And the one up the street that is just beautiful:

A whole bunch of Ranunculi candy

2008-03-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

These came in today....

And will be gone by tomorrows end......

Melianthus major aka Honey Bush

2008-03-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

I snapped these pictures in a tiny front yard I spied on my way to work Monday. I like this plant, bt do not own any at this time. Not sure if I will either. Its very tropical looking even though it is hardy into the 20s. The leaves stink but the flowers almost drip with nectar for the hummers. For that reason it MAY find its way into my yard at some point. It grows rapidly upward to 6-8 feet and slowly forms a clump. For the best appearance it should be cut back harshly every year or two.

Spring! WoW!

2008-03-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

OK, Spring is here. Full force. There is no picture because I have no time to take any at work. I wore my pedometer yesterday that measures steps and I was right about at 13,000. They say 10,000 is approximately 5 miles.

Here is what working in a nursery in spring is like:

You are out helping customer and need to find an answer inside. You head in and 3 people ask for help and you tell them you will come back to them...inside the lines are clogging registers so you grab trays and quickly put prices and tallies on paper for customers to help line move quicker, then tell cashier to call for customer service, then go get answer for your original question. Cashier asks you to tag XXXX and put in sold block. While getting answer you are closest to phone...answer it take number to check on plant stock. Head out with answer, phone number, sold tag and try to remember what your customer looked like. Make mental note to water those one gallon Euryops...again. Ask wrong man with same goatee and baseball cap. Get stopped and direct two more people to correct area. Find your customer and momentarily blank out on what in the heck you are doing!!! LOLOL! Love it though......

Pictures tonight....

UPDATE:
Its tonight. I am tired. And just as I was ready to head home and sit down I go to my car and....tire is flat. As a pancake. Boss Jake looked at it and says its actually in bad shape and so is other front one, so I am thankful for no accidents and that all my babies are safe.
Being the nice guy he is, he let me take the work truck home and I will deal with tires tomorrow.

We got our first really significant shipment of bedding and vegetables today. Here is a picture: 230 flats.

Thats not really that many, as tomorrow and Friday we will have MANY deliveries. While spring is alot of hard work, its alot of fun too. During the winter months we are all there, planting strawberries (in the rain), making signs, puttering around (in the cold)(and the rain)....talking to our co workers for 8 hours a day about every detail in each others lives because thats just what you end up doing. A few customers come in and we all rush them, if you have been out in January I hope you werent annoyed by every single employee asking you if you needed assistance. We are all working toward one goal during those cold, wet months: getting ready for SPRING!
And then one day the sun shines, and BOOM. Everyone is coming to see us! Its like a giant open house.....long time customers, new faces, gardeners of every age and even people who hate gardening but have the spring bug...they are all out to the nursery. If you are reading this blog then you must be a gardener, have you been out to see your local nursery yet? :)

Missing Time....

2008-03-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

Its dark here and its 7 am.....has anyone seen an hour laying around because I seem to have lost it. Ugh!

Lynch Canyon

2008-03-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

This isn't really gardening related but after seeing the snow in the Midwest on the TV, I thought maybe someone out there would appreciate Spring in California.
I picked up a copy of Sunset magazine last week and it had a quick blurb about "Lynch Canyon", a 1,039 acre open space that was slated to become a land-fill in the 1980's, but was instead purchased by Solano County and Solano Land Trust. I looked at the map and realized these are the hills right across from the nursery. The hills I have seen, and yet ignored, nearly every day for most of my life, as I grew up in American Canyon.

What intrigued me about them most was the fact that I had never been there, or really thought about going there before...I didn't even know you could. We Californians have all these hills. Usually brown, dry hills with (maybe) a few oaks on them. We drive through them, over them, around them....but never really walk them. The places where I go for some 'nature time' usually involve redwoods, or rivers, or the ocean....at least some manzanitas and madrone...something besides these hills.

It said in the article it was wildflower time...my friend Mel said not yet.

She was right. But Look! I found this one. I should have put a penny next to it so you could see the size.

Here are a couple of lone mustard's. Living in Napa, where it seems every empty field and certainly every vineyard, is GLOWING with these little yellow fellows right now...well we weren't super impressed but still....there they are!

And then this thistle, growing up from a cow patty. (I stepped in a fresh one later, and boy was that funny!) (ha ha, kids...) At least I had on my plastic Sloggers!

After a bit, a familiar smell came to me and I glanced around for the Coyote Brush (Baccharis). I found some growing on the other side of a cattle fence. Whenever I show this plant to a customer at the nursery I always tell them this plant, to me, smells like California. I associate this strong odor with hiking in the scrub. But, does it ever look good? It never really looks good in the wild, I mean...it is in the wild so I suppose it looks perfectly fine, but does it look better grown in a more caring environment? Or is it a picky native who just up and dies if you dare to care? I must investigate this more. (BTW, I show the plant occasionally, almost never sell it unless a design calls for the low one on a hill or something).

A brisk wind came up and the kids ran.....and ran....All of a sudden the mighty roar of Hwy 80, that flows all the way to the other side of the continent, ceased. We could hear songbirds, crickets and a few frogs.

Eventually we realized we didnt know which trail we were on, and I sized up the hill as 'pretty darn big to go all the way around', at least with all these little guys and at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. So we headed back....

Back towards our waiting car and Hwy 80...

Being the baby in a large family can be tough at times, but it has its benefits too...

When we got back to our car we met the nicest ranger guy! He told us about the history of the canyon, about how Indian artifacts that were found there pointed to many hardwoods on the hills at one time, before General Vallejo. He also pointed out the other trail...the one that follows a creek, with trees and plants and nice views etc....oh well! Now we have to go back! Its a shame that the parks budgets are cut back so bad. Actually running into a live ranger (as opposed to the iron ranger where you drop your money in if your honest)is rare.

Every parent knows, one of the nicest benefits of some good hard play!

And lastly, as we were back in town....near the new Super(?)Big Box O'Crud we saw these Lupines and mustard....wildflowers!

Growing Challenge Week #3 (for us)

2008-03-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it has been three weeks since we joined in Melinda's 'Growing Challenge', for more information check out her blog: http://web.mac.com/elementsintime/creatinglandscape/Grow_Challenge.html
(ok, how do I get a link in here??)

We did several things this week that I think count towards growing:

I hauled nearly one ton of rocks in the trunk of my Buick, over the course of six trips. I have two more to go....

They have to do with growing challenge because I am using them to line the future herb bed, where at least one citrus is slated to go as well. In the top of the picture you see the CRAB and BERMUDA grass I have been pulling out of this area. Its the only spot in my yard that has it (thankfully) but its a pretty big area, the length of the back of the house and from three to 5 feet wide. I HAVE to control it.

We also planted two persimmon trees. I agonized which two to get. I wanted the Nishimura Wase (Coffee Cake) and a Fuyu. But, the former needs a 'Chocolate' persimmon to pollinate it, so it will be crunchy and sweet. Unpollenized it is more like a 'Hachiya': astringent until soft. I understand the 'Chocolate' is like the Hachiya as well. So, only having space right now for two (we removed a Vitex and a Paulownia for them) I went with the Nishimura Wase and the Chocolate, with plans for a Fuyu to be added after building is tore down.

Then we borrowed the truck from my work again (I am so appreciative to the owners...thank you) and made another dump run and picked up wood to build four more raised beds 4 feet by 12 feet, repair the old ones and build new bean supports.

My husband continued weeding in the existing beds, we have two cleared and repaired.

My eleven and nine year old sons accompanied me to a composting class held by the city Thursday night. We could have gotten a free but small composter but we opted to pay twenty dollars and upgrade to a large "Biostack". Our local "worm lady" (expert!) was there with some great (cheap) examples of worm boxes and we got a coupon for some red worms we are going to get. Im going to let each of the kids have their own box to tend to. We will post pictures of all that when we get them together. But in the meantime here is another picture of my four year old who loves wormies!

Seeds: the ones I ordered are here, and I also ordered some more. Somehow I was struck by the heirloom melon bug. I went a little nuts...will take a picture when they arrive. I decided that instead of planting a billion tomatoes ( I always plant too many) that only I will eat (the rest of my family are crazy) I will plant melons for the kids.

Our goals and plans for this week: have the good dirt delivered, see if I can borrow the dump truck from work to get my free load of compost from dump (coupon from class), get one bed filled with bare root strawberries and rhubarb, get the two apples that are STILL heeled in planted, plant rest of blueberries, get rest of rock home, assemble BioStack composter and start using it!!
This will be interesting to see how much we can do as I plan to work a 6 day week. I do this every once in awhile for the extra $$, I usually only work 4 days. I find it easier to just keep pushing through the week and not take a day off, rather than have split days.

Magnolias...again.....

2008-03-05T08:57:00.000-08:00

I think this will be the last of the Magnolia pictures, unless the yellow ones at the nursery bloom.....

The first two pictures here are the "Black Tulip" from Monrovia.

The last few are my Magnolia, which I believe is Ann:

The Growing Challenge Week #2 (for me)

2008-03-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

For info on The Growing Challenge scroll down and click on the button on the right hand side, under the links!

We really worked hard yesterday. Here are two of the boys busy weed whacking:

Near the end of the day the vegetable beds looked even better than these pictures, my husband worked until after dark...

We got the Anna apple tree planted, by Anna the baby...lol...

Here are two Asian Pears and a Pomogranate...I know they are all close to the fence but I have training/pruning plans in mind.

My husband dug a huge trench for the Blueberries, and we added plenty of acid soil mix. Here is Amber with a HUGE worm from the hole!

Lastly, part of the blueberry patch, more to be planted next week!

This week: planting persimmons, more blueberries, strawberry bed, strawberry guavas and more!

And....what to do with this Kiwi? Tear it out? Build a support? There used to be a giant play structure here. I did prune it hard after I snapped this:

AND THEN: I am trying to decide wether to hire a crew to pull these out or do them (OUCH) myself.

A few more random blossoms:

2008-03-02T08:55:00.001-08:00

Just a few more pictures I took at work yesterday. The first here is Corylopsis spicata or Spike Winter Hazel. Deciduous shrub growing 6-8 feet tall and wide. The inch long yellow, fragrant blossoms appear now, in late winter. I have one in my purchase pile in a 4" pot.

This is a DOUBLE RED FLOWERING PEACH. I love this tree. The growth habit is similar to other similar flowering trees of this type (cherry, almond, plum), maturing to 20 feet. The bright blossoms bloom for at least two weeks. I have one of these in my hold pile too, but in a tiny 2 inch pot. LoL.

This is just a very pretty double flowered lemon yellow primrose, pretty huh?

The next two are of the Magnolia Vulcan. Sorry for the Magnolia overload but we only get to bask in their beauty for a few short weeks.....sigh

Its a beautiful day in California wine country! Outside I go!

Columbus Magnolia

2008-03-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

I took this picture last week of the Columbus Magnolia, before I knew its full potential:

and then this one yesterday after it opened, I should have put something next toit for reference, the blossoms on this species are huge...much larger than the soulangiana.....

I wish you could smell the sweet fragrance!! Reminds me of the perfuume 'Kai', maybe some citrus with plumeria and sweet peas...just really nice.

This is a hybrid offered from Monrovia: Magnolia x veitchii "Columbus". It grows about 30 foot tall by 15 feet wide, making it a "sturdy choice for urban plantings" says Sunset.

In Bloom this Week: February 28

2008-02-28T12:15:00.001-08:00

Some shots from around the nursery:

Viburnum tinus 'Spring Bouquet'. This is one of those plants that is so common I started to dismiss it. In reality though its a pretty nice shrub. Grows to 4-6 ft high and wide. Like most shrubs, keep it pruned a bit to avoid legginess.
Weeping Pussy Willow. These are grafted, and very cool.
Forsythia intermedia x 'Kogold' , one of the newer Monrovia introductions.

Pieris japonica: Lily of the Valley shrub. Graceful shrub for the shade; grows anywhere from 3-6 ft or more depending on the variety.

Another Monrovia hybrid: Magnolia x veitchii 'Columbus'. Pyramidal shape to 30-35 ft. Large white blossoms in early spring before leaves.
Camellia x ' Coral Delight'. This is a cross between C. japonica and C. saluenensis. This picture doesnt do it justice. We have about 5 of them in full bloom and you very nearly cannot see any foliage. (ok, I see foliage in the picture..but you know what I mean)
Euphorbia characais "Humpty Dumpty. Compact perennial to 2 1/2 feet with late winter/early spring blossoms.
I put two pictures on here because I couldnt pick one. I love the way the Hamamelis mollis 'Diane' and the Corylus avellana 'Contorta' are side by side in the nursery! They look so nice together right now.

Thats it for today......

Purchases

2008-02-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

Now that I decided to put my plant purchases on here, to help me keep track, I feel slightly guilty....Im not sure I want everyone to see how many plants I "adopt". Well here goes this weeks, so far.

Violas, again. I dont know why I am always falling for these. I keep hoping they will become so happy that they will naturalize like their hardier cousins and I will have these little sweeties all over the front yard.

Psidium cattleianum ~ Strawberry Guava. Look how big these are and they are only 7.95! While they will produce on their own you will get more with two. Usually a large bush 8 ft or so high and wide, can be in tree form as well. Im hoping the kids will have fun with these. Here is a picture of the fruit I found on the internet:

And in this picture we have a deep maroon Helleborus orientalis with two little Lamium aureum. These are going in the front yard where it is shady.

Next I got two of these: Abutilon hybrid 'Fon Vai'. These grow to about 4' tall and wide and bloom spring until winter, resting only a few months for me. LOVE THEM.

Lastly, its my day off but I had to run down to the nursery to get my oldest sons work permit signed (he is going to carry dirt on Saturdays this spring!) and low and behold we got some new herbs while I was gone yesterday! So I got these three Thymes (they are only 3.95 retail!) We have Thymus vulgaris 'Silver Posie' and Thymus pulegioides 'Archers Gold' in the back...both from Emerisa gardens, one of my favorite wholesalers (link under Sonoma County nurseries). In the front is Lime Thyme from Sweetwater Organics.

Thats it for today. Tomorrow is Friday though and with the nice weather we are probably getting a ton if deliveries.....help! lol...

The Growing Challenge #1

2008-02-23T22:50:00.000-08:00

Melinda at Elements in Time has set up a challenge for gardeners to grow at least one new edible crop or plant this year, preferably from seed. Click on the button on the bottom right of this page to go to her site. Each Monday she will check up on participants and summarize the progress on her blog! Since I just joined and here it is a RAINY Saturday night, I cant see much happening in my yard in the next two days soooooo....I decided to order a few seeds and report on them:

RED NOODLE YARD LONG ASPARAGUS BEAN

I just know the kids will love growing this one!

SUNSET RUNNER BEANS
I want to plant these on a large teepee for the girls to play in.

That was all the vegetable seeds I could find that I wanted, but I did get some great double poppies, Asclepias and nasturtiums. Because I do work at a nursery I get first crack at all the vegetable starts, seeds etc that we carry. Once spring gets into full swing I will find myself planting way more than I should as it is!

GOALS FOR THIS COMING WEEK: plant the fruit trees that are just heeled in, plant the blueberries that are in a bag on the front porch, weed the vegetable garden so I can begin repairs and prepare to have compost delivered. Wish me luck!

Going Home .....

2008-02-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

In this section of the blog I want to try and keep track of the plants that go home with me. You have no idea the amount of restraint it takes not to turn around and sign my paycheck back over the nursery every two weeks.
The family gives us a very generous employee discount but I still would have nothing left if I bought all that I want......I tell myself that in reality I will spend just as long enjoying certain blossoms etc. seeing them at work as I will at home (right? right?).

I have some patches of the purple Viola and I just love this sweet little pink one. Ideally I would be buying 3 or 4. One problem that goes with the above paragraph is that nursery workers often end up planting one of this and one of that.....plant collector yards.

Notable Plants

2008-02-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

In this section I want to include old/large specimens and plantings I see that I really like. I like to be able to show customers pictures like this.

Alot of people want extra privacy above their fence. This pictures shows one of my favorite plants for that: Dodonaea purpurea, purple hopseed in tree form. In front of it is Carolina Laurel: prunus carolinia.

A bit further down the road I saw this planting of upright Rosemary, very simple and nice use of a narrow space.

Napa is not all grapevines and mustard! No its Podocarpus and outhouses too!

This orange is around the corner from my house. Its just so nice I had to snap a photo.

Whats Blooming this week.....

2008-02-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

I want to start putting weekly photos up of plants in bloom at the nursery.

English Daisy: Bellis perennis

Bleeding Heart: Dicentra spectabilis

Camellia japonica

Happy Wanderer: Hardenbergia violacea

Daffodils

and of course, Primroses. After reading a recent article in Fine Gardening I am looking at these winter standbys in a different light. I would like to see them given the respect they deserve: planted in the proper location and treated as perennials instead of winter annuals.

MNA Tour

2008-02-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

We are used to seeing our parking lot with several trucks at once, but its not everyday we get TWO tour buses full of fellow nurseryman and women from all over the country stopping by for a visit!

We have known about this for several months and to be honest it was a great extra incentive to have the nursery looking super special clean! It was an odd day....spring a few days ago and then this cold rain again. Everyone has been working so hard that there genuinely was not alot to do.....(anyone who EVER says there is nothing to do in a nursery is kidding themselves). I think we felt a bit like nervous, proud parents as all the "nursery people" poured out of the bus and explored the grounds, it was so weird not to need to be helping anyone! A Monrovia truck arrived while they were there and I heard someone joke about everyone volunteering to help.

In the top middle of this picture you can see Jake, one of the owners, accepting a plaque commemorating the 50th year of Master Nursery Association. As they all got back on the bus I thought wow, wouldnt it be neat to have a chance to visit with so many people in our trade?

Its not all bad.

2008-02-20T16:14:00.001-08:00

After posting the dismal pictures this morning I felt I had to go out and find SOMETHING pretty in my yard.

I love the Cestrums, they bloom almost all year for me. My barely surviving Pluot....
A lemon yellow Abutilon, poking through the lattice. Most of the foliage you see is the Clematis. I was thinking it was C. tangutica but now Im having a flashbak of the hybrid "Freckles" that was really popular in the 1990s. Hmm, will update when it blooms.

My flowering pear.

My Meyer lemon is RIPE. I need to pick them and squeeze some lemon cubes for the freezer for future lemonade, lemon bars, lemon cakes...mmmmm.

Magnolia hybrid "Ann". It has a nice Clematis growing through it in the summer, almost blue with rather upright flowers...if I am remembering it correctly.
This is my Michelia, which I was calling doltsopa but I believe is actually M. figo 'Port Wine'. UPDATE: The real name for this one came to me last night: Michelia x foggi "JACK FOGG" and thats it for real.
My quince. The beauty it gives this time of year makes up for its agressive behavior. I want to add some Forsythia too.

And the Loropetalum, with which I have a strained relationship. Just when I hate it and am near refusing to sell it to anyone I see it growing in the right spot and I soften. I remember when all we carried was the green leaved, white flowered one. That "plain" one has an elegance to it that its floppy, gaudy cousin does not.
I also have Camellias, Myosotis, Poets Jasmine, Arctotis and Alyssum blooming today!(Just wait until next year!)