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Beautiful Plants and Inspired Designs since 1954

Dear Friends of Anderson's La Costa,

Happy August!

As we near the end of summer, it's really starting to warm up. Good thing the coastal breeze and large Ficus trees at the nursery help keep things comfortable. Meanwhile, the summer-loving tropical plants, veggies, and fruit trees are loving our late-summer heat.

Big changes at Anderson's La Costa Nursery! Our very own in-house artist, Hanna Faulstich, has painted a beautiful, brand new sign. We've introduced a whole new citrus section and completely reorganized the veggie and herb section. It looks amazing, with so much more space for plants to grow and for you to browse. To feature the new area, we are offering 20% off Fruit Trees and Berry Bushes, including Citrus Trees this month.

20% Off

Citrus Trees, Fruit Trees

& Berry Bushes

Browse through the newly organized Citrus Tree, Fruit Tree, Herb & Vegetable sections and enjoy 20% off all edible fruiting trees and berries.

As always, you'll find Steven's awesome write-up with garden tips and plants to look out for at the nursery, followed by another round of Mid-Summer Gardening Tips.

We look forward to welcoming you to the nursery very soon. And yes, we still have milkweed...

Warmest summer wishes,

Your Anderson's La Costa Team ~ Steven, Manny, Hanna, Tandy, June, Courtney, Julie, Madeline, Josh, Zoe, Marc, and Mariah

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What's New at the Nursery

...by Steven Froess

Hello Newsletter Subscribers!

The middle of summer is here, and so is the sunshine. I drove past the coast the other day, and the water looked beautiful—so turquoise and blue. It makes me thankful to live in a climate like ours. This has been one of the best summers weather-wise that I can remember. Meanwhile, in the garden, I've been harvesting like crazy—tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, and zucchini are coming in regularly from my April plantings. I've also been busy pruning all the growth. Keeping up with this helps me maintain the plants at the size I want and encourages some to produce a second or third round of flowers. I mentioned this last month, but for the summer months, make sure your plants are watered properly—early in the morning and thoroughly.

Everyone will encounter insects at some point this summer. Remember, plants can usually withstand some insect damage and recover well, especially if they are more established. Try to limit the use of sprays until it’s necessary and vary the types of insecticides you use to prevent resistance buildup.

Reducing insecticide use also helps maintain a healthy population of beneficial insects. Recognizing pests versus beneficial insects is an essential part of “Integrated Pest Management.” I suggest using Agrowinn worm castings as a more natural method to prevent insect pests from damaging your plants. It will repel pests and improve the soil.

Since most caterpillar pests breed in cycles, timing sprays can reduce a generation’s population for several weeks or more. Other insects, such as aphids, mites, whiteflies, and others breed continuously, so it's best to catch and control them early during low infestations.

Summer is the best time to grow warm-season tropical plants. Plumeria are starting to bloom and come in different sizes and colors. They are easy to grow and produce colorful, fragrant flowers in summer and fall.

Growing plumeria in pots helps control their size. They tolerate being in a pot for an extended period better than some other plants. Fertilize regularly (Agrowinn 4-4-6 or Foliage Pro) during the warm seasons in spring and summer for big, healthy leaves, and switch to Ultra Bloom for vibrant flower displays.

Mandevilla and Dipladenia are blooming like crazy in shades of red, pink, white, peach, and even new purple! These plants are perfect for containers. They can handle various sun exposures, from full sun to partial shade. With regular fertilizing, these plants can bloom nearly year-round.

Classic tropical plants like Bromeliads (grown outdoors), Hawaiian Ti, Hawaiian snow bush, croton, hibiscus, Alocasia, and Ixora are all showing off their striking foliage colors.

Edible plants like avocado, banana (Ice Cream variety!), passionfruit (Frederick 5-gallon), turmeric, and ginger thrive during our warm summer days (and nights!)

The pollinators are abundant right now, especially butterflies. The surge in people planting Asclepias this season to support Monarchs has led to a shortage for our growers. They are doing their very best to supply always pesticide-free narrow leaf and tropical milkweed to feed the hungry caterpillars. Hopefully, this indicates the population is improving, with more Monarchs migrating and better chances for survival. We will continue to receive weekly shipments of milkweed throughout the migration season into the fall.

Remember to also plant nectar sources for the adults, such as: Gomphrena (any type, but 'Fireworks' is a favorite), Verbena (any of the native kinds or even colorful groundcover), and Buddleja flowers attract many different species of butterflies. Pentas are also butterfly magnets, especially for giant swallowtails. Zinnias and Echinacea have vibrant, colorful flowers.

If you want other host plants for various butterfly species, try dill, parsley, fennel, and rue for swallowtail butterflies. Passiflora caerulea (ornamental passion vine) will attract the Gulf fritillary butterfly. Citrus trees (on sale now!) are an excellent food source for the giant swallowtail butterfly, whose larvae are known to resemble bird droppings. It’s wonderful to see the pollinator populations thriving.

Here's my list of noteworthy plants for this month: San Marcos Growers exclusives- once they're gone, that's it. Adenanthos 'Coral Drift' (a great foliage plant with silver leaves and coral-colored new growth), Grevillea 'Magic Lanterns' (silver-gray leaves with cherry-red flowers that hang down from the branches), and Thomasia solanacea 'Velvet Star' (a great shrub for shaded or filtered light that can tolerate dry soil).

I'm not usually a daylily person, but 'Cherokee Star' is on its second round of blooms, and that cherry red with a yellow center is a showstopper.

We have a nice selection of specialty plants that can even serve as good Bonsai starters: Operculicarya decaryi features unique branching and foliage, Ficus petiolaris (baja rock fig) will develop a caudex over time and can be pruned repeatedly for shaping, Crassula sarcocaulis is a succulent that naturally grows in the shape of a bonsai (one of my favorites), and Pelargonium xerophyton (desert pelargonium) has great gnarled branches and an interesting growth habit.

Alyogene 'Ruth Bancroft' comes from a selection at the Ruth Bancroft Gardens and is an excellent long-blooming plant suitable for all types of gardens.

Pottery has been restocked, so be sure to check out the new selections. Jerry Garner also brought some more handmade pots. Don't forget to explore the new area leading to the citrus trees, fruit trees, and edible plants (and the new sign!), since this month our August sale features edible berry plants and citrus and fruit trees.

Please visit us to see all that is thriving in the nursery before or after your late-summer vacation, back-to-school shopping, and other fun summer adventures.

Please feel free to reach out and ask any questions you may have about plants and/or your garden. We are here and happy to help. I look forward to seeing you at the nursery soon.

Your Local Horticulturalist,

Steven

Mid-Summer Gardening Tips

As we find ourselves in the middle of summer, it's time to sit back, relax, and enjoy your garden. Take a peek to see if there's anything that might need some attention, or simple chores like watering and deadheading, that can be done in the early, cool mornings or later into the evening. Regardless, now is the time to reap what you've sown - if not literally, then figuratively! Enjoy the fruit of your labor. However, if you are inclined to poke around in your garden, here are a few midsummer reminders:

Watering and pest control will be your main tasks this month. Remember the basics: Water in the early morning, and water the soil to the extent of the radius of the leaves, and not the leaves themselves. Water deeply and occasionally, rather than shallow and frequently.

It is important to water plants deeply during the hottest days of summer. To continue reading Mid-Summer Gardening Tips, click here.