Hello Fellow Plant Lovers!
I hope you are all enjoying spring this year as much as I am. I'm not quite sure what it is about this year, but everyone is in such a good mood and the plants are looking better than ever.
A lot has happened since the last newsletter: we've added a few new team members (be sure to say hi to Frank and Bernardo when you see them), I turned 34 years old (I know, right?!), I scored my fifth hole in one (not one, not two, not three, not four...), I got to visit the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena, and the nursery has never looked better!
Here are a few shots of the Huntington. It was a beautiful day and fun to spend it with co-worker and friend Manny and his son Caleb. So much to see and so much in bloom!
To view
more photos of this amazing botanic garden, click here:
What I enjoy most about this year so far is the fact that I am still getting to meet and befriend new people who are into gardening as much as I am. It's exciting to see gardening/farming/horticulture starting to grow among both young and experienced people. There is no better feeling than to connect with people about plants (in my opinion) and I get to do it on a daily basis.
Plant Talk
Well May has begun and spring is in full force here at the nursery. The birds are out and singing (as I'm writing this!), the hooded orioles are back to nest again (see picture), humming birds are abundant especially with all the plants in bloom right now, and the plant selection couldn't be any better!
Let's start with
bedding plants. Whether it's annuals like alyssum, lobelia, cosmos, and marigolds, or 4" popular plants like Evolvulus 'Blue my mind', Mecardonia 'Gold dust', 4" Nemesia (4 different colors), Fuchsias (4", one gallon, and hanging baskets are coming into full bloom), Coleus and Heuchera, they add some foliage color to shadier areas of the garden.
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Fuchsia in hanging basket (left) and limey heuchera above.
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Classic Geraniums (calliope series have extra large flower clusters), and more unusual 4" plants including Salvia apiana, Verbena 'Little one', Penstemon 'Margatita BOP' (pictured), Salvia spathacea, and different types of yarrow, as well as grasses (Berkley sedge, Melinus 'Pink crystals', Festuca 'Elija blue', Juncus 'Carmen's Japanese').
One-gallon blooming
perennials are so numerous right now. Pentas in all different colors will attract hummingbirds and butterflies to the garden throughout the spring and summer. Many types of Salvias (I think I counted more than thirty varieties right now!), Lavender plants galore from the Spanish type, to French, dwarf English, and more.
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Pentas and Salvia l
ooking patriotic
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Native plants such as Yarrow, Salvias, Mimulus, and Protea pin cushion are still pushing out nice flowers as we continue this spring weather pattern. Alstroermia pure white (limited quantity) and Indian summer (dark leaf, sunset colored flower).
Hanging baskets
also look fantastic right now, we have combination baskets, dipladenia (red and pink), fuchsias (WOW), marmalade bush, jasmine angulare, and more!
If you haven't planted your
vegetable and herb beds yet, fear not, you have plenty of time. I can usually harvest around 3 cycles of crops per year (early, mid, and late). The tomato, pepper, cucumber, squash, lettuce and more are still available as well as herbs such as basil (several types), cilantro, thyme, sage, dill, fennel, lemon grass, balm, and verbena, chives, mint, you name it!
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Parsley and lettuces.
Come in and see our expanding veggie and herbs section!
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Indoor plants have grown in popularity and we've been told we have one of the best selections around. Taller plants such as Ficus lyrata (fiddle leaf figs), Ficus triangularis, Ficus 'Alli' and Ficus elastica (both dark leaf and siam ruby) are both attractive and hardy in most indoor environments. We must have over 40 types of Sanseverias right now and they look great. One of the most durable indoor plants is also good at improving the quality of the air. I could go on but I'd rather have you come into the nursery and talk to me!
Some notable very
unusual/rare plants in right now include: Leucadendron 'Ebony' (one gallon, two gallon, and five gallon), 4"
string of dolphins,
variegated string of pearls, Crassula 'Buddha's temple', and Aeonium sedifolium won't last long (get them while you can!) Very cool varieties of outdoor hardy bromeliads with lots of foliage color (they are very easy to grow). Ficus afghanistanica, religiosa, petiolaris as well. Fish bone cactus (Selenicereus anothnyanus), Rhipsalis paradoxa, Echinopsis 'Domino' are full of buds (see pic of an open bloom below) and some 6" Myrtillocactus crestata 'Elite' has to be one of my favorite crested cacti. Rare Senecio Kleinia in a 24" box.
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Leucadendron 'Ebony' top left
String of dolphin, string of pearls, Buddha's Temple (4" pots above)
Outdoor bromeliads above
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Blooming Echinopsis 'Domino' above
Ficus religiosa bottom left
Senecio kleinia below
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Ok, now I'm officially done. As most of you know I could talk about plants 24/7. However, before I sign off, I will remind you we have a great selection of roses in stock that are now
20% off, and tons of awesome fruit trees. And, I will wish you or your mom a very Happy Mother's Day. Looking forward to seeing you all at the nursery very soon!