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Your Independent Neighborhood Garden Nursery
Beautiful Plants and Inspired Designs since 1954
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Dear Friends of Anderson's La Costa, | |
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What a crazy start to the new year. It is hard to think of anything besides the wildfires in LA. Our hearts and thoughts go out to all of the people who are affected by and who know others who have lost their homes and businesses. It just doesn't seem right to begin a newsletter without first acknowledging all of the families and individuals who have been impacted.
Here in North County San Diego, winter feels more like summer, and the season for planting is still upon us. The good thing is the peacefulness that can come with working in your garden. Raking, preparing to garden, and planting can all be very Zen-like activities. It's a good thing we have received a ton of new plants in the new year, we are ready for your visit.
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Steven has a great new year's write-up in the next seciton featuring many of the plants that have recently arrived at the nursery. Then January Gardening Tips is up after that.
We hope we get some much-needed rainfall soon. It will go a long way towards quenching our earth’s thirst. We look forward to seeing you all very soon.

Best wishes,
Your Anderson's La Costa Team ~ (from left, below) Marc, Mariah, Julie, Tandy, June, Courtney, Manny, Steven, Madeline, Hanna and Devon (not pictured)
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What's New at the Nursery
...by Steven Froess
Dear Newsletter Subscribers,
Happy new year! Here we are in 2025 beginning another year of gardening. I'm a very optimistic person in general, but I think this year is going to be a good year. We have an amazing staff and the nursery has never looked better. Even so, we will continue to make improvements and provide the excellent quality of plants and service that we've been offering for years. I want to thank all of you for your continued support. As a family-owned independent garden center, that means the world to us.
Let the gardening begin. The one concern so far this winter is how far we are behind on our annual rainfall. We are almost two inches behind our normal average, but luckily the Sierras (one of our main water sources) is still on track with snowpack for the year. This is still an ideal time of the year to plant as the weather is mild and the plant roots can establish with minimal stress. Anything from a new fruiting or ornamental tree, to California natives or other drought-resistant plants, to even cactus and succulents will have higher rates of success when planted in our climate in the winter.
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Regarding fruit trees, there are a few tasks I would like to make sure happen this time of the year. It is time to spray dormant trees, mainly peaches and nectarines, with either an oil based or copper based fungicide to prevent peach leaf curl from happening in the spring. I recommend 2-3 applications from winter to early spring.
Also, if you haven't done any pruning yet for either health and shape or fruit production, now is the time before the flower buds start to break for this year's fruit. I could write a whole newsletter on pruning, but the basics would be to remove any dead or diseased branches first. Then, thin out some of the crossing branches in the canopy to increase air circulation and cut back on the insect population as well. Finally, if reducing the size is necessary, trim back portions of the canopy, making sure that just below the cut is a bud facing at an ideal angle (that's where the next branch will emerge). I usually also recommend a layer of compost, I prefer the E.B. Stone Soil Booster, so that when it begins to break down it should be just in time for the early spring growth cycle.
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I'm excited about this week's plant deliveries. The growers have had their holidays and are resuming their shipments in the new year. Two of our favorite nurseries, San Marcos Growers and Monterey Bay Nursery, will be sending us some fantastic plants this week- we currently have A LOT coming into our parking lot (first pic below).
Aloes are in full bud and bloom this time of the year and San Marcos Growers have some of the best around. Aloes, unlike Agaves, will bloom and rebloom year after year while attracting many types of hummingbirds to their tall and colorful flower stalks. Aloe glauca, Aloe vanbalenii, Aloe 'Scarlet rockets', Aloe plicatilis, and Aloe 'David Verity' (flowering pic below) are some of my favorites that we have in stock.
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Striking foliage plants such as Strobilanthes gossypinus has soft gold and silver foliage making it very distinguishable in a garden (likes cool sunny areas or part shade), Adenanthos 'Coral drift' has silver curving branches- probably one of the last crops this season, Australian wax flower has lots of buds (great for cut flowers). We received a new Leucadendonron variety called 'Strawberry Blonde', and Billbergia nutans 'Santa Barbara' is a fast-growing cultivar developed by San Marcos Growers with unique, colorful, variegated foliage. | |
One of my favorite Banksias (ericifolia compact) has just arrived. If you need something tall but narrow for a partially sunny area, Cordyline 'Pink joy' is the plant for you. We received a couple of different Hellebore varieties (great winter bloomers for areas with less sun). Bedding plants like Colibri and Anemone poppies are brilliant and the bees love them! | |
Some of the first blueberries of the season are in (my favorite type 'Misty' included), and some plants I've grown from seeds include Nasturtium 'Purple emperor', Mayan Jaguar lettuce, Sugar Daddy snap peas, and more. The inventory of great plants will be growing week by week so be sure to come by and see what's new! | |
The indoor greenhouse is coming back to life now that the holidays are behind us. You will find all kinds of specialty and tropical varieties in all sizes including philodendron, orchids, ficus, African violets and so so much more. Check out the close up of Alocasia odorata variegata with incredible coloration in the leaves. | |
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Finally, we have so many beautiful camellia japonica currently in bloom. A great winter flowering shrub for shade.
I hope your new year is off to a good start. Thank you for being our wonderful customers. We are looking forward to seeing you at the nursery soon. Sending lots of healing vibes to Los Angeles.
Your Local Horticulturalist,
Steven
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Spend time in the garden in January? Absolutely! Apart from getting caught in a rainfall now and again (hopefully soon), there are still many things you can do in your garden to start the new year off on the right foot. Winter-season chores will enhance your garden's health as spring approaches. Everything you accomplish now will make spring that much sweeter and more beautiful.
Trees and shrubs This month's tree and shrub tasks include planting, pruning, and protecting. In San Diego County we can plant trees of all kinds: fruit trees, shade trees, and flowering trees. You shouldn't prune flowering trees until after they bloom, however you can now prune most other shrubs and deciduous shade trees. Few birds are nesting in trees in the winter. This is an especially good time to prune coniferous trees like pines and cypress since their pests (various bark beetles) are not active at this time of the year. Keep up with raking - fallen leaves can do damage if left to smother the growth under them.
To continue reading January Gardening Tips, click here.
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