Your Independent Neighborhood Garden Nursery

Beautiful Plants and Inspired Designs since 1954

Dear Friends of Anderson's La Costa,

Happy June, Happy Father's Day, Happy Summer!

June is a wonderful month, even if it's starting cloudy and overcast again this year. Graduation and the end of the school year are happening, the San Diego County Fair is about to open, our beaches and towns are getting busier, Father's Day is next weekend, and the first day of summer is just a couple of weeks away. We know that by the end of June, the sun will be shining and our real summer will finally begin. Meanwhile, it is truly the most wonderful time to spend in the garden.

20% Off

Herbs & Veggies (4-inch and 6-pack)

& Monstera (Indoor Greenhouse)

A great sale to kick-start your summer vegetable garden and to beautify any of your indoor spaces. Specials are good through the end of June.

It’s almost time for our annual "Midsummer Night's Dream" Sip, Paint & Plant event. If you haven’t already, please mark your calendar for Wednesday, June 25, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. We are looking forward to a magical evening with Aloha Art's Kathleen, a.k.a. Coconut Mommy, who will guide us through a terra cotta decoupage and planting project under the twinkling lights at the nursery.

Tickets are $40 each or two for $70. All supplies, snacks, and sips are always included. Please visit coconutmommy.com to purchase your ticket or stop by the nursery any time! Thank you to our generous sponsors: Michelle Dastyck - Your “Can Do” Realtor, All American Handyman Super Dave, Primo Pizza and Pasta, Improv, and Clubtails.

Please check out the next section for Steven's awesome pre-summer write-up, with plenty of June Gardening Tips to follow.

We hope you come visit and enjoy all the plants that are blooming right now, as well as the many monarchs and pollinators that are also busy visiting the nursery. Our crew has done an amazing job of getting the nursery in tip-top shape.

Happy Everything! We look forward to seeing you very soon.

Best wishes,

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

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...by Steven Froess

Hello Newsletter Subscribers,

June has arrived, and with it comes the end of spring and the start of the summer season, when we reach our maximum daylight hours for the year. I rather enjoyed this spring. The weather was mostly sunny with nice temperatures. June usually brings overcast, gloomy days, but perhaps this year will be different (so far, not so much).

Plants will be growing and flowering aplenty during this time of the year. I'm a big fan of the methodology that everything great starts in the soil. As often as possible (at least 3-4 times per year), amend your soil and observe how your plants respond. I've noticed in my garden that plants thrive with minimal care when I first take care of the soil (except for hand-watering, which I chose to do).

Knowing about your soil is the best way to start taking care of it. Most soils in this area are alkaline (high pH) and lack organic matter. Unless you're growing California natives, it would benefit your garden greatly by adding soil amendments such as GroPower, a humic acid based fertilizer that also feeds the microbes in the soil, worm castings, which improves soil fertility and can help reduce pest populations, E.B. Stone Ultra Bloom applied during flowering and fruiting periods gives a huge boost as well as slightly acidifies the soil, Agrowinn 4-4-6 provides a balanced nutrient boost to all plants throughout the season (use every 4-6 weeks during growing/fruiting periods), and E.B. Stone Soil Booster and/or compost as a topper to continually help improve the soil. There is no quick fix when it comes to soil, but with consistency, you will see good results.

One thing is certain: insect pests and diseases begin to emerge in full force this month. Make sure to monitor your garden regularly. IPM (Integrated Pest Management) is much easier when the infestation is minimal.

Powdery mildew is prevalent this time of year on roses, squash, zucchini, hydrangeas, hibiscus, and many other plants. You can combat this in several ways. Keeping moisture on the leaves prevents the spores from embedding in the leaf. Oil-based sprays (like neem or mineral oil) can coat leaf surfaces to prevent further spread. A mixture of baking soda, water, and a small amount of soap can also be effective. I've also heard that milk diluted with water can be used as a preventative (if anyone has tried this successfully, I would like to know). Once mildew is well-established, there isn't much that can be done; thus, monitoring and catching it early is key.

Insect pests can be divided into two main categories: the chewing types (such as caterpillars) and the piercing/sucking types (mites, thrips, scale, etc.). The chewing types are best controlled with Bacillus thuringiensis or Spinosad. It is most effective to apply them in the evening, every 10 to 14 days, as they reproduce in cycles.

The soft-bodied types can be effectively controlled with a pyrethrin-based spray (Take Down or Orchard spray). The same applies, whereby the most effective control is early detection or prevention. Prevention would include avoiding the planting of susceptible types of plants (which is difficult) and trimming regularly to increase air circulation (which helps, but not 100%). Alternating the types of pesticides used will prevent insects from developing too much of a resistance. Only in severe cases would a systemic insecticide possibly remove an infestation; sometimes it's just easier to replace or remove the entire plant.

We have plants galore right now! As soon as you walk into the nursery, you'll notice so many tables of color and pollinators dancing about. The bees are active, hummingbirds are everywhere, and now we're seeing monarchs and other butterflies begin to populate the area. Don't worry, we will consistently stock Asclepias (milkweed) for your very hungry Monarch caterpillars.

Starting with some great California native plants, Achillea (yarrow) has come a long way from the white-flowering species to the numerous cultivars and hybrids. There are many great colors (reds, yellows, oranges, and pinks) that attract many different types of pollinators. Eriogonum, or buckwheat, is a great choice and one of my favorites. The red flowering buckwheat (Eriogonum grande rubescens) is beginning its bloom cycle.

Trichostema hybrid (x purpusii) is one of the many wonderful plants in my garden. It blooms almost year-round and the flowers smell so sweet. Diplacus (formerly Mimulus- Diplacus being the shrubier, more drought-tolerant version) are beginning their flowering period. We have the yellowing flowering form and a red flowering variety, both great for a native garden.

Salvias are one of the most popular blooming plants because of their hardiness and colorful flowers that attract hummingbirds. Some of my favorites are 'Mystic spires', with the white variety pictured in front, such a long bloom period and the bumblebees love them! 'California sunset', from Native Sons Growers with a beautiful peachy-orange flower, Salvia chamaedryoides 'Marine blue' has a vivid blue flower, and Salvia 'Danielle's dream' is a light pink/almost white flowering form of Mexican sage. The Sunset Plant Collection has colorful, wispy yet hearty salvias like ‘Ember’s wish’ and ‘Skyscraper pink.’

One of my favorite Mediterranean groundcovers is starting to flower, which is Convolvulus sabatius compacta. This form has a more compact growth habit with a dark purple flower. Another flowering groundcover that I recommend is Calylophus. This plant blooms all summer-long with bright yellow flowers and the bees just love it.

The bedding plant section is also filled with great flowering plants for your containers or the garden. Some of my favorites are: Angelonia (Archangel series has the largest flowers), Cuphea (Sweet talk series are very showy with lots of color), Dahlias are spectacular and still in prime bud and bloom, Evolvulus 'Blue my mind' next to pretty in pink Erodium ‘Bishop's form’. Chocolate cosmos are always a summer favorite, both for their vibrant color and fragrance (more arriving soon!), and just about everything else in bloom. Lastly, you’ll find an array of Coleus and Caladium, perfect for a shady section of your yard or patio needing some color.

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy your vegetable and edible garden, whether you've already switched over to warm-season varieties or you're starting a fresh new garden. We have everything you need to get you going, including soil, amendments, containers, tools, and new plants arriving weekly. Besides, all 4-inch and 6-pack edible plants are now 20% off during the month of June!

Now that we're almost into summer, plant vegetable starters instead of seeds for heat-lovers like tomatoes to maximize the number of warm, summer days available for a plentiful harvest this summer and into early fall. Zoe recently updated our nursery garden with a fresh round of herbs, veggies, and flowers.

Don't miss the Indoor Greenhouse, stocked with the most beautiful, best-quality tropical greenhouse-grown plants, including 20% off all Monstera such as Thai Constellation, Swiss cheese, and Monstera Deliciosa.

The next time you stop by, please take a look at the incredible new layout in the Pottery House. Julie has been busy working her magic with the help of Josh and Manny to completely reorganize this old greenhouse-turned-fountain and pottery shed. It's so much more beautiful, well-displayed, clean, and easier to access. Thank you, Julie and amazing crew!

Even with the abundance of plants at the nursery, there may still be items we don't carry regularly or are currently out of stock. Please feel free to ask me or one of us to special order any plants you're looking for that you can not find. We have so many amazing growers we work with who might have what you're looking for.

I hope you have a wonderful Father’s Day and the start of the summer season. I look forward to seeing you at the nursery soon.

Your Local Horticulturalist,

Steven

June Gardening Tips

We typically experience mild weather in the San Diego area in June, and the temperate conditions are ideal for getting plants off to a good start. Many flowers and vegetables should be planted from bedding plants this month rather than seeds, as time is slipping away for warm-weather plants to mature fully. Here is a brief overview of when traditional SoCal and Mediterranean-climate plants begin to bloom:

Fuchsia, hydrangeas, and lantana will be at the height of bloom in June. Fuchsias and hydrangeas need plenty of watering, however make sure they receive efficient water with little waste. Lantana is one of the easiest full-sun, drought-resistant plants to grow. Irrigate plants at ground level.

Salvias/Sage: Strong, ornamental, easy to grow, drought tolerant, and pest resistant. We have many varieties of salvias including Sunset Plant Collection, Mexican, Autumn, Cleveland, Purple, White, and so many more. Hummingbirds love them!

To continue reading June Gardening Tips, click here.