Welcome!

Rhododendrons

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:25:49 -0800

Since you have read all our suburb advice from previous blogs, and have planted your winter vegetable beds and buried your spring bulbs, you’re feeling finished, right? Now you can sit back and enjoy the wide range of leafy vegetables growing in your beds and wait for the first signs of all those sprouting bulbs you planted. Not so fast!

Our holiday shop may be filled with ornaments and decorative items for your holiday festivities, the front of the nursery may be filled with lots of cut and live christmas trees, but take a moment to enjoy our new shipment of rhododendrons.

Rhododendrons are often called the "King of Shrubs" because of their show of flowers and the wide range of colors. Our rhododendrons have been chosen based on years of experience selecting varieties that are best adapted to growing in our climate. (USDA zone 9a, 10b, Sunset zones 14-17). In addition to a variety of colors and plant sizes, rhododendrons have a range of blooming times with some blooming in early spring, some mid spring and some in late spring/early summer. You will find a wide range of colors from white to pink, yellow, red, blue, and purple. We have over 40 varieties of rhododendrons. Here are six of our favorites:

 Fragrantissimum: a fragrant early to mid season bloomer with broadly funnel shaped, wavy edged flowers about 2-1/2" across and a white flushed rose outside with bright yellow throat growing to three feet in 10 years.

Fosterianum: a heavily fragrant, white funnel shaped flower about four inches across with a yellow flare held in trusses of three to four flowers. The plant grows to five feet in 10 years.

Noyo Chief: an early to mid season bloomer with a broadly bell shaped flower 2-1/2" across of a clear rose-red, held in ball shaped truss of 16 flowers. Plant grows to six feet in 10 years.

Taurus: an early mid season bloomer with a bell shaped, strong red flower and a dark throat and black spots, also held in ball shaped trusses of 16 flowers with deep red winter buds.

President Roosevelt: an early mid season bloomer with flowers that are strong red at the edges and a white center held in trusses of 17 to 24 flowers. In addition this rhododendron has variegated leaves with green edges and yellow centers. The plant grows to five feet in 10 years.

Plant Care:
Like other ericaceous plants, most rhododendrons prefer acid soils with a pH of roughly 4.5-5.5; Rhododendrons also have fibrous roots and prefer well-drained soils high in organic material. In areas with poorly-drained or alkaline soils, rhododendrons are often grown in raised beds using mediums such as peat or our Acid Planting Mix. Mulching and careful watering are important, especially before the plant is established.

Rhododendrons perform better when protected from drying winds. Partial shade is desirable, but deep shade may result in few or no flower blooms. Morning or late afternoon sun is the best location for planting your rhododendrons.

There are several important diseases of azaleas and rhododendrons. They can usually be avoided if the following practices are observed:

* Purchase healthy plants.
* Provide excellent drainage by planting above grade in well   drained soil.
* Mulch to conserve water.
* Protect flower buds from hungry deer, though the plant is typically   deer resistant.
* Provide moisture when needed as well as nutrients from an acid   fertilizer.
* Prune out dead and dying stems and remove from the vicinity of   the plant.
* Where experience indicates the need, apply fungicides to prevent   Ovulinia petal blight, fungus leaf spots, root rot and branch wilt.

Rhododendron Facts:
Rhododendron ponticum is the state flower of Indian administerd Kashmir as well as Pakistan administered Kashmir. Rhododendron arboreum (Lali Guransh) is the national flower of Nepal. Rhododendron niveum is the state tree of Sikkim in India. Rhododendron is also the state tree of the state of Uttarakhand, India.

Rhododendron catawbiense, the most widespread rhododendron of the Appalachian Mountains, is the state flower of West Virginia, and is in the Flag of West Virginia. Rhododendron macrophyllum, a widespread rhododendron of the Pacific Northwest, is the state flower of Washington.

Holiday News

Wed, 9 Nov 2011 14:44:31 -0800

 Please join us for a cup of hot cider
On November 25,26, and 27th,
as we officially kick off the Holiday Season.

Christmas Shop Now Open - As the leaves begin to change hue and a crisp breeze freshens our step, we are reminded that the Holiday season is nearly upon us. In anticipation of the coming season our Christmas shop is now open with all the delicately detailed blown glass ornaments we are so well known for. Discover new worlds in our Sea Tree, or find something fun and festive on our Kids Tree, or perhaps something to honor your favorite companion on our Pet Tree. With hundreds of ornaments to choose from, there is something for everyone.

Trees Arriving Week of Thanksgiving - Out in the nursery we are busy making room for our cut Christmas trees which will arrive the week of Thanksgiving. We will feature Noble Firs; including 'Burton Blues' and untrimmed Nobles, Douglas Fir, Nordman Fir, Frasier Firs, and the elusive and majestic Silver Tips. As always, we will be standing our cut trees in water stands to ensure you are getting the freshest possible tree. If you have purchased a water stand from us in the past, bring it in to us and we'll give you the stand on your new tree in exchange.

Our wreaths, garland, and poinsettias will also be arriving during the week of Thanksgiving and our Living Christmas Tree selection will be at it's peak. Don't forget we offer flocking and fireproofing services for our Christmas trees and greens, and delivery seven days a week starting after Thanksgiving.

So come out after Thanksgiving and take a stroll through our forest of fresh trees, enjoy a cup of hot cider while taking in the smell of fresh pine, and explore the abundant treasures we offer for the holidays.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Holiday Hours:
From the day after Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve
Tuesday through Saturday 8:30-5:00, Sunday and Monday 10:00-5:00

Time For Bulbs

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:40:56 -0700

Now that we are finally getting some warm days for our late summer gardens, is it really time to plant spring bulbs? Actually, yes. Believe it or not, spring bulbs are in and ready for you. Hard to believe, isn’t it?

Let's take an imaginary trip to your future bulb garden. We are now bending the space/time continuum and traveling ahead just a few short months. After the woozy feeling wears off we find ourselves in the middle of winter. The days are short and cold, the outlook of rain is excellent and your garden is in hibernation waiting for spring. Amongst the grey backdrop of fallen leaves is a little point of green pushing its way through the crusted soil. Yes, it's the first bulb, one of those bulbs you planted in the fall! You smart gardener, you. Yes, thanks to your brilliant planning little signs life are jumping up all over your garden, heralding the start of a new season.

We knew you, as a smart East Bay Nursery patron, would be ahead of the curve and so we have a wide variety of colorful bulbs from which you can choose, right now, even if you know nothing about the space/time continuum.

Lets take a minute to talk about planting bulbs. Soil preparation is essential for growing healthy bulbs. Since most parts of the East Bay have heavy clay soils, it is important to amend the soil by adding compost, peat moss or other organic matter/soil amendments to lighten your soil and increase drainage. Not doing so could result in bulbs rotting before they can flower. Work in the organic matter as deeply as you can, at least 12 inches is best. I know, we’re talkin’ clay here. The stuff acts like concrete in the summer, but a little work now means great bulb production in the spring.

Fertilization is next. Bulbs develop best when they have phosphorous to encourage root development. Use a bulb fertilizer or bonemeal in the lower part of the bulb hole where the roots will take up the nutrients. If you have bulbs that have naturalized from previous years, late fall or early winter is the time to apply a bulb fertilizer to the soil.

Water the bulbs after planting to help them settle and close any air pockets. Once our rainy season starts no further watering should be necessary unless we have a very dry winter.

Location, location, location. Make sure you take into account the sun requirements of your bulbs. Some like full sun, some like part sun, and some like a shaded location. Most spring bulbs like full sun, but remember, you can plant most of them under deciduous trees since their growing/blooming season is often before the tree leafs out so the location would be considered full sun.

Planting is next. The rule of thumb is to plant two to three times as deep as the bulb is tall. If your soil is extremely heavy plant a bit shallower. Planting depth is measured from the bottom of the bulb. This means most large bulbs like tulips or daffodils will be planted about 6-8 inches deep while smaller bulbs will be planted 2-3 inches deep. The pointed side always goes up since it is the end from which the stem will emerge. For a better show and a more natural effect mass your bulbs together; ten bulbs planted within a 2-3 square foot area will be much showier and draw more attention then the same ten bulbs scattered around garden. To achieve the massed look either dig a large area and plant several bulbs at once or simply toss the bulbs into the air and dig holes and plant where ever they fall. You’ll be surprised how well this works.

Not so fast. Put your trowel down. Some of your bulbs need to be cold treated, especially tulips and hyacinths. You need to fool them into thinking they’ve had a cold winter and are ready to bloom in the spring. To do this place your bulbs in a paper bag in your refrigerator, not freezer, for around six weeks. Do not place your bulbs near fruit in the refrigerator. The gas produced by ripening fruit will spoil your bulbs.

As mentioned above, many bulbs will naturalize, that is, bloom year after year without replanting. Daffodils, species tulips, bearded iris, muscari (grape hyacinth), ixias, sparaxis, and scilla all fall into this category. Remember to fertilize naturalized bulbs in late fall for a good show in the spring.

Also, deer resistance is a question we are frequently asked about. Some deer resistant bulbs include Daffodils, Narcissus, Scilla, Eranthis, Crocus and Muscari. Remember, deer resistance is not the same as deer proof since young, inexperienced or desperate deer may try out your bulbs. We have yet to find a way to get deer to read and abide by our deer resistant lists. The best we can say is that the bulbs mentioned above are the least palatable to them.

A word about forcing bulbs. This is a practice to coax spring flowering bulbs into bloom in mid winter, usually for a wonderful holiday display. You can do this by planting the bulbs either in potting soil or water. Click on the links below for the method you would like to use.

Water Forcing
Soil Forcing (Containerized Growing)