Spring is Coming
Spring is Coming! It sure looks like we are on the road to a beautiful Spring. This year has been a little unusual with the warm temps and not much rain. One thing for sure the weather is making me want to get out there and get my yard all "spruced up". Here are a few tips to get you started if you have the same "bug". First of all get your flower beds cleaned out. Rake and clean out the weeds. Lightly prune out dead wood and tip back wild growth from your shrubs. Don't however, prune early Spring bloomers because you might eliminate your flowers before they open. I guess, what I'm saying is, just be careful and think about what you are cutting.........after all, we don't want to eliminate that Spring bloom before it comes. (Note, You can still prune your roses, if that task has eluded you until now. They bloom later and can take it). Once the cleanup has been done, the next step is get down some pre emergent in the flower beds. This way you won't have to spend so much time weeding. Seed control every 3 months is the schedule you should try to keep. After taking care of the weeds, you can go ahead and apply a nice layer of mulch. I like forest humus or small bark to top off the flower beds and give a nice uniform look. Keep the mulch away from the trunks of your plants. Mulching too deep, right around the base, can smother them. The mulch will also help with moisture retention. Speaking of moisture, You need to increase the amount of water to your plants. Without mulch rain plants are really thirsty and need good moisture to help them push good strong Spring growth and flowers. Many varieties require more water right now than they will after the weather gets hot. After all, plants have a lot of work to do right now! Make sure the ground drys between waterings but water long and deep when you water. With the temps warming up and you giving the yard more water, you can count on the Spring growth popping out all over. This means you need too fertilize. As the garden begins to wake up a good organic fertilizer with trace minerals will do wonders. After all you want the new growth to come out nice and healthy with good color. From now through Fall the routine is once a month feeding. Mix the fertilizers up, a good plan is, granular organic fertilizer one month and a liquid fertilizer, like Grow Vite, the next. Every once in a while I will put on a high bloom food in addition to the other fertilizers. Remember light applications often are much better than heavy all at once. As you can see, one task leads to another. There is a real order to successful gardening and I think that this is why it is so soothing. A natural progression with some great results!........Next as the garden starts to wake up you can start looking for critters, and you need to get to the nursery to add some new and different plants and color, and, and, and I guess I'd better stop and pick up in another article. After all, Spring is just around the corner, not already here! I'm so excited! I just simply can't wait...........Spring is on it's way!!!
Up coming at Robby's Nursery & Calico Gardens
Mar 10 Grand Re-Opening of Robby's Country Garden Live Remote 8-10:00 am
Citrus Care & Fruit Tasting 1:00 pm April 14 Container Gardening 10:00am
Making beautiful Pots, Moss Baskets & Living Walls
Up coming at Robby's Nursery & Calico Gardens
Mar 10 Grand Re-Opening of Robby's Country Garden Live Remote 8-10:00 am
Citrus Care & Fruit Tasting 1:00 pm April 14 Container Gardening 10:00am
Making beautiful Pots, Moss Baskets & Living Walls
Gardening & the Holidays
By Kathy Robinson from Robby's Nursery and Calico Gardens
Christmas, and the weather that accompanies it, add some interesting challenges to our normal routine. Gardening is no exception to this "rule". Gift plants and decorating traditions add extra tasks to our lists. Here are some tips for your holiday season............
Use those old fashion Christmas lights to help warm up your frost tender plants. LED lights won't work. But lighting your ficus trees, bougainvilleas, cactus & palms may just keep them from freezing along with adding more Christmas cheer.
Luke warm water on Holiday gift plants like poinsettias, Christmas cactus & cyclamens. They don't "like" that cold tap water. Feed each time you water and water as they begin to dry out. By using these tips your holiday plants will thrive long after your guests have gone. Start the routine again next Halloween and you just might get another massive bloom next year.
Although poinsettias are the traditional Christmas flowers a few others are just as lovely and take our outside temps better. Decorating with a topiary made from rosemary, ivy,boxwood or spruce can be quite beautiful and take our weather all year. The Yuletide camellia is one of my favorites, along with variegated holly or hydrangea, each adds quite a nice touch. Or in a grouping........Wow!
Go ahead and prune your Roses, this will help tidy up the yard and give you something to do when the yard doesn't need mowing. At Robby's we will be hosting our annual Rose Care & Pruning Seminar on Dec 17th at 1:00. This seminar can help give you the confidence to tackle the Roses. You will get much better blooming next Spring & Summer if you take this time now.
Even though, the all new Robby's Nursery & Calico Gardens, is in a new "spot" we are trying to hold on to our Holiday Traditions. Come by and visit our
Christmas Shop and pick up our 2012 Calendar of Events. To get to the new location......from the corner of Allen Rd and Hageman. Travel W on Hageman Rd., make a L onto Hageman Frontage Rd then follow the signs down Terracotta Ct.
Take this list and check it twice.......it just might help! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. And a Special Thanks to all our Family, Friends and especially our Staff for helping us get through a trying 2011.......the Best is yet to Come!
Upcoming :
Winter Break: Closed Dec. 29, 30, 31, & Jan. 1
January 14 Fruit Tree Care & Pruning Seminar (Citrus not included)
Use those old fashion Christmas lights to help warm up your frost tender plants. LED lights won't work. But lighting your ficus trees, bougainvilleas, cactus & palms may just keep them from freezing along with adding more Christmas cheer.
Luke warm water on Holiday gift plants like poinsettias, Christmas cactus & cyclamens. They don't "like" that cold tap water. Feed each time you water and water as they begin to dry out. By using these tips your holiday plants will thrive long after your guests have gone. Start the routine again next Halloween and you just might get another massive bloom next year.
Although poinsettias are the traditional Christmas flowers a few others are just as lovely and take our outside temps better. Decorating with a topiary made from rosemary, ivy,boxwood or spruce can be quite beautiful and take our weather all year. The Yuletide camellia is one of my favorites, along with variegated holly or hydrangea, each adds quite a nice touch. Or in a grouping........Wow!
Go ahead and prune your Roses, this will help tidy up the yard and give you something to do when the yard doesn't need mowing. At Robby's we will be hosting our annual Rose Care & Pruning Seminar on Dec 17th at 1:00. This seminar can help give you the confidence to tackle the Roses. You will get much better blooming next Spring & Summer if you take this time now.
Even though, the all new Robby's Nursery & Calico Gardens, is in a new "spot" we are trying to hold on to our Holiday Traditions. Come by and visit our
Christmas Shop and pick up our 2012 Calendar of Events. To get to the new location......from the corner of Allen Rd and Hageman. Travel W on Hageman Rd., make a L onto Hageman Frontage Rd then follow the signs down Terracotta Ct.
Take this list and check it twice.......it just might help! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. And a Special Thanks to all our Family, Friends and especially our Staff for helping us get through a trying 2011.......the Best is yet to Come!
Upcoming :
Winter Break: Closed Dec. 29, 30, 31, & Jan. 1
January 14 Fruit Tree Care & Pruning Seminar (Citrus not included)
California Fall Planting
In California we are blessed with a great Fall Season. The problem is all the literature, from most books, talks about cleaning up & putting plants to bed. On the other hand in this part of the world we are recommending Fall is for Planting! I think people are missing the best time to plant all together. At Robby's Nursery Fall is our favorite season. Here are some tips for this glorious time of year.
If you plant in the Fall the roots get established before the Spring. You then get the full benefit of that Spring growth. Plants can nearly double their size with this push of growth when the roots are established. I think people get afraid to plant with tales of frozen ground. Guess what, although we get some nice frosts our ground doesn't freeze.
Plants are also more apt to be able to deal with our summer heat with this more established root system. They can get the moisture they need to get through our scorching Summers. Giving plants a chance to put out roots slowly during the cooler months will greatly increase your new plants survival rate as well. Now, that being said, don't run out and purchase a bunch of tropical plants and try to put them in this fall. That won't work. We are speaking here of trees, shrubs and bedding that do well in our climate with "little fuss".
Fall is a great time to pick and plant trees. You can see the changing leaf color as well as get some great deals on good sized trees. Although bare root trees (usually available in mid Jan) are a little cheaper, size and quality are better now. I have noticed a better success rate when planting from containers as well. Remember to mulch the hole really well with a mixture of organic mulch and native soil, your plants will love you for that.
Cool season color and veggies go in now...........no it's not to late. We are in California remember, Fall just started! This is another misconception coming from the literature. In this end of the Central Valley, Sept. is a Summer month, we usually get a hint of cooler temps about mid Oct. So this gives us a later Fall than the Midwest or East coast. All the Spring bloomers and cool season vegys can go in now. The yards you will admire in your neighborhood with huge pansies and nice tall snaps are planting now. If you wait to plant the size and longevity of your color will suffer greatly. So plant in the Fall for beautiful Spring flowers.
Fall is also a great time for that final feeding on plants that are going dormant. Again getting those established plants a reason to burst forth in Spring and perform at their top level. Remember though, plants that grow all year (keeping their leaves through Winter) need to be fed all year. Fertilize these plants with low nitrogen in the Winter but make sure your food has trace minerals.
Fall is the Best time of Year and this Fall will stand out even more for us. Robby's is having our Grand Opening of our new location.
So far we are getting rave reviews on our progress. We have actually remained open during our entire move but will officially open Robby's Nursery and Calico Gardens this Fall. Our Christmas Shop is scheduled to open the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Directions to Robby's Nursery and Calico Gardens, from the corner of Allen Rd & Hageman (old nursery) travel W on Hageman Rd. Make a quick L onto Hageman Frontage Rd the R on Terracotta Ct. We are at the end of the culdesac.
Come in and celebrate Fall with Us!
If you plant in the Fall the roots get established before the Spring. You then get the full benefit of that Spring growth. Plants can nearly double their size with this push of growth when the roots are established. I think people get afraid to plant with tales of frozen ground. Guess what, although we get some nice frosts our ground doesn't freeze.
Plants are also more apt to be able to deal with our summer heat with this more established root system. They can get the moisture they need to get through our scorching Summers. Giving plants a chance to put out roots slowly during the cooler months will greatly increase your new plants survival rate as well. Now, that being said, don't run out and purchase a bunch of tropical plants and try to put them in this fall. That won't work. We are speaking here of trees, shrubs and bedding that do well in our climate with "little fuss".
Fall is a great time to pick and plant trees. You can see the changing leaf color as well as get some great deals on good sized trees. Although bare root trees (usually available in mid Jan) are a little cheaper, size and quality are better now. I have noticed a better success rate when planting from containers as well. Remember to mulch the hole really well with a mixture of organic mulch and native soil, your plants will love you for that.
Cool season color and veggies go in now...........no it's not to late. We are in California remember, Fall just started! This is another misconception coming from the literature. In this end of the Central Valley, Sept. is a Summer month, we usually get a hint of cooler temps about mid Oct. So this gives us a later Fall than the Midwest or East coast. All the Spring bloomers and cool season vegys can go in now. The yards you will admire in your neighborhood with huge pansies and nice tall snaps are planting now. If you wait to plant the size and longevity of your color will suffer greatly. So plant in the Fall for beautiful Spring flowers.
Fall is also a great time for that final feeding on plants that are going dormant. Again getting those established plants a reason to burst forth in Spring and perform at their top level. Remember though, plants that grow all year (keeping their leaves through Winter) need to be fed all year. Fertilize these plants with low nitrogen in the Winter but make sure your food has trace minerals.
Fall is the Best time of Year and this Fall will stand out even more for us. Robby's is having our Grand Opening of our new location.
So far we are getting rave reviews on our progress. We have actually remained open during our entire move but will officially open Robby's Nursery and Calico Gardens this Fall. Our Christmas Shop is scheduled to open the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Directions to Robby's Nursery and Calico Gardens, from the corner of Allen Rd & Hageman (old nursery) travel W on Hageman Rd. Make a quick L onto Hageman Frontage Rd the R on Terracotta Ct. We are at the end of the culdesac.
Come in and celebrate Fall with Us!
