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Category Archives: Products
Potted Fruit Trees Are Here!
Roses are here!
We are excited to announce our 2017 Rose Collection is available for purchase! Check out our list of roses in this year’s collection:
Enter to win a Plant of The Month Club Membership!
Do’s and Dont’s for growing Citrus Trees
I know many customers, like myself, LOVE Oregon for its distinct seasons; we are fortunate enough to truly experience a difference between all four! However, with distinct seasons that means one of which is winter; mostly soggy, sometimes frozen winters–which creates a problem if you like to grow plants that prefer a hot, dryer climate. Despite popular belief, there are quite a few “tropical” plants that you can actually grow here in the valley and enjoy all year round! They may just require a little extra special care during our chilly times, you know like hot cocoa, ear muffs, and a warm blanket…
But, in all seriousness, you CAN grow TROPICALS in Oregon! No, cocoa and a blanket are not the answer, but citrus care is still very manageable. This last Sunday we had the pleasure of hosting John Neeway of WeHoP who gave us the low-down on how to grow citrus! Yes, I said citrus… you know, the pride of warm sunny areas like southern California and Florida… we can do that too!
First thing that you need to know, don’t plant citrus trees in the ground here–unfortunately we can’t just plant, water, and walk away.. BUT we can plant in a large pot and enjoy it outside from May-September! You’ll want to use a fairly large pot and probably place it on a rolling, or another easily moveable, plant stand so that transitioning is easy every year. Obviously citrus love the sunshine, so outdoors for as long as possible is the way to go, but during our chilly times a bright window does just fine. Plus, one of the perks of having your citrus as a houseplant is that when it blooms, you get that fresh delicious citrusy scent without the use of candles or cleaners.
Next thing to make sure of, is that you treat this plant as it would be treated in nature, which means adapt to its year round sunshine schedule as best you can.. Think cactus or succulent care; very well draining soil (NOT POTTING SOIL) and infrequent watering. John recommends using a coarse bark and sand mixture so that little to no moisture is retained around the roots of the tree. If your tree starts to drop it’s leaves rapidly, chances are you’re over watering–definitely err on the side of borderline dehydrating it to death than trying to water on a weekly schedule. *Outdoor planting mediums are preferable to potting soils, and amend with sand, perlite, or coco fiber as needed. Avoid any mix that contains wetting agents or fertilizers!
When fertilizing your citrus, the key is to use a high nitrogen slow release granular formula quarterly, and NOT a water soluble variety; as the soluble kinds tend to burn the roots of your tree. Feel free to supplement with minerals such as iron & manganese as needed. If you start to notice the leaves of your citrus yellowing, this is an indicator of not enough food.
The only other trick to happy healthy Oregon grown citrus is to watch for bug problems. During the times that your citrus is nestled in the house for the winter it becomes especially susceptible to insects. Often times with these pests you don’t notice them until the damage is already being done so don’t hesitate to take preventative action. Horticultural oil or good ‘ol soapy water are the perfect treatment, applied every few weeks or as needed to keep ants, scale, and fungus gnats at bay.
So for those of you who may have missed out on our care class, that’s the basics of Citrus care here in the pacific northwest. Feel free to stop by the nursery and chat with our staff about your care questions or come and pick out the newest fruit in your life! We’ve got multiple varieties of lemons, limes and more, to choose from.
Big thanks to Four Winds Growers for supplying us with their wonderfully grown citrus plants time and time again, as well as all the media for John to come and teach us your skills! Check them out for ourself to find even more varieties for your citrus collection at fourwindsgrowers.com
Get your garden off drugs with Gardener & Bloome organics
We want to help you kick that drug habit for good, in your garden that is. This past weekend we showcased our favorite organic line, Gardener & Bloome. We gave away a ton of organic fertilizers and soils in our effort to send your gardens to rehab. Sure conventional fertilizers have their purpose, and we’re definitely not against them by any means, but there’s a place for everything! We want to educate you all on the benefits of keeping your edible gardens organic!
There’s the obvious, that you don’t want to put synthetics or chemicals onto the food that you will be eating, but it is also important to not put chemicals into your soils either. The Gardener & Bloome line offers many different soils and amendments that can safely and naturally enrich your garden beds without the use of harmful synthetics or chemicals. The Harvest Supreme is our favorite for edible garden amending. It can be used as a top dress or mixed in with last years garden soil to give it that boost of nutrients your plants need to thrive this season.
As far as fertilizing goes, we always encourage the use of compost, but if you need something more we recommend Gardener & Bloome organic fertilizers. We have liquid concentrates as well as granular options for just about any area of your yard and garden. For vegetable beds we like the Tomato, Vegetable, and Herb granular fertilizer. It’s very low maintenance and easy to apply, this granular can be mixed into the soil pre-planting and/or broadcast over the top of the soil to be watered in after planting. G&B fertilizers are fortified with calcium, humic acid, and other nutrients to provide just the right balance to make the fertilizer easily accessible to your plants. While organic fertilizers can take a little longer to show results, they also last a lot longer than conventional fertilizers meaning less work for you! G&B organic granular fertilizers only need to be spread every 2 months or so throughout the growing season giving you more time to enjoy what gardening is all about!
We also retail a Gardener & Bloomes organic liquid concentrate in three different varieties for those of you who like to water in your fertilizer, which is great for baskets and planters! Our favorite is the All Purpose liquid fertilizer, because it can be used on everything from containers to garden vegetables and even trees or shrubs. It’s molasses based for added nutrients and sugars that your plants need to thrive, and couldn’t get any easier than mixing directly into your watering can!
Come by to chat with our experts about any Gardener & Bloome product, or soils and fertilizers in general. We are always happy to help you get exactly what you need to be successful in all your gardening endeavors. Plus, ask us how you can save a dollar on ANY Gardener & Bloome product now through June 1st.
Hanging Basket Care
This weekend we debuted our hanging baskets for the 2015 season. This is the earliest we’ve had baskets available ever, so keep that in mind when thinking about size! By Mother’s day, they’ll be almost full size and in full bloom!
On Saturday, we offered a free basket care class so that you all can learn the tricks of the trade when it comes to basket care! We shared what we do to keep our baskets blooming clear through till fall and how you can be successful when caring for a hanging basket! Incase you missed the class and are wondering what you can do to maintain your hanging basket, I’ve got the most important tips right here!
Feed it!–A lot of people don’t realize how crucial fertilization is, especially for annuals. These plants go through their entire life cycle in one season, which is A LOT of growing in a short amount of time, and they need a lot of nutrients to support all that growth.
We recommend feeding your baskets BOTH a slow-release and a water-soluable fertilizer. Johnson’s MAXX slow release granules are perfect to be used every other month throughout the growing season along side FertiLome Blooming & Rooting water-soluble plant food every other time you water! Proper nutrition is just as important for your plants as it is for you!
Water!–Enough water is key to any plants success, but especially hanging baskets as they’re usually blooming through the hottest days of the year. Depending on the placement of your basket and whether it’s sun or shade tolerant, you may need to water your basket up to twice a day on hot days.
It is important to know your basket and what environment it will need to thrive! An easy way to judge wether or not you need to water is by slightly lifting your basket, if it feels lighter than normal-it’s probably dry and if it feel heavy-its probably fairly damp. General rule when watering baskets is to water until the water begins to run through the bottom.
Maintenance–I know this is the dreaded word for a lot of people, but it needs to be done! Some varieties of annuals require much less maintenance than others; think about the level of work you are willing to put in and shop accordingly. For example, Petunias last much longer and look much nicer when regularly dead-headed in comparison to million bells which can simply be shaken to remove any spent blooms.
Wether or not the location for your basket gets full sun or shade is something to think about when purchasing a basket. You won’t want to put Begonias in the full sun or Geraniums in a shady spot, most baskets have a preference for either sun or shade and should be chosen accordingly for maximum success.
Pruning–I know it may seem scary to prune your basket or cut it back, but trust us, it helps! If you have ever wondered how our Petunia baskets have such a rounded full shape to them, when you’re used to Petunia’s being leggy and sparse, the answer is we cut them back…more than once!
Most plants, when pruned properly, get denser and fuller when they grow back. We cut back our baskets pretty hard to get them to come back thick and full, so when you see any runners or gaps in your baskets don’t hesitate to give them a good hair cut.
Insect Prevention–A lot of baskets fall victim to insect or disease damage throughout the season, these pesky problems can really take a toll on the look of your basket and may even kill it completely. Insect and disease prevention can be a crucial step to success with hanging baskets and can be easily dealt with. We recommend an all-purpose ready to use product called Triple Action Plus that is an insecticide, miticide, and fungicide! This will take care of almost any problem you run across and has all natural ingredients!
With proper care and maintenance you should be able to enjoy your hanging basket all through the season until fall! We want to set you up with everything you need to be successful, so keep an eye on our website for info on what/when our next free informational class is!
We are also currently offering a HANGING BASKET SUCCESS KIT for only $19.99, a $27. value! This kit includes our Johnson’s Maxx slow-release fertilizer, FertiLome Blooming & Rooting water soluble plant food, and FertiLome Ready to Use Triple Action Plus! This sets you up with all the tools you need to maintain beautiful baskets all summer long. Plus, we’re open 7 days a week and always love to offer any advice we can so don’t hesitate to send us a message, call, or drop in with any questions you may have!
“Kleen Up” your garden now
We’re excited to introduce a new product from Bonide that we think you’ll LOVE! It’s called Kleen Up and will get your space ready for whatever you have in mind.
If you have weeds and grasses cropping up in places you don’t want them, such as driveways, gravel, flower beds, garden beds, or in-between pavers this is the perfect product for you!
Kleen Up is tough and fast acting, it contains a systemic and a surfactant. This will kill ALL green plants from the roots up, BUT it has no residual after 7 days! Yes, that means after one week you are free and clear to clean up the dead debris and seed or plant ANYTHING.
It’s safe for use in vegetable gardens (after 7 days) because there is NO residual. This is made for a one stop, all inclusive clean out, not long lasting weed control because anything can be grown once its done doing it’s job.
Now is the perfect time to get any garden or planting areas cleaned out and prepped for the spring. Like I mentioned it will kill ALL green plants so be careful what you apply it to, but for large areas that need clearing this is perfect for the job
I can’t wait to get this product home and use it in my garden beds and over the gravel in my back yard!
