Welcome, everyone, to the first issue of San Gabriel Nursery & Florist News. We thank all of you for signing up and are very excited about all of the information this newsletter will offer.

Our goal is for you, our valued customer, to use the newsletter as a tool to answer many of your gardening questions. As we celebrate another year, we look to you and say thanks for helping our business thrive.

San Gabriel Nursery & Florist offers prime material from the best growers, as well as the best products for all your gardening needs. Stop by our garden center any time and let us help make your dream garden a reality.

The variegated winter daphne is one of the most fragrant plants one can plant in a garden. The aroma from the sweetly scented blooms can stop you dead in your tracks. One deeply inhaled sniff and you'll think you've made it to heaven. No exaggeration here--the flowers smell that good!

Native to China and prized in Japan, the daphne was actually named for a female figure in Greek mythology. This beautiful evergreen shrub is prized for beautiful rosy-pink flower buds that open to white, sweetly fragrant flowers from midwinter to early spring. But the blooms are not the only great quality to this plant.

The glossy, almost waxy foliage is quite colorful too, with subtle yellow variegated edges on the bright blue-green leaves. Daphne makes a great foundation plant and grows moderately to 3-4' high and wide. It is relatively trouble-free; its only real requirement is that it must be planted in well-drained soil. It also doesn't like its roots disturbed once it has become established, so be careful planting bulbs or other seasonal flowers nearby.

Daphnes are ideal for north and east-facing garden spots, and look great against walls or can be planted near decks and windows, where the scent of the blossoms can be most easily enjoyed. The colorful foliage also makes for a good contrast with other semi-shade plants. Plant them near an entryway to allow all who visit to enjoy the delectable fragrance of these fragrant plants. We think there's no better way to say "Welcome to our home!"

Do you like having bushels of flowers decorating your home? If you enjoy filling vases with colorful combinations of blooms, you can do so almost year-round by planting annuals that lend themselves well to cutting. The great thing about annuals is that they keep producing more flowers after each pruning.

For big, bold, rounded blooms from spring through fall, consider annual carnations, calendula, dahlia, marigold, and zinnia. For longer plumes, use annual phlox, celosia, larkspur, snapdragon, and stock. To add texture to your vases, use cornflower, cosmos, or statice. Last, make sure to grow some sweet peas. They make great filler and smell wonderful, too.

Most annuals will last 3-5 days in a vase if properly handled. The key is to have your vase ready and filled with water. Bring your flowers in immediately after cutting and re-cut under cold running water. Adding a teaspoon of sugar or a few tablespoons of Sprite or 7-up to the water will also help the flowers to last longer.

An annuals cutting garden allows you to enjoy beautiful blooms indoors and outdoors--all season long.

Everyone loves a secret place they can run to when they want to get away from the stress of everyday life--a quiet, secluded spot for times of reflection or privacy. Wouldn't it be great if you could create a place like that right in your own backyard?

Often an unfinished side yard or a hidden corner can be turned into a cozy nook for sitting and relaxing. It can be as simple as adding a bench or a garden swing under an arbor and surrounding the area with colorful, fragrant plants and flowering vines to stimulate the senses. In fact, any outside space, from a balcony to an acre estate, can benefit from including a nook.

First, think about your purpose for the nook. Perhaps it could be a place for morning coffee, a place to sit and read, or a quiet spot for an intimate dining space with a loved one or friends. The key is to make it secluded and partially hidden from the rest of the yard or home. You can create this by using taller plants, a lattice or an arbor that narrows and defines the entrance but invites discovery.

It's important to create boundaries for your nook. Try to enclose at least three sides by incorporating existing walls, fences, trees, and strategic plantings. Another way to define a nook's space is to use a different type of surface from the rest of the yard. This could include brick, pavers, a wood deck or a concrete pad surrounded by ground cover. Consider a cover overhead, such as a pergola, and outdoor lighting.

Now it's time to add greenery for color and texture to your space. Start with fragrant plants for privacy such as butterfly bush, lilac, michelia or even a bush or small tree. Colorful tall shrubs to consider are nandina, plumbago, smoke bush or physocarpus (Ninebark). Perhaps you'd like a small focal tree such as a Rose of Sharon or a tree rose.

Add a few colorful vines or a climbing rose. Now fill in the area with more fragrant plants such as calycanthus, chamomile, gardenia, jasmine, lavender, lemon balm, monarda or scented geraniums. Fill in any leftover space between plants with fragrant mint, thyme or verbena.

Make sure that whatever furniture you use is comfortable, whether it is a simple garden bench, bistro set or patio table and chairs. Now add some elements for sound, such as a waterfall, fountain or a set of wind chimes. Touch up the area with a colorful glazed vase-shaped container and you'll be set to go!

Make sure the view looking into your nook is as good as the view looking out. Having a great view will add to the pleasure of your time spent there. Using these principles, you will create a cozy nook that will give pleasure to everyone who visits and uses the space.

Finishing Touches

Try to include some greenery in your nook if it isn't there naturally. It will add color, texture and luxury to the space. If you can, include a favorite piece of whimsy that personalizes your nook.

How do I get sweeter fruit on my fruit trees?

Answer:

First, fruit trees need a minimum of at least half a day of sunlight each day during the growing season. The more sun, the sweeter your fruit will be. If your trees are in a bad location, consider transplanting when they are dormant in winter.

That said, many times the fruits on trees are not as sweet as they could be, because the soil they are planted in is lacking phosphorus and potash. It is important to apply a good fertilizer high in these nutrients to the soil around your trees in November and again in January.

During the growing season, feed once after the blooms are finished, again in June and one more time in September with a complete fruit tree food such as Master Nursery Fruit Tree & Vine Fertilizer. Make sure not to overwater, either. Allow the soil to dry out a little between waterings.

Established fruit trees respond best to deep and infrequent watering.

Aphids come in a number of sizes and colors, winged and non-winged. All are pesky little insects to gardeners. Why are they considered a pest? Aphids are "suckers"--they suck juices from the plant leaves and stems. Some can also transmit plant viruses via that sucking mouth-piece.

What else do we know about aphids? Well, they certainly are not Speedy Gonzales! They are slow-moving, soft-bodied insects that suck juices from our plants, and excrete a clear sugary liquid that we call "honeydew." Frequently, in the presence of an aphid infected plant, you will notice a stream of ants working busily around the aphids. They are protecting the aphids because these ants want access to the honeydew.

Also, it is upon honeydew that sooty mold can grow and leave a black, sooty deposit upon the foliage of the infected plant. Many customers have mentioned that they thought this deposit was pollution. It’s not our pollution, it’s a fungal mold.

Aphids have many natural enemies in our gardens. Adult and larval forms of ladybugs and lacewings, syrphid flies, soldier beetles and parasitoid wasps (these guys are tiny, not your average wasp); all love to eat aphids. A good approach to aphid management begins with maintaining a healthy garden and encouraging these beneficial insects to make your garden their home. This is done through plant diversity and health.

Another very easy method of aphid removal is simply using water to knock them off the infected plant. If the aphid is in the process of probing/sucking a juicy stem when you knock it off, and it probably is doing just that, the mouthpiece will be broken and the aphid will no longer be able to eat. See what a simple pest control water can be, and a safe method at that.

We carry spray oils and other insecticides that can be used for more severe infestations--ask us which is best for your needs.

Aphids will be appearing in our gardens as the weather continues to warm. What do we first recommend? Get your garden hoses ready and dial in a narrow spray to zap these little plant suckers off your new tender foliage!