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Dear Friends of Anderson's La Costa Nursery,
We hope this newsletter finds you well, doing all that you can to shelter at home and finding ways to keep yourself busy while staying safe, healthy, and
well rested.
At Anderson's La Costa, we have adopted the mandatory Social Distancing and Sanitation Protocol as outlined by San Diego County, as well as wearing required face coverings and gloves. When you visit our nursery and/or any business, thank you for being aware of safety protocol guidelines.
Let's please do all that we can to help lessen the spread of this virus and protect yourself and others during this time.
We understand that with all of our newfound time at home, many people have started growing their own veggie & herb gardens, planting fruit trees, and improving their yards for a little outside enjoyment.
Besides, it's springtime! Time to get outside and enjoy it the best we can given the circumstances. O
ur nursery special this month reflects our increased time at home and the desire to see more flowering beauty:
20% off
Hanging Baskets
So many to choose from ~ mandevilla, fuchsia, mixed annuals, some for full sun and some for part-shade. A hanging basket brightens any home or yard - they are meant to bring you the maximum amount of blooms for the maximum amount of beauty!
Also, while you're at the nursery, please take a peek at our Garden Gift Shop. We have a full line of Woodstock wind chimes and San Diego Hat Company hats in stock, lots of watering cans and sprayers, decorative garden stakes and gardening tools, and Old Ben's Wild Birdseed!
Don't miss
"What's New in the Nursery...
" by Steven, plus monthly
Gardening Tips
for Spring to follow, and Old Ben's newest article about the Bumblebee Hummingbird (Part 1).
The forecast calls for LOTS of rain this week. Please come visit us while we have a break in the rain to
stock up for your garden projects. We will
close
intermittently during heavy rainfall for the safety of our staff and customers, but during a light sprinkle we remain open and 6-feet apart!
We look forward to seeing you, at a distance, very soon.
Best regards,
Marc, Mariah and the Team
at Anderson's La Costa
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 What's New at the Nursery
.....by Steven Froess
Greetings Newsletter Subscribers!
April is upon us and it is usually my favorite month for several reasons. First, it's my birthday month (yay!), second it's typically one of the better months for spring weather (we shall see...), and third because it's spring and I get to see so many of you at the nursery.
This year is definitely different due to the pandemic we are all experiencing. I want to let you all know we are fortunate enough to be open and are following all of the steps necessary to make the nursery safe and sanitary for you and us. That being said we are a month into spring and the plant selection is amazing!
Plant Talk
As we all isolate to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a lot of us have begun to venture into growing our own food for sustainability. (I love this!) Edible gardening is one of the most rewarding aspects of gardening in my opinion. Whether you are limited in space and can only use containers or raised beds, or if you have room in the ground around your property, growing edible plants is a fun way to experience gardening and learn at the same time.
There is a very high demand for
vegetables and herbs as of the shelter at home order. We are doing our best to provide you with a great selection. We receive weekly to biweekly shipments from our local growers to make sure everyone can pick something.
Now is the time to plant the first cycle of spring/summer crops including: tomatoes, peppers, squash and zucchini, strawberries, cucumbers, eggplant, onions, lettuces and kale (as well as other leafy greens), melons, beans and peas, and many types of herbs as well.
As I frequently say, the key to success lies in the preparation in the beds (soil amendments and organic fertilizers), healthy plants or seeds (we do our best to provide you with both from local growers and seed suppliers), and of course the attention we give our garden as it grows. Keeping our eyes out for pests such as rabbits, squirrels, gophers, snails and slugs, etc. is essential to any healthy garden.
Remember most edible gardens need to be watered daily especially when first planted. When we help out our young plants, nature will take care of the rest. Fruiting trees and shrubs are also great if you have the space (they can grow in containers as well). In stock now we have a great selection of peaches, nectarines, pomegranates, figs, citrus, avocados, blueberries, edible passion fruit, blackberries, raspberries, and more. Most fruiting bushes and trees have a window of harvesting so selecting certain varieties can ensure that you have many months of picking fruit.
Our nursery continues to gear towards spring as we bring in not only edible plants but beautiful bedding plants and hanging baskets (now on sale!!), perennial shrubs and trees, unique plants from all genre, indoor plants (one of my favorites), succulents and cacti (okay, I lied, also one of my favorites), and more.
Some plants worth noting at the nursery right now include: Senecio 'Angel wings' (image below, left), Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp aspleniifolius Catalina Ironwood tree, in the middle), Sphaeralcea ambigua (a California native and fun to pronounce, at right).
Found in the indoor tropical greenhouse, Tradescantia 'Nanouk' with its curling green and purple variegated leaves (below, left), Scindapsus pictus, middle and right), and so many different Calathea (the leaves are mesmerizing).
We just restocked the cactus and succulent area so there are many fun new plants there, and of course the many varieties of blooming Leucospermum (pin cushion protea) throughout the nursery.
I could write a whole newsletter on the plants I enjoy during springtime but I'd rather leave some a mystery so you can come find the ones you want. Stay safe and stay well!
Your local horticulturalist,
Steven
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Consultation
We would love to help you beautify your outdoor space! If you are interested in updating or creating a new and beautiful garden, our qualified Garden Design Team will be happy to help you!
A one-hour professional consultation at your home or office starts at $450. During the initial at-home visit, our designer will meet with you to learn about your vision, see your location and layout, take photos and measurements, and provide you with additional recommendations. The Designer will then develop a beautiful customized garden design for you including:
- an itemized recommended plant listing
- a breakdown of costs of the proposed design
- a follow up meeting at the nursery for a presentation of your design including plants samples and suggestions
- a basic placement sketch for you to review
- information on how to care for your new garden
For questions and more detail, please call 760-753-3153 or stop by the nursery. You may also visit our website to preview our designs and designers at www.andersonslacostanursery.com.
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April Gardening Tips
April in the garden means warmer weather and longer days with no fear of frost. We are overflowing with flowering plants and herbs & vegetables - the selection is superb. Anytime this month is a great time to start incorporating soil amendments, sowing seeds, and putting in transplants. The soil is dry enough (today) to be worked without compacting it, the air is warm enough to enjoy working outside and the soil temperature is ideal for germinating all kinds of seeds and getting transplants growing well. Even better to get some of your transplants into the ground before the rain falls this week!
Herbs: If you haven't already, it's time to start a culinary garden with basil, cilantro, chives, curly or Italian parsley, lavender, oregano, sage and thyme.
Vegetables: There's just a little time left to plant beets, lettuce and radishes. In late April plant only the heat lovers: beans, corn, cucumber, eggplant, melons, okra, peppers, summer squash and tomatoes.
Click here to continue reading April Gardening Tips.
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Newsletter Specials & Coupons
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20% Off
Hanging Baskets
Full of blooming flowers ~ mandevilla, fuchsia, parrot's beak, colorful annuals
Special good through the end of April 2020
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Bumblebee Hummingbirds - Part 1
The fact that the bumblebee hummingbird is so small definitely gets attention
. The fact that it is also the smallest
of all birds in the world is another reason why people are so interested in it.
As you may have guessed from the name,
it is only the size of a bumblebee. The entire length is less
than 2 inches. The males are smaller than the females.
A bumblebee hummingbird's heartbeat is ranked second in
the world of all animals. It has less feathers than any other
bird. Due to the lack of feathers and small size it is quite
often mistaken for a bee in its natural habitat.
Their wings can move at a rate of 80 to 200 movements
per minute. The human eye sees this fast movement
and thinks its an insect.
The bumblebee hummingbird lives in both Cuba and the Isle of pines.
You have to know where to find them as they easily blend into
their surroundings. They live in woodlands, in garden areas, and
where you find lots of flowering plants.
The coloring of this hummingbird is gorgeous, but you may
have to look at blown up photos of this bird in order to fully
appreciate the look of it. You can tell the males from the females
based on the colors you see. Both of them feature a breast area
that is either white, cream, or gray.
The males show off a bright red coloring mixed with white - it is something
you do not see every day. The females are a mix of blue and green.
Seeing either of them for a moment leaves the onlooker in awe of
what nature has to offer.
In spite of being so small they really do consume quite a bit of food.
The bumblebee hummingbird will eat about half their body weight in food
everyday. They eat insects that are much smaller then they are.
Nectar is their primary source of food. Nectar is plentiful in their
natural environment.
They also drink approximately 8 times their body weight in water
every day. In order to save energy they lower their body temperature
at night. During the day their body temperature is about 104 degrees
Fahrenheit which is higher than any other bird species.
If you get a chance to see a bumblebee hummingbird up close take
advantage of it. This is a type of bird that very few people get to see other
than on videos and photos. There has been plenty of research done
and fortunately they are not in jeopardy of becoming extinct.
In fact, they seem to steadily increase in numbers all the time.
Please check out our line of birdseed and wild bird product at Anderson's La Costa Nursery, your North County supplier of Old Ben's Wild Birdseed.
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Anderson's La Costa Nursery
400 La Costa Ave Encinitas, CA 92024 | 760-753-3153
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