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Beautiful Plants and Inspired Designs since 1954

Dear Friends of Anderson's La Costa,

Happy Almost Spring!

Wow, this year already seems to be flying by as fast as the last one! We hope you are enjoying the longer days, beautiful pre-spring blooms, and getting through a winter with a few less atmospheric (at-most-fear-it!) rain events. Here at the nursery, we are loving the light rain showers and the chance to see more of you now that the spring gardening season is underway. Here is our monthly sale and another good reason to stop by.

20% Off

Aloes & In-Stock Fountains

All Aloes and in-stock fountains are now 20% off during the month of March. So much to choose from in either category. You will find fountains on display throughout the nursery and more in the "Pottery Barn," the older renovated greenhouse-turned-shade structure that holds larger items such as pottery, fountains, garden decor, wooden stakes, trellises and more.

Steven has an awesome write-up coming up next, and then on to monthly Gardening Tips. Plus, we are excited to highlight a local high school project we are lucky to be a part of, so please read on.

Please come visit us and see all of the new plants for spring we've gotten in. We look forward to seeing you real soon.

Best wishes,

Your Anderson's La Costa Team ~ Steven, Manny, Tandy, Jen, Hanna, Madeline, Grace, June, Cypress, and Marc and Mariah

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What's New at the Nursery

...by Steven Froess

Hello Everyone!

The first month of spring is finally here! March is the beginning of the spring season and all the wonderful types of plants that come with it. I'm hoping this March is not like last year when the cooler, wet weather lingered through the month. This slows the availability of some of the plants that require warmer weather to wake up, for example, roses. One great aspect of March regardless of the weather is time change and daylight hours becoming longer each day. Now I can pull weeds when I get off work (haha). This month can be one of the best for planting as availability is much higher and the weather and soil conditions can be ideal.

Spring flowers are beginning to emerge this month. Bedding plants such as ranunculus (we have the cut flower types, great for bouquets), osteospermum (African daisies) have no pests and come in a variety of colors, poppies (both California and Icelandic), Senetti daisies will brighten up any part sun to shady area, arctotis 'Pink sugar' is always a crowd pleaser with it's bright pink fading to orange flowers. You can't miss the smell of pink jasmine in bloom this time of the year, freesia are beginning to send up bloom spikes, clivia are showing their buds in time for spring, and many more are coming throughout the rest of the month.

Protea are becoming increasingly popular in gardens and for good reason. These South African plants have some of the most beautiful and long-lasting flowers. Leucospermum blooms (pin cushion protea) range from bright golden yellows, shades of light and dark orange, and even some reds. True protea plants have more cup shaped flowers in pink tones. Varieties we currently have in stock include: High gold, Tango, Veldfire, Sunrise, Brandy dela Cruz, Goldie, California sunshine, Hawaiian red, Naomi, Flame giant, and more.

A few tips for growing protea successfully are: use a well-draining soil, provide plenty of sunshine, and avoid fertilizers with phosphorus at all costs. Phosphorus sensitivity can be a killer for any plants in the proteaceae family (grevillea, banksia, protea, etc.)

Protea prefers sandy soil so be sure to check your drainage before planting. You can do this by digging a hole and filling it with water to see what happens. If the water drains away quickly (within a few minutes or less) then the drainage in the soil is adequate. If your soil just doesn't drain well, you can try growing the proteas in a large container or building up (mounding) the soil to create a more ideal environment.

Sunlight must be plentiful for protea to thrive. Six hours or more of direct sunlight is the most ideal, although I've seen some plants grow in less, but it's not ideal for them. One last tip, when planting proteas, avoid disturbing the root ball as they have small sensitive roots and can go into shock and die if treated too rough (like bougainvillea). I recommend getting them sooner than later, we always sell out in the spring! (Love this first pic of Penny and her owner checking out our new protea section near the cashier's booth.)

Here are some (but not all) of the interesting and unusual plants you can find at the nursery right now:

Melaleuca diosmifolia is the first. The unusual foliage and branching will catch your eye (especially if pruned into a life-size bonsai tree). It’s drought tolerant, evergreen, and low maintenance, a great plant for any garden.
Grevillea petrophiloides 'Big bird' is next. There are only a few left but this flower is one of the few with turquoise and pink colored flowers. The flower stalk extends upward so the flowers can be seen from longer distances. It’s hummingbird friendly and drought tolerant.
Loropetalum 'Purple diamond' is a more compact variety. These plum-colored leaves and pink fringe flowers are sure to add a pop of color to your landscape.
Ozothamnus diosmifolius 'Pink' (Pink Rice Flower) are starting to bud and bloom. This Australian native can tolerate a wide variety of soil types and has long-lasting flowers.

Not pictured but still worth mentioning:

Bletilla striata is a hardy ground orchid. This plant lays dormant in the winter but once spring begins the first thing to emerge are abundant spikes of purple flowers.
Saffron starts are in the herb garden section. This unusual crocus bulb has a beautiful flower and yes, the pistils of the flower are the origins of the expensive cooking herb, saffron. You will have to stop by the nursery to see the rest!

Roses and new fruit trees will begin arriving this month. The rose pre-order program went well (thank you!) and we look forward to receiving all of your beautiful roses! We will give you a call once they're in and ready for pick up. We'll have plenty in stock for everyone to browse as well.

For fruit trees, we will have apples, peaches, plums, figs, persimmon, pomegranate, and more. We'll also have many other edible plants such as blueberries (southern hybrids meant for this climate), raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, passionfruit vines (in stock now and looking great!) to name a few.

Speaking of edible plants, the warm season vegetable and herb starts are beginning to arrive! I know everyone has been chomping at the bit to get their tomato plants started. March is a great month to get your first round (that's right) of warm season vegetables in. I can usually squeeze three crops a year before it gets too cold.

Every week we will be stocking lots of your favorites from tomatoes to cucumbers, green beans (Roma is one of my new favorites!), eggplants, strawberries (one of the best crops to grow at home because so many store-bought are sprayed with pesticides), squash and zucchini (will give high yields as long as you can control the powdery mildew), lettuces (will grow year-round, try Nevada or Sierra for more heat resistant types), artichokes (leave plenty of room), peppers (ranging from sweet to mild to spicy to HOT), and other varieties.

Hanna continues to bring in more indoor plants for the greenhouse every week. This week we received some nice table-top and floor-size indoor plants, as well as a solid fill-in of our 4- and 6-inch pots. Don't miss the ready-to-go container arrangements, perfect for giving as gifts or to add a little extra beauty to your own home.

We also have an awesome selection in the cactus and succulent section, too. These are great for containers and planters, or in the ground as a compliment or focal point of your landscape. We always enjoy helping you design your garden. Please feel free to ask our awesome staff how they can help you figure out your space and what and where to plant. Also, bring pictures of your existing landscape space - so helpful!

Don't forget that all aloes and in-stock fountains are now 20% off. We have a pretty nice selection of both.

I'm looking forward to a busy spring and to seeing all of you soon. Thanks for reading and until the next time, happy planting!

Your Local Horticulturalist,

Steven

Garden Design Services

Welcome to Anderson's La Costa Garden Design Services. Our talented staff has designed hundreds of gardens for SoCal homeowners. Having a dedicated garden designer visit your home or office will help you create the beautiful outdoor space you've always dreamed of.

Our experienced Garden Designers can assist you with:

A garden designed to your preferences
Optimal plant selection and options for your unique setting and microclimate
Advice on drought tolerant and California native designs
Recommendations on soil amending
Plant problem identification and resolution
Address maintenance needs
A scheduled nursery visit to view the recommended plant materials
Professional garden advice as needed

We hope you stop in and visit us to find out more about how we can help you with your garden. Our Garden Design team is talented, creative, passionate, and professional. Please call or visit us at the nursery or send us an email:

andersonslacostanursery.com/garden-design-services

March Gardening Tips

Among gardening jobs, fertilizing is by far the most important garden chore this month. March is also one of the best times to plant ground covers and perennials and most trees, shrubs, and vines. Be certain to group plants according to their water and soil needs and their sun/shade requirements.

March is the last month before autumn to plant cool-season flowers and vegetables. Later this month we can start planting some of the warm-season plants.

Plant Veggies: You can still plant cool-season vegetables such as broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, and kale but later in March, you may start planting several warm-season vegetables such as beans, summer and winter squashes, and heat-lovers such as early tomato varieties, peppers, melons, eggplant, and okra. We will have plenty of warm days ahead of us to get a jump start on the rest of your summer fruits & veggies. And, of course, you can plant year-round crops such as carrots, beets, Swiss chard, and radishes.

To continue reading March Gardening Tips, click here.

Community Corner

Thanks to an innovative high school teacher, the La Costa Canyon Culinary Arts Dept. Farm to Fork classes have been very busy this year! Earlier this winter, Mrs. Janet Berend helped her students plant eight large garden troughs on campus to grow their own herbs and vegetables. The results have been amazing! Not only have these students learned how to garden, they have actively participated in harvesting and preparing dishes during class, and organized an amazing event called Restaurant for a Day. Mrs. Berend says her culinary students love getting their hands dirty and can't wait to grow more.

Mrs. June Honsberger, La Costa Canyon's long-time chemistry teacher, provided valuable guidance to Mrs. Berend and her culinary classes for their Farm to Fork initiative. Mrs. Honsberger designed and planted the school's native pollinator garden with her own students a couple of years ago. We are thrilled to be a part of exciting initiatives with our area’s local schools and to highlight the collaborative efforts of outstanding teachers.