Quote of the Week

"But in the long run, when you have abided by some rules -- and quite rightly -- broken others you will have learned the greatest lesson of all...Love makes things grow the greenest
 ~ Beverley Nichols
Garden America
This Week's Radio Show

Saturday, January 14
8-10 am PST / 11am - 1pm EST
Once again, your Garden Buddies will be devoting the entire show to answering your growing concerns. Rainy weather has made most soils perfect for planting and weeding. It's the perfect time to plant bareroot roses and fruit trees, To ask a specific question, join us LIVE on Facebook. Hope to see you there!
Tiger
Bryan
John
For more great gardening info, please visit our website at www.gardenamerica.com

Did you miss the show? CLICK HERE to watch our Facebook live episodes.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Most gardeners have heard of miniature roses, but are unaware of an even smaller dimension. Today's miniatures descend from Rosa 'Rouletii', which was discovered in 1919, growing in a Swiss Alpine village. Since that time, hybridizers like Ralph Moore have introduced hundreds of new varieties, which can range in size from 12 inches to over 3 feet. In 1957, Pedro Dot, the Spanish hybridizer, crossed two miniatures, 'Perla de Monserrat' and a 'Tom Thumb' hybrid to produce the world's first micro-mini, 'Si'. With a name as diminutive as the plant, 'Si' is considered to be the world's tiniest rose. It seldom grows taller than 7 inches. The pale pink buds are the size of a grain of wheat, expanding into near-white semi-double flowers about 1/4 inch across. Petite leaves are dark green and in ideal proportion to the plant. 'Si' is best grown in partial shade, as it doesn't like hot afternoon sun. The plant is very difficult to find and you can get on a waiting list at Rogue Valley Roses or email Burlington Rose Nursery to see when it will be back in stock.
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What's Growing in Our Gardens?  
Germander - Teucrium fruticans
Jayme - Templeton, CA
Winter Pepper Crop
Lenore - Canyon Country, CA
Rose - 'Eloquence'
Beth - Los Molinos, CA
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LIMITED SPACE? IT"S STILL THE BERRIES!

by John Bagnasco

Until recently, harvesting fresh, sweet berries meant having to maintain a huge bramble patch. But now, berry breeders are introducing dwarf-sized plants that are perfect for pot culture. Containers elevate the plants, making them easier to access. and growing berries in containers also offers more control over the environmental conditions in which the plants are grown. It’s much easier to maintain the acid pH that blueberries require in containers.

Here are some varieties that are well-suited for pot culture:

Silver Dollar Blueberry – New in 2021, this cultivar has foliage eucalyptus-like foliage with hints of silver throughout the spring and early summer. It produces very large, sweet, pineapple flavored berries. Ripens in July and again in October.

Peach Sorbet - This compact blueberry is stunning with leaves that are peach, pink, orange and emerald green. Evergreen in warm climates, the winter leaves turn a rich eggplant purple.

Raspberry Shortcake - This revolutionary, thornless raspberry is compact and requires no staking. Its sweet, vanilla flavor is unique.

Baby Cakes - is a dwarf, thornless blackberry with, large, classic and sweet tasting berries. In most regions, this blackberry will produce twice in one season, unfortunately, most SoCal climates are too warm for this variety.

CLICK HERE for a video on how to grow blueberries in containers.
We'd love for you to share pictures of what's currently growing in your garden. Please send photos to john@gardenamerica.com