Your Independent Neighborhood Garden Nursery

Beautiful Plants and Inspired Designs since 1954

Dear Friends of Anderson's La Costa,

Happy Summer!

It's finally here! Maybe a tad cooler than the rest of the country thank goodness, but summer nonetheless. We are enjoying the mild temps at the nursery as are our customers, foliage, and furry friends. A good portion of our inventory will really go nuts once the heat turns on, like the just-arrived plumeria and of course, veggies, fruit trees, and tomatoes. Here are a few monthly specials for you:

July Newsletter Specials

20% Off

Lavender &

Fuchsia

We currently have so many varieties and flowering types of lavender to choose from, all with that signature soothing aroma. Bring on the bees!

Fuchsia, mostly in hanging baskets, are looking so beautiful with flowers cascading out of the pot. Perfect for a shady patio or outdoor cover.

Don't miss the lovely and creative container gardens for both indoors and out - some for sun, some for shade. When they have the time and are not busy helping customers or taking care of plants, our talented crew enjoys putting these thoughtful arrangements together for you.

The wait is finally over! Plumerias have arrived. The difficult part will be choosing which variety to take home. From collectible hard-to-find varieties to miniature and more compact growing types, and everything in between. 

Our plumeria are young, so they will need to stay in their colorful pots for at least a month to become established. We have moved around our inventory to accommodate these beautiful plumerias into a partially shaded area where azaleas and camellias once were, and you'll also find a nice selection of collectors' varieties inside the greenhouse. Once established, plumeria require well-draining soil and full sun.

Citrus trees have grown in popularity over the past several years. They grow well in this climate and offer an abundance of fruit once established. The semi-dwarf rootstock also makes citrus grow more compactly without sacrificing yield for homeowners and can be grown in the ground or in a pot.

During the past decade, the agriculture department has been keeping a close eye on citrus greening disease (also known as Huanglongbing or HLB for short). This disease has been devastating citrus all across the United States from Florida to California. The spread is from an insect pest known as Asian citrus psyllid. There were a couple of cases of the disease found recently in Los Angeles and Riverside County. The quarantine means no trees or fruit can (or should) be moved out of the quarantine zone without inspection. Attached is a link about everything as well as the quarantine zones.

California Dept. of Food & Agriculture/citrus

The only way to prevent this invasive pest from devastating the citrus industry is to monitor our plants regularly and report any findings so that proper measures can be taken to prevent the harmful spread. 

Citrus trees attract many insect pests. Catching them early on is key to preventing the spreading and damage they can cause.

• The chewing-type of insects (caterpillars and worms) are controlled with the active ingredient Spinosad (Captain Jack's) or Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.)
• The piercing/sucking type of insects (this would include the Asian citrus psyllid) need more of a contact spray such as Orchard spray or Take Down (the active ingredient is pyrethrin).

Remember most sprays are best applied in the evening and with repeated applications for best results. We love our citrus so let's do our part to try and prevent any further destruction to our citrus trees. We have some great citrus tree varieties currently in stock:

Oranges such as Washington navel, Fukumoto (early ripening), Red Smith Valencia (like blood orange but sweeter), Midnight Valencia (virtually seedless with larger fruit), Olinda Valencia (most popular among growers in California, exceptional yield and tolerance of heat and dryness), and Cara Cara (pink flesh navel, very sweet).

Mandarins such as Tahoe gold (sweet, easy to peel) and Shasta gold (juicy, seedless).

Lemons and Limes such as Meyers (household favorite) and Eureka (larger fruit, true lemon tartness), Bearss lime (seedless, juicy), and Palestine sweet (less tart, low acid, juicy). A few other varieties as well (sorry no kumquats yet!)

Alas, one of our favorite growers Suncrest Nurseries has gone out of business. I suppose that is what happens these days if you don't own the land. Before they disappeared though, we were able to grab some unique goodies from them. Some of the plants include Paeonia 'Bartzella' (an Itoh type peony that grows well in this climate with mild winters), and Brugmansia 'Audrey lea' (a double flowering pink type).

Also, Boxwood 'Skywalker' (a very narrow, tall growing type), Feijoa 'Unique' (a more compact pineapple guava with tastier fruit), and Phormium 'Dark Delight', 'Guardsman', 'Sea Jade', and 'Yellow wave' are a few more. They will go fast so be sure to get them while you can! 

There are a few other unique plants, trees, and specimens that are worth mentioning. Fragrant flowering plants include Michelia champaca 'Alba', Cleyera japonica, Brunfelsia 'Lady of the night', and a beautiful Brugmansia 'pink'.

We have some great trees like Acacia podalyriifolia (pictured behind the fountain) and Acacia covenyi, Juniper 'Tolleson's blue weeping', this beautiful blooming Magnolia 'Little gem', Cercis mexicana (wavy leaf form that is more drought resistant), Aloe dichotoma (we have a magnificent specimen, doesn't even need irrigation), and a Bursera fagaroides that is at least 15 years old (Baja native, beautiful trunk and branching habit- not shown here).  

That's a lot of exciting plant news! Please come in and check it all out. I hope you had a safe and fun 4th of July, and I look forward to seeing you at the nursery very soon.

Your Local Horticulturalist,

Steven

As we sit comfortably in the middle of our mild summer, it is time to sit back, relax and enjoy your garden. Take a peek to see if there's anything that might need some attention, or simple chores like watering and deadheading that can be done in the early, cool mornings or later into the evening.

Regardless, now is the time to reap what you've sowed - if not literally then figuratively! Enjoy the fruit of your labor! However, if you are inclined to poke around in your garden, here are a few midsummer reminders: Watering and pest control will be your main tasks this month. Remember the basics: Water in the early morning, and water the soil to the extent of the radius of the leaves, and not the leaves themselves. Water deeply and occasionally rather than shallow and often. It is important to water plants deeply during the hot summer...

To continue reading Mid-Summer Gardening Tips, click here.

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