D's Blog

Our busy spring season is over and we have time to get back to blogging. What a strange year it's been. We have experienced fires, extreme weather fluctuations and a struggling economy. With all this craziness I am glad to report that people are still purchasing plants.

The biggest trend we saw at La Sumida this year was the huge increase in edibles.

Everybody is putting in vegetable gardens this year. They are also planting for the future with fruit tree and berries. Edible sales were so high, wholesale vegetable growers had trouble keeping up with the demand.

Speaking of weird weather can you believe the rain yesterday? I sure don't recall too much June rain in my lifetime.

The big news at La Sumida is a wedding. many of you may know Armando. He grows our beautiful roses. He drives our delivery truck as well. If you see him tell him congratulations.

That's all for now... Judi and I promise to be more diligent bloggers for the rest of the year.

Take care, D

Judi's Blog

Well it seems obvious where the trend is going this summer in the gardening world.  It’s all about VEGETABLES.  Everyone wants to supplement their grocery budget by growing as many fresh veggies as their garden space will allow.  Call it a Victory Garden or Recession Garden, I have never seen or experienced such a surge towards folks wanting to grow their own food and to be more self-sufficient.  We all need to feel like we can take care of ourselves.  Maybe it is a bit of a control issue.  We all need to eat.  Who wants to feel like we are dependant on others for the most basic need of feeding ourselves?  Whatever the reason, we are happy to see and help anyone who wants to learn.

La Sumida has one of the largest selections of vegetables in town.  But try to understand and don't worry if the vegetable that you want to buy is not in stock when you come into the nursery.  We get new deliveries every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  We will usually have everything that the growers have available for the week, out and displayed by Saturday morning. And please realize that not all the vegetables are available all the time. The growers may run out but will quickly reseed and have more ready as soon as possible.  Most of them were caught a little off guard by the unusually high demand this year.  They are trying very hard to get the product out to the nurseries.  The supply is not keeping up with the demand.

When I order certain veggies on the list they send me every week, there is no way to know for sure if I will actually get them.  But I will always try to keep getting whatever I possibly can. Especially with the tomatoes.  We carry 108 different varieties, but not all at the same time.  Don't panic!  There is plenty of time to put all the vegetables in.  And we will continue to carry most everything right thru August.  And don't forget seeds are always a great alternative.  We have a wonderful selection. And remember, a vegetable garden does not have to be put in all in one day.

Sometimes it is a good idea to stagger your planting or even put in a late crop.

So be patient and enjoy the experience of gardening.

Judi

 

D's Blog

March heralds the arrival of spring. Days grow longer and soil temperature warms. Now is the time to think about feeding, pruning and planning your summer color. 

Planting: March is the transition between cool season and warm season plants.  http://www.lasumida.com/tips/plantinglists/warmseason.html

Summer color: Annuals: Petunias, Marigolds, Cosmos, Dianthus, etc.

Perennials: Foxglove, Cleome, Delphinium, Nemesia, Salvia, Etc. Etc. Etc.

Summer vegetables and herbs are now arriving. See March planting list for more information. www.lasumida.com/tips/plantinglists/edible_03.html 

Lawns may be started from sod or seed. Don’t forget soil amendments and fertilizers to assure best performance. Prepare flower and vegetable beds.

Plant summer blooming bulbs:Tuberous Begonias- plant w/acid planting mix or peat moss indented side up (round bottom side down).

Fuchsias:Pinch back for compact growth. Flowers are produced on new wood. Feed with acid food.

Prune: Prune back dead and old growth on shrubs, vines, and perennials. New growth will be quick to fill in. Shrubs – may be cut back by 1/3. Prune Camellias after they bloom. Grasses/Cannas cut just above the ground.

I hope these tips help get you in the spring gardening mood. D

 

Judi's Blog

Yea!! Finally we got some much needed rain.  So far, at this writing, we really haven't had a heavy soaking that would constitute a "deep" watering.  Just steady, light showers that seem to be enough to allow the weeds to germinate and grow like crazy.  So be aware, you might have to supplement with an additional soak to your trees and shrubs if we don't get some more "real" rain.  Don't forget, it was 80 degrees just a week ago and the ground was very dry and alot of plants were showing stress from lack of water.  You can dig into the soil, outside the drip zone, to check and see just how deep the rain was able to penetrate around your trees.  Remember, strong roots go deep.

 

If you sprayed your fruit trees or roses with the "dormant" spray within three days of this storm, you should do it again once things have had a chance to dry out.  Try to spray a couple of times before the fruit tree buds open or the foliage leafs out on the roses.  You want to make sure that you get good coverage to get any fungal spores.  So that means spray the head of the tree or bush, the trunk, and the ground around it.

 

If we do get a substantial amount of rain, you want to be careful about working your soil while it is still wet.  A healthy soil needs airspace in it.  You can damage and destroy its structure by digging or walking in your garden and compressing and compacting the dirt.  Very, very bad for your soil.  Wait a few days and give it a little time to dry out a bit.  Weeding and cultivating should be just as easy and much better for your garden, by waiting a week or so.

 

And don't forget, you still have plenty of time to put in a winter vegetable garden.  The cool weather crops like, brocoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, chard, spinich and so many different varieties of lettuce.   Also root crops, carrots, beets, onions and potatoes.  Have you ever had a homegrown potato?  Melts in your mouth-no butter or salt needed.  I lived in Idaho for ten years, where I discovered that the potatoes in most stores are already a year old!  Try growing your own.  Fresh makes all the difference and its an easy and fun crop for the kids.  You can keep planting most of the cool season veggies on into March.

 

And for all you aspiring vegetable gardeners, we will have a Free, Organic Vegetable Growing Clinic.  It will be on February 7, 2009 at 10:00 A.M., in our greenhouse.   The class will be taught by Oscar Carmona, an experienced grower and supplier of vegetable starts to our community.  Be sure to bring something to take notes on and come early as there will be no admintance after the first 100 chairs are filled and the class has started.

 

See you there,

 Judi

P.S.

Please, don't anyone ask me for tomatoes before March.  It's just wrong to make plants perform before there time and expect them to be healthy and produce well, just because we want to extend our already long season.

D's Blog

Rose Pruning

In Santa Barbara rose pruning season is generally between Christmas and Superbowl. Roses are a deciduous shrub.  In our mild climate, we don’t often receive the cold required for real winter dormancy, so it’s especially important to clean them up for a good healthy start in the New Year. Pruning actually breaks dormancy.

 

We prune roses for health, shape, growth control, and to encourage new canes.

 

·      Remove any dead, diseased or damaged wood.

·      Check for sucker growth. Suckers are canes from below the bud union.

·      Leave 3, 5 or more, young strong canes. Remove week spindly canes . Remove old gray ones. Best blooms come from new growth. Remove crossing canes, and canes that rub against each other.

·      Cut back desired canes into an open vase shape. All pruning cuts should be made ¼ inch above and angled away from an outward facing bud.

·       Light pruning is removal of about 1/3 of the height. Hard pruning is about ½. Your pruned rose will probably be 2 to 4 feet tall.

·      Saw off any dead wood at the base of the rose if necessary.

·      Lightly brush old peeling bark on crown with a brush to stimulate new canes,

·      Remove all foliage. Clean up all debris. Apply dormant spray to plant and soil.

·      Fertilize in March after foliage grows.

General guidelines:

Hybrid Teas: 3-5+ canes in a vase shape open in the center

Floribundas: 5-7 canes in a vase shape open in the center. Sometimes not pruned as hard as hybrid teas.

Shrub and groundcover: Usually have more “twiggy” growth habits.

Prune the same as a floribunda, leaving more lateral branches.

Climbers: need little pruning for the first few years. Prune to shape.

Leave laterals 2-3 , as this is where climbers bloom. Yes, you do need to strip all the leaves.

 

Don’t worry. Our roses will recover from any mistakes we may make.

 

D's Blog

Frost Tips

 

In the Santa Barbara area we have many microclimates. Some of these are susceptible to frost damage in cold winters. If you live in the bottom of a canyon you know how chilly it can get.

 Do not fertilize permanent landscape plants except for lawn, cool season annuals, and vegetables after October 1. This allows plants to harden off. Tender new growth is more susceptible to frost damage.

 Keep your plants well watered. Damp soil retains more heat than dry soil. Mulch to trap soil heat and protect roots.

 If frost is in the forecast, there are precautions you can take. Group tender container plants under eaves, against the house, under covered patios or large trees. They may be covered with sheets, blankets or products like row cover and insulation cloth. If you use plastic, make sure you stake it up, so it does not touch plants. You can string large bulb Christmas lights to keep plants warm.

 Many plants don’t mind cold weather. Most of our trees and shrubs will be fine. It’s the plants of tropical origins that are very unhappy.  Examples include: Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Impatiens, Mandevilla and Ficus If you have tender plants you may cover them the same as your containers above. Make sure you uncover plants before the sun hits them the next morning.

 If you get frost damage the most important thing to remember is: Do not prune off damaged foliage until new growth appears in the spring and all danger of frost is past.  In Santa Barbara this is usually late February.  Frost damaged leaves and stems may not be attractive but they will protect the plant from subsequent frosts.

 After an occasional hard frost it’s a good idea to hose the plants off before the sun hits them.

 Most established woody plants survive Santa Barbara frosts with minor injury. If you live in an area that freezes most winters its best to avoid tropicals. Watch for clear, cloudless, winter nights with low humidity. A great place to check the forecast is: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ or 805 9886610.

D's blog

Those of you who read this blog are most likely local La Sumida Nursery customers. We are very grateful to you. Your support makes it possible for  Independent  Garden Centers to continue in the era of the 'Big Box'  center. Can you imagine the lack of selection if we could only purchase plants at Home Depot?  

At this time when we see even chains going out of business recently  (Comp USA, Circuit City, and Linens N Things)  I have made a new commitment to support local business and shop locally. At the Nursery, La Sumida is able to support local growers and wholesalers, both large and small. This is also good for keeping freight costs down.

Two instances lately have made me rethink my shopping habits. I admit I can get pretty lazy. There have been times when virtually all my shopping has been online. I realized the error of my ways when I tried to stop by Crispin Leather downtown. OOps, they aren't there anymore. Jr./ Sr. Shoe-Town where my family bought shoes for three generations is  gone as well. Where are all the shoe stores? 

For my granddaughter's birthday I shopped locally. Luckily Chaucer's Bookstore is still going strong.  Kernohan's Toys on Calle Real had great selections as well. I'll shop locally for my Chrismas gifts as well.

Thanks to all of you for your support this year. Please remember La Sumida for the holidays. We have beautiful Noble firs, Live trees, Poinsettias, Wreaths, Garland, Table arrangements, Cyclamen, Christmas Cactus, Ornamental Peppers, Holiday Color Bowls, as well as great gift items for  gardeners and plant lovers. Gift wrapping and delivery is available. Going to a dinner party? Need a host/hostess gift? Judi makes beautiful, creative, gift baskets. 

We look forward to seeing you this month, 

Take care, D.