Plant of the Week: Chinese Wisteria
The Chinese Wisteria cannot be beat for shear volume of flowers. The wisteria is a very fast growing vine that can consume a house if not kept in check. When planting, be sure to anticipate the ultimate size.
The supports must be sturdy as the plant will soon have several hundred pounds of bio mass. The wisteria is often used to cover fences or arbors.
The long pendulous racemes of fragrant flowers are breathtaking. Our varieties flower profusely in the early spring before leaves have emerged. There are additional flowers periodically throughout the summer. For an outstanding and unusual specimen, try training the plant as a free standing tree. The soft weeping branches make an outstanding small tree. The flower display will not be beat. If your wisteria does not bloom after several years in the ground, you may encourage your floral display by 3 methods. First, prune the branches to slow growth. If the plant is growing too vigorously, it will not bloom. Second, feed with a low nitrogen and high phosphate fertilizer such as 0-10-10. This will tend to slow growth and encourage bloom. Finally, root pruning will help. Use a shovel and cut the roots shovel depth in a circle 18" to 24" away from the trunk. The object is to cut some (not all) of the roots to again slow growth. Given the proper location, the Chinese Wisteria is one of the best flowering plants for your garden.

Dream Gardens Do Come True!

Do you dream of the perfect outdoor garden with layers of beautiful lush plants surrounding your home and blooming year round? You can visualize it in your mind but when it comes to putting it together in reality, it's just overwhelming. Here are few helpful tips that will get you started in making your dream garden come true: 1. Make a plan! Draw a simple layout of your planting areas. Measure lengths and widths. If applicable, show where existing desirable trees and shrubs are and identify them if you can. Mark sunny and shady areas, doors, windows patios, overhangs, or decks that are adjacent to the planting areas. 2. Do some research. Visit our nursery, read garden and landscape books, look at plants on the internet or in magazines and make lists of the trees, roses, shrubs and bedding plants you love. 3. Let us help you pull it all together. Bring your plan, lists and any pictures of gardens you want to copy into the nursery and we'll help you choose and place the proper plants in the proper locations so the overall effect achieves your concept when your garden is established. Now that you have a plan, you can choose to do one area at a time or the whole project at once. 4. Get educated! Make sure you get planting and watering instructions from us including the right soil preparation, planting mixes, and fertilizers. See...some dreams do come true!

Controlling Rust Disease on Roses
The rust of rose (Phragmidium mucronatum) is one of the most commonly found and easily identified diseases of rose. Severe outbreaks occur where cool temperatures and high moisture are found during the prime growing season. Where foliage is heavy, the first symptoms usually are found close to the ground and on the insides of plants. Nine species of the rust fungus are known to occur. The fungus is complex having up to five different spore stages in its life cycle. The resistance of various cultivars is usually well documented because rust is a very common disease in California.
In early spring powdery pustules of light orange to yellow spores appear on the under side of leaves. Soon after these aecieospores can be found on the upper side of leaves where they
are more obvious. As we move into summer the uredial stage usually is predominate forming the typical red brown to orange spores. This stage can repeat several times during the growing season usually in 10 to 14 day intervals. Finally as fall approaches and evenings become cool the over wintering telial stage develops black teliospores. Leaves, succulent canes and flower parts are all susceptible to the rust fungus. The fungus over winters as teliospores on fallen leaves or on infected canes. The spores are wind borne and germinate to infect leaves through the stomata. Rust fungi are obligate parasites and can not be cultured. As the infection proceeds the various spore stages develop on rose, there is no alternate host for rose rust. Reinfection and spread occurs through aeciospores and urediospores. Spore germination requires cool summer temperatures and continuous moisture for at least two hours so the germ tubes can enter the leaf stomates. Teliospores serve as a means of over wintering on leaves and infected canes. In areas where Rust is severe, sanitation should be practiced to reduce inoculum and prevent early season infections. Infected canes should also be spring pruned to reduce the initial inoculum levels. Pruning very dense bushes will help to reduce the moisture levels inside of plants and prevent some infections. Preventative fungicidal sprays should be applied every 7 to 10 days when conditions are favorable for rust development. We also recommend commissioning the services of beneficial insects like Ladybugs and Praying Mantis.