Chrysanthemums are a mainstay of the fall garden. Pots of these colorful perennials really brighten up a porch, patio, or entryway. They can also be used to decorate indoors; the fall colors are beautiful for holiday table settings.

Mums come in a variety of types including daisy (single layer of petals), button mums (tiny spheres made up of dozens of petals), and spider mums (long arching petals with tips curved upwards). Yellow, rust, gold, bronze, and maroon, as well as pink, white, red, and lavender, are just some of the many exciting chrysanthemum colors.

When most people think about drought tolerant landscaping they conjure up images of rock, cactus and succulents. And while they can have a place in some drought tolerant gardens (if you live in the desert) most modern drought tolerant designs don't rely on them and are filled with the beauty and color of many favorite mainstream plants.

Most existing landscapes already have plants that can survive periods of drought. The key is to select plants for your particular growing conditions when planning and designing (or re-designing) your landscape and then placing these plants together according to their water needs.

Your goal should be to create three basic divisions of plant groupings: a very low water zone, a low water zone and a moderate water zone. Each area should be irrigated separately, according to specific water needs. In this way you can have one area that uses more water than the environment naturally provides and another area where you might need no extra water at all.

Consider foliage texture and color, bloom period and the shape of each plant when selecting plants for your garden. Also incorporate some plants with grayish foliage; these have a natural reflective quality that allows them to survive in low-moisture, high-heat situations.

Along with proper plant selection are a couple of other very important principles which should be incorporated into any drought tolerant garden:

• Make sure to use a soil amendment when planting.
• Cover open areas around plants and trees with a two inch layer of mulch to reduce evaporation, keep the soil cool, and help prevent weeds.

Last, a drought tolerant garden needs to be watered correctly in order for you to succeed in your water-saving goals. Each water zone should be on a separate station and timer. Make sure to irrigate in the early morning to help reduce evaporation. Be sure to pull weeds as needed to reduce competition for water, and feed your garden at least quarterly to help your plants stay healthy and strong.

With careful selection, planning and execution, drought-tolerant landscapes can be as pleasing as those needing heavy irrigation. We have a great selection of colorful drought tolerant plants, and our staff of garden experts is available to help you every step of the way.

We sell the UC Davis Allstar Program! It is an exclusive group of plants that are grown as low-input plants to the residents of California. They are prolific flowering, low water, low maintenance plants that are guaranteed to preform well in our Mediterranean climate.

Click here for more information: http://arboretum.ucdavis.edu

The citrus leaf miner is a new insect pest that has started showing up in Southern California. The larvae are laid by minute, silvery white moths that tunnel within the leaves, leaving snaking trails of dead tissue behind. Other symptoms of infestation include curling of leaves and, in severe cases, even succulent young branches of green shoots may be attacked.

Although leaf miners don't usually demolish an entire plant, they can cause quite a bit of unsightly damage. This makes it important to start controlling this pest at the first signs of attack and following up with repeat applications to break the life cycle of this insect pest.

Citrus leaf miners tunnel between the upper and lower surfaces of leaves to lay eggs. The clear waxy trail they leave behind is unmistakable--and permanent. Once they eat a path between leaf surfaces, they drop off the leaf to pupate in the soil beneath. Then the whole process starts over again, yielding several generations of leaf miners over the course of a summer.

Controlling leaf miners is difficult, even with chemicals, because they are protected by the upper and lower leaf surfaces. We recommend treating your infected plants with an insecticide containing Spinosad. Another effective control is to remove (and destroy) affected leaves. You can also treat the leaf surface with a citrus oil-based pesticide, which can help to prevent tunneling by future generations.

Most home gardeners lament the coming of winter since it usually spells the end of the outdoor growing season. But it doesn't have to be that way. Many herbs can be grown indoors quite successfully in the winter months and then be transplanted into the garden the following spring. There's something about the taste of fresh, home-grown herbs in cooking that is hard to beat. The flavors are so much more flavorful and aromatic than using something dry out of a shaker bottle.

With the right location and care, many herbs can be fooled into thinking that summer is still here. If you're a little nervous or skeptical about growing herbs indoors, use some tried and tested varieties such as chives, coriander, dill, mint, oregano, rosemary, parsley, and thyme. Most of these can be started by seed, while mint and rosemary can be started by seed or cutting.

Most herbs are sun lovers and will require a southern facing window that gets at least six hours of sunlight per day. For less sunny locations, mint, parsley and rosemary will get by with less sunlight. You might also consider hanging a grow light 6-9 inches above your plants to provide light on cloudy days. Make sure to also rotate your containers at least once per week in order to help your plants grow evenly.

Start your plants in seed trays and then transplant them to window boxes or larger containers once the plants become rooted. Use a good quality potting soil, such as Gardner & Bloome Blue Ribbon Blend, and make sure the containers you use have drainage holes. If you use water trays under your pots, make sure that you check them after watering and drain any standing water in them.

The herbs listed above will do fine provided temperatures are maintained between 55 and 70 degrees. Feed with a water soluble plant food, such as Dr. Earth Liquid Solution, every 2-4 weeks just as you would any other indoor plant, and don't water until the soil surface becomes dry. The use of a small fan will also help herbs survive the stuffy air conditions that can occur indoors in winter.

Plant pests are usually less prevalent during the winter months. Nevertheless, visually check your plants at least once per week, and treat your plants with an insecticidal soap before pests actually become a problem.

So don't let the winter doldrums get you down. Spice up your life and your winter meals with the addition of fresh, homegrown indoor herbs!

Summer's blasts of heat can make even the hardiest of shrubs look brown, tired, and just plain ugly.

Now is the time to give your bushes a haircut. Trimming the ends of the plant encourages new lush, green growth. Be certain to remove any brown, dead branches to open up the space and help the plant fill in the voids.

Ground covers like ivy will also benefit from a trimming.

Within weeks, new growth will appear, giving a fresh green look.

The popularity of crotons in both indoor and outdoor plantings is increasing at a phenomenal rate. Native to tropical areas of Malaysia and southern Asia, these easy- growing plants have bright-colored foliage, often with many colors in one leaf. The uniqueness of these plants is their colorful glossy foliage in varying shapes and sizes.

Crotons are a small shrub which can reach a height of 2-6 feet. Some crotons can even be used as hedges or specimen plants. They also grow well in containers. The 6"-12" leaves are leathery and start out green, gradually changing color as the plant matures. They come in many shapes and a rainbow of colors including reds, pinks, yellows, rust, orange and even some purples, to name just a few.

Crotons are grown primarily for their brightly colored foliage. For this reason they need a fairly high amount of light to maintain their vibrant colors. Crotons prefer high humidity, full sun and moist, humus-rich but well-drained soil with a generous supply of organic material; we recommend Kellogg Amend.

Crotons only require a moderate amount of watering on a regular basis. Keep them moist but not excessively wet. To maintain good growth, feed crotons regularly throughout the year with a water-soluble fertilizer, such as Dr. Earth Liquid Solution. We stock a great selection of crotons just waiting to find a place in your home or garden. Stop by today to see what all the fuss is about!

Any plant or tree that loses all of its leaves and goes into a state of dormancy (sleep) periodically is considered deciduous.

Most shade trees and many fruit trees fall into this classification, along with plants like forsythia, hydrangeas, potentilla, roses, spirea, weigela and many others.