Scenic Nursery heralds fall with the premiere of its Scenic Fall Festival Event, held at 1313 Scenic Avenue on September 25, 26, and 27th, 2009. Following on the heels of our successful 60th Year Celebration, this event promises good old-fashioned family fun with live music, sales, BBQ, raffles, arts and crafts, along with many children’s games and adult learning opportunities to celebrate the change in seasons and our wonderful customers.

As a locally owned and operated business, we are always striving to provide enjoyable learning experiences for our community. Scenic is also excited to collect canned goods for local families in need during this event. Donations will be given to Modesto’s Salvation Army Emergency Food Program, so please bring in canned goods to get extra raffle tickets! We will have a raffle every day! Support your local nursery; support your local community!

I have to say, I’ve had a blast ordering plants for the bedding department and being able to offer new and exciting plant varieties to all of our wonderful customers. For the past two seasons I’ve had the privilege to bring back Annie’s Annuals and Perennials. What a fun ride selecting her plants has been!!! If you haven’t seen what we carry, you really need to check them out. We’ve dedicated a table just for her amazing selection of plants to satisfy every gardener's plant addiction.

Also, this spring we added a line of plants from Little Prince of Oregon Nursery, which includes Stepables, Water Misers, Cliff Hangers, Common Ground, and Ground Control. These have proven to be favorites with our customers and they will definitely be a staple in the bedding department. I think you’ll be impressed with our selection. And now, with the new; I am so excited to welcome back (by popular demand) a generous line of California Native plants. I have had so many customers asking for California Natives, that I feel it’s finally time to deliver!

If you have any special requests, feel free to let one of us know. We'll do our best to find it for you. Look for the cans with the round yellow stickers on them in the bedding department. Many of the varieties we’ll be bringing in are drought tolerant once they are established, and with metered water use in effect in September, I predict this line will be extremely popular!

We can't wait to see you here!

With summer winding to a close, it is time to plan for your fall color and cool season vegetable gardens. Fall in love with our full line of fall/winter annuals and veggies that will be arriving through the month of September. Get the most out of beautiful fall annual color that will last from now until spring by selecting from pansies, violas, panolas, snapdragons, calendula, poppies, and primrose by vamping up your soil using Paydirt plus soil enrich or Bumper Crop and a great starter fertilizer.

Prepare your cool season vegetable garden to include nutritious broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, peas, Swiss chard, spinach, and 6 pack onions. Onion bundles will be available in late fall. We also will keep in stock a variety of herbs for the garden including parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.

Now is the time to plant perennial beds so that they can develop strong roots for its next year’s blooms, as well. Pick up our ‘Choosing Perennials’ handout for Jim’s top recommendations for sun and shade in Modesto or try more unique perennials from Annie’s. If your perennial beds are thriving, then it may just be time to divide, cut back, fertilize, and/or transplant perennials. For instructions on how to do this, pick up our ‘Perennial Care: Dividing, Cutting Back and Transplanting’ handout, which breaks down the process by individual plant or bulb.

It is September, a very busy month for the avid and novice gardener alike, and the perfect time to get in the last nitrogen-rich fertilizer applications for the year before switching to low nitrogen feedings. Which type of fertilizer will you be using in your yard this year--inorganic (man made-derived from no organic source), organic (nutrients drawn from living matter), or synthetic (a combination of organic and inorganic substances)? Why is it even important to fertilize? Because we carry both the Master Nursery line and E.B. Stone along with several others, many of our customers have been unsure as to which is better. Does one have an advantage over the other? This subject remains the battlefield for many nurseryman and gardeners alike, as the awareness grows about how individual fertilizers can affect the surrounding ecosystem of the plants being treated. This being said, an unstressed plant should respond positively to the same basic chemical makeup of most fertilizers, both synthetic and organic, which is nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The differences between synthetic and organic fertilizers become more readily apparent in the way that these nutrients are delivered to the plant, one available to the plant immediately, while the other must be broken down by soil microbes into soluble forms of N-P-K. The way I think of it is that synthetics quickly feed the plant while organics measuredly feed the plant and surrounding soil.

So, let’s take a look at the major make-up of most fertilizers--the N-P-K ratio. Nitrogen (N) is the most used nutrient by a plant, stimulating dark green vegetative growth as well as amino acid, protein, chlorophyll, and genetic material production. Phosphorus (P) is needed for seed, root, flower and fruit growth and is also necessary for genetic material, membrane formation, and energy transfer.

Potassium (K) provides oomph to plants as it improves overall plant vigor and disease resistance; it encourages root growth, improves fruit quality, and is used in carbohydrate metabolism, cell division, and regulating the absorption of other nutrients. The amount of N-P-K in each fertilizer depends on the plant being treated, as different plants have different needs. For example, fruit trees need higher amounts of phosphorus than tropical plants because they deplete the soil of available phosphorus more quickly during the blooming and fruiting processes. In addition, plants require smaller amounts of other essential nutrients to keep them healthy such as boron, chlorine, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and calcium. These are trace nutrients that are found naturally in Earth’s soil just as they are also found in both Master Nursery products and E. B. Stone (as they each incorporate trace elements into their fertilizers, just in different formulations). The difference lies, as was mentioned earlier, in the form of the fertilizer molecules.

There are three basic types of nitrogen fertilizer: Organic, inorganic and synthetic organics. Each offers particular benefits depending on use.

• Natural organics are composed of hydrocarbon compounds, which are derived from decaying organic matter. Examples include things like animal manure, bone meal, dried blood, compost, peat moss. Though these are sold separately too, most organic fertilizers include a combination of the above mentioned natural organic elements. This is the closest to nature’s own process whereby organic material is deposited on the garden floor and begins its decomposition process of microorganisms turning digested materials into compost gold, rich with available sources of N-P-K.

• Organic fertilizers are essentially non-burning when applied correctly and are long lasting since they break down usable nitrogen over a period of 8-10 weeks. In addition, companies like E.B.Stone incorporate mycorrhizae (a beneficial fungus that attaches to your plant’s tiny root hairs and aids in water and nutrient uptake) and add beneficial bacteria that basically inoculate your plants against soil born diseases. E.B. Stone also includes humic acid, which in this case is a bio-stimulant derived from extremely rich Leonardite shale that has been pressed into thin, super fertile layers by years of pressure and heat, carrying a positive charge that makes essential metals in the ground available to plants. The upside is that because the nutrients don’t instantly dissolve, and must be processed by your soil’s microbes, they are far less likely to leach out of the soil where they could contaminate water sources. The down side to organics, if there is one, is that they break down more slowly, can be more costly to apply and may come from non-renewable sources such as bat guano and peat moss.

• Inorganic fertilizers are composed of mineral compounds, which are derived from non-living matter such as ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate and calcium nitrate. These are usually lower cost fertilizers in bigger amounts and are specifically used for fast greening, and not for long term feeding. This is why most of Master Nursery’s fertilizers are for use during the growing season only or for heavy feeder plants (i.e., use Bud and Bloom on your annuals and you will be convinced of its awesome power). Another great thing about using these fertilizers is that they offer immediate bursts of perfectly dosed N-P-K nutrition to your specified plant; that is why I adore MN’s starter fertilizer in the green and white bag! Be careful, burning can occur if not applied at the recommended rate, so apply at label rate always. In addition, with the exception of the starter fertilizer where a ready source of phosphorus is needed to encourage root development, always work chemical fertilizers into the top of soil because they have a tendency to be quickly leached out of the root zone. This is where many people see inorganic fertilizers in a bad light because the chemical form of nitrogen has been known to release more quickly than organic material can break it down or absorb it, leading to runoff and leaching into our water sources.

• Synthetic organics combine benefits of quick greening with long lasting non-burning properties of the natural organic group. They are derived from urea compounds and need a combination of natural elements (temperature, sun, rain and microorganisms in the soil) to become usable plant nutrients. An example would be Master Nursery’s fabulous Formula 49, which is the best of all worlds. I really love this fertilizer! Just to give you an idea, I recently fertilized azaleas with Formula 49 and had new growth pushing in just 4 days with significant deepening of green color. Formula 49 is one of Master Nursery’s most successful fertilizers and can be used for bedding needs, veggies, shrubs, trees, and lawns.

Now that we know what nutrients plants need and in which products you can find them, let’s look at what all fertilizers can do for your plants. Some of the benefits to fertilizing include promoting new growth and hardiness, relieving stress and the effects of aging and wear, counteracting damage due to insects or disease, eliminating competition with weeds for available nutrients, and helping replace nutrients lost to leaching and fruit harvests. Fertilizers will improve overall plant health, quality and density, as well as increase tolerance to heat, cold and drought stress. Fertilizing will encourage sweeter fruit and flavor-filled veggies as well as brighter, bigger blooms for shrubs, trees, bedding plants, and houseplants. Remember--no matter what fertilizer regimen you choose, you should be good so long as you are using the proper recommended rate: September is the perfect month to fertilize, so don’t let the opportunity pass you by.

If you want to learn even more about how to bring your soil back to life with fertilizers and soil amenders, come to Diana’s talk on the subject the 24th of October.

Written by Tally

In nursery news

We are continuing to change our inventory in the shrub department. I am looking to increase our inventory of interesting new and colorful plants and reduce our inventory of old tired and not much wanted big shrubs and trees. This has caused some holes in our inventory as we sell out of things and reset our bins. I think by next spring you will see the results of what we are doing.

You can easily see the increase in unusual plants and perennials in our bedding department together with a reduction in regular annuals. Note that we do repotting of pots and moss baskets. If you have big pots that need to be done at home, we have people that we send out on site to do remaking of pots.

Inside the store, organic fertilizers and pest control products are gradually taking over. Yes, we do still carry the basic hard chemicals; but we are constantly looking for more garden friendly products.

Jim and Donnaʼs garden news

Here it is September already and Donna and I are almost through our third year with our fruit bush hedge. For your review we have one apricot, one peach, one nectarine, two pluots, one persimmon one cherry and one pomegranate plus one Meyer lemon. Itʼs obvious the hands-down winner for production are the two pluots. We have been picking pluots for the last six weeks. I picked the last 'Dapple Dandy' and still have 20 or more of the 'Flavor Grenade' still on the tree. Our pomegranate was planted last summer and we are going to have 20 or more fruits in October. This is amazing, I think.

Our Meyer lemon is growing like mad and is over 8ʼ tall with plenty of fruit. It is doing so well I probably will have to prune into a tree form just to walk by.

The peach and nectarine gave us a fair number of fruits, about ten to fifteen for each tree. The apricot had about 5 fruit on it this year. Maybe next year. Persimmons are notorious for taking up to 5 years to get into bearing and ours seems to be right on track. Cherries again are often slow getting started and the ten we got this year seem about right.

All in all we are making progress in the fruit bush business. Considering that all but the lemon are in an area that is about fifteen by fifteen and has four rose bushes and some cut flowers in the same area, I think we are actually doing great.

In less successful news our azaleas look like our Australian violet almost killed them. But after we dug the violets away from them, the azaleas seem to making a come back. Our geranium incanum is growing so vigorously I think that Donna and I know what happened to person that disappeared on Phoenix Ave. this summer. I am afraid to dig it out because of what we may find. We are looking into getting warning signs to put out by them.

In addition we (I) planted some 'Million Bells' by our drive and two days later all we had was a few stems with no leaves. Remember this when you are reminded to get some Sluggo when you plant flowers. Please!

One of the best things about fall is the variety of bulbs available and ways to use them. For me, there is so much fun in selecting large, firm bulbs and deciding how many to force for presents or how many color bowls to make for Christmas gifts. Every year I vow not to add to what's in the ground, but how can you resist those tall brilliant watsonias or carefree sparaxis? Not to mention so many different new colors in tulips and daffodils. It's like a candy store for gardeners.

If you're going to force bulbs, this is the only time it can be done. Paperwhites, hyacinths and crocus in water or tulips and amaryllis in soil give such a variety of blooms for the home. If you start paperwhites now in water, they will be blooming for Christmas or earlier. Sometimes I just like to wrap the bowl, marbles and bulbs up in a little bag and give them as gifts instead of having them ready. There is something magical about a little bulb being stuck in water and dark, then growing roots in front of your very eves and producing beautiful, fragrant blooms. Janet Dominguez, you are the winner!

Another gift that is popular is the bulb color bowl. Start with any pot (I like 12" and 14" low bowls), putting your bulbs just below the soil line and top with Pansies and Violas. As the flowers on top continue to bloom and grow, the bulbs just seem to spear up out of the blue. The best part is that after the bulbs have finished blooming, the foliage and flowers on top hide the bulb foliage (don't cut it off; it feeds the bulb for next year). If you're lazy (like me), when the bowls are done just pile them on top of each other and stick them in some dry, out of the way place. Next fall, just clean out the top and start them again. It beats pulling out the bulbs, drying them and putting them someplace where you can't find them or forget them. For more information on forcing bulbs or planting them, pick up one our guides “Bulb Forcing Guide” or “Do You Have Enough Bulbs” (it gives proper planting instruction such as planting depths, as well).

If you're stuck for a gift or just want to indulge yourself, come to Scenic Nursery and develop a fondness for fall bulbs. Enjoy the season, the pace and the wonder of nature.

Written by Diana