MARCH 2015Serving You Since 1955

981 Alden Lane, Livermore, CA • www.aldenlane.com • (925) 447-0280

2015 Daffodil ShowMarch 7th & 8th

co-sponsored by the Northern California Daffodil Society & Alden Lane Nursery

v Groom those blooms to enter on Saturday morning, March 7th, 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.

v All entries are welcome. Bring address labels to speed the process. v Enjoy the show on March 7th, 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. & March 8th, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  v Daffodil Show Guided Tours on March 7th at 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

“Celebrate Citrus”Citrus Tasting: March 14th & 15th • 10 - 4 pm each dayCitrus Seminar: March 15th • Noon - 2 pm • “How to Care for your Citrus”

Join us for our Annual Citrus Tasting. Taste the difference between orange varieties, see the beautiful color of blood oranges, learn about the Tangelos parentage and find out which lemons make the very best lemonade or pie. We’ll have a full complement of citrus plants to choose from! Take advantage of the $5.00 OFF any citrus plant Coupon in this newsletter.

Ed Laivo of Four Winds Growers will “talk citrus” on Sunday, March 15 from Noon to 2:00 pm and answer all your questions.

3 Chasing Spring book signing by author Ernest Wertheim – Saturday, March 21st, two sessions: 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. & 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

3 Orchids 101 – Sunday, March 22nd, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. $10 cost and bring a friend for FREE! Register with our cashiers.

3 Concrete Leaf Class – Saturday, March 28th, 1:30 - 3:30 pm

3 Iris Show – Saturday, April 11th, noon – 5:00 p.m. – Sunday, April 12th, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

3 Adaptive Gardening – Saturday, April 18th, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Physical limitations as we age should not limit our enjoyment of gardening. Learn adaptive ways in which the joy of gardening can continue throughout your lifetime!

3 Dancing with the (plant) Stars! – Saturday, April 25th , 1:00 p.m. Join Nicholas Staddon, director of new plants for Monrovia as he passionately guides us through some great plants for our unique climate and conditions as well as new trends on the horizon. Don't miss it! Only $5.00!

Mark Your

Calendar

For March

& April

Alden Lane

Events!

Win A Citrus

A $79.95 ValueNo purchase necessary.Drawing to be held 3/31/2015.

You’ll be enjoying home grown oranges, lemons or limes when you win your citrus in this month’s contest. Just drop off the entry form at the nursery the

next time you visit, and you may be the winner!

YOU’LL WIN: • (1) 5 gallon citrus of

your choice • 2 cubic ft of Master’s

Planting Mix • 5 lbs. of Master’s Start• 5 lbs. of Iron Sulfate• 5 lbs. of Master’s

Citrus Food

CITRUSMarch 2015

Name: _____________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________

City: _______________________________________________

Phone: _____________________________________________

Email: ______________________________________________

Yes, I would like to receive the newsletter online.

Recipe for Good Garden Soil!Good Garden Soil Starts Here!!

For each 100 square feet add: 10 cubic feet of soil conditioner: Master Gold Rush or Bumper Crop® (5-8 bags) 5 lbs. Iron Sulfate to acidify and add iron. 10 lbs. Master Vegetable Food or Master Flower Food, Master Formula 49 can be used for ground covers. 50 lbs. Gypsum to loosen hard soils as it adds sulfur & calcium. (An excellent addition in our heavy soil.)

Mix well with your soil to an 8" depth and water well.

If you are preparing a vegetable garden now or just dreaming about it, it’s still a great time to improve the soil. Follow our “Recipe” to improve the texture and fertility of your little piece of earth.

This should be a part of your vegetable garden routine 1 to 2 times a year. Amend the valley soils to give your plants their best opportunity for growth. Keep this recipe handy for your planting needs.

The Ultimate Rose Feeding RecipeThis Program, inspired by David Lowell - a local rose expert, provides for enhanced plant vigor and ‘rose show’ blooms!

For use on established roses only (planted for at least 6 months). Apply in MARCH and AUGUST. For each rose apply:

16-16-16 March only Application ½ cup/rose (5# bag for 18 roses)5-5-5 August only Application ½ cup/rose (4# box for about 9 roses)

Bone Meal ½ cup per rose (4# bag for 18 roses) Sulfur* ½ cup per rose (5# bag for 18 roses)Gypsum ½ cup per rose (5# bag for 18 roses)Magnesium Sulfate 2 tbs. per rose (5# bag for 70+ roses)Chicken Fertilizer 1 shovel per rose (1 bag for 9 roses)

*to supply sulfur, use one of the following: Iron Sulfate, Iron Plus, or Soil Sulfur. Iron containing products can stain. Wash off adjacent paving after application.

Sprinkle the first 5 ingredients around each rose and mix into soil if possible. Then sprinkle the chicken fertilizer around each rose and water everything in.

Do NOT combine this recipe with systemic rose fertilizer. It poses a serious health risk to pets if ingested. Pets are attracted to the bone meal and may ingest systemic rose fo od if it is included in this recipe or applied other months in the same area.

Alden Lane Nursery recommends applying Master Nursery Rose and Flower Food monthly, April through

July and September (skipping August for Spring and Fall Fertilizer

Program above). A mulch layer may be put around

your roses to conserve water and insulate roots from summer heat. However, to encourage early bloom, delay mulching until after the soil has been warmed by spring temperatures.

Notes for March Gardeninge

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Feed! Feed! Feed! It’s time to refresh your garden plants. Fertilize all of your plants to support spring growth. For landscape shrubs and trees feed with Master’s Formula 49 All Purpose Plant Food. If you have citrus or avocado trees, use Master’s Citrus Food. This is a good time to start feeding fruit trees, grapes and berries. We recommend Master’s Fruit Tree & Vine Food for the nutrition your plants need to produce the best crop ever! Your roses will appreciate a monthly feeding of Master’s Rose & Flower Food.

Prune azaleas and camellias into shape after their blooms have faded. Feed them with Master’s Camellia, Azalea and Gardenia Food and Iron Plus monthly through October.

Place Yellow Jacket traps out early this month to catch the queen before she starts her family. Prevention is the best cure!

Give your lawn “a meal – not a snack” with Master Green Lawn Food.

Now is the time to set out snail bait. We carry Master’s Snail control products in a variety of forms. Use Sluggo for a pet safe alternative.

Remember to plant gladiolus bulbs (corms) every two weeks and you’ll have armloads of cut flowers through the summer.

Remember to water plants under eaves and in containers. It’s important now to deep water trees and shrubs if it isn’t raining on a regular basis. Their root systems are starting to grow now.

Plant your potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day if you haven’t got them in the ground. See us for instructions and best varieties.

Start annual morning glories from seed this month and establish them in the garden or a pot by summer! Morning glories are one of the most stunning of the old fashioned garden flowers. Flowers are huge – three to five inches across – and bright, colorful blue, purple or pink. Best of all, morning glories are easy!

Beneficials to Help Your Garden

With weather warming we will soon carry beneficial nematodes for controlling grubs and other insect larvae that overwinter in the soil. We will also carry earthworms for improving your garden soil.

Both these organisms are wonderful and natural but have a short shelf life so we would like interested customers to pick them up as soon as possible. Check out aldenlane.com to sign up to be notified when these good guys arrive in early March. We can put your name on a box or two.

Nematodes last 4-6 weeks in the fridge, and earthworms just under 2 weeks, so it’s important to get them and release them when they are fresh.

NEW 2015 Tomatoes & Pepper Variety

TOMATOES:Dark Galaxy: 70 to 80 days. It has small rusty

red fruits with blue/black flecks when mature.Dragon’s Eye: 65 to 75 days. A rose-colored fruit

with golden stripes. Will produce well in cool or hot climates.

Janet’s Jacinthe Jewel: 90 days. This is a large, meaty orange beefsteak with metallic yellow stripes, needs heat to produce.

Sherry’s Sweet Heart: 70 to 75 days. A medium to large pink heart shaped fruit that is balanced between sweet and acid.

All of the tomato plants are indeterminate so they will need plenty of support.

PEPPER:Scorpion Pepper: 90 days. A very hot fruit!

The first bite won’t get you but the heat builds. Use gloves when chopping in your kitchen, produces small lantern-shaped fruit that is red to orange when mature.

Nasturtiums: The Edible Flower For Shade Gardens

Warm your palette and your plate with these spicy summer annuals.

Nasturtiums: long time a favorite for the bright shade garden, come in hot salsa colors of red, orange, yellow, and everything in-between. Nasturtiums spicy attitude is inherited from its close cousin, the herb, Watercress, and like their cousin, nasturtiums are edible. The brilliant colors are both beautiful and tasty tossed in salads, or filled with cream cheese piped through a pastry sleeve.

Nasturtiums look fabulous in the garden or patio. They lend an informal, country feel. They are great in hanging baskets or planters or massed in a bed. Choose from dwarf varieties that hug the earth at 8" high or vining varieties that ramble or climb.

Plant seeds for nasturtiums in a location where plants will receive morning sun and afternoon shade (or a spot with bright shade all day) if you don't have a shady spot, plant them in among cosmos. The cosmos will grow tall and the nasturtiums will climb up through its shade.

Nasturtium seeds require darkness to germinate. Sow seeds in the garden about the middle of March or later and cover with one half inch of soil. They grow easily this way or if you would like to wait just a bit, nasturtium plants arrive at the nursery later this month.

For Fabulous Flower Beds – Read on! Spectacular flower beds can be yours with just a little pre-planning and a trip to Alden Lane Nursery. You can still plant

your flower beds with white Alyssum, Calendula, Dianthus, Iceland Poppies, Violas, Stock, and Violas. For shade gardeners do not forget Primroses in a multitude of colors. All of these blooming beauties will flower for the

months ahead. Also coming toward the end of March you will be able to plant blue Bachelor buttons, Fibrous Begonias and Lobelia, Marigolds and Petunias. Come to Alden Lane Nursery for all your annual color needs. See you soon!

Seed StartingNow is a wonderful time of year to get a jump start

on a vegetable or flower gardening by selecting seeds and starting plants indoors. Seeds that are started indoors get a few weeks jump on those planted directly into the ground.

Seed starting is easy when you have a heating mat and a covered seed starting tray. We have versions that sit on the windowsill or on the counter.

Seeds started now will be ready to set out later this month or early next month.

Vegetable seeds to try include all the tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, cucumbers and corn. For flowers try morning glories, nasturtiums, zinnias, and Black-eyed Susan vine.

Lilacs are Great for Planting in Spring!This year some of the varieties we will have are ‘Angel

White’ which has spectacular clusters of fragrant pure white flowers. ‘Charles Jolly’ bears gorgeous double, deep wine-red flower clusters, ‘Ludwig Spaeth’ has heavily fragrant reddish-purple to dark purple single flowers which bloom a bit later than other lilacs. ‘Blue Skies’ makes a beautiful show of light lavender-blue flowers and ‘Sensation’ is trusses of purplish-red florets edged with white and a captivating fragrance you’ll not want to miss!

Some other varieties include ‘Miss Kim’, ‘Pocahontas’, ‘Miss Canada’, ‘President Lincoln’, and ’Declaration’ (this variety reblooms!). There are many choices to bring beauty and fragrance into your garden.

Lilacs range in size anywhere from 6-12 feet depending on the variety. You will want to plant them in morning

sun and afternoon shade in the inland

areas. Drop in and let us help you pick the perfect

Lilac for your garden.

Summer Bouquets Start Today

All the bulbs you plant this spring will fill your

summer gardens with armloads of beautiful cut

flowers. Think about what a great addition the dahlias and gladiolus

will provide to a summer bouquet.

Glads – The tall flower stalks covered with beautiful florets. If you plant batches two weeks apart you will have plenty of garden color and loads of cut flowers to arrange in summer bouquets.

Dahlias – Take your pick of separate colors in dinner plate, decorative, cactus and pompom flower forms. They are show stoppers.

Lilies – Choose Jan de Graaff hybrids for the best flower size available. Large trumpet forms on tall stems and multi-flowered varieties are available for flower arranging including Stargazer and Casa Blanca.

Tuberous Begonias – For shade, beautiful hybrids with ruffled double flowers in rose form, upright and hanging basket varieties. Choose firm tubers for planting.

Check with our staff for detailed planting instructions. We have the bulbs, the know-how and the experience to get you growing.

Join Us For A Crafternoon!

Swing into Spring at Alden Lane!The bunnies are swinging from the ceiling. They are

having a ball and so will you! Ducklings, lambs and chicks are part of the party too. Come and join the fun with these furry little friends and celebrate spring!

For a different twist this spring, try “Valencia Orange” Aromatique. Available in candles, potpourri and room sprays, you’ll love this fresh scent. We also have “Smell of Spring” and “Gardenia” from Aromatique in stock!

We found many new vendors at market this year. One new vendor is the Juniper Tree line of hand-made soaps. Made in Berkeley, CA, you’ll absolutely love the fragrances and the beauty of these soaps. My favorite is the Lemongrass-Black Pepper.

Another new vendor is the Napa Valley Soap Company. “Cabernet Soapignon” is a deliciously fragranced soap that smells like Cabernet! Come in for a sniff!

New fairy gardening decorations are here! From mini gnomes to miniature lettuces, you’ll find many new items you’ll want to add to your collection or that your children will want to add to theirs. Fairy gardening is perfect for any age and is still one of the hottest gardening trends going!

Come see what else we have new in the Garden Store and Ruthie’s Room. Things are always changing as we bring in new product every month!

Grow Your Own Spring/Easter Grass! Easter is April 5th We have wheat seed and

annual rye seed, perfect to grow an instant Easter egg nest in pots, bowls, vases and baskets. Simply fill the container with soil, sprinkle with seed, water and watch it grow! Wheat seed germinates in 3-4 days and the annual rye in 7-10 days.

Concrete Leaf Making Workshop

Saturday, March 28th 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Back by popular demand, concrete leaves are easy to cast using quick dry concrete, and we will also be coloring them for a beautiful, artistic effect that looks difficult, but is easy to master. We will be creating 3 leaves about 8 to 10 inches. The leaves can then be used in a small garden fountain, placed on a wall (we can put hangers on the back), or as art in your patio and garden. We will provide all the materials and instruction. You will be amazed at how easy it is to make beautifully crafted leaves that you will be proud to give as gifts or display in your home or garden.

Let the FUN begin! The cost for this class is $48.00 plus tax. Sign up by March 25 to reserve your space – we are limited on how many participants we can accommodate.

Concrete Leaf Impression Wall Plaques

Saturday, April 25th, 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.So simple yet the

metallic paints make them absolutely elegant! We will be making leaf impressions into concrete free-form “plaques”, which cure quickly (my favorite are Ginkgo biloba leaves), we will let them dry and paint them with

the shine of precious metals. Come and make up to three

10" x 6" plaques (with hangers on the back). All materials and

instruction are included. The painting part is VERY easy. It is

even more fun with a family member or friends, and kids 10 and up can do it too! Remember – Mother’s Day is just around the corner!

The cost is $35.00 plus tax. Please sign up early to reserve your spot by April 23rd. Space is limited.

Announcements• Watch the Valley Gardener on

TV30 for great gardening tips with host Jacquie Williams- Courtright at 7:30 am and 1:30 p.m. Monday - Friday and repeated on Saturday at 7:30 & 11:00 am, and 1:30 pm & Sunday at 7:30 & 11:00 am, and 1:00 pm. Or catch on tv30.org.

• The Livermore Amador Valley Garden Club will meet Thursday, March 12th. Hear Ernesto Sandoval, director of the Botanical Conservatory, UC Davis, speak about the role of plant hormones. And mark your calendar for April 9th to hear Bart O’ Brien speak on California Native Plants. The meetings will be held at the Alisal School, 1454 Santa Rita Road, Pleasanton. Guests are always welcome and refreshments will be served. Visit www.lavgc.org for more information.

• The Mt. Diablo Rose Society meets the second Wednesday of the month, 7:30 p.m. This month the meeting is at the Dublin City Council Chambers, 100 Civic Plaza, Dublin. Call for details 829-4929. On March 11th join Anita Clevenger, curator of the Sacramento Historic Rose Garden as she discusses Climbing Roses.

• Fremont Garden Club meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month February – October. Guest speakers, field trips, annual garden tea. For more information phone 510-401-0138 or email fremontgardenclub1@yahoo.com.

• San Francisco Garden Show will be held March 18-22. This year’s theme is Going Wild. Purchase Early Bird discounted tickets for $17.50 at the nursery through March 9th. From March 10-22 we will have $22 general admission tickets available. The benefit is not standing in line at the show. For more information go to www.sfgardenshow.com for show hours, driving directions and educational opportunities.

• Bouquet’s to Art is at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, April 14-19. Floral designers fill the de Young galleries with floral tributes complementing works of art. For information call 800-777-9996 or visit www.bouquetstoart.org.

Alden Lane Nursery Hours

8:30 - 5:00 daily through March 8th

8:30 - 6:00 beginning March 9th

Mt. Diablo Iris Show & Plant Sale is April 11th and 12th!Join the fun

this weekend and come check out the fabulous array of Iris. The show is Saturday, April 11th from Noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 12th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Not only will you be able to see a fantastic representation of Iris but you’ll be able to purchase some as well.

Orchids 101Sunday, March 22nd

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.Don’t be baffled by bashful

bloomers and wimpy “wanna-be’s”! Join Orchids 101 to give yourself the confidence you need to care for your orchids properly and be successful. Learn the basics with our orchid expert, Sue Fordyce and discover the simple secrets that make all the difference when nurturing your exotic beauties. You are welcome to bring an orchid or two along that you may have questions about.

The cost is $10.00 and bring a friend for free! Sign up at the Alden Lane Cashiers.

Ernest Wertheim Book Signing Event

Saturday, March 21st 10-11 a.m., repeated at 1:30-2:30 p.m.

You’ll want to bring your friends back. “Chasing Spring” is a fascinating and compelling

memoir encompassing the incredible life of a landscape architect, WWII Veteran and world renowned garden center designer. Come be inspired – you won’t be disappointed. Ernest is 95 going on 59, his optimism is contagious and his story – made for the big screen.

Prevent Wormy Apples

If you have apple trees and want to monitor codling moth activity to determine the best time to spray, use one of our Codling Moth Traps. Traps should be used at least two weeks before buds break. Use one to two Fruit Tree Pest Traps per tree to help you monitor codling moth activity. When codling moths first appear (usually when about 3/4

of the flower petals have fallen from the tree) it’s time to spray. Come in and we’ll tailor the treatment plan. Replace traps monthly. Here’s a good resource - http://homeorchard.ucda-vis.edu/apple.html.

Give the “Gift of Green” To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

You do know that everyone and everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day? To celebrate this wonderful day stop by

the nursery and choose something green! One of the day’s specialties is pot of shamrocks. We can even add a green bow

to make it official! So stop by and celebrate the ‘wearing of the green’.

Alden Lane Nursery is celebrating 60 wonderful

years of growing together

in the Liver-more

Valley!Join

us for a year

packed with

nature’s beauty & bounty!

ä California Natives Just Make Sense California is a vacation destination for thousands of travelers across the globe, partly due to its natural beauty. We Californians, on the other hand, tend not to think of our native plants as ornamentals because they are not “exotic”, but others do find our flora exciting. And now, thanks to this drought, many local gardeners are falling in love with our native plants. Ceanothus, manzanitas, penstemons, verbenas, buckwheat, monkey flower and many others grace our native bed which is larger now than ever before. Come explore!

ä Lawn Replacement TherapyRemoving some lawn and replacing it with plants is something homeowners are doing all around us. Doing so and also spacing plants perhaps less densely than we suggested in the past, leaving some areas of mulch showing will, of course, require less water than the lawn we’re replacing. Let this once open lawn area look natural. Space plants farther back from edges and curbs so plants can grow to their full natural width without extensive pruning. The end result can be a relaxed, green landscape that can look more interesting than the previous lawn, and will be more in line with the new normal California climate. Not all lawn need be replaced, but if it is not func-tioning as a sports / play surface . . . consider repurposing.

Adjusting To A New NormalThe winter thus far has had its moments of moisture, but

has also had its driest January on record. For many years through California’s recent and unusually wet decades, we have continuously promoted water-wise plants and remind gardeners that our climate is really more characterized by dry spells than wet. We are grateful for the water we c ontinue to receive and we’re here to help make the adjustments to water-wise landscaping. Here are a few tips and observations:

The previous two California droughts in the lifetime of Alden Lane (60 years old this year!) have actually resulted in significant

adjustments and improvements to our lives. The drought of the 70’s brought the technological change of drip

irrigation to the landscape. We learned from dryer regions of the world . . . and were forced to conserve. Drip irrigation first moved into the agricultural

industry, then across some commercial landscapes, and finally exploded with enthusiasm into the residential market. Today we use water more efficiently as a result,

but there is still more conserving to be done.The drought of the 80’s introduced so many new varieties of drought tolerant plants, especially perennials, that the

books had to be re-written. Our plant choices today are exponentially more interesting than the earliest years of Alden Lane’s existence. Hundreds of salvias, lavenders and other plants came into production with a myriad of colors . . . many plants from Australia, South Africa, Mexico, Chile and the Mediterranean have made it into the marketplace and our lives are richer as a result.

It remains to be seen what the positive results will be for this drought. Here are some trends were seeing this year:

ä Vegetable GardeningYou can still grow your own with good organic soil preparation, organic fertilizer that include the miraculous “Mycorrhiza”* and mulch. Consider growing in an EarthBox too, all water is used within the system with no water lost to runoff or evaporation. Growing vegetables and other edibles is a great use of our precious resource. *Mycorrhiza (My-Core-Rye-Za) is a symbiotic/beneficial fungus that aids in plant water absorption.

ä Conservation

Recommit to saving water elsewhere in the house to use for gardening. Last year the bucket in the shower to catch water before it warmed was a noble effort but it can be improved upon to include appropriate storage of clean water and appropriate use grey water reuse (grey water should not be stored but should go directly into use out in the landscape). Time and technology will make these efforts easier but don’t slow efforts gained last year just because we enjoyed rain in February. Take the time to look over your irrigation system now and be sure all is working well without leaks or areas of poor coverage. Water plants on an as needed basis. Monthly in winter unless it rains, twice a week watering in summer sustained our landscape here at Alden Lane through the hot months of summer and early fall.

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT #274Livermore, CA

IMPORTANT!Time Critical

Please Deliver Promptly

0315

HOW TO FIND ALDEN LANE

NURSERY

SPECIAL COUPONPresent This Coupon & A Canned Food Item

to Alden Lane to Receive

Food Donations are Optional. All donations go to Tri Valley Haven. One coupon per family, please!

Offer Good March 1-31, 2015.

$5 OFF the

Citrus of your Choice!!

981 Alden LaneLivermore, CA 94550

(925) 447-0280 aldenlane.com

Nursery Hours8:30 to 5:00 Daily through

March 8th8:30 to 6:00 beginning

March 9th