walterandersen.com facebook.com/walterandersens twitter.com/walterandersens online store videos San Diego’s Independent Nursery Since 1928 TM MARCH 2019 Shamrock Facts By Flower Delivery Sherman Oaks IN THIS ISSUE Shamrock Facts 1 Meet The Dragon Fruit 1 Native Alternatives 1 Old Ben: All About Bluebirds 4 Old Ben Specials 4 Ready To Bloom: Buddleia 5 Class: Cactus & Succulents 5 To Do List: March 5 Fertilizers OMRI Listed 6 Oxalis regnellii March Garden Classes 6 Shamrock, Oxalis, Clover, whatever range of shades and delicate flowers March Specials! 6 you call them, March is their time in bloom off and on during fall, winter the spotlight and St. Patrick’s Day and spring. is when they take center stage. Of Here are some lesser known and inter- course, both stores have a selection esting facts about shamrocks. of these plants. Oxalis flowers have five petals and usually bloom pink or You Can Grow Them Indoors Native Alternatives yellow and are bell-shaped. The potted All they need is direct sunlight. Unlike To Your Favorites shamrock plant (Oxalis regnellii) is a other plants, shamrock needs barely small specimen, often reaching no By Moosa Creek moist soil and cool temperatures. more than six inches. Leaves are in a continued p2 Meet The Dragon Fruit By George Allmon We invite you to plant and enjoy this unusual and tasty fruit. Both stores will have these specialty varieties: American Beauty, Condor, Cosmic Charlie, Dark Star, Physical Graphitti, Makisupa, and Natural Mystic. California Flannelbush Dragon fruit or Pitahaya/Pitaya (Hylocereus spp) Native plants offer the best possible is a vining cactus native to Central and South habitat and food for wildlife, are not America. It was introduced to Asia via Vietnam fussy if planted in the right situation, by the French in the early 1800s. Dragon fruit is and require little to no maintenance. commercially grown in Southeast Asia, Australia, Here are some ideas to help you Israel, South Africa, Mexico, South America and determine what will look fabulous! now in the United States where it is primarily Instead of Hibiscus, try the lush yel- ‘Maki Supa’ dragon fruit continued p3 low flowered Palmer’s Indian Mallow, continued p2 03.19 2 Shamrock Facts continued from p1 Native Alternatives continued from p1 To make sure, he counted it twice. It Was Fun For Children To Find A Four Leaf Clover Prostrate Children had a myth that finding a Gumplant four leaf clover would make them see fairies. They used to go out in the fields to find this rare leaf. Once they found it, they waited for fairies to come and meet them. Finding A Four Leaf Clover Won’t Bring You Luck Four leaf clover is known to be lucky. However, it is lucky only if you find Purple Oxalis triangularis them accidentally. Roaming around Four Leaf Clover Is A Variation Of and struggling to find it won’t bring Tecate Three Clover Leaf you luck! Cypress Scientists predicted that four leaf clover Animals Like The Taste Of Clover is a wee variation of three leaf clover Cows, horses and other animals like the but they are unsure as to the reason for taste of shamrocks. They have protein, California Flannelbush, and the stun- this variation. calcium and phosphorus making them ning white-flowered Bush Anemone. Four Leaf Clover Are Considered nutritious as well a tasty. For a flowering groundcover, instead of Gazania, African daisy, and Myo- Lucky If Found On A Three Leaf It Was Once A Symbol Of Ireland Clover Plant porum, the delicate lavender blooms It was considered a symbol of Ireland of the California Aster will feed It is very rare to find a four leaf clover on in the 18th century. They used three native butterflies and pollinators. a three leaf clover, but if you do, enjoy leaf clover to represent heat, hands Also look to prostrate varieties, such some luck! and head. For showing support and as the lovely blue spikes of Creeping Lucky Four Leaf Clover Symbolizes nationalism, Irish people started wearing Sage, the bright yellow flowers and Four Things green and shamrock print t-shirts. blue fruit of Creeping Mahonia, the yellow daisy-like flowers of Prostrate It Became Illegal To Wear Love, faith, hope and luck. If you see a Gumplant, and the blue blooms of Shamrock Prints four leaf clover on a shamrock, then you Centennial Wild Lilac. will be blessed with these four things. After shamrocks became a symbol of There are far more choices for native Ireland, people started wearing green St. Patrick Is The Person Who Made trees than most people suspect. For and shamrock prints. British authorities Shamrocks Famous areas that receive a lot of water, banned this practice and any person St. Patrick used the three clover leaf replace maple or liquidambar with the who dared to wear it was tortured and plant for teaching Christianity while he graceful White Alder, or the statu- punished. was traveling Ireland. He believed that esque Western Sycamore. The non- the leaves represented the Holy Spirit, Shamrocks Are Edible native pines that are succumbing to drought can be replaced with the Holy Trinity and Son of God. All parts are edible. The bulb is suc- iconic Torrey Pine, which will grow Irish People Used To Give Shamrocks culent and sweet and the leaves are straight when away from windy sea As A Wedding Present tart. They can be used in stews, salads, bluffs, and the larger Coulter Pine. The and smoothies. It is given as a gift in the form of a showy flowers of Bauhinia, Tabebuia, bouquet to the bride and groom as a Hope you enjoyed those fun facts, and Flowering Pear and Cherry can be symbol of good luck. now we leave you with an Irish blessing. replaced with Western Redbud, De- sert Willow, or the white dangly A Shamrock Plant Is Not Restricted May your blessings out number blooms of the Silk Tassel Tree. A To Having Three Or Four Leaves The shamrocks that grow great substitution for the ubiquitous A Japanese farmer name Shigeo Obara And may trouble avoid you conical Italian Cypress is Tecate found a 56-leaf clover on a shamrock. Wherever you go. • Cypress, which is fast-growing, has gray-green foliage, and requires little to no water once established. • 03.19 3 - Dragon Fruit continued from p3 grown in Southern California, Florida, and Hawaii. It performs well in areas where avocados are successfully grown. The plant adapts very well to our Southern California climate and is drought-tolerant. Dragon fruit makes for a unique edible landscape plant with interesting struc- ture, bloom, and fruit. The blooms of this cactus are among some of the largest flowers in the world ‘San Ignacio’ dragon fruit and only open for one night. They have a fruity tropical fragrance that will encourage upright growth during their invite you to spend your evenings with first year. Prune to remove dead and them in the garden. In their native diseased stems and thin to improve air jungle environment, these flowers are circulation and exposure to sunlight. pollinated by nocturnal bats and moths. There is ongoing research on dragon Most growers will have some success fruit to identify the best growing prac- without hand pollination; however, for tices in order to improve yields both better production hand pollination can commercially and in the home garden. • be helpful. Dragon fruit cuttings Fruit flesh can be white or varying degrees of red, pink, or magenta de- pending upon the variety, and is filled with tiny black seeds much like kiwi fruit. White fruit tends to be the mildest (almost bland) while darker varieties are usually juicier and sweeter (my favorite to date is “Maki Supa”). The fruit is ripe about 40 days after pollination and is ready when the wings start to wither and the fruit easily detaches from the vine with a twist or two. Dragon fruit is a nutrient dense fruit as well. Rich in vitamins, including vitamin B1, B2 and B3 and C, it also has calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. They are also a good source of fiber, protein and omega essential fatty acids. Dragon fruit will grow in most soils providing they are well draining, but remember that these are a tropical cactus that will perform better in rich, well-draining, organic soil. To grow and produce fruit, fertilize monthly during the active growing season. Stop feeding during the colder winter months. In its native home, the plant will often grow in and upon trees and will benefit from some type of post or trellis for support. They should be trained to Dragon fruit flower 03.19 4 Old Ben: Old Ben's Specials All About Valid March 1-31, 2019 Bluebirds By Old Ben Old Ben’s Nyger Seed The staple food for goldfinches and Western Bluebird Nest boxes have greatly helped in- many other small birds. crease populations of bluebirds in many 25lb. bag Can you imagine eating bugs and ber- areas. Bluebirds will nest in boxes if ries and living inside a tree? Western Sale $49.99 Reg. $59.99 they are well made and placed in a bluebirds do just that. They are mem- good location. Building bluebird trails bers of the thrush family, meaning that is popular throughout the country. A they are related to robins. Bluebirds eat Old Ben’s No Mess bluebird trail is a series of bluebird nest mostly insects. Grasshoppers, earth- boxes along a path planted with berry Wild Bird Seed worms, snails and beetles are among The No Mess Advantage.