An Orchid for Your Yard; a Big One (Kind Of) When Life Gives You Grapes, Make Wine! New Perennials for Spring

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San Diego’s Independent Nursery Since 1928 TM MAY 2016

IN THIS ISSUE When Life Gives You Grapes, Make Wine! By Ken Andersen

When Life Gives You Grapes 1 An Orchid For Your Yard 1 New Perennials For Spring 1 Rare Bird Makes A Sighting 2 Old Ben: Steller’s Jays 3 These Tomatoes Going Fast 4 Dwarf Jacaranda Packs Punch 4 New Ways To Garden 5 What Is African Blue Basil? 6 Dead Bug Brew 6 Poway Rose Show 7 May Garden Classes 8

The new WAN micro-vineyard in Poway. When it came time to ponder what is cane trained along the fence line so to do with some empty space at our you can see how both options work. New Perennials Poway store, we didn’t dwell on it for Head training (a form of spur pruning) too long and installed a micro-vineyard is one of the simplest and oldest For Spring as a demonstration garden. We methods of training grapes. It is also selected three wine grapes, Cabernet the least expensive as you do not have Sauvignon, Merlot, and Zinfandel, and to install a trellis system. However, be one table grape, Flame. To keep it sure to select grape varieties that lend simple and save space, we elected to themselves to spur pruning to get the head-train the Zinfandel, Merlot and best performance. Flame on stakes while the Cabernet continued p2

An Orchid For Your Yard; A Big One (Kind Of) By Ken Andersen

Decadence® Lemon Meringue If you are fortunate to have space in your yard for a small to medium size We have two new perennials to tree, consider planting an easy to grow share for spring that sound mouth tree full of spring color. The Purple wateringly delicious. Meet Blueberry Orchid Tree, Bauhinia purpurea, fits Sundae and Lemon Meringue, new the bill! to the Baptisia (False Indigo) family. They are not a true orchid but their Decadence® Baptisias will certainly flowers look similar, hence the name. steal the show in a landscape. Their There are a number of different unusual coloration and tall, strong varieties but B. purpurea is by far the stems are a beautiful sign of warmer most common. They are dormant in weather to many homeowners. They the winter. When the flowers and then are hardy to zone 4 and will grow nearly three feet tall. When fall the seed pods fall, you will have some comes around, don’t rush to trim continued p2 continued p2 05.16 2

When Life Gives You Grapes continued from p1 If you want to plant grapes to make produce. The next step in our vineyard your own wine, here is what you can will be to add a drip irrigation system. expect to produce. You can roughly That will help boost yield but still allow figure harvesting four to five pounds regular growth despite the drought of grapes per vine. It takes about restrictions. In some areas of the 2.5 pounds of grapes to fill a bottle state, such as Paso Robles, many of with wine, so if you plant six vines the vineyards have switched to dry you can expect approximately one land farming where the only water case of wine per season. Production the vines receive is from rain. While of this quantity will not require large this may work in northern California, equipment for fermenting. The beauty where precipitation is more plentiful, it of making your own wine from a micro may be difficult to do successfully in vineyard, as opposed to brewing beer, San Diego. One of the advantages of is that if you grow your own grapes dry land grape production, aside from Decadence® Blueberry Sundae you have complete control over the the savings on water usage, is that it entire process from start to finish. can produce a better quality grape When brewing beer, you have to pur- for wine production but with slightly Perennials continued from p1 chase the raw materials to get the smaller yields than irrigated vineyards. process started. them because the seed pods add Grapes can be purchased and planted the extra bonus of winter interest. It will take a couple of seasons to get here year-round. Our staff can help you the vines fully trained and ready to select the right vines for your needs. • Blueberry Sundae has dense clusters of vibrant, deep indigo blue flowers on a compact, upright mound. It could be the thriller in a container continued from p1 An Orchid For Your Yard planting. Lemon Meringue is an clean up to do, but the show they put have drawbacks in that it is slower impressively vigorous native cultivar. on can be worth it. Just before they growing, not as profuse of a bloomer, Long, charcoal grey stems carry the leaf out in the late spring, they will be and can be somewhat rangy. That said, cool lemon yellow flowers, producing covered with beautiful pinkish purple the flowers are so spectacular that an excellent floral display atop the flowers, and I do mean covered! The they can make up for the difference. compact, upright mound of blue- Sunset Western Garden book says It also is cleaner and it readily makes green foliage. This award winner was they will reach 20-35 feet tall and wide seed pods. named Top Perennial Performer by but I have never seen one at the upper Colorado State University in 2012. • Every now and then our buyers will end of that range. There is one in the come across Bauhinia forficata, Brazilian parking lot of our Poway store and it is Butterfly Tree. This white flowering nowhere near that size. Rare Bird cousin will stay a little smaller and is This tree also has a cousin, Bauhinia covered with beautiful white flowers Makes A Sighting blakeana, or Hong Kong Orchid tree. in the spring time. Unfortunately this This larger flowering relative can be a variety is not as readily available as the real show stopper with its color and other two. • size of the flowers. However, it does

Mark Your Calendars For The 17th Annual Walter Andersen Nursery Rose Show Every now and then we come across the rare, golden form of Bird of Paradise. Walter Andersen Nursery will hold our seventeenth Strelitzia reginae ‘Mandela’s Gold’ annual rose show May 14-15 at our Poway location. This is very similar to the famous orange popular event is free to enter and view and continues Bird of Paradise. This spectacular to grow with last year seeing more than 100 entries. cultivar has flaring, gold sepals and The rose show gets underway May 14 with entries being blue petals reminiscent of a crested taken from 8am-10:30am, followed by judging from tropical bird. Like the orange form, it 11am-1pm. Roses will remain on display until 4pm on May is easy to grow in the right conditions; 15. The public is invited to enter and attend the show! • however it is slightly smaller, growing to 4 feet tall. Availability is very limited on these birds. • 05.16 3 Old Ben: All About Steller’s Jays Old Ben's Specials By Old Ben

Valid May 1-31, 2016

Old Ben’s Nyger Seed The best seed for attracting Goldfinches and other wild birds. 10lb. $19.97 Reg. $29.99

Old Ben’s No Mess In March of this year Wild Bird Seed I had the pleasure The no mess advantage: Seed is of visiting a friend hulled, will not sprout, birds can eat in western Montana. all the seed which attracts fewer The town, Clinton, is feeder pest. just east of Missoula. 20lb. $24.97 Reg. $42.99 One of the many birds I saw were Steller’s Old Ben’s Economy Jays. This jay is absolutely stunning campgrounds, where they beg boldly Seed Blend and May’s article is all about them. for handouts. These intelligent and A blend that will attract doves, opportunistic birds are quick to take sparrows and other birds. General Description advantage of new food sources, like The Steller’s Jay is a striking bird with bird feeders, especially those that are 20lb. $9.97 Reg. $17.99 deep blue and black plumage and a full of peanuts. They forage mainly in long, shaggy crest. The front of its trees, but may forage lower at times. Old Ben’s Hanging body is black, and the rear is deep Diet Multi-Purpose Bowl blue. The black extends midway down Ideal for water, jelly, mealworms, fruit its back and down its breast. It has Steller’s Jays are omnivores, and their and more. faint, dark barring on its wings. Adults diets are about 2/3 vegetable matter Reg. $14.99 have blue vertical eyebrows above and 1/3 animal matter. The vegetable $9.97 each eye. Those in Missoula or inland part of their diet consists of seeds, have a small white patch over the eyes. nuts, berries, and fruit, and the animal Old Ben’s Dried Mealworms matter consist of bird eggs and nest- Loaded with protein. A fantastic Habitat lings, invertebrates, small rodents, treat for chickens and wild birds. Steller’s Jays breed in dense conifer reptiles, and carrion. They eat almost 3oz. 2 for $7 Reg. $6.99 forests, but they use a wider variety of any scraps of food that humans offer. Must buy 2. forested habitats at other times of the year. They can be found from low Nesting to moderate elevations. They are Steller’s Jays form monogamous long Old Ben’s Parrot Mix A blend of several seeds that common in residential areas and agri- term pair bonds. They remain together parrots love. cultural areas with adjacent forests. year round. They usually nest in a They breed up to the tree line, but are conifer, and both members of the pair 5lb. 2 for $13 Reg. $12.99 usually found at lower elevations. help build the nest. The nest is a bulky Must buy 2. cup made of twigs, weeds, moss, and Behavior leaves, held together with mud. The Old Ben’s Hummingbird or Steller’s Jays form flocks outside the nest is usually lined with rootlets, pine Oriole Kit nesting season and often fly single file needles, and other fine material. The Everything you need in one across clearings. They are highly vocal female incubates four to five eggs for package: feeder, food, ant barrier & outside the nesting season. When they 16 to 18 days. Both parents feed the cleaning brush. are raising their young, they become young, which leave the nest around very quiet and inconspicuous. They 16 days after hatching. They begin $19.97 each Reg. $29.99 are well known at feeders, picnics, and making short flights within a few days All specials limited to stock on hand. continued p4 No special orders. Cannot be combined with any other discount or offer. 05.16 4 These Tomatoes Are Going Fast Dwarf Jacaranda By Melanie Potter Still Packs Bloody Butcher A Visual Punch A sensational and very pop- By Melanie Potter ular, very early producing tomato variety. Five to nine fruits per cluster with a rich heirloom tomato flavor. Plant produces well until frost. A good canning tomato. Big Zack This is the giant pumpkin of the tomato world! Bred by Rapunzel Snow White Minnie Zaccaria, a New Jersey Every year we find new varieties of gardener who tirelessly sought the vegetables available. This year, we have perfect cross-pollination of two heir- a few new tomatoes. That’s the good looms created this enormous tomato news but the bad news is that they with fruits that repeatedly tip the scales aren’t sticking around for very long and at an amazing 4 to 6 lbs. It’s an excel- the availability is limited. lent tomato in every respect; meaty and delicious, very disease-resistant, Look for Rapunzel, Bloody Butcher, Big and true-growing each time it’s planted. Do you appreciate how spectacular Zack, and Snow White. Several em- Furthermore, it has impeccable ances- the Jacaranda trees are with their ployees have planted them at home so showy, purple blooms? One draw- tors and hails from a red heirloom we can report to you how they grow back from planting this beauty is beefsteak-type, and a large, pink open- that it’s deciduous. Part of the year and taste. pollinated beefsteak heirloom. it is a showpiece in the garden, Rapunzel Snow White but during other seasons, it will be Named for the fairy tale character, Produces abundant quantities of dormant and that’s a big, bare tree plants produce long cascading trusses ivory-colored cherry tomatoes that to have taking center stage. with up to 40 fruits. Very flavorful, ripen to a pale yellow. Tomatoes are What if I were to tell you that you bright red cherry tomatoes that are so deliciously sweet (without being too can now findBonsai Blue Jacaranda, sweet, you’ll be tempted to eat them sweet). A great snacking tomato or a true dwarf that is fast growing to straight-from-the-vine. salad tomato. • 6’ tall? Like its big sibling, it creates a show in spring with large, deep purple tubular flowers. It’s an ideal small specimen tree for smaller Old Ben continued from p3 gardens, equally useful as a large border accent or in decorative pots of fledging, and can make longer the species in 1788, they named it on a terrace or patio. So, given its flights by the age of one month. The after him. size, it doesn’t have to be treated adults continue to provide some food Steller’s Jays are habitual nest robbers, as a specimen tree. It takes well to for the fledglings for about a month like many other jay species. pruning (do this in the late winter) after they fledge. and is remarkably tolerant of heat An excellent mimic with a large reper- and drought. Some Kool Facts toire, the Steller’s Jay can imitate birds, Plant in the full sun in enriched, Steller’s and Blue jays are the only squirrels, cats, dogs, chickens, and well-drained soil. Follow a regular North American jays with crest. some mechanical objects. watering schedule during the first Steller’s Jays were discovered on an The oldest recorded Steller’s Jay was growing season to establish a deep, Alaskan island in 1741 by George Steller, a male and at least 16 years old when extensive root system. Watering may a naturalist on a Russian explorer’s ship. found in Alaska in 1987. It had been be reduced after establishment (two When a scientist officially described banded in the same state in 1972. • summers in the ground). Feed with a general purpose ferti-lizer before new growth begins in spring. • 05.16 5 New Ways To Garden TO DO LIST: May By Melanie Potter

CONSERVE WATER Mulch under and around plants and open areas with decorative bark to reduce evaporation. Water in the early morning or cooler evenings to reduce evaporation. Consider replac- ing sprinklers with drip irrigation. We sell easy-to-use conversion products. FERTILIZE For lawns, use Marathon Fertilizer for tall fescue, and Hi-Yield Weed If you are short on space or time, we kit (despite a reduced crop due to an & Feed to feed grass and control have a few new items to grow in a oversight in watering). She said her broadleaf weeds. Feed ornamentals manner that makes them the frozen harvest was delicious. Kits come in with Gro-Power. Feed vegetables dinners of the plant world. Everything two sizes and will produce multiple you need is in the box, jar or can. harvests. with Gro-Power Tomato and Vege- table Food or Dr. Earth Organic First, there are organic mushroom kits If you are short on garden space or Tomato and Vegetable Food. Feed that you grow in a box. It’s as easy looking to grow herbs on the window- Citrus, Avocado, and fruit trees with as opening the box, adding water to sill, check out gardens in a jar or in a Gro-Power Citrus and Avocado Food. the bag where the mushrooms will can. From the Garden-In-A-Jar, you can grow and inserting that back into the grow organic basil or cilantro. Garden- Feed palms and tropicals with Gro- box. This way, you can grow oyster In-A-Can will produce cilantro or sage. Power Palm Tree and Tropical Food. mushrooms, and within days be eating Everything you need is in the can and PEST CONTROL home-grown mushrooms. Barb in our jars; you just add water! Who knew Poway store reported success with a growing edibles could be so easy? • Watch for insects beginning to invade the garden. Pay close attention for Aphids, Whitefly and Scale. Use Recipe: Kumquat Upside-Down Olive Oil Cake systemic controls from Bayer for longest control. Watch for slug and Customer Ken Woods brought our own kumquat slices in the pan (over the snail damage and apply Sluggo or David Ross this recipe. It’s perfect for sugar), creating a tight single layer of potlucks and picnics. fruit. Set aside. Sluggo Plus as needed. Watch for and treat plants attacked by Citrus Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine flours, Leaf Miner. 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted baking powder, and salt. In a medium 3 tbsp. packed dark brown sugar bowl, whisk together sugar, olive PLANT 4 oz. thinly sliced and seeded kumquat oil, eggs, milk and orange zest. Pour (1 cup) the wet ingredients into the dry and Bedding plants for color such as 1 cup all purpose flour whisk until just combined. Marigolds, Zinnias, and Petunias. 1/3 cup all purpose semolina flour Trees, shrubs, fruit trees, tropicals, 1 tsp. baking powder Pour the batter over the kumquats and roses. Dash of salt and bake until browned around the 1/2 cup granulated sugar edges and a toothpick inserted into LOOK FOR 1/2 cup olive oil the center comes out clean, about 25 2 large eggs minutes. Cool for five minutes then Roses, Ceanothus, Viburnum, Fuch- 2 tbsp. low-fat milk run a knife around the edge of the sias, and Dipladenia. • 1 tbsp. orange zest pan, turn out onto a plate and remove Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the the parchment. Serve warm or at bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan room temperature. and line the bottom with parchment Editors Note: I would complete this paper that you cut to fit. Pour the by adding a (generous) dollop of The Kumquat melted butter into the pan and tilt to Grand Marnier spiked whipped cream Upside-Down cover the bottom. Sprinkle the brown to each piece. sugar evenly over the butter. Arrange Olive Oil Cake End Result! 05.16 6 What Is African Blue Basil? Dead Bug Brew By Chuck McClung Is Pest’s Last Meal By David Ross Spring is in full swing and so is bug season. Most of our plants are looking great, and have been enjoying our occasional rains so far. But to keep them looking this way, we must be diligent, forever on the lookout for invading pests, which appreciate the succulent new growth spring brings with it! Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew ® contains Spinosad (spin-OH-sid), a product first isolated from a naturally occurring soil dwelling bacterium that was collected on a Caribbean island This spring, African Blue Basil is sweet/Italian basil. The flavor is a bit from an abandoned rum distillery. ® definitely the most requested herb at stronger, woodsy or even minty. I eat Deadbug Brew kills bagworms, the nursery. This increasingly popular only the flowers; I strip them off the borers, beetles, caterpillars, codling and tasty culinary herb is also an spike and sprinkle them on my salad— moth, gypsy moth, loopers, leaf miners, spider mites, tent caterpillars, attractive, low-water landscaping plant. excellent! African Blue Basil prefers thrips and more! Use on fruits, vege- What is African Blue Basil, and why is it full sun, but can also grow in small tables, berries, citrus, grapes, nuts so popular? pots for quite some time on sunny and ornamentals. indoor windowsills. African Blue Basil is one of the few What makes this natural product types of perennial basil (in the genus Furthermore, African Blue Basil is an special is not only that it works, but it Ocimum). It is a sterile hybrid (i.e. does attractive, colorful, very tough, land- doesn’t have to be reapplied as often not make seed) of ‘Dark Opal’ purple scaping and container shrub that as many other natural pesticides. leaf culinary basil and camphor basil. requires little water once established. Dead Bug Brew is translaminar, yes, Purple foliage tints and light lavender Since it doesn’t make seed, you don’t translaminar, which means it pene- flowers spikes brighten the landscape need to deadhead, and as a result it trates the leaf surface and offers year round. If left un-pruned, it can extended protection from within the blooms year round. Not only does it grow over 6 ft wide and several feet leaf. If you miss a portion of the leaf, bloom year round, it attracts TONS of tall, but can easily be maintained the Dead Bug Brew will auto correct bees, as well as birds and butterflies. around 3 ft tall and wide, even smaller and move throughout the leaf for Many gardeners plant African Blue in pots. you! This is why it works so well and Basil solely to attract bees for their persists in the leaf longer. orchards and tomato gardens. So give African Blue Basil a try this year. Attract bees and add some zip Spinosad is also available in a pow- As a culinary herb, African Blue Basil to your spice! • der form, as well as a granular form differs from traditional “pesto” or for controlling crawling insects. •

Spice Up Your Garden With These Finds Baby Pete Agapanthus Jasmine Summer Soul This unique compact variety blooms Large, highly-scented, fully double weeks earlier than others! Masses flowers will fill the garden with fragrance. of blue flowers just above clusters Glossy evergreen foliage on a compact of short, wide evergreen foliage. form creates an attractive clipped hedge Rarely sets seed pods, resulting in a for mild climates, where this tropical longer bloom period. Splendid along shrub may bloom nearly year-round. pathways, or in groupings and mixed A perfect patio container specimen that containers. may be wintered indoors in colder Agapanthus Jasmine Summer Soul zones (expected in stock mid-month). continued p8 05.16 7 05.16 8 Spice Up Your Garden Garden Classes MAY continued from p6 Saturday classes are FREE and last about an hour. Complimentary coffee is served. During inclement weather, classes are held indoors in San Diego and on the covered, heated patio in Poway. Topics are subject to change. See the full schedule at www.walterandersen.com/calendar/.

SAN DIEGO | 9:00AM POWAY | 9:30AM

5/7 5/7 Moosa Creek Natives with Your Own Food Forest Angel Red Pomegranate Teresa Everett 5/14 Angel Red Pomegranate 5/14 No Class. Audubon Society Backyard Rose Show this Weekend! Simply the best pomegranate on the Birding with Mike Matherly market! Large, vivid red fruit ripens in 5/21 early fall. Less pulp and higher juice 5/21 Veggies & Edibles in Small content than others, with seeds soft Citrus & Avocado Spaces with Richard Wright enough to be eaten. Bright orange- 5/28 5/28 red flowers on upright, fountain-like Apples & Stone Fruit Care Backyard Composting branches. Fruit ripens late summer to & Culture with Joshua from autumn. Deciduous. Down the Road Farm Hibiscus Blue Violet This handsome tropical shrub displays large single blooms all summer long. Prefers a warm sunny location and exceptional drainage. Adds an exotic A Great Buy Only at WAN! look to the garden. Versatile plant makes an ideal hedge, screen or background specimen. Well suited to containers. •

4-Piece Redwood Furniture Set A Great Buy at $199.99! San Diego’s Independent Nursery Since 1928 TM Add some outdoor seating to your yard with this four-piece Redwood Seating Set. Two chairs, love seat, and table for only $199.99! walterandersen.com Visit Our 2 Locations facebook.com/walterandersens twitter.com/walterandersens SAN DIEGO POWAY online store 3642 Enterprise Street 12755 Danielson Court San Diego, California 92110 Poway, California 92064 videos {619} 224-8271 {858} 513-4900