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San Diego’s Independent Nursery Since 1928 TM FEBRUARY 2015

IN THIS ISSUE The Meaning Of Flowers Helps You Shop Smart On Valentine’s Day By Melanie Potter The Meaning Of Flowers 1 What’s New? 1 Peanuts For Baseball Season 1 To Do List: February 2 Pigeon Peas 3 Thanks Australia! 4 Jackson & Perkins Roses 4 Old Ben: The Brown Pelican 5 Old Ben’s Specials 5 Coupons 6 Free Garden Classes 6

Peanuts In Time For This article should give you ample Tulips Baseball Season time to pull a Valentine’s Day plan For your Valentine, if he or she isn’t a By Melanie Potter together. You still have time to order fan of roses. A perfectly scarlet tulip flowers from the florist and make represents “perfect love,” according Did you know that April is the dinner reservations. If you want to to a Turkish legend. Tulips can also start of the major league baseball think outside of the box and opt for help if you’re in the doghouse; smooth season? Are you surprised that I something more original, you can still things over with yellow tulips (cheerful knew that? I only mention it because say it with roses or flowers—and plant thoughts) and encourage forgiveness the nursery has peanut plants, a them together! Awwwww! with white tulips. continued p2 perfect companion to baseball after hotdogs, and beer! What a better way to wait for the season than What’s New? Proven Winners Has Some “Don’t to grow something you can enjoy during the season. Miss Plants” For You By Melanie Potter Virginia Peanuts are already growing in their containers at the nursery; I Do you remember in past container spotted one that had made its way articles, we’ve discussed using Thrillers, from below the soil so already they Spillers, and Fillers; the components are off like gangbusters. Peanuts that add excitement to a container are not nuts but are part of the garden? Well, here are a couple of legume family, like peas and beans. thrillers for you. Peanuts are also tropical natives From Proven Winners comes Mulla and like the warmth. Plant after the Mulla ‘Platinum Wallaby’ and Leucan- threat of frost has passed, and plant themum ‘Daisy May’. in the sunshine, in soil that is loose, Mulla Mulla ‘Platinum Wallaby’ is a well-drained, and rich in organic Mulla Mulla ‘Platinum Wallaby’ by Proven Winners perennial that blooms with pink flowers matter. A sandy-loamy soil is best. continued p3 continued p4 02.15 2

The Meaning Of Flowers continued from p1 Grab a few and say “I admire you,” “thank you,” “I love you,” and “you make me happy” all at once. Lilies Give lilies to let her know she’s a classy lady. Don’t offer white lilies by themselves because they might remind her of Easter, or death. Pink lilies can look especially romantic. Lilies affectionately depict “refined beauty.” Irises Irises convey that you can’t say enough Cymbidium Orchid good things about her. Purple irises are often mixed with other flowers in Valentine’s Day bouquets. It symbolizes the best compliments. Grow them with TO DO LIST: roses or wildflowers and you’ll have Iris ‘Clarence’ your own cutting garden. February Orchids Roses A safe choice for any Valentine, male Red is the classic color and the most or female. Potted orchid plants are popular choice for Valentine’s Day. It PRUNING more often given to men, while orchid could be because red roses symbolize love, romance, beauty, and perfection. Prune roses and deciduous fruits bouquets are more frequently given and ornamentals before new to women. Orchids in particular are If the florist is sold out of red roses, you growth starts. Trim back tropicals delicate and graceful, representing may have to opt for another color or like Hibiscus and Bougainvillea after love, luxury, beauty and strength. choose a red rose bush from the more than 25 varieties our stores stock. You danger of frost passes to clean up Sunflowers can’t go wrong with ‘Lasting Love’, any damage received during the winter. The yellow petals and open face of ‘Always and Forever”, or ‘In the Mood’. this big bright flower symbolizes the The Colors PEST CONTROL sun itself. An entire bouquet conveys Give last applications of dormant warmth, happiness, adoration, and Before making your decision willy nilly, sprays such as Liqui-Cop or Oil lasting love. These are a nice choice if make sure you know what the color of Spray before buds start to break on your sweetie is an outdoorsy, or back- a rose symbolizes. deciduous fruits and ornamentals. to-nature type. Pink PLANT Lucky Bamboo Plant Pink roses are the symbol of admir- Last of the bare-root Roses, Fruits, Another good choice for male or ation and gratitude. Those colors may and Ornamentals should be planted. female recipients. Give a symbol of be better suited for mothers and Citrus can also be planted now. “being lucky” on the special occasion grandmothers. of Valentine’s Day. Protect from frost if needed. Plant Lavender another crop of leaf lettuce. Gardenias A good choice on this lovely occa- LOOK FOR Loaded with fragrance, these elegant sion as lavender roses symbolize flowers signify purity and joy, and “enchantment”. Camellias and Azaleas. Cool season vegetables. Bulbs, potatoes, and connote deep, old-fashioned love. Yellow Buy a grafted variety such as Mystery, garlic. • Veitchii, First Love, or August Beauty. Symbolizes friendship, meaning your friend, of course. In a romantic context, Gerbera Daisies these can mean, “let’s just be friends”. Daisies typically look innocent and My advice before giving yellow roses fun, but a red one is a sweet and is to make sure your significant other unexpected choice to express love. knows that you are just friends. • 02.15 3 Pigeon Peas What’s New? By Melanie Potter continued from p1 One 80 degree winter day, I wandered around the nursery wishing I’d worn shorts and thinking about the tropical on silver foliage in an upright torch- spell we’d been given by Mother like habit. Taking full sun, it is easy to Nature when I spotted some pigeon care for. It is heat and drought tolerant peas. They made me think of south and requires no deadheading. You’ll Florida and the Bahamas because be rewarded with blooms until cooler, pigeon peas are easy to find there. frosty weather sets in, yet it’s hardy to They are called for in many Caribbean 20 degrees F. Provide average water recipes and pigeon peas and rice is on nearly every menu in Bahamian and you’ll have a great addition to grey, purple or black, depending on restaurants. Out here they are hard to containers or the landscape. the variety. For the first three months find either fresh or canned but it turns after germination, growth is slow, but out, lo and behold, you can grow then becomes fast. Plants can start to them in San Diego! bloom after two months, but may take Cultivated for 3,000 years, there are longer depending on the cultivar. Peas hundreds of cultivars, many suited can be eaten fresh or dried. to different growing conditions. India Need further enticement? I scoured my grows about 80 percent of the world’s cookbooks and found a recipe, from harvest and the peas are added to ‘Gourmet Bahamian Cooking’ using lentils to make dal, the commonly these fabulous peas. Bon appétit! found dish in India. The plants are • versatile and satisfy many purposes in poorer countries. Woody stems can be used as firewood and building materials and the plants themselves Peas & Rice can serve as a wind break or cover crop. As a food source, they are high 1/4 lb. salt pork, chopped fine in protein which makes them an (or fat cut from a baked ham, affordable and nutritious dish. They or bacon drippings) also provide food for animals and for 1 onion chopped Leucanthemum ‘Daisy May’ by Proven Winners human consumption; can be eaten 1 cup canned tomatoes or fresh, dried, or ground into flour. They Leucanthemum ‘Daisy May’. Though 2 tbsp. tomato paste are forgiving of poor soils, and drought it may look like a typical daisy at first, tolerant once established. Salt, pepper and thyme to taste look again at the large, snow white These plants are tropical and sub 1 cup pigeon peas (most likely flowers which blanket the plant and all tropical so plant after threat of frost. canned, or you can substitute the buds along each stem. Because of They will also grow tall, reaching up blackeye peas) better branching and many side buds, to 7 feet. Besides being delicious, this daisy blooms much longer than 3 cups water pigeon peas have more benefits. The typical daisies do, often all summer plants improve soil fertility by fixing 2 cups rice long if deadheaded. This pretty face atmospheric nitrogen and they have a Fry salt pork to get the fat. Add attracts butterflies. It’s also perennial, very deep tap root that is able to break onion, tomato, salt, pepper and 12-24 inches tall. Plant in sun and through hard soils and improve the soil thyme to the fat. Stir together provide average water. structure. Plants also bring nutrients and continue cooking. Add peas from the subsoil to the surface. Need a refresher on thrillers, spillers, and 3 cups water. Let come to a and fillers? Thrillers are the center- Believed to have originated in India, boil and stir in rice. Cover and piece of a container garden, usually the plant is short lived; about five cook until rice is tender and something tall. It’s the showstopper. years. Bushes flower with yellow or water absorbed. Add another Spillers will grow over their container yellow and red blooms. The plants are cup of water and cover, to swell to provide a cascading effect. They day length sensitive and will flower the rice. Add more water if provide some drama to that thriller sooner when the days are short. The needed. Yield: 6-8 servings. center of attention, and fillers are the fruits are pods, containing four to smaller plants that you use to tuck five seeds. The seeds can be cream, into bare spaces. • 02.15 4 Thanks Australia For So Much! Peanuts By Melanie Potter continued from p1

drought tolerant. It’s hardy to 20-25 degrees F. and is deer tolerant. My favorite character on the classic comedy show, “The Addams Family” was Cousin Itt, mainly because of his hair, so it would be hard not to be drawn to Acacia cognata ‘Cousin Itt’, its namesake. Also called Bower Wattle or Little River Wattle, it’s a mini cognata that grows quickly to 2-3’ tall. Mini cog is a dwarf version of Acacia cognata which can grow to 20’ tall so its small size has increased the popularity of this acacia. This is a newish plant that was intro- If you are cursed with clay soil, duced in 2010. Foliage is brilliant double-dig and add gypsum and aged compost. ‘Little River Wattle” Acacia cognata emerald green, long, narrow, and grass-like. It can be planted in mass When the plants are about 1 foot From Australia comes some pretty or along a border, even in containers. tall, hill the earth around the base of cool stuff like the accent, being It will require the same planting each plant. Long, pointed pegs (also able to throw shrimp on the barbie, regimen as the Hairy Wattle and also called peduncles) grow from faded Fosters beer, Crocodile Dundee, and is deer resistant. flowers and then push one to three being able to toss out a “g’day mate” Editor’s Note: Cousin Itt is available in inches down into the soil beside the and always nailing it. Australian native plant. A peanut will form on the end plants are also a hit and we’ve got 7 gallon containers; 5 gallon containers are expected in March. • of each peg. Spread a light mulch two that are hard working, enduring, to prevent the soil surface from and endearing. crusting so that the pegs will have The Hairy Wattle, or Acacia vestita no difficulty penetrating the soil. can grow to 9’ tall and 15’ wide which One inch of water a week is plenty makes it a good hedge or windbreak. for peanuts. Being legumes, peanuts Its habit is graceful and weeping with supply their own nitrogen, so, avoid foliage that is downy soft, triangular nitrogen-rich fertilizers which shaped and a grayish green color. encourage foliage rather than fruits. Yellow, puff ball-like flowers bloom Well-prepared soil will provide all in spring. the nutrients the plants need. After the Hairy Wattle flowers, prune Harvest when leaves turn yellow to maintain the plant’s good health. and the peanuts’ inner shell has gold-marked veins. You can check Plant in full sun, well-draining soil and periodically by pulling out a few provide regular water until it becomes nuts from the soil and shelling established, after which it will be ‘Hairy Wattle” Acacia vestita them. If you wait too long, the pegs will become brittle and the pods will break off in the ground Limited Supply of Jackson & Perkins thus making harvesting more difficult. Pull or dig the plants and Favorite Roses Available Now roots when the soil is moist. Shake When one of our top rose suppliers underwent bankruptcy, many favorite roses off the excess soil, and let plants became scarce. In fact it’s been years since we’ve seen Diana, Princess of Wales, dry in an airy place until the leaves Disneyland, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Black Cherry, and Enchanted Evening. Now, become crumbly; then remove the we’re tickled to see them coming back to the market, but it is in very limited pods. Unshelled peanuts, stored in supply. Both of our stores will have 10 of each variety. They are priced at $39.99 airtight containers, can keep for and limited to one per person. • up to a year. • 02.15 5 The Brown Pelican Old Ben's Specials By Old Ben

Valid February 1-28, 2015

Attracts Goldfinches 25lb. Nyjer Seed $29.97 Reg. $46.99

The Brown Pelican A Great Seed Mix at a Great Price is an elegant bird 20lb. Old Ben’s Classic with an oversized Wild Bird Seed bill, sinuous neck, and big, dark body. $15.97 Reg. $31.99 They glide above the surf along southern and western Pacific coast. They occasionally feed The Easiest Way to Feed Wild Birds coasts. They feed by plunge-diving by sitting on the surface and seizing Platform Feeder from high above the water, using prey with their bills. They also steal $29.97 Reg. $42.99 the force of impact to stun small fish food from other seabirds, scavenge dead animals, and eat invertebrates before scooping them up in their bill. Won’t Wear Out Like Finch Socks like shrimp. They are fairly common today, which Nyjer Mesh Feeder is a great example of species recovery Nesting from pesticide pollution. $29.97 Reg. $42.99 Ground nests range from depressions Habitat lined with grass, to bulky structures Wild Birds Love These Tasty Treats Brown Pelicans live year round in of sticks, grass, and seaweed, while Soft Peanut Nuggets tree nests are usually well built estuaries and coastal marine habitats 3 for $9.99 Reg. $5.99 ea. along both east and west coasts. platforms of sticks lined with grass or leaves. The female builds the nest in They breed between Maryland and Extra Nutrition Venezuela and between southern seven to 10 days as the male gathers California and southern Ecuador. When progressively smaller sticks for her. Beet Red not feeding or nesting, they rest on She pushes the sticks together with Hummingbird Food sandbars, pilings, jetties, breakwaters her bill and then forms a nest cup by 3 for $9.99 Reg. $6.99 ea. and offshore rocks. pressing with her feet and body. The male brings new materials for the Now Is the Time to Put Out Food female to add throughout incubation, Nesting Material and he may rearrange the nest. Nests Brown Pelicans primarily eat small fish Alpaca Nesting Ball that form schools near the surface of measure up to 30 inches wide and the water. These fish include mullet, nine inches high. $9.97 Reg. $19.99 anchovies, and herring. A foraging Brown Pelican Facts Kapok Hummingbird pelican spots a fish from the air and Nesting Refill dives head first from as high 65 feet over While the Brown Pelican is draining the ocean. As it plunges into the water, water from its bill after a dive, gulls $2.97 Reg. $5.99 its throat pouch expands to trap the often try to steal the fish from out of fish, filling up with 2.5 gallons of water. its pouch. Pelicans incubate their eggs Bring Color into Your Garden Pelicans usually feed above estuaries with the skin of their feet, basically 50s Fashion Feeder and shallow ocean waters, within 12 standing on the eggs to keep them $19.97 Reg. $34.99 miles of shore. Pelicans sometimes warm. The oldest Brown Pelican on record was 43 years old. venture over the deeper waters past • All specials limited to stock on hand. the narrow continental shelf of the No special orders. Cannot be combined with any other discount or offer. 02.15 6 Garden Classes FEBRUARY In-Store Coupons

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 Valid Jan. 31 – Mar. 1, 2015 the covered, heated patio in Poway. Topics are subject to change. See the full schedule at www.walterandersen.com/calendar/. First Prize Plants

SAN DIEGO | 9:00AM POWAY | 9:30AM $2.49 2/7 2/7 Each with Coupon Cymbidium Orchid Succulent Pots with Carol Fuller Limit 16 Care & Culture 2/14 #125519 Limited to stock on hand. Cannot be 2/14 Staghorn Ferns: Remounting & combined with any other discount Hedge Fund$ certificates do apply. Citrus & Avocados Care with David Ross for Home Gardens 2/21 Fertilizers & Amendments: 2/21 Veggie Gardens w/Richard Wright Valid Jan. 31 – Mar. 1, 2015 Spring Color Is Coming 2/28 2/28 Culinary Herbs with Roy Wilburn Spring Bulbs! from Sunshine Care 15%OFF Fox Farm Fertilizer with purchase of In-Store Coupons any 1.5 or 2 cu.ft. Print or show coupons on your phone at check out! of Fox Farm Soil Limit 1 Discount #125518 Valid Jan. 31 – Mar. 1, 2015 Valid Jan. 31 – Mar. 1, 2015 per Bag of Soil Buy a 12, 25 or Limited to stock on hand. Cannot be Bleedingcombined Heart with / anyMonrovia other discount 15%OFF 50# Bag of Hedge Fund$ certificates do apply. Dr. Earth Dr. Earth Fertilizer Vegetable & Get Garden Soil 30%OFF with purchase of any A Second Bag of Dr. Earth Fertilizer Equal or Lesser Size No Limit #125498 Limit 2 @30% OFF #125496 Bleeding Heart / Monrovia Bleeding Heart / Monrovia Limited to stock on hand. Cannot be Limited to stock on hand. Cannot be

combined with any other discount combined with any other discount TM Hedge Fund$ certificates do apply. Hedge Fund$ certificates do apply. San Diego’s Independent Nursery Since 1928

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