DECEMBER 2001 Serving You Since 1955 981 Alden Lane, Livermore, CA • www.aldenlane.com • (925) 447-0280 Announcements Alden Lane is selling bundles of The Spirit of the Holiday Season! oak trimmings for firewood. Each By David Brown bundle is $5.99. In all my years in the retail business I have never experienced such a unique Watch the Valley Gardener for great holiday spirit as I have at Alden Lane gardening tips with Jacquie Williams Nursery. Not only do you receive many Courtright. Tune in 4 days a week on creative ideas in our beautiful gift shop Cable Channel 30. Monday at noon & but even before you enter the store. You 3:30 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 7 a.m. will be taken in by the lustrous selection & 11 a.m & 2:30 p.m. of Colorado Blue Spruce, Dwarf Alberta Spruce, variegated Lemon, Holly, Cyclamen, Rosemary topiaries trimmed Livermore-Amador Valley Garden with ornamental kale and cabbage. Be- Club meets January 8th at 7 p.m. The tween these scents and the lush look of location is the Alisal Elementary all these plants you can’t help but find School, 1454 Santa Rita Road, yourself right in the heart of Christmas! Pleasanton. This month’s program will It’s now time to do some serious be “Growing Wine in your Garden Christmas shopping in the Gift Shop. with Gloria Taylor of Retz Laff Winery. There are two dozen or more decorated theme trees trimmed with your This is the month to plant perennial favorite Christmas ornaments. We also vegetables and fruits. Think about it – have a fabulous line of Christmas blackberry cobbler, strawberry pies, fragranced potpourri – choose from: and fresh fruit for your cereal – yum Evergreen spice, Cinnamon Cider, yum! Set out strawberries, rhubarb, Natural Woods, and Holiday “Cheers”. raspberry, blackberry and many other Now, don’t forget candles . I’m sure cane fruits this month. If you like asparagus and artichokes, the starts we have a shape and fragrance to complement your holiday décor. And then there are available for those too. Come by are Snowtown Collectables to enhance any buffet or tabletop along with a wide and let us help you choose your selection of silk floral and wreaths. Are you tired of your Christmas tree stand? favorites. Enhance the look of your tree by setting it on a gazing ball stand or a beautiful pot to give it more height. And of course, no gift shop is complete without Burt’s Bee and its world famous lip balm and other body products. You can also choose from And don’t forget to add some zing to our Bath and Body Collection: Honey & Oatmeal, Lavender, and a special Pari- your cooking. Garlic starts are here. sian Collection – Pre de Provence. Plant November through early Come and enjoy the fragrance of spruce, the bright colors of poinsettias, cyclamen January for the best results. and azaleas and of course, a relaxing atmosphere. May the spirit of Christmas be with all of you this season! Friends of Alden Lane are organizing themselves at Alden ALDEN LANE’S HOLIDAY HOURS Lane Nursery on December 8th at 1:00 p.m. to show appreciation for WINTER CHRISTMAS EVE: 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. the nursery’s past service to the HOURS Closed December 25, 2001 community and to participate in the Alden Lane Open December 26th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for our new look for the future. We might will be open: Annual Christmas 1/2 OFF SALE! put in a walk of personalized bricks 8:30 a.m. – Closed December 27th through and/or help create a Children’s 5:00 p.m. January 1st. Happy New Year! Educational Facility. Come with nd your ideas. 7 days a week. Open January 2 with regular winter hours Horticultural Treasures: Living Gifts By Steve Campbell Seasonal change is one of the many exciting draws for me in the nursery industry. There is always something new happening, such as the first brilliant leaves of Japanese Maples in spring or the festive colors of Crape Myrtle in the summer. Or how about the delicious fragrance of the first roses to bloom in the spring? Even in December the nursery offers many horticultural treasures that are perfect gifts that can be enjoyed and remembered by friends and family for years to come. One of the classics is Winter Daphne. It blooms late December through February. A small shrub that does best in morning sun and afternoon shade, it produces clusters of waxy, cream colored fragrant flowers. I have seen it most successfully grown in terracotta or wood containers which can be set by your entrance way or patio so you can enjoy the sweet fragrance. Many varieties of citrus show off their ripening fruit during the early months of winter. Lemons, oranges, kumquats, tangerine and Satsuma mandarins to name a few. When most plants are dormant citrus is in its true glory. Camellias in all shapes and sizes are just beginning the long bloom season. Glossy green foliage abound with rounded buds are the perfect backdrop to large showy open flowers. Rose, roses, roses…weather permitting we receive several thousand roses the week before Christmas. Even though they are dormant, we plant them up into biodegradable pulp pots for easy planting. We will do a complimentary foil wrap and bow to make a colorful gift presentation. Dormancy can be dramatic especially when it comes to Coral Bark Maples and Red Twig Dogwoods. Both are small trees that display their beautiful red branches during the coldest days of winter. They are a great gift for the gardening connoisseur! Alden Lane Nursery is one of the Bay Area’s best kept secrets. Come and enjoy our peaceful setting under the oak trees. Our staff will be very glad to help you find a horticultural treasure, a living gift. Not To Be Forgotten or Missed This Holiday Season!!! The Gift Shop’s Flower Fairy Collection These darling resin figurines were inspired by Cicely Mary Barker, the author of the Flower Fairy book series. Nursery owner, Jacquie, and her husband, Tom, saw them in England this summer and wanted to make them available here. The figurines have a bronze patina finish and come complete with a decorative gift box that describes the Our Unique Selection of Poinsettias character. These 8"-12" figures are great for year around indoor decorating or gift giving. We still have available the classic “Winter Rose” and the “Plum Purple”. (Yes, a purple poinsettia). You have to have Our Beautiful Collection of one! Poinsettia Care Tips Dried Everlasting Wreaths Keep the plants in bright indoor light You can’t pass up these hand worked wreaths with Avoid sudden temperature changes. Do not use outside. a selection of berry piks, dried evergreens, leaves and Keep plants slightly moist and do not place near a heat- assorted fruits. They come in an array of different sizes ing vent or open fire. and can be displayed on any door, or wall – even that one If you set poinsettias outside to decorate your entryway, area you don’t know how to decorate! Come and see this you must bring them inside each evening. Chilling tempera- special collection while supplies last! tures will kill poinsettias. Care For Your Living Christmas Tree A living Christmas tree is a gift to your personal environment that everyone can enjoy! By choosing a living tree over a “cut” one, you can add beauty as well as make vital contribution to ecology. To keep your tree green and beautiful through the holiday season, it is important that it receive adequate air, light, moisture and a comfortable temperature. The requirements of all living Christ- mas tree indoors are much the same as those of an ordinary houseplant. The following are answers to commonly asked questions: ? Where should I place the tree indoors? Situate your tree in a well lighted room, as opposed to a dark location where drapes are drawn or natural light is inadequate. ? What about watering? Keep the roots of the tree moist. If the tree is growing in a nursery container, this simplifies the watering. If the rootball is contained in burlap, set it in a suitable container to catch the drainage and then saturate the rootball with water. A heavy plastic covering under the container will pro- tect your floor or carpeting. Never allow the tree to remain standing in water, but be careful that the plant doesn’t dry out between waterings. ? Can I decorate the tree with ornaments and lights? Absolutely! Lightweight ornaments and minia- ture lights are recommended. Display decorated trees on the porch or patio as well as indoors, to add a festive Holiday Spirit to outdoor areas. ? How long can the tree be kept indoors? We recommend keeping the tree indoors about 1 week if your home is kept warm. It may stay inside a little longer if the room is quite cool. Avoid placing the tree next to a fireplace or heating outlet since the excess heat can damage a live Christmas tree as well as a cut one. ? Does the tree need any special care after Christmas? After your living Christmas tree has served its purpose indoors, remove all decorations, take the tree outdoors and hose off its foliage with a fine mist spray. This will be helpful in the tree’s transition from indoor to outdoor living, whether it is planted in a landscape or grown in a container as a decorative accessory. Fresh Greens Fill the House With the Fragrance of the Season Deck the halls with boughs of holly, pine, fir, cedar and other sweetly scented evergreens.