Crescent Hill Nursery April E-Newsletter 2013 The CHN e-newsletter is our show of gratitude to the loyal market customers at our many events around t
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The tubular blooms of Billbergia nutans (Queen's Tears) are a welcome addition to any shade garden, and are drought resistant as well. |
The CHN e-newsletter is our show of gratitude to the loyal market customers at our many events around the Central Coast. It will serve as a site for seasonal updates, "plant of the month" specials, the "ask a nurseryman" section, links to our partners, and a whole lot more. New for 2013 will be a "project" page which offers ideas for weekend garden activities, and more in-depth coverage of some of our recent landscape installations. The e-newsletter is a way to stay connected with our thriving and knowledgeable garden community. Please send us your comments on how to make this e-newsletter more useful to all, and don't forget to pass along the link to a friend!
Happy Planting,
Nathan Krupa (owner/grower) |
Euphorbia 'Shorty' provides bright chartreuse winter color on a rugged gopher, deer, and frost resistant plant. |
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Australian native Boronia 'Lipstick' shows off its masses of scented spring blooms!! |
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Spring has finally sprung on the Central Coast, and judging by the turnout at recent markets, gardeners are beyond eager to get their hands back in the rich California soil. The lack of a true winter, in conjunction with the recent spike in temperatures, has gardeners chomping at the bit to once again enjoy the bounty of spring in our beautiful state. The unexpected rainstorm this week has loosened up the soil, and conditions are exceedingly ripe for the yearly planting journey to begin. Please take advantage of the perfect weather and join us for a few engagements this month to get the season started right!! On Saturday April 6, we will start the spring planting party the De Anza College Market in Cupertino, Ca. On Saturday April 13, Crescent Hill will be displaying at the Smart Gardening Fair in Carmel, Ca. Both events promise the "pick of the spring litter" and will showcase new selections for the coming year. Maps and directions to all events are available on the CALENDAR page of the website linked below. www.crescenthillnursery.com
New for 2013
Crescent Hill is pleased to announce that we will be accepting credit/debit cards at all of our local garden markets. Thanks in advance for your patience as we navigate the waters of the new process.
Please don't forget to check out our constantly changing color collage on Facebook. The frequent updates feature a who's who of the present bloomers at the nursery, plus special updates and promotions. Find us at www.facebook.com/pages/Crescent-Hill-Nursery/207330655953337)
or click on the link below on this page.
In response to the numerous requests by our gardening family and partners, we are pleased to announce that an E-NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE link is now available on our website www.crescenthillnursery.com. Please take a moment to check it out, and also tour the newly updated PLANTS section and increasing content of color photos for all our selections!!
Nursery tours are encouraged. Please come out and see our 2 acre facility in Watsonville. With over 250 varieties grown, the growing grounds are turning into a little botanical park. Please call for an appointment. Groups are welcome.
Please remember Crescent Hill recycles all 1,2, and 5 gallon plastic containers. Drop off available at all markets, or here at the nursery. Thanks again!! |
The deep burgundy/purple veins and stems of Athyrium 'Red Beauty' truly set it apart from other ferns. |
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Japanese Painted Fern
Athyrium nipponicum 'Red Beauty'
If you are in need of an injection of elegant shade color, the Crescent Hill Nursery April Plant of the Month most certainly fits the bill. The Japanese Painted Fern for me was a case of "love at first sight", and that appreciation has grown as we have garden tested this variety over the past few years. As if its metallic silvery fronds were not exotic enough, this Athyrium also boasts burgundy red to purple veins and stems which make the painting complete. The etherial tricolor combination of creamy green, silver, and burgundy seems to have emerged directly off the canvas of an accomplished artist, not from the soil where it pops up every spring. Its broadly arching fronds surface so softly that one feels inclined to snuggle up for a closer look. Growing to 18-24 inches tall X wide, this fern gives a warm, gentle, and inviting feeling to any shady location. The delicate appearance is contrasted sharply with its winter hardiness, where this Japanese native can withstand temperatures of -30 to -40 degrees F (USDA Zones 4-9). The silver leaves also serve as a brightener to the sometimes dark and shady garden nooks. Red Beauty will act as a naturalizing ground cover in moist areas high in organic matter, or as a tidy clump where these conditions do not exist. As a component of landscape design, Athyrium is generally used in the front border where its compact form can spray gracefully over pathways, low walls, or edges. It can also be used as an accessory to mixed or indoor arrangements, where its sharp accent color can give depth to any combination. This frosted burgundy delight also excels in vertical gardens, or any aspect where light wind can frolic in the fronds. Deer resistance is another one of its many attributes. In the landscape, the Japanese Painted Fern combines well with bold large-leaved shade lovers like Hydrangea, Gunnera, or Ligularia. Additionally it can be used in the understory of larger ferns like the California native Woodwardia for a seasonal color punch. Red Beauty is an absolute knock-out when used with dark burgundy foliage plants like Heuchera 'Blackout' or Persicaria 'Red Dragon'. Crescent Hill is proud to offer this exceptional garden-tested selection in bulging one gallon containers, ready for any Central Coast shade garden!!
Special E-Newsletter Price: $8 per 1-gallon container. Compare at retail nurseries for $12 and above. Mention this review to receive discount. |
Amazing foliage mosaic explains the "painted" in Japanese Painted Fern. |
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New fronds unfurl in late winter to early spring. |
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With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the yard and landscape can sometimes seem like an insurmountable task. This quarterly section attempts to provide ideas for weekend "projects" that will make the task less daunting, and hopefully fun as well!!
Planting Journal
While doing a recent landscape installation, Crescent Hill ran into a pair of long-time plant enthusiasts whose experience yielded many great ideas for local gardeners. One that was of particular interest was that of the planting journal. I was so struck by the usefulness of this tool that I began constructing one immediately, and highly recommend the same for any gardener, experienced or amateur. Have you ever wondered where in the landscape you placed that deciduous bulb from the previous year? Or what the heck the name of that red flowering shrub is in the back border? The planting journal solves these problems, while also yielding a myriad of long-term benefits in understanding the garden journey that we all so cherish. This organizational tool is simple one, and only requires a notebook and pencil to begin. When planting a new bed, make a basic hand sketch of the bed, indicating where the material is planted. Make a key on the following page, which includes plant name, cultural characteristics, and date purchased. Stickers or tags directly from the nursery serve this purpose very effectively, and have the added benefit of the contact information of the grower. (Crescent Hill is happy to offer such stickers at our customers request). Tape the sticker/tag next to your chosen symbol for each plant; SHL for Salvia Hot Lips or EB for Euphorbia Blackbird. Plug these symbols back into the hand sketch and the journal is complete. The gardener/irrigation guru who showed me this tool was also sure to include the location of sprinklers and denote the irrigation schedule, whether for sprinklers or drip. One could expand on the idea by denoting soil type, sun aspect, pests encountered, fertilization regimen or any other of the innumerable complexities of the gardening world. The journal can be as detailed as one desires, but in any form provides a garden timeline whose value increases with age. Plants that did not make it can be X'ed out, new plants can be added, and changes to irrigation patterns and soil fertility can be noted (one reason that pencil is preferred at least for the sketch). After five years, one has a pretty good idea of what grows in their yard. But after fifteen years, one has an Atlas with which to navigate the landscape, and knows exactly which types plants will thrive in their microclimate. Now if the garden was already planted years ago, as in my case, the journal has to be constructed from memory. While memory, certainly as in my case, does not permit surgical precision with accuracy, it does provide a basic comprehension of what was planted and when. In either case, the planting journal is a sure fire organizational tool, which can help gardeners better understand their investment of time, energy, and money, and how to limit their loses of these valuable resources. For tech savvy gardeners, there are a whole slew of new app's which can either compliment or replace the planting journal, all from the comfort of your handheld device. Garden Pro (iOS) is one such program, which starts with a long list of plants listed by both botanical and common names. Information such as preferred water/light/soil conditions and bloom time accompanies each specimen. Gardeners customize the app to include all of the plants in their garden, and issue reminders on when to water, fertilize, or prune. A "journal" section permits inclusion of notes regarding each species and photos documenting their growth over time. Other apps that may warrant a look are Landscaper's Companion (iOS and Android) and Garden Tracker (iPhone). While convenience is definitely a plus, the databases of these apps may fail to include all the abundant rare and unusual selections available to California gardeners. Whether one prefers working with tech or paper, the garden journal provides clear and concise organization of the garden space. With organization comes understanding, and thus grants us another tool to dispelling the myth of the "green thumb". |
A quick hand sketch and key are the building blocks of the garden journal. |
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Complexity increases when inputs such as irrigation heads and soil type are added to the journal. |
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