Crescent Hill Nursery May E-Newsletter 2013 The CHN e-newsletter is our show of gratitude to the loyal market customers at our many events around the

 
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Crescent Hill Nursery May E-Newsletter 2013

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Iris family member Libertia ixiodes 'Taupo Blaze' contrasts blue-tinged orange foliage with white cup shaped blooms.

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)

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Mini red hot poker-like flowers of the unusual Primula vialii.

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Iris laevigata 'Variegata' shows off its amazingly brightening variegation and abundant purple blooms!!

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MONTHLY BULLETIN

The perfect California spring weather we have all been experiencing is shaping up to make 2013 the best gardening year in recent history. Here at the nursery, many varieties are blooming months ahead of schedule and lavishly enjoying the ideal conditions that we have all been privy to. Many gardens around the Central Coast already seem as if they are in peak summer expression, and new plantings are explosively making their presence known. An extended flowing season, with prolonged enjoyment for both pollinators and humans alike, is surely on the forefront. Please help us celebrate this "endless spring" at a wide spanning array of events this May all up and down the Central Coat. On Saturday May 4, Crescent Hill will host our monthly planting party at De Anza College in Cupertino, Ca. with a veritable crescendo of spring color. We will also be displaying on May 4-5 at the Carmel Valley Garden Show with a huge selection of drought resistant plants, featuring those in the Protea plant family. On Saturday May 11, Crescent Hill will be helping to celebrate Mother's Day Weekend with an appearance in Pacifca at the annual Alma Heights Flea Market. For our East Bay gardeners, the busy month finishes out at the always fun Niles Wildflower, Art, and Garden Show on Saturday May 19. 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!!

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PLANT OF THE MONTH

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Traingular shaped gentian blue bloom clusters of Tradescantia 'Blue and Gold'

Tradescantia 'Blue and Gold'

If you are in need of a refreshing splash of vivid spring color, the Crescent Hill Nursery May Plant of The Month may be just what the doctor ordered. When local gardeners visit our nursery grounds, there is always one plant which never fails to attract notice this time of year. The comment I hear most often about Tradescantia 'Blue and Gold' is that it appears to be "glowing", and that radiance is obvious when viewed in mass. Tradescantia is a member of the Commelinaceae family and the genus is commonly known as Spiderwort (due to the spider web like appearance of the hardened sap of broken stems). The genus was named after John Tradescant (1570-1638) and his son John (1608-1662), who were botanists and gardeners for King Charles I of England. To the author, Blue and Gold is the "Cadillac" of the genus due to the rich gentian blue flowers and chartreuse golden foliage, which the name so aptly implies. This easy-to-grow clumper (18-24" tall X wide) will grow in full sun, but specializes in the part shade/dappled light aspect where its color remains dynamically chartreuse. Blue and Gold's grass-like foliage serves as a brightener for those sometimes darker nooks of the garden, and its long bloom cycle is an added bonus. The triangular shaped, almost-purple, clusters open daily until the stalk is spent, upon which it should be trimmed to extend the flower cycle. One good hard cutback of the entire plant after flower will extend the girth of the clump and generally insures a re-bloom in fall for double the pleasure. The beautiful contrast of blue and yellow injects vibrant accent color into any garden, and has the added bonus of attracting butterflies to the landscape. It has also shown to be a sterile variety, which means no re-seeding like others in the genus. As an aspect of design, this Spiderwort is generally used along borders, where it is especially dramatic in multiples or clusters of plants. Blue and Gold also shines when used in woodland gardens, rock gardens, or near water features, but can be planted practically anywhere where there is rich soil and adequate water. It even makes a conversation-piece addition to any patio planting or mixed arrangement!! The May Plant of the Month combines well with dark foliage shade plants like Loropetalum 'Purple Majesty', Ligularia 'Desdemona', or any of the Coral Bell's (Heuchera's) containing the darker burgundy tones. It is also wisely paired with late season bloomers like Toad Lily (Tricyrtis) or Clerodendrum bungei to take over when Blue and Gold starts to loose steam. Hardiness of USDA Zones 3-9 means that this tidy clumper can tolerate temperatures of -40 to -30 degrees F, permitting its inclusion in almost any California garden. So if you need any patch of your garden to be set "aglow", we are ready with full, flowering one gallon containers of Crescent Hill Nursery's May's Plant of The Month!!!

Special E-Newsletter Price: $6 per 1-gallon container. Compare at other retail nurseries for $10 and above, if you can find them!!. Mention this review to receive discount.

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Stunning in mass!!

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Grass-like chartreuse foliage provides luminous accent color.

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PARTNERS

In this quarterly section, we introduce our industry partners that may be of interest to the Crescent Hill gardening family. Focusing on local innovative entrepreneurs, the PARTNERS section seeks to highlight whats new and exciting in the Central Coast gardening world. Don't forget to let them know where you heard about them!!

Super Starts

Super Starts grows vegetable, flower, and herb seedlings for the home garden. We offer a wide range of varieties from the tried and true, as well as more unusual varieties. We are passionate about gardening and offer tips and advice to help gardeners to be successful in their planting endeavors. All of the plants are grown using organic practices in containers made of 100% recycled material.

In 2011, we realized how to help the world grow vegetables by starting them for everyone for easy planting. We wanted to share our love of gardening and to be able to offer a fantastic selection of high quality seedlings to the gardening community. The Summer of 2011 was spent transforming my large back yard in the Live Oak district of Santa Cruz into a thriving nursery using all reclaimed wood to build growing tables and also put up a greenhouse. It is now full of healthy seedlings!

You can find Super Starts at the De Anza Flea Market each month in Space D 39-40 as well as garden fairs and markets around the bay area and Santa Cruz. Check out the website at www.super-starts.com for the latest availability list and up coming sale locations, or to make an appointment to visit the nursery. We are happy to offer home delivery in the Santa Cruz area and also take special orders upon request.

Thank You,
Lindsay Del Carlo and Toni Olivieri
owners/growers

Editor's Note: As a fellow student in the Cabrillo College Horticulture Department, I got to know Lindsay's love of the world of plants years ago. Her years of experience since have generated a thriving local business that puts out a darn good product!! I've used her starts for years, and always count on Super Starts for an amazing selection and a reliable and organic source. One talk with the staff at any local market and you will know you are dealing with the veggie garden experts of the local area.

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Alpine strawberry 'Red Wonder' ready to be stuck.

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Spinach, kale, and red pak choi in the nursery.

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CONTACT

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