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

 
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Crescent Hill Nursery June E-Newsletter 2013

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Gaillardia 'Galya Corneto Flame', a new low growing Blanket Flower with uniquely fluted petals.

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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The rarely seen bloom of Puya alpestris, a Chilean native Bromeliad for drought resistant gardens. Aqua Blue flowers!!! Thanks Suncrest Nurseries, Watsonville.

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With silver foliage and countless blue flowers, Salvia chamaedryoides makes an impact in full sun or dry shade gardens.

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MONTHLY BULLETIN

As the beautiful California days get longer and longer in anticipation of the summer solstice, gardeners have more and more time to enjoy their flourishing landscapes. Let us not forget to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our spring labor, and generate ideas for the summer and autumn gardens to come. Crescent Hill seeks to kick off the summer right with a wide spanning array of garden markets this June all up and down the Central Coast. On Saturday June 1, we will be displaying at our monthly planting gala at De Anza College in Cupertino, Ca. with a full palette of rare and unusual summer color. For our Monterey Bay clients, we will be popping up at RCR Fabrication in Santa Cruz for the weekend of June 8-9. This two day event is always much more low keyed than our normal shows, and provides ample time for consultation on those difficult spots in the garden. On Saturday June 22, Crescent Hill will be helping to celebrate the Summer Solstice at The Garden Faire in Scott's Valley, Ca. This colorful event features great speakers, music, and food all nestled in the idyllic mountain valley. Don't forget the sunscreen!! 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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Dahlia 'Mystic Enchantment' and its cardinal red single bloom!!

Dahlia 'Mystic Series'

If you are looking for a distinctive sun loving plant to pair with the hot and spicy weather to come, the Crescent Hill Nursery June Plant of The Month may be the perfect solution. Famed New Zealand plant breeder Dr. Keith Hammett has come up with a contemporary and stylish new grouping of Dahlias which have been named the Mystic Series. These compact (12-24" tall X wide) Dahlias are set apart from others by their deep mahogany, almost ebony, foliage topped with single bright blooms. The sharp contrast is immediately evident upon viewing small plants, but the riot of color that is forthcoming truly inspires awe. Crescent Hill has always been fascinated with the black leafed dahlias, and we have tried numerous series through the years. Whether it be faulty genetics, a lack of hardiness, or simply an uninspiring end product, there has always been a reason we have not been able to find a series to our liking. After one year of garden testing, we now feel that Mr. Hammett has solved our problem. On top of the incredible contrast, the Mystic series also boasts a compact well-branched structure, which requires no staking like others in the genus. Even with the dark foliage, they take (and require) FULL hot sun, and have been tested by customers from Fresno to Napa with exemplary results. We have also had a lot more success in getting this deciduous tuber to return the following year (down to USDA Zone 8 or 15-20 degrees F) than other previous series. But perhaps the most distinguishing quality of the Mystic Series is the eye-popping color. Mystic Enchantment has a scalding fire engine red bloom which can catch the eye from twenty feet away. Mystic Dreamer has bold pink and white blooms with magenta striping down the petals. Mystic Illusion holds bright yellow sunflower-like blooms with orange centers on top of a slightly larger frame, which can reach 3 feet tall. All three make excellent choices for the front border, where their long bloom cycle can be appreciated summer through late fall. Like all Dahlias, deadheading the spent flowers will extend the bloom cycle drastically. This extended season, when combined with their knock-out color, makes the Mystics a perfect pick for the patio planter or mixed arrangement. There they will surely shine as a conversation piece throughout the entire summer BBQ season. So if you are ready to make this summer the spiciest on record, the Crescent Hill June Plant of The Month is ready and waiting to wet the palate!!

Special E-Newsletter Price: $7 per 1-gallon container. Compare at other retail nurseries for $10 and above!! Mention this review to receive discount.

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'Mystic Illusion' exhibiting its sturdy frame and almost neon yellow flower.

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A melange of the Mystics creates quite a statement when used in mass.

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ASK A NURSERYMAN

In this quarterly section, we will answer the question of the month. The customer chosen to "ask the nurseryman" will receive a free one gallon sized pot of their choice!!

This month's "ask a nurseryman" question comes from Suzie Gabri of Carmel. "Nathan, I purchased a 5 gallon Grevillea Long John from you at a recent market, and it appears to have died. Your informational tags and my research indicated that this is a very drought resistant plant. I have kept the plant in a container in full sun, and watered every 10 days when the soil appears to be dry. All the leaves have browned out, and I am wondering what I could have done wrong?"

Suzi, thank you for the question concerning this very important principal of plant adaptation and long term success. It is a question I hear often, and I appreciate the opportunity to "un-muddy" the waters concerning irrigation of potted plants. Drought resistant plants, including those in the Protea family like your Grevillea, are certainly great choices for patio plants or mixed arrangements due to their decreased need for water. However, we must realize that plastic or ceramic pots lack the insulating capacity of the soil substrate contained within our gardens. In the ground, roots have ample room to search out water from deep within the substrate. The Proteoid roots of plants like Grevillea actually look like puffed cotton balls when examined closely, thus being perfectly adept at wicking up even minuscule amounts of water. Especially after establishment, these roots can find sufficient water even in the hottest periods of the year. In the pot however, this insulation does not exist. Wind dries the pot from all exposed angles and the sun's constant wrath also quickly takes a toll. Plastic or ceramic pots provide little protection against the elements, and the root zone quickly dries out. This is particularly true if the pot is grown in full sun. It is amplified if the container is grown on cement, stone, or wood surfaces where the reflective heat causes evaporative water losses day and night. In short, potted plants create a microclimate of themselves, and must be closely monitored to provide ideal conditions for growth. Much like a children's nursery gives kids a sheltered start against the rigors of the real world, we here at the plant nursery try to do the same for our garden youngsters. Ample food and water are provided in the initial growing phases to ready the kids for the long journey ahead. With ANY plant, potted or not, gardeners should try to mock the pampered conditions of the nursery and water every 2-3 days until the plant has adapted, and is ready to take over on its own. This pampering continues in perpetuity when we are talking about potted plants. Here at Crescent Hill, we water our full sun potted specimens once every 2 days, sometimes even more, during the hottest months. This holds true for even our most drought resistant varieties, and even applies to no summer water plants like the California native Flannel Bush (Fremontodendron sp.). Containerized plants simply do not have the capacity to support themselves without the gardeners constant care and protection against the elements. Of course, drought resistant plants like Grevillea will relax the need for constant irrigation, but ceramic pots, exposed locations, and reflective surfaces will not let us relax for too long. While watering once every 10 days may fit the bill for an established Grevillea in the ground, it is a quick recipe for the death of a potted specimen. Gardeners have several options to help offset the need for daily irrigation of the full sun potted plant. Water absorbing polymer crystals such as Soil Magic(tm) are available at most nurseries, and can be added to the potting mix to slowly release water as the soil dries. Adjustable drip irrigation rings can also be added to insure that the ENTIRE root zone is receiving adequate moisture. Furthermore, gardeners can place the pot in locations which allow for shelter against strong winds or hot afternoon sun which desiccate the root zone. So Suzi, I hope that this has helped solve the question of the perished Grevillea. Just remember, drought resistant plants only resist drought when they are in the ground, otherwise we have to pamper them along the way. Thanks again for the great question!!!

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From the garden of long time client Cathy Leiss, here Grevillea 'Ned Kelly' shines under an ideal water regiment.

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