Hi, I made my way out there today. There was a franklinia that needed replacing which Hank replaced no questions asked. I was scoping out the pines, rhododendrons/azaleas, as well as a few other shrubs. I must have just missed the peak rhododendron bloom but what I saw was still impressive. Did you see the yellow ones? And how about the fragrant azaleas? Those would be my picks... I also made my way to Cicconi Farms. I did get the catalog and did use a coupon for the extra flat of quart size plants. Got quite a few natives and plants for the butterfly gardens. Wow, you have to walk a lot. It's not easy when the boy insists on riding the cart. Didn't see any musa basjoo but they were closing promptly on time today. BTW- if anybody is planning to go during Father's Day weekend, I have a Get 1 Free 2 Gallon perennial with a $50 purchase. June 19/20 I probably won't be using the free blueberry bush coupon either. Month of July Could be talked out of the 3 2-Gallon coreopsis coupon. July 15-31 Could possibly be sweet-talked out of the $10 off $100 purchase. June 1- July31. Sheila

I am, in no way, associated with this nursery, but I know they are also quite anxious to get rid of some really big, fine magnolias at a really reasonable price. I cannot find room for any, here, but I think the offer still stands.

Hello again. I was kind of hoping for bare roots plants but I think I will just go for cuttings from UC Davis. I talked with them and was told they would still take an order, they normally have a Nov 15 deadline, because there didn't appear to be any other demand or cuttings reserved this year. Only a minor set back in that it will take a little longer for them to get established. I am happy I found them at all! Rick

Vegetables are easy to grow from seed. But I also had poor luck with tropical and rare plant seed until I got a unit designed to grow them and used bright lights.. Large seeds with thick hard water protective seed coats need some abrasions with sand paper to help water get in. It can even help to nick the coat just until the white seed inside barely shows. Do not braid or nick where the was previously attached to the plant. This may be too close to the embryo and hurt it. Soaking the seed overnight in water in a room temperature to slightly warm place can really help hydrate them. Dipping such a seed in household Hydrogen Peroxide (4%) diluted 1:10 with water for 10 minutes is a great way to knock out potentially harmful microbes on them. Seeds in nature need to be cued by natural like triggers to commit them to germinate. Being watered and then kept moist is an obvious generally essential step for any of tbem. In addition to this many "difficult" to grow temperate and semitropical seeds need a cool period (called 'stratification') for instance in the refrigerator at ~40 °for 3-4 weeks to make them perceive that their cool (winter like) season is over and their growth season is here. It makes sense because warm climates in the middle of the summer may get a summer rain. But it's bad time to germinate because they may later get a long dry spell before they are well established and die. It's better to wait for early spring which is signalled in nature as the cold winter season 35 to 60 °F nights and 60 to 65 °F days being over and the spring (transition to warm weather) 60 to 70 °F nights and 70 to 85 °F days being here. Generally I like to use a seedling mat heater under seed trays until I see seeds geminate. For plants native to cooler temperate climates (or any temperate plant seeds giving me trouble) I like to put the mat heater on the light cycle timer. When you run light timers for seedlings you better run them for at least 12 -14 hrs because you don-t want plants to perceive that Fall is coming! 24 hrs of light will actually grow most plants about twice as fast as 12 hr of light. Rarely will a cool treatment hurt any seed that has not germinated yet so dry refrigerated seeds in ziplock plastic bags is a good way to store seed in general. Some smaller seeds need light as a trigger, so they perceive they are on the soil surface. Some seeds don't want light, so they perceive they are burried for growth. To help ensure success with seeds that I am not familiar with, where no special instructions are given, I may use 3 or 5 seeds per seed planter well. The general guideline is to bury a seed under fine grit of 1 to 2x their width. I will do this with a couple and the other(s) just press in so that the seed top is level and exposed to light. Large bean sized seeds go 1/2" to 1" under. Lentil sized seed 1/4" under. I never pack the soil top I leave it loose. CRITICAL do not use garden soil, pre-used potting soil or new potting soil to start seeds (unless tbe seeds say best to direct sow in garden). Microbes therein often attack and kill seeds or new seedlings. I also typically find it best to not add any fertilizer or nutrients. Use sterilzed seed starter media sold in garden and hardware stores. One of the best seedlng media I've found are the cast soil sponges or fiber like cubes with a 1/4" deep hole cast into them. Just drop the seed in (first poking the hole in deeper if the seed is a large one). The seed is hydrated and humified here, but not trapped to a depth. It has great aeration and sees light. If you know the seed wants to be in the dark (by reading tbe package). Then cover the seed in the well with the fine grit. I like to use a fine clean washed slughtly gritty sand such as used to add to cement. Unless it is a very high germination rate seed, I poke in one or two extra side holes for backup seeds. If the seed is quite large or very expensive, such as rare Banana, Brugmansia, Canna, Clivia seeds e.g. $1 per seed) I use one seed per well. The Park Seed sponges have worked astonishing well for me. They come in three sizes and can be used to start seed of any size or start cuttings. The medium to large ones are nice to start community pots of very small dust like seeds, such as Begonia, Heliotrope, and Nicotiana. And they can be sissor cut with rooted seeds wthin them to make two to several "plant plugs" per sponge. Once the seedling germinate on their stored seed food reserves expand their first leaves, I then mist the leaves with 1/8x fertilzer to foliar feed them. This is a critical step. Tbe growing plant now needs external nurtients! Once a seedling look very well developed and are 2" tall or have started their second set of leaves, I do not cover them any more with humidity domes and I soil watet with the dilute fertilzer. I like to use a chemical fertlized for African Violets or Orchids. I do not use Fish, Kelp or organics containing fertilzers that might favor degradative microbes until the seedlings are on their way to becoming well established little plants. And then I use it at 1/4x for every watering. I use clear plastic humidity domes to hold humidity around freshly planted and newly germinated seeds. I also mist or water as needed. Unless my water is very hard or alkaline, I use tap water up to the first planting stage. If you need better water, deionized reverse osmosis water at the grocery store is fine. For all other misting and foliar steps be sure to either mist heavily enough so that salts drip off and do not evaporate in place and build up. Otherwise use deionized or distilked water. Distilled water is a little more expensive to buy, but I have a one gallon still and just make it. Being cool weather at home during the months I grow seedlings the heat is not lost but rather helps heat the house or plant growth area. Pure water like this doesn't cast salts onto plants, of the equipment and area used to grow the plants. Rainwater is great potential free water source to grow seedlings. But be sure to catch it with a clean method! I have a new roof water gutter collection system envisioned for toping off the fish pond and gardening. However, my one each old roof and dust in the air my roof water is too contaminated to trust, with an amber color and asphalt like smell. A tub works well unless clouded with tree pollenor dust. We have a lot of Douglas Fir and other evergreens in the PNW noticebly clouded with their cream to light yellow colored pollen rainwater out here does not store well. It spoils quickly turning even more cloudy and giving microbial odors. If used like this they could put microbes and organics on to seedling surfaces favoring microbe growth. That's fine IF you know they won't hurt the seedlngs. I haven't risked tested it yet. In theory, they could have no effect or even help as well.* *Not kidding about this last statement. I've previously worked with a biological innoculant company before.