Palm Trees -Topsoil & Mulches - San Diego Nurseries

San Diego's Largest Wholesale Nursery - Open to the Public

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Answers from The Caretaker

  1. Answers From The Caretaker
  2. Green Thumbs Not Necessary for Landscaping
  3. Seminars 

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We look forward to hearing from you! Happy Gardening!

- The Caretaker

Featured Questions and Answers

Evergreen Trees for Clay Soil

Q: What would you recommend for trees in our clay soil? I want an evergreen because it will be on a slope, don't want to pick up leaves but want the privacy for our patio. I have bought many bushes, and trees from you and they all grew to be very healthy.

 
A: There are several choices that do well in clay soil. What is important is good drainage. Following are some evergreen trees grown here that may work for you:
 
Arbutus ‘Marina’ – Strawberry Tree
Callistemon viminalis – Weeping Bottlebrush
Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’ – California Wild Lilac
Lyonothamnus floribundus – Catalina Ironwood
Pinus species – Pine
Prosopis chilensis – Chilean Mesquite
Prunus ilicifolia lyonii – Catalina Cherry
Quercus agrifolia – Coast Live Oak
Schinus molle – California Pepper
Schinus terebinthifolius – Brazilian Pepper
Tristania conferta – Brisbane Box
 
When planting your trees, dig the plant holes 2-3 times the diameter of the container and as deep as the container. Digging a deeper hole may cause your trees to settle and you don’t want that to happen. Add gypsum to the bottom of the hole and to the backfill mix. This helps loosen the soil by breaking apart tightly bonded soil particles. Another ingredient to add to the backfill mix is organic matter. We sell our Planter Mix & Mulch and recommend mixing this at a 1:1 ratio with your existing soil. This will provide a ready source of plant nutrients for the root system as well as supporting the good soil bacteria that is essential for the soil food web. Adding fertilizer, such as Gro-Power, that contains beneficial soil microorganisms will also aide in giving your new trees a good start. Finish with a top layer of mulch to moderate the soil temperature and control weed germination. Continue adding gypsum and organic matter every two years and fertilizer every year to keep your trees healthy.
 

Pruning

Q: When do I prune?

A: Pruning should be done in the proper season.  There is little chance of damaging the plant if is pruned during the dormant season. This is usually late Winter and early Spring, before the new growth begins. Exceptions to this are ornamental plants that bloom in the Spring , which should be pruned after they finish blooming.

 
Recently Shifted Plants
Q: I was disappointed with a recent purchase of about $250 worth of plants to discover that about 20 per cent of the 5 gallon plants turned out to be root-bound 1 gallon plants with a lot of dirt around them.  I realize that it is necessary for you to eventually transplant 1 gal. to 5 gal., but I still feel cheated when I realized that I could have saved some money by buying 1 gal. plants.  If I had a suggestion on how to solve this I would tell you, but, unfortunately I don't.  Thanks for listening...
 

A: Thanks for using our info system to contact us.  The way to solve the issue of shifting plants is really to better educate our customers.  The plants really are sold based upon the size of the plant (not the container) but it would be very difficult to price plants that way.  So, when you buy a plant in a 5 gallon container that looks like it just got shifted, that plant is a plant of 5 gallon size.  Sometimes you can find 5 gallon size plants in 1 gallon containers that we haven’t gotten around to shifting yet and get a bargain above and beyond our regular wholesale prices.  We try very hard to stay ahead of that curve because that plant is older and has taken more labor, water and fertilizer to maintain and to sell it as a one gallon would be a loss for us. We also try to label plants that have been recently planted or shifted. If you see signs that say "Recently Planted" you will know that these have been in the container for a short period of time.

 We at Evergreen Nursery have a unique situation because we are a grower and you are buying plants at our working farm and get an opportunity to see how we grow and maintain our plants “in action”!  Since we do not buy in our plants from a hothouse somewhere, you get to pick them right out of the field where they have grown.  Our plants have a much better chance of living in our climate than plants purchased from many other garden centers that are not growers, and needless, to say, the savings to you are significant.
 
But our challenge is to help our customers understand how those savings occur.  I hope this has helped you a bit.  We do appreciate your business.
 
 
Green Thumbs Not Necessary for Landscaping

Maybe you don't have a green thumb, but you do not have to resort to covering your entire yard with an expanse of lawn to avoid gardening pitfalls. Some landscapes can be foolproof, and thrive in spite of your lack of gardening ability.

You can grow anything if you follow these simple guidelines:

1. Don't try to tackle too much if you don't have the time, experience and desire. In other words: Don't get overly ambitious.

2. Choose hardy plant varieties that aren't touchy. They should be able to handle our relatively poor soils and salty irrigation water.

3. Take time in the beginning to learn how to take care of what you plant in your yard. Ask your Nurseryperson. His or her advice is free and reliable.

Also, don't try to do everything at once if you are tentative. You can landscape in phases, improving your confidence as you go.

Basically, all it takes to grow vegetation is water, fertilizer and sun. The investmentof your time can be minimal. Sprinklers or drip systems have become almost a necessary convenience today. Hook them up to a timer, and your yard can water itself.

You don't need to be a horticulturalist to understand how to use fertilizer. One good rule of thumb is to feed everything in your yard four times a year, or once a season. Some plants can use more fertilizer if you have the time, but with four feedings a year they will stay healthy. One good, all-purpose, granular fertilizer like Gro-Power can be used on everything. Mix it into the soil before you plant and sprinkle it around individual plants,trees,shrubs, and flowers thereafter when you feed.

Watering and fertlizing a yard does not take a lot of know how-just a small amount of time and commitment. Where gardening can get tricky is in the types of plants you choose. Your choices can create a landscape that takes care of itself, or one that needs constant care.

Please visit any one of our four locations around the county and let one of our experienced sales staff help you get started.


NEW SEMINARS SCHEDULED FOR  2013

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR TOPICS FOR 2013

Hands on Talks & Tours with Evergreen's Garden Experts
Seminars are on the Saturday mornings listed below

AT THE FOLLOWING STORE LOCATIONS AND TIMES:

• 10:00 am - 13650 CARMEL VALLEY ROAD, SAN DIEGO/CARMEL VALLEY

• 10:00 am - 3231 OCEANSIDE BLVD, OCEANSIDE/VISTA

JANUARY 5TH – Landscaping & Maintaining Your Garden in The Winter   - If you love gardening then you love San Diego.  We are fortunate enough to be able to be outside in our gardens all year long. Lots of people are buried in snow while we are able to do the feeding, planting, and pruning (free pruners to all participants) necessary to have that beautiful garden throughout the year. We will discuss all these things and more. 

FEBRUARY 2nd - Landscaping With Succulents - Creating a beautiful landscape with succulents without looking like a desert.  Yes, it can be done and you’ll also use a lot less water.  

MARCH 2nd  - Ask the Expert -Weeds, Gophers. Bugs, & Fertilizers - Our resident expert will teach you the best ways to fight the pesky critters in your garden and how to determine the best types of fertilizer to use to promote healthy, vigorous plants.  We’ll also answer your questions and discuss other gardening topics.

APRIL 6TH   - Landscape Design Workshop - Do you have a new yard or one that needs to be  rejuvenated?  Are you a do-it-yourselfer?  Learn about amending your soil, irrigation do’s and don’ts, planning, choosing, and planting your landscape correctly

APRIL 20th   Starting a Vegetable/Herb Garden - What it takes to grow your own vegetables and herbs. Learn the best techniques for growing in containers, or raised beds, or just planting directly into your garden.

MAY 4TH - Choosing and Caring for Fruit Trees - How to choose, plant, and grow stone fruit trees.  Fruits of topic will be: Apples, Apricots, Figs, Nectarines, Pears, Peaches, Persimmons, Plums, and Pomegranates

MAY 18TH - All About Roses & Other Cut Flowers  - Come see and enjoy our huge selection of colorful roses and become a garden rose expert. We would love to see some of your “best” roses, please bring ‘em in and show ‘em off and share your own secrets of success! Plus learn about other cut flowers to complete that flower bouquet.

 Click here for directions.

 

Each seminar is approximately 1 hour long. Come to the location nearest you!

RAIN OR SHINE - SEMINARS WILL BE HELD INDOORS IN INCLEMENT WEATHER!!!