Staghorn Fern

Staghorn ferns were at one time considered a very difficult plant to grow yet with just a little care you too can enjoy their beauty.

Staghorn does best mounted on a board using moss to protect their roots. Hang in an area with bright light and good air circulation. They really enjoy the warmth and humidity during the summer months. Water regularly during growing season Spring thru Fall, increasing as needed if temperatures rise.

Feed regularly, follow directions depending on what fertilizer you use. During the growing season you can use liquid food such as Fish Emulsion and on occasion give your Staghorn a banana peel which will slowly breakdown.

Chicken Update

When Fausto first brought in these 3 little chicks they fit into the palm of my hand. We were able to keep them by the cash register area where everyone got to see them.

After a couple of weeks they began to test their wings and jump down from their little coop. Not able to fly back up they would sit, flap their wings and make alot of noise until one of us would pick them up.

Then construction began on their condominium complex. Each of them has their own nesting area for when they are older. They have a ramp and places to hide. Moved outdoors they seem to be enjoying the warm summer days, they have plenty of shade, water and scratch. Whenever someone goes down to see them they get all excited.

Because Fausto bought the chickens and he is on the committee to plant trees in San Diego I think he helped sway the votes to name them after trees.
Ash appropriately is the black chicken, Willow is the reddish brown chicken, and Maggie (short for Magnolia) is the lighter one of them all.

Sooner than later these little ladies will be out in the nursery, eating bugs and keeping the kids happy. And for those who are concerned, so far Socks (nursery cat) isn't showing any interest. And with 3 against 1 I think she will keep her distance.

Stop in as they are growing and changing daily, Urban Farming right here at Mission Hills Nursery

Sunday Afternoon

Summer is here, we had too long and cold of a winter if you ask me so I welcome the warmth.
To also welcome in the summer I have brought in a new line of hats from Sunday Afternoons
our first order includes the Palm Spring Visor, not sure which color you might like I think I brought in one of each.

For the men one of the hats I selected is the
Field Hat, Designed for casual everyday use the Field Hat defines comfortable practicality, and it’s loaded with technical features making it one of our best selling sun protective hats. Its full 4” front and back, and 3 1/2” inch side brim are down-sloped for maximum facial sun protection coverage. Features cooling side mesh ventilation, a chinstrap for windy-day security, and an adjustable internal sizing tape system for custom fit. Elasticized wicking sweatband. UPF 50+. Lightweight 3.0 oz. Made in USA

Look stylish and protect yourself while gardening or race season with the
Caribbean Hat for women. The ocean meets the land, with this large brimmed, poly braid women’s hat, in beachy colors. Adjustable leatherette chinstrap, keeps the hat on, in windy conditions. Perfect for vacations. Packs flat for travel. Spot clean with damp cloth, line dry. 50 UPF. Imported

Not to be forgotten, the little ones also have hat choices. Look over Sunday Afternoons selections and let me know what you like, an easy company to work with, I look forward to providing you with more choices.

Smell me, Touch me, Feed me

Fausto and I went on a shopping trip this morning to Booman Florals in Vista. We brought back some very cool plants. Plants that make you stop and take a second look, you will want to touch them, smell them and feed them.

Carniverous plants in 4" and 6" are the Feed Me plants.

Looking like a cluster of bear traps, the Venus Flytrap lies in wait for its victims. Insects are attracted by a sweet nectar inside the trap. There, on each side of the trap, are three dark trigger hairs, and they are extremely sensitive.

When an insect touches a trigger hair once, nothing apparently happens. The plant has been alerted, but the hair mechanism could have been activated by the wind, or a piece of dust. When the prey brushes a trigger hair again, that second signal causes a reaction; nerve-like electrical impulses pass through the plant, and the trap closes instantly. The 'teeth' called cilia, interlock and form a cage, enclosing the victim.

Small insects can easily crawl out between the cilia. This is the plant's method of throwing back the small fish, since it would take more energy to digest a tiny insect than could be gained from consuming it. But larger insects struggle to get out, repeatedly touching the trigger hairs. These signals cause the trap to close completely, totally sealing in the prey. The traps fills with liquid and the victim drowns.

The liquid, a digestive enzyme, breaks down the soft parts of the insect so the plant can absorb it. This process takes several days. When the plant has digested all of the insect it can use, the trap reopens, exposing the insect's skeletal shell, which is soon swept away by wind or rain. If the trap was mechanically triggered and captured no prey, it reopens within a day or so.

Pitcher Plants are standing tall ready to eat whatever flies or crawls their way





For the Touch Me plant we brought in Mimosa 'sensitive plant', if you show this plant to your child believe me they will try to close every similar plant on their walks.Our kids first experienced this plant in Hawaii and for the rest of the trip they would touch every plant to see if it was also magical.

Last but not least we brought in one of my favorite orchids, Coconut Cream Pie, yes it smells like Coconut. This variety is just beginning to bloom you will want to hang it in a protected area outside your front door or a window so the fragrance drifts in. Another very fragrant plant in stock is a Brazilian Orchid with purple blooms. The truck smelled heavenly on the trip home.

June Gloom?

As I write this it is almost June 1, 2011. The last day of May was a gorgeous day at the nursery. The wind didn't pick up until later in the afternoon which gave us a chance to get everything watered before the smaller plants tumbled over.

By the time you read this we will have flipped the calender to June. I am hoping to not see any June gloom in the near future. We pay sunshine tax here in San Diego and we expect to get 100% return on our investments right? Our bodies and our gardens enjoy the warm sunshine.

While I was out taking inventory, we sold a lot of vegetables over the 3 day weekend, there were hummingbirds flying right next to me getting nectar from the lantana. As they flew about I thought; it is like going to the Soup Plantation for them so many choices.


Some of you might not have enough planting area for the hummers to come and have lunch, maybe you live in an apartment or condominium, yet you can feed them by hanging a feeder. One variety we stock is from a company which really believes in it's product, Best-1 Hummingbird Feeder. For the next couple of weeks I will be offering free nectar with the purchase of a Best-1 Hummingbird Feeder ($21.99 style). Open your own smorgasbord, sit back and watch the beauty unfold.





What else is unfolding in your garden this month? How about all those vegetables you planted in March, April and May? You should have already harvested strawberries, cucumbers, chard, lettuce and enjoyed fresh herbs in your dishes. With the warmth from the sun your eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, corn and so much more should be ripening up. I love the garden boxes we have planted at the nursery, not only are they easy to garden in but the plants are producing like crazy. We enjoy the cucumber water at our Urban Farmstyle seminars, Tiger has cooked brite lights chard for his family, everyone nibbles on the strawberries and we are watching the tomatoes which any day now will be snacked on by one or all of us. Fresh lemons are squeezed into ice-tea and the apples are changing from green to red.

I just love this time of year, so much is fresh and new. Life unfolds with the warmth of the sun.

Tiger's Tips for May

Spring is now in full swing and it is time. If you haven't already treated yourself to one new plant I invite you to come in and find just the right one for your garden. My favorite as I write my tips for this month is the Supertunia Pretty Much Picasso, with a green throat and red outer lips it is striking.


Give yourself everlasting flowers by cutting and drying ones which are blooming now, example statice, strawflowers and hydrangeas.



Another treat you and the butterflies will enjoy is an easy to maintain butterfly garden, come in and see the Asclepias and Buddleias.






Don't have space but want to grow vegetables? New product in the nursery is the Grodan Hugo Grow Cube. Horticultural stone wool is used the world over by both hydroponics and soil gardeners, it provides enough growing volume to support a large plant. Made in Denmark this cube is 6x6x6, stop in and I'll be happy to show you how it works.





Towards the end of this month you need to really pay attention to any roses in your garden, as the June gloom begins to roll in especially along the coastal areas. Deadhead and trim unsightly leaves then spray them with Serenade Disease Control.

Insects this month in your garden

What a beautiful start to the month of May, we have been enjoying sunshine and warm breezes from the east for the last couple of days. If you are out walking thru your neighborhood you will begin noticing almost every day there is a new flower blooming. Along with the blooms come the songbirds singing and hummingbirds humming as they also enjoy springtime. What else is that you see on your new tender growth? Aphids of course, they like the tenderest part of plants and seem to appear overnight. How to control or get rid of them?

First keep your plants fed and healthy, just like people the healthier a plant is the easier it is for it to fight insects and disease. Then if you get aphids you may simply spray them off with a strong spray from the garden hose or release ladybugs to do the trick.



When releasing ladybugs do it in the evening, water the garden first and release them at the base of your plants so they work their way up. They will rest for the evening and wake up to a buffet the next morning. If you release them in the middle of the day ladybugs will fly away to a cooler shady spot and won't eat away your aphids.

Want the ultimate predator insect in your garden? Now is the time to pick up egg cases which will hatch between 50 to 200 baby Praying Mantids. This carnivorous insect will keep the beetle, cricket and grasshopper population under control but be forewarned they also will eat butterflies if nothing else is around.




Are there sprays to use instead of beneficial insects? Yes you can use organic products such as Insecticidal Soap and Captain Jacks Dead Bug Brew which contains Spinosad. Both are approved by the EPA for organic gardening.

Remember though not all bugs are bad bugs so know what you have before you spray.

Answer Night

For the last couple of months I've been posting and asking what the following have in common...
Gardening - Wine - Naked

a few answers have been tossed my way but not the right one.

If you want to know you will need to join us on Friday May 27th from 5:00-7:00pm at the nursery.
Cost for this event is $25.00, and your t-shirt size. Please sign up on our facebook event page or by emailing me and I'll contact you for payment.
toni@missionhillsnursery.com

Don't miss out on a fun evening.

Tiger's tips for April

Tiger's project this month is redwood garden boxes. These beautiful raised planters are easy to assemble and store away when not planted. Once assembled fill your box with Green All Soil Booster, remember soil is very important when planting especially for your edible gardens.

Now what to plant? I am going to concentrate on edibles for this project so I'll pick ones that I know myself and my family will eat. Tomatoes are 1st on the list and we had at least 30 different varieties last count. By putting one in each corner I have room for them to grow up through the cages. In the middle I'll pick a pepper or two, along one edge some beans that can hang over and for fun colors a packet of carrots. With Tassia becoming old enough to begin food we'll introduce her to an array of carrots colors and flavors. Don't forget to add Marigolds or Cosmos to help keep those pesky insects away.

With the rains behind us, we hope, you will want to start replacing your cool season flowers with heat lovers. Zinnias, coleus, marigolds, and Fausto's favorite Godetia.


Plant taller delphiniums to the back and lower calibrochias to the front. Watch our sidewalk planter begin blooming over the next few weeks.

If you need more bees in your garden to help pollinate your fruits and vegetables consider Agastache, Lavenders, Catmint and Penstemons. Remember to feed your whole garden as it emerges from the winter chill. Again your soil is very important so you will want to use DynoEarth Humic Acid every quarter.

Our Urban Farmstyle Seminar is Saturday April 30th. Our guest chef is Jenn from Sea Rocket Bistro, sign up on our facebook event page or call the nursery. Seminar is free but reservations are required.

Tuesday Tasting for March 29

Today we are bringing back a wine we introduced you to a few years ago. Twin Poms, pomegranate wine. Stop in between 4:00 and closing to enjoy a taste while seeing what's new in the nursery

Double Clic Cosmo Mix

One of our bedding plant growers, Do Rights, just released a new Cosmo and we'll be having it on our tables this week hopefully. I love Cosmos for their simplicity with growing and the way they wave in the warm spring and summer breezes.

description from our sales rep: Jim
Big Blooms Perfect for Cutting!
Cut-and-Come-Again for 3 Months or More!
Well, here's the most exciting Cosmos to come along in many a year -- a lively, very large-flowered, long-blooming mix of white, pink, and rosy-red DOUBLE flowers. We don't know about double-clicking, but you'll certainly do a double take when these blooms begin opening above the airy, fern-like foliage on tall, well-branched plants!

With frazzled petals and a sunny yellow center, these flowers are crying out for use in vases -- they have all the charm of daisies with a more interesting form! And they appear so profusely that you'll still have plenty of color in the garden after you've picked your fill for indoor use. Besides, Cosmos is a cut-and-come-again bloomer, meaning that the sooner you cut the blooms, the quicker new buds will pop up to replace them! (And if you don't cut the flowers, be sure to deadhead them as soon as they fade, to stimulate new bud production.)

The flowers begin in Spring in most climates and continue right through mid-fall, soaking up the heat and sun in any well-drained garden soil. Cosmos is a fine choice for the vegetable patch, too; a member of the Aster family, it does a good job of repelling "bad bugs" and attracting beneficial insects and wasps to help your veggies grow and bloom their best.

Double Click comes to us from France, and we feel lucky indeed to be able to offer it to this season.

Tiger's Tips for March

Tiger has been busy not just at the nursery but outside doing a pretty large landscape job downtown yet he still has time to give us his tips for the month.
This is a good month to pay attention to your houseplants. It may have been awhile since you've repotted them so be sure to check and see if now is the time. Also feed them and consider adding a systemic for houseplants to keep those pesky little critters in check.
With temperatures warming watch for slugs & snails on your new plantings, Sluggo is an organic way to control them.

Pick up shamrocks for your St. Patrick parties or office gifts.

If you've been thinking of raised bed gardening come in and see our garden boxes which we have planted up. We offer these boxes unassembled or for a minimal fee we can assemble and deliver them to your home.

Gift yourself a gift on the first day of spring, March 20th plant a new flower. One that I am beginning to enjoy more each year is the Arctotis, African Daisy. A native to South Africa and North Angola these showy perennial plants are noted for their bright colored blooms. They enjoy a dry spot in the gawith full sun and cool nights. These flowers really show their beauty in the sunlight, then as they begin to seed they will curve their flowerhead down. Once the seeds are ready to be blown away by the wind they will stand up straight and release big fluffy seeds into the air. During this month and again in the summer fertilize with EB Stone Ultra Bloom, you will be richly rewarded with beautiful blooms and lush growth plus birds and other wildlife will enrich your landscape.

Peek into 2012 Rose Introductions

Want a peek into new roses for 2012? We have four that will be coming into bloom as we get warmer weather. One of the roses speaks of weather....

Stormy Weather:(PPAF) Hues of stormy blue flash from the depths of mysterious deep smokey purple blooms, the reverse side of the petals touched with lightning bolts of cloudy white for added special effects. The big clusters of double blossoms are set against loads of gray-green leaves that stay clean and attractive due to very good disease resistance. A dramatic rose for display- ing against light colored backgrounds or for contrasting with brightly hued annuals and perennials. Flower Size: 3-1/2 to 4-1/2". Fragrance: Moderate spice. Hybridizer: Orard, 2012.

How do you like your latte? Koko Loko might fit into your garden with it's milky chocolate buds opening into a soft lavender. Long lasting on the bush and in
your vase, fragrance is mild.

















Now if you are looking for something that shouts Hello Look at Me! than All a Twitter is your miniature rose. The sparkling orange blooms stand out against the deep glossy green leaves.

The one I am really looking forward to is Sugar Moon, this rose will glow like the moon and the fragrance is why I believe we have roses. Intense true rose fragrance, it is a repeat bloomer and disease resistant.

South African necklace

When we went to South Africa a few years back my best friend who loves to shop brought back some of these really funky necklaces. You can put them together, twist them or wear them straight. We have them for sale at Mission Hills Nursery, once you've played with them you will need to have one or 2 or 3 for yourself. I was at a Christmas party one year wearing 2 when a woman came up to me and really really liked them, I took them off and gave them to her. A nice surprise gift for her.

Nature's Perfume

When walking through your neighborhood or even in your own backyard are there some days and evenings you are greeted by a lovely fragrance? Nature's perfume is there to be enjoyed by us and all of God's creations. I found this quote today and wanted to share it with you as I believe many days the flowers are singing to us and showing their delight through their fragrances.

Perfumes are the feelings of flowers. ~Heinrich Heine, The Hartz Journey

Tuesday Tastings in March

March 1st begins our Tuesday Tastings. From 4:00 - 6:00 we will be pouring, tasting, and enjoying friendships. Stop in with a girlfriend to do a little garden shopping before going home. Each week we will highlight a different plant. Our first night's guest plant was picked to share with you my Classic friends.

Classic Woman hybrid tea rose. This fragrant rose was selected by the editor of Traditional Home magazine in honor of their Classic Woman award. This award honors women of exemplary volunteerism and community service.

One of my classic friends will take home this rose, to win your chance you do need to attend our Tuesday Tastings each week during March. At the end of the month we will draw 5 lucky winners, you may only win 1 time. Each week a different guest plant will be selected and highlighted then go home with one of you to be enjoyed in your garden at the end of March.

March 8th we will highlight Elegant Ladies followed by Grande Dames,

an evening of Naked Ladies (you need to attend if I've peaked your interest) and ending with Girls Night Out on March 29th

Also remember to check our facebook page for other events such as the Urban Farmstyle Seminars which started last week and are being scheduled monthly with our next one on March 13th. Guest Chef Kurt from Kitchen 4140

Anigozanthos

Anigozanthos commonly known as Kangaroo Paw plant is from western Australia. These hardy perennial plants are noted for their unique long lasting blooms. The tubular flowers are covered in velvety hairs and open at the apex with 6 claw like structures. Most common colors are red and yellow while oranges and greens are becoming favorites.

According to Angus Steward, Australian plant breeder, to get the most out of your Kangaroo paw grow them in full sun and be sure your soil drains well. Considered water thrifty during early spring & summer if you give them an extra drink you will extend the bloom season. Also dead heading promotes new flower spikes. Prune aggressively after the bloom season by cutting your plant back to the ground, not only does this promote new growth it helps eliminate possible diseases or fungus.

Fertilize early spring & summer with EB Stone All Purple Organic Fertilizer, a plant with beautiful blooms and lush green growth attracts birds to your garden.

Guest Chef for February

As we begin a new year and new seminars we are excited to have our neighbor/chef Liz be our first guest Chef. Liz will show us how to prepare a winter soup using a main ingredient which you can grow in your garden. You will also learn how to grow this ingredient and take one home to plant.

Seminar will begin at 11:30 and advance reservations are requested as we need to be sure and have enough soup for everyone to sample. Please come in and join us, I am looking forward to different chefs and different recipes all using at least one ingredient you can grow in your home garden. If you know anyone who would love to be our guest Chef please have them get in touch with me.

January in the Garden

January is the month you see rows and rows of sticks in black nursery pots, what are these you may ask yourself as you wander thru Mission Hills Nursery. Many stone fruit trees and deciduous trees that are dormant come into nurseries as sticks without any clothing (leaves) or pants (pots). We plant them up so they can begin to wake up and expand their roots prior to putting on a spring show for you in your home garden.
If you have always wanted an orchard but are limited in space your garden is suitable for EZ-Pick fruit trees from L.E. Cooke. While the standard fruit trees grows 20-30' EZ-Pick fruit trees stay around 6-12' with most of the fruit being reachable in the 4-7' range. By having a smaller tree you are able to plant multiple varieties providing your family with different fruit throughout the year.

Two of the most unusual dormant trees we bring in are the Snow Fountains Flowering Cherry from L.E. Cooke and weeping Mulberry. Flowering Cherry says spring with a carpet of white blossoms while the Mulberry provides some very yummy edible fruit. Each are structurally artistic during the winter months and beautiful the rest of the year.

You also will see over 500 other pots with shorter sticks coming out of them, these are roses. Even though it is hard to buy a new rose without actually seeing and smelling the flower now is the best time to get them into your garden. We have been buying many of our roses year after year from Weeks Roses, they have been growing roses for over 73 years so they do know how to do it. For some good ideas which you can apply to your own garden please click over to their website and see what Ann has to say.

Today we saw the sun all day, first time in too long if you ask me. The plants are enjoying the warmth as much as we are. If you have been inside too long this winter this is the weekend you will want to get out in your garden. The soil is still soft from our rains making weed pulling and hole digging an easier task. Get dirty this weekend and we are open Monday in case you are one of the lucky ones who gets and extra day off.

Not an End It's a Beginning

As we prepare to turn the calendar some see it as the end of a year, while others see it as a new beginning. I think this year I will be one who sees it as a new beginning. Just as in a garden when you put in a new seed or seedling, you will watch life unfold and begin. Nurture your garden and you will nurture your soul. When we allow ourselves to be at peace we are able to achieve so much more than when we worry.

A gift you can give yourself every day in 2011 is to walk thru the nursery smelling and touching the flowers, petting Reina and Socks, listening to the birds sing and you will leave a bit more peaceful.