Real Women Paint

Real Women Enterprises will be holding a one day painting seminar at Mission Hills Nursery on Saturday June 24, 2006 from 9am - 3pm. Real Women Enterprises supports women ages 15 and above to identify skills and experiences they want to live a life they love.
No artistic talent is necessary, beginners are encouraged to join in.
Space is limited and reservations are needed. Contact Real Women Enterprises 619-994-4953. Please do not call the nursery for information.

FREE Gardening Journal

The Family of Southern California Water Agencies has produced a gardening journal that you can pick up for FREE at Mission Hills Nursery.
The journal is full of tips on effective watering, what blooms when, and how to get year round beauty by using our region's native plants.

Just print this page of our blog and take into Mission Hills Nursery for your FREE copy. Please one journal per household. Offer valid while supplies last.

Garden Walk 2006

Thank You to Mission Hills Garden Club for another wonderful Garden Walk. The homes were again enjoyed by all who passed through their gates. Weather was on everyone's side this year, no rain, not too hot. Maps were picked up at Mission Hills Nursery and you headed out on a leisurely self guided walk of about 3 hours. If you missed this year's you will want to mark your calendar for next year's. It is always scheduled for the Saturday before Mother's Day. Such a fun way to celebrate with your Mother. Some groups make a day of it, beginning with Champagne breakfast. Great Job Martha and Mary Ann!

Burgundy Iceberg Rose - Exclusive

Mission Hills Nursery and Moose Creek Nursery are excited to have been selected by Weeks Roses as two of San Diego County's exclusive garden centers to be able to offer to you Burgundy Iceberg. You can prebuy at either location for pick up this summer. (sorry no mail orders this summer) The actual release of this rose is scheduled for 2007.
Stu Miller, our representative from Weeks Roses will be at Mission Hills Nursery on Saturday May 13, 2006. Stop by before or after the Mission Hills Garden Walk see this beautiful rose and ask Stu any questions.
We will have a limited number of roses this year, so buy early.
Burgundy Iceberg is a Floribunda which was inroduced in Australia. The flowers are a true burgundy color with a lighter reverse. Parentage 'Brilliant Pink Iceberg'

SD Rose Society Show

The San Diego Rose Society is holding its 79th Annual Rose Show on Saturday, April 29th, and Sunday, April 30th at Murphy’s Pub in Qualcomm Stadium. This year will also include the introduction of an all new Rose Fair.

The Rose Show will feature hundreds of beautiful blooms in every color, gorgeous rose arrangements, created by local amateur gardeners. American Rose Society Consulting Rosarians will also be on hand to answer rose growing questions absolutely free.

The Rose Fair will include garden and rose related products and merchandise on display and for sale. An excellent selection of miniature rose plants will be for sale and a rose auction will be held on Sunday at 2:30 PM.

Adult admission is only $4.00, and includes the rose show and rose fair. Children 17 and under AND Military in Uniform get in Free. Parking is also Free. The hours are:
Saturday, 1 PM - 5 PM and Sunday, 10 AM – 4 PM.

This will be a wonderful opportunity to see examples of beautiful roses and rose arrangements. Visitors to both the rose show and rose fair can get one-on-one advice on growing and caring for new roses bought at the fair or roses back home in the garden. See the San Diego Rose Society website for more information or the rose show schedule: www.sdrosesociety.org

Kid's Spring Event

Saturday April 15th, 10:00 am come to story time and hear "A Trellis for Mr. Ellis", do a craft project and participate in an Easter Egg hunt. Children must be accompanied by an adult and able to look for eggs on their own.
Sponsored by the Mission Hills Garden Club
contact the Garden Club for age limits or any other questions.

Very Hardy Plant

What is this growing out of our storm drain?
Impatien....and some people say it is a difficult plant to grow.

Tomatoes and Herbs

We are still getting winter rains and cold temperatures but our tomato and pepper tables at Mission Hills Nursery are full of wonderful selections. Everything from Lemon Pear tomatoes, Sweet Cherry tomatoes, heirlooms and the constant San Diego tomato are available. Watch for Moose Creek Nursery's selection to increase as their weather warms up.
Speaking of Moose Creek and tomatoes, they will be hosting a tomato clinic on Saturday March 25th at 10:00 am come over and learn all there is to learn about growing tomatoes.

Herbs are plentiful with a wide selection of Basils and Mints. Lettuces to make any Salad stand up and Shout SPRING! If you are looking for anything special please just ask and we will do our best to get it for you.

Rose Tips

We have stopped shipping roses for this year but here are a few tips on how to care for your new roses, and older roses.
Downy Mildew occurs in early spring after substantial amounts of rainfall. Downy Mildew is an air-born fungus and the first signs are irregular shaped purple to purple-brown spots on your rose leaves. To help prevent and control Downy Mildew keep your rose beds clean of organic matter. Give your roses good spacing and spray with a fungicide at first signs of mildew.
Black Spot symptoms are circular black spots surrounded by a yellow halo. Spores are spread by rain or irrigation water. Irrigate at the time of day that allows the most rapid leaf drying. Remove all infected leaves that have dropped and dispose of, do not compost them. At first sign of Black Spot begin spraying according to your fungicide label.
Bayer has a product out that covers 3 important systemic products in one for complete rose care.

Tomato and Pepper Tips

Tomato and pepper plants and seeds are the vegetables most purchased by home owners according to a national company. We have a very nice selection of both in stock along with products to help you keep them healthy. These products are not listed as available for shipping from our website so come in to pick them up. If you are not in the area visit your local garden center, if they do not have them send me an email and I'll see about shipping to you.
To keep insects away you can spray with Spinosad, it is safe and can be used up to a couple of days before harvest. Keep snails and slugs at bay with an early application of Sluggo, then again when fruit has set. Can be used up to the day of harvest and is not harmful to pets or children. Our new line of Organic fertilizers has one formulated for vegetables, look for E.B. Stone on our shelves.

Composting Workshop

Free Composting Workshop and Low Cost Bin Sales for unincorporated San Diego County Residents to be presented Saturday March 18th from 10:00 am - 12:oo pm at Moose Creek Nursery.
Register Now by emailing your request to Cindy@solanacenter.org Space is limited.

Coming soon to a community near you. Garden walks - gardens of all sizes and shapes, from perennial gardens to zen gardens to estates all will be opening soon for you to go through. For dates and communities keep reading your blogs, I will post them as soon as I have details.
Mission Hills Garden Club presents Restful Sanctuaries, Gardens of Tranquility
Pt. Loma Garden Club presents Gardens on the Point
San Diego County Orchid Society presents Orchids on Parade

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you ...stop by Mission Hills Nursery and purchase a little pot of Irish Luck.

Spring is in the Air

Mark your calender for the Spring Home Garden Show which opens Friday March 3rd and goes through Sunday March 5th. Our display garden this year will feature 3 decks made of different materials, and beautifully planted containers. We want you to see what you can do without a yard. With all the growth of downtown San Diego, container gardening can be fun.

If you've been in the nursery lately you've surely seen the pots filled with plants which have brightly colored stems, this is Swiss Chard, Brite Lights.
We have this plant in stock along with seeds to start your own, or we can mail you seeds for this striking plant. Weekly our inventory is growing as we head into Spring. I'm seeing very nice selections of Heucheras (pictured above) and Ornamental Grasses (Carex Testacea pictured).

Our houseplant department has been revamped and you will find some very unusual ferns, like the Caterpillar Fern which is pictured above. The stems look like little caterpillars. You also will find Tiger Fern, Rabbit Foot Fern, Maidenhair Fern, and a most unusual Suzi Wong. Suzi Wong is one of Nicole's favorite ferns, and she is doing a wonderful job bringing in a great selection of ferns for you. To view some of the other ferns available click over to one of our suppliers Ades & Gish Nurseries

As I write this we are hearing that rain is on the way so you may want to check your sprinkler systems, turn them off if we get the rains, but remember to turn them back on once the rains are over. New tomato plants will want to be protected if the rains are hard and cold. Established trees, lawns, and shrubs will benefit from Mother Nature's watering, but watch for areas of puddling if your yard doesn't drain correctly and be sure your potted plants aren't setting in trays with collected water for extended periods.

If you've been thinking of rejuvenating your soil now is the time John & Bob's applied with the rains gives you 2 kick starts for the price of one. John & Bob's plus natural rain water = very happy soil.

See you soon in the nurseries "Life's a Garden, Dig It!"

Design Consultations

Not sure what to do with your garden? Do you just need a few "ideas" or everything from soil amendments to plants, irrigation, decks, and walls. We can work with you to design and install your garden, turning your yard into your "paradise"

What you don't have a yard to dig in? Not a problem we also do wonderful container gardens, from flowers for full sun, to shade gardens, vegetables and herbs, fruit trees you can have it all.

For a consultation please email our design team or call 619-295-2808.

Spring Flowers

With the sunny weather we are having in San Diego our nurseries are filling up quickly with wonderful plants and color for your gardens and containers. Coming in this week are Wax Flower "Chamelacium" in a variety of colors. And what better way to say I Love You this Valentine's Day than with a Rose Garden or a blooming Clerodendron (pictured above). With just a few clicks of your mouse you can order your Valentine fresh cut flowers from the grower.

Come in soon to see the changes at both nurseries, new tables for more color, pottery in a wide selection of colors, shapes, and sizes. Bamboo fencing, indoor blooming Azaleas are gorgeous at Mission Hills. Stone fruit trees at both Moose Creek Nursery and Mission Hills Nursery are waiting to be planted in your garden along with Wisterias, Weeping Mulberries, and the stunning beauty Flowering Cherry. If you've seen it in the past in full glory you know you want to get it early as they sell out quickly.

January in the Garden

If you aren't able to get out in your garden this month and enjoy the birds, bring them inside with you. We have Breezy Singers in stock and ready to ship, they will live in all climates.

For those who are lucky enough to be out in your gardens this month here are some areas to be sure and work. Prevent snails by cleaning debris and fallen leaves, don't give them places to hide. Clean and sharpen your tools, bring them into either nursery on Monday and you will usually be able to pick them back up by Friday. Internet Special bring in 4 tools and pay for 3 to be sharpened, must bring this page when tools are brought in, valid during the month of January 2006. Maybe now is the time to buy new ones before you begin to Prune deciduous fruit trees, along with grapes and berries. Plant deciduous fruit trees. Get them in the ground now so they may benefit from the winter rains. Plant in a sunny location in a hole twice as wide as the container it is in but no deeper. Water deeply and twice a week if we don't get rain, or more often if we get hot weather. Dormant Spray your stone fruit trees this month to help prevent insects next spring. Have you always wanted a Rose Garden? In stock we have the Garden Compass Essential Guide to Rose Care, stop by Mission Hills Nursery and watch it then pick one up for yourself.

Moss Baskets

Kristi Palafox will be giving a Moss Basket class for the Master Gardeners of San Diego, sign up before February 28, 2006 on their website.
Learn how to turn different items into containers with the addition of moss, soil, and flowers.

Roses make great gifts

We just received our first load of roses which are in ready to plant pots with a picture on the package so it makes a great gift for the gardeners on your holiday lists.

A SPECIAL OFFER just to our blog readers.
Purchase 4 or more roses plus a pair of Tahoe Rose Gloves or West County Rose Gloves to be shipped to one address and we will include a FREE pair of our "Life's a Garden, Dig It!" gardening gloves.
This offer valid from December 10, 2005 to February 20, 2006. You must email our customer service with your confirmed order number to receive this FREE offer.

Special Note - we will not be shipping the ready to plant pots they are for in-store purchases only but the above offer will be valid just print this page of the blog.

Christmas Trees are IN

We received our first load of Christmas trees from Washington and they look and smell wonderful. Our next load came from Northern California where we picked up Silvertip Christmas trees. What a beautiful area!
Delivery dates are filling up so be sure to schedule yours today.
We have had customers ask about our t-shirts so we are having a special design done up and it should be ready before Christmas. Keep watching and I'll post it as soon as it is done.

Thanksgiving Wishes

It's not too late to send your Thanksgiving Wishes to friends and family, you are just a click away.
From all of us at Mission Hills Nursery and Moose Creek Nursery we send you and yours Best Wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving, and our Thanks for making us who we are.
A new shipment of Thanksgiving Mums will be in the nursery Thursday November 17th, we don't want to hurry Christmas but Poinsettias are also in the nurseries.

We have been receiving calls about how to keep racoons, rabbits, skunks and other creatures out of your gardens, we have just the product. Scarecrow works with water so it won't harm them, just scares them away. This product is in stock now.

Remember....."Life's a Garden, Dig It!"

November in the Garden

What should you be doing in your garden during the month of November? Well first as the days become shorter keep an eye on your watering, you may need to turn your sprinklers back. Shorter days usually mean your soil says moister longer, unless we have Santa Anas.

Watch your rose gardens for powdery mildew and spray if necessary, we still have Citrall but only while our supply lasts then it's over as the manufacturer has stopped production.

How good are freshly grown vegetables? We have a nice selection of winter vegetables in the stores and seeds both in the stores and on-line. Want to extend your season, our Botanical Interest seed line has wonderful choices.

Spring flowering bulbs are still available, freesias, daffodils, hyacinths, and more. Also don't forget to stage your planting of Paperwhites for the holiday tables, and gifts. Amaryllis bulbs are another beautiful holiday bulb to consider and we have the Lemon Lime variety in stock, limited supply so come in quickly. Amaryllis have huge trumpet-like flowers which can be as much as 8" (20 cm.) across. They are noted for their intense colours: vibrant reds and oranges, but they are also available in pastels (pink and peach), as well as white, green, and many bicolour varieties.