Along a narrow coastal strip from Smith River, California up to Brookings, Oregon, a handful of farms grow 95% of all Easter lily bulbs for the potted plant market. It began with World War I veteran, Louis Houghton, who brought back a suitcase filled with the Lillium longiflorum bulbs to the west coast in 1919 and gave them to family and friends. From its humble beginnings in a suitcase, the Easter lily is now the fourth largest crop in the U.S. potted plant market (behind poinsettias, mums and azaleas).
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Unroot Winter Veggies and Make Way for Tomatoes!

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Bird Havens

In late winter / early spring, a pair of red-tailed hawks begin their annual ritual of romance amongst our towering Eucalyptus trees.
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10 Steps for Rooting Rose Cuttings

The followings steps are what I use to root rose cuttings, but can also be used to root almost any type of plant cutting.
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Seed Starting Tips

Starting seeds indoors is a wonderful way to celebrate spring early even if we are cooped up due to Old Man Winter’s last breath of frost.
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Seed Propagation Supplies

Organic, well-draining potting soil or a soil-less mix for seed-starting. 2-inch diameter peat pots, expandable peat pellets (Jiffy 7’s) or other pots with drainage holes.
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Winter House Plant Care

Just like us, indoor plants need light and mild temperatures to thrive during winter's darker and colder months.
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A Jolly Cocktail for Paperwhites

During the cold, dark months of winter, fragrant Narcissus flowers (paperwhites) bring the beauty of the outdoors, indoors. A common problem, however, is that they often grow too tall and rangy.
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Poinsettia Care

Unlike years past, poinsettias are no longer throw-away plants after the holidays. If watered regularly (remove from the decorative cover pot and allow water to drain out, do not let the plant sit in water) and kept away from heater vents, improved hybrids are now bred to withstand the indoor conditions of heat, low light as well as longevity. To keep it looking bright and healthy, place your poinsettia indoors with bright, indirect light until evening temperatures are in the 60s and all danger of frost has passed (around St. Patrick's Day). At that time, take them outdoors, but acclimate them over a 2-week period, by first placing them in partial shade and gradually moving them to a sunny location. Cut the plant back to 8-inches in late March or early April. Plant in full sun or keep them in their original pots for another year. Water regularly and feed with an organic fertilizer every 2-3 weeks during the growth period. If in June, the plant needs another trim to keep it compact and bushy, prune for shape. Poinsettias are photoperiodic, meaning that they produce colorful flowers (actually bracts) as the autumn nights lengthen and as they receive 14 hours of darkness each night. If in a pot, place in a dark closet for 14 hour and take out for 6-8 hours of bright sunlight every day beginning October 1. Follow this regimen for 8-10 weeks, continue to water and fertilize regularly, and your efforts should be rewarded with colorful blooms for the holidays.

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Winter Thermals for Plants

Keep Jack Frost from nipping at our plants causing damage or worst-case scenario, death. Sometimes just a few extra degrees of protection can provide extra thermal protection for cold-sensitive plants. If plants are in easily-transported containers, move them to more protected spots in the garden or bring indoors where there is bright, indirect light until Old Man Winter departs. For plants in the ground, provide a protective blanket for their roots by adding a 4-6-inch layer of mulch around them out to their driplines (where the tree or shrub canopy extends, leaving a space of two inches directly around its trunk or main stem (excess moisture around the plant's base can lead to rotting or disease problems).

• Antitranspirants such as Cloud Cover or Wilt-Pruf helps reduce the stress of a frosty evening and moisture loss during periods of dry, winter winds.
• Cover smaller plants with cardboard boxes overnight and remove during the warmer daylight hours. You can also drape cotton sheets and canvas tarps on stakes over plants, but don't forget to remove them during the day.
• Plastic sheeting is another option, but don't allow the sheeting to touch the foliage or the leaves may freeze more readily.
• String Christmas lights around plants for a festive approach.
• Horticultural blankets such as Reemay insulate and keep out weeds, but allow light to filter through to the plant.

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It's The Berries for Birds

Encourage birds and help sustain them during the lean winter months by planting trees and shrubs that bear berries, such as the following favorites:
Barberry
Cotoneaster
Crab Apple
Elder
Firethorn
Gumi Plant
Hawthorne
Holly
Honeysuckle
Ivy
Pyracantha

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Planting Bareroot Roses

Select a spot that is in full sun and prepare the holes for the new roses. Dig that hole about 12-inches deep and 24 inches wide. Loosen the soil at the bottom and side with a shovel. Check the drainage by filling the hole with water. If the drainage is adequate, it should take one hour to drain completely. Build a mound in the center of the hole to support the roots. Immediately after bringing your bareroot rose home, soak the roots in lukewarm water for 12-24 hours, If you can't plant your roses within that time frame, leave them in their boxes or packaging for up to a week in a cool, dark place and sprinkle the roots with water every few days. Set the rose on top of the center mound, spread the roots and make sure the crown is at ground level or slightly higher in warm winter climates. Where winters are cold, plant the crown a bit lower into the ground. Fill the hole with 2/3 backfill soil mixed with compost or peat moss. Water in, then add more amended soil as needed. Tamp down gently and water well.

John Bagnasco's Organic Rose Formula
1 Cup organic rose food
2 Cups worm castings
1 Tbsp chelated iron
1 Tbsp Humic acid


Mix above ingredients and add to soil around each established rose bush. Use half this amount for new roses or miniatures. Water in the dry ingredients.
Apply a pre-emergent such as Green Light Amaze before applying the mulch.

Repeat in June and September for quality blooms through the entire growing season.

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Christmas Amaryllis

Although marketed in the winter months as Amaryllis, these plants with the spectacular clusters of trumpet-shaped blooms really belong to the genus Hippeastrum from South America. The bulbs have been forced to bloom at winter, but their natural bloom season is spring. Once the blossoms have been spent, cut the flowering stems off so that more energy will return to the bulb. Take outdoors in full sun and continue to water and fertilize until the strap-shaped leaves have yellowed and died back. Do not water during the late summer/early fall months. The bulbs can be re-planted in a pot with well-draining potting soil or planted directly in the ground. Make sure the bulbs' upper 1/3 is above the soil and begin watering again in late fall or early winter. They should return to their natural bloom cycle in spring. Feed during the growing season with an organic fertilizer formulated for bulbs.

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Camellia Care

Camellia flower buds form during late autumn-early winter. Fertilize with an acid food AFTER the flowers are spent because during bud and bloom cycles, camellia plants are dormant. If buds fail to open or fall off prematurely and brown blotches appear on the flower petals, it could be a soil-borne fungal disease known as Camellia petal blight. Break the cycle by removing all the infected buds and fallen flowers around the plant and apply a 2-3 layer of mulch. If the blight persists, use a fungicide such as Bayer Advanced Disease Control to control the disease.

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Keep Snails & Slugs Away

Keep snails and slugs away by using an iron phosphate control. It is completely safe to use around children and small pets and degrades into an organic fertilizer for the plants. Another safe remedy is to apply copper tape around trunks of trees and shrubs or around pots. It gives an electrical shock to these slime-makers when they try to cross the copper barrier.