Cool Pittosporum ‘Marjorie Channon’ is a variegated cream and light green shrub that makes a perfect 6 to 8 foot hedge, especially against a dark wall or fence. Pittosporum ‘Cream de Mint’ only grows to about 3 feet tall, has larger leaves of cream and mint green, and is ideal for low hedges or borders. Both are easy to grow and low maintenance.

Coprosma ‘Rainbow Surprise’ is a lovely, glossy evergreen shrub that changes colors. It has cool emerald green and cream leaves with a touch of pink in the warm season, then heats up to olive green with magenta and red in the winter – Surprise!

Warm colors and structural interest can be found in the various spiky Phormiums (New Zealand Flax). Colors include burgundy red, pink, yellow and bronze. Consider Phormium ‘Maori Chief’ with red, cream and olive stripes on 5 to 6 feet tall blades. All of the Phormiums are sun-loving and tough. Cordyline Festival Grass grows to about 3 feet tall in an explosion of wine red foliage. It is graceful and gorgeous mixed into greens and blossoms of surrounding plants. Pennisetum Red Fountain Grass grows in a clump 3 to 4 feet tall with tall rosy blooms waving above its maroon foliage, very dramatic!

There are many other colorful choices to be found at any given time at Yamagami’s Nursery. Mix them together for a riot of color or use them selectively for color punctuation. Let our experienced staff guide you to the best foliage color choices for your garden style. We also offer free planting guides and all the supplies you’ll need. We are here to help you succeed…the first time!

Keep Your Dirt Where It Belongs!"

Gardening in the summer is sweaty and dirty and fun. Unlike winter though, you are rarely covered up head to toe in clothing, which means you (not your clothes) end up covered with soil and more. Rather than bringing in that dirt, consider an outdoor shower!

The Claber Shower from Gardenlife hooks up to your garden hose, is lightweight and easy to set up. It has its own tripod base, is made of rust-proof aluminum and is adjustable to 80” tall. It is also perfect for poolside or Jacuzzi side use. Clean up your act with an outdoor shower and leave the dirt where it belongs!

Lawns are put to the test this time of year. Any weakness in water coverage, soil nutrition, or weed control shows up in the heat of summer. Now is the time to recheck your sprinkler system. Plugged or broken heads need to be fixed or replaced. Brown patterned circles in your lawn generally indicate a sprinkler head has been plugged by a grain of sand or has become a victim of a vicious lawn mower attack. Pick up a copy of our FREE Lawn Watering Guide by the Santa Clara Valley Water District. On the back we have added instructions for diagnosing brown spots in your lawn if watering is not the problem.

The irrigation system in flowerbeds should also be inspected. Many times we plant in front of a sprinkler. This is not a problem when the plant is small, but can result in disaster for other plants in the bed as the new guy grows and blocks the water for the others. Make the necessary adjustment and watch your plants flourish.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District wants to help you save water. If you live in Santa Clara County, call 1 (800) 548-1882 to sign up for a FREE Water-Wise House Call. A trained technician will come to your home to evaluate your water use indoors and out. They will check your irrigation system and even provide a personalized irrigation schedule if appropriate.

Save your lawn and garden, water, and money with help from Yamagami's Nursery and the Santa Clara Valley Water District.

Let's face it, while yellowjackets are buzzing around you, working in your garden or watering your lawn is not easy and barbecuing is a real challenge. Yellowjackets could be searching for food or trying to protect their nest. Swatting at them only provokes a strong defense (stinging) so don’t. Don’t squish one either, as the dying wasp releases a pheromone that attracts others of its kind.

There are several ways to protect your garden visitors from yellowjackets. The most natural way is by prevention. Wasps are attracted to food sources by smell, so eliminating any type of food such as soda or protein, will keep these critters away. This is not practical though in your backyard entertainment areas.

The easiest way to keep yellowjackets from invading your barbecues is by using Rescue! Yellowjacket Traps which use pheromones to attract them. Yellowjackets are attracted to the trap, enter it and get stuck. We recommend placing a few strategically in the outer areas of your garden (away from entertaining areas) for best results. You might want to suggest to your neighbors that they do the same. If you can locate their nest, spray it with Maxide Hornet, Wasp and Yellowjacket Killer, as long as it is not near any vegetables or herbs. Note that spraying does put you in danger of being stung, so follow directions carefully.

Let the experienced staff at Yamagami’s Nursery help you enjoy your own backyard with more than just beautiful plantings this summer!