One trip to a local Farmer’s Market will give you a taste of how truly delicious tree-ripened fruit can be. Not only is the fruit tree-ripened but often you can sample varieties not usually found in grocery stores. All that flavor and goodness could come from your own backyard with the added benefit of knowing exactly what treatments it may have received.  Growing your own is the best way to get the variety you want, grown organically.

Now is the time to start planning your backyard orchard. The SOFT (special order fruit tree) program includes all the fruit trees that Dave Wilson Nursery (DWN) grows. Normally we have to order bundles of 10 of any single variety but from now until November you can special order any tree on our SOFT list. Your SOFT program trees will arrive bare-root in January. This is also the least expensive way to order fruit trees.

You can pick up a copy of the SOFT list here or click below to download a pdf of the list (also available on our website, yamagamisnursery.com). Descriptions of the varieties and rootstocks can be found on davewilson.com or at the Info Center.  There are quantity discounts for pre-paid SOFT orders, 10% off for orders of 3 trees, 15% off orders of 5 trees, and 20% off orders of 7 or more trees. Here’s one idea – get together with your neighbor to plant trees with different ripening times and share the bounty!

Let the experienced staff at Yamagami’s Nursery help you select the best fruit varieties for your garden. Pick up a copy of our Backyard Orchard Culture Guide (adapted from DWN) for tips on how to maximize the harvest in your garden. We’ve got the information and supplies to help you succeed...the first time.

Click here to download a pdf of the list.

This past dry year has many people remembering drought years of the past. It is normal for this area to go through dry years, and every summer is dry with low humidity. It shouldn’t stop you from planting a glorious garden. Take a look at Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates from East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD) for inspiration. This lavishly illustrated book offers hundreds of plant suggestions for our climate. Hundreds of beautiful photographs show you less thirsty but still gorgeous gardens.

What about your existing garden? How can you save water there? The first answer is to MULCH everything. A 2” to 4” layer of mulch will hold in soil moisture and keep plant roots cooler. You will be able to reduce watering frequency as well as water-thieving weeds. The Original Mulch Block is a clean and convenient way to bring home the mulch. Each 9 lb. block expands to 2 cubic feet of mulch when you add water.  Instead of lugging around dirty wet bags to where the mulch belongs, you can easily carry the blocks to their spot.

Smart watering practices are another way to conserve water yet maintain a beautiful garden. Watering is best done early in the morning. Deep watering combined with a deep mulch means less frequent watering than you might expect. The simple truth is that roots grow in search of water. Deep watering encourages the formation of deep roots. The deeper the roots, the longer the plant can go in between waterings . Deep roots also enable a plant to endure stress. How can you water deeply? One way is to create a basin around a plant so that you can “flood” irrigate. Another way is to use a drip system and run it long enough to get water down a foot deep. A couple of low-tech and easy ways to accomplish deep watering are with soaker hoses or hose end bubblers.

Come in to talk with one of our experienced Nursery Professionals about ways to have a gorgeous garden and still conserve water!

Yamagami’s Nursery is proud to host the Clara B. Rees Iris Society’s Annual Bearded Iris Rhizome Sale on Saturday, August 4th from 10 AM to 2PM. All proceeds benefit the Clara B. Rees Iris Society. Members will be on hand to talk about how to plant, grow, dig and divide these garden jewels. This is your chance to buy some highly sought after, locally grown varieties. Hardly any plants offer so much color and beauty with so little effort year after year.

The Clara B. Rees Society was founded 50 years ago in Willow Glen. Clara B. is known for developing award-winning Snowflurry, a ruffled Iris still popular today. Clara B. and her sister Ruth were mentors to Iris notables Bill Maryott (of Maryott Gardens) and famed Iris hybridizer, Bill Ghio. The Society meets monthly and welcomes anyone interested in Iris. Contact society President Carolyn Craft for membership information at (408) 266-0945.

Don’t miss this chance to acquire some choice Iris for a glorious spring show next year. Yamagami’s Nursery offers all the garden supplies and advice you need to succeed...the first time.

Tomato King, Steve Goto, will be here on Saturday and Sunday, August 25th and 26th with a fresh crop of organically grown tomato plants for your fall garden. When planted by September and grown according to Steve’s recommendations, these tomatoes can be harvested as early as Halloween and certainly for your Thanksgiving Dinner. Most of these are heirloom varieties from places like Siberia where a cool growing season is the norm. Come meet Steve and learn his secrets to success with cool season tomatoes!

Did your lawn develop tufts of dry brown grass with seed heads as soon as it got hot this summer?  Maybe you noticed that last winter you had some lush, narrow bladed light green grass appear like magic. That was  probably annual Bluegrass (Poa annua) which browns out, leaving dead spots in the summer. Once you have it, there is no good way to control it. So what can you do? The answer is an application of Scotts Crabgrass Preventer Plus Lawn Fertilizer NOW.  The best offense is a strong preventative defense. One application now will keep annual bluegrass seeds from sprouting this winter.

Was your lawn mysteriously torn up last fall? Raccoons out on a grub hunt are the most likely culprits. Prevent their marauding midnight raids on your turf by killing the grubs now, while they are vulnerable. An application NOW of Bayer Season Long Grub Control is all it takes to keep the masked bandits from striking again this fall. By the time the raccoons come, it is usually too late to get effective control of the nearly dormant, plumped-up-for-the-winter grubs.

If your lawn looks good and has no history of the above mentioned problems, then an application of Dr. Earth Super Natural is just what the doctor orders. This all organic fertilizer is chock full of beneficial organisms to feed your soil while feeding your turf. A lawn's natural life cycle is to relax a bit in the summer and Super Natural allows it to do just that while keeping it green. It won’t increase your lawn’s water demands or speed up the time between mowings. Your lawn will just cruise in style, green and lush.

For more timely lawn information and answers to your lawn questions, visit our Info Center. Our experienced staff will help you there and help to diagnose any problems you may be having in your lawn and garden. While you are here, sign up for our free Lawn Care Reminder Service. We’ll mail you postcards with timely reminders of lawn care. People who follow our program report having the nicest lawns on their block. We are here to help you succeed...the first time!