Something truly amazing happens when you plant these flat dry corms. Up comes green sword-like foliage, followed by stalks of brilliant tubular blossoms. Another garden miracle! Gladiolas (AKA ‘Glads’) bloom in a huge range of colors and are hummingbird magnets. Because they are so vertical, you can easily tuck Glads in behind low mounding plants, along a fence, or as a narrow border. For wave after wave of blooms, plant every 2 weeks from February into Summer. Some Glads can grow up to 5 feet tall, while others only reach 2 to 3 feet tall. There’s a perfect Glad for every garden!  

In a flower bed, plant a group of at least 10 Glads for a really big show. Plant them in full sun for best blooms. Glads will begin blooming about 75 days from planting, depending on their variety and the weather. Tall growing varieties should be staked. Garden Tip: Glads can be susceptible to thrip infestation. To avoid problems, soak the corms for 2-3 hours just before planting, in a solution of 4 teaspoons of Lysol in 1 gallon of water. 

Yamagami’s Nursery offers many other summer blooming bulbs. Hurry in while selection is good, as we run out of the new varieties quickly. Glads can be planted now, while other choices like Tuberous Begonias and Dahlias prefer March planting. Pick up our FREE Summer Bulb Planting Guide for planting instructions. Let one of our Nursery Professionals help you choose summer miracles for your garden. You’ll be ‘Glad’ you did! 

Another dry winter means that water restrictions of one kind or another are almost inevitable. With all the media furor, everyone has water on the brain. During the last dry period in the early 90’s, Yamagami’s was a center for information on water wise gardening and we are geared up to help our customers again this year. We can help you keep your garden with smart watering practices, careful selection of plant material and making every drop count.  

This might be the year you decide to exchange an old, tired, unused lawn for low-water using groundcovers. Yamagami’s Nursery offers many good plant choices. There is even a rebate program available from the Santa Clara Valley Water District for this project! Click here for details.

Come to Yamagami’s Nursery for advice on how to keep your garden with water-wise ways. We have water on our brains too!

It’s time to start your garden seeds for spring planting. Ideally, you can set out spring seedlings starting in March. Yamagami’s offers high quality Asian seed varieties from Kitazawa’s, European seed varieties from Renee’s Garden Seeds and a broad selection of seeds from Botanical Interest. We offer Botanical Interest seeds here and they can be ordered online from our website. See the link on our website homepage at YamagamisNursery.com. Recently the following article appeared in the Botanical Interest newsletter. We liked it so much we are reprinting it here with their generous permission. 

Seeding 101 

Three reasons to grow plants from seed:

• Witnessing a seed sprout and grow into a plant is a joy and wonder of nature!

• It's less expensive than purchasing plants, especially if you want large numbers.

• Many wonderful seed varieties are not available as plants. 

What do seeds need to succeed? A Comfy Container--Seed starting trays and small packs are available and are fairly inexpensive. Almost any empty container at home can be used--clean milk, yogurt, or margarine containers, egg cartons, etc. Any container used must have drainage holes on the bottom. If you reuse containers, be sure to disinfect them with a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water to destroy any potential seedling pathogens. 

Good soil--For best results, always start your seeds in Gardner & Bloome Seed Starting Mix. It is light and fluffy to prevent compaction and does not have pathogens or pests like garden soil. 

Consistent moisture--Seedlings must be kept moist (but not soggy) at all times. If they dry out just once, they are "toast"! Conversely, you don't want to drown them. Soil that is too saturated is an invitation for fungal problems.  

Air Circulation--Indoors, providing good air circulation (similar to wind fluctuations outside) will help prevent damping off fungus (causes stems to get spindly and fall over) and increase the strength of each seedling's stem. To do this, you can place a small oscillating fan a few feet away from seedlings. 

Temperature--Most seeds will germinate at room temperature, but bottom heat will speed things up. A Hydrofarm Seedling Heat Mat is very helpful for seeds that prefer very warm temperatures (like tomatoes and peppers).  

And most importantly...let there be light! If you are starting seeds indoors, they should be in a sunny south-facing window that gets light most of the day or be under fluorescent light bulbs with 14 to 16 hours of light every day. (You should keep the lights 1-2 inches above the seedlings to prevent them from stretching towards it.) 

When to Plant:

Before you plant seeds or seedlings outside, it is important to know when the average first and last frosts occur. In our area, first frost is around Nov. 23 and last frost around Feb. 19. Why is this important? So you’ll know when it is safe to plant or transplant outdoors. Follow the instructions for when to sow printed on the seed packets. Check the days before maturity (also printed on packet) to be sure you have your timing right. Remember that some plants like TOMATOES and PEPPERS can be sown indoors 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting outside. Sowing them indoors gives them a good head start so you can get the most fruit possible before fall frost.

Sowing indoors: What types of plants should be started indoors?

• Plants that require a long growing season to reach maturity.

• Biennial or perennial flowers that you want to encourage to bloom in first season.

• Plants grown for edible sprouts.  

Also note that seedlings started indoors must be 'hardened off' gradually to allow them to adjust to outdoor weather conditions. Put them outside in a filtered sun/shade location away from harsh winds during the day for just a short time at first. Bring them in at night and gradually increase their time outdoors each day for a week.   

Sowing outdoors: What types of plants should be started outdoors?

• Plants that don't transplant well (weakened by root disturbance)

• Plants that require warm temperatures to sprout and get established

• Root crops (carrots, beets, parsnips, etc.)

Written by Michelle DePaepe of Botanical Interest Seed

Winter Rose Care for Healthy Roses with Lorena Gorsche, Yamagami’s Rose Expert.

Learn about pruning, dormant spraying and year-round care. Lorena emphasizes earth-friendly products and practices.

$20 fee per person, per class, is rebated as a coupon good for merchandise. Space is limited so pre-paid registration is recommended. To pay to reserve your spot, come in or call us at (408) 252-3347 and use a credit card. Walk-ins will be allowed if space is available.  

Sunday, February 8th at 2 PM. 

Backyard Orchard Fruit Trees with Nancy Garrison, local fruit guru. Learn how to maximize harvests in small spaces through planning, planting, pruning and training techniques.

$20 fee per person, per class, is rebated as a coupon good for merchandise. Space is limited so pre-paid registration is recommended. To pay to reserve your spot, come in or call us at (408) 252-3347 and use a credit card. Walk-ins will be allowed if space is available.  

Saturday, February 7th at 10 AM.

FREE Citrus Tasting with Generation Growers. Try before you buy! Come sample some delicious winter citrus fruits and discover new favorites! Free.

Saturday, Feb. 7th, 12 PM to 3 PM.

Talk: Japanese Maples for Silicon Valley Gardens with David Kirby of Monrovia. Learn about the container grown Japanese maples from Monrovia that are best suited to our area. 

SPECIAL OFFER for this class ONLY--The $10 fee will be matched by Monrovia so that it will be rebated as a coupon for $20, good on any Japanese maple from Monrovia (or any other #2 size or larger Monrovia plant). Wow! Such a deal!

Space is limited so pre-paid registration is recommended. To pay to reserve your spot, come in or call us at (408) 252-3347 and use a credit card. Walk-ins will be allowed if space is available.

Saturday, Feb 14th at 1 PM

Japanese Maple Pruning with Alan Tagami, Landscape Consultant.

Learn how to bring out the shape of your tree.

$20 fee per person, per class, is rebated as a coupon good for merchandise. Space is limited so pre-paid registration is recommended. To pay to reserve your spot, come in or call us at (408) 252-3347 and use a credit card. Walk-ins will be allowed if space is available. (Note: The Japanese Maple Pruning class that had been scheduled for 2/28 at 10 AM has been cancelled.) 

Sunday, Feb. 15th at 11 AM or 2 PM,
Saturday, Feb. 28th at 2 PM,
Sunday, March 1st at 11 AM or 2 PM.

Gardening from the Ground Up: The True Dirt on Dirt! with Gisele Schoniger, Organic Gardening expert from Kellogg’s Garden Supply.

Bring life to your soil with amendments, fertilizer and mulches. Your garden will thrive! FOR THIS CLASS ONLY Free delivery of soil kits featured in talks!

$10 fee per person is rebated as a $10 credit for merchandise. Space is limited so pre-paid registration is recommended. To pay to reserve your spot, come in or call us at (408) 252-3347 and use a credit card. Walk-ins will be allowed if space is available.

SAVE THESE  DATES:
Saturday, Feb. 21st, 10 AM to 2 PM
Sunday Feb, 22nd, 11 AM to 2 PM

Fabulous Flowers with Annie Hayes of Annie’s Annuals. Don’t miss this dynamic speaker highlighting her amazing selection of the truly fabulous flowers she offers this year for Bay Area gardens.

For this class ONLY--$10 fee rebated as a coupon good for $10 toward a merchandise purchase.

Space is limited so pre-paid registration is strongly recommended. To pay to reserve your spot, come in or call us at (408) 252-3347 and use a credit card. Walk-ins will be allowed if space is available.

Saturday, Feb. 28th at 10 AM