Real Is Better!

Don't Forget To Attend Our Free Seminar

 on 

Christmas Tree Selection & Care!

All Star Nursery Locations.

10am & 2pm

Winter Is Coming...

All Star Nursery Locations

We're Gonna VEGE Out With VEGEnation!

Wondering What To Plant When?

Thinking of A Fall Veggie Garden? It's Seed Starting Time!

For more information on cool weather vegetable gardening, check out Star Note #200.

Three More Weeks Until School? Or Three More Weeks Of Fun?

Join us this Saturday, Aug 13th!

We'll be recycling a milk Jug into a handy watering can!

Please Bring Your Own Milk Jug.

Register Here!

The Simplest Way To Save Water. We Promise.

Here in the desert southwest we all know that we need to conserve as much water as we can. We follow the watering schedules, we convert to a xeriscape yard and install drip emitters.

 Still so many of us are missing the water saving boat by not doing this one simple trick.

When Summer Makes You Sad...

Summer Garden Makeover!

Are Your Plants Suffering From This Common Summer Problem?

You're watering your plants more because it's hot outside. 

It seems like the logical thing to do in the summer, but your plants are responding by turning yellow!

What gives???

Palms = Oasis

Palms have long been a favorite of desert gardeners, commercial enterprises and homeowners. They make striking accents and give a tropical look to desert and traditional landscapes. Some varieties are planted as single specimens, some in accent clumps and others make excellent potted subjects for yard or patio. The following paragraphs cover when and how to plant palms, how to maintain them and which ones have proven track records in our climate.

Celebrate National Pollinators Week

                                       PLANTS THAT ATTRACT

BUTTERFLIES AND BIRDS 

Add airborne color & life to your yard

Butterflies and birds provide a source of enjoyment and education for many of us.  Here are some of the plants, usually found in this area, that attract them.

Butterflies

Common	Botanical
Abelia	Abelia grandiflora
Aster	Callistephus chinensis
Autumn Sage	Salvia greggi
Black Eyed Susan	Rudbeckia hirta
Blanket Flower	Gaillardia grandiflora
Borage	Borago officianalis
Bridal Wreath	Spiraea vanhouttei
Butterfly Bush	Buddleia davidii
Chaste Tree	Vitex agnus-castus
Columbine	Aquilegia hybrids
Coreopsis	Coreopsis grandiflora hybrids
Cosmos	Cosmos hybrids
Delphinium	Delphinium x belladona
Desert Lilac	Erysimum linarifolium
Dianthus	Dianthus chinensis
Garden Penstemon	Penstemon hybrids
Honeysuckle	Lonicera japonica
Lavender (all)	Lavendula varieties
Lilac (all)	Syringa varieties
Oregon Grape	Mahonia aquifolium
Sea Thrift	Armeria maritima
Shasta Daisy	Chrysanthemum maximum
Stonecrop Sedum	Sedum telephium
Yarrow	Achillea varieties
Zinnia	Zinnia elegans

---

Birds

Common	Botanical
Arizona Cypress	Cupressus arizonica
Boysenberry	Rubus ursinus
Cactus, Prickly Pear	Opuntia species
Coreopsis	Coreopsis grandiflora hybrids
Indian Hawthorn	Rhaphiolepis varieties
Joshua Tree	Yucca brevifolia
Mesquite	Prosopis hybrids
Oregon Grape	Mahonia aquifolium
Pine	Pinus species
Russian Olive	Elaeagnus angustifolia
Southern Live Oak	Quercus virginiana & hybrids
Sumac	Rhus lancea
Sunflower	Helianthus

---

Hummingbirds

Common	Botanical
Abelia	Abelia grandiflora & hybrids
Bird of Paradise, Red	Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Bird of Paradise, Yellow	Caesalpinia gilliesii
Bush Morning Glory	Convolvulus cneorum
Butterfly Bush	Buddleia davidii
Cape Honeysuckle	Tecomaria capensis
Columbine	Aquilegia hybrids
Cotoneaster	Cotoneaster varieties
Delphinium	Delphinium x belladona
Desert Willow	Chilopsis species & hybrids
Dianthus	Dianthus varieties
False Spirea	Astilbe x arendsii
Flowering Quince	Chaenomeles japonica
Garden Penstemon	Penstemon hybrids
Geranium	Pelargonium varieties
Hollyhock	Alcea rosea
Honeysuckle	Lonicera japonica
Iris (all)	Iris varieties & hybrids
Lavender (all)	Lavendula species
Lilac (all)	Syringa varieties & hybrids
Redbud	Cercis varieties & hybrids
Salvia (Sage-all)	Salvia species & hybrids
Silk Tree (Mimosa)	Albizia julibrissin
Strawberry Bush/Tree	Arbutus unedo
Sunrose	Helianthemum varieties
Texas Ranger Sage (all)	Leucophyllum species & hybrids
Trumpet Vine	Campsis radicans & hybrids

The Most Common Desert Gardening Question

How much should I water my shrubs and trees?

The answer may surprise you!

Can Your Landscape Take The Heat?

A Place To Reflect

We can't think of a better way to celebrate this Memorial Day than by taking time to reflect upon and remember our nation's heroes.

Seminars Just In Time For Summer

We've Invited Chef John McKibben of Grape Street To Our House!

Mojave Desert - Native Spring

The Mojave Desert can seem like a barren wasteland.

Blooms For Days!

How Is Mom's Garden Looking These Days?

Save The Date for our Next Culinary Experience!

Dear Earth, We Love You.

In the spirit of celebration, we've rounded up a list of ways you can honor this place we call home. Feel free to try one or all of them.

The Upgrade Your Lawn Is Drooling Over

We all know that upgrading to HE (High Efficiency) appliances in our homes saves water, energy and best of all, MONEY.

So why not opt for an upgrade in your yard?

Plant Some Green, Save Some Green

Worms for Food for Thought

Looking for an inexpensive and natural vegetable fertilizer? Looking to put down that roto-tiller and pick up a margarita instead? 

It's Wabbit Season - Critter Control for your Garden

There's nothing like slicing up your first home grown tomato for a sandwich on a lovely spring afternoon.

The rewarding feeling.

The sense of accomplishment.

The juiciness.

Thing is, you're only able to have those good feelings if you're able to actually harvest your veggies before the neighborhood critters do.

Want to Grow Tomatoes in Your Small Space?

Bring Life to Your Garden

Springtime in the desert is usually brought to life with the blooming of the Texas Mountain Laurel, in purple and the Cassias (Sennas) in bright yellow. These two plants are among the first bloomers and a sure sign that spring has arrived! The Texas Mountain Laurel can be grown as a large shrub or a small tree. It is an evergreen plant, with bright glossy green leaves. The clusters of purple flowers that appear, have a distinct aroma of grape kool-aid or grape bubble gum. The Cassias (or Sennas as known to some) include the Green Cassia, Feathery Cassia and Sickle Leaf Cassia. These desert shrubs are hardy to 15°F-20°F depending on the variety. The bright yellow blooms are quite showy. Not to be out done, a couple of trees will also be blooming early. The Flowering Plum, a small tree, will be decorated with pink flowers right before the purple leaves emerge. The Flowering Pears (Aristocrat, Bradford, and Chanticleer) are the ornamental type, not bearing fruit, will be covered in white flowers.

Fruit trees are also prolific bloomers. Different varieties will have different flowers. Some are simple and delicate looking, where others are full and vividly colorful. There will be the whites of apple trees, pale pinks of apricots, and the darker pinks of some of the peaches. Redbud Trees (Eastern, Mexican, and Western) will be showing their delicate magenta blooms too. They will flower before leaves appear. Gaining in popularity, these trees prefer some afternoon shade in our climate, best planted with north or east exposure.

A few other plants that will be amongst the first to show off will be the Valentine Bush, in bright red tubular flowers, and the Bush Morning Glory, a mounding silvery-gray leaved bush that will be covered in white flowers. The Creeping Rosemary will be adding hints of blue with its flowers. Don’t forget the Gopher Plant, with its spiky gray-green foliage and yellow clusters of flowers. The Indian Hawthorns (Pink Lady, Pinkie, and White) will display their colors usually through mid-May. The deciduous lilacs, spiraea and forsythia exhibit their colors about the same time, but may vary by climate zone. Varieties of lavender push up their purple spikes early and last all season. As it starts to warm up a little more, and the days get a little longer, the wildflowers will start popping. These will include the Parry’s Penstemon (pink), Firecracker Penstemon (Red), Globe Mallow (peachy-salmon), and the Desert Marigold (yellow). A few more plants that will be blooming soon: lavender, irises, sages, cacti, ocotillos, Palo Verde trees, plus many more. All of this early spring color is an added benefit of living the desert!

Valentine's Gift Guide For Him

RSVP Now For An Evening With Honey Salt's Chef Robert Camacho!

Star Nursery’s very own Culinary Experience… Learn more about growing your own edible garden and how to cook with them. We’ll have a Meet and Greet with our very own Dr. Q! He’ll share his wealth of knowledge on how to properly grow your own vegetables and herbs. A local chef will host a cooking demonstration with samplings to enjoy. 

Star Nursery’s Culinary Experience
Thursday, February 18th at 6pm

Must RSVP at www.starnursery.com by Friday, February 5th – Space is limited!

Valentine's Day For Your Green Thumb Sweetie

Are You As Excited As We Are?

An Evening With Chef Robert Camacho Of Honey Salt! RSVP Now!

Star Nursery’s very own Culinary Experience… Learn more about growing your own edible garden and how to cook with them. We’ll have a Meet and Greet with our very own Dr. Q! He’ll share his wealth of knowledge on how to properly grow your own vegetables and herbs. A local chef will host a cooking demonstration with samplings to enjoy. 

Star Nursery’s Culinary Experience
Thursday, February 18th at 6pm

Must RSVP at www.starnursery.com by Friday, February 5th – Space is limited!

Planning Your Spring Garden Already? This Should Help!

Hooray! We Have A New Website!

Looking for Ways to Save $$$?

It's Time to Prune Your Fruit Trees!

If you have fruit trees but haven't had much success with them, you may be just 

a few steps away from the most rewarding season yet.

It's time to get outside on a Sunday morning armed with

 a couple of good tools and a good strong cup of coffee.

Pruning is often avoided because of the labor commitment and the intimidation of making the wrong cut, but it's a key component of boosting your personal fruit factory's production.

A good pair of bypass pruners can usually do the trick for younger trees as long as you're pruning limbs that are an inch in diameter or less.

Look to remove limbs that are crossing other limbs that can cause friction and damage to the branches you want to keep.

Make sure not to remove more than 25% of the branches in one pruning season.

Once you've successfully pruned your trees, you'll want to spray them with a Horticultural Oil to kill any overwintering insects or their eggs.

It's best to use a tank sprayer to get the best coverage. Mix the oil into the sprayer according to the directions and coat the limbs, trunk, base and surrounding ground of the tree.

If you're worried about fungus you can do the same thing with a liquid Fungicide.

Taking these precautionary steps during the dormant season is a small price to pay for the extra fruit that you're bound to see come spring and summer.

Don't miss out on our Free Star Seminar of Fruit Tree Pruning and Care this Saturday at 10am and 2pm at All Star Nursery Locations

Also, see our Star Note on Fruit Tree Selection, Planting and Care.

Wake Up Those Roses With This "Star Potion"

Your Living Room Doesn't Know It's Winter

Making a resolution to get healthier? Well don't forget to add cleaning up the air in your home to your get-healthy checklist.

Houseplants are a great way to add some peace and tranquility, not to mention personality and style, to your living space. You can find a plant for just about every corner of every room.

Take this Mother in Law's Tongue that you see above. There are many different leaf variations of this species. They are low light loving and drought tolerant making them one of the most fool-proof plants to buy. Not to mention the dramatic spires that this prolific multiplier send out, could really be used to make a bold statement in your room.

If the more traditional houseplants aren't really your style, 

then consider the vast world of succulents and cacti.

Most people don't realize that these can be grown indoors with direct sunlight and are really great for adding a unique twist. With so many options to choose from, it's hard to pick just one. 

Don't worry though, these plants with their contrasting colors and leaf shapes, actually look better when they are paired with multiple varieties.

For more ideas and information check out the houseplant and cacti/succulent section at your nearest Star Nursery!