Welcome to Sloat Garden Center's blog! We hope you'll check back with us often for daily updates on what's new at Sloat -- from plants to pottery to furniture, if it's at Sloat, you'll read about it here first. Send feedback to sloat(AT)sloatgardens.com
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May 23, 2007 – Happy Gardening this Memorial Day Weekend!
Here's a few snapshots from our stores, just taken this week.
cordyline & phormium
Sedum & other succulents
Easter Cactus
Sansevieria
Summery cosmos!
Purple filled potted plant
Mike & Walter from the Sloat 3rd Avenue store!
Sloat pottery with fountain grass
Sloat statuary with a water plant
Kniphofia
Spiral Aloe! - Just featured in the SF Chronicle
Senecio Mandraliscae and Aloe
Sunflowers
May 24, 2007 – All about Alstromeria
Alstromeria
Alstroemeria, also called Peruvian Lily, Parrot Lily, Parrot Flower, Inca Lily, are perennials grown from tuberous roots. They originate from South America. Once established these plants produce masses of color in borders. They are also a fantastic long-lasting cut flower. The blossoms are borne in clusters at the top of leafy stems and range in colors from white, yellow, salmon, orange, rose pink, and purple with dark flecks and splotches of color.
To enjoy the cut flowers pull up the flowering shoots from the base rather than cutting them. This pulling stimulates more bloom from the mother plant. The leaves are resupinate, which means they twist from the base so what appears to be the upper leaf surface is actually the lower leaf surface.
Give them plenty of room in the bed, they will spread. You can divide them in the fall to control the spread. They can get be upright or sprawly. Alstroemeria like regular water, good drainage and part shade in hot climates.
The whole plant may turn straw-colored before it goes dormant and disappears in the late summer or early fall.
They look lovely paired with Nemesia, violas, myosotis, brunnera, sweet peas and the campanulas with tall flower stalks.
May 24, 2007 – All about Anigozanthos
Anigozanthos
Anigozanthos, grows from short underground horizontal rhizomes. As its common name ‘Kangaroo Paw’ suggests, it is native to southwestern Australia. The proper name comes from the Greek ‘anoigo’ which means to open and ‘anthos’ which means flower and reflects this flower’s inclination to open widely. The flowers form on stalks arising from the main stem (raceme) and range in colors from yellow, chartreuse, orange and red.
They make a good cut flower and attract hummingbirds. Kangaroo Paws like full sun and excellent drainage. They also like regular water but the sap in the root system allows the plants to survive extreme dry spells.
The size and height of the plant and flower stalks varies between species, ranging from one foot wide to three feet wide with stalks that can be even taller. They can bloom from spring to fall if spent flower spikes are cut to the ground.
They look nice contrasted with Coleonema ‘Sunset Gold’, Salvia ‘Moonlight’, Euphorbias, erigeron, aeoniums, coreopsis, and so many more.
May 23, 2007 – This just in!
Sloat Boulevard store (SF) - Hydrangeas have arrived, as well as a nice looking batch of climbing roses, passionflowers and clematis for walls and trellises.
And there are some other exciting plants for coastal San Francisco... Lots of Natives and amazing rock garden plants. Also, tables of butterfly host plants and a terrific selection of trailing plants for baskets and pots. Stop in now for the last shot of terrific local farm grown organic tomatoes in 4" containers and lots of lettuces to choose from!
Third Avenue store (SF) - Lots of new plants are in this week. Here's a list:
• 5 gallon Podocarpus gracilior "Icy Blue" - striking blue gray foliage
• Osteospernum - big splash of color in 6 and 8 inch pots
• Lots of hanging baskets with color; fuchsia, jasmine, petunia, geranium, new Guinea impatiens, bacopa, calibracoa
• Nice Staghorn ferns in hanging baskets and wall mounted baskets
• Clematis -- still stunning!
• Michelia champaca 'alba' - rare relative of the magnolia. Native of the Himalayas produces 2 inch white flowers. This is the same flower used in making Chanel No. 5! 15 gallon cans are in bud now!
May 18, 2007 – Snapshots from our stores -- great for this weekend!
Pretty petunias
Anigozanthos (kangaroo paw)!
Achillea & Penstemon -- butterfly & hummingbird attractors
Lady's Mantle & Lamium
Star Jasmine
Fleabane
Salvia
Plants for your water garden
Catmint & Hebe
Dianthus (attracts beneficials!)
5 gallon rose bushes - this variety is hot cocoa!
Incarvellia with bench
banana plant
May 15, 2007 – Snapshots from our stores this week!
lovely coleus
Dieffenbachia
Anthurium
Verbascum
Geranium Johnson's Blue - Drought resistant and great for the shade
Leucospermum - drought resistant & a great cut flower
Clematis
Looks like dinasour salad. It's Gunnera! Strange as it may sound, we often recommend large, textured plants like Gunnera for small gardens.
May 15, 2007 - Update from our stores!
Danville location: Arbors, trellis, obelisks, plant umbrellas from Sierra Mirage. They produce great iron masterpieces!
Mill Valley (on Blithedale) - Salpiglossis in 4" pots. They are still green but will produce an extravagant flower!
Salpiglossis
May 14, 2007 – Neat gardening poster!
May 8, 2007 – A Mother's Day gift idea she'll love.
Let's face it, finding really great Mother's Day gifts can be a challenge. This year we had an idea...create a Mother's Day package that Mom will love. Select from three lovely blooming plants, each with a special container and a $20 Mother’s Day Gift Card included.
For details click here...
May 8, 2007 - Fall bulb orders are just around the corner!
If there is a particular variety or type of bulb that you would like us to order for you, contact your closest Sloat Garden Center THIS WEEK so that we can place orders.
May 8, 2007 – The poop deck was a success!
Sloat Garden Center donated sod to the Dog Day on the Bay poop deck - an annual fundraiser for the SF SPCA. Check out the happy pups above!
Photo courtesy of
onboard photographer Charlotte Fiorito
May 8, 2007 – In the May/June issue of the Gardener's Notebook we cover rain gardens. Read more about them here at the Rain Garden Network
www.raingardennetwork.com
May 7, 2007 – Melting in the heat...
It's hot out there and your plants may need some relief this week. Consider moving tender container plants into shady areas and definitely check often to see if they need extra water. The best time to water is in the early morning or evening.
May 4, 2007 - Store snapshot: what's in stock for this weekend?
The latest shipment of beautiful roses are at every Sloat Garden Center!
Gorgeous hydrangea!
Gorgeous, deer resistant grasses. Perfect for a windy spot!
Potted up containers!
May 4, 2007 - Update from our stores
Novato location: Lots of great tomato varieties, heirloom tomatoes and basic favorites (cherries, beefstakes, early girl), also lots of interesting peppers, cucumbers, squashes and eggplants!
Danville location: Our hanging fuschia baskets are superb! Also, gorgeous Monrovia hydrangeas are due to arrive on Monday. Great selection of water plants in stock, too!
Sloat Blvd (SF) location: The water and pond plant section is up and running. Stop in and take a look!
May 4, 2007 - Sloat poop deck and the Dog Day on the Bay Brunch Cruise!
Sloat Garden Center will sponsor the SPCA's Dog Day on the Bay fundraiser for the 2nd year in a row. Last year it was a blast and the dogs loved our sod!
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Join the SPCA and Hornblower cruises for a one-of-a-kind nautical adventure. Treat your pooch to a day on the Bay with spectacular views, gourmet cuisine and impeccable service. We've thought of everything—from a bow-wow buffet and protective netting to a Sloat Garden Center sponsored 'poop' deck and doggie entertainment. Dogs are invited to sail free for "Dog Day on the Bay." This event will benefit the homeless dogs and cats at The SF/SPCA.
Boarding at 11:00 a.m.
Sailing from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
For more info, Click HERE
May 4, 2007 - Interesting New York Times article
Feeling Warmth, Subtropical Plants Move North
By Shaila Dewan
Published: May 3, 2007
ATLANTA, May 2 — Like a true belle, this city flounces into bloom when the weather turns, its redbuds, azaleas and forsythia emerging like so much lace on a bodice.
But in recent years, plants that thrive in even warmer weather have begun crashing the ball. At the Habersham Gardens nursery, where well-heeled homeowners choose their spring seedlings, a spiky-leafed, sultry coastal oleander has been thriving in a giant urn.
“We never expected it to come back every year,” said Cheryl Aldrich, the assistant manager, guiding a visitor on a tour of plants that would once have needed coddling to survive here: eucalyptus, angel trumpets, the Froot Loop-hued Miss Huff lantana. “We’ve been able to overwinter plants you didn’t have a prayer with before.”
Forget the jokes about beachfront property. If global warming has any upside, it would seem to be for gardeners, who make up three-quarters of the population and spend $34 billion a year, according to the National Gardening Association. Many experts agree that climate change, which by some estimates has already nudged up large swaths of the country by one or more plant-hardiness zones, has meant a longer growing season and a more robust selection. There are palm trees in Knoxville and subtropical camellias in Pennsylvania.
Continue reading article HERE
May 4, 2007 - Interesting article in the SF Chronicle
Dig around to find ways to cut use of fossil fuels -- starting with mowers
Ron Sullivan and Joe Eaton, Special to The Chronicle
Friday, April 20, 2007
As a gardener, what can you do to reduce your fossil-fuel consumption and minimize your impact on the environment? There are many possibilities - and they don't all require turning your lawn into a vegetable bed.
But you can set a goal to cut your garden's dependence on petroleum, according to Blair Randall, garden education program manager for the Garden for the Environment.
The lawn would be a good place to start.
Continue reading article HERE
May 2, 2007 - A Primer on Roses and their Care
With the latest shipment of 5 gallon roses into all our stores, we realized it was time for a background primer on these beautiful bloomers. Enjoy!
Five basic types of Roses:
Hybrid teas-Flowers are large and shapely, generally produced one to a stem, can range from 2 ft. to 6 ft.
Grandifloras-Sometimes 8-10 ft tall with hybrid tea-type flowers borne singly or in long-stemmed clusters.
Polyanthas- Vigorous, generally low-growing plants, small flowers borne in large sprays.
Floribundas-Developed from hybrid teas and polyanthas, produce quantities of flowers in clusters on vigorous and bushy plants. They provide mass color and work well for informal hedges, low borders and barriers and as container plants.
Climbing roses - Needs lots of room. Spread the canes so they are as horizontal as possible, which will stimulate the production of the vertical flowering branches.
Rose Care
Roses need regular water (a deep soak 2-3 times a week) and a regular fertilizing schedule. Fog does NOT count as watering.
There are several choices for fertilizers; Maxsea can be applied every two weeks, EB Stone Rose & Flower can be applied every two months. You can even apply Sul-Po-Mag when planting with the Rose Grow mix…and don’t forget the SureStart.
Roses should be planted where they receive full sun and plenty of space around them for good air circulation. Mulching will help reduce evaporation and keep the soil cool in the hotter areas.
Watering should always be done in the morning, this will lessen the chance for disease (powdery mildew, rust). Preventive use of Rose Defense before diseases get established will reduce large outbreaks. You can even thin out the center of the bush to promote good air circulation.
PROBLEM-SOLVING
Thrip damage can cause the petals or sepals to be streaked with brown, use the blue Sticky Thrip Traps. Rose curculios will leave holes punched in flowers and canes, and the blossoms may be ragged. Use Tanglefoot, or apply beneficial nematodes.
For more general rose information check out “Growing Roses in the Bay Area” lovingly researched and compiled by the SF Rose Society, ($39.75) and the newest Sunset Western Garden Book.
May 2, 2007 - Update from our Sloat Blvd. location
From Store Manager Kat:
"We have the last crop for spring of some gorgeous, locally grown 6" proteas and kangaroo paws -- these are lovely plants for full sun. windy/dry conditions and poor soil, works great too with the mass of gorgeous blooming 6" lavenders now in stock -- spanish, multifida & goodwin creek. Our store is also receiving 350 orchids this week, from the air cleansing phalaenopsis to outdoor growing orchids like cymbidiums and miltassia to other unique indoor varieties of odontoglossum, laelia, miltonia, etc. We also have blooming roses, hydrangeas and azaleas for mother's day. Also check out the new environmentally friendly wasp and fly control, and animal repellents."
May 2, 2007 - Caladium bicolor
These tropical American native perennials are grown from tubers. They provide amazing foliage color, the leaves are borne on long petioles (leaf stems) that rise directly from the underground tuber. Caladiums get two feet tall and wide. They are striking when displayed in mass, or planted next to ferns or gingers. The leaves can last several days in fresh flower arrangements. They are commonly a houseplant but can be grown outside in containers in deep shade in very warm, protected neighborhoods. A cold night may send them into dormancy. Like wise they should not be placed on a cold floor if the nighttime temperatures drop below 60, this can also cause a premature dormancy. The foliage naturally dies back in the autumn, and should be cut back.
They like to be watered 2-3 times a week and appreciate frequent misting. They like bright, indirect light, never direct sun. Feed lightly through the growing season.
In the fall leave the tubers in the container and withhold water during the winter.
May 2, 2007 - Hakonechloa-Japanese Forest Grass
This perennial grass tolerates full sun in foggy areas but really shines in a shady garden. The gorgeous chartreuse foliage really pops and combines well with the species geraniums in purple, magenta shades, as well as Brunnera, Myosotis, Campanula poscharskyana, Cerinthe major. They make a beautiful cascade over a retaining wall.
These grasses like regular water, will grow 1-3 tall and somewhat wider. They go semi-dormant in the winter, and the foliage sometimes turns pink in cool fall weather.
For our Gardener Rewards program members Hakonechloa is on special this month. Visit our Specials page for pricing.
May 1, 2007 - Fast Forward!
Each month Sloat Garden Center sponsors a different Marin County school garden in the FastForward student newspaper. For May, the newspaper chose Marin Horizon School. Congrats!
