Sloat Garden -

Welcome to Sloat Garden Center's blog! We hope you'll check back with us often for 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@sloatgardens.com

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September 27, 2007 -- Pictures from our stores.

Our nurseries are stocked for the weekend... get out in the garden and enjoy!!

We have lots of great succulents.

Verbena anyone?

Pansies & violas

Fall is the season for mums!

Rosemary, safe, thyme and oregano in a cute basket. We fell in love with this herb basket...what a great gift idea that's also perfect for your kitchen.

Now this is a grand potted plant!

Oooh... indoor foliage!

Beautiful Princess Plant!

September 27 , 2007 -- Bulbs!

All Sloat locations are truly packed with every spring flowering bulb you can think of. Plan ahead now and enjoy!!

September 19 , 2007 --- SLOAT DAFFODIL EXCLUSIVES!

Sure it's still September, but why not plan for spring now with these exclusive daffodil bulbs that we brought in from our growers in Holland -- you really won't find them anywhere else.

What's your favorite?

Chapelet & Delnashaugh

Girlpower & Innovator

Tricollet & Trilune

Wave 2 & White Medal Lans

September 19, 2007 - Photos from our stores!

Bright zinnia!

Many succulents to choose from

Mum season has arrived

Hibiscus & tall pottery

Lamium: our plant pick for November

Indoor color: bromeliads!

Pretty pansies

Pretty pansies in a bowl

September 13 , 2007 - Thinking about mums and other fall flowers

The kids are back in school and the cooler months are here. The plant material changes too. Pansies, violas, snapdragons, stock, nemesia, just to mention a few, all become top notch in the Fall. Most of these plants (especially pansies and violas) make great bulb cover.

Garden Mums (Chrysanthemum morifolium) are the crop that really signifies the season's change. The form and color range of garden mums gets better and better every year. This plant is a hardy perennial that will bloom throughout the fall, year after year. Different varieties and colors of Mums become available at Sloat every week and so you may not want to buy all you need at one time. The most important tip to growing the best mums? Be sure to pinch the plants back one or two times in the spring. This promotes a bushier plant with many more blooms. Though they are perennial, mums are a quick fix for fall color!

September 13 , 2007 -- Ch-Ch-Changes …The Fall Feeding Schedule for Plants!

Here's a guide to fall feeding -- enjoy!

* Fall is the time of year to switch from the high nitrogen orchid fertilizers to the bloom formula for cymbidiums.

* Bloom fertilizers (0-10-10) can also be applied starting now to the following cool season and spring blooming plants like azaleas, camellias, rhododendrons, and hydrangeas. If you are trying to keep blue blossoms blue you should also apply Aluminum Sulfate to the soil around the drip line, in spring it will be too late.

* Phosphorus (the second element listed on the fertilizer package) not only stimulates root growth, blooming and seed production but also promotes winter-hardiness.

* Potassium (the third element listed on the fertilizer package) imparts vigor and disease resistance, so the bloom fertilizers basically strengthen a plant’s immune system going into winter.

* When the soil temperatures drop some plants can’t take up the iron they need and their leaves can turn yellow. Those plants are good candidates for foliar feeding with Maxsea to keep them green.

* Rose Care--September 15 is absolutely the last time to apply a liquid nitrogen fertilizer to roses. Fertilizing any later may lead to excessive new growth that will become badly diseased when the rains start up in October. Since organic fertilizers typically take 4-6 weeks to break down and be available to the rose bush, organic fertilizers should be avoided until next February. In the Bay Area the ‘Indian Summer’ of September and October are often the warmest months of the year so regular watering should still continue until the rains start in earnest.

* Old petals and yellow leaves that drop should be picked off /raked up. The yellowing of the leaves is a normal, natural process at this time of year. The old leaves must go straight into the garbage (or green compost bin in SF) and NOT in the compost pile in the back yard. The back yard pile will not produce high enough temperatures to destroy disease spores. Rose growers should also stop dead-heading and pruning their roses. A rose bush’s ‘goal’ is to produce seeds (rose hips). Once the hips start to swell, germination has taken place and seeds are starting to develop. Roses will be stronger and healthier if they rest all winter. In fact some of us even cut off all the rose leaves in December. Cutting the leaves off instead of ripping them off will prevent damaging the bark where the new dormant bud eyes are located. Removing the leaves will also make it easier to apply dormant spray, which will help control over-wintering disease spores and insect eggs. Look for our Rose Pruning seminars in January and February.

September 7 , 2007 - Pictures from the stores!

more custom planters are ready for the weekend!

Ascelpia

Tropical garden display...we love those banana plants

The pottery color for September: Avocado!

Lovely hanging fuchsia

Dianthus in a row

It's mum season!

soothing...

also soothing....ah.

September 6 , 2007 - Growing up Green & Adopt a Garden

With school starting up, our programs to support Bay Area schools are about to head into full swing!

The Adopt a Garden project offers two schools per semester the opportunity to receive a grant to either start a school garden, revive an existing garden or support ongoing gardening efforts.

For application information visit us:HERE or send us an EMAIL.
Application deadline is September 15th, 2007

Growing Up Green helps generate funds for your school or group. The fall 2007 Growing up Green weeks are:

September 21 to 30
November 2 to 11

For additional information on Growing up Green and to sign up your school, visit us HERE or send us an EMAIL

September 1 , 2007 - Store updates!

Mill Valley (Miller Avenue) location: We have hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Cherie' patio trees with brilliant orange flowers that have red centers, Salvia Splendens 'Dancing Flames' is wildly variegated with yellow, Malvaviscus arboreus, Talinum paniculatum (jewels of opar), Feijoa sellowiana patio trees, Philodendron selloum with its massive cut leaves, Mimulus aurantiacus (sticky monkey flower), Impatiens oliverii 'central coast rose', Acuba Mr. Goldstrike to spice up that shady nook and last but certainly not least, a joyful array of custom planters. Get them while they last!

San Bruno location:We have one of our largest selections of Annie's Annuals -- it's a great time to purchase some for those last minute Labor Day weekend additions. Also, it's butterfly time, so fill in those empty spots in the garden with butterfly attracting plants and enjoy the show.

September 1 , 2007 - Pictures from our stores! Have a great holiday weekend!

Snapdragons