Wholesale Nursery News

It is hard to believe we are already in the month of May. There is certainly no doubt to the saying, time flies when you are busy (or is it having fun?). Here in the Southwest, May is typically the tail end of the spring season. It is the month to make one final push before it gets too hot and all the retail customers retreat into their air-conditioned homes for the summer. Many would be surprised to know the northern and eastern regions of the country just started thawing out a couple weeks ago… their spring has just started apparently.

Spiraea has traditionally been the plant to promote for the month of May and this year is no exception. Currently, 5g Anthony Waterer, Goldflame and Little Princess are looking the best out of the 6 varieties we produce. Plants are full and if they are not in bloom now, they will be by the time you read this. Spiraea sales dropped considerably during the recession… customers were unable to move volume even at cost. The market was flooded w/ Spiraea, plain and simple. We adjusted our production numbers accordingly and now our crops are much more manageable. Spiraeas are a relatively quick crop and if you plan your production right, you can minimize the time the crops are sitting on the ground and offer customers fresh plants at the time they need it… a win win for everyone. While overall, there are not as many Spiraea available, there does not seem to be any risk of the 1g crops selling out. Considering the rate plants have been selling this year, we recommend stocking up quickly before all the 5g crops have sold through entirely.

Hedge material has been in short supply these past years… it’s as though no one can grow them fast enough. There are some customers taking 15g material with a height of only 30″ tall. It’s just one of those years I guess… they’d rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them. Japanese Privet aka Glossy Privet is a fast growing evergreen hedge that takes the heat and can handle temperatures as low as 0° F. Our 5 and 15g crops are very nice and in good supply.

Speaking of Privet, we are currently sitting on a small batch of 5g Wax Leaf Privet Spirals… yes, Spiral Privets in 5g. The local growers will likely be all over these so any IGC that is interested should get an order in quickly as we predict these will not be available for long.

After the Christmas season, the availability on 5g Rosemary is rather bleak. Traditionally, the first crops of the year are ready by April/May. That was most certainly the case this year. Our crops were borderline ready last month, but they have filled in nicely over April and are now retail ready. Both 1 and 5g Trailing Rosemary available while Tuscan Blue is available in 5g only.

Pom Pom Junipers have always sold well for us. The open free form shape can add character to any landscape. The fact they are Junipers is all the better… low maintenance, cold hardy, heat tolerant, bulletproof in essence. The Sea Green Pom Poms seem to be in good supply most of the time. The Old Gold Pom Poms however, are relatively new to our availability. They are currently sporting a nice gold flush that contrasts well with the mature green foliage.

It seems that many of you are not familiar with our native Yucca whipplei aka Our Lord’s Candle. In mid-spring, one could hike through the native chaparral here in San Diego and find scores of 16 ft. inflorescences sporting hundreds of white flowers. A coastal plant on the whole, but should do fine in desert areas with supplemental irrigation and a bit of afternoon shade. It is worth noting in recent years, it was discovered that this plant is more closely related to the genus Hesperaloe than Yucca which sparked the renaming from Yucca whipplei to Hesperoyucca whipplei.

That is going to do it for this month. We hope you all finish strong this spring. Let us know if we can be of assistance… Cheers!