Welcome everyone to the first issue of the Village Nurseries newsletter. We thank you all for signing up and are very excited about all the information this newsletter will offer.

Our goal is for you, our valued customer to use the newsletter as a tool to answer many of your gardening questions. As we at Village Nurseries celebrate the company's 30th anniversary this year, we look to you and say thanks for helping us become one of the premier growers in the Western U.S.

Even though winter has been holding on well into the early spring weeks we still have an excellent selection of material including spring bedding plants, Proven Winner perennials, tropicals, roses, and all of the common landscape trees and shrubs we're known for.

This is the time to plant warm-season annuals (single season blooming plants) and perennials (multi-season blooming plants) outdoors either by seeds or transplants. If you weren't able to take advantage of fall planting, fill all beds and pots with warm-season flowers now.

Continue to feed container-grown flowers with liquid fertilizer for growth and bloom.

For shady or filtered light areas, choose from Coleus, Impatiens, Begonias, and Lobelia. There are many other varieties available, visit your local Village Nurseries location for a complete selection.

Chris Nielsen is the man with the answers when it comes to gardening and landscaping. When there is a tough question about a pest or disease he is the one that Huntington Beach customers and staff use as their resource. Chris has extensive knowledge and 17 years in the industry and is an Advanced California Certified Nursery Person. Chris has been with Village for almost 4 years and is a great asset to the Landscape Center.

If you haven't yet, start planting summer vegetables now. The sooner you plant, the sooner you'll have a harvest.

A wide range of crops can be put in now - vegetables like Artichokes, Carrots, Corn, Green beans, Cucumbers, Melons, Peppers, Radishes, Tomatoes, Zucchini and a multitude of others. Visit your local Village Nurseries location for a complete selection. If you don’t find the specific variety you like, just ask one of our helpful associates and we will make every effort to special order it for you.

Provide adequate light; plant vegetables in full sun. Without it they'll succumb to disease and fail to flower, and you won't get a crop. Lay out your vegetable garden to make the best use of sunlight. A good rule of thumb is: plant tall crops to the north and short crops to the south, and arrange your rows from north to south so the sun goes from side to side across them. If you really want to grow vegetables but do not get full sun, try lettuce, potatoes, asparagus, and herbs. Tomatoes will bear a crop with just four or five hours of midday sun in a warm, sheltered location, especially if it also provides reflected heat.

Aphids are to ants what cows are to humans. Ants actually protect and herd aphids for the honeydew nectar they secrete. Ants use their antennae to stroke the aphids, thereby activating the secretion cycle. Thusly, ant control should be part of the preventative cycle regarding aphid infestation. Get rid of the ants and it is much easier to get rid of their herds!
We recommend Bayer Power Force Multi Insect Granules.

Aphids can be brought under control culturally if the infestation is moderate. Often a thorough hosing of the afflicted plants will wash aphids away. This method is effective when used on a regular or daily basis.


Biological controls include lady bugs and praying mantis colonies. Organic solutions include insecticidal soaps or pyrethrums. Another combination ingredient might be a 3-1 fertilizer, fungus control and systemic insecticide. Biological controls are your best option on edible crops.

Should you have a severe infestation on larger shrubs or trees, Bayer Tree and Shrub Insect Control will provide 12 month control when used as directed. This product is not for use on edible crops.

Snails and slugs are also very active in the early Spring months. In most cases, both are easily controlled with bait products like Sluggo from Monterey. Its natural formulation remains effective after rain or watering and is safe to use around pets. For the more exotic approach, there is a biological control for the common brown snail by utilizing a distant cousin, the Decollate snail. The Decollate snail species is carnivorous and will feast on the common brown snail. Should they run out of the snail entrée, they become herbaceous and eat trimming and waste.

Most gardeners have stocked up their garages with all sorts of products to save their plants from natural enemies like hungry insects and overpowering weeds. What many gardeners don't know is this: even more important than defending against enemies is to see that plants get what they need for photosynthesis, especially water. Watering is an art, because under-watering causes water deficiency and over-watering can cause roots to rot.

This problem is one that is easily kept in check with only a few simple steps:

Follow Mother Nature's lead — if you have a desert plant, the soil it lives in may not need watering for days at a time. If the plant is in a fairly moist climate in the wilderness, it will need to be watered more frequently. Avoid being too generous, because the leading cause of plant death is not insects or diseases but simple over-watering.

Get your hands dirty — test the soil with your finger, starting at the top for a moist-climate plant and pushing further in for a plant from a more arid climate. For most plants, feel about an inch below the surface of the soil. If the soil is moist to the touch but does not wet your finger, the water amount is correct.

Get a can that works — watering cans are especially vital in the care of indoor plants. The best watering can to use is one with a long neck. This is especially important if you have a plant that generates a lot of foliage. The best water to use is tepid water — not too warm or too cool.

Use good soil — sandy soil will let the water rush away, while clay-burdened soil will hold water too long, causing root rot. We recommend using soil amendments such as Kelloggs Amend, for clay-burdened soil, and Kelloggs Patio Plus for sandy soil.

Keep your weeds in check — frequent weeding will reduce competition among plants for the moisture in the soil.

Ready your plants for the daytime — water in the morning, to fortify your plants against the hot sun. Using mulch is another good defense. Mulch will keep the soil from taking too much sun and evaporating all the water, as well as helping to keep weeds down.