Just in time for Mother’s Day—Roses and Rhododendrons 20% off!

There is no better way to say Happy Mother’s Day than the gift of a rose. Roses are in bloom at Wegman’s and they make a wonderful gift that will be enjoyed for years to come. Wegman’s has a wide selection of colors and varieties, come and choose one that will compliment the roses you already have in your garden or begin a new tradition! Save 20% on 5 gallon roses that are ready to go into the garden. There is a huge selection of types and colors of roses. Rhodies are on sale too and there are a wide variety of colors still available.

Wegman’s also has orchids, bromeliads, azaleas and other indoor plants and these are just a few ideas for Mom. We have relaxing indoor fountains to create an oasis. Or how about statuary and garden furniture to dress up the perfect garden your special lady? If you can’t decide on the perfect gift Wegman Gift Cards are always just right

Mother’s Day is Sunday and when could be a more opportune time to give an orchid and find that caring for an orchid is not difficult or a chore.

Your first orchid might best be a Cymbidium orchid. The flower on a Cymbidium looks like a miniature Cattleya except the colors are not quite as dramatic. However, the Cymbidium is almost ‘bullet-proof’ as far as its growth requirements and care are concerned. Cymbidiums grow and bloom best in a favorable outdoor environment and are hardy to temperatures as low as 25°F. In our hard frost during the winter of 1990 when temperatures dropped to 18°F, Mr., Ed covered some of his 40 or 50 Cymbidiums with a plastic cover and put the rest on a covered porch. Only two did not survive!

Cymbidiums grow best in a mixture of one half medium fir bark and one half orchid mix. You can fertilize monthly with special orchid fertilizers or sprinkle Osmocote (14-14-14) in the pot once every four months. Water once a week in the winter and probably twice a week in warm weather. Water until it runs out the bottom of the pot.

Another of the most commonly grown ‘indoor orchids’ is the Phalaenopsis. This is the orchid with two to six wide, opposite leaves and a single long flower stalk with numerous blooms. Phalaenopsis is often called a Moth Orchid because the delicate flowers resemble butterflies. These orchids definitely require indoor temperatures but often do not get enough light to bloom regularly. Also, the humidity may get very low in the winter causing the blossoms to drop off. Otherwise, most of the care is the same as for Cymbidiums. They will probably have to be no further than 6 to 12 inches from a window where they get three to four hours of filtered sun.

Speaking of pots--Cymbidiums grow equally will in terra cotta, plastic or wooden containers. They will be happy there for up to tree or four years when they should be put into a larger pot or divided. Cymbidiums bloom best if they get at least 4 or 5 hours of direct sun each day (east facing on the porch is good). Some of Mr. Ed’s 40 plants have gotten full sun all day but that’s too much and the leaves turn yellow and then brown on the edges. If the foliage is a nice glossy dark green, the plant is not getting enough sunlight. The foliage should have a slightly yellowish tinge.

Cymbidiums may be either standards with leaves up to four feet long and bloom generally after Christmas or miniatures with leaves about two feet long and starting to bloom before Christmas. The flowers of miniatures are about tree quarters the size of the standards. Also, in order to bloom properly, Cymbidiums need a night time temperature of 55°F or lower during October or early November, hence raising them outdoors provides the perfect environment here in the Bay Area.

You can bring your Cymbidiums indoors as they come into bloom. The flowers will last longer if the plant stays outdoors but may be more enjoyable indoors. The flowers on the potted orchid will last six or more weeks. If you cut the flowers and bring them indoors, they will last about three weeks.

So, if you want to grow an orchid, a Cymbidium should be your first choice to guarantee success.

Mr. Ed is taking this Sunday off to celebrate Mother’s Day. Join Mr. Ed as he continues his series of informal seminars on Sunday mornings at 10 am in the nursery Sunday, May 17th. Each week features a new hand’s on project and lots of great information!

If you want a mass of color and don’t need long stemmed roses, Floribunda roses will be your choice. Second only to the hybrid tea and grandiflora in popularity, the floribunda is characterized by its profuse ability to bear flowers in large clusters or trusses with more than one bloom in flower at any one time. This class is unrivaled for providing massive colorful, long-lasting garden displays. The distinct advantage of the floribunda is its ability to bloom continually whereas the hybrid tea exhibits a bloom cycle every six to seven weeks. Floribundas as a class are hardier, easier to care for and more reliable in wet weather than their hybrid tea counterparts.

Polyanthas are generally smaller, but sturdy, plants with large clusters of small 1-inch diameter blooms often used for massing, edging and hedges.

Cinco de Mayo shown here is one of the 2009 AARS winners and is available at Wegman’s. Our Rose Gallery (click the link in the sidebar) has pictures of the roses Wegman’s either has in stock or can order. Wegman’s carries over 30 varieties of Floribundas. Come in and walk through our rose garden and remember all 5 gallon roses are 20% off.

Plant your roses where they will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight. Roses prefer slightly acidic soils, best achieved by using acidic soil amendments when planting and mulching yearly. To plant, dig a hole about 2 feet wide and deep and incorporate one-third Nurseryman’s Rose Planting Mix or Gold Rush or Bumper Crop with your native soil, then add Master Nursery Master Start to this soil. Give regular, deep root watering. To fertilize use Master Nursery Rose & Flower Food or Dr. Earth Rose & Flower Fertilizer monthly from February to September to supply nutrients for developing roots and stems.

Eleanor’s VF-11

VF-11 Plant Food will give you that Green Thumb you've been looking for all your life. If you ever start using it, you will never use anything else.
It will never, never burn your plants!! You can't over-do. It’s odorless! It will not stain!! It's environmentally friendly...and non-toxic completely safe around pets and children.

Feed cymbidiums with 30-10-10 Red during the growing season (February thru October). To help initiate flower spike feed cymbidiums with 6-30-30 Blue during the dormant season (September through February). Use 20-20-20 Yellow as a general purpose feed for all cattleyas, vandas and dendrobiums and other orchids year-round. Use 1 teaspoon per gallon of water.