Moana Nursery is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year.

Do you remember Moana Nursery in the good ol' days?

We welcome stories, photos and any memorabilia that you may have of Moana Nursery in the early years. Please share with us, and help us put together a collage of Moana Nursery over the years. Rewards will be given based on entry.

We have many celebrations planned in the upcoming months. Stay tuned!

We will keep you posted.

Anyone Can Have a Garden; Anyone Can Be a Gardener

What's an annual, a perennial, a biennial? What about pH? Soil structure, deciduous vs. evergreen, how do I prune, why do I prune?

With the stressful lives we lead, sharing the joys of gardening has become even more important to us. Whether planting a tree as a memorial or just relieving daily stresses by getting in touch with nature - a little dirt under the fingernails can be very healing.

There's always something new to learn and share (comments, requests, and garden ideas are welcome)!

So you want to have a garden? The most basic beginning should be to understand how plants grow; we will go into more detail with each category in future articles. For now the basics to remember are that plants need:
Proper light - sun or shade
Food - is supplementing fertilizer necessary?
Water - how much depends on your soil and the plant type

Plant selection is important. Try to find out the name of the flower or plant that you like - or look for it in your local nursery. Once you know the name of a plant, you can find out just about anything about it that you need to know. Pay attention to the three needs above and you'll be well on your way to a successful garden.

So try planting something - get started! Try something a close neighbor is growing that you like - it will be likely to do well in your yard, too. Those of you who claim to have a "black thumb" - how do you know it won't grow, if you don't plant it?

Getting to Know Garden Terms:

Annual: a plant that completes its life cycle in one season (one year or less) - it grows, blooms, makes seeds, then dies. (ex: Marigold)

Perennial: a non-woody plant that grows for more than 2 years. (ex: Shasta daisy, Agapanthus)

Biennial: a plant that completes its life cycle in 2 years. It grows the first year, goes dormant in winter, and then blooms the next year. (ex: Foxglove)

pH: a measure of the acidity and alkalinity of the soil using a scale from 1 to 14, where 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acid and greater than 7 is alkaline. Distilled water is neutral (with a pH of 7), lemon juice is very acid (with a pH of 2.6) and baking soda is very alkaline (with a pH of 8.5).

Roses must be pruned every year to maintain vigorous growth and to keep them flowering well. The best time to prune is while they are dormant.

Steps in pruning your roses:

• Think about each cut before you make it. All cuts should be at an angle and just above a bud that is facing away from the center of the bush.
• Remove dead branches and canes.
• Remove old canes that produce only twiggy growth. If your bush is old and has only these old canes, save three or four and cut those back to 3 feet.
• The height to cut your canes back depends on the type of flowers you want. If you want the long stems for cutting, cut your canes back to 3 feet. If you want profuse flowers, but you're not concerned about stem length, cut the canes back one third.
• Remove all branches that are thinner than a pencil.
• Pull off all remaining leaves, rake up all debris, and put it in the trash. Do not use this for your compost pile, as there may be overwintering insects and/or diseases.
• Spray the pruned bush with dormant oil spray.

• Gently remove snow from plants. Branches will break if they get too weighted down.
• Plant heather, jasmine and other winter flowering shrubs now.
• Plant your garlic now! Poke 4" deep holes in the ground with the end of a rake and drop the garlic clove into the hole.

• Feed the birds.
  • Birds depend on us to supplement their diets in colder months when the ground is frozen and natural food is scarce.
  • Finch and sparrows enjoy small seeds like millet.
  • Bruised apples and pears are a favorite of the thrush and redwing.
  • Robins and wrens are especially fond of grated cheese and chopped nuts.
  • Remember not to put food on the ground late in the day. If it is not eaten, it may attract rats, raccoons or mice.
  • Birds need to drink water and bathe even in the winter.
  • Never put antifreeze in the water of the bird bath.

All Seminars are on Saturday at 10 AM at the Moana Lane store.

Jan. 27th – Landscape for Small Spaces
Tips on how to make your landscape work for your small space.

Feb. 3 – New to Nevada
Tips for High Desert gardening.

Feb. 10th – Birds of the Truckee Meadows
Find out what kinds of birds visit our yards, and what you can do to attract and feed them.

Feb. 24th – Landscape Design and Water Conservation
How to make your yard more environmentally friendly.