Volume 37, Issue #3
The Moana Nursery Newsletter is a free publication offered to our customers.
May/June 2004 Steve Packer, Editor
1100 W. Moana Ln. 11301 So. Virginia St.
Reno, NV 89509 Reno, NV 89511
775-825-0600 775-853-1319
www.moananursery.com
Greenhouse & The Florist
IN THIS ISSUE
Garden Tips for May/June
2004 Saturday Seminar
Schedule
Annual Pumpkin
Growing Contest
Mother's Day - May 9
Order Your Flowers Early
Water Plants
Winners of March Drawing
NewsLetter and Tree Land
Gardening Tips for May/June
INSTALL LANDSCAPE PLANTS — All evergreens, perennials, roses, shrubs, trees, and
vines can go into the ground now.
PLANT SUMMER BULBS — When the soil warms up, plant cannas, dahlias, gladiolus, and
tuberous begonias.
DIVIDE SPRING BULBS — After the leaves turn brown, dig up crowded clumps of daffodils,
tulips, and other spring bulbs and gently pull the bulbs apart. Before replanting, till 2
inches of compost and a handful of complete fertilizer into the soil.
FERTILIZE — After bloom, feed spring-flowering shrubs and start a monthly fertilizing
program for long-blooming annuals, perennials, and container plants. Fertilize bluegrass
lawns by midmonth. Feed roses this month, then once a month through mid-August.
SUPPORT PERENNIALS — When tall perennials such as aster, delphinium, peony, and
Shasta daisy reach about 8 to 12 inches high, stake plants or place hoop supports over
them.
FEED LAWNS — Apply Scotts Super Turf Builder; apply every 4-6 weeks during the
growing season.
PRUNE — Finish pruning roses and prune spring-flowering shrubs such as forsythia,
quince, and lilacs after bloom. Remove dead, diseased or injured branches.
DEADHEAD & PINCH BACK annuals to keep them blooming and compact.
KEEP tomatoes evenly moist during summer heat. Fluctuations in soil moisture can
result in blossom end rot.
MOANA PLANT PREVIEWS
Golden Chain Tree
As the name indicates, this late spring flowering tree produces yellow, pendulous flowers
6" to 10" long. When in flower, this tree is stunning. It grows 12’ to 30’ tall and gets 9’ to 12’
wide and does well in most soil types. This small tree displays nicely in front of a backdrop
of evergreen trees and performs very well around the Lake Tahoe area.
Doublefile Viburnum
The doublefile viburnum is a large flowering shrub that is easy to grow. It grows 8-10’ tall
with a spread of about 6-7’wide. Creamy-white flowers bloom in flat clusters in late spring
and are followed by bright red berries in fall (which the birds love). The flowers “sit above”
the foliage creating a layered effect. This plant’s horizontal branching and wide-spreading
growth habit provide an interesting landscape form. The leaves turn reddish-purple in fall.
Flowering Spirea
Spireas are tough, easy-to-grow plants that are not too fussy about soil. As long as they get
full sun and ample moisture they do wonderfully. There are many types of spirea, some that
bloom in early to late spring and some that bloom mid-summer on. Listed below are some
of the smaller varieties that are very popular with our customers:
Anthony Waterer: Carmine pink flowers, 3’-5’tall.
Gold Flame: Red flowers, 2’-3’ tall.
Little Princess: Rose pink flowers, 3’ tall.
Shirobanen: Red buds open to bicolor blossoms in white and deep pink, 2’-3’ tall.
Snowmound: White flowers, 2’-3’ tall.
TRUST US TO KNOW
Keeping with our tradition of life-long learning, Moana Nursey is pleased to announce its
most recent graduates of the Cooperative Extension’s Nursery Training Course—a
comprehensive 8-week course. Congratulations to the following teammates:
Sarah Batchelor
John Beck
Marcus Blakely
Bruce Gescheider
Pedro Guajardo
Alex Johnson
Earlier this year six of our teammates attended the Scotts Training Institute in Marysville,
Ohio, where they received intensive instruction in lawn and garden care using Scott’s
garden products. Look for these employees to give you expert lawn advice:
Lisa Braginton
Marnie Brennan
Pat Earle
Sean Pheneger
And congratulations to Lisa Braginton (General Manager of our Moana lane store) who has
recently become a certified Arborist through the International Society of Arboriculture
(ISA). Moana Nursery is very proud of her. She joins Pat Earle and Chad Morris as Moana’s
third certified arborist.
MOANA NURSERY’S INFORMATION CENTERS
Our Information Centers provide valuable gardening information with an expanded
customer self-service counter equipped with reference books, TV monitor with VHS tapes
on various subjects such as watering garden & lawn care and a computer with internet
access and interactive CD’s. Fact sheets are available on a variety of topics and the most
common Pest, Weed and Disease of the Month are highlighted on our bulletin boards.
Moana’s Plant Doctors, Steve Packer and Ron Gustafson, man the Information Centers on
Saturday. Tuesday thru Friday they spend much of their time making at-your-site
consultations at customers’ homes. When our plant doctors are not in, a number of other
trained teammates are available to assist you with pest, disease and weed diagnosis and
give horticulture advice. Remember that it’s always best to come in to our store for this
kind of information – it’s difficult to consult, advise or diagnose over the phone.
AND THE WINNERS ARE...
In March we had a free shrub
promotion and drawing. Each
store had three winners.
Congratulations to the following:
Jorge Marquez and
Nanette Roenigk
each won a one hour
At-Your-Site Consultation.
Sandra McGuirk and
Kathleen Stanton
each won a
15-gallon Moana grown tree.
Ethel Martinson and
Ric White
each won a
$50 floral arrangement.
Saturday Seminars
for 2004
Our seminars are FREE and conducted by our
friendly and knowledgeable staff and local garden
experts. Seminars are held at the Moana Lane
location at 10:00 AM. It is recommended that you
sign up for the seminars as space is limited.
May 1
Vegetable Gardening
May 15
Container Gardens -
The Ultimate Home
Fashion Accessory!
June 5
Perennials in the Garden
June 19
Water Garden Basics
July
To Be Announced
August 21
Ornamental Grasses
September 25
Orchids at Home
October 2
Putting Your Garden to
Bed for the Winter
ANNUAL PUMPKIN GROWING CONTEST – IT’S TIME TO START
Sign-up for Moana’s Annual Pumpkin Growing Contest at either location or where you can
purchase your own varieties. Pumpkins will be judged in mid-October during our Fall
Festival. More details will be announced in upcoming newsletters.
DON’T FORGET!
MOTHERS DAY — MAY 9TH
How would you like to surprise your
mom and bring a smile to her face?
We’ll tell you how.... The Florist at
Moana is a member of Teleflora, a
nationwide network of florists.
Through Teleflora we can send
flowers anywhere in the United
States and around the world.
Sending a fresh arrangement to
your mom is as easy as picking up
the phone and calling 775/825-
0671. We’ll ask you a few simple
questions and take care of the rest.
What could be less stressful than
that? The perfect gift, right on time!
Bonnie Munro
Shannon Swim
Shila Young
Ron Phillips
Judy Rocha
Volume 37, Issue #3 May/June 2004
1100 West Moana Lane
Reno, Nevada 89509
Prsrt Std
U.S. Postage
PAID
Reno, NV
Permit #861
From The Greenhouse
at Moana
COUPON
20% OFF
ONE 5 GALLON
MOANA GROWN
SHRUB
1100 W. Moana Lane
11301 S. Virginia
Not Valid on discounted
or sale items.
Offer expires June 11, 2004
COUPON
10% OFF
ANY POTTERY
PURCHASE OF $100
OR MORE
1100 W. Moana Lane
11301 S. Virginia
Not Valid on discounted
or sale items.
Offer expires May 21, 2004
POND PLANTS
Make a splash in your water garden this year by choosing
plants that are visually intriguing as well as functional;
consider both the ornamental qualities and practical value
of each plant. A good combination will oxygenate the water,
compete with algae to keep the water clear, and take up
nitrogen to balance the pond’s ecosystem. Before buying
pond plants develop a plan. The number of plants needed
will be limited by the size of your pond or container. The
general rule is that plants should cover no more than 2/3 of
the water’s surface. It is important not to overcrowd your
water garden. Good air circulation is needed to allow plants
to flourish disease free. Plan on the small plants you start out
with quickly growing and requiring more space.
There are four categories of pond plants. Be sure to include
plants from each category.
Floating Plants — float freely on the surface and roots
dangle in the water; they can be placed in all areas of the
pond. They grow quickly and require periodic thinning. By
shading the water with their leaves, they reduce the amount
of light needed for algae to grow. Examples include Water
Hyacinth, Water Lettuce, Azola and Parrot’s Feather.
Surface Plants — have their roots in soil and leaves on
long stems that float on the water’s surface. By blocking
sunlight, they also inhibit the growth of algae. Water Lilies
are surface plants. Tropical or hardy, they are easily grown
and make great plants for the average pond or container
water garden. One thing to remember with Water Lilies is
that they like calm water. Never place them near splashing
or moving water. Other surface plants include Lotus, Water
Hawthorne, Variegated Four-leaf Water Clover and Yellow
Floating Heart.
Submerged or Oxygenating Plants – have leaves that
remain underwater, rarely protruding above the surface. They
may root in soil or float freely. These plants are important in
maintaining the quality of the water in the pond. They
produce oxygen for use by both plants and fish. By utilizing
nitrogen produced from decaying plant material and fish
waste products, they deprive algae of nutrients. Being fast
growers, they will need thinning in smaller ponds.
Submerged plants include Hornwort, Cabomba, Anacharis
and Jungle Vall.
Marginal or Bog Plants — prefer their roots and lower
parts submerged. They may be planted in the shallow areas
of a pond or in very moist soil at the edge. In the pond, they
compete with algae for available nitrogen. Black Taro, with
its large burgundy to black heart shaped leaves, contrasts
well with the tall sword-like foliage of Sweet Flag or
variegated Sweet Flag. Other interesting marginal plants
include Zebra, Corkscrew and Horsetail Rush, aquatic Canna,
purple or pink Pickerel Rush, variegated Water Celery,
Cardinal Flower and Dwarf Cattail.
The nice thing about water plants is that virtually no digging
is required. Just plop them in the water at the right depth. It
is that easy. Our plant varieties change from week to week
so visit us often to see what’s new.
FREE POTTING
What a deal! Our Kellogg Garden Product Representative
Mike McLain will be at the Moana Lane location on Saturday,
May 22nd and at the South Virginia Store on Sunday, May 23rd
— 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM — to plant customized containers
and offer his plant expertise. You buy the pot and plants and
he will do the work! Using premium Gardener and Bloome
Potting Soil and Dr. Earth Fertilizer, Mike will create a piece
of living art for you.
BUG WATCH
As the warm weather arrives so does the insect population, in the
millions or so it seems. Keep in mind that bugs will always be in
our yards and gardens. While we can never eradicate all of them,
we can keep them at manageable levels that will allow our yard
and garden plants to bloom, produce and look beautiful. To kick
off this season’s bug watch, we offer this APB on the area’s most
common insect villain — THE APHID.
Aphids are soft-bodied with long slender mouth parts adapted
for piercing stems, leaves and other soft plant tissues. Almost
every plant has one or two species of aphid that will attack it.
Aphids will be found in green, yellow, black, gray or red tones
depending on the plant species they attack. Some aphids will
secrete a waxy or wooly material that covers their bodies. All are
pear-shaped with long legs and antennae. Most will have a pair
of tube-like structures projecting backward, out of the abdomen,
which I like to call ‘dual exhausts’. No other insect has these
structures. Most aphids will be wingless but a fair number of
species do bear wings in the spring and fall.
Most aphids excrete large quantities of honeydew, a sticky, sweet
substance. Excessive honeydew can be a nuisance when it drips
from trees onto cars, patios and walkways.
Ants are attracted to this sweet honeydew and will feed on it;
they also tend to herd aphids from plant to plant and protect
them from natural enemies.
Because aphids produce many generations in a single year, they
can be considered our area’s number one insect pest. When
populations are low or moderate the damage is usually slight,
especially on larger plants and trees. When populations reach a
high level; curling, yellowing, leaf distortion, and stunting may
occur. Some species may inject a toxin into plants, which can
cause distortion or gall formations.
The first course of treatment we suggest is biological control —
introduction of insects that feed on aphids. Ladybugs can be
introduced in the area where the aphids are feeding. These 'good
guy’ ladybugs can eat hundreds of aphids. We suggest lightly
spraying water over the area where the aphids are feeding then
releasing the ladybugs just before sunset.
If an infestation is causing severe damage to the plant, a fast
acting chemical control by contact or systemic insecticides can
be used. Treatment will need to be repeated when using contact
insecticides since they do not kill the eggs. Our knowledgeable
teammates can recommend the right formulation for your
particular situation.
SPRING/SUMMER
HOURS
Both Locations:
Mon. - Sat. 8 AM - 6 PM
Sunday 9AM - 5 PM
EDITOR’S NOTE:
We need your help. If we’ve misspelled your name or your address is
incorrect or you’re getting more than one newsletter, please cut the
mailing label off your newsletter and send it (with corrections) to:
Steve Packer, Moana Nursery
11301 South Virginia, Reno, NV 89511
Or email to customerservice@moananursery.com
Thank you for helping us to serve you better.
Thursday, June 24th
An Evening of Roses and Wine
to Benefit the Wilbur May Arboretum
Check our website for further details.
SAVE THE DATE!
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