Soquel Nursery Growers Newsletter

Trachycarpus fortunei

We have some very nice 10-gallon Windmill Palms. This is the
species of palm on the median strip of Morrissey Blvd in Santa
Cruz. The trunks are covered with fiber and the leaves are
fan-shaped. Trachycarpus fortunei is a medium-sized palm,
eventually 30’ x 10’.

The Deal with our Roses

We have our 5-gallon grafted roses planted. They are just starting to leaf and root out. We don’t
recommend planting them now, because the loose potting soil will tear off the delicate new root hairs as it
spills out of the can. Most retailers prefer to wait to purchase roses until they are fully rooted. However,
once we advertise our roses they can sell out very quickly. We do not hold roses on reserve. All sales are
first come, first served. If we have a variety you simply must have, you might want to buy it now and keep it
in the can until it is fully rooted-probably in April.
Visit our Rose Page to see the varieties we are growing this year.

Celebrate Arbor Day March 7

California Arbor Day is March 7th, the birthday of horticulturist Luther Burbank.
Trees improve the quality of our lives in a multitude of ways.
Sing the praises of trees to all your landscaping clients and be sure to plant them everywhere you can.

Tower Light Pink

Aquilegias


		Winky Purple

Our Columbines are coming along nicely. We have selected these varieties for their excellent performance in our climate: disease resistance, attractive foliage and abundant bloom. When
they are blooming we will add photos to our online catalog.

‘Barlow’ series are double and spurless, little pompoms almost like dahlias.
Barlow Christa: Light bluish-purple
Barlow Rose: Soft rosy pink

Aquilegia caerulea: Rocky Mountain Columbine. The state flower of Colorado. Large blue and white flowers with very long spurs. 2’ x 2’.

‘Irish Elegance’: 2” diameter double, white with green tips.

‘Music’ Mix: The classic single columbine shape with elegant spurs. Bright colors with white or gold centers. Blooms later than ‘Origami Mix’. Green leaves. 18”-20” tall.

‘Origami’ Mix: The classic single columbine shape with elegant spurs. Bright bicolors and solids. Blooms earlier than ‘Music Mix’. Grey leaves. 14”-16” tall.

‘Tower’ series are double with spurs.
Tower Light Blue
Tower Light Pink

‘Winky’ Series are compact, mounding plants with bicolored upward-facing flowers. The centers are white.
Winky Blue
Winky Purple
Winky Red
Winky Rose

All Aquilegias like full sun to light shade, regular water and good drainage.

Evergreen Clematis
Clematis armandii is now covered with clusters of fragrant white
stars. The dark glossy green foliage of this vine stays handsome all
year. Its natural tendency is to become bare at the base. Try planting
it below a second story balcony so you can enjoy the flowers where
they normally grow. Or train it into a dead tree, or along the top of a
fence. Clematis armandii will grow vigorously to 20’ or more, but
tolerates heavy pruning. Give it a bit of afternoon shade and mulch it
with organic matter.

Choisya ‘Aztec Pearl’

This elegant shrub is sometimes called Mexican Mock
Orange or Mexican Orange Blossom. The hybrid ‘Aztec
Pearl’ has narrow leaflets arranged in fan shapes, giving
the plant an interesting geometric silhouette. The
showiest blooming period is now, with sporadic flowers
throughout the summer and fall. Choisya ‘Aztec Pearl’ is
deer resistant and requires little maintenance or water.
Use as a low informal hedge or foundation planting in
light shade. Grows to 4’ x 4’.

Time for Snowballs!

Plant our fifteen-gallon Viburnum opulus ‘Sterile’ now to enjoy every minute of their fabulous flower show in
April and May. Specimens this big will give immediate gratification. Snowball Bush is so much fun in the
spring, when you can pluck the fluffy balls of little flowers and fling them everywhere like confetti.
In the summer it settles down to a nice sedate green shrub.
In the fall, enjoy its rich crimson tones. In winter, meditate on its twiggy simplicity.

The photo on the far left was taken
March 1st. Buds are forming. The
fall color photo was taken in
September. When spring busts loose
we'll add a snowball photo.