Soquel Nursery Growers
August 2007 Newsletter
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Soquel Nursery Growers 3645 North Main Street Soquel, CA 95073
(831) 475-3533 (800) 552-0802 (831) 475-1608 fax
Saturdays in August
We are open Saturdays through August 25 from 8:00 to 12:00.  This is a great day to do some
leisurely shopping in our beautiful setting.  Come and see us!
Cyclamen

It is hard to believe Fall is already here. Fall and Winter are
Cyclamen time, and some of ours are ready. We have the classic
Sierra series, the miniature Sterling with marbled leaves, and some
Fancy varieties with stripes and fringed petals. You can keep them
alive in the garden if they have dry shade in the summer for their
dormant time.
New Salvia?
Last year a friend named Paula Flynn gave our sales representative Melanie
Hamilton a very unusual, possibly unidentified Salvia. Paula Flynn found it
at a now-defunct nursery whose entire salvia crop except for one volunteer
seedling had been killed in a frost. We grew a trial crop from cuttings from
Paula’s seedling and sold it under the name Salvia ‘Melanie’. We have re-
named it Salvia ‘Paula Flynn’. It has small indigo blue flowers. The leaves
are vibrant medium green, triangular, about 2” long, with a corrugated
texture. The undersides are white and fuzzy. We don’t know the eventual
size or growth habit of this plant. We think it might be a hybrid of Salvia
corrugata and Salvia elegans.  Try it and tell us what you think.
Hierochloe odorata

Sweet Grass, AKA Vanilla Grass, is native to two places:
Ireland and the redwood forests of California. In Ireland it
is quite rare. Its Irish name is Holy Grass. It was strewn on
the floors of churches for its wonderful sweet fragrance.
Native Americans use it for smudging and basketry. You can
make sweetgrass braids, dry them, and burn them as
incense.  Hierochloe is a beautiful addition to your
woodland garden in light shade or sun.  It forms a moplike
clump of bright green leaves 2’-3’ tall and wide with delicate
little seed heads. Give it moderate water and good drainage.  
The fragrance is more apparent when the leaves are dried.
Black Knight
 Miss Oklahoma
 Pink Sunburst
 Pretoria
 Rosemond Cole
 Stadt Feltbach
 Striped Beauty
Cannas

We are experimenting with some varieties of Cannas that are new to us.  You will find them on our availability list as
“Assorted” 1 or 5 gallon.

Black Knight: Dark olive-green leaves with a dark reddish tint. Deep red flowers. 36” tall.

Miss Oklahoma: Medium green leaves. Deep coral-pink flowers. 36” tall.

Pink Sunburst: Yellow and dark green striped leaves with reddish tint. Light pink flowers. 24” tall.

Pretoria: Green and yellow striped leaves. Orange flowers. 72” tall.

Rosemond Cole: Green leaves with lighter green stripes. Orange flowers.  36” tall.

Stadt Feltbach: Green leaves. Orange and yellow flowers. 36” tall.

Striped Beauty: Light green leaves with indistinct stripes. Yellow flowers. 36” tall.

These are the names  that our tuber suppliers used on their labels. We are aware that there might be some
discrepancies in these names. Click on thumbnail photos below to enlarge.
Geum ‘Mango Lassi’

Although this Geum is almost finished blooming for the summer, you will
continue to enjoy its beautiful foliage all year. It forms a neat, compact
16” clump of boldly serrated green leaves. The flowers are double and
softly tinted with pale gold, apricot and orange. Plant it with grasses
such as Deschampsia ‘Northern Lights’ and Festuca idahoensis for an
interesting textural contrast. Geums like full sun, good drainage, and
regular water.  What’s a lassi, you ask? It’s a tropical smoothie drink
made with fruit and yogurt.
Deschampsia ‘Northern Lights’
Festuca idahoensis
Asters

Our crop of Asters is blasting off like rockets this year because of the hot weather. Catch them while
you can! We are growing the Milka series in lavender, light pink, and dark pink. You will find them all
listed together on our availability as “Asters Assorted.” Milka Asters are double and grow to about
24” tall. They do well in containers or in the garden. When in full bloom the plant looks like a big
powder puff.  Plant them in full sun with moderate water.
Helianthus

We are growing four varieties of compact ornamental sunflowers.  Use them for quick summer &
fall color in pots or borders. See them on our availability listing as “Helianthus Assorted.”

Double Dandy: 5” diameter double flowers with branching habit.  Red & yellow. 20” tall.

Incredible: Huge yellow 10” single head flowers. 18” tall.

Pacino Cola: 4” diameter flowers with branching habit. Single yellow with dark center. 12” tall.

Teddy Bear (Sungold): 4” double yellow flowers with branching habit. 24” tall.