Sansho, (Xanthoxylon piperatum) also known as Japanese Pepper has just arrived! This aromatic citrus relative is prized in Japanese cooking. The leaves are used as both a vegetable and as a garnish, while the pretty pink seed coating is used a a spice. The plant has glossy green leaves and is a deciduous large shrub/small tree. Add this one to your kitchen garden.

Grace Olson has been at Yamagami’s for almost five years. She came to us after several years' experience at Sunnyvale Nursery where she gained familiarity with gardening in the Santa Clara Valley. Raised on a farm in Michigan (Upper Peninsula), Gracie has a passion for growing vegetables. She has been the driving force for the inclusion of all the “black” tomatoes in our selection. During the spring she can be found organizing and stocking the vegetables and herbs. Her newest passion is learning about and testing various cucumber varieties, so look for our selection to improve over the next few years.

In her free time Gracie is an avid gardener of edibles who shares the bounty of her harvests with the rest of the staff. She loves the great outdoors, wine and beer tasting and has a special passion for hunting and killing snails.  Come in to talk veggies with Gracie anytime.  Right now she wants everyone to start thinking about planting their fall gardens - and don’t forget about planting fava beans to recharge your soil when you rip out your tomatoes!

Shocked by your water bills? Sign-up to receive a FREE Water-Wise House Call from the Santa Clara Valley Water District and learn how to save on your water bill. Trained technicians will check your faucets and irrigation and even give you a personalized irrigation schedule. Previous participants on average have lowered their water use by 30 gallons a day making for some hefty savings! But saving water and money aren’t the only winnings.

Everyone who signs up at Yamagami’s Nursery, before September 1, for a FREE Water-Wise House Call from the Santa Clara Valley Water District will also be entered to win a one hundred dollar gift certificate to Yamagami’s Nursery! That’s right, two lucky customers will each win a $100 gift certificate just in time for fall planting! All residents of Santa Clara Valley are eligible for the Water-Wise House Call and the drawing. Entry forms must be filled out in the nursery - sorry, not online. Enter today and win.

Come to Yamagami’s Nursery this summer for some great classes. They are all free and are the perfect opportunity to learn from the experts.

Saturday, August 12 at 10 AM

Free Garden Talk: Mulching: The Very Best Thing You Can Do for Your Summer Garden” with Kerri Kemp of Kellogg's
Kerri will show and discuss various mulches and how to use them.

Saturday, August 12 at 4 PM

Watering 101 with Ron Kanemoto, CCN Pro
Mystified by how to water your landscape? Ron discusses how to water your lawn and garden effectively while practicing water conservation.

Sunday, August 13 at 11 AM and Sunday, August 27 at 11 AM

Free Garden Class: Landscaping 101, How to Design your Landscape for Fall Planting with Alan Tagami, Garden Consultant
Alan shares his considerable expertise in practical garden design.

Saturday, August 19 at 2 PM and Sunday, August 20 at 1 PM

Summer Care for Japanese Maples with Alan Tagami, Landscape Consultant
Maples a little crispy? Learn what to expect and how to minimize the stress of summer heat. FREE

Saturday, August 19 at 10 AM, Tuesday, August 22 at 10 AM

Free Gardening Talk: "How to Get Your Roses through the Summer Heat" with Lorena Gorsche, Yamagami’s Rose Buyer.
Lorena discusses pruning, watering, and fertilizing to keep your roses healthy and happy.

Saturday, August 26 10AM to 3 PM

Heirloom Tomato Tasting hosted by Cynthia Sandberg of Love Apple Farm.
Come sample a rainbow of locally grown tomatoes (which will also be for sale) and vote for your favorite. The top vote getters may get added to our tomato plant offerings next year.

By Tamara Galbraith

Summer's in full swing, and your previously glorious flowers are starting to look a little ragged around the edges.

Many plants will benefit - and even rebloom - after a mid-summer session of "deadheading," that is, removing spent flowers and/or stems to promote new growth.

Here's a quick guide of deadheading techniques for different types of flowers:

Pinch off individual dead flowers on: balloonflower, bellflower, daylily, delphinium, foxglove, hibiscus, hollyhock. (Also included: some irises that will rebloom in the fall, depending on the variety.)

Do an overall snip of dead blooms (about 2" below the flower) on: blanketflower, columbines, globe thistle, goldenrod, geranium, Jacob's ladder, salvia, coreopsis/tickseed.

Cut the entire spent flower stem off to either a sideshoot or to the plant's base on: baby's breath, bleeding heart, cardinal flower, catmint, coral bells, foamflower, gaura, Jupiter's beard, lavender, lupine, mullein, painted daisy, pincushion flower, coneflower, Shasta daisy, speedwell, spiderwort, Stoke's aster.

(Listening to The Grateful Dead while deadheading is, of course, optional.)