It’s time to order your fruit trees for the coming year. Yamagami’s Nursery offers two ways to order your trees. For the more confident gardener, bare-root trees are an excellent choice. They cost less but need immediate attention when they arrive. Our paper-potted trees, on the other hand, are easier to handle. They can be planted in the ground directly in their biodegradable pots or kept above ground for several months. You can decide which better suits your life and gardening situation. 

The bare-root trees are ordered through our SOFT (Special Order Fruit Trees) Program. The cut-off date for ordering these trees is November 11th. Three big advantages to ordering bare-root trees are that you can choose from dozens of varieties not usually offered, you can choose root-stocks for special circumstances (like oak-root fungus), and they cost much less!  The drawbacks are that you will need to root prune them (mostly cut off damaged roots) and plant them immediately. Somehow it always seems to rain the week they arrive so we recommend you prepare your planting holes in advance and cover them (and their backfill) with a plastic tarp.  This way, when the trees arrive it is easy to get them planted in nice dry soil. Do NOT plant in soggy soil because you end up tamping down all the air spaces from the soil making it difficult for roots to grow.  

The paper-potted trees include the most popular varieties as well as our picks for this area.  There are several trees that are NOT available bare-root, including all the multi-graft trees and espaliers. Every year we adjust our paper-potted selection in response to customer requests, to include new varieties, and after attending taste tests. We also choose rootstocks that adapt well to our clay soil. In other words, we try to make to easy for you and take out your guess work. 

We offer a catalog for our paper-potted trees and a price list for the SOFT program.  We also offer a FREE Backyard Orchard Culture Guide with recommendations for ways to maximize your harvest in small spaces. All three are available on our website, YamagamisNursery.com and here at the nursery. The nursery pros at Yamagami’s are happy to make suggestions too. We want you to succeed…the first time! 

Saturday, October 18th at 2 p.m. - Nancy Garrison, former UC Coop Extension Officer and current head of the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers, will talk on “Fruit Trees for the Santa Clara Valley.” Her talk is FREE. As part of our Diamond Anniversary Celebration, you will be able to take 60% off any ONE fruit tree pre-ordered that day.  Don’t miss out!

Fall is the best time to plant low-water use plants. Their roots get established over the cool season so the plants are well prepared to weather the upcoming Summer heat. Many California Native Plants are good low-water use plants, but they are not the only good choices. Plants from areas with similar climate patterns like Australia, New Zealand and the Mediterranean countries have much to offer too.  What is important is that the plants come from areas with little Summer rain. Some low-water use plants will not need or want any Summer watering once they are established.  

A Water-Wise garden does not mean a cactus garden! There are lots of beautiful trees, shrubs, groundcovers and perennials for an attractive water wise garden. Many even offer lovely flowers. Californian, Australian and Mediterranean native plants have another benefit in that many of them are also less desirable to deer. We do recommend using Deer Scram when first planting to discourage deer grazing in the first place. Newly planted plants are lusher from having been watered regularly at the grower. Once they develop tougher foliage from lower water use, they will be much less appealing. Note: Low-water using plants will need to be watered after planting and during dry periods in the Spring. It will take 1 to 2 years before they are established and truly low-water users. 

Come to Yamagami’s Nursery for many good water-wise garden choices. Whether you are overhauling your entire landscape, adding new planting areas or just converting some of your thirsty lawn to a lower water-use area, this is the time to plant! 

Saturday November 1st at 10 a.m., Mike Craib, plantsmith from Suncrest Nursery, will show and tell his picks for a Water-Wise California Garden top to bottom. The fee of $20 is returned as a coupon good for $20 worth of merchandise. Prepaid registration is recommended, as space is limited.

The big event came off with only one hitch. The winning pumpkin, Tatiana, was too big for our scale, which had a weight limit of 500 lbs. That’s right, Tatiana had to be weighed at our kind neighbor (2 blocks down), Granite Rock. She weighed in at a whopping 825 lbs! She was grown by Nedra Lettunich of Los Gatos. Nedra was inspired by Stuart Shim’s Giant Pumpkin Growing Seminar here, particularly when he said that one year his pumpkin only weighed 85 lbs. She figured she could do that, and she sure did! 

Tatiana is the largest of the four pumpkins Nedra grew in her pumpkin patch.  Neighbors and passers-by stopped to gawk at her majestic pumpkin patch. Nedra hosted pumpkin viewing parties and gave tours.  

In our next newsletter we will feature pictures of all nine entries. All but one were larger than our own Mighty Mabel who weighed in at 75 lbs. Next to the other entries she became Mini-Mabel. Congratulations to all the growers!

While a mass display of red, red tulips or bright golden daffodils is stunning, it does mean a big blast of color over a relatively short amount of time. By planting a variety of bulbs in layers then covering them with blooming annuals, you can have a succession of bulbs blooming in a constant sea of color! It’s easy to do and it works well in containers too.   

Instead of digging individual holes for each bulb, you can dig trenches or a bed to a depth of 6” to 8”. In containers that means adding Gardner & Bloome Potting Soil to about 10” from the top of the pot. Apply Dr. Earth Bulb Fertilizer (important to be at root level) then place your larger bulbs about 10” apart. Mark the placement of the larger bulbs with chopsticks or twigs. Add a couple inches of soil then repeat fertilizer application and place smaller bulbs in between the larger bulbs. You can even repeat this for a third layer if you use very small bulbs, but even just 2 layers make a big difference in impact. 

In areas where you want bulbs to naturalize, a good combination would be Daffodils at the deepest layer, Dutch Iris or Specie Tulips at the next layer and Grape Hyacinth at the third layer. Where naturalizing is not an issue, you have many choices. Come choose your bulbs now while selection is still good! 

Finish off your planting with a top cover of blooming Pansies, Violas, or Primroses for continuous color through the winter and spring. Pick up a FREE ‘Layering Bulbs in Container Gardens’ Guide for more information. All the suggestions will work equally well in the ground. A container planted with layers of bulbs covered with annual color makes an excellent gift. Let the Nursery Pros at Yamagami’s help you plan a spectacular Spring garden (and maybe one for a friend).  

Yamagami’s Nursery 60th Anniversary Celebration!

We’re celebrating our Diamond Anniversary, 60 years in Cupertino! Enjoy 60 days of special shopping deals through October 25th. Enter our raffle for a chance to win 60 great prizes with a diamond pendant Grand Prize!

Click here to see the complete Calendar of Events.

Talk: Sweet Peas, Sugar Snap Peas and
Snow Peas for the Fall Garden
with Renee Shepherd of Renee’s Garden Seeds.

Learn the secrets of growing fragrant sweet peas and the tastiest cool season vegetables, all from seed! FREE

Saturday, October 18th at 11 AM

Talk: Fruit Trees for the Santa Clara Valley with local fruit guru, Nancy Garrison.

Nancy can help you choose varieties for your home orchard, including some less common ones. As part of Yamagami’s Anniversary Celebration, you can take 60% off one early-ordered (prepaid) fruit tree that day! FREE

Saturday, October 18th at 2 PM.

Talk: It’s for the Birds…Birdland! with local bird expert, Ellen Sinnott of L & L.

Ellen will discuss the new bird seed and feeders in our Birdland display. Make your fine-feathered friends happy and healthy with superior birdseed and feeders! As part of Yamagami’s Anniversary Celebration, you can take 60% off one Birdland product that day! FREE

Sunday October 19th at 11 AM  

Talk: Growing Fruits and Veggies in Containers with former UCCoop Extension Officer, Nancy Garrison.

Nancy is an expert in edible landscaping and can suggest the best varieties for our area. Learn how easy it is to grow your own healthy produce in containers. FREE

Saturday, October 25th at 10 AM

Talk: 2009 Roses for the South Bay with Lorena Gorsche, Yamagami's Rose Expert.

Lorena will discuss the many choices for next season and recommend varieties just right for your dream garden. As part of Yamagami's Anniversary Celebration, you can take 60% off one early-ordered (prepaid) rose that day! FREE

Saturday, October 26th at 2 PM.

Talk: Plants for Water-Wise Gardens with Mike Craib, plantsmith from Suncrest Nursery.

This is the perfect time to plant low-water using plants from California, Australia and Mediterranean areas. Mike will show and discuss attractive garden plants from groundcovers to shade trees. $20 class fee is refunded as a $20 coupon for merchandise. Space is limited, so prepaid registration is recommended. 

Saturday, November 1st at 10 AM.