Get ready, get set, it’s almost Father’s Day. Fathers work hard all year long. Father's Day is dad’s day to relax, have fun and let you serve him hand and foot. And don’t forget, grandfathers are dads too!

Now...let’s take it up a notch. If your dad is a Barbecue Master, plant a big patio container or two with veggies that he can cook up on the grill: peppers, tomatoes, onions, and maybe some rosemary or basil. Yamagami’s will help by providing one FREE 'Villancho' pepper with every purchase on Saturday, June 20th and Sunday, June 21st.

Or how about the shade tree he needs in the backyard? You know, the tree that will shade him while he is in dreamland in his hammock or chaise lounge? Come into Yamagami’s Nursery and let one of our Nursery Pros help you pick the best one for him. Bring Dad along; he might have a special one in mind already. You can plant it with him or plant it for him and let him watch you sweat. Together, you can watch it grow.

Most of all, make sure all the dads are given “Royal Treatment.” Fix him breakfast or brunch. Have a Father's Day barbecue or picnic in your garden. Make his favorite cocktail and serve it to him. If he doesn’t have a lemon or lime for it, plant one! Let him rule the remote control. Do things that will let him know he's King. Let Yamagami’s Nursery help you succeed in making him King for a Day!

Just for Dad

The Plant Doctor is In!

Yamagami’s Nursery is pleased to announce our new Plant Doctor service. Our Plant Doctor Alan Tagami makes housecalls to help you solve your garden problems on site. "Dr." Tagami is available to help you figure out what is growing wrong in your garden. There is a fee of $100 per hour, $50 of which is rebated back as credit on purchases*.

When you are mystified by plant problems, who’re you gonna call?. . . Plant Doctor! Yamagami’s and the Plant Doctor are here to help you succeed…the first time! Call Alan at (408) 252-3347 to schedule an appointment.

*Fee of $100 is for the following 13 Zip Codes: 95014, 95030, 95070, 95117, 95129, 95130, 95008, 95032, 95110, 95124, 95125, 95126, 95128. Areas outside these zip codes will have a higher fee; ask Alan for quote. 

Small Space Garden Consultations are Back! 

Alan Tagami is resuming his Landscape Consultation services for small space (under 1500 sq ft.) gardens. Alan can suggest plants to help you refresh a tired landscape or to start a new one. This service is for small areas, either a front yard or part of a backyard in need of practical and aesthetic guidance. Alan can help you create an appealing and attractive water-wise garden. The fee for this service is $400, $200 of which is returned as credit on merchandise. Call Alan at (408) 252-3347 to schedule an appointment.

The seedlings of Camelot are thriving. Land use is at a premium even in Camelot! There is only room for one ruler in Camelot. Guinevere and Arthur were dominant in their race to control Camelot while Lancelot lagged behind. Sadly, that meant Lancelot was beheaded as he was starting to cramp Arthur and Guinevere’s style. So now the race is on between Arthur and Guinevere for Camelot domination. The Godfather, Alan, and Waterwench, Poli, are carefully monitoring their growth and waiting for next week to determine who will rule. Both vines have grown over the walls of Camelot, spilling over into the neighboring kingdom.

Come visit Camelot and watch them grow! Check our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Cupertino-CA/Yamagamis-Nursery-Garden-Center/63172657808 for more frequent updates and photos. 

Please send us reports of your own pumpkin growing experiences and photos. Send them to InfoCenter@YamagamisNursery.com to share with our readers.

You don't have to live in Kansas to enjoy sunflowers in the garden! Sunflowers are easy and fun to grow. From tall varieties that reach for the sky to dwarf types that are knee-high, there's a variety to suit every garden. They are terrific for a family gardening project. Since they grow very quickly, children enjoy watching them take off plus the large seeds are easy for small fingers to handle and plant. If you buy a good eating variety, you can harvest the seeds and teach the kids to roast them for a healthy snack!

Here are a few growing tips for seeds:

• Plant in full sun, where they will not shade other plants, or plant shade-lovers around them.
• Plant the seeds 1 inch deep and about 6 inches apart.
• When the seedlings come up, thin them to about 18 inches apart.
• Water well after planting and keep fairly moist, but not soggy, until the seeds sprout.
• Sunflower seedlings will come up in one or two weeks. They start out slowly, then speed up. Children can be responsible for watering them, weeding around them and adding mulch around the plants.

Be sure to check out the great selection of Sunflower seeds from Renee’s Garden Seeds.

Yamagami’s also offers seedlings of different varieties including several ‘cutting’ varieties.

Harvesting of sunflower heads is quick and easy--but you may need a ladder or stepstool if you are growing tall varieties. Watch the birds; when they start going after the seed heads, cover the heads with cheesecloth to protect the seeds. The seed heads will be ready to harvest when their backs are brown and dry and no traces of green remain.

Cut off the heads with a foot or two of stalk. Hang them upside down in a dry and airy place. When the seeds are dried, rub them off with your hand and store them in an airtight container. Don't wash them, as this could cause them to mold.

To roast sunflower seeds, place a single layer of raw dehulled kernels in a shallow pan. Roast in a 300 degree F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until they are brown and crisp. Stir occasionally. Remove from the oven. One teaspoon of melted margarine or butter may be added if preferred for each cup of seeds; stir to evenly coat. Place the seeds on absorbent paper. Salt to taste. Store in a tightly covered container.

For salted in-the-shell seeds, cover unhulled seeds with salted water in the amount of 2 quarts of water to 1/4-1/2 cup salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. Drain and dry on absorbent paper. Seeds may also be soaked overnight instead of boiled. Then proceed as for the roasted kernels above.

"June drop" is nature's way of getting rid of an overload of fruit. Over-watering or more accurately, watering too frequently, can also cause fruit drop. Be sure to water deeply and infrequently. June drop may occur any time between early May and July. One day you visit your deciduous fruit tree and find a circle of immature fruit lying on the ground under the branches. You may worry if you are new to fruit trees, but don't panic! It's a natural part of the cycle. Trees often set more than double the amount of fruit they could possibly ripen properly, so they simply drop part of it.

If you thinned out fruit on your trees earlier, you enabled the remaining fruit to grow larger and thus will have less fruit dropping now. Nevertheless, you may need to remove even more fruit than naturally drops in order to space your crop evenly down the branches. You may need to prop up branches even after a drop so don’t forget Prop-a-Crops.

Clean up any fallen fruit under the tree before it has a chance to rot and spread disease. If it's healthy, chop it and add it to your compost pile (cover it with earth to keep away flies and rodents). After a couple of years, you will learn the natural rhythm of your fruit tree’s cycles. When in doubt, come to our Info Center with questions and samples (in plastic bags) of problems you see. We are here to help you succeed…the first time.

A Hot Gift for Dad!

We're celebrating Father's Day by giving away a FREE Villancho Pepper in a 4" pot with any purchase.

This tasty pepper won our Pepper Taste Test last year and is a Yamagami's Introduction. It is the perfect pepper for chile rellenos, with thick meaty walls of moderate heat. Yummy! Give it to Dad or keep the free Villancho for yourself. (Limit one free Villancho for yourself.)

Saturday, June 20
Sunday, June 21

Independence Day Hours:

Yamagami's Nursery
will be open 9 AM to 3 PM

We wish you all a safe and fun July Fourth Celebration!

Saturday, July 4th - 9 AM to 3 PM

Yamagamis Nursery will be closed for staff training on Tuesday, July 7th.

Bearded Iris Rhizome Sale by the Clara B. Rees Iris Society

Here is your chance to get some remarkable deals on some remarkable iris varieties!

Sunday, Aug. 1 - 10 AM to 2 PM

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!

Steve Goto and Cool Tolerant Tomatoes for Your Fall into Winter Harvest

Extend your tomato harvest with varieties that just keep going. Learn how to succeed in growing tomatoes for your Thanksgiving Day feast.

Saturday, Aug. 15th - 10 AM to 3 PM
Sunday, Aug. 16th - 10 AM to 3 PM

Tomatoes and Pepper Tasting

Come find new favorites and help us choose varieties to offer in 2010.

Sunday, Aug. 16 - 10 AM to 12 Noon

FREE Dahlia Show!

Come see some amazing blossoms, get inspired and learn from the experts how to succeed in growing your own garden.

Saturday, Aug. 22 - 10 AM to 3 PM
Sunday, Aug. 23 - 10 AM to 3 PM