This is the time of the year that every nursery professional has been waiting for. A year ago, we carefully planned our orders from a half dozen different suppliers. We drooled over colorful glossy photos of all the new introductions. We agonized over which roses we would have room for this year.

Gardening with perennials can be tricky. Unlike annuals that will bloom all summer long, perennials have their own specific blooming seasons - ranging from late winter to early spring, early summer, late summer, and even fall and winter. 

Well, we’ve managed to survive one more month of “sheltering in,” and based on the increase in business at the nursery, I think it is a fair conclusion that many of you made the most of your time by working in your yards.

Good for you! That time spent in April will save you lots of labor later in the year.

The date was April 22, 1970, and this gardener was one month away from graduating from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Environmental Horticulture. Classes had been suspended so that students could participate in lectures all over campus that were focused on the various environmental issues of the day.

April is always a busy month for gardeners, with a multitude of chores clamoring for our attention. In the case of our lawns, April is possibly the most critical month to get back on track. Here are some things to consider for a healthy and beautiful lawn…

Unless you have been living under a rock, you should be aware by now of the importance of bees (and insects in general for that matter) on our ecosystem. They are our chief pollinators, along with wasps and flies, some moths and butterflies, and even hummingbirds and bats.

Sometimes I feel like the world is spinning out of control. If you are feeling overwhelmed, I have the solution for you: spend more time in the garden!

The sunshine will do you good, working in the dirt will help build up immunities, breathing the fresh air will clear your lungs, and communing with nature will clear your mind.

There is no doubt in my mind that spring has sprung. This indisputable fact lies in the discovery this week of the first white blooms on a wild plum tree that lives down the street from the nursery. On that same road, I caught a glance of the swelling buds of several Bradford flowering pears that line the parking strip.