(You moisture meter is your friend – Matilija Bob) I don’t know what it is this year, but how to water “correctly” is problem number 1! The basic instruction is: give your new plants a deep watering, down to the roots. Then let them go dry, even for a...
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Carnival de Iris and Native Flower Arranging Contest-2014! Saturday-April 12th Our 6th annual Carnival de Iris will be happening on April 12th. There will be all sorts of fun activities, so you don’t want to miss out. We will be having our famed and fun California Native Flower Arrangement Contest.Also,...
Matilija Nursery 8225 Waters Road- Moorpark, Ca, 93021 805-523-8604 email: matilija@verizon.net Planting and Care of Your Native Plants and Garden Books have been written about this topic, many by friends of mine. We’re going to cover the most important things and get it done in 1 page or maybe...
A California native plant landscape looks great in spring and the rest of the year you have wonderful structure and foliage. Translation: California native landscapes look great in spring, and look like ah… well… hell the rest of the year. That’s the way it was, with California lilacs, sages,...
Your New California Native Landscape but Does it Pay? (Bob Sussman-Matilija Nursery fall 2014) About a month ago, I posted a question on our Matilija Nursery Facebook page asking, “Does your new native landscape pay?” I got many interesting comments most having to do with the ethics of saving...
California native plants can also be used to create beautiful flower arrangements. On September 14th we will have our first annual Fall Preview California Native Flower Arrangement Contest and plant sale too. Sale prices, prizes, and real live judges. The judges cannot be related to contestants, as near as...
Caring for Pacific Coast Irises – Summer in Southern California Bob Sussman Pacific coast irises are among the most colorful of all California natives (and hybrids of natives too) but they are not native to Southern California. They mostly grow from coastal Santa Barbara on up to Washington State...
This year’s April promotion is to have our customers send in pictures of either a mostly native garden or a garden that features lots of tall bearded irises. It’s much more instructive, interesting, and encouraging to see plants within the context of a landscape rather than all kinds of...
Really? Ok, well this is going to be a long- term hobby. It’s certainly an enjoyable one that permits the hybridizer to be an artist by creating living things that are unique; sort of like having kids without the college tuition. Please note too while this article focuses our hybridizing...
(We’re now entering the best time to plant matilija poppies. We have a small supply that’s ready to be planted in your garden, with more on the way…..) (note we do have them in 1-gallon pots ready for your garden. It’s best to plant them in the cooler months...
Dividing Pacific Coast Irises-First, why would you want to divide them? We’ll when they get really big, after several years, they produce fewer flowers. Dividing them between 4 and 6 years keeps up the flower production. The other reason to divide them is just “greed”. If you have a...
Landscaping for the Wild Kingdom– Here’s a small segment on how to attract monarch butterlies to you garden. We’ll worry about attracting hummingbirds, snakes, rodents, and mountain lions at a later date. To attract monarchs, you have to have something they like and something the caterpillars can eat so...