Thank you so much!

As the year comes to a close, I want to take the opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support and recognition of the added value that only an independent, locally owned business can provide. In spite of the economic challenges that we face, we maintain our commitment to providing the products, knowledge and personal attention that create a positive experience each time you visit. We wish you and your family a healthy and happy New Year.

Sincerely, Charlie, Maria, and the entire staff of The Garden Company

The Gift Shop has been a beehive of activity for the last several weeks as customers seek out unique holiday decorations and gift ideas. Fortunately, Maria and Amanda were busy shoppers at the Atlanta Gift Show and have been actively coordinating and re-stocking displays, so there is still a great selection of ornaments, from artful to whimsical--all at very reasonable prices. There is something that connects with just about everyone you know including surfers, bird watchers, marine biologists, fire fighters, farmers, beer drinkers, wine lovers, poker players, foodies, fashionistas, ballerinas, barbecue masters, baseball players, golfers, musicians, and so many more.

Still need something to hang your ornaments on? Our selection of living Christmas trees in containers includes varieties of fir and spruce in sizes from two feet to seven feet tall. Some customers keep them in containers and use them as their Christmas tree for two to three years. After that they either plant them in their yard or donate them to the city or a local school.

For decorating in and around the house, we still have a beautiful selection of Noble fir wreaths that we have decorated with cones, colorful conifers and holly, as well as florist-quality poinsettias in various sizes and colors, and elegant bows handcrafted by our staff.

Saturday, January 21st, 10:00 AM

We will be holding a rose pruning and organic care clinic conducted by our in-house rosarian, Lance Reiners. Learn how to prune bush, climbing and tree type roses, and how to deal with common insect and disease issues using earth-friendly products. Seating is very limited, so be sure to call to reserve a space.

Saturday, February 25th, 4:00 PM

The Garden Company will host Orin Martin, of the U.C.S.C. Farm and Garden, and Matthew Sutton, of Orchard Keepers, to talk about growing fruit trees on the Central Coast. This will be a free-flowing session, so bring any questions you may have about variety selection, site considerations, pruning techniques, disease issues or anything else related to fruit trees. It's free, but please call 429-8424 to reserve a space.

A few months ago, I wrote about national news reports detailing accidents that occurred when Firepots were incorrectly refueled with bottles of liquid fuel while the Firepot was still burning. Out of concern for customer safety we immediately pulled all of the Firepots and liquid fuel off the shelves until the situation could be re-evaluated. BirdBrain, the company that manufactures the Firepots, has tested and released a completely safe solid fuel gel. They teamed up with Sterno to create single use Firepot Solid Fuel Cups. Just drop one into your firepot in place of the stainless steel fuel gel cup (using the ring in the picture to hold it in place), light it off and enjoy hours of dancing flames. Each Solid Fuel Gel Cup lasts over 1 1/2 hours--or 9+ hours for the entire 6-Pack. When it finally burns out, let it cool, pull out the empty metal cup using the wire tweezers in the picture, replace with a new Solid Fuel Gel Cup--and you're ready to go again. No need to pour any liquids!

The large solid fuel cups fit firepots with a standard opening of 2.5 to 2.75 inches in diameter and are available now. The smaller fuel cups that fit the 2.0 inch opening will be available after the first of the year.

We have always loved the Firepots for their attractive, artistic appearance during the day and the ambience of the soft, dancing flames at night. The new solid fuel cups eliminate any concern or hassle that would otherwise diminish their enjoyment. A Firepot would make a great gift and we have several beautiful styles to choose from.

The bare root roses have arrived and we are busily inspecting and hand-pruning every one individually to optimize the potential of each plant. After they are pruned, we will plant them in five gallon pots with Gardner & Bloome Rose Planting Mix to maintain moisture and nutrients around the roots. This gives you the option of leaving the rose in the container, for up to a year, until you get a chance to plant it. If you would prefer to take the plant as a true 'bare root', without the container, we will gladly remove it from the pot and put it in a bag for you. The only consideration is that the bare root plant without the container and soil must be planted as soon as you get home--otherwise, the roots will dry out.

For a complete list of what we ordered click on the following link
Bare Root Rose List

'Hot Cocoa'	'Apricot Candy'
'Olympiad'	'Sunshine Daydream'

Even though it was just a few months ago that I wrote an article about camellias, I feel compelled to highlight our most popular variety. 'Yuletide' is one of the hardy types of camellias, known as Sasanquas, which thrive in such a wide range of conditions from full sun to partial shade, from West Cliff Drive to Bonny Doon. 'Yuletide' has glossy evergreen leaves, a dense upright growth habit, and a profusion of flowers during the fall and early winter. The traditional 'Yuletide' variety has bright red petals with golden yellow stamens, but somewhere along the way one of the plants at Monrovia Nursery decided to rebel and produce clear pink flowers. The Monrovia propagators took cuttings and started a crop that was released for the first time this year. We now have a great selection of the traditional 'Red Yuletide' in five gallon pots and the new 'Pink Yuletide' in two gallon containers. They are all gorgeous specimens in bud and bloom and would be a cheerful, colorful addition to any winter garden.