The interesting Akebia

Akebia is a shall we say umm......rather interesting Fruit! It is a vine and it grows quite well in our area.

Sort of makes you go hmmmmm........ lol

Rob brought this in from home today for us to try. I have to tell you I sort of hesitated when I looked at it. At 1st glance the 'fruit part' is sort of revolting, it kind of looked like a big grub! I had never tasted one before so of course I was interested to see how it was. It has a sweet mild custard flavor and texture. Nothing to shout from the rooftops about but interesting and rather nice.

What I think is so great about this vine is how beautiful it is. The flowers are wonderful with a nice light fragrance and the fruit is so uniquely Beautiful! So one more thing to add to my LONG LIST of things to plant as we landscape our yard. :)

Country Life

One of the best parts of working here at the Nursery is that we are out in the country. Not to far away from town but just far enough to feel the peace start to seep into you bones! Things like getting to watch the Elk during their annual migration, it's pretty spectacular! There were at least 200 head of Elk in this herd, totally amazing to watch.

Freeze Pruf

We are in Reno at a trade show looking for new products to bring back to the Nursery. This is one of the new products we brought back from the New Jersey Trade Show. Freeze Pruf is an exciting new breakthru that I am excited about using!

Frost Protector for Ornamental, Fruit and Vegetable Plants


Easy-to-use,
Simply spray liberally to the entire plant. FreezePruf is a water-based, eco-safe, biodegradable spray that enhances the plant’s natural mechanisms to resist freeze damage. Designed to resist washing away by rain or snow and one application lasts up to six weeks. For added protection, reapply as new growth appears.

It’s like anti-freeze, for your plants.
Adds a half-USDA Zone equivalent or more to the cold tolerance range of all major ornamentals and crops.

Plant earlier, harvest later, you can stop guessing! It’s like moving your temperature zone 200 miles south!
Spray FreezePruf liberally to entire plant at any temperature above freezing as soon as plant surfaces dry. For best results, apply when the temperature is above 50˚F and a minimum of 8 to 12 hours before an anticipated freeze. FreezePruf may also be applied seasonally, in anticipation of future cold events within the upcoming 4 to 6 weeks. Since Freeze Pruf extends the growing season, it’s perfect for perennials as well as fruit and vegetable plants. The guaranteed protection lasts up to 6 weeks.

Safe for kids & pets.

House Progress

Finally an update on the progress of the House. As most of you know we lost the family house to a fire in August of 2008. WHEW it has taken forever to get it going but they are moving right along now :) John & Caroline; aka Mom & Dad; aka Gram & Gramps are so ready to get back out here to the Nursery. We are ready for them to be here too!

Trusses going up so hopefully the roofing will go on before things get to wet. We are in for a beautiful weekend (after this cold weekend that is upon us) I am enjoying the crisp cool Fall weather, just not really ready for the rain!

Fabulous Fall Display

Purple Fountain Grass
Everyone always wants to try and over-Winter these gorgeous plants but that is really easier said than done. It might be simpler to just move 400 miles to the south! lol

With all the right conditions it can be done but that means heating a greenhouse or a garage all Winter. So in the long run treating it as the annual it is in our area leads to much less of a headache. For such a fabulous display of movement and texture this one is well worth replanting each year!

Right now because we are getting close to the end of the Season we have these on Sale for a GREAT price. They are perfect to add into your Fall display of Chrysanthemums, Kale, hay and Corn Stalks to make a statement that is sure to catch the eye!

#01 plants are on Sale for $4.99 & we have a few #05's left, they are $9.99

When I was walking thru the nursery today they really caught my eye so I figured you would enjoy them too!

New Shipment of Pottery

We just received a new shipment of bright & beautiful Pottery. I love seeing all the fabulous colors, we are putting these up by the
Furniture Pavilion so come check them out!
PLUS right now they are 20% off!!
WOO HOO

Crape Myrtle - NO it is not DEAD!

Every year we have people bring in their

'Dead' Crape Myrtle only to find out they are not really DEAD! (even though they look dead lol)

Yes they are just sleeping, while some things are starting to pop with beautiful blooms Crape Myrtle is still in it's dormant stage.

To check just take your thumbnail and scrape a tiny

spot on the branch near the trunk and you will see live green.

So instead of pulling them out of the ground, just let them be, just a little longer and you will reap the rewards of a multitude of blooms :) But usually not till mid to late Summer!

Another tip is to give them a good hard pruning right now before the buds start, it will give you an amazing amount of fresh new growth!

Bulbs to plant Now!

Just a small sampling of the new Bulbs in the store and as always we can give you growing tips for greater success!

Versatile Blueberries

Blueberries are one of the best little berries around. Easy to grow and on a cute bush too. You can use them in your landscape for a nice green bush with great fall color, in a planter close to the house for extra easy access or you can plant them in your garden.

As I run across unique or extra yummy sounding recipes I will be sure and post them here to share. But if you have a favorite blueberry recipe please feel free to share it with everyone!

Oh man, this Recipe sounds WONDERFUL and I am sooo going to have to try it!

Janine’s Spiced Blueberry Sauce
Makes about 2½ cups
3 cups blueberries
½ cup red wine, such as merlot or pinot noir
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cloves

In medium saucepan, combine wine, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves and bring to a boil over high heat. Add two cups blueberries and crush with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Boil for four to five minutes until mixture is thick and purple. Add remaining blueberries and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

This is from the Rustic Kitchen blog Janine is based in the Chicago area. Would it not be wonderful to take a cooking class from her? They start with a trip to the local produce stand and cook with whatever is in season! I found her blog just this year and really enjoy it.

Signs of Spring

I love seeing the first signs of spring popping thru the ground! Something about these little pieces of sunshine just lighten my mood and make me smile.

What are some of your favorite 1st signs of spring? How about all the tender green that you see starting to change the hills around us. Spring green is a happy color cause we are all so darn glad to finally see it!

For me another sign of Spring is the new items coming into the nursery. Pat ordered in some great terra cotta planters and has some fabulous ideas for filling them too!

The shipment of bulbs is in now too but I will save that for another day!

Customer Testamonial

This is what Jeanine Sturm (a local Licensed Landscape Maintenance provider) has to say about the Hori Hori Knife

'This last year was my first year using the Hori Hori from Valley View Nursery. I had been told how wonderful they were, but I was resistant. My employee Susan Newmann sang it's praises until I bought her one as a gift. Then her praises grew louder, so I gave in!

Now I don't go anywhere with out it. With the serrated edge, we easily cut through sod, edging beds and cutting through weed barrier. As a weeder it works better than the asparagus fork I was used to . We use the straight edge to divide plants. Definitely a worthy investment as it's the most versatile hand garden tool I've used - Jeannine Sturm'

Wow, now that's hearing about it from someone who uses it for work all the time! Come out and see us, Spring is coming and it's time to get things ready. Maybe you just feel like getting out of the house and seeing what's going on. We will be glad to show you what is new and where to start :)

Spring IS coming!

While I realize it might not look like it right now, Spring IS COMING! lol

So it is time to start planning what great Bareroot plant you want to put in this year.

Bareroot is the CHEAPEST way to get some great things added to your yard.

This is the time to think about Fruit Trees, growing your own fruit is not only economical

but there is nothing like picking FRESH FRUIT! :) YUMMM

We have a great sale going on now thru February 18th, come get the deals while they last!

I am working on bringing you tips and ideas for your garden and yard. If there are things you are interested in and want to know more about let me know.

Have a fabulous weekend!

The blogging has started.

This is the new Valley View Blog. Check in for news to come.