At this time of year, when the temperatures are cooling, and we're adding fall color to our gardens, the children are gearing up for Halloween and the ubiquitous jack-o'-lanterns. It's easy to make jack-o'-lanterns, and it's fun for the whole family.

First consider where your pumpkins will be placed. If they are to grace the stairs leading up to your front door, select smaller pumpkins for carving. For a focal point on your porch, or a centerpiece for your table, go for a larger one. Just be sure that you choose pumpkins that are uniformly orange with no bruises or discoloration, and are either tall and narrow, or more rounded, depending on the design of your carving.

Next, your tools. A long thin-bladed knife is best for cutting the top hole and large pieces out of the face of the gourd, with a paring knife used for detail work. All of your tools should be sharpened before and after carving, so make this a family affair--with parents in control of all carving tools! The little ones can draw the desired face on the pumpkin with a simple crayon.

Begin by cutting a 5- or 6-sided hole in the top of the pumpkin, about two-thirds the diameter of the pumpkin. Angle the knife so that the lid and hole will be somewhat cone shaped; this will help prevent the lid from falling into the hole.

Scrape the seeds and stringy membrane out with a large spoon, making certain to scrape the bottom flat so that the candle sits squarely. Then carefully carve with your paring knife the face you've drawn on the best side of the pumpkin. Finish up with a white votive candle in a clear glass holder. Or be safety-first with a battery-powered LED flickering tea candle. You may need a couple of these to light your jack-o'-lanterns sufficiently.

Fire safety should be paramount. Never leave a lit candle unattended, and never leave children alone with a lit pumpkin or any candles. Follow these rules and your pumpkins will be your scary pals throughout the holiday!

Almaden Valley Nursery still has a great selection of very large Howden and the new Wolf pumpkins, which are excellent for the best jack-o-lanterns! Come get yours today!

By Tamara Galbraith

Calendula, widely recognized as the Flower of the Month for October, comes from the Latin word calendae, meaning "throughout the months." Gardeners who plant this long-blooming herbaceous annual will find it certainly lives up to its name.

Although members of the marigold family, calendulas' needs are quite different. They actually prefer cooler temperatures and evenly moist soil, and at 1-2 ft. tall, calendulas can get quite a bit bigger than your average marigold, too. If you're putting in transplants, use a slow-release fertilizer at planting time. We recommend Osmocote. Calendulas also do great in containers.

As your calendulas grow and flower, prune back spent blossoms to prolong blooming; some will continue to bloom into late fall, a nice treat since calendulas' predominantly orange and yellow flowers fit in with autumn's color scheme. In hot climates, calendulas will continue to grow throughout the winter.

Calendulas can continue to perform even after they're cut. Add the dried flowers to vinegar and use as a fish marinade or salad dressing. (In fact, the leaves themselves can be harvested for salads.) Tea made from calendula flowers is said to make a soothing eye wash, a mild treatment for skin irritations or a remedy for upset stomachs.

Give this hard-working beauty a try, and you'll be enjoying the calendula--as its name says--throughout the months!

Lilies are often planted in spring, but you can also plant them now. The bulbs are less likely to dry out, which can result in failures. Most lilies prefer a slightly acid soil (pH 6-6.5), but some--including Lilium candidum--will do well in alkaline soils.

Lilies demand a well-prepared site, so dig the soil deeply and work in as much well-rotted manure or garden compost as you can spare. We recommend Gardner & Bloome Planting Mix. Add plenty of grit to improve drainage if the soil tends to be wet.

Lilies look best in groups rather than as isolated specimens, so excavate an area of soil to a depth of about 8 inches--large enough to take at least four or five bulbs.

Add a sprinkling of Dr. Earth Bone Meal or a controlled-release fertilizer, as lilies are usually left undisturbed until overcrowded and therefore, feeding is more important than with bedding bulbs used for a single season.

Space the bulbs about 6 inches apart and make sure that they are deep enough to be covered with about twice their own depth of soil. Sprinkle more grit or coarse sand around the bulbs to deter slugs and reduce the risk of waterlogging.

Place small canes or sticks around the planting area before you return the soil. These will remind you to avoid damaging the emerging shoots when you weed.

Holiday cacti are not hard to take care of, if you remember not to overwater them; getting them to bloom on time is a bit more complex.

Here's how to do it:
In order for these plants to form flower buds for holiday blooms, they need extended darkness for at least four weeks.

Place the plant in a dark room or keep it covered (under a box or bag works fine) for at least 12 hours a day.

When buds appear (it usually takes around four weeks), the darkening schedule can stop.

As the buds get larger, move the plant gradually to where it will be displayed for the holiday, avoiding extreme temperature or lighting changes.

Continue to water and feed while the plant is budding and blooming. Water only when the soil is completely dry--these plants do not like soggy roots.

Popular years ago, indoor plants are making a huge comeback. Their lush, green foliage can truly perk up a dreary interior environment and can be a beautiful addition to any home or office. Not only are they attractive to look at, but indoor plants also convert the carbon oxide that we breathe out into oxygen, thereby refreshing our indoor surroundings.

Most indoor plants are hybrids that grow wild somewhere in the world. The key to successfully growing plants indoors is to replicate the environment they naturally grow in. The main factors are location, lighting, water, humidity, and feeding. A few minutes of care each week help your plants flourish, providing years of enjoyment.

Bright windowsills are a perfect location for a number of indoor plants to thrive and help chase the winter blues away. (Just make sure to move them in the summer if the area receives direct afternoon sun.) Rotate each container after a few days so that all parts of your plants get an even amount of sunlight.

As a rule of thumb, keep the soil moist but not soaking wet. Ensure that the pot has good drainage for excess water. Too much water locked in the pot rots the roots. Most indoor environments are dry and have little humidity. So, use a mister to spray water on the leaves on very dry days. You can also place your pots on containers full of pebbles. Pour water in the container often. This will hydrate your plants from the bottom.

Even though indoor plants tend to grow much more slowly than they would outdoors in their natural environments, they still require an infusion of nutrients throughout the year. We recommend using a balanced plant food such as Max Sea All Purpose Plant Fertilizer (use as directed).

Indoor plants add color and can dramatically cheer up a home or office, especially during the dog days of winter.

We invite you to visit us and pick up a few of these gems today!

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Street trees give us shelter from the wind, privacy from the roads, and shade from the sun--and at the same time add diversity to our yards. Without them our streets and neighborhoods would be much less attractive and comfortable. Street trees are a vital part of every town or city's infrastructure, contributing energy savings, filtering storm water runoff and enhancing property values.

When planting a street tree, consider the particular site where the tree will be planted. Ask these five questions before you select and plant your tree:

1. What is the ground width between the street and the sidewalk?
2. Are above- or below-ground utilities present?
3. Will the tree growth interfere with street signs or lighting?
4. What is the soil type of the site?
5. Is water readily available or will it have to be brought to the tree?

Taking time to answer these questions will help prevent headaches later. Trees planted in the wrong sites will uplift sidewalks, become tangled in power lines, obstruct throughways, and become unhealthy and unattractive over the years. Matching the right tree to your particular site is the best way to guarantee its success.

We stock a great selection of shade trees for most street settings along with the products you need for planting. You should check with your local planning office and ask if a permit is required before planting. Many local communities have an approved Master Street Tree Plan that you must follow.

No matter what, choose a tree you will care for and appreciate and enjoy for its unique characteristics. Once planted, make maintaining your tree a top priority. Healthy trees add to the beauty of your yard and improve the quality of the environment not only for people, but also for birds and animals.

As always, our staff of nursery professionals is available to help you make the right selection for your home.

Should I use bone meal or bulb food when I plant my bulbs?

Answer:
We recommend bone meal at the time of planting, then applying a balanced bulb food, such as Dr. Earth #1 Bulb Food , once the foliage appears above the soil line in late winter/early spring.

There are a couple of reasons for this. Nitrogen can burn the actual bulb, which only needs the phosphorus and potash from bone meal in order to stimulate rooting. But once the bulb is sending out a stem, it needs nitrogen to become strong so it won't bend over from the weight of the flowers that it sets. This is especially important for bulbs with large heavy flowers, such as tulips, ranunculus, and hyacinth.

It's also important to dig the holes or trenches a little deeper than the bulb needs to be, applying some bone meal below the bulb, then a little more soil so the bulb doesn't sit directly on the food but has access to the food as it sends out roots (got to give those roots some incentive to stretch).

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