These tomato varieties can tolerate colder temperatures than most when planted now through September. This gives the plants a chance to become established before the cooler weather hits so they can produce fruit into the early winter. They can make it through a light frost, but still should be protected with Row Covers and Cloud Cover for best results. It is also recommended to use a lot of compost and cover with a black plastic mulch to keep the soil warm.

Using these methods and planting cold hardy varieties means you should be eating tomatoes through December!

Some cold tolerant varieties are:

• Glacier

• Jetsetter

• Legend

In the summertime, when the weather is hot, heat-loving annuals will dazzle your gardens with vibrant colors. They are the sun-bathing beauties of any garden. With so many different flower forms, colors, sizes and foliage shapes, every gardener will have a dozen or two favorite annuals blooming in the garden to brag about.

Versatility is their name; garden pizzazz is your gain. Annuals make themselves at home in your garden beds, intermingled with your trees and shrubs, patio containers, window boxes and/or hanging baskets Some annuals are groundcovers, some are perfect for the "middle and marvelous" group, and of course some will stand "tall and sassy" in the rear of the garden bed.

For a huge colorful impact, plant in swaths or waves. For example, many people planted their gardens in red, white and blue for July 4th. Perhaps they used 6 packs of blue lobelia in the front row, zinnias (red of course) in the next row, and in the back, lots and lots of white cosmos. The same concept applies to other color schemes.

Plant your annuals using Gardner & Bloome planting mix. Most of these annuals need regular water. Fertilize with Dr. Earth #8 Bud & Bloom Food to encourage continuous blooms. Also, to keep your annuals blooming all summer long, deadhead (which means pluck off the spent flowers not listening to Jerry Garcia while you garden). This will keep the plant from thinking that it is time to spend all of its energy developing seeds for the next season. Remember that annuals are plants that grow and bloom within one season.

Whatever your garden style or colors, we have annuals for you! Hurry in and pick your favorites. Get them in your gardens for a spectacular summer flower color show!

Click here to view sample pictures of annuals.

Wives' tale, myth or fact? What really works to make cut flowers last longer?

Aspirin, vitamins, vinegar, 7-Up, Sprite, pennies and sugar. Some say they work, some say that they don't. There are many folklore additives, and we have a few other tips that will help as well.

• Remove all foliage from the stems below the water line; this minimizes bacterial growth in the water.
• Cut at least an inch from the bottom of each stem. Some say to then crush the bottom of the stem.
• Keep the water fresh.
• Add this homemade recipe: 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. bleach, 2 Tbs. lemon or lime juice to a quart of water.
• Check the water level and replenish as needed.

Did you know that flowers in bud form will open if placed into warm water? Yes, indeed. Conversely, flowers kept in cool water will last longer and buds will be slow to open.

If you have a tip that works, please let us know and we'll be happy to share it with everyone! Who knows? You might even become famous!

You squish them and flick them, yet still they keep coming back. What is it with all these ants?

Knowing the type of ant pest you're dealing with will help you decide if you want to continue to allow these insects to thrive in your landscaping or not. As ants typically collect pieces of dead, or almost dead, insects, and loose or old vegetation, they might be more beneficial than you think.

On the other hand, fire ants and other species will bite when they feel threatened. The bite of biting ants is very painful, and can be a great danger to those who are allergic. Not as serious, but still a nuisance, some species will farm aphids on your plants, as the aphid secretes a sugary liquid called honeydew that ants crave.

Killing ants is not difficult if the proper method is used. As ants breathe oxygen through tiny passages in their exoskeleton, a product containing boric acid, such as Terro Ant Traps can be used to clog these holes and suffocate the ant. It may take a few days but this method is very effective and safe. If you don't want to wait that long, you can also kill the ants by using Cooke's Slug & Snail Granules (this contains carbaryl to kill crawling insects).

Do not squash ants unless you wish to attract them, as the scent released when they die will attract other ants to come and take them back to the colony as food.

Take advantage of the warm summer days to plant frost-tender shrubs and trees, such as palms, bananas, bougainvilleas and hibiscus.

These are great additions to the garden as long as they are properly placed. Select a location that receives half to full day sun. A bit of frost protection, such as a wall or a corner by a fence or next to your house where it will benefit from the radiated heat, is best to help prevent frost kill next winter. Almost all of these subtropical plants love as much heat as possible.

Plant using equal amounts of a high-quality planting mix like Gardner & Bloome Planting Mix and native soil. Blending the mix with some soil is much better than replacing the total volume of soil. This blending provides a gradient to allow the roots to acclimate and grow easily into the native soil. Plant so that the root ball is 1" above the surrounding soil.

Cover this exposed soil with compost or planting mix. In a short amount of time, the hole will settle to the correct depth. Keep moist for the first 6 to 8 weeks. Your new plant will need more frequent watering than the existing ones until it becomes established.

Steve was born in Bakersfield, raised in Los Gatos. In 2nd grade he broke his Catholic school's strict dress code by not wearing a belt, and was promptly banished to playing hopscotch with the girls. When he moved in 3rd grade, the same nun moved to his new school also to keep an eye on him. Ever the one with women, he eventually transformed the ruthless nun into liking him and he became her teacher's pet.

His closest brush with fame was having his picture taken with Willie Mays in Pony League. Not one to shy away from an adventure, Steve and his high school buddies snuck into the high school Ag-science department at night to ride the giant pig and were promptly thrown into the fence.

Steve has been in the nursery and landscape industry for the past 18 years, having previously managed another garden center in San Jose. He has been a part of our family for the past 9 years.

Steve loves to play golf and go fishing and camping. He once got a hole in one while playing golf, which he followed up by landing the "big one" on the banks of the Klamath River. (Neither episode has ever been documented). Steve lives in Redwood City with his best friend Jeanne.

Our Featured Recipes are submitted by our family and friends and from employees of the Nursery. We'd also like our newsletter readers to submit great recipes to share. If you'd like to submit one or more of your favorites, please email us the recipe in the format shown below. Include a picture too, if you have one. We'd also like to know the origin of your recipe so we can include a little background on it.

Happy eats!

Matt and Jeni Lepow

This week's Featured Recipe comes from our newsletter team member Christina. She borrowed this delicious recipe from her sister Diane. This dip is known to keep the conversation going at any party. In fact...you might want to make a huge dish because people will be coming back for seconds, thirds, and possibly fourths!

What You'll Need:

•1 can 14 oz chopped drained artichoke hearts
• 6 oz feta cheese
• 1 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 3 diced green onions
• 1 chopped red bell pepper
• 1 minced garlic clove

Step by Step:

Mix it all together.

Spoon it in a baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

You can spice it up with jalapenos and also top it with tomatoes.