In the midst of their fiftieth anniversary year, Clara B. Rees Iris Society will be holding an iris rhizome sale on Saturday, August 11th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. There will be hard-to-find bearded iris varieties in a multitude of colors. Most are the "tall bearded," but "median" varieties will also be available.

For those who like an extra bargain they have grab bags too! Have your questions answered by experts in the field of cultivating and growing iris for the home garden. A don't miss event for iris fans!

The virtue of a vine is unmistakable. The beauty of foliage and flower alone makes a vine worthy of space in any garden. Yet it can also offer coverage of an ugly fence or wall, provide architectural structural beauty, act as a screen separating garden spaces or frame a garden entrance.

Flowering vines attract wildlife such as birds, bees, and butterflies. Many have fragrant flowers and wonderful, bold colors as well as interesting shapes ranging from trumpet, tubular, and star-shaped flowers to colorful bracts with many smaller flowers.

Most vines either twine, cling or arch. The structure that you choose to train your vine onto will depend upon its growth habit and the ultimate size it can grow to. Some vines have more delicate branching while others, such as wisteria, develop strong, large woody vines from which the foliage and flowers emerge. That type of vine needs an extremely sturdy structure. Most other vines are easily trained onto a trellis or arbor. And of course the "clingers" need a fence or wall to attach to.

Some are blooming in the garden center and will continue to bloom for you at home, providing years of enjoyment.

Click here to view pics of summer vines

The pesky little insect has ruined countless hikes, BBQ's and campouts. This vector has literally killed millions of people throughout history, and still affects millions around the world today. As daunting as this sounds, there are steps you can take to co-exist and stay healthy.

What attracts the mosquito? After 30 million years of evolution, the mosquito has perfected its hunting skills. The mosquito uses three sensors to attract its prey:

• Chemical sensors: Mosquitoes sense carbon dioxide and lactic acid up to 100 feet away. Unfortunately, we give off these gases as part of our normal breathing.
• Visual sensors: Clothing that contrasts with the background enables the mosquito to "zero-in" on you.
• Heat sensors: Mosquitoes detect heat, so they can find warm-blooded mammals very easily.

The best thing you can do to control mosquitoes is to use a mosquito repellant with deet, such as Repel Insect Repellant (23% DEET), and eliminate standing water around your home. A mosquito can lay up to 250 eggs at one time in still water, and they can hatch as fast as 7 days. Check your gutters frequently for collected water (especially if they sag and aren't level), along with birdbaths, buckets or boggy areas of the garden.

Burning citronella candles, using an electronic bug zapper, or spraying water surfaces with Mosquito Free Water Tension Eliminator will also help kill mosquitoes (they sink and drown). We also highly recommend using Mosquito Dunks if you have areas of standing water that you can't drain.

The West Nile Virus was first introduced in the U.S. in 1999. It has since spread to almost every state, with over 3,000 cases in 2006. Diligence is your best protection. Stay indoors at dawn and dusk hours, wear long-sleeve pants and shirts if possible, avoid any standing water, and repair broken screens.

Although it can be a constant battle, by incorporating the use of insect repellents and breeding prevention (eliminating standing water), mosquitoes and the diseases they carry can be reduced, making the outdoors more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

• Be careful of the heat. Wear a hat and sunscreen; drink plenty of water. Try to do outside work in the morning or evening, when it is cooler.
• Be sure to trim trees and vines growing near swimming pools.
• Choose crape myrtles.
• Clean off the stems from agapanthus and daylilies that have already bloomed.
• Control fireblight by removing disfigured branches and twigs.
• Control pests and diseases that cause dead brown patches on cool-season lawns.
• Control pests on fuchsias.
• Control rose pests and diseases.
• Control white grubs on cool-season lawns.
• Cut back your petunias in mid-August to keep them flowering.
• Cut off the suckers from deciduous fruit trees.
• Do not fertilize deciduous fruit trees.
• Feed fuchsias, tuberous begonias, water lilies, cymbidiums, ferns and tropicals.
• Feed warm-season lawns. Feed cool-season lawns only if they show signs of yellowing.
• If you started biennials from seed in July, fertilize them with fish emulsion at weekly intervals.
• Fertilize roses with Dr. Earth #3 Rose & Flower Food.
• Give fuchsias a light pruning.
• Control weeds by mulching, cultivating, and hand-pulling.
• Pick out and purchase cassias and flame eucalyptus.
• Plant papayas, bananas, and palms.
• Plant tropicals in coastal zones.
• Prune and train wisteria.
• Prune and train your espaliers through the growing season.
• Pull out dead crabgrass if you have previously treated it with weed killer.
• Purchase and plant succulents, cacti, and euphorbias.
• Remove dead and dying foliage from date palms.
• Remove suckers from roses.
• Stop pinching chrysanthemums.
• Study your irrigation system, check for malfunctioning heads. On drip irrigation systems, flush filters and headers.
• Transplant palms.
• Water warm-season lawns deeply at least once a week in most zones. Water cool-season lawns more shallowly and frequently.
• Water, water water! Be sure to keep container plants and garden beds watered well.

Are you tired of serving up a nightly buffet of your prized garden plants to your neighborhood deer? Then we have the cure for you! We highly recommend Liquid Fence. It works not only by smell but also by taste. The smell isn't strong enough to bother people, but it sure offends the deer! Once they associate bad taste and smells with your garden, they will leave your plants alone.

Liquid Fence is also effective against other pesky nibbling critters such as rabbits, raccoons and groundhogs. For best results, we recommend that you apply Liquid Fence every 4-6 weeks until your furry friends stay away. So don't delay, pick up some Liquid Fence today!

Matt was born and raised in San Jose (Almaden Valley). After graduating from high school, Matt left Almaden to attend Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, where he received a degree in Ornamental Horticulture, concentrating in Landscape Design.

Matt first worked as a foreman with a landscape maintenance company at the Stanford Research Institute and then at another retail nursery before joining Almaden in 1993. In July 2006, Matt and his wife Jeni purchased Almaden Valley Nursery. Matt is very active in the industry and has served as president of the local chapter of the California Association of Nurseries and Garden Centers and now serves on state boards for the same organization.

Matt has an extensive wine collection as well as rock 'n' roll art memorabilia. In his spare time he likes to go wine tasting with his wife Jeni and big game fishing with his friends in Mexico. Matt and Jeni have two boys--Ryan and Shane.

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 Jeni's little sister Jaymie.  Jaymie brought this to a 4th of July BBQ and it was by far the most popular dish!  Every morsel was eaten.  It's sooo delicious.

What You'll Need:

• 8 potatoes

• 1/2 pound bacon

• 1/2 cup chopped onion

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1 pound processed American cheese, cubed

• 1/2 cup pitted and sliced black olives

• Chives for garnish

• Salt and pepper to taste


Step by Step:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Add whole potatoes to large pot of boiling, salted water.  Boil for 20 minutes, or until tender.  Remove potatoes from the water and set aside to cool.

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.  Drain, crumble and set aside.

Peel and cube cooled potatoes, and transfer to a large bowl. 

In a smaller bowl combine onion, mayonnaise, cheese, salt and pepper, and mix together.  Microwave until cheese is mostly melted.  Stir well.  Add to the potatoes.

Place mixture in a lightly oiled 9x11 inch baking dish.  Top with the crumbled bacon, the olives, and chives.  Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.

Tip:  This is a great potluck dish!  It's been a favorite at parties.