If you have a perpetually damp place in your garden that has always been a problem area for you, don't despair. Quite a few plants actually enjoy having wet (cooler) feet and will perform quite well in moist or flood prone areas with poor drainage or bordering a pond or stream.

Planted right, this area can actually become a highlight of your garden, creating a unique spot with intriguing foliage and flowers. It can also become a wonderful habitat for attracting wildlife to your garden. Make sure to include a footpath or elevated walkway through the garden to provide access for easy maintenance.

We stock a great selection of plants that perform well in boggy conditions. Some of our varieties can become a bit too happy in these conditions and may need to be pruned back some after a few growing seasons--but they will more than make up for their "enthusiasm" by providing loads of color throughout the year. Stop by the nursery today and turn your trouble area into a bodacious bog garden!

As more homeowners re-landscape gardens, there is an increasing desire for something out of the ordinary. This is a direct departure form the traditional foundation shrubs that came to be the standard look in most front yards of the 70's and 80's.

It's important to realize that an entryway garden is normally the first impression that your visitors will have of your home. Rather than blind them with multiple colors of blooms or boring them with a sea of plain green foliage, consider something more elegant, understated and inviting.

This can be accomplished by using shrubs and perennials with white flowers or that bloom in the neutral or pastel color range, such as pale blue or yellow, light pink or lavender shades. Sticking with these color options makes designing an entryway garden simple since one doesn't need to worry about clashing colors.

We have an excellent selection of plants that will make any front yard the talk of the neighborhood. Most of these plants will make a greater impact when planting in groups of three or more. As with all planting, make sure to add a soil amendment, such as Gardner & Bloome Planting Mix, to the hole and add some plant food like Dr. Earth #2 Starter Fertilizer to help get your plants off to a healthy start.

So come down and visit us today. Our staff of nursery experts is available to help you make a great first impression with all your friends and neighbors.

All the crazy weather we have had this summer across the country serves as a great reminder to make sure to address any slope erosion problems before they arise. And fall is a great time of year to plant shrubs and ground covers that can help to prevent a hillside from slipping away.

Consider that the upcoming cool months provide a time when plant roots grow fast and the need for water is less apparent for new plantings. You and your newly planted stock now have an advantage over the hot summer sun or cold winter nights.

To see if you have a potential hillside erosion problem, be alert for these tell-tale signs:

• Bare spots anywhere on your property
• Tree roots exposed above ground
• Small stones or rocks appearing on the ground surface
• Small rills or gullies beginning to form
• Build-up of silt in certain areas
• Soil splashed on windows and outside walls
• Soil washout along driveways

There are a number of excellent plant and groundcover choices that not only thrive with the good drainage conditions of most hillsides but will also go a long way in providing protection from heavy rains. The key is to plant a mixture of plant types. You want to have layers of vegetation for rainfall to hit, so it will be diffused before it reaches the ground. Generally the larger the plant grows, the deeper its roots, so don't neglect the larger, slower-growing plants.

In the Kitchen Garden:

1. Hoe regularly to keep down weeds.
2. Lift onions and shallots as they become ready.
3. Continue to thin vegetables sown earlier.
4. Give plants that need a boost a dose of a quick-acting fertilizer.
5. Sow cabbages for spring use.
6. Pinch out the growing tips of runner beans when they reach the top of their support.
7. Pay regular attention to outdoor tomatoes.
8. Continue to harvest herbs regularly.
9. Summer prune cordon and espalier apples if you have not already done so and if shoots are mature enough.
10. Tidy up summer-flowering strawberries. Cut off old leaves and unwanted runners, remove straw, and control weeds.
11. Protect fruit against birds if they are troublesome. A fruit cage is ideal.

The Flower Garden:

1. Dead-head plants in borders and containers regularly.
2. Feed plants in containers to keep the blooms coming.
3. Hoe beds and borders regularly to keep down weeds.
4. Take semi-ripe cuttings.
5. Clip beech, holly, hornbeam and yew hedges, and most evergreen hedges, if you have not already done so.
6. Plant spring-flowering bulbs.
7. Take fuchsia and pelargonium cuttings.
8. Sow hardy annuals to overwinter.
9. Plant lilies.
10. Clear summer bedding and prepare for spring bedding plants.
11. Continue to watch for pests and diseases on roses and other vulnerable plants.
12. Disbud dahlias and chrysanthemums as necessary.
13. Lift and store dahlias after the first frost.
14. Lift and store gladioli and other tender bulbs, corms and tubers.
15. Take in tender aquatic plants from the pond if frost is threatened.

The Greenhouse and Conservatory:

1. Bring in house and greenhouse plants that have been standing outdoors for the summer.
2. Sow spring-flowering plants such as cyclamen, schizanthus and exacum.
3. Clean off summer shading washes.
4. Repot cacti if they need it.
5. Check that greenhouse heaters are in good working order. Arrange to have them serviced, if necessary.
6. Pot up and pot on seedling pot-plants as it becomes necessary.
7. Plant hyacinth for early flowering under glass.

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 from reader and customer Peg Carlson-Bowen.  Peg says this is always a hit over sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, over any kind of salad: pasta, veggie, three bean, etc.  She also tells us that you can use the packaged chopped basil that comes in a tube in the produce department and that's really good too.  Especially good in the winter when fresh basil is harder to come by.

What You'll Need:

• 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 1/2  tbsp. canola oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

Step by Step:

In a glass bowl, pour sugar into vinegar and stir.  Let set about 10 minutes.  Add oil and basil.  Pour over salad.