The rose is a symbol of love, hope, joy, passion, remembrance, and condolence. No flower has been the subject of plays, songs and poems more than the rose.

The history of the rose goes far back. The Greeks revered the red rose as having come from the blood of Adonis; the Romans used roses in their parties and thought nothing of carpeting the floor with rose petals; the Persians associated the rose with the heart; the early Christians made the rose a symbol of love in connection with the Virgin Mary and Christ's Blood.

The Victorians even talked in roses, and some of that language still survives today. A red rose, of course, signifies respect and love. A yellow rose, in Victorian times, meant a jealous suitor but today means friendship. The white rose signified innocence and purity. In the U.S., white roses are often used at weddings and have acquired the additional meaning of happiness and security. Pink roses are often used to signify appreciation or gratitude. White and red roses together signify unity. White roses fringed in red have come to mean the same thing.

The Victorians used more than just colors. Two roses bound together signified an engagement. A thornless rose signified love at first sight. A wilted rose, of course, signified rejection. There were also meanings in rosebuds, half-open buds and roses in full bloom, as well as meanings in the number of roses given; fifty roses, for instance, signified unconditional love and twenty-five roses were given as congratulations.

For Valentine's Day, rather than give any number of individual roses, why not give a rose plant? There may be no meaning in the language of roses for a whole rose plant--but in the language of gardeners, it's surely a gift of love!

We have a full rose selection. Click here to see!

Perhaps nothing heralds the coming of spring like the magnificent saucer-like flowers of the tulip magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana), also known as saucer magnolia or Chinese magnolia. These small deciduous trees are one of the most popular trees in the home landscape, and for the month they bloom, they are truly extraordinary.

There are many cultivars of this hybrid species with the 4-5" blossoms ranging in color from pure white to shades of pink and purple--and now even shades of yellow. The winter floral buds are large and fuzzy, giving rise to "candles" as they expand and open. In warm climates, this can be as early as January and February, but for most of the country, the flowers reveal themselves in late March and early April, before the foliage emerges. The flowers can be damaged by late frosts, so select late-blooming varieties in cooler areas.

Most of these varieties have an upright oval growth habit in youth, becoming rounded, spreading, and mounding with age. They make great small trees, with some varieties growing up to 30' ft high. But most varieties can be maintained at 10-15' with yearly pruning. The 6" medium-to-dark green leaves hold their color right through the end of fall, before they drop for winter.

They perform best in full sun in humid or coastal locations, but prefer some afternoon shade in inland areas with dry summers. They like moist, acidic, deep, and porous soils but can be quite adaptable to a wide range of conditions. They do best when transplanted in spring or summer into holes that have been amended with a soil conditioner like Gardner & Bloome Acid Planting Mix. In cold regions we recommend covering the soil around the tree with a 2-3" layer of mulch.

Our magnolias move fast. So stop by soon and one of our nursery professionals will help you select the perfect tree for your garden. To help you get an idea of all the flower color varieties available just checkout our gallery.

1. Choose and plant camellias, azaleas and Chinese magnolias
2. Purchase clivia.
3. Plant gerberas and gladioli.
4. Plant lilies of the valley.
5. Plant asparagus from bare-root.
6. Prune kiwi vines.
7. Cut back fuchsias once they begin to grow.
8. In coastal zones: prune begonias, ginger, cannas, asparagus ferns, ivy and pyracantha.
9. Deadhead cool-season flowers to keep them blooming.
10. Propagate running bamboo in coastal zones.
11. Continue to fertilize citrus trees in coastal zones.
12. Continue to fertilize epiphyllums.
13. Fertilize avocado trees in coastal zones.
14. Feed deciduous fruit trees.
15. Fertilize roses.
16. Fertilize fuchsias.
17. Fertilize cineraria with to promote blooms.
18. Fertilize cane berries as they begin to grow.
19. Keep roses and bulbs well-watered.
20. Bait for slugs and snails.
21. Control pests on citrus trees, sycamore, ash and alder trees.
22. Protect cineraria from leaf miners, aphids, and slugs and snails.
23. Mulch young avocado trees.
24. Don't forget Valentine's Day!

The mouthparts of insects have adapted over time to suit the feeding style of each type of insect. Mouthparts differ from insect to insect, so the damage that they cause is useful in the classification and identification of the pest. Differentiating the type of insect damage will help you determine how to control the pest.

A chewing insect is any insect that has teeth. Most winged chewing insects (such as beetles, caterpillars and grasshoppers) feed only on leaf tissue, working from the leaf edge towards the center and eventually to the leaf stem. Crawling chewing insects, such as cutworms, will also eat roots and even stems of small plants.

Rasping insects (such as mites, snails, slugs and thrips) actually scrape off the surface of the leaves as sandpaper would. They suck up the fluids from the top layer of cells until all the green tissue has been consumed, leaving only the skeleton behind.

Sucking insects (such as aphids and whitefly) have slender mouthparts with which they pierce leaves and stems to suck out plant fluids. Large populations can cause curling, yellowing and distortion of leaves, as well as stunting of shoots. Most sucking insects also produce large quantities of a sticky substance known as honeydew, which often turns black with the growth of a sooty mold fungus.

If you're not sure what type of insect is attacking your plant, just bring in a sample and one of our nursery experts will recommend a remedy to help your plant.

Irene is a native of San Jose and enjoys traveling, dancing, gardening, and going with friends to comedy clubs.

As a child, Irene once led Operation Tadpole Rescue, saving as many "orphan" tadpoles from the local creek as her mother's Tupperware collection would hold. Her house soon became home to a budding reptilian ecosystem, and her parents spent many a sleepless night listening to a chorus of croaking and unwittingly sharing their beds with Irene's frogs and turtles.

Once out of high school, Irene went into Montessori School working as a teacher's aide.

Ever impulsive, Irene has been known to suddenly take off on long 12-hour drives to the country. In the winter, she enjoys Frisbee-sliding in the snow.

My staff and I look forward to serving you this year. We'll go out of our way to make your day!

Matt Lepow

This week's featured recipe is a delicious chocolate fondue that's perfect for a romantic Valentine's dessert. Jeni and Matt served this last year at a Valentine's party and it was a huge hit!

What You'll Need:

• ¾ cup heavy whipping cream (reserve ¼ cup to thin mixture if necessary)

• 4 bittersweet chocolate bars, chopped, 3 ½ oz each

• 2 tablespoons Frangelico or Amaretto liqueur (optional)

Step by Step:

1. Heat ½ cup cream in heavy non-reactive saucepot over medium heat until cream comes to a low boil. Remove the pan from heat and add the chocolate. Let the chocolate stand in hot cream 3 to 5 minutes to soften and THEN whisk it with the cream. Stir in the liqueur and transfer the mixture to a fondue pot.

2. If the fondue becomes too thick, stir in reserved cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.

3. Serve with a variety of dipping treats such as biscotti, pretzel sticks, cubed pound cake, sliced bananas, stem strawberries, sectioned oranges, fresh cubed pineapple, cubed apples, cubed Snickers bar (or the minis), cubed Rice Crispy Treats, Pepperidge Farm Pirouette cookies, marshmallows… or anything else that sounds yummy to you!