Coneflowers (Echinacea species) are a native American wildflower that have found their way into our gardens because of their stunning beauty and hardiness. Originally only available in shades of purple and lavender, coneflowers now come in a wide range of colors. Thanks to the efforts of breeders across the country, they can now be found in shades of pink, white, purple, yellow, orange and salmon. They come in a range of sizes as well, from dwarf coneflowers (knee high) that grow only 18" high and wide to varieties that grow 4-5' high and half as wide.

The 3-5" diameter flowers on these robust deciduous perennials are arranged above sturdy, elongated, upright stems that are perfect for cutting and last in a vase from 5-7 days. The flowers have somewhat weeping petals that surround a coned center (thus, the name) and are produced from summer into fall.

Coneflowers prefer full sun locations and regular watering in well-drained soil that keeps them moist, but not wet. They require a couple of feedings per year of a good flower food to keep them healthy and strong.

Coneflowers make an excellent addition to any perennial garden and also look great in border or container plantings. They are a perfect selection for butterfly gardens. We invite you to stop by and bring some home today!

'Roman Coliseum'™ Basil is a never-ending basil, flourishing very well in a container year round. Grow it outside for the summer months and on a sunny windowsill in the winter. The perpetually produced new leaves are pesto-green, intensely fragrant and tasty. Unlike other culinary basils, this is a non-flowering variety and keeps its taste all year.

Almaden Valley Nursery will have these available this week.

Three plants in a 10-inch pot will provide a steady harvest of new leaves for cooking, if the plants are given enough light. More creative gardeners can try sculpting the plant into an 18-inch standard topiary with the bottom leaves removed.

For a delicious pesto paste, try this recipe:

• 2 cups fresh pesto leaves, packed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 olive oil
• 3 tbls pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced

Few plants can match the tropical appeal and intense color of Canna Lilies. Their regal beauty can add a spectacular presence to any garden. Native to South America and the West Indies, these blooming beauties offer color from May until late fall, with a color range that includes all your favorite reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, corals and salmon. New hybridizing efforts have also produced a number of varieties that also feature attractive striped, variegated, bronze and burgundy foliage.

Canna Lilies grow from 2-6, tall, depending on the variety, and are amazingly trouble-free when it comes to insects and disease. They are incredibly versatile and can be successfully mixed in borders, massed in garden beds by themselves or tucked between other small to medium shrubs. They also tolerate wet soils better than most plants. For those of you with limited space, they make a great addition to a container garden.

Canna Lilies do go dormant each season and simply need to be pruned back to the ground once the foliage starts to fade for the season. They do best in moist soils and show their colors more intensely when fed every two months during the growing season. Whether you choose them for their vibrant blooms or bold patterned leaves, make room for some easy-to-please cannas in your garden this year.

Almaden Valley Nursery is just starting to carry many of the varieties available.

Peppers can be broken down into four major categories: bell peppers, sweet peppers, mild chile peppers and hot chile peppers.

Here's how to choose the best varieties for color, shape, and flavor:

Bell Peppers
Bell peppers have the thickest flesh of all peppers and a mild and fruity flavor. They come in a rainbow of colors including the traditional green, red, orange, yellow, and purple. The green and yellow tend to have the sweetest flavor, while the orange, red and purple have a zestier flavor. Most start out green and then turn color as they mature.

Sweet Peppers
These peppers pack a lot of flavor without a lot of heat. They are usually thin-walled and less juicy than other pepper types but exceptional for cooking. They vary in shape from elongated and pointed to heart-shaped or rounded. These include the apple, banana, carmen, cherry, Corno di Toro, Gypsy, Italian, Marconi, pepperoncini, pimento and Santa Fe.

Mild Chile Peppers
These peppers have a mildly hot and spicy flavor and can be used to spice up dishes where a little heat is needed. They can be dried or be eaten fresh or roasted and added to salads, salsas or dips. Varieties in this category include anaheim, ancho poblano (perfect for chiles rellenos), cascabel, española, 'Fooled You' (a no-heat jalapeño hybrid), mariachi, mulato and sandia.

Hot Chile Peppers
If you want some heat, then these are the peppers for you! These guys pack a punch and are not for the meek of heart. They're loaded with flavor and tend to be thin skinned and smaller in size than other peppers. We recommend handling these with gloves (it's hard to get pepper juice off your hands). If you aren't sure of a variety, remove the seeds and veins from them before cooking and eating; then do a lot of taste-testing. It's easier to add more heat to a dish than to take it out. These hotties include cayenne, chipotle, habanero, hot cherry, Hungarian yellow, jalapeño, pasilla, pequin, serrano, Scotch bonnet, tabasco and Thai dragon.

There is just not much good one can say about thrips. They attack ornamental landscape plants, spread viruses, and simply make the foliage ugly and your plant sicker than it was. Many pests "move in" and make themselves at home when the health of a plant is poor. Thrips are no exception. In fact, they are most likely to attack a plant that is too dried out--especially if the foliage is dirty.

Thrips are microscopic and look like elongated black flies. They may be tiny, but the damage that they cause is not. And that damage is quite characteristic, and easily identified. The foliage becomes silvery or bronze and stippled, because thrips are both chewers and suckers. There can be a blackish deposit from their presence, and often the plant will develop sooty mold as well.

The natural predators to thrips include parasitoid wasps, soldier beetles, and green lacewings and their larvae. Spraying with insecticidal soaps can also help. If their presence is minimal, cut, remove, and destroy the infested foliage.

In severe cases, other insecticides can be used to treat an infected plant. Talk to one of our salespeople to determine not only the right product but also the right time in the season for treatment.

Remember--during hot, dry weather, one of your best protections is to make sure your plants have the appropriate amount of water and fertilizers to keep them healthy.

1. Continue to plant melons.
2. Plant tropical and subtropical plants.
3. Plant bougainvilleas.
4. Plant perennial morning glories.
5. Purchase fuchsias.
6. Continue to purchase epiphyllums.
7. Plant seeds of heat-loving annuals.
8. Use bedding plants for quick color.
9. Continue to plant summer vegetables.
11. Plant exotic vegetables.
12. Purchase, plant and transplant succulents--including cacti and euphorbias.
13. Purchase alstromerias throughout summer while they are in bloom.
14. Plant and transplant palms.
15. Continue to pick and deadhead roses.
16. Pinch back chrysanthemums to make them bushy.
17. Divide and repot cymbidiums that have outgrown their containers.
18. Remove berries (seed pods) from fuchsias after flowers fall.
19. Prune epiphyllums.
20. Thin out deciduous fruit trees after June drop.
21. Give marguerites a "butch" haircut.
22. Cut back gamolepis and euryops.
23. Deadhead and pick summer flowers to keep them going.
24. Mow cool-season lawns longer.
25. Mow warm-season grasses shorter.
26. Clip runners off strawberries.
27. Prune climbing roses that bloom once a year in spring, but wait until flowers fade.
28. Divide English primroses after bloom or wait until September.
29. Continue to prune and train espaliers.
30. Continue to remove spent bloom stems from daylilies and to propagate the types that make proliferates.
31. Deadhead alstromerias often by pulling off the stalks with a sharp tug.
32. Look for yellow leaves and green veins indicating chlorosis in citrus, gardenias, azaleas, and others; treat it with chelated iron.
33. Feed citrus and avocado trees.
34. Feed bamboo with a slow-release fertilizer.
35. Feed water lilies.
36. Fertilize cymbidiums with high nitrogen for growth.
37. Give camellias their second feeding for the year.
38. Feed container-grown annuals and perennials with a complete fertilizer.
39. Side-dress vegetable rows if you didn't do it last month.
40. Give strawberries a shot of 0-10-10 to prolong the harvest.

There are a number of naturally safe repellents that should make Fifi think twice about using your garden as her personal toilet. If an electric fence or chicken wire isn't your cup of tea, consider applying a commercial cat repellent like Critter Ritter. The key to using a repellent is to consistently re-apply the product until Fifi associates the desired area with the bad smell.

Home remedies like moth balls (inside coffee cans with small holes in lids) or cayenne pepper shaken around the exterior of the bed (which will also spice up your food) have also been known to be somewhat effective. Mulching may help, and keeping the garden soil moist. Cats like loose, dry soil to bury their doings in. You can also try to catch Fifi in the act and spray her with water. This will make you feel better but, unfortunately, rarely deters a persistent cat.

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.