Helaful anting Aints 
A Few Suggestions for More Gardening Pleasure 
Our mild climate and a growing season throughout the year permits unlimited garden possi- 
bilities. We are able to plant at any season with ease and safety by purchasing all types of 
plants in tin cans. 
The climate of each locality has a great influence on the type of garden one can have. Along 
the coast the climate is moderated by the ocean. The increased humidity makes possible 
beautiful summer gardens. Inland, with less humidity the winter gardens are the better and 
for summer one resorts to shrubs and drouth and heat resistant annuals. Plants seem to go 
dormant, at least they grow slower, during the hot weather and pick up again with the open- 
ing of cooler weather and rain. The higher mountains, popular for summer residences, present 
a different problem. Severe winter weather with snow and frost eliminates many tender plants 
from the landscape. One must resort to the hardier evergreen shrubs, and trees, and to conifers 
and deciduous plants. We will gladly assist in the selection of plants and answer questions 
pertaining to their planting and care. Our business is to grow suitable material in the best 
possible way. We don’t stop there, however; we want you to have the best results with them. 
Only fine plants with adequate care will give the most satisfaction. 
In our experience the easiest way to guarantee good results with plants is to plant them 
correctly. The following suggestions will help in minimizing failure directly caused by im- 
proper planting: 
Plants and shrubs in cans: Characteristic of California is the use of cans for growing nursery 
material. Extremely hot days should be avoided, if possible, but planting at such times 
should be done in the cool of evening. 
Getting plants out of cans: Have the nursery salesman cut the cans for you. Plants in cut 
cans will last several days, with watering, until planted. You can cut them yourself, using a 
pair of long-handled pruning shears, tin snips, or a sharp asparagus knife. Make two vertical 
cuts, on opposite sides of the container, from top to bottom. Then pull the two halves apart 
from the top. The bottom on one side will fold down whence the plant with its ball of roots 
may be easily slid out. 
Don’t break the ball of roots: The soil in the can contains the roots of the plant, very much 
like the burlapped ball of soil on field dug shrubs. To break this ball injures many of the 
feeding roots and the plant will either die or suffer a long setback. Such injury is serious in 
most plants but is often fatal in Bougainvillea, Azaleas, Roses, and a few others. If the soil 
breaks it is necessary to cut back the top growth in proportion to the seriousness of the root 
injury. Never plant when the soil about the plant is soggy wet but wait until it has dried 
enough to be solid. 
Removing plants from pots: Potted plants can be removed from their pots by a simple method. 
Place the fingers of one hand over the soil in the pot, to preven the plant from falling and 
breaking. Hold the pot with the other hand and give the outside rim a sharp tap against 
a firm solid object such as a fence rail or the handle of a trowel set firmly in the ground. 
Plants that are potbound may require several taps, in which case rotate the pot slightly with 
each tap until the plant falls freely from the pot. 
Bare root plants: During the winter dormant season deciduous trees, shrubs, and roses are 
available without soil on the roots. All broken roots should be cut with sharp pruning shears 
to make a clean cut which will rapidly heal. Otherwise decay may set in. The roots should be 
protected from drying as much as possible. Spread them out in a hole sufficiently large to 
accommodate all without crowding. Don’t double the roots up into a ball. If the root spread 
is greater than the hole, make the hole larger. Sometimes a root is excessively longer than 
the others and should be reduced to the average length of roots by a clean sharp cut. Never 
fold it back into the hole. It is imperative to pack the soil tightly about all the roots and 
force out all air spaces. To accomplish this, tramp or puddle, moistened soil in and about the 
roots when the hole is half filled. Be sure to prune all bare root material back at least 
one-third. 
Planting balled or canned shrubs: Prepare planting holes a foot or more wider than the 
diameter of the ball or can, and deep enough to allow the plant, after planting is completed, 
to set at most an inch lower than it was before. Place the ball carefully in the hole, without 
breaking, level it by forcing dry loose soil under the low sides, and half fill with good soil. 
At this stage of planting balled shrubs the burlap should be loosened from about the top and 
folded down on the soil. Pour at least a pail of water into the hole and when settled fill 
completely. Make a basin about the trunk of the plant with the soil left over from planting 
and fill with water. This basin will serve as a watering trough for several seasons following. 
Acid soil plants: Camellias, Fuchsias, Azaleas, Ericas, and Daphne require an acid soil for 
their normal development. No lime in any form, even in fertilizers should come in contact 
with the plants. Since water is on the alkaline side it will so render any acid bed neutral or 
alkaline and it is necessary to replenish the acidity. At least twice a year spread soil sulphur 
about the beds and water it in with the hose. The soil for such plantings should be composed 
almost entirely of peat moss or oak leaf mold, with some sand and a little soil. 
Deciduous trees, bare rooted, are best planted in January, February, March or April in this 
locality. Two-year-old trees do best as a general rule. Fruit trees can be expected, on the 
average, to bear the third or fourth year after planting. 
PLANTING DISTANCES 
Feet Apart ; Feet Apart 
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ae ; Kal DEM VGINCSsaeeea kre nes Sey: - 
Peaches, Apricots figs Laat --15 - 25 Blackberries, Boysenberries 6by 8 
Apples, Pears, Figs, Almonds. ..20 - 35 Raspberries@ ater: ans ot 2 bye 
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te soak soil around rects 
CONTAINER PLANTS 
B.B. (Balled and Burlaped) 


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Removing 
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Cut back roots 
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indicated 
Soil level 


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Bush fruits } Mi 
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~ Basin hotds water. 
Strowberry planted correctly 

