The staff at Newell's has been gearing up for our best spring and summer gardening season ever, by creating some special events for you.

First on the roster is our Artisans' Faire, which will take place on Saturday, April 14th, from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, and on Sunday, April 15th, from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm. On both days we will feature the talents of the artists from Yucaipa's own VisionQuest - The Center for Creativity. A wide variety of artists will display their work for sale, and in some cases, demonstrate how they create their work.

On Saturday evening, April 14th, form 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm, Newell Nurseries will host a Meet the Artists Social complete with wine, cheese and music. Reservations are required for this evening. You will have an opportunity to meet and hear from each of the artists as well as sample wines, courtesy of Citrone Restaurant in Redlands. Call Newell Nurseries at 909-797-9210 to let us know you would like to join us.

On Saturday, July 7th, from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm, Newell Nurseries will be hosting a Home & Garden Show with our favorite tradespeople from our referral list. If you are thinkiing about a pool, pond, masonry, lighting, sprinklers, interior decorating or landscape design this is a great opportunity for you to get ideas, see samples and pick brains.

Mark your calendar for what interests you. We hope to see you at Newell's!

Japanese maples (Acer palmatum and cultivars) are extraordinarily beautiful garden trees. Grow them for the wonderful foliage color and winter branching structure. These trees are a wonderful smaller scale answer to our limited sized Southern California gardens.

Japanese maples can be grown almost anywhere in the West, except in the deserts. They thrive in the Pacific Northwest and coastal Northern California. In warmer areas of inland Northern California and in Southern California, a sheltered location - such as in a courtyard or on the north side of the house - is crucial for success. Any combination of strong sunlight, alkaline or salty soil, and dry winds can result in scorched leaf edges by midsummer. And that scorching usually ruins the fall color.

There are hundreds and hundreds of cultivars of Japanese maples. Of course, you won't find all of them here at our garden center, but you will find those varieties that will do well here. Still, you will have many to choose from. So how do you make your final selection(s)? Consider tree form, foliage shape and color, cultivar needs and the desired effect or look that you are trying to achieve.

Japanese maples will be most happy planted in front of north and east walls, in entryways and as small lawn trees. Exceptions to the rule would be if you have a shady area of your yard that is not north or east, but it is protected by larger plants or a towering building (that offers shade much of the day). They are attractive in groves (like birches) or singly in woodland plantings including ferns, azaleas, columbine, and hosta.

There are upright forms and weeping forms, coral-colored bark that just 'pops' in winter. All leaf shapes are palmate or the classic maple shape, like the palm of your hand. Some are classically cut, others are deeply cut-leaves, giving the tree a lacy look. Spring color in most varieties is reddish-pink to pink. Summer colors range from burgundy to green to variegations of green, pink and white or cream. Fall colors can be yellow to orange to deep red-orange to red; again, depending on variety.

But fall color is only one of the only reasons to plant a Japanese maple. Few other trees are so well behaved. Their roots are noninvasive; their fallen leaves break down quickly or blow away in the wind, making autumn cleanup easy; and even the taller varieties can usually be pruned from a stepladder. The Japanese maple is an excellent choice for the smaller garden or use as a patio tree.

Japanese maples also deliver four seasons of garden interest. In winter, their bare branches (they are deciduous) have a rare structural beauty--some highly colorful, others with graceful weeping silhouettes. The branch pattern can be strongly upright on trees over 20 feet tall, or weeping and dome-shaped on shrub-like trees less than 4 feet. Some varieties have green, red, or variegated bark.

Unfortunately, many homeowners purchase a beautiful Japanese maple in spring only to watch the leaves get burned in summer. We get panicked calls from customers fearing that they have killed their beautiful young tree. The tree isn't dying - it's just suffering from heat stress, incorrect watering, or maybe even incorrect placement in the yard. Ideal conditions include filtered or partial shade, well-drained soil slightly on the acidic side, and consistent moisture. A 3- to 4-inch layer of organic mulch helps maintain soil moisture.

This condition can also be caused by salt burn from the use or overuse of strong chemical fertilizers containing high amounts of nitrogen. Even if the soil is moist around the trees, the tree can burn because the moist soil actually activates the fertilizer, and the tree cannot control the amount of fertilizer it draws up. So take care to not over-fertilize.

"So," you ask, "What do we do to minimize the leaf burn?" Japanese maples do need a consistently moist, well-drained environment and, preferably, the use of an organic fertilizer like Nurseryman's Camellia & Azelea Food. Use this fertilizer before the new growth appears in the spring. When planting your new Japanese maple, make sure that you mix such as Nurseryman's Camellia & Azelea Planting Mix with the native soil of your garden before planting. And always be sure to top off your soil with mulch to keep the soil cool and moist. Remember: never plant a Japanese maple in a low spot or near an area that may have standing water, or your new tree will succumb to root rot.

Japanese maples are the spotlight of any garden as they pose with complete elegance any time of year. Surrounded by woodland plants such as ferns or azaleas, or under-planted with Chinese fringe (Loropetalum), Pittosporum 'Crème de Mint' and day lilies, this tree will bring beauty to your garden forever. Welcome one into your garden; you'll see just what we truly mean.

Strawberries are an excellent crop for home gardeners. Like most fruits and vegetables, they taste much better if homegrown and picked when just ripe.

You can plant strawberries three ways: in the ground, in strawberry pots, or in hanging baskets. Plant certain varieties now and you can be enjoying your fresh strawberries into autumn.

Strawberry Types:

• June-bearing strawberries produce a large, concentrated crop in late spring. You'll get more berries per season from June-bearing strawberries, but the entire crop will ripen over a short period.
• Ever-bearing strawberries produce one crop in spring and another in fall.
• Day-neutral plants are capable of producing fruit throughout most of the growing season.

We recommend planting more than one type, so you'll get a better spread in your harvest.

Growing Strawberries:
Strawberries need full sun to produce the best crop - give them at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. More sunlight will give you more, and better quality, berries.

Strawberries do best in a sandy loam with high humus content. They don't like either drought or wet feet (they will suffer root-rot in poorly-draining soil).

Water when the top inch of soil dries out - this may be daily in hot weather.

Planting Depth:
Try to plant strawberries on a cloudy day or during the late afternoon. Set the strawberry plant in the soil so that the soil is just covering the tops of the roots. Do not cover the crown. After a month or so, the plants will begin producing runners and new plants. Feed monthly with a good organic liquid fertilizer.

In a Strawberry Pot or Basket:
We recommend using the larger pots and baskets, as the smaller ones dry out too quickly. Use an organic potting mix that provides nutrients, or fortify the potting mix with slow-release fertilizer.

In the Ground:
Strawberries don't like either drought or wet feet. We recommend amending with if your site doesn't drain well (or drains too quickly).

Beds should be placed beyond the root zone of large trees so the tree won't compete with the strawberries for nutrients and water. Choose a location that will be easy to water during dry spells.

The site selected should be free from weeds, grubs and soil-borne diseases. Strawberries are susceptible to verticillium wilt, and should not be planted where tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes have grown in the past three years, since these vegetables often carry the disease. If you don't have a 'clean' area to plant them, we recommend using strawberry pots or baskets.

Plant strawberries in the spring, as soon as the ground is workable. Don't work the soil if it's soggy. Wait a few days until it dries.

Planting
The 2007 roses are here. This month they will begin that first bloom. And all of you rose lovers know what that first bloom is: blossoms with wonderful color and fragrance! For those of you who were waiting to select a new rose shrub until you could see the actual flower, this will be the month to stop by the garden center and stroll through the roses!

Did you know that azaleas and camellias are best planted while blooming? They began their blooming in February, so March is right in the middle of their blooming season. DON'T feed your camellias until they have completed their blooming! If you do, they will drop all remaining buds and you will be so very unhappy, thinking that you killed your shrub. Fertilize to reward the plant AFTER the blooming ends.

Spring color plants are arriving daily! Color up your gardens with perennials and annuals. Look for perennials such as campanula, columbine, coral bells, delphinium, foxglove (digitalis), diascia, penstemon, salvia, yarrow and so much more. Great annuals to pick from include celosia, coleus, dianthus, linaria, lobelia, marigolds, nicotiana, petunias, salvias, and verbena.

There is still time for planting bulbs! Tuberous begonias, caladium, calla, canna, dahlia, gladiolus, nerine, tigridia and many more are available.

Spring is a good time for planting many of our native plants. If you are in a region that still anticipates some frost, hold off until you are sure the frosty nights and mornings are finished. Think of how you are contributing to water saving if you have a garden of native plants, or even just a portion of your garden with water-wise plants.

Ladies and gentlemen: Start your vegetable gardens! Such veggies as the cabbage family (cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli), squash, lettuce, Swiss chard, peppers, and cool season tomatoes are here. This is also a good time not only to prune back herbs from last year, but also add in new plants such as chives, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme.

Maintenance Duties
Fertilize your lawns with Master Nursery Lawn Food, Master Nursery Weed & Feed, or Master Nursery All Purpose Triple 16.

Fertilize your roses with Nurseryman's Rose & Flower Food.

Snails will be out to munch on tender, new growth. Time to purchase your favorite snail bait.

Now is the time to divide perennials such as agapanthus, callas, daylilies, rudbeckia, and daisies. Those with fuchsias can cut them back two-thirds toward the main branches. Remember to leave 2-5 leaf bud/scars for new growth.

You can begin pruning your ornamental shrubs (pittosporum, boxwood, etc.) for hedges. Wait to prune spring flowering shrubs and trees until their blooming is over.

Now is the time to apply a pre-emergent grass and weed prevention product on all of your garden beds. Following the application of the pre-emergent, re-mulching will be important.

Mulch, Mulch, and Mulch More!
We often tell you to mulch. This does not mean we want you to mound the mulch up 5 feet. It means you should continue to replenish your mulch and maintain a 2-4 inch blanket over your soil. So when you hear us singing the 'mulch' song, you'll know just what we mean!

I was born in the wilds of Redlands, one block from the Post Office and Redlands Bowl. I share my life with my wife, Dorothy, a lover - my daughter, Kelley, a dog lover - and my daughter, Melody, a plant lover.

Right after World War II, my career as a nurseryman began when I got my first job in a retail nursery. At about the same time, I began experimenting with hydroponic tomatoes, started reading horticultural books - a lot of horticultural books - and bought a little green house, where I propagated plants from seed and cuttings.

I owned my own nursery from 1948 to 1963 - took a sabbatical for awhile and then in 1975 jumped back into the business, opening Newell's Nurseries on this site. In 2003 my daughter, Melody, became sole owner and the "Thunder" at Newell Nurseries.