Now is the Time,
Kerby's is the Place

April 24, 2014   

Joey's Grandma Toni loved her garden, and especially her camellias.
One of our themes this year at Kerby's has been happiness in your garden. If you love your garden, nothing will make you smile like the blooms of your favorite flower or that first harvest from a fruit tree that you've nurtured for many seasons. Another reason I think that gardens bring us so much happiness is that they are filled with memories. When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to be in a family with lots of people that loved to garden. One person in particular was my Grandma Toni. She lived on a 5 acre property just off of Dale Mabry in Carrollwood and she loved and had all kinds of plants. Whatever was in bloom or whatever needed tending was her favorite plant that day, although she was partial to her camellias and roses. What I think she really loved was just being able to get out in her garden.

One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to follow
Memories hide in many places, even in a well-worn pair of garden clogs.
her around and "help". I'm sure I was more in the way than actually helping, but I loved it. She used to get various garden catalogs and in one of them, she saw some dutch garden clogs. She knew how much I liked being out in the garden, so she ordered a pair for herself and one for me. I found the clogs recently while going through a box of old stuff, and it really is amazing what memories a worn-out pair of shoes can hold. My parents tell me that I wore the clogs all of the time, which is pretty obvious when you look at them and see how worn out they are. You can't see it in the photo, but they also have my name on them. When I found them in the box of old things, they brought back lots of great memories: Following grandma around in the ramshackle greenhouse that my great-grandfather built, mowing in the old citrus grove, spending afternoons outside by the lake and eating mulberries from the giant mulberry tree. They are such wonderful memories and it is a connection to these memories that I think makes the garden an even stronger place to find happiness.

 Even as she grew old, my grandmother still loved plants. When my
A gardener for life, created by the people in his family who love to garden.
 Dad would bring her to Kerby's, she loved walking around and looking at all of the plants, and seeing flowers that she remembered having in her yard, or that she had tried to grow at some point in her life. The garden is an amazing place. Just writing about a well-worn pair of gardening clogs is bringing back memories and even creating some new ones. In fact, I think it is time to close the computer, and head out in the garden with my two little girls. Who knows what new memories await us in our garden. 



Happy Gardening,
The Kerby's Nursery Family


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In This Issue

Growing Citrus

Featured Plant

Upcoming Events
Sat. Apr 26th at 10am Workshop: Growing Great Citrus
 


Spring Blooms Sale
Roses & Camellias
2 for $50


Click for Rose Info


Peach, Apple, Plum, Nectarine and Pear Trees
40% Off

  

Click to See
More Beautiful Plants
at Kerby's

  

 
Malaysian Orchid
$19.99 10" Pot


 Featured Plant
Malaysian Orchid
Medinilla myriantha
 
This tropical plant has the coolest blooms. The cluster of pink buds slowly open into small deep-pink flowers. The flower clusters are long lasting and very colorful in shady areas. Kerby's has both the full-size and the dwarf in stock now.

 

Growing Delicious Citrus

Below are some simple tips for growing great citrus. They really are one of the easiest fruits to grow in this area and offer you great nutrition, too.  

 

Planting -  Citrus trees don't mind our sandy soil because it keeps them from getting too wet, but they do need some rich material that can hold some water and nutrients close to the root system. For a 5 Gallon citrus tree, we recommend using one bag of our Kerby's Planting soil when installing new trees. See our planting instructions for more detailed information.  Citrus must be planted in an area that drains well; they will not tolerate wet soil or standing water.

 

 

Watering - Fruit split, fruit drying, blossom drop and other problems with citrus are often caused by poor watering practices. Newly planted trees should be watered daily for the first month, every other day in the second month and twice weekly in the third month. Thereafter trees should receive at least an inch of water per week over the entire root system. Did you know that a mature citrus tree can use up to 90 gallons of water per week! If mother nature is not supplying the water in the form of rain, make sure you are watering your trees to keep them healthy and the fruit juicy. 

 

What goes underneath a citrus tree? The short answer is nothing! Citrus have shallow root systems, with up to 90% of their roots being in the top two feet of soil. This means that any flowers or even grass will compete with the tree for nutrients. The healthiest trees are kept free of weeds, grass and mulch underneath.

 

 

Fertilizing - Just like us, citrus trees need their nutrients. For the first year, fertilize monthly with a complete, balanced fertilizer such as Kerby's 8-4-8. This fertilizer contains all of the important micronutrients, such as iron, manganese and zinc, which are all important for plant health and fruit development. In the second year and beyond, fertilize three times per year (spring, summer and fall). Spread the fertilizer evenly from the trunk of the tree out to the drip line.




Upcoming Events


 

 


Workshop: Growing Delicious Citrus
Saturday, April 26th at 10:00am

Citrus are a staple fruit tree in Florida. From oranges to tangerines, and lemons to limes there is a wide variety of citrus to suit everyone's tastes. At this workshop, we'll discuss planting and care of citrus trees and what you can do to get the best harvests.  



 

Workshop: Container Gardening
Saturday, May 10th at 10am

Come learn how all about thrillers, fillers and spillers. Create your own masterpiece to add a unique touch to your home with a beautiful container garden.

 

 

 
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Kerby's Nursery

2311 S. Parsons Ave.

Seffner, FL 33584
(813) 685-3265
www.kerbysnursery.com


Store Hours
Open Seven Days a Week
Monday - Saturday,  9:00am - 5:30pm
Sunday,  9:00am - 4:00pm