Fortunately, other nurserymen and horticulturists are generally not easily offended. I have identified many of my favorite horticultural establishments with such abrupt inspections, such as Capitol Wholesale Nursery, Sakamoto Plants, Ladera Garden Center, Yerba Buena Nursery in Woodside and a few others formerly discussed.

I really tried to be more gracious while visiting a newer nursery, God's Little Acre, for the first time, but was ultimately more interested in a few unusual species I found than in maintaining my composure. I was particularly pleased to find American holly, purple-leaf sand cherry, tibouchina, rose of Sharon (hibiscus) and a few cultivars of fig. Although American holly is more common elsewhere in North America, I have never seen it in a California nursery. Some "fruit cocktail" trees, which include scions (grafts) of a few similar but distinct fruits, are available as well as some unusual roses. Prices are very reasonable.

God's Little Acre is at 19810 Almaden Road, near New Almaden, which is the original town and oldest part of Almaden. The nursery has only been in business since January and is somewhat confined but is expected to expand to include a broader selection. Phil Anzalone, proprietor of God's Little Acre, also grows organic vegetables, including many varieties of tomato and pepper that will be available later in summer. Anzalone is, incidentally, a native of the Santa Clara Valley and is very familiar with endemic environmental conditions. In fact, he lives in the same home he grew up in.

I should mention that organically grown tomatoes and peppers would normally be available about now but have been delayed by the atypical weather conditions this year.

Weather this summer has only recently been warm but had not previously been sufficiently warm for the development of vegetables that prefer heat. There is no such thing as a "normal year," but weather has been unusually challenging this year.

My colleagues at Commercial Tree Care have informed me that pear trees afflicted with fire blight and ash and sycamore trees afflicted with anthracnose are recovering but generally continue to sustain active infection.

These diseases have been very severe this year because of the alternating rainy and warm weather during spring. Warm weather now promotes vascular activity of the infected trees, but minimal humidity inhibits proliferation of the pathogens.


Flower of the Week: Princess flower

There are not many flowers that are as purple as princess flower, Tibouchina urvilleana, which blooms sporadically from early summer to winter. The flowers may be as wide as 3 inches and are suspended by loose trusses at the ends of new stems.

The evergreen foliage is deep green and velvety. New floral and foliar buds are actually rather fuzzy. Individual leaves are approximately 3 inches long and may be larger if shaded. The foliar canopy is typically not dense but may be as high as 12 feet.

Pruning lightly after bloom cycles and more severely immediately prior to emergence from winter dormancy enhances foliar density.

Like rhododendrons and azaleas, princess flower prefers slightly acidic soil that drains well. Foliage may burn if too exposed but otherwise prefers good sun exposure.

Roots rot if soil becomes warm from exposure to sunlight so would benefit from mulching if not shaded. Irrigation should be regular.

Scrawny specimens usually require supportive stakes and may exhibit sporadically dispersed yellow, orange or red leaves that would not be visible among denser specimens. Application of fertilizer as growth resumes in spring and after each bloom cycle promotes continued bloom.

Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at 408-358-2574 or at LGHORTICULTURE@aol.com.