I had a really good experience with Santa Rosa Gardens Nursery this week. This is the first time I had ever purchased any nursery stock from them, and I was pleased with the plants that they shipped. I ordered a cordyline 'Bangkok' (Hawaiian Ti) and two different ornamental grasses. I couldn't resist because they were on close out and I only paid $1.99 each. I was impressed with their packing, the box was packed well with heavy packing paper and each pot was in a netting material that is suitable to be reused. All three plants arrived in excellent condition. I also thought that the plants were of a nice size, especially if I had paid full price, which I didn't this time. When I was browsing their online catalog I remember thinking that they had a nice selection of plants in stock. I was so impressed that I left good comments on the Daves Garden watchdog. I will be a returning customer in the near future.

I am rather excited about my new bamboo that I ordered yesterday. I will soon be the proud owner of a 1gal pot of Dragons head bamboo. This is a cold hardy clumping bamboo that is hardy to -10. I'm not sure if I'm going to pot it up or plant it. My black bamboo has been quite content in a pot since it arrived about 3 years ago. The only drawback is that it is currently in a 20gal pot that weighs well over 100 pounds. I just divided it for the first time and that was a real treat trying to man handle it while being careful not to damage any of my cane. I have my sites on either a temple bamboo, a phyl vivax or a phyl bory (tiger stripe). I'm willing to trade phyl nigra for any of these if anyone is interested. I also have yellow groove which is a runner hardy to - 10. It has cane which is over 8 feet tall right now.

I went to pondarama this last Saturday with my wife. I wish the weather was better but nothing you can do about that. I find it fascinating that so many elaborate ponds are hidden in the back yards of common homes. The last pond we visited was on a street I have been past so many times with no idea that such a treasure was hidden from view. Both Gina and I were inspired and full of ideas for the pond project I have been working on. I have a contact in Thailand anxious to sell me lotus and water lillies. I hope to have details about the project real soon, so check back often to find out what's next.

It has been a rainy morning, would have been nice for getting some good solid sleep. Unfortunately I was scheduled to work this morning. I am so glad that I turned off the irrigation system last night. With the cooler temps I try to be careful about how much moisture the Plumeria get, rust also starts to become a problem this time of year.

A new blog in town

Welcome to myBlog.

This is my place to share with you about plumeria news, and what going at the nursery. This is season number four, and it has been different than the others. The economy has made it difficult to predict what the public will buy, and what to grow. Today people are having to make hard decisions, and cut back on the things that they would normally not mind spending a few dollars on. There has also been a trend I have noticed lately. I have noticed the tropicals that I sell showing up at the big box store. This removes my niche market, this forces me to search for different plants to maintain my unique identity. With this in mind, I have decided to go back to my roots and where it all began for me. I have decided to concentrait all of my efforts into being a Plumeria nursery. This is where my heart truely is. I have quite a few plants that I will want to sell off so that I can focus on my plumeria. I will continue to grow different tropicals but just in smaller quantities, and mainly for personal interest. If there is something your looing for, just ask I may be growing it and have a few available. I appreciate my customers, and hope that you will continue to look to me for your future purchases.

Michael White
Owner

Midwest Aquatics and Exotics