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Local nurseries trying to stay open during crisis

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAR 18, 2020

The Plant Foundry is staying open but their sign asks customers to maintain a distance from

staff and other shoppers. (Photo courtesy The Plant Foundry)

Coronavirus strikes at worst time for spring-oriented businesses

For nurseries, the timing could not be worse.

March is to nurseries what Christmas is to other retailers: It’s traditionally their busiest time of the year.

Most nurseries depend on brisk early spring sales to stay in business.

So, what happens during coronavirus crisis?

It depends on the individual nursery. It’s also a fluid situation that is changing daily.

Most of our local nurseries are trying to stay open at this time. The Plant Foundry in Oak Park and Big Oak Nursery in Elk Grove are both keeping their gates open to the public.

“Fresh air and sunshine may be the answer? Come out to the nursery!” Big Oak posted on Facebook ( @BigOakNursery ).

“We will remain open and keep you updated as often as possible,” Angela Pratt of The Plant Foundry posted on her nursery’s website, www.plantfoundry.com .

High-Hand Nursery ( www.highhandnursery.com ) in Loomis canceled its big Wings and Wine fundraiser but is still selling plants and supplies. Fair Oaks Boulevard Nursery also is open and offering curbside pickup. "We believe that retail nursery businesses fit into the 'essential' category, since garden centers are part of the food production chain," the nursery posted on its Facebook page .

Veggie transplants await customers at Green Acres.
(Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Green Acres Nursery & Supply, which operates the five largest nurseries in our area, is staying open, at least for now. It’s also asking gardeners to browse their stock online at its website, www.idiggreenacres.com , for quick pick-up at its sites.

“At Green Acres Nursery & Supply, we are taking Coronavirus – COVID-19 – seriously and would like you to know what you can expect from our family as we take safety precautions and make adjustments for the benefit of our community, our customers, and our employees,” wrote owner Mark Gill. “We are currently open during our normal spring business hours, and evaluating our hours daily. Please check our website for updates.”

Gill pointed out that nurseries are unique businesses. They’re outside and naturally conducive to “social distancing.”

“Our nurseries sit on acres and acres of open space,” he wrote. “Customers can shop where there’s plenty of room for required social distancing – two arm’s-lengths or a minimum of six feet. When paying us a visit we request that you be mindful of fellow patrons and follow this ever important rule.”

The positives of gardening make it a worthwhile pursuit, perhaps especially during these trying times.

“Gardening is therapeutic; it offers fresh air, exercise, a sense of accomplishment, reduces stress, and so much more,” Gill added. “Spring is in the air, and we hope to help make your additional time at home better by providing you with ways to take advantage of the benefits of gardening.”

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Keywords:

Fair Oaks Boulevard Nursery nurseries gardening Sacramento coronavirus plants High-Hand Nursery Big Oak Nursery Green Acres Nursery and Supply Plant Foundry

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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