I love the crew at Warner’s Nursery.

We are so fortunate to have such an amazing management team. They are big believers in figuring out new ways to reach our customers and seize on new, fun ideas that keep us fresh and relevant.

Which is why I’m so proud of our newest innovation – Warner’s on Wheels.

We brainstormed the idea one day and before we knew it, we were the proud owners of a kidney-shaped concession truck that will allow us to bring our nursery to you!

Going mobile will allow us to expand our educational outreach programs to schools and other organizations. It will also allow us to be part of events that we love.

For example, the Warner’s on Wheels wagon will be making its debut at next month’s First Friday Art Walk on the evening of Oct. 5. We’ll be in the parking lot just outside of Mother Road Brewing on Mikes Pike (many, many thanks to them for partnering with us!)

We’ll have an assortment of small pots and some succulents to check out, plus we’ll be giving away Warner’s nursery coupons.

So stop by for an artisan brew at Mother Road Brewing and come say hi as we launch Warner’s on Wheels.

Summer’s on its way out and the cooler evenings are forcing us back inside.

Which makes this the perfect time to talk about the unsung heroes of our homes and offices – the humble houseplant.

Plants in your home or where you work have lots of terrific benefits for your physical and emotional health. Because houseplants breathe in the carbon dioxide we give off, it’s pretty obvious that we need them around. But houseplants also work to remove many airborne toxins from the air as well.

Then there are the psychological benefits. According to an article published this year in Psychology Today, studies show that having potted plants around – particularly green, leafy ones – have a calming effect that can boost our mood, our creativity and even how well we interact with others.

Not to mention that there are so many different ways to display plants in your home. In addition to the almost endless variety of traditional plant containers, there are terrariums, hanging kokedama (Japanese-style plants in circular moss balls), even glass beakers, like the one I have on my desk with succulents in it. A friend of mine recycled a purse she wasn’t using anymore and turned it into a planter.

If you are new to houseplants, there are some ones that are pretty fool-proof like succulents, pothos or spider plants. Spiders and golden pothos are also among the plants recommended for their air-cleaning benefits. Others are:

• Philodendron (many varieties)
• Dracaena (many varieties)
• English Ivy
• Mother in law’s tongue
• Peace Lily
• Chinese Evergreen

To get the full benefits of houseplants you want to have enough around that you can see one or two from pretty much anywhere in your house, but not so many that it feels cramped. I’d recommend about 15 or so for a home of 2,000-square-feet.

It’s late summer and the tendency is to slow down our gardening efforts. We are harvesting from our veggie gardens, but with the shorter days and kids back at school, our gardens aren’t the high priority they once were.

But transitioning from summer to fall can be incredibly rewarding, and I’d hate for you to miss the opportunity of enjoying the unique joys of this season – not to mention getting your bulbs in for spring.

So here are some items that you should think about as summer turns to fall:

Great fall perennials: The classic, of course, is the wonderful mum, but there are also “tall fall” sedums, Rudbeckia, and gorgeous asters in pinks, whites, and purples.

Cool season veggies: We have a great environment in Northern Arizona for favorites like spinach, broccoli and kale. This is when they need to be planted so they can flourish.

Ornamental grasses: Try some Micanthus, Red Fountain Grass or Japanese sweet flag to put the thrill back in your “thrill, fill, spill” container. (Thrill is your centerpiece, fill is to fill it in and spill are the plants you add to spill over the sides.)

Bulbs for spring: Bulbs will be in stock in early September. Start thinking about where you want to see those tulips, irises, and crocuses next spring and stock up on bulbs next month.

I hope you have an awesome time finding those fall jewels that will extend your enjoyment of this year. Remember, there are still several weeks for you to enjoy the color (and flavor) that can come from your own backyard.

Happy gardening!
Misti

Psst – While I’ve got you thinking about fall, here’s a Save the Date for your calendar: Warner’s Nursery will be holding its Family Fall Festival on Saturday, October 20. Full of activities for the kids, refreshments, and lots of fun. Another reason to love fall.

All the signs of the end of summer are popping up.

The mornings are getting crisp; the kids are getting ready to head back to school; and some of those lovely flowers you planted in your garden are looking a little – well, done.

But don’t give up on summer yet! We haven’t even gotten to Labor Day Weekend, for goodness sakes!

These are actually some of the best days of summer – the monsoon rains have made everything seem cool and fresh. Your veggie garden is overflowing. You’ve probably already had your vacation and are refreshed and rejuvenated.

Here are some ways that my family and I are planning to celebrate these last weeks before gearing up for fall:

1. 1. Barbeque – Since the monsoons have arrived, it’s finally felt safe to really enjoy a barbeque; the first part of summer was so dry and the danger of wildfire so prevalent we really couldn’t. It’s a great excuse to gather the kids in the backyard for a few games while dinner is on the grill.
   2. Freshening up the garden – Most of your garden is probably doing fine, but it’s likely that some of your annuals have either exhausted their blooms or gotten overwatered in the monsoons. Grab a few six packs of things like portulaca or diamond frost euphorbia and use them to patch up sections of your garden. They are great late summer plants and can tolerate any end of season hot spells we get.
   3. Hiking – We are lucky to live in a place where we are spoiled for choice in terms of hiking. Buffalo Park. Fat Man’s Loop. The Arizona Trail. And if you are looking for a great hike with a purpose, there’s still time to sign up for the American Cancer Society ‘Climb to Conquer Cancer’ fundraiser on August 18 – six and a half miles of scenic beauty up Snowbowl Road with a party at the top!
   4. Spend every moment you can outside. No, summer isn’t over, but it is in limited supply. The days are getting shorter, the temperatures will soon drop and the holidays will be here before you know it. So make hay while the summer sun shines.

I hope you fully enjoy this last phase of Summer 2018. Remember, if you ever need assistance with your garden or outdoor space, we’re here to help.

Happy gardening,
Misti

Around this time every year, it occurs to me that possibly the most important thing about your garden space is not how it looks or what you are growing, but that it be the place where you take full advantage of how summer seems to slow things down and make our lives less hectic.

Now I realize that’s a little ironic for me to say – summer is our busiest time. The whole Warner’s team is going full speed ahead at the nursery and  I’m working some of my longest days during this season.

But in other ways, summer allows me to kick back.

First off, my three boys are home and my husband and I aren’t juggling endless logistical questions (Whose picking them up from school? Can you take them to practice?) And – big bonus – for a few blessed weeks, we don’t have to be the heavies who hound them about doing their homework. Yay!

Summer always makes me feel like I have more time to do things (I think this has to do with sunset being later – it feels like I get an extra hour or two to my day!) The pace just feels more manageable. Even if I’m putting in a lot of time in our own garden, the work just feels peaceful and relaxing.

Best of all, that work creates a space that lets you reconnect. Inviting friends over for a glass of ice tea or lemonade (or, let’s be honest, wine and beer) is awesome, and you get to show off all your hard work.

A nice outdoor space is also a great way to get the kids outside and away from the various digital screens. Our boys may hate the yard work, but they love the lawn games and water balloon fights we have in our backyard.

A couple of Sundays ago, my family was having breakfast under the arbor in our yard and my 16-year-old said, out of nowhere, “I really love our yard.”

That reminded me again why we all work to create these wonderful outdoor spaces – to take advantage of summer, slow down our hectic lifestyles and get back to what’s real and important; face-to-face time with loved ones in a relaxing and beautiful space.

We’ve always been lovers of animals here at Warner’s Nursery.

When we first started at our current location, we had two working cats – Sage and Cinders – whose job it was to control the mouse population. They not only worked at the nursery, they worked their way into our hearts. It became important for us, as a family business, to have animals around, because we always considered them a part of our family.

Our nursery pets have been both dogs and cats, some feral, some adopted from shelters, some that have just wound up on our doorstep, but we have loved them all – and so have many of our customers.

Here’s the 411 on the current members of our 4-legged crew:

Poncho Bob – I probably need to explain the name. He’s our feral kitty, found one day under the fertilizer pallet. The staff wanted to name him after Pancho Villa, the Mexican general (no idea why) and my sons wanted to call him “Bob” (again, no idea why). So in the mashup, he became Poncho Bob, but answers to Poncho. Insists on sitting in my office chair and leaving no room for me. I think we know who’s the boss in this relationship. Favorite activity: curling around my neck and having me wear him like a scarf. Second favorite activity – raiding our stores of catnip plants.

Cruzer – Many of you know our black & white cat. Cruzer is easily one of the most sociable animals we’ve ever had here at Warner’s. He greets customers and will tolerate total strangers carrying him around. Is adverse to you doing paperwork when you could be petting him instead (most of my staff has learned this the hard way). Also a big fan of hide-and-seek; he’s been known to hide behind plants – startling customers when they go to pick them up – or in our cabinet drawers in the office, which he knows how to open.

Oliver came to us after my sister, Marni, started talking about getting a dog. One of our regular customers works with Paw Placement and when I saw Oliver, I knew he was the one for her. He’s a crowd favorite (he still looks like a puppy, although he’s a grumpy old man when you touch his paws). Loves everyone. Like our original cats, a very good mouser. If he sneaks out of the office, he can usually be found at the registers, begging for a treat.

If Oliver is Marni’s rescue buddy, Kina is mine. A few years back we were having our Fall Family Festival when a customer came in with a litter of abandoned puppies that someone had just left outside her work in a box. Kina’s smart and funny and loyal to the family, but you might not see her around because she’s still a bit nervous around other humans and dogs. She has a reason to be nervous about other dogs; it feels like every time we go out with her, we get chased by dogs. We’ve theorized that maybe there’s a “hit” out for her in the doggy world; maybe she wasn’t abandoned at all, but is part of some canine witness protection program!

(No, I don’t give my dogs and cats human characteristics and make up elaborate backstories for them. Why do you ask?)

Our other little doggie girl, Bailey, a beautiful retriever, just came to us this past winter. She’s got the sweetest, most mellow temperament. If she sees a child, she immediately runs to them. She loves all animals too. Well, almost all; she’s still working on her relationships with the cats.

Our cats live on the nursery property and inside the nursery itself in cold weather, but the dogs go home each night with either me or Marni. I’m not quite sure what it says about me that I once left work and forgot my middle son, but I’ve never left without the dogs. (I have a good excuse though – I really, really thought my husband had already taken my son home.)

Because I spend so much time here, the nursery often feels like my “home away from home,” so having beloved family members here (my husband, Dan, working our landscaping business, Marni at the desk next to me, my sons either visiting or working here in the summer, and, of course, the critter crew) is very important to me.

And whether it’s kids running up to Bailey and getting greeted with licks and a wagging tail or Cruzer stopping by to say “Hey,” there’s nothing like a cat or dog to let you know you should chill, enjoy the moment, and have some fun.

Misti

As a gardener, you are an artist.

(I know that’s sometimes hard to believe. When you are on your knees, pulling weeds, dirt smudged on your forehead from where you wiped away the sweat, it can be hard to see yourself as something that glamorous.)

I read a great quote recently that said artistry wasn’t limited to being a painter or a writer or a musician – it was about producing beauty through skill. That’s what you do.

So if we extend that metaphor, your garden is the blank canvas that you can create beautiful pictures with every year – and plants are your paints.

Good artists will tell you that they create for themselves and not the audience or the critics, and that’s true of gardening as well. When you create your garden, the person it should please is you. Let the latest trends inspire you, but don’t feel you have to be a slave to them.

However, following some general rules can make it easier to create the look you want. Chief among these is how you use color:

Light is always changing in a garden, so as you plan your space, think about what your garden will look like in early morning light, full day sun and twilight. What time are you most likely to be enjoying your garden?

Shade and sunlight also will change the way you perceive color. A general rule of thumb is that lighter, more pastel looking colors are great for shady areas because they contrast with the darker background, whereas darker colored plants and flowers will tend to get lost in the shade. The reverse is true in sunny areas; bright colors and dark hues look spectacular in the bright light, but pastel colors can get faded out.

Certain shades promote calmness, like soft pinks, lilacs, and peach colors. Meanwhile, bright reds, yellows, and orange will give energy to your space. White is your all-purpose go-to color.  White flowers can make your garden feel “lighter.” They also get along with every other color, so they can serve as a buffer between two colors that might clash.

Speaking of color, a great tool for putting together your color scheme is the color wheel. It’s an excellent indicator of what colors pair together well. The general rule is that colors next to each other are “harmonious” and soothing, while colors across from each other on the wheel are “complementary” and work well together while giving your garden a little more contrast and drama.

Finally, remember that flowers aren’t the only color in your garden. Everything from furniture to fencing to foliage (and other things that don’t begin with the letter F like pottery, containers, birdbaths, and pavers) will contribute to the palette you use.

Have fun picking out your colors and painting your masterpiece!

Happy gardening,
Misti

So if you recall, last time in this space I was talking about the joys of being a mom and trying to achieve that work/life balance and saying that I was hoping I’d be spending Mother’s Day in the garden with my sons, getting this year’s veggie crop into the ground.

Little did I know that the guys in my life were planning to surprise me with a greenhouse!

↞ Here’s a picture of my two youngest helping out in my new gardening digs. (I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Best. Kids. Ever.)

The very first thing we planted on Mother’s Day was our tomatoes.

There’s nothing quite so emblematic of the joys of gardening than fresh tomatoes from your garden. They work on almost all the senses – the beautiful transformation from green plant to yellow flower to deep red fruit; the earthy smell of it; the satiny smooth skin against your fingers when you pick it off the plant…

Then there’s that taste. Ever eaten a tomato fresh off the vine that is still slightly sun-warmed? Heaven.

No wonder I’m in love with tomatoes! And that’s why every year at Warner’s Nursery, we break out the party hats to celebrate Tomatopalooza with specials and advice and just general joy that tomato season is back. In honor of Tomatopalooza, here’s some practical advice on rearing your tomato plant for a beautiful harvest:

• Please get them planted soon! We’ve got a limited window to grow these gems and the sooner yours are in the ground, the sooner you can reap (eat) the benefits.
• You might want to invest in a season extender – even if you aren’t technically extending the season. The nice thing about these tubes of water is that in addition to keeping the plant warm (remember, we still could get frost into June), they protect your plants from transplant shock.
• Yes, you need cages or stakes. Tomato plants are like children – they need structure and support. New fruit will benefit from improved air circulation and it keeps the plants away from ground pests.
• Food and Water. A slow release fertilizer is perfect for your young plants. Water thoroughly but not too often and try to water early in the day so that plants will dry off before evening. As always, we recommend drip irrigation systems because they are more efficient and get the water down to the roots and you don’t lose water to evaporation or runoff. If nothing else, don’t water from the top down – this does nothing except get the leaves and tomatoes wet and make them more prone to get diseases or rot.

So let’s wrap this up with some food and funnies.

The food – I love a good gazpacho and this recipe from the New York Times is simple and can be served as a drink as well as a soup.

Funnies: Why did the tomato blush? Because it saw the salad dressing….Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering if this makes ketchup a smoothie….Why is a tomato big, round, and red? Because if it was long, skinny, and green, it would be a bean.

Happy Tomatopalooza!
Misti

From a work standpoint, it is awesome because it’s usually the kickoff weekend for our busy season. Well, as long as the weather cooperates; if we get a weird Mother’s Day snowstorm, that tends to put a damper on people’s enthusiasm for gardening!

But as much as I love my work here at Warner’s, Mother’s Day is an annual reminder that the best job I have is being a Mom to three of the coolest boys I’ve ever met.

(Yes, I’m biased.)

I didn’t truly appreciate my mom and all she did for us until I had kids. That’s probably true for most of us. We just don’t know growing up about the difficulties of parenthood because our moms work SO hard to make our childhoods fun and memorable.

After I became a mother, I understood the stresses and sacrifices that go with the job. Now I try to make sure that I don’t take for granted what my Mom did (and continues to do) for me. I’m also making sure that I savor every minute of watching my sons grow up.

So even when I’ve worked six days straight and am coming home tired and with a headache, if they ask me to go to the park to play football with them, my answer is always going to be yes. I’m determined to create and capture as many memories as I can while they are still kids.

It’s a tough balancing act though – as most of you working mothers know. There’s always this nagging feeling in the back of your mind that one of your two jobs isn’t getting enough attention, that either your family or your work is suffering because of it.

I think maybe the best way to deal with that is to be thankful that your life is so full, do your best, and let go of the guilt.

And remember to thank your mom more often for all she has done for you.

This is going to be a busy weekend and it will be a blast because so many of our customers are coming in for gifts for their moms. It’s super sweet to see.

But I’m also going to take some time to celebrate with my mom and spend Sunday with those three amazing boys who gave me the best job title in the world.

Maybe we’ll plant our veggie garden!

Happy Mother’s Day,
Misti