The Leafminers are here!!!

Are those pesky little "worms" starting to fly down from you cottonwood trees?

Are the leaves of your cottonwood trees starting to turn brown and fall off?

You probably have an infestation of leafminers. They are usually the larvae of flies, moths, or beetles that feed or "mine" between the upper and lower epidermal leaf surfaces. The larvae tunnel through the leaf creating a narrow, whitish colored serpentine (winding) mine. They can be very destructive to the leaves of tree, as evidenced by the appearance of many of the larger cottonwoods around town. Sometimes the leaves will have "circles" in them like those in the photo to the right. If you scratch this open you can see the little white worms that are getting ready to hatch. The leaves are almost all brown, and are beginning to drop like it is fall.

Systemic insecticides usually provide the greatest control of leafminers. A systemic insecticide is absorbed into the leaf tissue, killing the insects inside. Non-systemic insecticides stay on the leaf surface and do not affect insects inside of them. That is why thorough spray coverage of the upper and lower leaf surfaces is especially important--- and almost impossible on these large trees. Of course it should also be mentioned that you should always apply the pesticide according to directions outlined on the container label. Unfortunately a systemic is not going to do that much good for you now. Because it has to leach down into the roots and then travel up the tree - it is best applied in the early Fall. That way it has time to do it's job before the eggs would hatch in the spring.

We will have a reminder notice in our enews in the Fall. Till next time, stay cool and in the shade if possible..............it's HOT out there. Susan

The HEAT is on!!!!!

This week has given us a small taste of the heat that July is likely to have in store for us. We have been spending extra time watering here at the garden center, the plants.......and ourselves. Sorry ~ in advance ~ if you happen to get caught in one of Flower Tree's summer highlights "Michelle vs. Susan" water hose fights.

At this time of year the Ziplocs start to change from a preponderance of "Bug Bags" to "Leaf Bags". While we are still seeing signs of tomato horn worms, aphids, ladybug larvae and squash beetles ...we are also seeing large amounts of gardeners with leaf scorch. The best way to describe it is a brown area around the outside of the leaf. Most of the time you will see this on young trees that do not yet have a good root system established. However, Sycamores are one tree that suffers from this until they are 3 or 4 years in the ground. The good thing is it that you probably won't lose the tree over this. It might make it unsightly though. Our recommendation is to check the watering ~ see if it needs to be stepped up in this heat ~ and then mulch...mulch....mulch the root zone area. There are all different kinds of mulch you can use from grass clippings to leaf mold. Bagged products come in an assortment from redwood to cedar, cocoa mulch to compost. We do not ever recommend rock be placed around your trees or shrubs. Think about how you feel when you stand in an asphalt parking lot with no shade....your feet get HOT! The roots of your trees are the same. They like their roots cool too. Also keep in mind, plants already stressed from lack of water are more vulnerable to diseases, insects and other environmental factors that can further damage them.

Of course you could have a bug eating on your plant. If you are concerned about the way your tree is looking, bring us a leaf and we will do our best to diagnose the problem for you....that's what we are here for.

See you soon, Susan.

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Kelley

On a beautiful warm Saturday evening, June 28th, we rejoiced and celebrated the marriage of two of our favorite people, Shelley Ferguson & Mike Kelley! These photos show us making the arrangement's for the tables. Clowning around from left to right, Kimmie, Sara and Michelle.


It was a stunning wedding, filled with family and tradition. We wish them a lifetime of happiness!

Cash's 1st. Birthday

My Grandson Cash turned 1 today! It seems like yesterday that we were racing for Camarillo, Ca. to try and make it there before he was born. We made it as far as Hawthorne! before we got the call that he had made his arrival. This last year has taken him to Maine, but we have happily been able to visit a few times, and now Sara and he are here with us for a few weeks. With the wedding of her very best friend Shelley set for this coming weekend, and his Dad, Travis, on his way to Texas for more Navy training, to be a flight engineer, it was the perfect opportunity to come for an extended visit. Robert and I were thrilled to be able to watch him have his first chocolate cupcake and celebrate his big day with him. So if you see me pulling the little red wagon around the store with a big grin on my face, and an adorable little boy in tow, now you know why. Happy Birthday Cash!

2008 Fallon Garden Tour

With the sun shining brightly, and the winds gently blowing, the 2008 Fallon Garden Tour started at 9 a.m. today. Eight lovely gardens were on display in full beauty this year. I would like to thank the following homeowners for graciously opening their homes to you. Sue & Norm Frey, Sylvia & Dave Lumos, Vella & John Torvic, Cynthia & Richard Collins, Janeen Malkovich, Amy & Monte Morrison, Michelle & Paul Gagne and Diane & Bill Ford. This years tour was a great success and the Fallon Boys & Girls Club will be receiving a check for $360.00 which represented 100% of the ticket sales. We look forward to next year when the gardens of "The Flower Tree Girls" will be on display.

Jazz on the River 2008

An absolutely lovely evening under the stars. We had a great turnout, and it was truly a special night. The rough tally is in...........drum roll please.................thanks to your generosity and support of this event we raised OVER $1700.00 for the Fallon Chapter of Relay for Life. Master Chef Ron, with his assistants Bob & Cody, put out quite the spread of Hospitality.........Southern BBQ Style.

Kat , Rose & Kylie, serving up smiles.

Jakki Ford, a beautiful voice that everyone enjoyed

Kimmie, Me, Michelle & Cody............. after a long & beautiful evening.

As the evening got chilly, the fire pits were brought out and everyone enjoyed the heat and the ambiance.

The "Ziplocks" arrive

Last week marked the beginning of "Ziploc" time at the garden center. Every year sometime in late spring, early summer we start to see the arrival of Ziploc bags or mason jars filled with leaves and bugs. The gardener exits their car and we may be standing out front, and Marlea, Michelle or I exclaim, "Whoops, here comes another one." Detection time!!! We watch them approach, hoping that it isn't a large grub worm inside, none of us like grub worms, and then give a gentle sigh when we see it is filled with leaves instead. Opening the Ziploc bag we take a look, working the leaf in our fingers, turning it over to peak at the underside, asking our diagnostic questions, "How often do you water?", "Have you seen any signs of ?? ", "When did you first notice it, after the rain we had etc?" "Have you sprayed any chemicals lately anywhere near it?" and on and on we go. Most days................there are at least 2 if not all 3 of us at the garden center that are pretty good diagnosticians. Between all of us we have a 95% chance of figuring out either what the problem is, what bug is bugging you, how you might have hurt your plant with chemical overkill, or just identify that pretty purple flower growing in your neighbors yard. It's Ziploc season, and we actually like the challenge of helping you. Just please don't bring in any grub worms.............we are pretty good at identifying those just by the description. See you soon, Susan.

2 Little Sprouts

Tree carts can be used for more than just loading trees. They also make the perfect ride for little ones. Emma & Emilee stopped by with their Mom, Cameo last weekend, and offered to help me load up a couple trees for a customer. As you can see, our new shade tree lines are filling out very nicely. Now that most of the trees have leaved out it makes a cozy little path to wander through. See you in the forest soon, Susan

Taking home a tree.....Fallon style!

Now this is what I call "bringing the right equipment for the job." Every now and then we make the attempt to load a large tree into a very, very small car. By placing the front seat way.......back, we can usually fit a small one in.

But what a better way this is! Neil Lininger stopped by to pick up a tree he purchased, and came complete with not only the tractor to haul it home, but the auger on the back to take care of the planting when he gets there. Luckily he only had about a 1/2 mile to travel home. Take care, Susan

Gardening in the Wind

OK, enough with the wind. I don't know about you, but I have had enough. I can take the cold, and I can certainly take the heat, but the wind just does me in. Not only does it dehydrate the plants at the garden center, it plays havoc with everything else in my yard. Bird feeders are on the ground instead of in the trees, cushions are flying over into the neighbors yards, and I have had enough bad hair days to last for the rest of the year!


Enough venting. On to gardening ..........and life in the rural desert. This week has been a typical Nevada spring week. We went from 95 on Sunday to 40 today. Right now I can hear the rain dripping off the roof, a welcome sound if there ever was one. Not only needed moisture, but it will sure help with keeping the dust down in all this wind.............oh yeah, enough about the wind. If you are like me, you probably have a few of your vegetables in the ground by now. Fortunate for all of us we won't be facing a frost this week. Just cool daytime temps and even cooler evenings. I spent the better part of today creating a new perennial bed. It measures about 10 by 5, and is just perfect for easy access for planting and tending to the flowers. I am excited about some of the new perennials that we are seeing coming out of Canada this year, and had to have a new place to put them. I will post a picture when the project is complete. Off to play in the garden. Till next time, Happy Gardening, Susan