We at Moana Nursery News wish you all a very happy — and safe — Independence Day!

We will be open
8:00 AM until Noon
On Tuesday, July 4th

Great Recipes for the Fourth of July:

1. Barbeque Sauce
2. Guacamole
3. Fresh Fruit Kabobs
4. Pork and Onion Kabobs
5. Picnic Fruit Punch
6. Fresh Strawberry Pie
7. Summer Watermelon Salsa 
8. Lemon Fruit Dip

Please click here for printable recipes

If you need a versatile plant to solve a garden problem, think vines.

Use them to cover plain, unsightly cinder block or wooden fences. Simply attach plastic coated wire to the surface and plant vines 6 to 10 feet apart and use stretchy green plastic tape to attach the vines to the wire support.

You can also use trellises against empty spaces on walls and buildings and espalier (attach and spread the vine against the trellis) vines against them. Or plant a vine in a container with trellis and espalier it to form a great movable wall or decorative piece for porches and patios. Add trailing perennials around the vine for even more impact.

Vines make beautiful and dramatic coverings on latticed overhangs, arches, and arbors. They can be planted in deep pots and placed against support posts if no ground space is available for planting. Combine 2-3 different vines for blooms year round.

We've got a lot of great vines that bloom well into fall.

Go Vine Crazy!- It's an inexpensive way to bring color and drama to your garden on a whole different level.

Congratulations to the winners of the Gas Grill Giveaway
Ann and Jerry Felesina of Reno!

We are looking for knowledgeable, experienced and service-oriented associates to join our winning team. Full and part-time positions are available. Applicants must be excited at the opportunity to share their knowledge and passion for plants and garden accessories with our wonderful customers. We insist on world class service and a fun caring family work environment.

Moana Nursery will present the following seminars at the Moana Lane store. Class size is limited to 40 and advance sign-up is required. Interested parties can sign up at the Moana Lane store. A $5 fee will be collected at sign-up, with all money donated to the Wilbur D. May Arboretum Visitor Education Center Fund.

All Seminars are on Thursday evening at 6:30 pm.

July 13th at 6:30 pm — Xeriscape — Steve Packer
Using seven basic xeriscape principles, learn how to create a water-conscious garden that doesn't look like a desert.

July 20th at 6:30 pm — Surviving The Heat! — Jim Stanton
Jim will offer advice on caring for your lawn and landscape in the dead heat of summer.

July 27th at 6:30 pm — Firescaping: Landscape Design — JoAnne Skelly, Cooperative Extension, UNR
Learn about plants that are naturally fire resistant and how to landscape your home for protection from wildfires.

If there is a seminar topic that you would be interested in hearing, please email us and let us know.

A sincere thank you to all who attended and made this our most successful fundraiser yet for the Wilbur May Arboretum. We raised over $20,000 this year - and we know we could not have done it without you!!

Memorial Day marked the official start of barbeque season! Are your yard and garden in shape for your family and guests? It's still not too late to take some steps that will help your garden look not only presentable, but terrific.

Besides a thorough clean-up removing weeds, piled-up debris and unwanted stuff... make sure all shrubs get a light pruning. Now, survey your garden and focus on empty spaces between shrubs. Fill in these spots with additional shrubs of the same variety or add lilies such as agapanthus or calla lilies. They are full and blooming now and blend in well with most leafy shrubs. Next, add color if space permits; plant borders of summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds, lobelias and salvia.

If you have limited space, pots of annuals placed strategically in dining areas and around the patio or pool make a huge difference, even more so if you feature a focal plant in the center of the pots, such as ornamental theme roses (always in bloom during the summer), ornamental grasses, flax or palms.

Add a soil covering, such as Blommer Cocoa Shell Mulch or shredded bark, to empty soil spaces. Fertilize monthly and use a good soil amendment such as Kellogg Amend in the ground. Use a potting soil like Scotts Miracle Gro for your containers (never use garden soil in containers). Water regularly and protect your new plants from snails and cutworms with Bug-Geta Plus by Ortho. For a finishing touch add a garden accessory such as a shepherd's hook with a blooming hanging basket, a metal trellis, or even a decorative plant stake. Now your garden is ready to welcome the 2007 barbeque season.... Bon Appétit!

Just in time to tackle summer projects. We will have a tool sharpener come once a week. So make a list of the tools that need attention this season, and bring them in!

Please share some of your favorite proven (or not so proven) garden tips with us. We will print them in our Tips Section and credit you!

We'd also love to see photos of your successes and foibles in the garden. The garden community would love the opportunity to share!!

Click here to email us.

Top reasons:
• It is perfectly respectable to enjoy gardening with a total stranger.
• Your gardening partner doesn't get upset about people you gardened with a long time ago.
• You can have a gardening-related calendar on your wall at the office.

...more next time!!

Our Rules:

One winner per newsletter. Next winner will be announced on July 13th, 2006. Winner should bring an ID to the nursery to claim the prize.

This Week's Question: Who wrote the US National Anthem?

Prize: A 4" ficus.

Last Week's Trivia Question: "Who is the fuchsia named after?"

Correct answer: "The fuchsia plant is named after Leonhard Fuchs, a 16th century German botanist."

Prize Winner: Congratulations to Sonya Preston, who wins a 4" ficus.