Laguna Hills Nursery Big Change in Location Subscribe to Our Newsletter! Greetings! We the suggestion of one of our good customers we decided to check out a different location for our Saturday Farmer's Market.  After a visit I decided to pull up roots and make a change.  This Saturday we will be at the Old Town Orange Farmer's Market.  This market is located on the historic grounds of the Villa Park Orchards Packinghouse, now owned by Chapman University.  Old Town Orange Farmers and Artisans Market 304 North Cypress Street Orange, California (see map at orangehomegrown.org) It is 2 streets north of the traffic circle and 3 streets west.  There is a large parking lot at the end of W. Sycamore street and street parking just North of the entrance on Cypress.  This week the market will be open from 8 am to noon.  Starting November 5 the hours are changing to 9 am to 1 pm.  This is also a certified growers market and I will only be displaying what we grow ourselves plus our potting soil.  It's been about 5 weeks since I planted my 3 grafted tomato plants.  The fruit that set the earliest are starting to mature.  It looks like the Jetsetter will be able to be picked within a few weeks followed by Stupice with Marianna's Peace not far behind.   The Jetsetter and Stupice continue to produce flower clusters, but new flower clusters on Marianna's Peace are aborting before they open.  All on now supported by a 6' stake.  Anyone harvest fruit yet? Available at The Great Park Farmer's Market This weekend we are offering two choice plants we acquired from Suncrest Nurseries.  This large specialty grower from Central California's Coast produces a quality of plant second only to our own. prices include tax  Michelia (Magnolia) figo BANANA SHRUB  1-gallon  $12, 5-gallon $40 I consider Banana Shrub to be one of the finest additions to any garden.  The evergreen foliage is nice, similar to Ficus nitida, the flowers are small and just a bit showy, but the fragrance is to die for.  The columnar 20-year old plant in my backyard is about 15-feet tall and 7-feet wide.  When it's in bloom you are engulfed by its perfume walking up to my front door.  Some people will describe it as extreme banana, but whenever I smell it Juicy Fruit Gum comes to mind.  The fragrance is strongest from about 2 pm to after dark and the bloom period is from 2 months to 5 months starting in spring.  Michelia figo has been recently reassigned as Magnolia figo and does indeed look like a miniature Southern Magnolia.  It is especially appealing when its branching is pruned to open up its dense canopy.  Banana Shrub does have a beautiful natural branching pattern and would make a great Bonsai subject.  Situate in part shade.  I grew it on the northeast side of my first home and now on the northwest corner of my current home with equal success.  New plantings require regular moisture, decent drainage and ample fertilizer.  Actually more than ample fertilizer.  If Banana Shrub get slightly hungry it will shed foliage.  Established plants in the ground are fairly carefree.  It's an excellent container plant as long as you water and fertilize freely.  Slow growth when young, faster once it reaches knee height.  We have a good number of very nice 1-gallon plants.  Only 2 larger specimens.  Enjoy! Loropetalum chinense Zhuzhou CHINESE FRINGE TREE  1-gallon  $12 Fringe trees have a lot of interesting parts.  The small evergreen leaves emerge bright reddish purple and deepen to bronze as they age.  In late winter-early spring the branches are covered with small, witch-hazel shaped, candy pink flowers.  A light sprinkling of flowers occurs nearly throughout the rest of the year.  The upright branches arch over, flatten out, and hang at the tips.   Chinese Fringe Tree is commonly used as a bush or screen, but makes a gorgeous statement as a small tree. Expect relatively fast growth to 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide.  From distance, a mature specimen can be mistaken for a Japanese Maple with flowers.  Situate in full sun to nearly full shade.  I have 2 cultivars of Chinese Fringe Tree off the north side of my home.  Fringe Tree prefers well-drained soil with average water.  This plant can be shaped into a bush, screen, espalier, standard or natural windswept tree.   Compared to other Loropetalum cultivars, Zhuzhou has more lasting burgundy foliage color, and faster, more upright growth.  Some literature claims fragrance from the flowers, but it will be light. Romneya coulteri MATILIJA POPPY  1-gallon  $11 Easily the most unforgettable California Native, Matilija Poppy makes a bold statement in any situation.  The large, roughly cut, gray-green leaves extend up and out from 3 to 6-feet tall stems topped by huge 4-7" wide crepe paper-like white flowers with deep yellow stamens.  Heaviest bloom is spring into summer.  Established Matilija Poppy spreads underground creating large colonies.  Plants often die to the ground for a season or more after the bloom.  Matilija Poppy is a common sight along many local foothill and mountain roads and streambeds.  This perennial can be difficult to establish.  Best in full sun.  Drought tolerant, but can stay evergreen if irrigated.  It can grow in clay, but is much easier to start in gravely sand.  It can get very powerful.  At our old store it did OK in a slightly sloped bed of heavy soil, but busted right through a nearby steep asphalt covered slope and created a super vigorous spreading clump that remained evergreen.  Matilija Poppy is a worthwhile gamble. A good sized colony will become a local landmark.    RESTOCKED We also have a few more fruiting Passion Vines in 1-gallon size ($11) and a few nice Asclepias curassavica-red in 1-gallon size ($8).  Available at both markets Tropical Guava  1-gallon  $11 A selection of tropical guavas is now available.  The plants are 2 to 3 feet tall and look quite vigorous.  Expect a few fruit next year and several dozen the following year.  Guava trees grow about 3 feet per year and can grow more than 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide but are usually kept under 12 feet tall to make picking easier.  Guava trees are evergreen unless we have a substantial frost.  The trees are quite attractive with large, heavily veined, shiny green leaves and smooth marble-like bark.   Clusters of small puff flowers open spring through summer and the fruit normally ripens fall through winter.  Guava trees are self-fertile.  Guava trees are originally from southern Mexico and Central America but have been grown for centuries throughout the tropical and subtropical areas of the World.  Situate in full sun.  Guava trees adapt to just about any soil.  They are tolerant of some drought but make much better quality fruit if kept moist or wet all year.  Varieties: Tropic White  A typical Asian variety with 3 to 6 ounce fruit with crispy, sweet white flesh.  Tropic Pink  This variety which originated in Saudi Arabia is a slightly larger fruit with aromatic, sweet, soft pink flesh.  Red Malaysian  This exceptionally beautiful variety has bronze leaves, pink flowers and bronze-colored fruit.  The deep rose flesh is firm, aromatic and sweet.     Please visit us at our farmer's market locations.  EVERY SATURDAY  (this week 8am-noon, next week 9am-1pm) Old Town Orange Farmers & Artisans Market 304 N. Cypress Street, Orange see map at orangehomegrown.org 2 streets north and 3 streets west of the traffic circle EVERY SUNDAY  10am-2pm The Great Park Farmer's Market The Great Park, Irvine exit 5 at Sand Canyon, turn south on Marine Way (parallels the east side of the 5), follow the signs 26285 Verona Place Mission Viejo, California 92692