Winter Care of Citrus

Well-fertilized trees are healthier and more resistant to cold weather damage so continue to fertilize through the winter with any of the citrus foods Sloat carries with supplemental iron and zinc. No pruning is necessary now, major pruning is done in the spring.

Meyers Lemons and all limes would be best harvested before temperatures drop to 30 to 32 degrees F. Eureka and Lisbon Lemons, have thicker skins and can hang on the trees without damage to 26 to 28 degrees F. Owari Satsuma Mandarins and Dancy Tangerines can also tolerate dips into the upper twenties.

Potential cold damage is a combination of time and temperature factors. Brief dips to the mid 20’s will not damage citrus, prolonged temps in the teens will. Use Harvest Guard Cover to protect your citrus. Container plants can be moved next to a wall or cement sidewalk for retained/reflected heat out of the wind. Plants should be watered at the drip line before the temperature dips.

Sloat's 2008 Rose Selection

Rose season is here! Our 2008 rose selection is in stock and we’re thrilled with the quality. The below varieties represent this year’s warm yellow/red tones – and we know you’ll love them. Need help picking one? Visit us for rose growing advice or a rose care seminar.

Mardi Gras
Floribunda. Flamboyant, hybrid tea style blooms and a peppery scent. Begins as an apricot-orange bud that spirals open to reveal a 4-inch bright pink and orange bloom with a yellow base. An All-America Rose Selections winner, this festive floribunda has proven to perform exceptionally well with little-to-no care. Dark green, semi-glossy foliage and upright columnar habit. Ideal to use as a hedge or in a border.

Jacob’s Robe
Large-flowered Climber. Multi-color yellow & peach blushing pinky red. Even better than the beloved Joseph’s Coat (one of the most popular of all climbers), capturing the same great colors on a much improved plant. The blushing yellows, pinks & reds of Jacob’s Robe aren’t an exact match, but the multi-color effect is even more dramatic. It’s equally floriferous, re-blooming readily in the first year. More natural vigor, lusher, glossy deep green leaves, better disease resistance.

Falling in Love
Hybrid Tea. Warm pink with a cream reverse. Falling in Love has lots of big classically-formed fragrant flowers of warm pink & porcelain white. Each long-lived lovely blossom is regally carried atop sturdy stems, just waiting to be cut & enjoyed…or maybe just admired on this full and bushy plant. Destined to garner its share of awards.

Dream Come True
Grandiflora. Produces flawlessly formed yellow blossoms, blushed with ruby-red at the tips, all set among abundant matte green foliage. Long-stemmed, long-lived blooms with mild tea fragrance, making it lovely in the landscape and a great choice for bouquets. Dream Come True was hybridized by Dr. John Pottschmidt of Cincinnati, Ohio – only the 3rd amateur hybridizer to win the AARS Award in 67 years.