See Introductory Article here: Taste Is Tops   1)  Locate your Sunset Climate Zone by Region here: SUNSET CLIMATE ZONES MAPS   2) Click on Zone Number in Left Column for PDF of Recommended Variety List   SUNSET   ZONE ZONE DESCRIPTION REPRESENTATIVE CITIES A1 Alaska's Interiors: No List Created - Can anything survive there? A2 Anchorage & Cooke Inlet: No List Created Yet - but there is hope of a very short list A3…

Purple Robe Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Purple Robe') Saturday evening as I was taking my beautiful Bride to dinner, we drove by this stunning tree just a block away from our home. Now I've photographed this tree in prior years - actually several times as it keeps growing up. What was special about Saturday was the spectacular lighting (remember I am a photographer and lighting is king!). The early evening sun was spotlighting it perfectly and…

This post might get me in trouble.  I might offend those tasteless people with poor tasters underdeveloped uninitiated taste buds. A story from my past:  For 16 years, before I returned to the family business, I worked at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in various engineering and management positions.  On several occasions, I had the duty privilege of visiting corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA (beautiful city except most of my trips were in freezing or sweltering times…

Shogetsu Flowering Cherry Maybe I should title this the "Tale of Two Flowering Cherries".  One is very popular and the other is hardly known.  And the one that is hardly known is, in my opinion, the tree I would plant first.  So I intend, through this blog post, to shed more light on it.   Prunus serrulata 'Shogetsu' is rarely purchased from us to the point that I really should stop growing it (which I…

2013-2014 Catalog Cover Quiz Answer Sheet Hope you enjoyed the challenge. Besides just the answer, more information is available. Click on each answer to jump to an individual page for that variety. Click in the second column to jump to information pages for the category. The third column has blog posts related to the flowering category and what we like about each one. This might give you some ideas for recommending and selling some of…

About this time last year I posted a blog about the Snow Fountains® Flowering Cherries that I have growing in my yard. Well guess what - they are blooming again - and again I love them. This year they were looking really stunning and last night a storm was blowing in. So in the near dark, twilight I shot these photos before the rain and wind messed with my flowers: Snow Fountains® Flowering Cherries -…

We are pleased to see the US Postal Service give some recognition to four outstanding old-time favorite apples. We still grow the Northern Spy, Granny Smith and Golden Delicious because they are still winners in our book. Here is the introduction text from the USPS website (www.USPS.com/stamps): With these Apples stamps, the U.S. Postal Service proves that apples are not only good—and good for you—but they're also delightful, cheery stamp subjects, just right for postcards!Some…

What is the right rootstock for Fuyu Persimmon? If you do an internet search, often the #1 report found is one from a research project done in the 1930's and found in the California Avocado association 1940 Yearbook 25: 43-44. You can read it yourself or let me summarize it: According to the report, Fuyu should not be grown on Diospyros lotus and should be grown on Diospyros kaki. This summary is repeated all across…

Snow Fountains® Flowering Cherry Fall Color Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. I am sure it is for you too. As a photographer, I enjoy seeking out the bold colors of the season and often don't have to go far to find them. This photo taken last week is what my wife and I get to see right outside our kitchen window. I decided to snap this photo just as the…

(Drying Hachiya Persimmons) Hanging Around By The Water Cooler We had read about dried persimmons (Ancient Art of Hoshigaki) in various articles (example here and here) but most of the office and sales staff had never tried them. This week, James brought in some dried Hachiya Persimmons and we were pleasantly surprised at the flavor and sweetness. Now James is showing us all how to dry the Hachiya Persimmons. With the help of Lloyd, the…