Tips from our nursery pros for a perfect March landscape

Purple Lead Plum, Tipu, Majestic Ash, and more

Just like that, the spring season is here. Birds that are chirping, the pollinating insects that are working hard, and our flowering trees are blooming in vibrant displays of red, yellow, purple, pink, and white. 

Now, if you're still on the fence about adding the shade tree for summer or planting a fruit or citrus tree for homegrown food this year, DO NOT WAIT ANY LONGER. We seriously cannot stress this enough. All the recent rain has made right now one the best times in decades to plant.  Do not wait until we're hitting triple digit weather. Plant now so your trees and shrubs will have ample time to establish a root system before it's too hot. As we do every month, our nursery professionals have listed a few tips and chores for your landscape and they have also listed the top trees and shrubs to plant this month!

• Control Your Weeds: Weeds are everywhere and if weeds haven't started to sprout on your yard consider yourself one of the lucky ones! It's best to control your weeds now until it gets too hot and your weeds are uncontrollable. No one wants to pull weeds in triple digits. Moon Valley Nursery stocks all of the things you will need for your weed prevention plan at our locations.
• Fertilizers: It's the prime growing season right now, and you can give everything on your landscape a boost with a custom blended fertilizer from Moon Valley Nurseries. All of our fertilizers have been specifically crafted for our native soils. We have fertilizers for everything on your landscape. From palms, to fruit and citrus, to flowering trees. In addition, we also have fertilizers that can assist in the material on your landscape that is still recovering from the winter or any stress. These can be purchased at all Moon Valley Nursery locations or online. 
• Watering: It's starting to heat up and you're going to want to keep a close eye on the temperature and how everything is doing in your landscape. Always remember to deep water. Small and short applications do not assist in the development of a strong root structure. For more information on deep watering practices download our water guide help you get a better idea on how to just take care of your landscape.
• Mulch: The temperature isn't hot now, but it will be and it's always a good idea to prepare your landscape with some mulch. Adding a few inches of mulch can help keep your soil cool during the warmer summer months and warm during the cooler days. Mulch is available at any Moon Valley Nurseries location. 

Below are a few trees our experts recommend planting for this month

Tipu
If you're looking for both shade and color, the Tipuana tipu, along with the Museum Palo Verde, are the best two on this list. The Tipu tree is one of the most popular trees we offer at Moon Valley Nursery, and it is everywhere in our city. We guarantee you passed one on the way to work today. They are very fast growing trees that have an upright growth pattern creating and providing a large area with shade. These trees are also drought tolerant once established and they can handle even the hottest summer days. It produces a unique show of golden blooms from late spring and into early summer that contrasts beautifully with its feathery green foliage. If you are looking for shade and color, this is your tree.

Majestic Ash
The Majestic Ash, Fraxinus uhdei 'Majestic', is a grafted cultivar that is grown especially by Moon Valley Nurseries for decades. Because we own all of our farms where we grow our trees and shrubs, our arborists have been able to develop a premium specimen that produces no seeds and is super easy to grow. When it comes to shade, this is the best trees for our region. If you're expecting and hoping for a large canopy of shade to provide a play area for your children or for a way to escape the afternoon sun you will not be disappointed in the Majestic Ash. It has a formal upright growth rate that allows it to be planted as a focal point or in a row if you're seeking additional privacy as well. The classic, larger-leaved unique green foliage compliments the canopy as well with its dense growth. Minimal light will pass through this tree, which allows many of our homeowners to plant colorful partial-sun shrubs underneath the tree that will be protected from the sun.

Ficus
Instant shade is what makes the Ficus our #1 selling tree. These evergreen trees perform well in any landscape. They create a very dense canopy of thick, rounded green leaves all year that create a very thick shade that can keep your cooling costs down in the summer. They handle the heat very well and can be pruned to any shape. When it comes to clean-up and maintenance, you can go ahead and put your rake away, because Ficus is just about the cleanest tree you’ll ever purchase. We offer three different variations of Ficus: Single-trunk, multi-trunk, and column, which are a great choice as a barrier for blocking sun, noise, wind, and those pesky neighbors. 

Purple Leaf Plum
This is perhaps the most unique tree of our list and that is due to its purple foliage. Quickly becoming a must-have for many homeowners, the Purple Leaf Plum produces magnificent blooms of puffy pink flowers in the early spring that give way to a deep-purple foliage that lasts for the majority of the year. Many homeowners plant these trees in groups or in accent locations to really make the purple color pop. It's cold and heat tolerant and as an ornamental tree, the Purple Leaf Plum produces no fruit.

Orchid
Yes, Orchid trees grow in our climate and they are absolutely amazing trees. Large hand-sized flowers and rounded light green two-lobed leaves gives this tree such a unique look in any landscape. Originating from Asia, the Orchid produces massive blooms of flowers in the spring and in mature trees in the fall. These trees can also be planted to shade use and they perform great all-year long. We offer two varieties of orchid trees at Moon Valley Nurseries. The Hong Kong Orchid (Bauhinia blakeana) and the Purple Orchid (Bauhinia purpurea).

Jacaranda
These trees can be found almost anywhere in our region for a reason. Their showy, blue-purple flowers in large-thick clusters is what makes this tree a popular flowering tree for just about any landscape. The Jacaranda loves the full sun and it can handle the cold as well. It's growth pattern is upright, as if it was trying to reach for the stars and the tips of its branches are where the clusters of flowers bloom. The Jacaranda has more of an open canopy creating shade to a large area where shade is desired. We offer single and multi-trunk varieties at Moon Valley Nurseries and this tree is one of the most eye-catching curb appeal trees you can plant.

Citrus Trees
We always like to think that the #1 benefit to living in our climate is the fact that we can all grow our own food almost all-year long and we're not talking about the vegetable garden. We're talking bigger, and Moon Valley Nurseries has the biggest selection of fruit and citrus trees. seriously, there is no need to run to the grocery store to buy lemons, oranges, grapefruit, apples, peaches, avocados (only in CA), limes, tangerines, tangelos, kumquats, nectarines, apricots, plums, and figs. Because we offer all of these fruit and citrus trees. They are all super easy to grow and many of our varieties are already producing. No need to buy a small tree and wait 5 years. Purchase one of ours and your tree is already producing!

Canary Island Date Palm
Also called a Pineapple Palm due to a similar look it has to a pineapple when the palm is younger, the Canary Island Date palm is a must have if you're looking to create a 'wow' factor at the entrance to your home.  It grows slowly, eventually forming a wide trunk and its fronds begin to rise from the ground, creating a classic palm tree shape. The Pineapple Palm can handle the cold and loves the sun. It’s a popular choice for tropical landscapes and is commonly seen around resorts.

Queen Palm
Specially grown at Moon Valley Nursery farms, the Piru Queen Palm is unlike other Queen Palms. Our Piru Queen Palms feature thicker and harder trunks, denser and greener fronds, and produce fuller crowns than other Queen Palms. Moon Valley Nurseries Piru Queen Palms can handle hot summers, cold winters, and windy days. The Piru Queen Palm is supported by a narrow trunk which makes it ideal for tight spaces around your pool, but it does require overhead space as the palm grows to statuesque heights.

Moon Valley Nurseries is your one stop shop for all your landscape needs. Our experts have decades worth of experience and they will be able to assist you with any and all projects you may have. Click here to map a nursery near you.