J Pop Festival 2014

This weekend Japantown and Union Square in San Francisco come alive with the music, shows, food, and activities that are part of Japanese culture.

Sleepy Japantown, with traditional bonsai, stationary, and textile stores, is the hip place to be with all the latest games, food trucks, dj's, and performances.  The days of massive gongs and kimonos are fading fast.  Now, stacks of speakers and platinum wigs are the preferred choice for younger generations.  It's possible to see how older styles influence the current generation but one has to look closely.

What does this mean for Japanese gardens and plants?!

Mid Summer Presentation

Over the past weekend, close to 70 people attended Wildwood's presentations on Japanese Maples.

Exploring Dwarf Maples was the most popular presentation by far.  It's understandable since this is a wide topic.  Dwarf Maples can encompass lace leaf maples as well bushier varieties depending on one's perspective.  The talk covered the range in growth patterns for dwarf maples, seasonal color, leaf shapes, planting tips, and training dwarf maples.

The great thing about dwarf maples is they're great for any size garden or balcony!

Summer Plant Care

Trees take summer off just like humans.  They soak up the rays and spend much of their time resting.

While they're not dormant, they're not exactly exerting themselves.  Generally, they're conserving energy for the next growth spurt in the fall.  This resting time is a great opportunity for humans to get off the lawn chair, rummage around in the shed for clippers, and do some light pruning.

In the spring, trees can send out long sprays of growth that make the outline of the tree look weird.  Clipping these sprays back by one half to two thirds can rein in the tree and recapture its glory.

When the fall growth spurt happens the tree will look much more balanced!

Annual Sale

Big News. Wildwood moved it's annual sale to July!

Starting today, you'll be able to purchase 33% more maples.  That's right, 33% off all maples - from 36" box Beni Kawa to our smallest dwarfs.  There are some maples that have an even bigger discount.  They're in the new sections we created last month.

The sale culminates with a series of talks July 11-13 on different aspects of maples.  Plan on gardening this month!

New Displays At Wildwood

The past few years have seen a number of changes to the nursery especially the layout and display areas.

Lately, we've created a few more new display sections at Wildwood.  The section shown to the left is half of a pair of islands in the very front of the nursery.  They're only temporary; they'll be there for the first half of July.

Another section mid way through the nursery is undergoing a major revitalization.  The current layout centers on a fallen oak with wild looking roots still intact.  A row of miniature conifers lines the 'spine' of the trunk.  As we move into summer, the heat will force us to adapt the plant mix!

Stop in and explore the new pathways and plants.

Mid Summer Maple Series

This July, Wildwood will have a series of talks on Maples.

The poster for the series is hot off the presses and we're excited.  The talks will go beyond FAQ's and cover the qualities that make maples magical.  The goal is broaden the concept of maple beyond lace leafs [Are you growing marijuana?] and the ubiquitous maple leaf.  With several hundred maples to cull from for the talks, we'll be sure to have fresh exciting concepts to cover.

Visit for a gardening pep talk and leave with inspiration for your garden and community!

Rafting on the Middle Fork

Spring is for gardening, Summer is for fun, right?

The middle fork of the American River is a great place to have fun.  The canyon walls on either side of the river offer great scenery in the calmer sections.  The class IV rapids provide plenty of excitement for folks trying to lollygag in the warm weather.

Since the American River is one of the few rivers in CA that is dam controlled and raftable, the drought is a non-issue!

If you go, try to stay in the boat, unlike the unnamed fellow in the picture.