Just arrived, the new Western Garden Book. At first glance it looks larger, has more drawings of plants and seems to include more of the new introductions. Also, the zone maps have been redrawn and the plant selection section has a lot of photos to wet your appetite.

We are selling it with a coupon book that includes discounts for Jackson & Perkins Roses, Monrovia plants, soil conditioners and fertilizers.

I want to start with a note for viewers from the "cold " climates that I realize our cold weather would be a mild spring day for some people.

The past few winters here have been mild and lots of people lost plants that they were used to surviving in good shape.To tell if those plants that look frosted are dead or alive you need to check them out. Soft plants like bananas, Bird of Paradise and palms can often be checked to see if the stem is soft and mushy or hard and crisp. Don't cut back yet if there is a hard crispy core. Wait until new growth starts. Woody plants can be checked out with a knife. Cut into the bark and look for moist green wood under the bark. If it is soft and brown keep cutting until you reach the ground or the ground. If you hit the ground before you see green check a few roots to see if they are green. If it's brown and mushy to the ground and the roots are soft and mushy it's a lost cause. If it's still green probably the plant will come back. Wait until you see the new growth coming and prune back to strong new growth. Make sure the plants are moist but resist trying to turn the frosted leaves green by watering. It doesn't work.

Some plants are worth replacing when they freeze because of the color they give during the season. If you enjoy them plant them back and enjoy them while you can. Remember, many of these are planned to be annuals in the real cold climates.

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No, this is not about religion. It is about one of the most interesting fruits, at least visually. Buddha's Hand (Citrus medica var. sarcodactylus) is a citrus closely related to Citron (Citrus medica), and mainly used for the citrus fragrance. It is also used in cooking for zest. What brought it to mind is Donna's daughter, Jill, brought one into the nursery that she grew in Oakland. The plant is not particularly attractive and you can't eat it out of hand, but boy does it make for a conversation piece.

The Buddha's Hand also was used in a recent episode of Iron Chef America between Iron Chef Bobby Flay and Chef Johnny V. The zest was mainly used and the diagonal pieces cut from it were used to flavor fish.

Buddha's Hand is not something we carry a lot but we often have one or two for you to buy, and, of course, its always available as a special order!{moscomment

I started my late Winter/ early Spring garden care at home and it made me remember to talk about the number one mistake people do with weed control, letting the weeds bloom and go to seed!

If you keep most weeds under control before they go to seed, you will be on your way to a near weed-free garden. Even weeds like annual bluegrass (or birdseed grass) will start to become less of a problem over time, if you keep them from going to seed. The problem is with the more prolific weeds, if you miss just a few you are back square one. I use pre-emergents like spray on Surflan and heavy mulches to control weeds. I then hand weed anything that comes up. When and where I do a good job, weeds are soon not a problem. I have to admit that I have the same problem lots of our customers have; I quit weeding when I have them almost under control.

To reduce the amount of work I strongly recommend heavy mulching with Humus or Gold Rush and using a pre-emergent like Surflan.