Chinese New Year, known in Chinese as the Spring Festival (or the Lunar New Year) is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. The festival proper begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th, which day is called Lantern Festival or Shi Wu Wan.Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Chúx which this year is Sunday, February 18. Chu literally means "change" and xi means "eve".

Some fun facts about Chinese New Year:

• By an animal (like a mascot), 2007 is known as the Year of the Pig. There are 12 animal names, so by this system, year names are recycled every 12 years.
• Its Formal Name (Stem-Branch).The new year is the year of DingHai.
• In the 'Stem-Branch' system, the years are named in 60-year cycles, and the Name of the Year is repeated every 60 years.
• 2007 is the 8th year in the current 60-year cycle.
• Current year is Year 4704 by the Chinese calendar

Gift Ideas
It is traditional to give gifts of prosperity and good luck at the Chinese New Year. The Money Plant does both! According to Feng Shui Master, the road to prosperity is paved with hard work, determination and one or two of these bright green trees. The Masters believe in the plant's power to deliver wealth and good fortune. Care of the Money Plant: Indoor--place in a bright area with two or more hours of filtered sun. Outdoors--place in the shade. Water frequently to keep the soil moist.

As millions of ‘lucky’ customers around the world have discovered, Lucky Bamboo makes the perfect house or office plant, needing little care but a inch of water and little direct sunlight to keep it happy and thriving.

Known for centuries as Lucky Bamboo, the plants is not a bamboo at all, but a resilient member of the lily family that grows in the dark, tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia and Africa.

Keep the water fresh by changing it every week, and always keep water approximately an inch from the base of the canes. Lucky Bamboo prefers plenty of direct sunlight and room temperatures at 65 to 70 degrees.

We have single canes, woven, or shaped and also rooted in pig containers.

A CCN Pro is a certified nursery professional who has successfully passed the California Nursery Professional examination. The examination has three sections: General Questions, Plant Identification, and Landscape Design.

The certification program began in 1969 and has certified over 4,000 nursery professionals since then. Certification once attained must be maintained with continuing education units so your expert at Wegman’s constantly are updating their product and plant knowledge to serve you better.

The requirements for taking the initial exam are stringent--an individual must complete 18 months full-time work experience at a California nursery. Additionally the candidate prepares for the sections of the exam by tutorials and manuals as well as a landscape clinic. The manual is produced by the University of California Cooperative Extension Program.

Wegman’s encourages our employees to become CCN Pros because it recognizes them as experts in the nursery industry. We believe your experience as a customer of Wegman’s is enhanced by that product and plant knowledge. Wegman’s believes our commitment to you as a customer demands only the best!

Citrus plants (oranges, lemons, limes, etc.) are a part of almost everyone’s California garden except for those of you who live in areas where winter temperatures drop below 28°F. Even then, dwarf citrus grown in movable containers can be made to survive and bear fruit in these cold areas.

At this time of year, however, three of the citrus varieties (Citron, Kumquat and Pummelos) have special significance.

In China and Japan, kumquat or Chinan translates as golden bean. It is frequently the custom in China and Japan to place fruit-bearing bonsai plants on the table at dinner so during holidays guests can pick and eat the fruit between courses. In California, dwarf kumquats adapt beautifully to containers and our guests can pick and eat the fruit while sitting on the patio enjoying the BBQ or whatever. Kumquats are unusual because the fruit can be eaten in two bites, skin and all. The most common variety is Hagomi but Meiwa is sweeter and has a more tender rind.

The Citron known as Buddha’s Hand with its unique finger-shaped fruit is well known and highly esteemed for its fragrance in China and Japan.

Citrons probably originated in India and about 300 BC became known to the Hebrews, Greeks and Romans. Most Biblical scholars agree that the Hadar or ‘godly fruit’ of the Bible is the citron. Later, citrons came to China where it was values because the fragrance of the fruit is delicate, penetrating and long lasting. It is used as a perfumer for rooms and clothing. Because the peel is high in vitamin B, a method of candying the peel was developed, and that is the important commercial use of citron today. At this time of year, Buddha’s Hand becomes a part of the Chinese New Year’s festivities. For the remainder of the year, the plant is an attractive container plant for the sunny patio.

Pummelos, the tick-skinned grapefruit relatives that you peel and eat like a Navel Orange, are in great demand for the Chinese New Year. These are not container plants but will grow and produce edible fruit in the Bay Area. The fruit ripens with much less heat than a grapefruit. The variety 'Chandler' has pink flesh; its flavor is similar to a grapefruit. Part of the ceremony of using the Pummelo is the procedure for removing the skin and separating the pulp into its individual segments. The segments remain whole and are eaten with or without sugar. The tree needs its own dedicated area in a sunny garden spot. It is slightly more sensitive to frost than grapefruit but is worth growing for its attractive appearance and interesting fruit.

All three of our Chinese New Year's fruits can be grown in our area. They are attractive, fragrant and tasty.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

It’s not too late to plant primroses for vibrant color in a late winter garden. Primroses will continue to flower until spring.

New arrivals delayed by the excessively cold weather in January are Ranunculus and Anemones. These plants are all in buds and ready to bloom. They are perfect for spring beds or containers to brighten up your patio or front door.

The Latin name ranunculus means "little frog." In the Middle East they are known by the alternative name "Turban Buttercup". They have tuberous roots and hollow stems. Ranunculus are available in a wonderful array of colors, yellow, white, red, pink, orange, and copper, either peony-flowered or open-flowered, with dark or yellow centers.

Some trivia about Ranunculus:
In fairy tales frogs are apt to change into princes and it was an Asian prince in just such a story who gave his name to this flower, which grows naturally in swampy ground. The prince was so good-looking that he was loved by everyone. He also had a beautiful voice but this was his undoing. He loved the open country and sang delightful songs in the presence of nymphs. He did not have the courage to declare his love to them and this haunted him so much that he died. After his death he was changed into the flower with delicate tissuey petals which bears his name. Language of Flowers: it meant "you are rich in attractions" to the Victorians.

Anemones:
Comes from "anemos", the Greek word for wind. Anemones belong to the buttercup family. The outsize anemones which growers have managed to produce in the last few years are remarkable, and perfect for placing singly in display vases to show off their fragile beauty. Their ferny leaves make a perfect frame for the flower heads. The origin of anemones is the Eastern part of the Mediterranean area and Asia Minor. The color availability is in vibrant shades of red, purple and pink, with jet black hearts ringed with white.

Some trivia about Anemones:
It is said that the goddess Flora was jealous of her husband's attentions towards the nymph Anemone and so transformed her into the wind flower and left her at the mercy of the North Wind.

Bumper Crop Booster (5-5-5) is a blend of purely organic and natural primary nutrients especially formulated to promote abundant garden crops of vegetables, fruits and beautiful flowering annuals and perennials. Mix in before planting as you prepare your vegetable and flower beds for spring.

$12.99 for 5 lbs

Trivia Question: How many sesame seeds in a pound?

Question, answer, and winner from February 1st edition:

Question: Botanically, what is an onion?

Answer: A lily

Winner: Maryann Johnston