OUR PLANT INVENTORY VARIES FROM DAY TO DAY – STOP BY AND SEE WHAT WE HAVE IN STOCK.

FREE PLANT GIFT WRAPPING WITH COUPON BELOW – OFFER GOOD THROUGH 2/14/26

The wait is over! After months of planning and construction, Payne’s Nursery North is thrilled to unveil our brand-new tropical greenhouses, now open and ready for visitors.

These beautifully finished spaces were designed to be a bright, warm haven for tropical and houseplants, and they truly shine. Step inside and you’ll find lush foliage, vibrant color, and an atmosphere that feels like a mini escape from winter—no passport required.

Come explore the new greenhouses, discover fresh plant inspiration, and soak in the sights and scents of the tropics.

Visit Payne’s North today and experience our newest space in full bloom.

WHAT DID THE ROMANS HAVE TO DO WITH THE LEGEND OF VALENTINE’S DAY!

ANOTHER GREAT QUESTION!

In this week’s archived show from years past, the Garden Guru takes us on a charming history lesson about the origins of Valentine’s Day.

Legend tells of a man named Valentine living during the Roman Empire. He was known for cutting hearts from red parchment paper and handing them out to people he met along the way—among them, soldiers in the Roman army. But Valentine’s real act of rebellion was even bolder: he secretly performed weddings for lovestruck soldiers.

At the time, the Roman army frowned on marriage, believing soldiers should focus on battle, not romance. When authorities discovered who was conducting these forbidden ceremonies, Valentine was arrested and thrown in jail.

While imprisoned, he met the jailer’s daughter, who was blind. According to legend, Valentine miraculously restored her sight, and the grateful jailer grew fond of him—granting him a few small kindnesses in his final days.

What happened next, just before Valentine’s execution?

You’ll have to listen to the Garden Guru to find out…

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE GARDEN GURU’S ARCHIVED RADIO SHOW ON THIS TOPIC.

HAPPY GARDENING!

by Emma Kendell, GardeningKnowHow Top Photo: Getty Images Spring is fast approaching, and if you get these four February garden jobs done before your plants wake up, you’ll enjoy tremendous benefits for the rest of the year. Trimmed, well-fed plants will be healthier and more floriferous for months to come, and a few hours invested now will pay back fourfold when it comes to watering and weeding in spring and summer. Ready to brave the chill? It’s worth it, you’ll see!

1. Pre-Season PruneHand pruners at the ready! February is a prime month for pruning many garden plants. A late winter prune to remove old growth, before the warmer weather of spring arrives, will direct the plant’s energy into growing plenty of flowers and fresh new shoots. It will also keep plants tidy and healthy.Check your USDA zone and choose a mild, dry weather window, as it’s best not to prune in below-freezing temperatures. Frozen stems, particularly woody ones, are more brittle, so cuts may crack instead of quickly sealing, increasing the risk of disease.

2. Start Clearing Dead StemsYou’ve likely left the stems of perennial plants standing over winter, both for garden structure and to provide wildlife with habitat and food. And do be judicious about what to clear, when, as those stems might still be doing a great job in either of those roles, depending on your zone. For most perennials, simply pull the dead stems from the crown or cut them close to the ground, or as close as you can without damaging any new growth. Perennials that shoot from below the soil surface, like peonies, can safely be chopped to ground level. Leave old growth on borderline-hardy perennials like penstemons until after your last frost date, as it’ll help insulate the plant. For evergreen perennials such as red hot pokers, simply remove any dead, diseased or damaged leaves.

3. Weed Like You Mean ItNo-one loves weeding, but every minute you spend pulling out those pesky plants now will save you a half-hour in spring! The soil is usually soggy enough in February to pull up persistent perennial weeds with strong tap roots, like dandelions and docks. Annual weeds will start growing like wildfire as soon as the weather warms up, so get rid of them while they’re tiny enough to easily let go of the soil.

4. Mulch Borders for an Easy LifeNow your borders are clear, applying a layer of mulch will suppress weeds and keep them that way. This layer of organic matter will also conserve moisture, meaning you won’t have to water as often, and slowly break down to improve soil nutrients and structure. Choose a biodegradable mulch: homemade garden compost or leaf mold work well, or [stop by Payne’s Organic Soil Yard for a variety of compost and mulch.] Spread a layer 2–3 inches thick over the soil, being careful not to heap it up against plants as it could cause rot. Don’t mulch under low-growing groundcover plants for the same reason.

February is an ideal time to start planning—and purchasing—the seeds for this year’s annual flower garden.

Buying early not only gives you the best selection, it also helps you avoid the last-minute rush. By May 10th, Santa Fe’s official frost-free date, many stores are often sold out of the most popular and high-demand varieties.

So what’s our number one best-selling annual flower seed year after year?

That honor goes to blue-flowered morning glories (Ipomoea purpurea ‘Clarke’s Heavenly Blue’), prized for their vibrant color and vigorous growth. Close behind are classic sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), a favorite for their cheerful blooms and pollinator appeal.

If you have access to a greenhouse, fluorescent grow lights, or a very sunny sunroom, late February is not too early to begin starting seeds indoors. Flowers such as begonias, petunias, pansies, violas, lobelias, and snapdragons benefit from an early start, as they take longer to grow to a healthy, blooming size.

For those who prefer to let us do the seed-starting, we’ve got you covered. We’ll have a beautiful selection of annuals available in convenient four-packs beginning in March—perfect for planting once the weather warms and the frost danger has passed.

What are Composts and what are Mulches? Although they are related, they do different jobs in the garden.

Composts are decomposed organic material (food scraps, leaves, manure, etc.) that’s broken down into a dark, crumbly, soil-like substance. Mulch is material spread on top of the soil surface. Can be organic (wood chips, straw, leaves, bark) or inorganic (gravel, landscape fabric).

Composts make the best mulches because they improve the soil they cover.

Composts can also be used as soil amendments. Northern New Mexico soils are very high in some minerals but usually very low in nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter. Organic matter is necessary not only for soil moisture retention, but also for maintaining adequate populations of beneficial soil microbes, essential in facilitating plant nutrient uptake. The right compost for your yard depends on the type of soil you have.

Bark mulches are used for decorative reasons or to hold compost mulch in place, but may interfere with nutrient cycling if directly in contact with the soil surface.

In addition to the composts ready to load at POSY we can make custom blends to fit your soil needs.

CLICK HERE for more information or call SAM if you have any questions regarding BULK soil, mulch, pumice or compost at 505-424-0336.

Copyright Mark Parisi