Weekend Jobs, January 26 and 27

Already looking forward to the weekend and some time in the garden. Now that we've had a few days to dry out, the soils should be better for planting. But soils are still relatively moist, so they're also good for weeding. I've done all the pruning I need to do, so I'm ahead there. And I got all the wild flower seeds sown and they're coming up well. Its going to be a brilliant Spring, especially if we get another bout of rain in February.

Plant sale of note: Recon Native Plants is a wholesale nursery in San Diego. They are open to the public on occasion, including this Saturday, January 26. Its an opportunity to pick up some interesting things as they grow a few things that are not commonly available.

For this weekend, then, here's the plan:

1. Planting. I've got about 15 pots that have been sitting around, plants that are waiting to get into the ground. I'll test a few spots out to see if the soils have dried out enough to plant. The thing about planting in wet soil is that they can become too compacted. Keep in mind the planting process. You dig the whole, place the plant, back fill, tamp it down a bit, then water to fill in any large ga. ps. If the soils are already wet and then you tamp down, then the soil becomes very compacted. On top of that, any water would have difficulty draining. I've got clay soils, so the water would just sit. By the weekend, things will have been dry for over a week and its a good time to see if I can get the rest of these plants into the ground.

2. Weeding. There are a lot of weeds coming up now. I don't know the names of most of them. There's the low creeping thing with small round leaves and inconspicuous flowers that form dense mats. There's Euphorbia crenulata, which is actually a California native but manages to push into wet spots and push out everything else. And there are plenty of Sow Thistle, onesies and twosies. But if you let them go, it'll be hudredsies and two hundresies next year. Since the soils are still a little moist, its easier to weed. The roots pull out easier. I was once weeding out at the Payne Foundation and pulled a mustard plant. The soils were moist and I was able to get about six feet of root out of the ground! Those things have deep roots.

3. More weeding... Evil Ehrharta. There is a weedy grass from South Africa called Ehrharta erecta that seems to be especially happy in the Winter months. I think its rampant growth has more to do with the rains than anything, and we've had plenty of rain. So I'm especially on the lookout for this stuff. It will push its way up through all sorts of plants, all of its seeds seem to be fertile, and it will absolutely take over when given the slightest opportunity. And the seeds live a long while in the soil. The laves are Granny Smith apple green and once you recognize the inflorescence you will always know what to pull. In my yard, they always seem to come up with seedlings of Sisyrinchium bellum and I invariably wind up pulling the blue-eyed grass with the evil Ehrharta. Small price to pay.

4. The New Fence. I'll spend more time thinking about the fence I want to build. I've been thinking about it for a couple of years now, since I took out the old one. I need to build it but I don't want to remove the cement plugs from the old fence. So I'll spend some more time thinking about it. I'll probably stretch out the string to see exactly where it should go, too. That sounds productive without requiring any back-breaking effort....just some scratches from the climbing rose.

5. Admiration. The Arctostaphylos 'Dr. Hurd' are blooming in the front yard. They started last week and should be peaking in another week or two. Its always good to stop and admire your work once in awhile. When this plant goes into bloom, and I have two at my front pathway, its well worth stopping to enjoy. The bees and hummingbirds love this one, as they did the A. glauca from last month.

Weekend Jobs, January 19 and 20

We had about five inches of rain over the last week, so things are really wet. Since I've got clay soils, this is a really bad time to plant. Generally, if the soils are wet, don't plant. There are a lot of voids in a healthy soil, space for roots to grow and water to drain through. Those voids can be closed down if they are compacted and that makes things more difficult for plants. So if its too wet, I avoid planting.

But there is always plenty to do in the garden:

1. Clean up after the storm. There are leaves and twigs everywhere after stormy days with occasional high winds. That means there's a fair amount of clean up to do. I got off fairly easily this time, as the rains were so heavy at times that they actually flooded one street and swept away a lot of leaves. But there are other areas that need some attention with a broom.

2. Weed and weed and weed. The rains have brought up a LOT of wild flower seeds. YAY! And a lot of weed seeds. BOO! This is a good time to weed, actually. Moist soils facilitate pulling plants generally, and especially those little thugs that don't want. There's one little annual that has asserted itself over the last couple of years and I now have big swatches of it to deal with in my annual beds. I'm not sure what it is....small round leaves, about 1/2 inch high and growing to 6-8 inches around, insignificant flowers. They tend to be really dense, too.

3. Pruning. Still some time to prune back deciduous shrubs. I think this can go through February as longs as we don't get too much heat to break dormancy. I need to do some work on my Betula occidentalis. I may actually have to remove it, but that doesn't have to happen right away.

4. Dead Bulb Pots. I have a number of pots in the bulb collection that haven't produced any sprouts. I need to check if they are dead and, if so, clear them out. The tables are packed, so it would be good to make room for other things.

That's a do-able list. Probably other things will pop up, they always do.

Examples from Nature: Cambria coast

I had the chance to stay a few nights in Cambria last April, a gift from my awesome sister. When you go to Cambria, you will go see the elephant seals. It is truly impressive to watch these impossibly huge wild animals lounging around on the beach. Since it was April, the males were out at sea, so there were no crazy mating rituals or really loud noises.

Of course, everyone is racing out to the edge of the bluff to view the elephant seals, while I'm strolling along looking at the plants. And it was worth the stroll. One of the best lessons I've learned in garden design is to look at natural plant associations. You'll always find harmonies in color and size and most certainly in culture. If these plants are growing together in the wild, you know they'll have a better chance of succeeding together in your garden.

So they main combo that caught my eye was the grey-leaved Eriophyllum lanatum, and Hazardia squarrosa. Since they are growing on a coastal bluff, the wind keeps them sheared. In the photos, you can see that they appear almost to be clipped into nice rounded, mounded balls...so tidy. If you're not in a coastal zone with that kind of steady air flow, you'd have to take the shears to them.

But that grey and green combo is really nice. They are both Asteraceae with yellow flowers, but the foliage makes up for the consistency on that score. The flowers are still different, though, with the Eriophyllum providing daisy-like landing pads for butterflies and the Hazardia doesn't have any rays.

Here's a great opportunity to keep it simple. Two plants that grow well together and are also pleasing together. If you really need to complicate things, another Asteraceae wouldn't harm the composition. Erigeron glauca is also found in this habitat, its leaves are very different, and its flowers come in an array of colors....lavender, pink, white are commonly around, while the very desirable 'Wayne Roderick' with dark purple flowers can be occasionally located. Be careful, though, as some growers have mixed up 'Wayne Roderick' with a lavender form.

A more sturdy companion to this mix would be a Ceanothus. There are several low growing coastal forms and something with really dark leaves would look sharp here. Ceanothus bloom in Spring, so there probably wouldn't be any cross-over with flowers. But that wouldn't be bad. Ceanothus blue would work with the yellows here.


Finally, it might be possible to fit some Iris douglasiana or one of the many Pacific Coast Hybrids (PCH) into this picture. Dark green strappy leaves are definitely a contrast. Iris bloom in early and mid Spring while these two bloom more toward Summer. Keep an eye on colors, though, just to make sure. And you can find out if the Iris is more of an early, mid, or late blooming variety.

Thoughts on the Wild Garden

Gardening can be a meditative sort of thing, an opportunity to focus on one task with the hands and feet (I've been digging holes for plants) while the mind sloughs off all the noise to focus and then connect disparate thoughts and ideas. A couple of things came together for me today about the wild garden. They're damn tough to make.

I started with a remembrance of wild gardens I'd seen on garden tours. They were mostly disappointing messes. My garden has been a disappointing mess from time to time, so I know the situation. These gardens attempt to be a wilderness in the City, but present more as a one of these and one of those sort of thing. Its hard to stay away from that, there are so many great plants. But the plants get big and overgrown and some get straggly. And there are chaparral plants next to coastal plants next to mountain plants. There's no rhyme or reason other than the gardener's love of the plant. That is great, but its not a wild garden.

Which brings me to Joshua Sparkes, head gardener at Forde Abbey in Chard, Somerset, UK. He was featured in a short interview in Gardens Illustrated, that gorgeous magazine with the most spectacular gardens you'll see anywhere. In the interview, Sparkes notes that "sustainable and ecological gardening" seems to include "one aesthetic."  I don't know if he's referring to the same thing I am, but I do get a sense that there is an expectation that the aesthetic of a wild garden is unkempt, a mishmash, always on the edge of anarchy...because that's what wild means.

The other thread is from another UK gardener, Monty Don. I think there might be a contractual obligation on everyone to say that he is the UK's favorite (favourite?) gardener, but I'm not sure. Anyway, he is brilliant and he includes his golden retrievers in his program, so he must be a great guy. In a couple of his shows, he's commented that less is more, that you can make a beautiful garden with just five or seven types of plants.

And so bringing it all together...our wild areas, our wilderness, is more like a beautiful garden with five or seven plants, than one with twenty or fifty. Or in my very bad example, 300. The serenity in wilderness is in the flow and repetition of the same and similar plants across the vast area. A sunny slope will repeat from one canyon to another, a shady canyon will too. There may be lots of little things, buy usually only on the moister shady side.

Wild areas have always been a source of inspiration for my garden, but I was really focused on plant combinations, such as the racing stripe on a meadow rill with Aquilegia formosa on the edges and Mimulus gutattus in the center (think about it, red flowers with a hint of yellow and yellow flowers with little red spots). But I'd never put together this bigger concept of flow and simplicity in the bigger picture.

Something more to ponder as I dig more holes. I've got a lot more pots to plant.

Weekend Jobs, 1/5 and 1/6

Looking at the weekend weather, it looks like rain is possibly maybe coming. At this point, I'm in see-it-to-believe-it mode. Climate change has destroyed all expectations that anything is reliable anymore. Anyway, assuming rain will happen, that means there are tasks that need to get done quick.

1. Plant as much as possible. No good digging in soggy soils, and best to give new plants a chance to benefit from rain water. Depending on how I count, and I never count correctly or consistently, I have about 55 pots that need to get into the ground. That's a lot of digging. Not sure I'm up to the task, but I'll make the effort.

2. Pruning the buckwheat. I have an Eriogonum cinereum that needs to be cut back. My green bin was full last weekend, so I wasn't able to finish that up. Now's my chance and it should get done. I usually cut that back to one or two leaves below the inflorescence. And then I'll cut back those parts of the plant that are getting out of bounds. Its growing over a low rock wall and I typically cut it back to the wall so that when it starts growing out again, it will drape over but not cover the wall.

3. Sweep and sweep and sweep. If the rains don't hit, I'll sweep the walks and street. Its a standing thing. Sometimes I can rely on a heavy rain to wash it all away. Hmmmm.......

4. Put stuff away. I'm terrible about putting things away...pruners, gloves, you name it. Terrible way to treat tools, even worse when it rains. That all has to get into the shed before the first drops fall.

5. Watch and evaluate. Watching the rain fall and flow through the garden is instructive. I'll watch to see if there's any serious erosion of paths or deep puddling that could be problematic. Mostly, rain is so weird these days that I just like standing in it.

That's probably enough for a weekend. I'm again putting off fence construction and fixing the screen across the HVAC behemoth.

Pruning Redbuds

I've got this attitude that I can do anything that is needed in my garden. Lots of projects are on the list, and I expect I can do them all. Of course, I don't know anything about some of these tasks and should do the research before jumping in. Even worse is knowing just enough to allow me to put that task off to another day. And that's why some of them just don't get done.

Pruning the Western Redbud, Cercis occidentalis, is one of those tasks.

Western Redbud in bloom.

Yep, Redbuds are in the Pea Family.

My Redbud is one of the first natives that went into the garden. I'd purchased three 15 gallon trees at the late, lamented Hortus Nursery in Pasadena about 15 years ago. Two were placed in front of the curved window at the front of my house, and one was planted out at the southwest corner of the property, in the hottest, most exposed spot in the garden. That's the tree that thrived. The other two  kind of did that "Meh" thing for awhile and I decided, eventually, to take them out (the smaller tree is visible in the first photo, off to the left, and the size difference is dramatic). There is some suggestion that they didn't like root competition from the Chinese Elm out in the hellstrip.

Anyway, I've basically ignored all sound advice and let that one remaining Redbud go its own way. I only ever trimmed the most offending branches blocking paths. This was probably not wise. I think some of the trunks are not exactly well-formed and there is a lot of crossing branch material in there. Be that as it may, its now at about 20 feet high and wide and its always interesting.

The memory of flowers

Redbuds have something to admire all year. They are deciduous, with bare branches in Winter. In Spring, they burst out in rich pink blossoms, showing their obvious membership in the Pea Family. The blossoms are edible, with a slightly citrus flavor to them. They soon leaf out, producing large heart-shaped bright green leaves. Over Summer, the leaves darken and form a nice dappled shade in the garden. Fall brings color as the leaves yellow and eventually drop. If the bees were busy in spring, the tree is now covered in bunches of striking 3-inch long purple-black seed pods.

Its always got something going on.

and flowers to come.

But back to this pruning thing. They say that the best time to prune is when you need to. That is to say, sometimes you have to cut something out for safety or convenience or some other essential need. So let's set that pin. Prune when necessary.

There are better times to prune than others, though. The two main considerations are the timing of bird nesting and plant dormancy. First, avoid pruning when birds could be nesting in your garden. It would at minimum disturb them or at worst destroy their nest and eggs/young. That's bad and is maybe against the law. Second, its best to prune when the plant is dormant. That avoids shocking the plant and sending it into hormonal priorities that may not be ideal for that time of year.

Since Cercis occidentalis are dormant in Winter, that's the ideal time to go. If you hit the job in January, you'll have a better chance of avoiding any nesting birds too. So guess what? Its January and my can-do attitude has got the best of me. I can't avoid the job anymore.

After

Before

My main problem is that the huge main branch arcing over my pathway is too big and too low. I'd thought it would be nice to walk under as you approach the house, but it turns out its only nice for someone of my height. At 5'8", there are a few people who would have to duck, including the regular mailman. Also, that particular branch had begun to make contact with the Arctostaphylos 'Dr. Hurd' about 20 feet away. Again, I thought that would be nice, but on consideration I realized that might create competition that could compromise the aesthetics of the manzanita. So I finally realized that it was time to deal with that branch.

And deal I did. I first cut back the smaller branches to lighten the load on the branch and, frankly, to manage the clean up. Once I cut back to a reasonable space, I used a saw to cut out the branch that needed to go. While I was at it, I walked around the entire tree and pruned back any branches that appeared to be headed toward the adjacent sidewalk and path in a manner that would pose future problems for pedestrians. I've also got a STOP sign on that corner, so I checked to make sure that was clear. Nothing worse than having the city decide to prune for you.

In the end, I didn't take out too much material. I'm a softy...I see to much future bloom potential this year to heartlessly cut out all the crossing branches. Western Redbud can actually be coppiced to produce new growth and vigor, but that's not on my plan.

Next year, I think I might find a professional to do a proper job of it. I'm sure there's more to do and, even though I know I can do it, I don't actually have to.

Big Berry Manzanita

Its Big Berry time in the garden. Arctostaphylos glauca is an astonishing plant...big, bold, formal, commanding. Its like a Daniel Craig-era James Bond, a bruiser in a tuxedo. The mahogany bark and grey-green leaves are striking all year, especially when the bark begins to peel and flake in the summer. The wood is hard and structural, branches reaching out and up. And then in winter, becoming completely draped in a veil of small, clear white lanterns.

Wildlife love this plant and the blooms are a perfect source of food when there's little else blooming in the garden. Hummingbirds are currently fighting over this small tree in pitched battles that last all day. There are sneak attacks, full on assaults, sly infiltrations, and full out retreats.  They seem to take something of a break mid-day, but in the morning and afternoon, its on.

The other visitors are bees and butterflies. Honeybees will cover the plant, helicoptering from lantern to lantern, by the dozens. Native bees are also here, but in few numbers unfortunately. I should do more to invite them into my yard. I had a photo of a Monarch butterfly visiting a bloom, but I can't find it.

 This small tree was planted about 10 to 12 years ago. They say manzanita are slow growing, and that might be right. But this one grew fast. Its now as tall as my house. Since I'm technically in a fire zone, I've pruned up the lower branches. Its actually a nice effect. The bark and branches are on display, showing their remarkable color and weight.

I do the pruning in Summer, during a good hot spell. Care and Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens recommends pruning in summer, NOT winter, as wet weather could spread disease. So I guess I take it a little further and make sure there's a little heat to ensure no moisture to spread disease. I also dip the hand shears and loppers in some water with a little bleach to try and cut back on any transfer of pathogens.

This plant gets full baking heat in the summer and is a little on the shady side in Winter. Its on the west facing side of my yard, but on the north side, so there is some shade in the early morning hours during summer. It also hasn't minded root competition from the Chinese elm out on the street. I had two Cercis occidentalis nearby and they hated the root competition.


There's always something going on in a California native plant garden. But let's face it, the show is in Spring. So its important to have plants like Arctostaphylos glauca in the garden. They provide structure and beauty all year long. And in this case, they bloom when not much else is going. Its an ideal plant, a bold statement of confidence in the native plant garden, and a great source of beauty to be admired all year.

Peeling bark...

and as it ages.