You could think of all this falling foliage as just another mess to clean up, but that would be a shame. Dry leaves are a powerhouse of nutrients for your soil, containing twice as much mineral content as manure. Decomposed leaf matter, often referred to as leaf mold, can also improve soil aeration and drainage while providing a feast for all the good microbes doing their work underground. And all it takes is just a bit of effort to turn that pile of dry brown into garden gold.
To keep all of your beautiful leaf pieces in one place, I suggest a simple structure. Step 1: Unroll about 6-8 feet of chicken wire and bend the wires from the two cut ends together to form a ring. Step 2: Fill the ring with leaves. I told you it was easy.
When you're ready to build your leaf pile, keep a few things in mind:
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Use freshly fallen leaves as this is the stage when the nitrogen and mineral contents are highest
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Shred or chop up dry leaves before adding them to your compost pile to speed up decomposition. A basic chipper/shredder is a good tool for this. Or, if you still own a lawn mower (what?), you can run it over the leaf pile.
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Avoid adding black walnut and eucalyptus leaves which contain a natural herbicide that can affect seed germination of other plants.
If you already have a composting system in place (you garden rock star!), you can also add a moderate amount of shredded leaves as a brown ingredient for your brown and green recipe.
On the other hand, if you're not ready to commit to building a leaf mold pile, we won't judge. Gather up those leaves and spread them at the base of your trees and shrubs as a layer of mulch to protect the soil from winter rain and cold. As with any mulch, you want to keep the leaves away from direct contact with the plant itself to avoid crown rot. In spring, rake the leaves back to allow the soil to warm up more quickly.
If what you're looking for is an excuse to party, leaf it to me. See what I did there? But seriously, in Japan, where I lived for a few years, the farmer I worked with would celebrate the falling of the leaves, known as ochiba, with friends and family. Everyone spent the day collecting leaves for compost and then shared a meal, and maybe a lot of beer and sake, around a roaring fire. Just one more reason to not kick those leaves to the curb.
by UC Master Gardener Cayce Hill
This article first appeared in the November 25 issue of the Morgan Hill Times.
Beneficial insects are those that improve pollination, gobble up or lay their eggs inside insect pests, or speed up decomposition. Common beneficial insects include honeybees, minute pirate bugs, syrphid flies, assassin bugs, tachnid flies, big-eyed bugs, lacewings, native bees, parasitic wasps, butterflies and damsel bugs. Lady beetles are one of the most popular beneficial insects. A single lady beetle may eat 50 aphids a day, but it will fly away if its needs are not being met.
You can make your Morgan Hill yard and garden more welcoming to beneficial insects by meeting those needs with year round food, water, and shelter, using native plants. Local insects have evolved using native plants for food and shelter for thousands of years. Hedgerows and clusters of native shrubs and perennials can provide low-maintenance habitat for many beneficial insects.
To attract pollinators, try adding these plants to your landscape:
- Brandegee Sage (Salvia brandegeei)
- Borage (Borago officinalis – not native, but highly effective)
- California poppies (Eschscholzia californica)
- Coast buckwheat (Eriogonum latifolium)
- Great Valley gumweed (Grindelia camporum)
- Tansy (Phacelia tanacetifolia)
- Wild Liliac (Ceanothus sp.)
The following native plants make excellent habitats for pest-eating insects (with buckwheat being the favorite of most beneficial insects):
- Blue wildrye (Elymus glaucus)
- California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum foliolosum)
- California coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica tomentella)
- California lilac (Ceanothus griseus)
- California onion grass (Melica californica)
- Coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis)
- Creeping wildrye (Leymus triticoides)
- Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana)
- Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.)
- Nodding needlegrass (N. cernua)
- One-sided bluegrass (Poa secunda)
- Purple needlegrass (Nassella pulchra)
- Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
Providing shelter for beneficial insects often means nothing more than providing a source of water and avoiding the use of broad-spectrum pesticides and bug zappers. Pesticides and bug zappers often kill beneficial insects. According to research published in science research journal PLOS One, insect hotels may or may not be effective, but they might help and they do make nice garden art. Since each insect species has its own habitat needs, creating different levels within a landscape, using trees, shrubs, perennial beds, and low-growing ground cover can provide the widest variety of shelter possibilities. Shelter can also take the form of bare patches of soil or sand for ground dwelling solitary bees.
Plant a variety of colors and shapes, making sure that food and habitat are available year-round whenever possible. Some beneficial insects love round chive blooms, while others prefer the flat landing area provided by cilantro. Salvia's spikey blooms and daisy-like sunflowers fill out the range of flower shapes. Many delicious herbs, such as rosemary, oregano, dill, and thyme are irresistible to beneficial insects.
The rainy days of November are an excellent time to draw or list existing plants, noting when they bloom, their color and blossom shape, and which beneficial insects they attract. The next step is to see what is still needed for the biggest impact. If your Morgan Hill garden has specific pests that attack regularly, you can install plants to attract beneficial insects known to feed on those pests.
For more information, visit Master Gardeners or call 408-282-3105, Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
by UC Master Gardener Kate Russell
This article first appeared in the November 9 issue of the Morgan Hill Life.
Psyllid Adult FeedingThe pest can destroy citrus trees
The Asian citrus psyllid remains a serious and dangerous pest of all types of citrus, says Joe Deviney, Santa Clara County Agricultural Commissioner.
The tiny insect can carry the disease huanglongbing, also known as citrus greening. There is no cure for the disease; infected trees will produce bitter, misshapen fruit until the tree dies in as little as five years.
While the pest has been seen in Santa Clara County and parts of Alameda County, huanglongbing disease, which has been found in only a few trees in the state, has not yet been seen here. The only way to prevent huanglongbing is to guard against the psyllid.
The psyllid is prevalent in Mexico and across parts of the Southern United States. In Florida, the pest was first detected in 1998, and citrus greening was discovered there just seven years later. Both the pest and the disease are now in all of Florida's citrus producing areas and have resulted in the loss of trees, produce, more than 6,000 jobs and $3.6 billion in economic activity.
Psyllids, also known as jumping plant lice, are from the Psyllidae family and have been around for a long time. Psyllid fossils have been found from the Permian period, more than 250 million years ago.
The psyllids generally feed on one species of plant, or closely related plants. The pest is a tiny brownish winged insect, about the size of an aphid. They not only feed on all varieties of citrus — orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, kumquat and mandarin — but also attack Indian curry leaf, Chinese box orange, wampeii, orange jasmine and others.
The pest is small, but easily identifiable thanks to its distinctive feeding habit. It eats with its body at a 45 degree angle with its head down and rear in the air. No other citrus pest feeds in this position. It also feeds on new leaf growth, causing young leaves to twist and curl, and prevents healthy new shoots from forming.
The insect can spread huanglongbing by feeding on a diseased tree and then spreading the disease to other, healthy trees. Grafting using infected budwood can also spread the disease.
To check for infestations, look for oblong, yellow orange eggs that are tucked inside new growth. Nymphs produce unique waxy, curly tubes with bulbs at the end. Adults are about 1/8-inch long and have a pointed front end with red eyes and short antennae. They can have greenish, yellow or orange abdomens, depending on what they have been feeding on.
The Bay Area's first report was in San Jose in 2014; the most recent sighting was last month. Approximately 200 square miles of Santa Clara and Alameda counties fall in an Asian citrus psyllid quarantine zone.
Although you can move fruit in and out of the quarantine zone, it must be free of all leaf and stem material. Be sure not to move any plant material outside of your zone, and if you are planting new plants or trees, make sure they are disease free by buying them from a reputable nursery.
Check the quarantine boundary lines and if you think you have seen the pest or are experiencing citrus greening symptoms on your trees, call the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.
by UC Master Gardener Rebecca Jepsen
This article first appeared in the November 9 issue of the San Jose Mercury News.
There are some great resources to help you do your homework when planning additions to your garden.
This is an ideal time to add California native plants. The California Native Plant Society has a resource, Calscape, that lists plants that are native specifically to your area. One of my favorites for (zip code) 95037 is Arctostaphylos Dr. Hurd. I love its reddish, crooked branches. At about 15' tall, in sun or shade, it's easy to fit into many gardens. Calscape also lists some annual wildflowers native to Morgan Hill. How about Baby Blue Eyes and Smooth Tidy Tips?
Santa Clara County Master Gardeners have a Waterwise Plant list that gives you great tips about which plants thrive in our area. You can choose based on plant type, and water and sun/shade requirements. They've done the testing for you, and the practical notes about growing conditions and watering are really helpful.
I'm renovating a garden with old oaks and here's what's on my list, that could easily be on your list, even if you don't have oaks. These are all typically easy to find in your local nursery. If you don't see them, they can order for you.
Arctostaphylos Howard McMinn – Howard McMinn manzanita is a native, medium sized (6' x 10') shrub that can be kept smaller by pruning. It is both drought and garden tolerant. I think it's quietly elegant and a graceful addition to any garden. It plays well with lots of other plants.
Correa Dusky Bells and Ivory Bells – I love Australian fuchsias and use them a lot. Dusky Bells is smaller (1' x 3'), with reddish pink flowers. I'm getting attached to Ivory Bells with its creamy white flowers and grey green, felt-like leaves. In the oak garden, it's planted next to A. Howard McMinn and underplanted with Stachys Helen von Stein, with its furry grey leaves, and they look great together.
This same planting bed under the oak includes Rubus pentalobus, a quiet, low dark green carpet, and iris Canyon Snow. There are lots of colors (purple, ochre, pale yellow, bronze) to choose from with our native iris, but I keep going back to the pure white charm of Canyon Snow.
Another area of this garden, includes drifts of Arctostaphylos Carmel Sur. Carmel Sur manzanita is my current favorite, low growing (1' x 4-6') native manzanita. It has glossy green leaves and grows relatively quickly. I'm also adding in Carpenteria californica Elizabeth as part of a mixed border.
When you're looking for inspiration and advice about great plants for your garden, make sure you also check out the UC Davis Arboretum All Stars plants list.
The horticultural staff of the UC Davis Arboretum have identified 100 tough, reliable plants that have been tested in the Arboretum, are easy to grow, don't need a lot of water, have few problems with pests or diseases, and have outstanding qualities in the garden.
Use your local Master Gardeners for advice to grow by! Call our hotline Monday through Friday, 9:30-12:30 at 408-283-3105.
by UC Master Gardener Janet Enright
This article first appeared in the September 21 issue of the Morgan Hill Times.
You might think that this story, which by now you've noticed is about a bunch of lifeless, boring spheres, is getting overly dramatic. Believe me, I'm usually a very rational gardener; the kind who chooses the right plant for the right place, in season and after plenty of thought. You know the kind. But the bulbs always get me, and here's why: When planted in the right mix and at the right time, they are a solid, upfront investment in color and beauty for the rest of the year. Bulbs are easy and affordable and, if they aren't already, should be a permanent part of your annual garden plan. Keep these tips in mind and you can't go wrong:
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Plant bulbs in groups, just as you would (and should) plant other garden plants. A basic rule of thumb for garden design is to plant in odd numbers for a more natural look. Resist the urge to be methodical about spacing; in nature plants grow where the conditions are right and there is no grid-lined paper involved.
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Visit some of the gorgeous examples of natural landscapes we have access to in our area year round. No time to hike? Filoli Gardens will wow you with spectacular designs that include thousands of bulbs.
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Follow the directions included with the bulbs regarding planting depth and spacing, timing and sunlight and irrigation requirements.
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When the foliage of your bulbs begins to die back you'll want to have some larger, perennial plant companions to fill the gaps that bulbs leave when they go dormant. Examples include: Heuchera (alum root), Nepeta (catmint), and Hemerocallis (daylily.)
Ready to give in to the call of bulbs this Fall? Here's a shopping list for some that do well in our region: Snowdrops (galanthus), crocus (crocus sativus if you want to wow your friends by growing your own saffron), grape hyacinth (muscari), and daffodil (narcissus). Bonus points if you plan ahead and make the extra effort to plant these California native beauties: Meadow onion (allium unifolium), Brodiaea californica, Fritillarias, and Trilliums.
by UC Master Gardener Cayce Hill
This article first appeared in the September 28 issue of the Morgan Hill Life.
