- Author: Mary B. Gabbard
EDITORS NOTE, I was on leave when this blog was created-it should have run sooner. However, I think it will help for future reference.
I just brought home my first Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrina) of the season, and with any luck, they'll add holiday cheer to my home thru the New Year. With a little bit of care, you too can keep your poinsettia looking healthy for about 6 – 8 weeks.
Let's start with a bit of background information.
o The poinsettia originates from Mexico and was introduced to the United States in 1828 by Mr. Joel Roberts Pointsett: the then United States Diplomat in Mexico.
o In the early 1920s that the poinsettia started taking root in American culture. Paul Ecke, a second-generation farmer in California, discovered a grafting technique that caused the seedlings to branch.
o Paul Ecke Jr. later advanced sales of the poinsettia through shipping and marketing.
o In 2002, The House of Representatives created Poinsettia Day, December 12th, to honor the father of the poinsettia industry, Paul Ecke. The date of December 12 also marks the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, the man responsible for bringing the plant to the United States.
The poinsettia is the #1 best-selling holiday potted plant is the United States and Canada with over 250 million dollars in sales each Holiday season. The Poinsettia comes in a wide range of colors from white to orange, with red being the most popular color.
Here are a few tips to keep our Poinsettia growing:
- Ample Light/Temperature:
- Place your Poinsettia in a sunny location, away from heating vents and drafts.
- This plant prefers indirect light, with indoor temps between 65-70 deg. F. Lower temperatures will make their leaves drop; higher temperatures will shorten their lifespan.
- Having a small holiday party? Decorate your front porch with your poinsettias, however, place them outside just before your guests arrive, and bring them inside as your wrapping up your night.
- Keep them hydrated.
- Touch the soil; if it feels dry to touch, time for some water. Likewise, if you lift up your plant and it feels light, another good indicator of time for water. Don't let your plant sit in water, they don't like soggy feet. If you notice your plant leaves wilting, the soil is too dry.
- Poke some holes in the foil wrapper and place your plant on a saucer or plate. This will help drain the soil as these roots do not like to get soggy!
- I like to remove my plant from the foil wrapper, water it thoroughly in the sink, and then let it drain completely before placing it back in its foil wrapper.
- You do not need to fertilize your plant during the holidays.
Every year, I try to save my poinsettia plants – but to be honest, I have never been able to successfully save a poinsettia much longer than the Holiday season, as I am most likely a lazy gardener: my poinsettias are recycled in my compost pile; giving back in another manner!
- Author: David Bellamy
Photo by D.Bellamy (A front door rock garden)
This blog will discuss why so many people use rock art to enhance the appearance of their gardens, and specifically, stacking rocks. If you have some property with lots of rocks, you may be more likely to remove rocks to make room for planting. However, many of us have no rocks and bring them in to help beautify our landscape, as well as to keep weeds out and serve as a walkable barrier between our planting areas. But what is the fascination so many have with stacking rocks.
From early times, man has stacked stones at key places along a path to mark the way. Sometimes the number of stones or small runes hidden in the stones may pass on directions or other secret messages. In other places not related to navigation, tall spires of rock may be made as a spiritual inspiration to others, much like the spires or steeples that decorate many religious buildings. In fact, the act of balancing stones has the spiritual significance of an exercise in practice and the physical effort of creating a balance, as well as the lesson of the impermanence of our physical existence.
Photo: Rock Stacking@rockstackinguk , Facebook, Personal Blog, “Strangely satisfying rock stacking in UK.”
In Ireland and other places, a stack of rocks is called a cairn, and they are made as tall and skinny as is easily feasible, so as not to use up much farmable space. However, they became a good place for rats and mice to hide, and Cairn Terriers (like Dorothy's dog, Toto) were developed to hunt the cairn rats and mice.
If you are like many, you may just like the whimsical beauty and the happy feelings they invoke. You may also think of it as a puzzle or challenge, like completing a jigsaw puzzle. So, enjoy them if you have them in your garden or re-stack them differently or in a new spot in your garden if you feel like a lesson in patience would help.
Photo by Fougerouse Arnaud (Stacked rocks over river outcrop)
A word of caution regarding stacking rocks on a trail. Most of us are not blazing new trails and with GPS, we rarely need the cairn to show us the way to go. Wilderness rock stacking conflicts with the now popular, “Leave No Trace” philosophy of leaving a natural area as it was when you found it. Although one stack of rocks may not seem to make a difference, on some popular trails through rocky nature areas, hikers have made over 1000 cairns and are adding 30-40 per day. Rangers or other custodians of the area remove these as fast as they can but can't keep up with it. Besides spoiling the natural beauty, it can create harmful effects on the land causing more runoff where the rocks are taken away and creating small dams in other areas that can also change the natural water flow and result in increased erosion. Even in our yards, maintaining good drainage away from our homes, other structures on our property, and our neighbors' homes is important, or else water could back up into our homes, garages, or sheds during some of the very heavy rainfalls we occasionally receive.
https://www.onlinecameraed.com/rock-stacking/ (Meaning of Stacked Rocks)
https://bearfoottheory.com/what-are-rock-cairns/(What are Rock Cairns & Why You Shouldn't Build Them)
https://www.facebook.com/rockstackinguk (17) Rock Stacking | Facebook, photos)
- Author: Michelle Davis
Years ago, long before I became a UCCE Master Gardener, I planted an herbal tea garden in a west-facing sunny area of my backyard. I haven't used most of the herbs so much for the purpose of making tisanes or cups of tea, but I have really enjoyed the scent while working in that area. Most of the 15 or so herbs have survived the last 20+ years including the spearmint, pineapple mint, and Egyptian mint.
Mint has an interesting history dating back to ancient Greek mythology. The nymph Mentha was transformed into a mint plant by the goddess of the Underworld, Persephone, when Persephone became jealous and enraged that Pluto, the god of the Underworld, preferred Mentha over her. Mint was thought to be an aphrodisiac and was woven into crowns to be worn on the head. Statues of Venus are sometimes seen with these crowns – Corona Veneris. In the Bible, the Pharisees paid their tithes with mint. Mint is also a symbol of hospitality. Its clean scent, due to menthol, has over-scented the odors of life throughout the millennia.
Mint leaves and mint essential oil have been used medicinally in teas and other preparations for upset stomach, nausea, colic, heartburn, flatulence, headaches, toothaches, hiccups, as a sleep aid and as a cure for mad dog bite when combined with salt into a paste and applied to the bite. Some have even used it for potential anti-fertility purposes. I am not sure how the mint was prepared for this purpose, and I would definitely not recommend anyone use it for this!
Mint is grown commercially for room fresheners, toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum, candy, and beverages. This time of year, one can enjoy Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. Peppermint has a stronger flavor than spearmint and is used primarily for commercial flavoring. If you do choose to grow peppermint, use just the newest leaves. The older leaves and the stems can be bitter. Spearmint plays well with most vegetable, meat, and fish dishes. I enjoy mint in tabbouleh, Vietnamese spring rolls, Indian raitas, meatballs of different ethnic cuisines, fruit salads, chocolate desserts, ice water, and tea. Fresh mint is best in these dishes, but dried is a good backup.
Growing mint is not difficult, but it can be an invasive perennial. It's native to Europe and Asia, so does well in our climate. I have mine in patio containers and some planted in deep, bottomless containers sunk down in the garden soil to about 1-2 inches from the rims of the containers. I am vigilant to make sure they don't escape their confines. They send up new plants from their spreading roots. They sprout tiny flowers in the summer that are pretty when plucked and added to a pitcher of ice water with some fresh-picked, new leaves. The newer leaves and stems have more flavor than the older, woody ones. Mint thrives in a shady, location with ample water, but mine don't get that and are doing just fine. I do cut most of them down to the ground in late fall. If I fail to do so, winter frost takes them down to leafless stems that I whack off in early spring.
Mint can be plagued by aphids, cutworms, rust, spider mites, loopers, thrips, verticillium wilt, mint anthracnose, mint flea beetles, mint root borers, and grasshoppers. I suspect that the one mint that I have not cut back (and that I used for the picture for this blog) has a looper problem. It will be taken care of when I get a chance in the next week to cut this last mint down to the ground and deposit the cuttings in the gray can.
- Author: Betsy Buxton
You would surmise from the name that “Weedy Acres” was up to its neck (if it had one) in weeds of all kinds right now. Since moving here in 1991, I've only had what I call the 4 stages of weed growth. The first was when we moved in and I got a good look at the enormous Russian thistle (Salsola tragus) or tumbleweeds that were merrily rolling around the backyard; prickly and not too user-friendly, they lasted only one growing season and with persistent hoeing were gone.
As we gardeners all know all too well, Mother Nature abhors a blank landscape and next up were the years ( and I mean years) of the Bristly Oxtongue (Picris echiodes) which I discovered caused dermatitis to my hands, arms, and wherever I contacted it. It did not help that I treated them like most weeds: pull them up, leave laying there until dry and then toss them in the green waste container – never do that! Those darn plants are members of the Aster/Sunflower family and CONTINUE to go from flower to seeds after death. So, there I was with a huge pile of these dead plants and picking them up and leaving piles of small seeds which, of course, grew into many more weeds than I started with! And no, I didn't make the connection between piles of weeds and more growth for a couple of years!
Next on the weed “parade” came the wild oats (Avena fatua) with their 6-FOOT-high heads bowing gracefully in the Suisun winds. Tall, fast-growing plants with the normal weak roots system as many of the grasses have. Pulling those up and finding the hidden (and wanted) plants was rather fun actually; it was rather like pulling root vegetables out of a garden with well-mulched soil – fast and easy. Only two seasons of that and then on to Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) which suddenly reared its ugly stolons shortly after we returned from a three-week vacation. We had never “cultivated” yard weeds before, only the “feral” type from seeds blowing our way from the Suisun Marsh, so this was a first for me! It seems that our one neighbor had had a concrete patio put in when we were away; there was NO clearing of the area of weeds beforehand, so the Bermuda grass from his yard just continued to grow under the new patio, under the fence, and out into the side yard. Before long, there was a whole side yard of this grass which then went through the pipe tunnel ( for the irrigation pipes) under the sidewalk and throughout the planting bed next to the house. Almost five years later, I've got it pretty well knocked down, but it still rears up if I don't keep at it. As a matter of fact, it's coming under and through the fence right now. It's time to spray again with grass killer to keep it at bay.
The biggest weed problem is now the Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) which is trying to take of the “vacuum” space left by the weeds which I've been able to vanquish. Since the stems are deep in the soil, only by killing off the tops can I keep it at bay, but it still finds its way into various potted plants. Oh well, I need something to do during the pandemic!
Right now, I have approximately 125 Naked Ladies (Amaryllis belladonna) which I had potted up for various plant exchanges which didn't happen this past year and with the soil softened up by the rain, I'll be planting them along the fence line just to have some color along the back and side fences. There they can sit and grow and multiply until a later date. Hope to see you soon!
- Author: Karen Metz
This last fall my sister gave me the wonderful gift of several succulents. Two were similar in size and appearance, each having very plump leaves coming off a central stem. One was a very pale green, the Pachyphytum bracteosum, also known as Moonstone. The other was a very pale pink, the Pachysedum ‘Ganzhou'. I thought they would look so nice planted together in the same pot, as neighbors.
But I knew I needed to do my homework first to make sure they both had compatible needs: bright light, check; low water use, check; need some mild frost protection, check. Now the Pachyphytum said it could get up to 12 inches tall and the Pachysedum said 4-8 inches tall, but I thought that was probably doable. I was further reassured when I found out that the Pachysedum was actually a hybrid made from crossing Pachyphytum and Sedum.
So, everything was doing well initially. They looked very attractive together. I had the pot on my back patio against the wall of the house and under the patio cover. But gradually the Pachysedum ‘Ganzhou' started to elongate. Now, this was the plant that was supposed to be the shorter of the two. I thought it might be reaching for the sun. So, I removed the pot from its protected position, nestled behind several rows of other plants, and put it right in the front row.
The next day I went out to find the Pachysedum had been attacked! Several of its leaves bore nibble marks. Now its neighbor, the Pachyphytum, hadn't been touched at all
Well, it seemed I had done the wrong thing bringing the plant forward into some creature's attention. I decided to put it back where it had been, behind several rows of plants. The following day the plant looked worse; several leaves were entirely missing and a few more were knocked off the plant. Again, the Pachyphytum was unharmed. Clearly, the Pachysedum was tasty enough for some creature to crawl? hop? flutter? and search it out. Equally clear, was the fact that the Pachyphytum was not.
I never saw the animal responsible for the attack. I didn't think the leaf marks resembled insect damage. We do have bird feeders in the yard and have blue jays, mockingbirds, doves, and several kinds of finches visiting our back yard. We also have regular visits from squirrels and a rare visit from the possum. The main reason I thought the mammals were less likely to be the culprits, is that I thought they would have created more havoc with the surrounding pots if they had gone after the plant.
So, since I was thinking a bird was the most likely creature responsible, I needed to find some sort of barrier to protect the plant. I came across some decorative material with small holes in it that had originally come tucked around a plant in a floral gift basket. I draped it loosely over the Pachysedum ‘Ganzhou'.
It seems to have done the trick. The Pachysedum is forming new leaves where the old had been taken off. While it's frustrating to have my succulents attacked, I do love the birds. Watching them has brought me a lot of joy in this time of pandemic sadness and shutdowns.
So, we'll keep the bird feeders up. But I'll have to add in another consideration in potting up and placing my succulent plants. It's something that I've not considered before, the tastiness factor.