- Author: Lee Miller, Master Gardener
One that I am interested in planting at my new home this year is ‘Appalachia' an eastern redbud with special qualities that makes it a good choice for a low maintenance, small shade tree. It reaches 15 to 25 feet tall with a similar spread. It blooms in March-April with Fuchsia pink to red blossoms which attract bees and hummingbirds. It can handle part shade to full sun with medium water requirements and can handle clay soils. It is adapted to handle temperatures in zones 4-9. It also has golden foliage in the fall so a tree with many positive features. They tolerate some shade as the genus has evolved as an understory tree.
There are also weeping redbuds that are smaller and get only about 8-10 feet tall. One is ‘white weeping vanilla' which has white flowers and another two with tradition flower colors are Ruby Falls' and ‘Lavender twist'.
Annual:
Scabiosa are smaller fringier flowers and the Precious line are more compact plants with 4-inch blooms. You can usually find single colors for sale or a mix of colors. For a look at cultivars of Zinnia see:
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/flowers/zinnias/?sz=18&start=18Or: https://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/annuals/zinnias.html
- Author: Kathy Schick, Master Gardener
Weed of the season: Dandelion,Taraxacum officinale
Chill weather slows down grass growth in our lawns and we can notice the bright yellow flowers of Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion. In our mild climate, dandelions bloom nearly year-round. Even as they bloom, these weeds seldom rise above their basal rosette at the lawn surface. The leaves are strongly serrate, a “lion's tooth,” or dent de lion in French, hence the common name. The taproot penetrates 6 to 18 inches below the soil, and this root can regrow the entire plant even when all the leaves have been removed at the soil level. The plant and root should be removed before the yellow flowers mature to white seed heads to be spread miles by the wind.
To remove the plant and taproot with a minimum soil disturbance, many special tools including “dandelion knives” have been developed for hand weeding. The UCIPM video “How to Remove Dandelions” demonstrates several of these special tools.
For more information on controlling dandelions, click here.
Insects of the season: Aphids
I'm already noticing aphids on my milkweed, kale, chard, and roses. This is a spring problem that will go away as temperatures higher. But we must deal with them now because (1) aphids carry plant diseases; (2) they exude liquid “honeydew,” staining and bringing sooty mold; and (3) as aphid numbers increase, they can kill off whole branches.
I check leaves and stems frequently now, looking for sucking insects. If I also see any ladybug, lacewing, or syrphid fly larvae, I relax since aphid predators are now present. I also check for off-color aphid mummies glued to the underside of leaves; in this case parasitoid wasps will rescue my plants. But if none of these beneficial insects have arrived yet, I need to deal with the aphids now.
I prefer a non-chemical approach, washing the aphids (or whiteflies or scale insects) off with water and insecticidal soap. If the aphids reappear within a few days of application, I knock them down with a second soaping. If they continue to reappear I look for ants. Ants “milk” aphids and other sucking insects for their “honeydew.” So I will need to put Tanglefoot around the plant base.
For more information on managing aphids, click here.
Disease of the season: Rose Fungi
If California gets much-needed spring rain, local roses could develop fungal diseases not normally seen in the Central valley. Simple preventions for the spread of all fungal conditions include removing all infected tissue and pruning roses so that air circulates freely through the bush. Of the following five fungi, only Powdery Mildew can propagate when leaves don't have a daily film of water.
Powdery Mildew, Podosphaera pannosa, causes white growth on both sides of the leaf and stem and is tolerant of high summer heat, unlike the other fungi. Mid-day overhead watering, allowing leaves to dry before night, can interfere with its reproductive cycle.
Downy Mildew, Peronospora sparsa, causes leaves to yellow and drop. The whitish fruiting body occurs on only the underside of leaves. This requires warm, not hot, temperatures and high humidity.
Rust, Phragmidium mucronatum, pruduces an orange-filled depression on the underside of the leaf, showing as a pale blister on the upper leaf surface.
Black spot, Diplocarpon rosae, produces large circular spots on rose leaves if plants remain wet overnight.
Anthracnose, Elsinoe rosarum, appears in small on rose leaves and develops a fruiting body which falls off. This leaves a “shot hole” appearance on rose leaves.
For more information on common garden diseases, click here.
/h2>/h2>/h2>/h2>
- Author: Susan Mora Loyko, Master Gardener
The first time I accidently came across The Whole Seed Catalog, a new world of gardening, plants (some I had never heard of), and flowers was opened to me. Through gorgeous colored photos, The Whole Seed Catalog introduced me to heirloom seeds, organic gardening, amazing fruits, and vegetables and herbs from around the world with an emphasis on growing and eating healthy fruits and vegetables for my family.
“It seems that gardening and good food continue to connect people and places from all generations,” writes Jeremiath “Jere” Gettle who, at the age of 17, printed the first Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog in 1998. The catalog now has nearly 1,200 seed varieties including seeds from the 19th century and boasts it promotes and preserves American agriculture and culinary heritage.
“Seeds are the living component that connects us back to our ancestors, our own culture, and the amazing cultures and food traditions from around the planet. Saving this living link to the past and making a gift to the future is what seed saving is all about – reserving these precious seeds and their stories,” Jere writes in the 2020 issue of The Whole Seed Catalog.
Jere, along with wife, Emilee, have worked to make the catalog the family business and a well known resource for amazing heirloom/open-pollinated seeds (vegetables pollinated in the field by wind or natural pollinators) as well as cutting-edge information for and about the pure-food movement (fresh food as nature created).
Each edition of the catalog offers colorful photos and descriptions of seeds for vegetables, fruits, and herbs. The 2020 edition has 452 pages that include information about heirloom varieties from around the globe; recipes, articles, and advice on growing and seed saving; and ancient histories of the precious heirloom strains, as well as many familiar American plants and new varieties from the around the world.
The beautiful photos and enormous amount of gardening information of the annual seed catalog leads me to keep the catalog for several years to glean the information loaded in each catalog.
Every year this enormous 1½” or more thick catalog becomes available in December until February in local bookstores for $12.99, or can be ordered online with free shipping or handling charges to customers in the USA, North America, Mexico and Canada.
Jere and Emilee, haven't been content to just create an amazing seed catalog, but beginning in 2000 began hosting festivals promoting gardening, especially with heirlooms. The gardening duo brought The National Heirloom Festival to Santa Rosa in 2010 and continues this year, Sept. 15-17, at the Sonoma County Events Center `at the Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. One-day ticket is $15 or three-day pass is $30 (Purchased at the gate). Children are free.
Thousands come from around the world to the Expo to celebrate traditional crops, foods, seeds, poultry, and livestock. Featuring the largest display of heirloom produce, many small gardeners and large farmers supply an abundance of fruits and vegetables for exhibiting and tasting.
The School Garden Network Kids' Pavilion is packed with fun and games including educational activities, contests and competitions. The Bee Exhibit teaches attendees the importance of bees to crop production. The Dahlia Exhibit displays without a doubt “The Most Magnificent, Spectacular Colossal Blooms Ever Seen On Display” with cash prizes and ribbons awarded.
There are mountains of heirloom pumpkins and endless displays of organic vegetables. Cool Beans' heirloom seeds will be available to swap. On display will be the winners of the Sunflower Contest. More than100 nationally and internationally acclaimed speakers (individual speakers, expert-panels, or in-depth roundtable discussions) will again headline the Expo.
- Author: Flo Pucci, Master Gardener
Fruit trees produce more fruit than they can handle or support adequately, mainly if the trees were not correctly pruned
Let's discuss why these practices are beneficial and how to implement them in a home orchard.
Why is this important?
When fruit trees produce abundant fruit, they compete for the resources available, which causes the fruits to be small. This sugar drain, or "sink," can deteriorate the tree and make it more prone to pest and sunburn damage. Furthermore, newly planted fruit trees will benefit dramatically from this practice during the early years of the young tree's life by allowing the energy to be sent to the structure and root system, enabling the tree to grow more robust and healthier.
Benefits of thinning fruit trees
Thinning prevents overbearing and early fruit drop. It helps improve the remaining fruit sizes, color, and quality, as well as aids to avoid limb damage from a heavy fruit load. Moreover, it stimulates the next year's crop and helps prevent biannual bearing (heavy crop one year, light crop the next year). Fruit thinning can also prevent the spread of disease by allowing air movement around tightly clustered fruit, avoiding the disease organism from multiplying and spreading.
What is needed for thinning fruit trees?
Thinning is an easy task; all you need is fingers or a small pair of sharp pruners to remove the excess fruit.
When should fruit trees be thinned?
The best time for thinning fruit trees is after pollination occurs and early stages of fruit development start to show, usually before fruit exceeds an inch in diameter. Fruit trees thinned out later than this lessen the chance that fruit size will increase.
Method of thinning fruit trees
There are two methods to thin fruit trees: by hand or with a pole. Thinning by hand is slower but more effective that thinning with a pole.
Hand thinning involves removing the excess fruit to leave the remaining fruit with enough space so they do not touch at maturity. If a branch is producing fruit on the entire length, thin more heavily towards the terminal end. This may mean leaving only two to three fruit per spur. However, selecting the fruit on alternate branches will allow more of the crop to remain on trees.
Pole thinning is used on large trees when handpicking is impractical. This practice is much faster but less precise, yet the result is often acceptable. Attaching a rubber band at the end of the pole will help reduce bruising or scarring of branches. Practice striking a cluster once or twice with just enough force to adequately cause some of the fruit to fall to the ground.
In summary
When the amount of young fruit on a tree is reduced early in the season, the quality of the remaining fruit is improved. Thinning fruit trees supports the overall health of the trees and allows for larger and higher quality fruit.
For more information on thinning fruit, click here to read Fruit Trees: Thinning Young Fruit, UC ANR Publication 8047
- Author: Robin Fuller, Master Gardener
Cherokee Memorial Park (Cherokee), located east of Highway 99 at Harney Lane in Lodi, has 66 developed acres of gardens, including slightly over 30 specialty “gardens.” At Cherokee, the word ‘gardens' denotes both traditional garden space and types of burial sites, such as mausoleums or the recently added “Upright Garden.”
Cherokee's VP of Operations, Marc Gabrys, has overseen the growth in the north end of Cherokee. He obtained his B.S. in landscape architecture from UC Davis and was hired to work part-time while a student 25 years ago (his anniversary is June 2020). Gabrys' responsibilities are varied – spatial planning of the new growth, several design projects, including the interior design of the newer buildings, and overseeing the day-to-day operations, including maintenance and landscaping.
Cherokee hosts over 50 species of trees. Although there are no original native trees on the site, visitors can find four species of oaks, cuercus wislizeni (interior live oak – California), cuercus argrifolia (coast live oak), cuercus lobata (valley oak), and cuercus subers (cork oak). Recently, redwoods have been planted to screen the drainage pond and Highway 99 from sight and the park is framed by Italian cypress which are slowly being replaced. The highlight each summer are the blooming crepe myrtle, which are grown throughout the gardens. Smaller-sized trees are now planted, including Chinese pistache and Japanese maples.
It takes a good-sized crew to maintain the grounds. Cherokee employees 12 full-time maintenance workers and one grounds supervisor. Arborists and horticultural advisors are resourced on an as-needed basis, and in-house training is provided to the grounds crew. The grounds crew replants the flower beds twice a year, with purchased seasonal bedding plants.
Each year, Cherokee pays tribute to those who have served our nation during its Memorial Day Celebration. An avenue of flags, a field of flags, guest speakers, a collection of items for those currently serving are followed by a luncheon for those attending the service.
The gates are open between 7 am and 6 pm year-round and later during the spring and summer.