- Author: Lee Miller UC Master Gardener
It is packed not only with gorgeous pictures from the world of Dahlias, but also with knowledge to grow these fantastic flowers. The book informs on using dahlias in garden design, in containers, growing and propagation information as well as ways to display them as a cut flower. He includes several pages of brief descriptions of flowering annuals and perennials that can be companions of Dahlias. He describes the various types and sizes of Dahlias, a somewhat confusing array of information, but a necessary and useful guide to have when ordering Dahlias from catalogues.
Being a Dahlia fancier, I had to count the number featured with the number that I have or have had in my own garden. Alas, I only had about 19 of the featured Dahlias and there were so many new beauties that I now want to acquire. I didn't need this book to know that, as the Swan Island Dahlia catalogue each winter challenges me with an awesome array of choices. Although the author does not grow lots of Dahlias, he found lots of folks to share theirs with him and his camera.
Andy Vernon explained some things to me that I didn't know about Dahlias. The reason there are so many sizes, forms and colors is due to polyploid chromosomes and the many possible resulting hybrids developed by breeders and hobbyists. Humans are diploid (2n) in chromosome pairing, but Dahlias have four times as many, being octoploid (8n). This apparently gives them lots of genetic possibilities that we are still learning about. In addition, many new cultivars are likely to be developed by plant breeders hybridizing new Dahlias from the 36 species of Dahlias found in the wild.
This makes it pretty easy for even an amateur to come up with a new Dahlia. Breeders are doing that regularly. There are over 20,000 named Dahlias, so if you planted a hundred every year it would take you 200 years to see them all and by then there would likely be another few thousands introduced. Dahlias are mutation prone, and I have seen Dahlias revert to one of their parents or something totally different from what I originally assumed I had planted. A Dahlia may have two differing flowers occurring from one tuber, apparently because of a spontaneous mutation.
- The book winds down with sections on:
- how to store tubers effectively and efficiently.
- dealing with pests, diseases, and disorders.
- information on how to hybridize Dahlias.
- avoiding the spread of viruses with unclean cutting tools.
If you are interested in Dahlias for landscaping or as a cut flower garden addition, or just want to know a lot about Dahlias, this book is a good place to start.
- Author: Sue Davis, Master Gardener
October Ideas
If there is time for nothing else, consider these four things to enhance a garden:
(2) Feed the Birds: Consider planting some food for the birds to help tide them over this winter. Sumac, Serviceberry, Red Chokeberry, Holly, Pyracantha, and Black Chokeberry all grow in our area and are attractive to birds through the winter. Be sure to research the growth conditions and expected height and width of the plants before making a final choice.
(3) Add a Peaceful Looking Tree to the Landscape: Japanese Maples have graceful foliage, a beautiful form, and are adaptable to containers if they need to be. For serenity in the garden, consider Red Pygmy, Orangeola, or Gable Glory (pictured on the right). Red Pygmy is a vase-shaped tree with a rounded top. Its leaves turn gold as the season comes to an end. Orangeola has glossy orange red leaves that fade to dark red and provide a long-lasting autumn display. Gable Glory's new leaf color is orange red and long lasting – especially if it is not in full sun. The yellow green bark on this tree that grows to about 12 feet provides interest over the gloomy months. Be sure to check the specifics on these trees so the right plant is in the right place.
(4) Bulb Gardens: October provides an opportunity to search for the perfect spring blooming bulbs. If there is room, try naturalizing the bulbs by tossing handfuls of a single kind over the planting area. Then plant them where they fall. Bulbs like full sun with not much summer water. If space is limited, create a container garden of spring blooming bulbs.
In November
Holidays are approaching, but our gardens will still profit from some attention. Here are four for November:
(2) Check sprinklers: If any are broken, fix them now so they are ready to go once spring arrives. Turn off sprinklers for the winter once they have been checked and repaired, if needed. It is also a good time to be sure the outside faucets are working properly and to wrap the pipes in case of a freeze this winter. Big box stores sell foam tubes that make wrapping pipes a breeze.
(3) Check pots and containers: Turn empty pots and containers upside down so they do not hold water over the winter and invite mosquitos in the spring. Remove pans under containers so the roots of container plants don't become waterlogged.
(4) Get out a sprayer: To lessen trouble with diseases, fungus, and insects and to promote fruit production in the spring and summer, spray fruit trees with dormant spray after pruning. Be sure to carefully follow the manufacturer's directions for spraying. Check for more specific information at: http://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/The_Big_Picture/Pests_&_Diseases/
December Notes
Such a busy month for everyone! Just a quick four for December:
(1) Decorate the yard: String little solar powered blinking lights in citrus trees. It will make the yard look festive and help keep the trees warm when the temperature drops to freezing or below.
(2) A gift for yourself (and/or another gardener): Plant an indoor herb garden using transplants and pretty pots in good potting soil. Set them in a sunny window and they will scent the area around them and add flavor to a variety of food over the winter.
(4) Plan something: Take 10 -15 minutes with your feet up and a favorite beverage by your side to look through seed catalogs and garden books and dream about what you want to accomplish in your landscape as the new year rolls in.
Information for this article was gathered from:
www.ucanr.org
www.ipm.ucdavis.edu
www.sunset.com/garden
San Joaquin Master Gardeners: A Valley Gardeners Journal
San Joaquin County Vegetable Garden Calendar – 2011
Sacramento County Master Gardeners: Gardening Guide.
Month By Month Gardening – California – Claire Splan
Sloat Nursery's October Newsletter
- Author: Flo Pucci, Master Gardener
Though we consider mushrooms a vegetable, they are not actual plants. Gardeners may think of fungus as an organism that's all roots, occasional flowers (mushrooms), and has no leaves, even though part of the mature mushroom produces microscopic spores similar to pollen or seed.
Since mushrooms have no chlorophyll and cannot produce energy from the sun as plants do, they must live off other plants and plant matter, like compost organic matter. The rest of the fungal organism usually lives in the soil, wood, or some other material and is composed of tread – like strands known as mycelium.
Below the mushrooms are minuscule roots-like networks called hyphae. Some cling to plant roots, creating strands that reach far into the soil, increasing the surface area of plant roots.
Experts indicate that mushrooms may go undetected for months until the right growing conditions are present for them to sprout. They are not signs of wet soil but will develop when the soil moisture is suitable. Fungi, slime molds, and beneficial bacteria are workhorses for our soils. They indicate healthy soils for trees and other plants to grow in, and they do not cause harm to the garden. Additionally, the mycorrhizal filaments of fungi generate organic compounds that bond soils together, increase their structure and permeability, move nutrients around, and work with other soil organisms to improve root growth. Furthermore, mycorrhizal in the soil has been shown to suppress soil-borne pathogens and protect plants from root diseases.
The swelling growth of the mycelium often results in circles of mushrooms or “fairy rings.” Fairy rings are subjects of much folklore and myth. The most popular belief is that at night little fairies will dance the night away in the circle, resting on toadstool “chairs” between dances.
In brief, soil fungi, slime molds, and bacteria are a natural part of our gardens. They provide soil biology, soil chemistry, and plant and human nutrition.
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/mushrooms-can-mean-healthy-soil
https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=51404
https://wattersgardencenter.com/mushrooms-friends-or-foes-to-lawn-and-garden/
https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/mycorrhizae.pdf
https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-mushrooms-and-vs-fungus/
- Author: Sara Milnes, Master Gardener
When I first started flower gardening, I planted mostly annuals. I would look at the perennial bed diagrams in books, which plot out perennials for successive bloom periods, and it seemed too complex and geared towards East Coast flowers. Since then, I have found perennial flowers with long bloom periods that are happy in the Central Valley, making fussy plotting unnecessary. As a result, I have a perennial garden that blooms from early Spring to early Winter.
This articles introduces some of these long blooming perennials. The Master Gardener Demonstration Garden which you can see at 2101 Earhart Avenue, Stockton, has a number of sections to demonstrate different kind of gardens, including a flower garden. All of the plants below can be seen in the Flower, All Star, and/or Pollinator sections of the Demonstration Garden.
All the plants listed below have similar requirements. They prefer full sun, well-drained soil, are drought tolerant once established, and will be happy in Sunset Climate Zone 14, which is most of San Joaquin County. If you have soil that has more clay, working organic material into the soil will improve the drainage. Some will do all right with partial sun, but may bloom less. As an added bonus, all have long bloom periods, attract pollinators and butterflies, and some provide seeds for birds. They make excellent cut flowers.
This mounded plant blooms from early summer to frost with daisy-like flowers in shades of red, orange, and yellow. It forms attractive seed heads, which can be left on or deadheaded. It will continue to flower without deadheading, but looks tidier and produces more if deadheaded. It is about 20” x 20”, depending on the cultivar. While many species are native to parts of North America, the Gaillardia x Grandiflora cultivar is the most common garden form. Among my favorite cultivars are Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Sunset Flash' and Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Celebration', which are compact and heavily blooming plants. The plant is heat tolerant, prefers full sun and poor but well drained soil. It dies back in winter. In the photo at right, Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Celebration' is in the lower right corner, along with yellow Rudbeckia and purple Coneflower.
Rudbeckia fulgida (Black-eyed Susan)
This plant blooms from summer to fall, and has yellow daisy-like flowers with a prominent black or brown seed head. It can grow 2 – 4' tall and blooms profusely whether deadheaded or not, although deadheading makes it tidier. It is easy to grow and tends to spread. It dies back in winter. This photo shows yellow Rudbeckia in the Demonstration Garden, along Sombrero® Tres Amigos coneflowers.
Echinacea purpurea and hybrida (coneflower)
This plant blooms in late spring and summer, and has cone-shaped flowers and a prominent seed head atop a tall stalk, with rough leaves. It can grow to 2' – 4' tall and 1' – 2' wide, depending on the cultivar. Each flower lasts several weeks, and deadheading encourages more growth, although it will continue to bloom without deadheading.
Originally a purple native prairie flower, in recent years many hybrids have been cultivated in shades of orange, red, yellow and white. The traditional purple coneflower can grow tall and leggy, while newer hybrids tend to be more compact. Among my favorites are Echinacea x hybrida Sombrero® Tres Amigos Coneflower, which grow about 2' tall by 20” wide. It dies back in winter. The first photo has a purple coneflower, while Sombrero® Tres Amigos coneflowers are seen with Rudbeckia in the second photo.
Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)
This plant blooms from early spring to late summer, and has flat topped flowers with airy leaves. It can grow to 2' tall. Each flower remains for many weeks. When the flower turns brown, cutting it off to a lateral bud will encourage more blooms. After all early spring and summer flowers have bloomed, cutting the stems to the basal leaves encourages strong new growth. Originally a white-flowering native, there are many hybrids. One of my favorites is Achillea x ‘Moonshine' (Moonshine Yarrow), which is pictured below, along with Bulbine Frutescens ‘Tiny Tangerine'.
This plant blooms virtually all year long, with a large flush in spring and continuing blooms in summer and fall, with a few in winter. It produces abundant spikes of yellow or orange flowers above fleshy green leaves. It will produce more flowers if deadheaded. The base leaves are about a foot tall, with the flowers on long stalks another foot above them. This plant grows and spreads easily, and can reach 3-4 feet wide. It can be pruned back to contain size, and the rhizomes divided every few years. The plant remains green in winter, giving some color while other plants die back. My favorite cultivar is Bulbine frutescens ‘Tiny Tangerine', which is more compact. The photo at right shows Bulbine Frutescens ‘Tiny Tangerine' along with Moonshine Yarrow.
Other perennials can be added to these long blooming choices to add interest, even if they bloom for shorter periods. The Demonstration Flower Garden has daffodil, bearded iris, day lily, and gladiola bulbs, which bloom in succession from early spring to early summer, as well as Canna Lily and Shasta Daisy and two roses. Victoria Blue Salvia provides cool blue color against the yellow yarrow (while technically an annual, this salvia has continued to thrive for the last three years in the Demonstration Garden). In spring, we add a variety of annual zinnias, which add color from late spring to fall, and are excellent for pollinators and birds.
The Demonstration Garden is filled with gardening ideas of all kinds and is always open. We welcome you to come, enjoy, and be inspired! The address is 2101 E. Earhart Avenue (near the Stockton Airport).
/span>Who hasn't marveled at a dandelion that thrives as it grows from a tiny crack in the pavement? Or more improbably, a tree growing from a rocky outcrop? It makes us stop and reconsider what we know about growth requirements for plants. Many plants are adapted to growing in such extreme environments, and the contrast of soft foliage and flowers with stone leads to interesting and striking results. Crevice gardening allows gardeners to get creative as they showcase beautiful plants in a dramatic setting; it is ideal for someone who is ready for a new gardening adventure.
One advantage of a crevice garden is that it requires only small amounts of water. A variety of plants will work; what they have in common is that they are adapted to thrive in dry conditions, so too much water can lead to deadly bacterial and fungal infections. Another consideration, particularly relevant now, is that this type of garden is more fire safe than a bed mulched with wood chips or bark.
Structure and Site
To create the structure for a crevice garden, flagstones, slate, rocks, or even found materials like slabs of broken concrete are placed like plates in a dish drainer, with the small spaces in between filled with a fast-draining medium. Hypertufa, which is a lightweight do-it-yourself material made from a blend of Portland cement, peat moss, perlite, and water can also be used to make slabs or containers. Because peat is a non-renewal resource, some gardeners use coconut fiber in its place.
As you can see from the illustration, while the roots may reach into the soil below, the surface is rocky and dry, so the garden is not conducive to weeds taking hold (though as we know only too well, weeds are good at growing in even unhospitable environments).
The structure of the garden can be made to simulate a natural-looking rocky outcrop, or it can be strikingly modern or a charmingly whimsical miniature environment. An ideal place could be a small, awkward, overlooked area in your yard that isn't suitable for a traditional garden—maybe a small patch in a side yard, or next to a driveway, or even in place of a retaining wall. Beautiful crevice gardens can also be created in containers—which have the advantage of being able to be moved to a new location according to need—and this is a good option for those with a small yard or just a patio. Wherever the garden is located, good drainage is essential. This can be achieved by planting on slopes, in raised beds, or in containers. Because most plants suitable for crevice gardening are small, raising them closer to eye level makes them easier to see and appreciate. A variety of heights also makes the arrangement more interesting and aesthetically pleasing.
Deeper containers generally work better than shallow ones because they allow moisture to drain quickly from the surface, so the crowns of the plants remain dry while the roots stay moist. You can see how this works with a kitchen sponge. Saturate a rectangular sponge and hold it horizontally until gravity pulls out enough water that it stops dripping, then turn it to a vertical position. You will see that more water easily runs out in the vertical position. Thus, shallow containers tend to retain moisture more evenly throughout the soil than deep ones, though, of course, it is also true that smaller containers dry out more quickly, whatever the shape.
Many plants suitable for crevice gardens grow well in desert climates as well as alpine environments, but in hot climates, it may be necessary to place them on the east side of a building, tree, or shrub to prevent the rocks from getting too hot. Keep in mind that denser, heavier natural stones retain more heat than porous, lightweight material such as volcanic rocks or hypertufa. Placing a patio umbrella where it can shade the plants from the intense afternoon sun can also help prevent overheating. In hot climates, planting in the fall through early spring allows plants to become well-established before the summer heat starts.
Soil and Fertilizer
The most important quality of the soil used for crevice gardening is that it should drain well so that moisture is pulled away from the crown of the plant. The crown is the area most susceptible to attack by pathogens, and it will rot if it is kept moist. The right soil mixture is key, because pores in the soil—the air spaces between the particles of soil—allow the roots to get both the air and the water they need. Soil with smaller pores, such as clay, retains more water than soil with larger pores.
A common mixture used in crevice gardens is 1/3 soil, 1/3 sharp sand (the kind with jagged, irregular shapes), and 1/3 gravel or grit (such as the kind sold for chickens), which gives the plants a mixture of pore sizes. As gravity pulls the water down, the surface will stay dry, but the roots will have the moisture they need. It's important that the roots do not sit in water though; this can be deadly. Because containers dry out more quickly than the ground, a soil that retains a bit more moisture is used in containers.
Another consideration is the pH level of the soil. Most plants—particularly alpine plants—suitable for crevice gardening will thrive in soil that is neutral to slightly acidic, but there are exceptions. Many plants that have evolved in dry steppe or desert climates—including baby's breath (Gypsophila species), candytufts (Iberis species), and saxifrages (Saxifraga)—prefer alkaline conditions. You're stuck with the basic soil in a garden site, but with a small raised bed or a container you can use a soil mixture suitable for the plants you wish to grow. So just as you would group plants with similar water needs together, grouping plants with similar pH preferences together is advisable.
In addition to needing little water, crevice gardens also have the advantage of requiring little to no fertilizer. Too much fertilizer can lead to growth that is too loose and lush, rather than the tight and compact growth that would occur in their natural environments. Container-grown plants do need some fertilizer, since their roots can't reach down into the soil below, but it is best to avoid over fertilizing by applying it at a rate of about half what is recommended on the label.
Plants
Which plants can be grown in a crevice garden? More than you might think. The Denver Botanic Garden's Rock Alpine Garden includes over 3,000 unique types of plants. Their website gives an extensive list of these plants—including their origin and growth requirements—in a very useful searchable database, providing not only valuable information but inspiration for gardeners.
Plants suitable for crevice gardening come from a variety of genera: Cyclamen, Daphne, Dianthus, Draba, Eriogonum, Festuca, Gentiana, Hosta, Iris, Lewisia, Penstemon, Polygala, Primula, Pulsatilla, Saxifrage, Sempervivums, and Tulipa. With some research, you can find which will grow best in your environment. The North American Rock Garden Society has detailed information about suitable plants.
Many of these plants are native to Europe and Asia, but some California natives will work too: bitter root (Lewisia rediviva), Cascade desert parsley (Lomatium martindalei), coyote mint, (Monardella odoratissima), dark throated shooting star (Primula pauciflora), Davidson's penstemon (Penstemon davidsonii), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis,), Sulphur buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum), prairie flax (Linum lewisii ), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and others. Calscape is a wonderful source for information on these native plants.
You might be wondering how to get a plant started in a crevice. Because of the narrow spaces involved, plantings are usually bare root or small rooted cuttings, or plants can be started from seeds. High Country Gardens has additional information on planting.
If you are curious about crevice gardening, remember that you can try it on a small scale without making a major investment in time and energy and still receive strikingly beautiful results. These gardens require little water or fertilizer, and while no garden is maintenance-free, they are low maintenance. The resources listed below can help you get started.
Books:
Tychonievich, Joseph (2016). Rock gardening: Reimagining a classic style. Timber Press.
Seth, Kenton, & Spriggs, Paul (2022). The crevice garden: How to make the perfect home for plants from rocky places. Filbert Press.
Other resources:
Denver Botanic Gardens: Rock Alpine Garden