- Author: Karen Metz
When hot weather persists into fall, gardeners must continue giving our plants extra water and shade. This extra watering takes time and energy and encroaches upon our other seasonal garden chores.
My fruit, crabapples, pineapple guava, and pomegranates, need to be monitored, trying to decide the perfect time of harvest that ensures perfect ripeness but beats squirrels and birds to the bounty. Flowers need to be deadheaded, perennials cut back. There's pruning to be done, leaves to be raked, and so many leaves. And then it all must be hauled away. The traditional fall clean up. Many years I feel I can't keep up, I'm falling behind.
But it turns out that not deadheading the last of the spent flowers of the season allows them to develop seed heads and pods that can feed birds. Many seed heads can even be decorative and architectural over the winter months. They can later be removed in early spring.
Leaving some vertical hollow stems standing provides homes for some solitary native bees to overwinter. A small dead shrub, tree, or stump on the edge of your plantings may provide a safe retreat for many kinds of wildlife.
And what about those leaves? Leaves create a natural mulch for your garden and landscape. Mulches help suppress weeds and protect the soil from extremes of temperature. They help soil hold moisture and cut down on soil erosion. Insects, lizards, and frogs appreciate having leaves left on the ground; it gives them a wonderful habitat. And when leaves break down, they add nutrients to the soil making it richer and improving the texture.
Leaves from diseased plants are exceptions to the above suggestions. Leaves and fruit from diseased plants should be removed from the ground as soon as possible and thrown away, not composted. Some plant diseases can be controlled by this interruption of the disease life cycle.
So, consider allowing your landscape to be a little less tidy and manicured over the fall and winter. This will reap huge benefits for the soil, pollinators, and other wildlife. And maybe it will allow us a little more time in the fall to be mellow and enjoy the season. I love watching the tiny, yellow birds enjoying the Russian sage seeds.
- Author: Loralei Dewe
I love planting in the Fall. The weather is getting cooler, the bay breeze starts blowing and cleanses the air. Soon the rains will be upon us giving all the plants much-needed relief from the hot dry summer.
This year I decided to try something new. After seeing so much information about high-density fruit tree planting, I thought I'd put my own spin on the idea!
There was a great sale on "entry-level" citrus seedlings. You know, the ones in the tall skinny pots? Never one to pass up a good sale, I purchased 3 different ones: a Mexican Key Lime, a Calamondin, and a Santa Teresa Feminello Lemon. After their acclimation on my back patio, I potted them all together in a 5-gallon pot and moved them to my pond area, where we have overhead misters that spray every day. So far, they seem happy and are even putting out some blooms!
I hope to use this blog as a way to catalog my journey with this project and maybe encourage others to give it a try as well!
Happy Fall planting...
- Author: Nanelle Jones-Sullivan
Last year, I became a member of the Arbor Day Tree Foundation, and was offered ten free trees. For my zone, I chose Crepe Myrtles, which are fairly drought tolerant, flower all summer, and have fall foliage and lovely bark.
In December I received what looked like 10 sticks, but were actually dormant barefoot seedlings). Crepe myrtles can also be propagated by digging up suckers, or from the berries that come after the flowers. I followed the instructions for “heeling them in” until March, when a few started to leaf out, I potted them up with potting soil, and watered them in pots at for a while.
It was hard to keep them moist, so I stuck the pots in “self-watering planters”. Over the summer, new stems and leaves grew, and I began to wonder what was to come. I learned there are many species within the genus Lagerstroemia or crepe myrtle, and that mine were most likely the species Indica, or one of the indica x fauriei hybrids.
I knew that it is important to anticipate a tree's future size. I did not want to be guilty of top pruning or “Crepe Murder.” Crepe Myrtles range in size from less than 3 feet to varieties that are over 30 feet. The flowers come in white and a range of most colors except blue, yellow, and orange.
I anxiously awaited the blooms to see if I could narrow down the possible varieties might have. In July I started to see lavender blooms on one plant, and then two ...or was that purple? I still don't know what I have. I counted 17 purple varieties on one website!
- Author: Cindy Yee
We spent a most enjoyable week in Victoria, British Columbia this July. Our Airbnb was an old converted church called The Fernwood Church, owned by a French-born artist. There are articles online regarding its restoration.
Upon arrival, I was immediately captivated by the eclectic garden. Its a very small lot and the garden is just a few feet wide, wrapping around the church. And yet, there was so much to see and enjoy. Everywhere, we saw handmade water features - with soothing bubbling, trickling or cascading water sounds. The owner collects driftwood from local beaches and paints them, creating structures with cement, tile, rocks, metal, shells, etc. Many are re-purposed household items. One picture below shows his water feature that incorporates kitchen utensils including teaspoons which slowly twirl around as the water trickles down to a glass-studded cement bowl. Virtually all the garden features are run by solar energy.
Meandering walkways lead the visitor to various meditation spots. Every part of the garden was well-utilized and filled with eye candy. There was so much attention to detail. All the plants were healthy and well cared for. I especially liked the brilliant purple and highly scented lavender. We made sure to spend time every day soaking in the beauty and wonder of this peaceful little paradise.
The last picture was included if you're wondering what the interior looks like. The Fernwood Church was very comfortable, airy, filled with artwork, and not creepy. However, the highlight of our Airbnb stay was most definitely the artist's bohemian garden. What a delightful feast for the senses!
- Author: Lanie Keystone
In my previous Master Gardener Blog, I took a “wonderful walk in the woods”. There I described the beauty, wonder and very practical creation of urban forests in Surrey, British Columbia and other Canadian cities. While researching this topic, I came upon a very exciting discovery: We have our own California Urban Forests Council!
The California Urban Forests Council, (CaUFC), was founded in 1968--the first urban forest council in the country. They are professionals associated with municipalities and public works, urban planning and design, arboriculture and the nursery industry, as well as community-based and public health organizations. The membership is widespread across a broad range of needs and visions.
This dedicated group advances smart investment in urban and community trees, parks and green spaces through outreach and education, as well as community-based activities and collaborative action. Their efforts support successful local, regional and statewide urban forestry programs, projects, often with other organizations. They also create and disseminate educational materials, offering research and professional expertise to encourage and empower California residents to participate in urban greening and forestry. They accomplish their efforts by working with local, state and regional leaders to improve public policy and support for urban and community forestry. In addition, they create new and continue existing public funding resources which support the management of trees and green spaces throughout the state.
As their Mission states, they “envision thriving and prosperous California communities transformed by healthy trees and green spaces: We advance smart investment in green infrastructure through education and outreach, community-based activities and collaborative actions.”
The Council is made up of seven regional councils: The Bay Area Urban; Sacramento Valley; San Joaquin; Inland; San Diego Regional; Street Tree; and Central Coast Urban Forest Councils. Each provides essential expertise and assistance to their respective regions. They also organize events and activities to help create responsive and beautiful communities. Among other activities, these councils are there to answer questions, organize workshops, host conferences, help plant trees, aid in professional development, fundraise, and host Arbor Day events.
As part of the outreach and educational efforts, the organization produces a monthly newsletter online. It's easy to sign up for this exciting resource, and what a delight to receive it in your inbox. Through the newsletter, one can keep up with the Councils' activities and there are always interesting and important volunteer opportunities just waiting to be had. Once again, California has led the way toward imaginative and important work. As for this blogger, just poking around while doing research for a blog has led to another valuable discovery.