I have grown blueberries, Vaccinium sp., in containers for several years.  I lost one plant and had to replace it.  I found ‘Top Hat' a variety that is dwarf, which is perfect for containers or in a small garden.  It's also bred to better tolerate growing in Southern areas with less wind chill needed for berries.  The information that came with the plant said it was good in USDA 3-8.  I happen to live in USDA Zone 9, but I have a spot partially beneath a floribunda rose where blueberries in containers have done well.

‘Top Hat' seemed to like his new home and started to produce lovely berries that were larger than the other varieties I have grown.  In June I noticed from a distance that the shrub looked much fuller than before.  When I got closer, I saw there was a totally different plant growing behind the blueberry.  It was very healthy and vigorous with beautiful leaves.  I tried a plant ID app on my phone that told me it was a fig.  But this plant's leaves were much thinner than a fig.  So, I sent a picture to my UCCE Master Gardener Coordinator, Jennifer Baumbach.  She suspected the plant was a type of Mulberry, possibly White Mulberry, Morus alba.

I was torn, both plants looked so happy and healthy.  But I knew the blueberry shrub would need all that space in the container.  It was too small to share.  Besides space, the mulberry would be competing for water and nutrients. My blueberry needs water to make those luscious berries.  The mulberry can make berries too but in the form of a mulberry tree that can grow to be 30-50 tall.  So that just wasn't a possibility in my small yard.

So, I carefully separated out the newcomer and put it in the green waste bin.  I remembered that one definition of a weed was a plant growing where you didn't want it to grow.  This was certainly the case here, but I still found it difficult to get rid of a healthy plant.  At least it will be composted to return its nutrients back to the earth. I'm still unclear as to where the mulberry plant came from.  Perhaps it was already present in the original pot from the nursery, or it could have been a seed donated by a passing bird.

‘Top Hat' has continued to do well if I keep him watered.  That has been challenging through some of our heat waves.  He seems to have spread out more across his pot, so I think I did the right thing.

photo by Erin Mahaney

Long ago, I learned the importance of labeling my plants even when I was confident that I would remember what I planted and where.  It turns out that my confidence was gravely misplaced too many times.  I now diligently attempt to label everything but the most obvious plants, ranging from unusual specimens to bulbs to seedlings.  Aside from the clear benefit of being able to identify a plant, labeling helps avoid overplanting dormant bulbs and seeds.  More specifically, given that I have a tendency to chuck extra plants, bulbs, and seeds into the ground wherever I have room, labeling lets me know whether I deliberately planted something in an odd place or whether I am growing an attractive and mysterious weed.  It happens more than I care to admit. 

For example, for the past 4 months, I've been eyeing a plant that has been aggressively growing in a pot with a dripper.  I planted in that location so long ago (perhaps 2 years) that I couldn't remember what I planted.  I also typically label plants, but there was no label.  Did the original plant die and was a weed taking advantage of an irrigated pot?  It has happened before.  I had to wait until the plant bloomed and then ask for help identifying it before learning that I had a charming, and vigorous, Clematis crispa running rampant across my vegetable beds.

The problem, however, is finding labels that last.  (If you are searching for them, they are also referred to as markers or tags.)  I've tried wooden labels, different heights and thicknesses of plastic labels, and aluminum labels that are tied to the plant.  The wood rots, the plastic breaks, and I find the aluminum labels scattered on the ground (perhaps due to my large dogs brushing past them). 

The bigger problem is that the labels fade even if they stay in place.  I've tried permanent markers, markers marketed as fade resistant and water resistant, CD markers, oil-based paint pens, and old-fashioned pencils.  All of my plants are on drip irrigation, so there is no water spray on the labels.  I also try to tuck them out of the sun.  But, nonetheless, they all fade within a season or even sooner.  I don't mind redoing the labels, but realistically, I'm not going relabel everything every 4 months. 

There are lots of suggestions on the internet to prevent fading, including laminating labels (I don't have a laminator), lacquer spray, and clear nail polish.  I've decided that my next effort will involve metal plant stakes with labels printed by a label maker using laminated tape that is supposedly fade proof and waterproof.  I'm skeptical, but I'll give it a try.

My question for you is - how do you label your plants?  How do you prevent the labels from disappearing or fading?  What works for you?

Now if I can just figure out two other mystery plants so I can label them!

I have quite a few potted plants, and right now I wish they were all in the ground.  The heat and the UV are stressing them and me.  This summer's weather has tested my methods of trying to keep potted plants alive in ways that no other summer seems to have accomplished. Here are some thoughts on how to keep your container plants going through another over-heated summer.

Watch the weather report and water your plants deeply in the early morning the day before the actual heat starts. If using a hose, check the water temperature coming out of the hose before it hits your plant's roots.  A garden hose can retain some serious heat! Let the water cool off before watering plants. During a heatwave, containers often need to be watered in the early morning and in the evening, because the soil dries out.  Keep the water off of the leaves and soak the plant until you see the water running out the bottom of the pot.  Make sure your effort is actually doing what you want.  I use a moisture meter and check several spots in each container.  If the soil is completely dried out, water will sometimes run down the inside edges of the container out the bottom and won't actually penetrate the roots.  That moisture meter has been a plant lifesaver. Another advantage of using the meter is that it keeps me from overwatering which can also kill the plant.  I usually water with a watering can so I can avoid hitting the leaves trying to prevent problems like powdery mildew or leaf burn. Don't forget to empty plant saucers after watering.  Saucers are shallow and heat up quickly on hot days.  In addition, emptying the saucer helps cuts down on the mosquito population.

If the plants aren't already in the shade and don't weigh a lot, consider moving them into a shaded area or to a north facing wall.  If that's not an option, 30% – 50% shade cloth supported with poles so the cloth isn't touching the plants can help.  If you already have tall, healthy in-ground plants that cast a shadow throughout the afternoon, move your containers into that shadow. Last summer, I regularly walked by a home with a new west-facing garden with a newly-planted Japanese maple tree.  The home owner erected a huge beach umbrella over the approximately 4-foot-tall tree during the entire summer, and it has survived and is quite a bit taller this year.  The key is to block as much of the mid-day sun as possible.

Heat-stressed plants are a smorgasbord for pests.  Keep an eye out for them and hand-pick the critters if seen.  The urge is to hit the plant with an insecticide, but sometimes that can actually contribute to the plant's demise. Most insecticides warn against using during temperatures above 90.

A good layer of mulch will help protect plant roots.  If the containers can be set on soil and mulch placed around the pots, the roots should stay cooler.  Having a big enough pot so a thick layer of mulch in the pot can help the plant.  Remember to keep the mulch from actually touching the plant stem.

Consider the plant container.  Terracotta isn't the best when trying to keep your plant alive during a heatwave.  It dries out quickly and so does the water you applied.  Sealing terracotta before planting can help.  Plants often come home from the store in thin, black plastic pots that also heat up significantly in the sun.  Move them to a shaded area until you can repot a plant into another safer container on a cloudy day.  Make sure to mulch them well when planting.  Larger pots don't dry out as quickly.  Pick big, thick plastic or heavy ceramic pots with decent-sized drainage holes. Self-watering plant containers could help.

Pick plants for containers that are drought-tolerant.  Some examples are grasses, African daisies, Mediterranean herbs like lavender, rosemary and salvias, and succulents.  If you have a fruiting plant or tree in a container, remove the ripe fruit so the plant can put its effort into survival. 

Plants will often have wilted, curling brown leaves as the heatwave drags on.  Your urge may be to whack off the dead parts and give the plant a shot of fertilizer.  Hold on!  The dead part can protect the living part from further burning.  Refrain from fertilizing until temperatures drop below 90 during the daytime.  Fertilizer pushes the plant to grow, stressing the plant even more.

A heatwave will eventually end.  Even if your plants don't look like they have survived, give them time for recovery.  We don't all pop up after being outside in the heat, and neither do they.  Enjoy your time indoors with a cold drink, a good book or a challenging puzzle and wait it out.  Eventually, we'll be complaining about how cold it is outside!

photos by Lanie Keystone

Traveling is always an eye-opening experience; we learn so much and gather so many new and inspiring ideas.  Our summer in British Columbia continues to be filled with such eye-opening surprises. 

We are staying in a lovely area of Surrey, BC called Ocean Park/Crescent Beach.  The city of Surrey is the fastest growing city in BC, outpacing its neighbor, Vancouver, and now reaching over 500,000 people.  But it still feels like a quiet, much smaller town.  My hunch is—it's the trees!  And more importantly, it's the urban forests.

Many cities boast beautiful tree-lined streets or parks with lovely trees.  Many cities and towns have laws or organizations that either protect existing trees, require permits for taking down trees and replacing them with new ones, or mandate that new developments have a certain minimum number of trees planted per each new home.  That law is true for the whole state of California. 

But Surrey, Vancouver, Toronto and many other Canadian cities go an amazing leap further…they provide for actual forests within the city!  The town of Surrey has over 20 urban forests—including one that is just 15 steps out of our front door.  It's a bountiful 128-acre resource for all to use.   Picture Central Park in NYC.  Now fill that space with mature, second growth trees and endless winding trails, ponds and meadows carved right in the middle of an area of homes, businesses and busy streets—and you have an urban forest.

These forests have multiple entries off of numerous streets and are created within a variety of neighborhoods and mix of socio-economic strata.  Here, dogs are walked, school kids explore, elders stroll and thousands take advantage of this amazing resource filled with trees, ferns, ground cover, downed moss-covered logs, birds, and forest critters—all in a natural setting with a dizzying array of winding trails. 

Urban Forestry has become such an important part of the Canadian culture and environment, that the University of British Columbia has an entire major and department designed to encourage future generations to research and develop new ways of using the natural environment for the greater good.  And that includes creating more urban forests.

As Master Gardeners, we know the importance of such spaces—for the health of the planet, for the health of our communities and for our own health. Each time we take one of our daily walks into one of the vast urban forests, we feel renewed, refreshed and re-created.  It's as if we are walking into a fairyland or onto sacred ground.  Both, I believe, are true.