- Author: Betsy Buxton
Usually my blogs are true stories, with more than a little humor, of my garden adventures at Casa Buxton. Today is different as I say good-bye and thank you to a true plants woman. Muriel Humenick may not be familiar to many outside of the Sacramento region who don't grow roses, but she was a force of nature to those of us to love roses, especially the OGRs or Old Garden Roses.
She was a well-traveled lady in the world of rose competitions, both as a competitor but also as a judge. She and her late husband, Bill, lived on a 4-acre rose garden called Rose Acres. She gave lectures, demonstrations, and pointers to rosarians of all abilities and experience – all you needed was an interest to learn; from Master Rosarians to the newbies, she was available to all and never spoke down to others even when she could see a person was missing the point.
She handled 5000 varieties of roses in her home nursery/garden with the help of volunteers. It was one of her trusty volunteers who found her lying there among her roses on July 15. She picked the perfect place as her husband Bill had passed away there himself in 2008 at age 88. Muriel herself was a mere 89. When you spoke with her, the years fell away as you discussed roses, pruning, favorite varieties and much more. Usually with a rose-covered hat on and a brightly flowered blouse, she held court with her followers.
Her love of roses began in her childhood home where her father had 1 rose bush in the corner of the family Victory Garden; that sparked her love of all things roses for the rest of her life.
I had the pleasure some years ago of going to her nursery to look for a few rose bushes which I had only found in books before; these rose where introduced pre-1940s: 'Silver Moon' (a white single rambler), 'Bloomfield Courage' (single bright red, small flowered rambler) and 'Apple Blossom' (a small, dainty rambler with small flowers like those of a raspberry plant). My mother and I went up there to Shingle Springs to look and came back with a total of 4 roses and the promise of Muriel rooting the 3 I went for. We went to look and stayed chatting with Muriel there for 4 hours – none of us had expected such a long visit!
I saw her at various other places through the years in the Sacramento region and managed to chat with her a couple more time. She was a true force of nature! She was the co-founder of the Sierra Foothills Rose Society, and was also active in the Sacramento and Mother Lode Rose Societies as well. We will all miss her, but those of us who have rose bushes she propagated will always a piece of her to help us remember this remarkable lady!
- Author: Trisha Rose
Last month I visited most of the gardens featured in the Vallejo Garden Tour. I really enjoyed the older homes with so much character that frequently extends out into their gardens. I saw evidence of projects that I have envisioned but not gotten around to myself. The mosaic table tops and colorfully painted metals chairs coupled with very colorful fabrics blending with enthusiastic plants gave me so many more ideas to try out myself. The chosen gardens are more like living gallery walls, they transport you to another world of luscious color and texture. Take the time to visit these garden tours if you ever have the chance. Most frequently the homeowners themselves have designed their space over time and the results give us the opportunities to peek inside the personality and style of many talented neighbors. I come away inspired whether I have seen the garden as a volunteer Master Gardener docent or as a guest enjoying what our lovely Mediterranean climate supports.
- Author: Lorraine Remer
The hills have sepia toned shades
Of browns and yellows and dotted
With the dusty green of ancient oak.
Tree branches hang limply
With dry crunchy leaves mottled
In shades of dying.
The ground beneath my feet
Is cracked and open with wisps
Of grasses and parched plants long dried out.
Around town, green lawns and lush flowering plants in front yards have
Been replaced with dry scape designs requiring little or no water.
We parse out our water on a daily basis for our basic needs.
And we wait in silent prayer and remember the lush fertile days of
Moist earth with brimming lakes and streams and abundant water for all
Living things.
- Author: Sterling Smith
Bougainvillea ‘Raspberry Ice' or ‘Hawaii' is a striking specimen with variegated leaves and intense pink bracts. It has a ‘mounding' habit that is suitable for hanging baskets, bank coverage or as a container plant.
Bougainvillea's are more common in mild tropical climates or coastal areas where frost is absent or a rare occurrence. They are often employed as a climbing vine cloaking a wall or South side of a building in more temperate climates. Newer varieties, such as ‘Raspberry Ice' are more tolerant of frost and have extended their range into more temperate zones such as Sunset zone 9. It's suitable for full sun locations, needing only moderate water and occasional fertilization during spring and summer. Special care is needed not to disturb the roots when planting, cut the container away and plant with care.
My experience with ‘Raspberry Ice' started with seeing an ‘unhappy' plant from a brand name grower as the result of indifferent care. I have a West facing site with some full sun in the afternoon, the wall releases heat in the evening. The plant is mulched and on drip irrigation and has thrived. I trim the base moderately to keep the entry way clear, otherwise I guide it onto the trellis. I have not yet experienced any difficulties with establishing ‘Raspberry Ice'.
More specific information on Bougainvillea ‘Raspberry Ice' can be found in Sunset Western Book.
- Author: Lowell Cooper
When we moved into our present home in Benicia 20 years ago; we thought we would be here for about 7 years. There was absolutely no landscaping in either the front or back of the house, so we got a very competent MG to help us with a 7 year design. I wasn't really paying any attention to the growth implications of the trees we were putting in, figuring we would not be here long enough to worry about it.
We overstayed our horticultural welcome – as far as the trees are concerned. In particular, we had a beautiful Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin) that went from a five gallon pot to a healthy forty foot specimen, and equally wonderful Arbutus menziesii that also took off and got to about 30 feet. I guess the good news is that I had initially put in 2 Arbutuses in the same space but when they were about 2 years old they were beginning to look like they were going to get out of hand so I cut down one. The remaining one grew very fast and rained berries and leaves on our windy property on a regular basis.
Both of these trees, along with being very large, had a problem with manners. The Arbutus, as I mentioned, was much too generous with its berries and leaves in a windward area that was leaving our deck covered with berries and leaves constantly. Because of the wind, in only hours after cleaning it off, the deck was completely blanketed again. In some attempt to compensate, the tree was very attractive to hummingbirds. So during the brief windless periods, it was fun to see the tree come alive with humming-commotion. The Silk Tree was just as unmannerly in its own way. It dropped its seed pods and leaves – it is deciduous – in a rather large circle turning our ground cover and our neighbors' property completely tan with seed pods, and under its marvelous canopy covering our cars with seed pods also. As the trees got larger and larger, I wasn't noticing that they took quite a bit of upkeep.
But their worst impoliteness was with our uphill neighbors. They went from having a wonderful view of the Carquinez Straits and both bridges to seeing tree canopies up close – and nothing else. Mind you, this wasn't a bad sight, but it wasn't what they wanted out of this location. They never really complained, but did invite us to come over and share their view. We did and we could immediately see the problem. So, what to do! We loved the trees but felt some obligation to the people in our lives.
We consulted with arborists who gave us a picture of what the trees would look like trimmed. There were two other trees implicated in the view takeover, but they could be relatively easily be trimmed. But the Silk Tree and the Arbutus had to be taken out; they just couldn't be taught manners and their good looks would be spoiled too much by the trimming. After considerable agonizing, down they had to come.
There is more to this saga. But at this point, I have asked myself what the take-away has been for me thus far. For one thing, I really have to be mindful of what I am putting in the ground; what is the endgame. Beauty of the plants as objects is just not enough. I have to be considering the impact on the larger environment – both landscape and social context. In a city-scape, it takes a village to have trees grow and prosper and be loved. Three, it is remarkable just how fast a large tree can be cut down and what a big gap it leaves both visually and spiritually. I have been looking inside myself for what kind of lemonade I can make with these lemons. In my next blog, I'll get into that. This piece is a diary about naiveté, and disappointment and new learning.