- Author: Sharon L. Rico
My husband has a passion for dahlias. Every year when I attend the San Francisco Flower Show, I have a list of dahlia tubers he wants to add to our garden. We have grown them in containers, in flower beds among other plants then THIS year we decided to dedicate an entire area to growing dahlias.
Dahlias are native to Mexico and Guatemala and have blooms from miniature to dinner plate size, (2 inch to 12 inches). The flower has many daisy-like petals and they can be single, double, balled, pompom, cactus and other shapes, in every color except true blue. Dahlias grow in sun or part sun and bloom from May until October in zone 9. They are happiest in well-drained soil and do not require a lot of water.
Upon becoming a Master Gardener, I attended a class taught by a veteran Master Gardener who planted her entire front yard in dahlias. Until that class, dahlias had not been on my radar. But Lois changed my mind with her expertise and love of these beautiful plants. Her front yard was a blast of color, all in bloom and absolutely beautiful. Needless to say, I was hooked!
There is also a tree dahlia (D. imperialis) that grows to 10 feet tall with daisy-like cascading flowers that grow to 8 inches across. It has a trunk that looks similar to bamboo and you can cut segments from the branches to propagate additional trees. Most people when observing this tree in bloom do not know what it is but want one in their garden because it is so striking.
Dahlia blooms picked in the early morning will make a stunning bouquet for your home. Change the water every day and they will last for about 5 days. They make a stunning hostess gift.
Every three years (in the fall), it’s a good idea to dig up your dahlia tubers and separate them. They are fun to share with other gardeners, but don’t forget to replant a tuber or two back in your own garden.
- Author: Trisha Rose
As I have been to the UC Davis campus quite a bit in the last month, I have really appreciated how thoughtfully the landscaping has been designed and maintained. There is an abundance of bush roses, many ornamental grasses and so many different trees, it is a bit overwhelming. In the last couple of weeks, one particular plant has caught my attention more than once. I finally stopped my car the other day, and got out and photographed the plant. Later on that same day, I happened to be walking by a stunning border of very healthy perennials and there it was again. Fortunately for me, this specimen had a label. It sure is nice to run across a designed garden space where someone(s) has taken the time to label each and every plant with both the botanical and common names. Thank you, UC Davis Arboretum staff.
My mystery plant is Hesperaloe parviflora, commonly known as Red Yucca, although this plant is not a yucca at all. It happens, that at the moment, I am trying to better understand more about yuccas in general, so perhaps that is why I was attracted to this plant, but that will be another story. This Red Yucca has flowers that are not really red either. They are really more of a warm rose-coral color. An additional confusion: online sources, the Native Plant Database and the Texas Native Shrub database, both listed this plant as a member of the Agavaceae Family (Century Plant Family) with many common names including: Red Yucca, Coral Yucca, Red flowered false yucca, Redflower false yucca, Samandoque, and Yellow yucca. However, the newest Sunset Western Garden Book listed this plant in the Asparagaceae family. My Wait Manual unfortunately doesn’t list this plant at all. So, I will do some more checking down the road.
Although my sources don’t seem to agree on a family grouping, they do agree that it is not a yucca although it shares many physical characteristics of a yucca. In general, the yucca is described as producing huge clusters of bell-shaped flowers above upright, sword-like leathery leaves in large evergreen rosettes. The Red yucca produces soft, yucca-like, evergreen leaves, 2 to 3 feet in length, crowded on a short woody base. The flower stalk extends to 5 feet above the leaves with a clustering of coral tubular flower on arching, pink stems. The leaves are plum colored in winter and blue-green during the rest of the year. The leaves are simple and linear with parallel venation and form a basal rosette. It blooms March through July. This plant is drought resistant and both heat and cold tolerant as well as adaptable to a variety of soils. I can say from my observations that these plants are hummingbird magnets. The coral color is very cheerful and adds a nice breezy touch to a mostly green landscape. Sunset recommends these plants as good container specimens and I may just take them up on that suggestion next to my newly espaliered bougainvillea. What a nice impression that could be next summer.
- Author: Cheryl A Potts
We have come to the third and final installment of my series discussing the three macronutrients essential for a healthy garden. My first blog was about nitrogen, why it is needed in the garden, what it might look like if there is a deficiency, and what do do about correcting it. The second article was about phosphorus. This final submission of the series is about potassium.
To catch you up, these three essential macronutrients are contained in the bag or bottle of fertilizer you purchase. However, unless you are informed, you will simply see three meaningless numbers listed there, e.g. 5-10-5; or 12-10-5. You must know that these numbers refer to the percentage of each macronutrient included, and these are always in a specific order; nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). In the first of these examples, the fertilizer contains 5% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 5 % potassium. Use these numbers to decide which product you need to purchase for your gardening needs.
So why do we need potassium? Potassium helps regulate photosynthesis, moisture content of plant cells and stomata, which controls the carbon dioxide exchange. Potassium helps move vital nutrients around in the plant itself. It also aides in the formation of proteins, which directly effect the nutritional value of the fruit. Lastly, potassium aids the soil as it is responsible for fixing nitrogen in legumes which need a potassium rich soil.
What would a potassium deficiency look like? It would be much subtler than a nitrogen or phosphorus deficiency, even to the extent that you might not notice it. Your plants may appear a bit smaller or thinner than expected, but they do not look "sick". There are a few symptoms to be on the lookout for, however. If your plants appear weak and spindly, attract more pests than usual, and/or plants bear small, thin-skinned fruits that are lacking in flavor, you most likely have a potassium deficiency. This deficiency, as with the other two, can be remedied by composting.
Another highly recommended remedy is the use of greensand. This is really green, and has the consistency of sand. Add 10 pounds per 100 square feet to a new garden. Add it to your compost pile also to ensure against future. It also contains iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and more than 30 trace elements.
Wood ash contains about 5% potassium in a relative quick release form. Spread on a new garden without plants (late fall or winter), as the ash can actually burn plants. A third recommendation is granite dust. It will provide a water solvable potassium that your plants can use immediately. Granite dust is about 3% immediately available, and 3% available over time. It will not effect your pH balance. (pH balance? Ah, fodder for another blog!)
Ground kelp has been noted as a source of potassium, but its percentage is less than the above mentioned additives.
In reviewing these macronutrients, it is clear that all of them are essential. Most likely, like the vitamins our bodies need, if your garden is lacking in one, it is lacking in others. As I review the differences in the appearance of the deficiencies, I see more similarities the differences. I have come to the conclusion that I must not only keep feverishly composting, but actually increase the amount I compost, as compost contains the nutrients required by most plants. Then, if that fails, and deficiencies continue to appear, I will have my soil professionally analyzed. There are testing kits available for around $11.00, but in researching these, I found numerous reports of unreliability. Instead, I would recommending using the UC Davis Analytical Lab. Information on how to use this resource, the costs, and the procedures are available if you simply put UC Davis Analytical Lab in your search engine.
I have learned a lot from writing a three segmented blog about N-P-K, but I must admit what has really increased is my ever growing awe of nature and how it comes together and works to produce what we need. Little, tiny, invisible nutrients effecting big leafy, greens--with or without my understanding. Remarkable!
- Author: Betsy Buxton
It’s been one month since I watched my over twenty-year old green ash tree (Fraxinus angustifolia) succumb to the chainsaws wielded by the crew of my favorite arborist. The thing took over twenty years to grow over thirty feet tall and three foot thick; it took the three-man crew just twenty minutes to de-limb, de-trunk, and run its remains thru the chipper!
It’s gone!! Everything’s gone! The tree which was planted by the developer before I moved in! The wonderful shade which our hardy fescue lawn had finally adjusted to, growing rather lush, green, and seed-headed; the huge roots which where zipping from our yard into the neighbor’s yard (foiling his plans to build a low wall in the swale between yards; the magnificent roots pushing against the house foundation and front steps of the house; it’s all gone! The home of every bird in the neighborhood, providing shelter AND an excellent pooping roost over my car was gone!!
Later that day, about one hour later to be roughly exact, I had a rather tall, thin, somewhat skimpy living pole covered in leaves planted where the older tree had been. Due to pie-shaped lot,I had needed to pick out a tree variety which no longer would severely rub shoulders with the neighbor’s palm tree, which would give that palm tree (which is also scheduled for an early exit I understand) stability in Suisun City’s frequent winds. No longer would the flocks of doves and crows call this small area home! Goodie!!
My “growing twig” as my husband calls is a Magnolia X solangeana known as ‘Black tulip’. Growing to fifteen feet in height and almost as wide in the canopy, this little tree will fit quite nicely in the pointy area of the lot which is less that fifteen feet wide. Of course, it figures that within two weeks of planting, the temperature has been soaring over eight-five degrees and higher. My poor little tree is now wearing mature leaves that are crinkled and somewhat burnt, but new growth is coming! Just think, about ten years from now I may have “some” shade again in the front yard!
I digress to address Dr. Robert Rabbe’s passing. Dr. Raabe was a plant pathologist from UC Berkeley. A nicer, kinder man I’ve never met! I actually was working in Piedmont when I met his daughter and son-in-law who acquainted me with Dr. Rabbe. So, you could say I knew him before I actually met him. Words from him: “A plant can’t read”, have followed me for years. Truer words – meaning that just because “some one” tells you a particular plant can’t/won’t grow where you want it won’t translate into a NO! “Plants can’t read”.
A true story from Dr. Rabbe:
He was growing a pyracantha in his back yard and noticed that fireblight was attacking the bush. He told his son to go out and cut six inches off the affected branches. When he later went out to check on the pruning progress, Dr. Rabbe discovered his son had cut six feet off the bush! Dr. Rabbe was so shocked that he said nothing! But as he later remarked, “It never had fireblight again!”
- Author: Karen Metz
One of my favorite things in the garden is getting to watch the hummingbirds. I enjoy watching them travel from flower to flower, trying a little nectar here, and then a little nectar there. I love it when the sunlight reflects off their throat patch, giving it that ruby glow. I am impressed by their moxie. They don't seem afraid of creatures much larger than they are. I love their chirrupy call and the sound their wings make. I've been watching them for years, so I thought I'd seen pretty much everything ...
Until a few mornings ago, I went to my window and saw a hummingbird going from grape leaf to grape leaf. I was really puzzled as I knew there were not any flowers on the vine, and only two clusters of grapes on that vine. As I got closer I saw he was rubbing himself on the leaf, then ducking his head and throwing back his shoulders, all while his little wings were just whirring away. He did this on several leaves, before it finally dawned on me what was going on. The sprinklers had just finished running and the grape leaves were sheeted with water. The hummer was cleaning himself in the water on the leaves, and seemed to be having a grand time.
He also seems to think that the tomato cages have been put out for his convenience to perch on and rest in between checking out gladiola blossoms. Hey, I am always happy to be of service.