- Author: David Bellamy
Narcissus are the herald of spring, with their trumpet-shaped and brightly colored blooms, they are a sight for sore eyes, announcing the warmer days are coming. These early spring-blooming bulbs now come in shades of white, yellow, orange, pink, and green, many with combinations of colors. They have a variety of common names as well, including Narcissus, Daffodil, Jonquil, Paperwhites, Pheasants Eye, and Poet's Daffodil. Although many of these names originated with a specific variety or are from a specific geographical area, the names are all used and taken by travelers everywhere, so you could hear any names used with any variety.
As a common flowering bulb, they grow all over our county and now around the world. They are easy to grow and tolerate in almost all soils. They will spread and eventually become “fields of daffodils” given appropriate growing conditions. They bloom early and will wither and make room for summer blooms to come.
They are associated with much folklore and myths. One of the earliest mentions in the western world is in Greek mythology. A hunter and son of a river god, Narcissus, who was very vain and self-obsessed fell in love with his reflection in a stream where he stopped to drink in a stream. He was punished for his vanity by the gods and could not leave his reflection. He died in place, and where he had been, a narcissus flower bloomed, a reminder of the danger of vanity and self-obsession.
Although most mythological references are positive, it also carries a negative connotation with some. For example, although it was adopted as a positive symbol by the American Cancer Association, symbolizing hope for a cure, some think it symbolizes death which can come from cancer.
Daffodil is the March birth flower and the 10th wedding anniversary bloom, where they symbolize new beginnings. In Chinese culture, it is often used in weddings where it signifies the blossoming of the marriage bond. Also, in Chinese culture, it is believed to bring good luck when the flower blooms during the Chinese New Year.
Some believe the flower will provide protection to warding off evil spirits and breaking negative spells. Others think narcissus are a good luck charm and aphrodisiac, and some wear them as an amulet.
Regardless of any associated myths, they will brighten up your garden and your spirit when they bloom.
- Author: Betsy Buxton
Since my calendar doesn't have a date for the beginning of Spring, I will just have to announce its arrival in my front yard. All the daffodils are in full bloom right now, along with my wonderful magnolia (Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star') has covered itself in the droopy white stars that make me so happy. A small bush-like tree, will never shade the front of the house like the green ash tree did but gives so much pleasure to me and my neighbors. My neighbor of 20+ years always welcomes it, but AWAYS asks me why did I pull it up after the blossoms are gone and it wears its green leaves! Gently, I remind her that it blossoms first and then comes to the leaves.
The daffodils came up along the walkway to the house – again, but I will have to dig them and thin out the clumps that have formed. They used to be a single line along the walk, but now sorta lost that look. Oh well, when I do that, I can stretch the line down the driveway to the sidewalk. When I consider that those bulbs have remained there for over 10 years, I have to admit that I have gotten my money's worth and then some!
In the pictures I have included, you will note that my front yard is really a spring garden with roses, verbenas with a short background of Nerium oleander ‘Petite Red'. I've tried other later blooming plants out there, but the hot winds of Suisun really took a toll on them and burnt leaves are really not my thing. On the other side of the driveway is the last remaining African sumac (Rhus lancea) which will be leaving soon. A wonderful tree for bees – it's a winter bloomer – and you can hear the buzzing of wings from the front door. Since it's a pollinator favorite, I hate to remove it, but the suckers growing in the neighbor's block retaining wall and into the cracks in that side of the driveway; so this will be its final year! However, all it not lost as that will make room for 2 more very small Magnolia – an evergreen white flowering variety and an evergreen pink flowering variety (you notice that I've blanked out on their names.
The backside yard is coming along nicely, although I have my doubts that my hostas are still among the living; the excellent news for me is the Fuchsia triphylia (Gartenmeister Bonstedt) are doing very well for their first winter in the ground. After babying them in a pot for a few years, it was time for them to “sink or swim” in the shade bed.
So you see, Spring is here! At least in my front yard!
- Author: Karen Metz
Plants have to put up with a lot! Winds can be severe enough to cause physical damage or persistent enough to dry plants out. Winds that bring dust or ash can also make plants' lives more difficult. Temperature fluctuations, both by absolute numbers and also by the timing in the plant's life cycle can also challenge a plant. A warm week or two in January or February can confuse a plant into leafing or budding out too early. Or a late freeze can kill tender seedlings or damage hardier perennials.
Water, of course, is essential to plants. There are plants that are adapted to swampy conditions and others that adapted to desert environments. But most plants faced with prolonged drought or with floods will not do well. Plants are also pretty specific about the amount of sun they will tolerate in a day.
Plants have predators as well. Not only do they have caterpillars to deal with, but there are grasshoppers, locusts, beetles, aphids, scale, thrips, leaf miners, and more. And there are mammalian predators: voles, moles, rabbits, deer, sheep, goats, cattle, and horses, to name a few.
I think we are all aware of the harm humans can cause to the plant kingdom on a global scale. That discussion would need to be the topic of another blog. But sometimes we individual gardeners can harm our own plants.
Some we ignore or forget, by not giving them the water or shade they need. Others we kill with kindness by over-watering or over-fertilizing. We often crave exotic plants from very different climates and then wonder why they don't thrive in our own landscape conditions.
I recently came across two examples of plants struggling with human-caused conditions in my own yard. Both were plants that do well in our climate zones and neither had watering issues. What they had in common was their location on the far side of the house. I can see them from my windows, but I don't physically go out to that part of my landscape very often, as the dry creek bed we have installed there has a very uneven walking surface.
I was weeding and cutting back shrubs in that side yard a few weeks ago. I was trying to cut off the bottom fronds of a sago palm so that it would be easier to walk by the plant. I had to lie on the ground to get under the fronds to see where to place my loppers to make the cut. I saw something strange on the trunk of the sago. It was a bearded iris in bloom.
The irises were the first things that had been planted in the side yard many years ago. Next came a groundcover that kept trying to overrun them. Much later I added a sago palm that had not thrived as a houseplant.
As soon as the sago palm got in the ground it started to grow. It's now about 4 and a half feet tall. It's amazing that the iris bloom spike could zig-zag its way up the trunk and then bloom given the amount of shade it was in under the canopy of fronds.
The second example is a rosemary shrub. This plant started off as a living Christmas tree that was decorated and placed on the front porch. After the holidays I planted it in a half barrel and put it out in the side yard. It seemed very happy there. Over the years it has provided us with fresh rosemary for cooking and boughs of rosemary for our annual Master Gardeners' Wreath Workshop.
After our latest windstorm, I noticed that the shrub seemed to be leaning over more into the center of the dry creek bed area. Looking from the side you can see that the original wooden barrel has rotted away leaving only the metal hoops. The roots are growing through the remaining mound of soil and into the ground. The winds must have wrenched the plant up a bit causing it to lean forward.
Since the plant is still doing well, I decided that trimming off the large branches on the front of the plant should decrease the pressure being exerted on the rest of the plant. As the plant is in full bloom right now, I just trimmed a few branches and brought them inside to enjoy in vases. After it's done blooming, I'll do more radical surgery.
Seeing these tenacious plants battling through difficult conditions, that I have caused, has been inspiring. I will try to pay more attention, so I can catch problems before they get so severe. And I will see if I can take a lesson from my plants, and do my best to handle adversity in my own life.
- Author: Nancy Forrest
So, you would figure as a UCCE Master Gardener you'd be very organized, not necessarily true. Take me for instance, I found a variety of bulbs that I had stored last fall to replant this spring. Unfortunately, I didn't label them. So, it should be interesting after their planted to see how the flower bed will look.
I found a great chart from http://tuffguardhose.com/2013/10/21/planting-spring-flowering-bulbs/ that shows the planting depths for various bulbs. The chart is used to identify various bulbs. I was able to identify the following bulbs: gladiolus, tulips, ranunculus, tigridia, and lily. Some of these are spring flowering and some are summer. I plan on planting them this week.
I found a great article from the UC Davis website, from a UCCE Master Gardener-Alameda, called Plant Bulbs NOW for Spring (ucdavis.edu) that provides wonderful information on when, how, and where to plant various bulbs. I couldn't state it any better. I attached the PDF for your review if the link doesn't work.
- Author: Maureen Clark
The days are getting longer and warmer, signaling that spring will be here soon. This is when beneficial insects begin to emerge. Attracting beneficial predatory and parasitic insects into your garden helps reduce the population of unscrupulous insects. Your beneficial insect friends will consume them or use them to house and feed their offspring.
Pollinators are also beneficial insects who spread pollen between flowers which is essential for fruit and seed production. How do I reduce the populations of pest insects such as aphids, whiteflies, scale, mites, mealybugs, thrips, leafhoppers, psyllids, etc. who damage your plants? The average backyard is home to thousands of insects. Only a small fraction of these insects are detrimental. Beneficial insects are the defenders of the garden and we must promote and protect them.
Soldier Beetle
One of the first beneficial insects to emerge is the soldier beetle. The adults are slim-bodied, ½” long, varying in color from red to brown with black, brown, or gray wings. They are important predators in the garden consuming aphids, caterpillars, and other soft-bodied insects. Another beneficial insect that arrives with the onset of spring is the convergent lady beetle (ladybug, ladybird). The larvae resemble a mini alligator with horizontal stripes of orange and black. Both the larvae and adult stage of the lady beetle are voracious eaters. There are many types of ladybugs and other beneficial insects that look like the ladybug. The Vedalia beetle, mealybug destroyer, twice stabbed lady beetle and spider mite destroyer are a few of them.
Spider Mite Destroyer Vedalia Beetle
Not to be forgotten, are the insect parasites. These are parasitic wasps and flies. The larvae of these wasps and flies feed on other insects, or they live inside their host and exterminate them. The leafminer parasite, aphid parasite, and whitefly parasite are a few examples. Some of the best beneficial insects are spiders. Spiders feed on a wide array of insects. Additional beneficial insects are the minute pirate bug, assassin bug, green or brown lacewing, praying mantis, snakefly, damsel bug, and the predaceous ground beetles.
As gardeners, there are many ways to attract and promote populations of beneficial insects. Install plants that attract beneficials in and around your garden, the more, the merrier. These plants will provide them with food and habitat. Another idea is to create a boundary of flowers around your vegetable beds. When the bad bugs enter the boundary, they will be gobbled up by the good guys. Fall and winter beneficial flowers are: Alyssum, Calendula, Candytuft, Chervil, Chamomile, Poppies, Snapdragon, Stock and Sweet Peas. For spring and summer flowers, grow Angelica, Aster, Black-Eyed Susan, Catmint, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Dill, Goldenrod, Marigold, Sunflower, Shasta Daisy, Thyme, and Yarrow.
Consider the impact of non-selective insecticides on your beneficial insect population before you spray the garden to kill something. Non-selective insecticides will kill or have negative effects on a wide variety of insects, good and bad. Another reason not to use these insecticides is it ends up in our waterways. Know what you are spraying for. It might be a good, beneficial bug, not a bad bug. The safest insecticides to use are horticultural oils and soaps, or a blast of water. Many pests can be managed without the use of pesticides. There are a lot of garden centers in our area, that sell beneficial insects in the spring. Bring these friends home, release them in your garden habitat, and enjoy their assistance in the garden.
Mealy Bug Destroyer Minute Pirate Bug
