By Melody Kendall
The variety of Kniphofia commonly seen in my neighborhood is uvaria. The leaves of these clumping plants are long, thin and grass-like, and the clumps grow to be 2-3 feet wide and tall. The long lasting flowers do look like red hot pokers or upright torches on long stems that can sometimes reach 5 feet tall. Each of these multiple stems terminate in a 4+ inch multi petaled cone shaped flower that graduates from a base of light yellow to the top of deep crimson. For the best performance, plant these rhizomatous perennials in full sun. The plants will still perform in partial shade, but flower production will be greatly reduced. Bees and hummingbirds flock to these brightly colored blooms throughout the blooming season. Kniphofia prefers well drained, moist but not wet soil. If you deadhead spent blooms on plants the blooming season will be extended. In the fall, cut off the dead foliage around the base of the plants and clumps can be dug up and divided, if desired. If left as is, they will continue to expand outward without decline in floral display or decline the plant's leaves and summer blooms. So, if you don't plan on moving the plants any time soon make sure to locate them where they have room to grow.
In general appearance ‘Lemon Popsicle' is a miniature version of the larger uvaria with thinner, more grass-like leaves. Blooms of this variety do look like lemon yellow ‘popsicles' with blooms that are not as dense and have shorter stems than the uvaria. They are still cone shaped, prolific and are pollinator magnets.
The uvaria blooms from May thru June and the ‘Lemon Popsicle' June thru July and the ‘Limelight' July thru August, so we have these spectacular blooms all summer long. The hummingbirds and the bees are happy, and I just discovered that the Kniphofia blooms do well as cut flowers. What's not to like about this tough garden workhorse?
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Mel Kendall
Information links:
UCMG Santa Clara County http://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/garden-help/water-wise-plants/?uid=55&ds=833
Jepson Herbarium-UC Berkeley https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=29921
Missouri Botanical Garden
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=i310
Lemon Popsicle
Melody Kendall
The plants in the new landscape have been in the ground since October, and though some of them are slower than others, they all seem to be settling in nicely.
Our Gaillardia x grandiflora or blanket flower plants are among the overachievers in our new landscape. They were in 6” pots last October and bloomed their hearts out. Their new season of blooms started in March with an explosion of color. They just keep getting brighter, bolder and more prolific as the months progress.
Gaillardia prefers full sun, well-drained soil and has low water needs once established. These are all good attributes which fit right into our low-water garden plans, but the main reason we chose the blanket flower was because it attracts a diverse population of bees. The day we planted the gaillardia plants the bees were already checking out the flowers, and by the next day the plants were buzzing. Because of the gaillardia's long blooming season, the bees will have a ready source of nectar and pollen from early spring through late fall.
Another interesting note about the gaillardia plant is that it is considered a ‘Zone 1 firewise species plant'. This means that the blanket flower plant, with its fire-resistance score of 8, can be included in the Zone 1 area around your home. A ‘firewise plant' means this plant is less likely to burn or will burn less hot and usually means that the plant is considered a low-maintenance and slow growing plant. Remember, though, that ALL plants will burn under extreme conditions.
I decided to enjoy my blanket flower plants from afar. I'll be sitting in my deck chair with a glass of iced tea, enjoying the spectacular splashes of color while listening to the buzzing of the bees.
Master Gardeners are following recommended social distancing guidelines that keep everyone safe, Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Mel Kendall
Informational Links:
Monrovia-Gaillardia https://www.monrovia.com/sunset-snappy-blanket-flower.html
UCMG Marin-Planting for success http://marinmg.ucanr.edu/CARE/PLANTING/
Xerces Society https://xerces.org/blog/plants-for-pollinators-blanketflower
International Journal of Molecular Sciences-sesquiterpene lactones benefits to plants & people
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3709812/
UCMG Sonoma-Firewise landscaping http://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/Firewise_Landscaping/
We did a total makeover of our back yard landscape last summer. We removed the pool and added a ‘multi roomed' garden oasis. We love it!
The plants in the new landscape have been in the ground since October, and though some of them are slower than others, they all seem to be settling in nicely.
Our Gaillardia spp. or blanket flower plants are among the overachievers in our new landscape. They were in 6” pots last October and bloomed their hearts out. Their new season of blooms started in March with an explosion of color. They just keep getting brighter, bolder and more prolific as the months progress.
Gaillardia prefers full sun, well-drained soil and has low water needs once established. These are all good attributes which fit right into our low-water garden plans, but the main reason we chose the blanket flower was because it attracts a diverse population of bees. The day we planted the gaillardia plants the bees were already checking out the flowers, and by the next day the plants were buzzing. Because of the gaillardia's long blooming season, the bees will have a ready source of nectar and pollen from early spring through late fall.
Another interesting note about the gaillardia plant is that it is considered a ‘Zone 1 firewise species plant'. This means that the blanket flower plant, with its fire-resistance score of 8, can be included in the Zone 1 area around your home. A ‘firewise plant' means this plant is less likely to burn or will burn less hot and usually means that the plant is considered a low-maintenance and slow growing plant. Remember, though, that ALL plants will burn under extreme conditions.
I decided to enjoy my blanket flower plants from afar. I'll be sitting in my deck chair with a glass of iced tea, enjoying the spectacular splashes of color while listening to the buzzing of the bees.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Mel Kendall
Informational Links:
Monrovia-Gaillardia https://www.monrovia.com/sunset-snappy-blanket-flower.html
UCMG Marin-Planting for success http://marinmg.ucanr.edu/CARE/PLANTING/
Xerces Society https://xerces.org/blog/plants-for-pollinators-blanketflower
International Journal of Molecular Sciences-sesquiterpene lactones benefits to plants & people
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3709812/
UCMG Sonoma-Firewise landscaping http://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/Firewise_Landscaping/
by Matthew E. Navarro
While working the 2020 harvest at a large custom crush facility, I lucked into a harvester's loss. Tumbling out of a macrobin fell a simple tool composed of a hard plastic handle and a short curved blade. “That's mine! Dibs!” I shouted to a fellow crusher, who uncaringly grabbed the item off the conveyor belt and handed it over. Little did I know this small, razor sharp blade would become my new favorite tool.
Now, onto why it's my new favorite. I am currently volunteering on an eight acre homestead and farm in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Daily tasks range from servicing fruit trees, weeding pathways, dragging brush, and so on. I like to keep several hand tools on me to be ready for anything, and have frequently found this grape hook in-hand for a variety of tasks.
Cardoon, a large leaved cousin of the common artichoke, grows wild on site. Our hosts like cardoon for its flower, drought resistance, and easy biomass production for mulch. It's great for chop and drop. I harvest its leaves like one prunes New Zealand flax; I prune out the outermost leaves as close to the base as possible. The razor sharp grape hook cleanly and perfectly slices through the cardoon leaves. I can't wait to try it on phormiums, which I usually cut with a box cutter. The curve of the short blade allows for more accurate cuts, and I can start at the back of the leaf and pull towards me without uncomfortably bending my wrist.
Servicing trees often starts with weeding and removing saplings/suckers. Most of the trees here sport deer resistant metal cages. The fences also make for difficult weeding of tall grasses close to the young trees. The grape hook works as a small grass hook in these situations. Stalks can be sliced and pulled out without damaging the roots of our intentional trees and shrubs. Furthermore, the hook is capable of cleanly pruning out young suckers and water sprouts as I move up a tree. It won't cut through woody stalks, but it saves me some long term strain by taking some work away from the hand pruners.
Frequently, I have the pleasure of installing sheet mulching on the homestead. In preparation for the dry season, the cardboard and bark piles have shrunken. Again, the grape hook has come to replace the box cutter, but this time for slicing cardboard. The short sickle is faster to access than a retractable safety knife, and still relatively safe due to its roundness. Beyond cardboard, it's perfect for cutting lengths of twine and string for other garden tasks.
Using the grape hook more and more, I like to keep it as sharp as possible. A blade honed to a razor finish makes for effortless action when the tool is needed. When working, if I feel any hesitation when making a cut, I take time to hone the blade with a pocket carbide sharpener. I look forward to early fruit and vegetable harvesting on the farm with my new favorite tool, and am eager to find out new ways to use it.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Matt Navarro
Information links:
North Carolina extension-Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cynara-cardunculus/
Montrovia-Phormium, New Zealand Flax https://www.monrovia.com/amazing-red-new-zealand-flax.html
References:
Lambert, Cindy “It's Harvest Time” 9/14/2020 from the Wine History Project (https://winehistoryproject.org/harvest-tools/)
Protecting trees from deer: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74117.htmlSheet mulching: http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/files/221117.pdf
by Melody Kendall
There are programs on TV about hoarders and the perils involved in living in a house with such an ailment. Well, I have come to the conclusion that I am an "outdoor" hoarder. While this malady is not as limiting or as unhealthy as an indoor hoarder there are many similarities.
• Then there are the garden implements. Walking by the gardening tool section at my local hardware/nursery always results in a purchase of some tool that I need. My tool corral has turned into a tool pasture.
• I must have twenty pairs of gloves — leather, gauntlets, stretch and plastic. In fact, I recently put on a pair of gloves that I had had for so long that they just cracked and fell apart when I put them on!
• Gardening hats of multiple sizes and styles adorn my upper shelves. I mean I only have one head and can only wear one at a time. Same with gardening shoes … why do I need so many?
• I've never passed up the chance to acquire used bricks. When the earthquake happened a few years ago and some of the chimneys in the neighborhood fell down I was there with my wheelbarrow helping clean up their yard and bringing the bricks to mine. I now have quite a stack ready for some future as yet decided on project
• How about garden art? That is really a sticky wicket. Thank goodness with the recent shutdown craft fairs have been nonexistent. Inevitably upon returning from one of those dangerous events I have a new glass wind chime or a metal art flower on a stake or a cute watering can or an angel for the deck railing. The list goes on.
• Don't get me started on new plants. Not only can I not avoid purchasing new plants when going anywhere remotely resembling a nursery but friends and family seem oblivious to my malady and are constantly giving me plants and cuttings to grow.
• I even ‘dumpster dive' to a certain extent. When I see someone in the neighborhood has thrown away something that might make a neat plant stand or a cool piece of art, I haul it home.
On many occasions I've walked blocks with my arms full of a great find.
Now that I've written all this down, I'm a little embarrassed. Maybe my husband won't notice that I just brought home a geranium plant that someone had thrown, pot and all, in the gutter alongside the sidewalk. I'll make sure to water it once I have repotted the poor little thing in one of those saved terracotta pots. Hmm, maybe I'll move that craft fair angel to another location so that the rescued geranium can sit on the deck railing ...
Master Gardeners are following recommended social distancing guidelines that keep everyone safe, Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.
Photo credits: Mel Kendall
Reference links:
UC IPM-Geranium http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FLOWERS/geranium.html
UCMG Marin County-Repotting container plants http://marinmg.ucanr.edu/?story=1214
