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Gardening Information by UC Master Gardeners of Napa County

UCANR: Protecting California's natural resources

We All Live in a Watershed

Published on: July 6, 2020

by Rainer Hoenicke

What do those of us who live in a Napa townhouse with a 500 square-foot patio area as their backyard and those living out in the countryside on a 5-acre ranchette have in common? We all live in a watershed – the area of land that drains all the rainfall to a common outlet, such as a confluence point along a stream or river channel, a tidal marsh, or coastal lagoon. Watersheds can be as small as a footprint or as large as the whole land area that drains into San Francisco Bay and ultimately the Pacific Ocean (roughly 40% of California's land area). The geology, vegetation cover, and land use determine what portion of rain gets absorbed into the soil, evaporates from leaves before it can reach the ground, runs off into the nearest storm drain or creek channel, or gets stored below-ground in the aquifer. A watershed is essentially a precipitation collector. And gardeners, in particular, are strongly aware of the importance of water, since nothing can grow without it, and therefore life could not exist.

Why does it matter that we know what watershed we live in, and what processes have been and still are shaping the soil we are growing things in? The answer is simple and complex at the same time. Everything that happens upstream of where we live will in some way affect our own plot of land, no matter how large or small. If a landfill's liner leaks, and you live downstream of it, the cadmium and nickel in batteries that were inappropriately thrown into the household garbage might end up in the lettuce you are growing or the water pumped from your well. Or some of the road cuts made in the hillslopes over the last century are to this day contributing sediment from slope failures to the valley below, and homeowners living next to a stream on the valley floor may see that soil in their basement or on their front porch after a major flood. And the oil drippings from parked cars will find their way into storm drains and eventually the Napa River, where that oil may affect the aquatic insects living there that are food for migrating or resident fish. It matters how human modifications have altered where and how rainfall runs off, where it ends up and how much of it can or cannot be absorbed into the soil, accommodated by a stream or river channel and what the rain does to soil, stream banks and vegetation.

Napa Valley Historical Ecology Atlas, a wonderfully illustrated history of the Napa Valley landscape, comparing notes and records of the early settlers and how it has evolved with humans altering the Valley over time and the watersheds draining into the Napa River, was written by Robin Grossinger and published by UC Press in 2012. I use it frequently to find out why my mature fruit trees survive the five-month-long dry season with minimal irrigation, and under what circumstances they do need a bit of watering support. It explains why some vineyards can be dry-farmed and, more often than not, produce wines of exceptional quality, why my backyard has in some places standing water in it for days or even weeks between December and April and why certain native plants initially didn't thrive until I added some mounds and re-planted them above the surrounding soil surface. I found out that our whole neighborhood used to be a wet meadow where the early settlers had difficulty planting orchards and mostly used the land for grazing. Groundwater is at or near the surface during the wet season and four to eight feet below the surface during the dry season. Apparently, Salvador Creek, with its headwaters in what is now Alston Park, dropped the fine sediment load that it carried from the hillslopes into what is now my neighborhood and created a dense clay layer in places. In my yard, this layer is anywhere between one and two feet below the surface. Just north of us, Dry Creek, with much larger flows than Salvador, deposited coarser sediment on the valley floor, such as sand and gravel, creating what are known as “alluvial fans,” which to this day in most of the Napa Valley serve as great groundwater recharge areas. In the lower part of the Valley, south of Oak Knoll Road, ground water is generally close to the surface – not just in my neighborhood. Some of the old-timers, like me, may remember the time when the Highway 29 underpass at the juncture of Trancas and Redwood Streets was built, and Caltrans had to install pumps to divert groundwater to Napa Creek even during the dry season to avoid groundwater emergence from flooding the underpass.

The more we know about the larger landscape - from the hilltops to the valley floor – the more we can infer about what kinds of plants will thrive in our miniature backyard ecosystems, what kinds of animals even our urban landscapes can support, and how to be good stewards. Napa County is one of the most biodiverse regions in the whole state, to which climate, a huge range of rainfall gradients, and soil types contribute. And as climate change brings more extreme weather events, we can help mitigate the effects through our individual contributions as gardeners to soil health, carbon sequestration and water conservation, all of which will scale up all the way to the watershed as a whole.

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:

Napa Watershed Information and Conservation Council. https://www.napawatersheds.org/

Informational links:

https://www.napawatersheds.org/

Ca Water Conservation: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.conservation.ca.gov/dlrp/Educational%2520Documents/California%2520Watersheds.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi6sceU2KTqAhUFrJ4KHXd9CtgQFjABegQIBRAC&usg=AOvVaw37TaEqEStKPpKh7vYEoF6v

Public Value: UCANR: Protecting California's natural resources

Focus Area Tags: Environment

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UCANR: Promoting healthy people and communities

Tales from the Orchard

Published on: June 28, 2020

Editor's note: Master Gardeners are keeping busy in their own gardens during the Covid-19 pandemic. Summer is here and there's a lot going on in the garden! Here's how Master Gardeners are spending their time:

As a 2020 graduate of the MG program and a relatively new resident of Napa, I have delighted in my garden adventures and decided I would like to share a story regarding my cherry trees. I inherited my three mature, overgrown trees upon moving to Napa. Having no previous experience with cherry trees, I enrolled in a MG class to learn about pruning. The class was well attended and questions answered about when to prune, how much to prune, shaping trees for growth, possible pests and pest prevention. Fortified with new knowledge, I was confident and anxious to get on with the new relationship with my cherry trees.

Advice for winter pruning suggested removing about one third of growth to start to bringing the trees down to a manageable size, not an easy task. I took my time deciding on shape as I worked from my newly purchased orchard ladder. The following spring brought a healthy crop and I picked cherries for days and tried various new recipes. I was so proud.

By the third winter's pruning my trees had a noticeable problem. A resin-like oozing had developed on some of the branches, especially around pruning cuts. My trees were ill. How could this be as I was carefully following instructions disinfecting my tools after each cut and making sure my tools were sharp and cuts clean? My trees were being attacked and I needed more answers as to what to do. Fearful that something was terribly wrong, I knew I needed experienced advice. With pictures in hand, I went to the Help Desk. The diagnosis was bacterial canker. A new strategy would have to be used for future care of my cherry trees. After further investigation and study, I decided not to prune in the winter months to avoid canker infestation. There's always a lesson to be learned with our lives in the garden.

With the canker hopefully under control, I was excited to see the plentiful crop arriving that next May. I began speculating on more recipes and options for the cherries and my excitement was intensified as those red beauties ripened. Unfortunately, a week of heavy rain and bad weather hit Napa and devastated my long-awaited cherries. Mold and rot quickly took over and I was only able to harvest a bowl of the delectable fruit – a lost season.

Now into my fourth crop, I once again have good production. Such a wonderful feeling, and, in my excitement, I wanted to share my experience with you.

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: Dee De Ocampo

Reference: http://fruitandnuteducation.ucdavis.edu/fruitnutproduction/Cherry/

Public Value: UCANR: Promoting healthy people and communities

Focus Area Tags: Food

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UCANR: Promoting healthy people and communities

Daylilies

Published on: June 20, 2020

by Melody Kendall

Years before gardening became a priority, I purchased some daylilies on a whim. We had just constructed a retaining wall along the back of our lot and we needed something to fill the new shelf of soil. I saw some wonderful daylilies at a local nursery and bought six plants, one of each color. When planted, the daylilies filled the area nicely and I promptly forgot about them. That was 25 years ago and these plants are still going strong.

Hemerocallis is the scientific name for daylily. The spelling for ‘daylily' is just one word. The word Hemerocallis is from two Greek words meaning beauty and day because the blooms only last one day. The good news is that each stalk has multiple buds, and each plant has multiple stalks, so the blooming of each plant can last several weeks and many of the cultivars have multiple flowering periods. With a variety of cultivars in your garden you can get blooms from spring thru late fall.

Sometimes referred to as the perfect perennial, the daylily comes in a vast array of colors, has few pests and can grow in many soil conditions and climates. Native to Asia and hybridized in the U.S. and England, the original colors of yellow, orange and red have expanded to colors from near-white, pink, yellow, orange, vivid red, purple and almost a true blue.

The foliage is yellow-green to blue-green and all colors in between. The leaves are slender and grass-like to as wide as the leaves on corn. Depending on the cultivar, foliage will be upright or arching with a length of 6” to 36” or more. The variety also determines if the plant will be deciduous or evergreen. There are some types that keep their leaves in warmer climes, but lose them in colder ones. As with all plants, to make sure your garden flourishes, pick cultivars that grow well in your location's climate zone.

When planting daylilies consider full sun for the yellow, pink and pastels and in some shade for the darker red and purple cultivars. Plant them in loose, well-draining soil, away from trees so they don't have to share their water. Dig a hole as deep as the root mass, with a mound of soil in the center (look for the white mark on the base of the leaves to determine the depth.) Place the plant on the mound and drape the roots around the mound. Gently cover the roots with the loose soil making sure the plant isn't any deeper than the white mark on the base of the leaves. Pat the soil down and water thoroughly to remove air pockets. When planting multiple plants space them 18” to 20” apart.

Daylilies benefit from deep watering rather than many small sips of water, especially in the spring when they are setting their blooms and in the summer heat. I put compost around my plants two or three times a year. A single fertilizer application in spring is recommended by the American Daylily Society. Make sure to follow the package directions. In spring and during the growing season remove dead leaves and blooms as they occur or when they reach your personal threshold of messiness.

Pests and diseases are few and I have had none to date. Keep an eye out for the usual culprits – aphids, thrips and snails, and look for rust and crown root rot. These can be avoided with proper installation and care. Deer are not interested in the plants but will sometimes dine on the blossoms.

A fun fact is that all parts of the plant are edible for humans. In early spring the new shoots are tender and can be harvested, chopped and added to pasta or stir fry. If you dig the tubers up before they flower, late autumn through early spring, they can be scrubbed and cooked like a potato. Don't bother peeling them and they will only take a short time to cook. In the late spring, harvest the flower buds while they are green and firm and steam, boil or stir fry them or make them into pickles. Summer will provide lovely flowers to view and eat. Just pick them when they are fresh and serve them in salads for an extra crunch or try them dried in soups.

My six original plants survived years of benign neglect and are currently flourishing. Since that first purchase, I have added to my selection by buying more and also receiving some as gifts. I presently have fifteen plants ranging from a butter yellow cultivar to a red one that is almost black. Who knew that because of my original uninformed spontaneous purchase I would now have such worry-free colorful garden plants due in large part to wonderful daylilies.

Information Links:

Sunset climate zones https://www.sunset.com/garden/climate-zones/sunset-climate-zones-california-nevada

American Daylily Society https://daylilies.org/

Pests of daylilies https://www.daylilies.org/ahs_dictionary/pests.html

Diseases of daylilies https://www.daylilies.org/ahs_dictionary/diseases.html

Plants for the future-edible info https://pfaf.org/user/cmspage.aspx?pageid=63

During Napa County's shelter in place directive that protects everyone's health and safety, 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: All photos by Mel Kendall

Public Value: UCANR: Promoting healthy people and communities

Comments: 1

UCANR: Protecting California's natural resources

Removed the Pool - Now What?

Published on: June 15, 2020

by Mel Kendall

Goodby to the pool

Last fall my husband and I decided to remove our in-ground pool. With the pool now gone our power bill has dropped exponentially. On the expected but not fully realized side is the resulting void. My goodness, that's a lot of dirt! As I stood in what used to be a 9-foot diving well I observed the expanse of "nothingness" and the panic set in! Now what?

Fortunately, I had used my UC Master Gardener training and had done some preliminary planning prior to this panic attack. The UC Master Gardeners have created a link on their website entitled “Step by Step Garden Design.” This link was created to use as a resource on how to take a step by step approach to garden design and thus help avoid yard design dilemmas.

During the process of the pool removal I had created a draft design plan using the information from this link. I think I used a ream of paper creating multiple draft design plans until I came up with one that my husband and I both agreed was doable.I also perused the internet and ‘cut and pasted' multiple examples of pictures and how-to instructions of different ideas and plans that we liked, and created a dream list to use as visual examples as we moved forward. So, as I hyperventilated in the now filled in diving well, I took my researched materials, got a grip on my anxiety and got to work.

The area consists of compacted soil approximately 40 feet wide by 70 feet long. After the pool debris was removed the area was filled with construction dirt, not a good growing medium, and rocks. Our design goal is to create ‘rooms' or areas in the garden to sit, relax and enjoy the different views. A pergola area would provide seating on a paver surface, a faux creek that drained into a rain garden would accommodate any excess drainage created by the pool removal and the resulting changes in elevation, a small garden shed and potting area would be my work and general puttering area and last but not least, a small meditation labyrinth would be installed.

Blank slate

One of the benefits of a plan as described in the UCMG Step by Step Garden Design information is the creation of a logistics or “what to do when” chart. On the logistics chart we created number one was to walk the area and generally get an idea of what goes where. I walked the area and paced out the general location for each future installation using a sharp stick to temporarily score the surface. I then measured and marked the correct dimensions for each area using spray paint, stakes and string.

Our first big purchase was the potting shed structure. Once that was installed, we were ready to buy the trees for the area. These two items were first because they serve as anchors for the entire landscape and to provide perspective and scale to the overall plan.

We wanted to begin with more mature trees so they would give immediate impact. Our selections included trees that, once established, had low water requirements, provided color in the spring with flowers and were deciduous so that the area would open up during the winter months and allow more light into the house. Using extensively researched tree preferences in hand I visited a local tree farm to choose the perfect specimens. I discovered tree selection is like looking at wallpaper–overwhelming. Luckily, a friend helped who is also landscape designer. After touring acres of trees in pots ranging from large to enormous, having multiple conversations with my friend and the resident arborist about siting each tree, and considering surrounding influences I came away with three beautiful specimens. None of them bore any resemblance to the trees that were on my original wish list.

We came up with some beauties, though. For the area around the pergola and adjacent to the master bedroom we chose a maple called Acer ‘Warrenred' PACIFIC SUNSET^®. It grows to 30 feet tall by 25 feet wide, is round and has a small "Canadian flag" shaped maple leaf with brilliant fall color. This deciduous tree offers the desired summer shade and winter light with only a fall leaf cleanup required.

Trees in place

Near the potting shed we selected a tree that I had never heard of before, a Grace Smoke Tree, Cotinus x 'Grace'. This deciduous tree has beautiful rounded purplish leaves that glow golden with purple edges when the sun shines through them and, because of their rounded shape, flutter gracefully in the wind. This tree's growth habit is an upright oval shape, 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide. It will be perfect for camouflaging and shading the potting shed area. A bonus of this tree is its unique flowers in the spring. One of the reasons it was named “Smoke Bush” is because of these wonderful tiny blooms that extend all around the canopy in a nimbus looking like a smoke halo. It offers color all season and flowers in spring.

The last tree, I chose for whimsy, Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Twisty Baby'.™ How can you not like a tree called twisty baby? Commonly called "Twisty Baby Black Locust" this tree makes me smile just looking at it. The trunk is just like its name suggests, twisty, and it has tiny bright green leaves in clumps that shimmy in the wind. It will be used in our landscape as a focal point near the proposed faux creek and will only grow to about 10 feet tall with a possible canopy spread of 12 feet.

When the trees were delivered, we placed them in the approximate area of the yard where they would eventually be planted and waited. Waiting a little while allows you to change their placement. We moved the trees around for about a week until we found the perfect location. Then, in the ground they went following the guidelines provided by the nursery. With trees in the ground, a whole new perspective was created and necessitated revamping our plans somewhat. That's okay; this is a process after all.

The trees are planted and we are ready to move on to the next step. Stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks as we continue our yard redo adventure.

Informational links:

UC Master Gardeners of Napa County, Step by Step Garden Design http://napamg.ucanr.edu/GardenDesign/

Acer ‘Warrenred' PACIFIC SUNSET^®https://www.jfschmidt.com/pdfs/pacificsunsetmaple.pdf

Grace Smoke Tree Cotinus x 'Grace'

UC Master Gardeners Sonoma County http://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/Plant_of_the_Month/Cotinus/

Robinia pseudoacacia 'Twisty Baby'™

Oregon State https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/robinia-pseudoacacia-twisty-baby

UC Master Gardeners of Tulare & King Counties

Tree Planting Tips https://ucanr.edu/sites/UC_Master_Gardeners/files/23463.pdf

Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.

Photo credits: All photos by Mel Kendall

Public Value: UCANR: Protecting California's natural resources

Focus Area Tags: Yard & Garden

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UCANR: Protecting California's natural resources

Butterflies on Mt. Veeder

Published on: May 30, 2020

Cynthia Kerson

Yellow Swallowtail

I have Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian) in my front yard, a perennial in the Valerianaceae family. This drought-tolerant, sun-loving plant flowers most of the summer if you trim it at the stem axis of spent flowers. It makes great cut flowers. If watered too much, it becomes water-logged and heavy and the plants aren't as attractive. I have it at the walkway up to my front door and can see it from my front room window.

It seeds easily – so easily that it can be invasive if you don't pull up seedlings; it'll easily become a weed in neighboring beds. If you regularly pull the seedlings, and keep it contained, it makes for a colorful, lively focal point. Plant Right, an invasive plant alliance classifies Red valerian as a “Plant to Watch." Plant Right tells us "red valerian is popular for mediterranean gardens, and seems to be more of a roadside weed than a serious threat to California's ecosystems. It has not become naturalized in less disturbed habitats. Therefore, we decided that the risk from this plant is too low to add it to the plant list, and having it as a Plant to Watch is sufficient.”

Northern Checkerspot

It's lively because butterflies are attracted to the nectar of this plant. The butterfly larvae develop in woodlands, which makes this patch of Red Valerian convenient for them since I live on Mt. Veeder. Quite a few types of butterflies tend to nosh on this plant. I was able to capture three of them. They are Western Tiger Yellow Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus), female Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor), and Northern Checkerspot (Chlosyne palla)¹, all photographed here at the plants on my property*. There were other types of butterflies, but they escaped my lens, making it difficult for me to identify them.

The Western Tiger Yellow Swallowtail is found along the West coast from British Columbia to Baja California; this one is a female as observed by the 4 stripes on each wing and a crevice between the upper and lower wings. They have a wingspan of 3-4” and are especially attracted towards flowers of this coloration².

Pipevine Swallowtail

Named for its preferred larval-stage habitat and munchies – the pipe vine³, the Pipevine Swallowtail, is a butterfly with a wingspan of about 2 ½ -5” that shows up in California in the spring and early summer. These butterflies feed from many flowers, from azalea to verbenas⁴. The ones I photographed must be females since they don't have the signature iridescent blue lower wings that the males do. They lay their eggs on the pipe vine. Pipevine (Aristolochia californica) is a native woodland deciduous vine. It can be a great contribution to a garden if hoping to attract these butterflies⁵. Curiously, because pipevine is poisonous to humans, it makes the larvae and butterflies poisonous to us as well⁶.

The Northern Checkerspot is found throughout the Western coast (including as far North as Canada) and through the midwestern states as well. It's the smallest of the three I caught pictures of, with a wingspan of only about 1 ½ inches. Their main habitats are coastal chaparral, open woodlands, and streamsides⁷.

Butterflies are pollinators, eat weeds, and (sadly) provide food to birds, spiders, lizards, and small animals. They usually only last up to a month when they die of old age if not already eaten. Attracting and supporting butterflies, as well as other pollinators (bees and hummingbirds) will keep your micro-ecosystem in check⁸.

* (For the gardener who, like me, is also into photography, I used my Nikon D7200 with a 80-200 telephoto lens set to shutter priority of 1,000^th/sec. so I could capture them without wing flutter.)

Informational links:

Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian)

Missouri Botanical Gardens

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b950

A note of caution about Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian)

Plantright.org https://plantright.org/watch/centranthus-ruber/

Aristolochia californica (Dutchmans Pipe) Calscape-California Native Plant Society

https://calscape.org/Aristolochia-californica-(Dutchmans-Pipe)

Butterfly info

1 UC Davis- Dr. Art Sharpiro prof http://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/

2 UC ANR blogs-The Bug Squad-Author-Kathy Keatley Garvey July 2019

https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=30787

3 NABA- North American Butterfly Assn. http://nababutterfly.com/pipevine-pipe-dream-project/

4 UCMG Napa Co.-Author-Penny Pawl March 2020 https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=39602

5 Pipevine plant source https://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/90--aristolochia-californica

6 https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=17456

7 Butterflies & Moths of North America https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Chlosyne-palla

8 Sciencing.com https://sciencing.com/what-do-butterflies-do-environment-4580181.html

Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.

Photo credits: All photos by Cynthia Kerson

Public Value: UCANR: Protecting California's natural resources

Focus Area Tags: Environment

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