by Mel Kendall

The focus of our new landscape was to create a low-maintenance pollinator magnet. Our research pointed us to the philosophy that what we planted had to have these two characteristics: low or no maintenance during the winter and summer and the requirement for only a few dedicated workdays in the spring and fall. The pollinators have arrived in droves, featuring multiple kinds of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

The fall of 2021 was our first year of fall maintenance. I use the words ‘installed' instead of ‘completed' because, in the words of a wise UC Master Gardener friend, “a garden is never completed, it evolves.” I have mentioned my preference for deciduous trees because they have set times for debris dispersal. Evergreen trees seem to be a constant maintenance issue with their leaf, flower, fruit and bark debris dropping on a continual basis. As a result, our trees are deciduous, but the shrubs are either evergreen or deciduous, depending on where they are in the landscape. The plants are chosen for their constant color and coverage. They have been working all summer producing their various raisons d'être: regular flower production for pollinators and ongoing green leaves that cover and protect the soil while providing constant color. Each of these plants has some basic maintenance, but not too much, keeping with our low-maintenance theme. 

- Daylilies (Hemerocallis) Some are deciduous and some are evergreen. All produce flowers on a regular basis and require little or no upkeep.  Removal of spent blooms and stems (called deadheading) on a regular basis and an early spring removal of dead leaves from the previous year's growth is all that's required.

- Red-hot poker (Kniphofia uvaria) We have three varieties of these plants and are very satisfied with their performance in the landscape.  All three are evergreen and produce long stems with flowers on a rotating basis. These plants fulfill their low-maintenance requirement admirably, only requiring removal of spent stems, blooms and leaves as needed. 

- Lantana (Lantana camara) Evergreen and virtually maintenance free. To encourage reblooming, deadhead periodically. To contain overgrown plants just cut back a third of the plant's growth in the spring.

- Gaillardia- (Gaillardia spp.) Amazing flower power contained in each plant. Deadheading as needed will ensure their continued explosion of flowers. They are herbaceous, with leaves that die back in the fall and reemerge in the spring.  Each plant should be cut back to 6 inches from the ground in the fall. 

- Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) Spring and summer care consists mainly of pruning. When new spring growth emerges in spring, cut the old stems back to just above the lowest set of leaves. If the plant begins to sprawl in the summer, cut off the top one-third of the stems to encourage more upright growth. If the plant stops blooming in summer, remove the top half of the branches to encourage new growth and a fresh flush of flowers.

- Roses (Rosa spp.) Roses usually don't go completely dormant in our climate zone but wait until late winter before pruning. Remove all the old leaves, prune out weak, spindly or diseased canes at the base, remove any canes crossing through the center, then prune remaining canes back by one-third to one-half.

- Bulbine (Bulbine frutescens) An evergreen globular plant that blooms nearly all year long.  Removing the spent flower stalks periodically to neaten their appearance is all that is needed.

Fall brings leaf drop in our deciduous trees and shrubs. After the leaves have fallen, we can see all the branches, making it easier to prune for shape and maintenance. The trumpet vines (Campsis radicans) growing on the fence only require thinning and cutting off any shoots that have outgrown their designated areas.  If allowed, these vines have the potential to “take over” and possibly overburden the fence, so thinning and maintaining is a must.

The trees, depending on their growth habit, required some thinning and shaping to allow them to fill out areas as desired.  Our maple, Acer ‘Warrenred' PACIFIC SUNSET^® is growing perfectly, both in height and canopy width.  For now, we are leaving it alone. The smoke tree (Cotinus x 'Grace') sent out long branches all over the canopy that were cut back to their origin points after some research on how to prune them. Keep in mind that continued hard pruning will affect flower production, but will control the tree's size.  Our black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Twisty Baby'™) grew exponentially this last year.  After the leaves dropped, we were able to see the branches simplifying our pruning plans. We wanted to bring the branches up from the ground and thin them so the tree stayed the same height, but with a thinner and more open canopy.  As mentioned, this tree grows aggressively, so it will probably need more than cursory “finger pruning” of new growth.  

The first year of our new landscape has gone well, and we'll see how the plants we pruned this fall recover in the spring.  Hopefully, we didn't go too overboard and kill anything.  Regardless, we learned a lot about each plant and had fun doing this chore. Gardening in any form is always delightful for me, so excuse me while I don my gardening attire and head out to enjoy another day in my own special secret garden.

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

References:

American Daylily Society https://daylilies.org/

Missouri Botanical Garden-Kniphofia uvaria

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=i310

UC IPM-Lantana http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/lantana.html

Monrovia -Gaillardiahttps://www.monrovia.com/sunset-snappy-blanket-flower.html

-Bulbine https://www.monrovia.com/orange-stalked-bulbine.html

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

 

by Melody Kendall

Be careful what you wish for... the full saying is from Aesop's Fables and fully stated is: “Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true!” I have often heard this saying and its cautionary tale is applicable in many areas in my life experience over the years. Most recently, it is relevant to my gardening experience. Do you feel when you visit a friend's garden and/or a botanical garden finding yourself covetous of an area or the entire garden?  Then, when you implement a similar arrangement of plants and/or a complete duplication of the garden in your landscape, you find it doesn't match your expectations or plans?

My tales began five years ago.  I saw a wonderful waterfall-like display of morning glory flowers (Ipomoea purpurea or Convolvulus purpureus) in a friend's garden.  This wonderful fall of brightly colored blooms filled an entire area of the landscape and completely covered a broken-down old fence. My friend waxed eloquently about this plant's ability to self-seed and said that she had not needed to do any maintenance to acquire this amazing display.  I had to have some.  Purchasing some morning glory seeds and distributing them liberally in the chosen area of my landscape I waited anxiously for my own waterfall of morning glories. The first year I was disappointed by the display as it was rather sparse.  Now, five years later, I am fighting back the plants with a machete. Not really, but the morning glory plants pop up all over my landscape. Adding to the excitement, these plants climb on everything with virtually unbreakable vines that trip me at every chance. A good thing to note is that I have found that the tough shelled seeds, once thought to be toxic to birds, are in fact a food for songbirds and the nectar from the late blooming flowers provide food for pollinators, particularly hummingbirds.  To avoid “waterfalls” of these crazy growers all over my landscape I'm reduced to pulling out the seedlings everywhere before they start climbing. The morning glory plant is listed on the UC IPM Weed Gallery list — need I say more?

You might think that with all the time spent fighting the morning glory wars I would not have had time to get myself in plant trouble again.  Not so.  I was looking for a ground cover to fill in around some pavers and liked the look of Potentilla neumanniana ‘Nana.'  The plant filled the areas between the pavers within a year but, unfortunately, didn't stop there.  Recently, I pulled out some specimens in my rose garden forty feet away.  Plus, each year it gets a rust fungus that kills large swaths of them and is really unsightly.  These plants are good for bees, but not me.  I had come to believe the “poten” part of potentilla means it is a very potent ability to grow.  Instead, the genus name from Latin potens meaning “powerful” is in reference to the reputed medicinal properties of the plant. I like my definition better.

My brother lives on Vancouver Island, lucky him, and I visit every year.  I absolutely love the flowers and foliage that grow abundantly in the pacific northwest wonderland.  Their weather is much cooler and wetter than ours, but I still wanted to try some of their plants in my garden.  One of my favorites is the Oriental Poppy (Papaver orientale) and I succumbed to the urge and purchased some seeds. The seeds are very small, and I needed glasses to divide and distribute them evenly. The first year I wasn't impressed with their germination, maybe 1 in 20 grew. Without flowers the plants look very much like weeds.  When my daughter visited, she asked if I was having back problems. When I looked at her with a perplexed expression, she said she figured I must have a good reason for leaving all those weeds in the garden. We are entering the second year and, my goodness, the seeds that languished last year have decided to get off the duff and go gangbusters.  I now have what looks like a flourishing weed crop.  I can only hope that these plants produce the wonderful flowers. The cautionary portion is that I over-seeded the tiny seeds and thickly growing plants are the result of my overzealous broadcasting. Keep that in mind if you decide to grow them.

One final example will end my tale.  We have fences surrounding our city lot and in the interest of privacy and background greenery we planted star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) vines all along the perimeter.  For some reason these Star Jasmine died out in a couple of years, the reason never diagnosed, so we decided on the potato vine (Solanum jasminoides) as a replacement.  As a privacy screen and color the choice was a good one. The maintenance requirements are a nightmare. We have to cut it back aggressively almost every month, and in the spring and summer sometimes weekly.  Perhaps I should have thought more about the plant description comment ‘fast growing' when choosing this vine. 

Overall, I don't think that I would have done anything different in my garden.  Each of the above plants provide more pleasure than pain, but it would have been nice to be more aware of their growth habits going in. So, be careful what you wish for… lest it comes true. Things may not always turn out the way I had planned or envisioned in my garden, but I consistently learn something in the process. My advice, in hindsight, is to research, research research. I need to go out to my garden to pull up some of those pesky morning glory seedlings now.

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

References:

UC IPM-Morning glories http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/WEEDS/morningglories.html

Monroe Outdoors-Terry Johnson-Wildlife biologist http://www.mymcr.net/our_community/monroe-outdoors-morning-glories-can-be-pests-but-always-beautiful/article_4a119fcc-fdcb-11ea-97df-dbc1356b221f.html

Missouri Botanical Garden Potentilla https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=252641&isprofile=0&

Oriental Poppy https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderProfileResults.aspx?basic=Papaver%20orientale

UC IPM-rust http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/DISEASES/rusts.html

Monrovia Potato Vine https://www.monrovia.com/potato-vine.html

 

by Melody Kendall

We have finally received some rain.  My garden is loving the moisture.  Usually, I am out in the yard passing the time doing little chores every day.  When it rains that isn't as pleasant a prospect, though it does smell wonderful.  So, my eyes have turned to my garden shed and the tools within. 

During the year I have kept my garden shed reasonably organized but, bit to be honest, not very neat.  When I finish digging, I have just knocked the extra soil off the shovel and stuck it in the rack.  The sap on sticky pruners have received the same, or lack of, care. My gardening boots are crusted with soil and plant material and my gloves are dirty and frankly, stinky. All in all, the contents of the entire structure needs a thorough going through and clean out. Rainy days are perfect for this chore. 

Last Christmas my husband gave me a transistor radio. I didn't know they even existed anymore, but I love to use it when I'm in my garden and it is perfect in the enclosed confines of the shed. With the radio blasting I laid out all my cleaning supplies. The usual dust rag, window cleaner and broom take care of the floor, shelves, windows and frames. The cloth gardening gloves go in the laundry and the leather ones receive a good brushing and leather conditioner. My boots and shoes also get a good brushing and a wipe down with a damp cloth. They are stacked neatly in their correct storage locations in the shed.

For cleaning the tools I laid out some coarse sandpaper, sanding block/sponge, some steel wool, a wire brush (plus a rotary wire brush for stubborn rust spots), a pumice stone and a putty knife to scrape off any remaining dried soil. I also have a spray can of WD-40, and one of vegetable oil. I am trying out the vegetable oil instead of the usual WD-40 because it is biodegradable and thus better for the environment.  I plan on using WD-40 on half of the tools and vegetable oil on the other half and see the protection quality of each as the year progresses. I will report back as I gather that information. 

My shed is nice-sized, so I am able to lay out various hand tools on my workbench and the larger shovels and rakes on the newspaper lined floor. I disassemble the ones with moving parts one at a time; in one case I had to go online to see how to take that tool apart.  Each hand tool is laid out on a clean towel, the component parts all in a line with the smaller pieces in a container.  Unless I take that precaution, small parts have a tendency, around me anyway, to roll away and disappear for all eternity.

Every tool is cleaned and dried sap, soil and any rust is removed from the metal surfaces using the sandpaper, wire brush and steel wool.  Stubborn spots are hit with the pumice stone and rotary wire brush. 

After each tool is clean I wipe all surfaces, including the handles, with a clean cloth.  If the handles are fiberglass the wiping down suffices.  If the handles are wood, I sand out any splinters or roughness and wipe them down with linseed oil. 

They are now for sharpening them.  I believe that tools should be sharpened regularly, preferably after each use.  But, as mentioned above, there were times that I just returned the tool to storage and walked away without tending them.  Years ago, I used a sharpening stone or whetstone, but a few years ago I found a great handy-dandy sharpening tool that fits perfectly in my pocket and is much easier to use. I'm truly embarrassed  that I didn't use this easier to use tool more frequently. Each cutting edge will require the use of the sharpening tool.  I like to run my sharpener two or three times along the surface of the blade from the handle to the edge in a continuous swipe.

Here are some examples of types of blades on hand tools:

Bypass blade, those with a blade that uses a scissors movement to pass next to, not on top of, the lower surface. The edge to be sharpened is on the beveled surface or the outside of the moving blade, not the inside. Sharpening the inside of the blade would eventually make the space between the blades grow larger due to the minute scraping off of the metal as you sharpen. 

Anvil blade tools feature a double beveled edge or a two sided blade that connects with a single flat surface/blade in a chopping motion.  Both sides of the moving blade will need sharpening. Hone both sides so they have an equal bevel.

There is much controversy about the preferred blade style.  Personally, I prefer the bypass style. 

The shovels, rakes and hoes really don't need much sharpening. The working surfaces of these tools will just need a visual check for any folded over metal surfaces.  If that has occurred, use a flat edged file or coarse sharpening stone to dress the edge back to true.  I sometimes run the sharpening tool along the working edge (example on a shovel the ‘working edge' is on the scoop side of the blade) to make sure that the surface doesn't have any pits or flat areas.  My Dad taught me this next step.  I spray each shovel and hoe blade with flat black spray paint. I like the way it makes all the tools look neat and it also protects the blade from rust. Plus, I have good memories of doing it with my Dad.  

I reassemble the hand tools and wipe all the tools' metal surfaces with either the WD-40 or vegetable oil.  I make a notation as to which tool I use which oil on for my records. 

All that remains is to store the tools in their assigned slots and ‘voila' my shed and tools are cleaned, organized and ready to go come spring. Another rainy day was spent being productive and, because I was inside the shed, the neighbors didn't have to listen to or, worse yet, see my wild gyrations as I rocked out to my music. 

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:

The Farmer Fred Rant Blog-Chuck Ingelshttp://farmerfredrant.blogspot.com/2009/08/anvil-versus-bypass-pruners-some.html

UCMG Santa Clara-Tool Care https://mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu/garden-help/tool-care-tips/ 

Cornell Cooperative Extension-Caring for your Tools https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/cwas/files/2013/01/Caring_for_Your_Tools.pdf

 

 

by Melody Kendall

After working an hour or so doing some fall pruning in my garden, the song ‘Oops I did it again' came to mind as I rushed into the house for a quick wash on my itching arms. It seems every time I work in my garden I forget that the gaillardia plant is a skin irritant. After one such recurring ‘oops' moment I decided to do some research to see what other common landscape plants might cause similar skin discomfort when being nurtured.  

In my garden alone there are quite a few………

- Ranunculus and anemones are usually some of the first to bloom in my garden. The whole ranunculus family, when injured, secrete a toxin called protoanemonin. This toxin could cause a rash and itching and as possibly blisters on contact. 

- Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) are one of the few food crops that we grow.  The leaves and fruit might cause a skin reaction and the fruit, when consumed, could cause a skin rash as well.

- Chrysanthemums are a new addition to my landscape.  The sap contains the phytochemical compound alantolactone, which can irritate skin on contact and increase sensitivity to sunlight.

- The various agapanthus in our garden could cause dermatitis as the juice or sap of these plants may cause a skin rash or irritation.

- The azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) pose a major toxicity issue if consumed. They contain toxins called grayanotoxins.

- Our new black locust ‘twisty baby' (Robinia pseudoacacia)presents quite a danger as the leaves, flowers, branches, seeds and bark contain the toxalbumins, robin and phasin. The trees themselves are considered invasive in some regions and a detriment to surrounding foliage because they are reputed to secret toxins in the soil that inhibit the growth of  the surrounding plants. This is called allelopathy which is the chemical inhibition of one plant (or other organism) by another, due to the release into the environment of substances acting as germination or growth inhibitors.

- The bougainvillea and roses have thorns to watch out for.

- The naked lady (Amaryllis belladonna L.) is always a plant that I consider to be a fun addition to my landscape. The plant's bulbs sprout bright green leaves in winter and early spring that then die back.  I am continually delighted when these plants then push up those wonderful ‘naked' stems topped with lovely flowers in summer. Watch out! All parts of this plant are poisonous if ingested.

- Our climbing plants the trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), clematis and star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) have sticky sap that cause skin irrigation, stain clothes and gum up tools.

- The sap from iris, poppy (Iris germanica), lily (Lilium) and daffodils (Narcissus) could cause a mild skin irritation

Looking around the neighborhood I found quite a few toxic examples as well……….

- Agave plants:  Many of these plants have thorns. Sometimes huge thorns. The juice or sap of these plants contains needle shaped oxalate crystals which can cause skin irritation and, if ingested, swelling of the throat and stomach upset.

- Allium plants: Don't eat the plants or the beautiful blooms as they might cause minor illness or vomiting.

- Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia): These are really toxic if any part of the plant is ingested. Doing so could require a quick run to the emergency room.

- Gingko tree (Ginkgo biloba): In your rush to remove this tree's extremely smelly fruit from the ground beneath the canopy be sure to wear gloves as the juice of the fruit might cause dermatitis.

- Lobelia plants: A double jeopardy where if you ingest the plant it is a major toxic hazard and if you get some of the sap on your skin you can get a rash.

- Solanaceous:  Plants-Many gardens contain plants from this family. The Angel's Trumpet above is only one of quite a large list.  These plants are notorious for being toxic, exceedingly so in some cases. But, on some of the plants only portions are toxic.  Tomato and potato plants are examples as the fruit of the tomato and the tuber of the potato are perfectly edible but the leaves and stems of both are highly toxic. Be aware.

- Poinsettia plants (Euphorbia pulcherrima)-This is a traditional Christmas plant.  Look out as the sap can cause skin irritation and don't nibble on the leaves or stems as they are a minor toxic hazard. 

- Pyracantha plants have those great red berries but don't eat them as they are mildly toxic and, if pruning the plants, wear gloves as the sap could make your skin react with a rash.

- Coast Redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens): There are quite a few of these trees in my neighborhood.  I had no idea that the leaves were a minor toxic hazard and that with contact the sap and leaves could cause a skin irritation.

- Oleander plants (Nerium oleander) are quite prevalent in older landscapes as they were a very popular "fill in" plant.  According to the National Institute of Health "all parts of the oleander plant are toxic and can cause severe illness or death, including the leaves, flowers, twigs, and stems. The plant is so poisonous that even drinking water from a vase holding a bloom can cause a severe reaction." This plant might not be a good one to include in your landscape and, if you intend to remove existing plants, dress appropriately!

All the plants on the above list are only a sampling of the possible plants that might cause a minor and/or major toxic reaction. At first blush, all this information might make you feel that you should be donning a hazmat suit when doing any yard work. But remember forewarned is forearmed. My advice is to read up on all the plants in your garden and plan each work session defensively. Being informed will have the added benefit of being able to ID all of your garden plants and be better able to care and maintain your landscape. 

I feel that there is more in the gardening plus column that far outweighs the negative column. There won't be radical changes in my gardening modus operandi.  Armed with all this information I will dress appropriately and carry on. Then, taking into consideration my memory issues, I can hopefully avoid any further ‘oops' moments. 

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:

UCANR-'Safe and poisonous garden plants'              https://ucanr.edu/sites/poisonous_safe_plants/files/154528.pdf