By Denise Seghesio Levine, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
Gardens can be a lot of work. So I appreciate the many volunteers that make my dream of having beautiful garden flowers without 24/7 attention. I love volunteers.
This time of year, while my vegetable seedlings are just starting to settle in and newly planted perennials are starting to get their legs, patches of gold and orange flowers welcome me to my morning garden work. Calendulas (Calendula officinalis) planted from a six-pack a few summers ago burst into sunshiny blooms on their own schedule now in early spring. One six-pack has grown to a ten-foot patch in the garden while other flower seedlings on the deck are not quite ready to plant.
Also called pot marigold or Scotch marigold, calendulas are part of the Asteraceae, or aster family, with daisy-like petals. The blooms are usually a deep, rich golden orange, although some varieties come in a warm palette of bright yellow to soft apricot. Calendulas are hardy and pest free and bloom in my garden almost all year. Give them a couple of inches of water a week in the hottest part of summer, and keep flowers picked to prolong bloom. If they get really out of bounds, cut them back by half after bloom, give them a good drink and they will start all over again.
Calendulas may slow down during the hottest months, but they quickly revive when the weather cools. Historically calendulas have been used for many purposes, from skin care to dyeing fabric to cooking. Each year my volunteer calendulas come back stronger, more prolific and more colorful than ever. Most garden pests don't like them, so you can use them to protect your vegetables.
Nigella (Nigella damascena) is another prolific self sower and a noteworthy addition to the garden patch. Part of the buttercup family, Nigella has wispy foliage and celestial airy blossoms, most commonly in sky blue but also available in pink, lavender and white. Despite its delicate appearance, Nigella is a tough, drought-resistant plant. At the end of its growing cycle it produces a lantern-like seed pod that adds interest to floral arrangements. Its common name is love-in-a-mist. The seeds from Nigella sativa, known as black cumin at the spice store, add an oniony cumin flavor to dishes and are treasured by Indian cooks.
Nigella self-sows readily, or you can harvest the pods, trek around the garden and squeeze the lantern-like seed receptacles into the air to sow new patches where you want them. Happy in full sun to partial shade, Nigella needs good drainage but not much else. You can buy seeds now or purchase a six-pack to get a head start on your volunteer garden for next year.
And let us not forget the generously self-sowing forget-me-nots. With cheerful true-blue flowers and a bright yellow eye in the center, forget-me-nots (Myosotis) make a wonderful ground cover. They are also lovely in overflowing pots and make charming teapot bouquets. Carpeting the ground with six-inch soft green foliage and cheerful, carefree flowers, forget-me-nots can brighten a shady or tree-covered corner. They produce foliage the first year and, like biennials, flower and go to seed the second year. One source describes their self-sowing proclivity as “wanton” and warns that once you have forget-me-nots, you will never forget them. They might turn out to be pests, but hey, they are volunteers.
Can you have too much of a good thing? Absolutely. That may be why so many prolific self-sowing annuals are listed as weeds in the University of California Weed Identification book.
But a weed is really just a plant where you do not want it. Luckily, seedlings from most of these plants are easy to eradicate if they are overwhelming you or nearby plantings or are just where you would rather see something else growing. Uproot seedlings while they are still small, or carefully dig and transplant them to another location, planting them as deeply as they were before.
You can always control proliferating volunteers and spread the wealth to other areas or to friends by collecting seeds at the end of the season. Store seeds, carefully labeled, in a cool, dry place.
The UC Master Gardeners are volunteers who provide UC research-based information on home gardening and answer your questions. To find out more about upcoming programs or to ask a garden question, visit the Master Gardener website (http://napamg.ucanr.edu) or call (707) 253-4221 between 9 a.m. and noon on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays.
Next workshop: “Rose Care” on Saturday, June 1, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., at the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. For more details & online Registration go to http://napamg.ucanr.edu or call 707-253-4221.
The UC Master Gardeners are volunteers who provide UC research-based information on home gardening and answer your questions. To find out more about upcoming programs or to ask a garden question, visit the Master Gardener website (http://napamg.ucanr.edu) or call (707) 253-4221 between 9 a.m. and noon on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays.
By Denise Levine, U. C. Master Gardener of Napa County
Usually I peruse December seed catalogs for tried-and-true selections or interesting newcomers in the vegetable and flower sections. But after growing statice for the first time this year, I am examining the everlasting options more thoroughly. Everlastings are flowers, grasses and foliage that are easily dried for use in arrangements, wreaths, decorations and crafts.
I decided to grow Limonium sinuatum, also known as statice or sea lavender, when a friend gave me a packet of seeds. Seedlings came up in pots pretty quickly but then languished as I tried to find time and space to plant them in the garden. In late July I finally planted the almost root-bound seedlings in a bed generously amended with leaf mold and compost. Then I read that statice prefers sandy soil. And still they grew.
Within a few weeks, the plants had begun forming generous rosettes of serrated leaves. Soon the first spires of blossoms began to form. As they reached maturity and began to bloom, each plant revealed different colored blossoms. Clear yellow, papery blossoms on winged stems were the first to open, and deep purple blossoms with white eyes were next to unfurl.
As the blossoming continued, the bed filled with statice in shades of apricot, bright pink, soft lavender and bright, clean white. Before long, each plant measured a good foot across, with stems and blossoms reaching as high. Butterflies teased the colorful blossoms all summer, entertaining us but disturbing garden spiders in residence.
Limonium sinuatum is classified as a tender perennial but often grown as an annual and replaced every year. I am treating mine as a perennial this year. When I have harvested the last of the papery blossoms and hung them upside down in bunches to dry, I will dig the plants out of the crowded bed and replant them with more elbow room to stretch out and bloom again next year. They look too healthy and robust to be finished. Statice is clearly not difficult to grow.
Harvesting statice and other everlasting flowers for drying is simple. For the best-quality dried flowers, cut in the morning. Make sure morning dew and any moisture are completely gone. Plants should be dry before you cut. Harvesting damp plants not only increases the drying time but also increases the chance of mold or mildew developing. No one wants moldy flowers. Johnny's Selected Seeds has complete directions for air-drying cut flowers on its website (http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-dried-flowers-instructions-slideshow.aspx).
Other colorful everlasting options include Gomphrena, or globe amaranth, which comes in purple, pink, red, white and violet; and Celosia, or cockscomb, in reds, oranges and golden colors. Other flowers can be dried, including roses, hydrangeas and, of course, strawflowers. The main criterion is to choose flowers or plants with relatively low moisture content.
Dried grasses from simple to dramatic can be used by themselves or to add interest to fresh or dried flower arrangements. Check your favorite nursery or garden center for grasses that do well here. If you enjoy starting plants from seed, consider the selection of gorgeous grasses available from Johnny's Selected Seeds. From ‘Frosted Explosion,' a silvery, feathery, ethereal plant, to ‘Purple Majesty,' a deep burgundy millet that adds shine to holiday and autumnal decor, there are grasses that dry beautifully for every occasion.
Some everlasting flowers, grasses and foliage need warm weather to germinate, but some can be planted throughout the coming cooler months. Read seed packets carefully.
Many everlastings have a long bloom time and can be cut and enjoyed as fresh flowers. Some are treasured for their seed pods or final blossoms. Nigella, also called love-in-a-mist, provides lovely blossoms all season long in white, blue or pink. Left on the stem, the blossoms mature into black- or cream-colored pods prized by floral arrangers. Lunaria, also known as silver dollar plant, moon or money plant, produces silvery or golden papery moons on a graceful stem.
Foliage often dries well. If you are drawn to everlastings and enjoy having materials to work with for wreaths, arrangements and gifts, you can find information online about dessicants for drying and glycerin for preserving leaves and some flowers. Visit nurseries for seeds and seedlings of perennials to plant now. By spring they will be well established, and you will be on your way to next year's everlastings.
Workshop: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will host a workshop on “Creating Holiday Wreaths” on Sunday, December 11, from noon to 3 p.m., at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street, Yountville. Learn what plants in your garden could make good wreaths for decorating. Learn how to choose and prepare plant materials so they will look good for a long time. Learn tips and tricks for designing and making easy wreaths for the holidays or any time. Participants will create their own wreath to take home, made from locally collected plant materials. $20 for Yountville residents; $23 for non-residents. Register with Yountville Parks & Recreation or call 707-944-8712.
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.