- Author: Christina Muller
- Editor: Noni Todd
Rethinking Roses
By Christina Muller Master Gardener
I’d like to plant roses but aren’t they too much trouble? Arthur, Oceano
Many gardeners believe that roses require a lot of water and regular herbicide applications to stay healthy but in fact, many roses are very tough plants. Wild roses occur throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arctic Circle to the Mojave Desert. If suitable varieties are chosen, they can thrive in gardens with little effort.
Roses come in many forms and can fill a number of different roles. A row of thorny roses can become a privacy barrier and provide nesting habitat for birds. A shrub can be a showy focal point with fragrant flowers lasting months. A large rambler can block an unfortunate view; while a climber can adorn an arbor or trellis.
On the coast, roses can fall prey to rust, mildew, and other diseases due to the humidity. Look for resistant varieties among modern roses, but don’t forget wild rose species and Old Garden Roses (OGRs). Many Chinas and Noisettes thrive in such conditions; some will flower nearly continuously in mild climates.
Hot, dry summers further inland mean less concern with disease and more concern with water conservation. Mulch will keep roots cool and slow moisture loss. Gardeners might also look to ‘found’ roses - those OGRs that have survived at abandoned homes and neglected cemeteries. One such rose is Harison’s Yellow, a fragrant climber known variously as the Oregon Trail Rose, Logtown Rose, Pioneer Rose and the Yellow Rose of Texas. It started as a chance seedling, was propagated and sold by a Long Island nursery, and then traveled west with settlers. It lives on in many areas of the west with no care at all.
Wildlife and native gardeners may wish to grow roses native to California and San Luis Obispo County, in particular. Most have sharp thorns, grow in thickets and will withstand some drought. Flowers are singular in shades of pink and most are fragrant. The hips which form in the fall will be enjoyed by birds and other wildlife.
- Author: Andrea Peck
- Editor: Noni Todd
Great Expectations
By Andrea Peck
There is no gardening without humility. Nature is constantly sending even its oldest scholars to the bottom of the class for some egregious blunder.
-Alfred Austin
It’s easy to get caught up in the work of the garden, the sheer joy of slaving on hands and knees, even with a little foam pad underneath your knees to protect them from the little pebbles and bits that make up a garden. Time may pass, if you have time, and you may look up into the dusk and find that you have weeded yourself into oblivion, even trimming a bit too much of this and that in your diligence. You stand for a better view, and from all the angles you can summon, given your bent posture and decrepit knees, you see that there is no better angle. It is as if you never planted a thing. The land, now barren, is only broken by non-fruiting plants and maybe if you are lucky, some type of leafy green vegetable or an outline of some dormant growth.
It is fall after all. The crisp light casts shadows on skeletons of trees and low dark spots.
It is slowing, we are slowing, and the garden is rehashing its purpose. Not all of us experience this predicament; some gardens hold up no matter what time of year, but if you grow annuals or edibles, you know what I mean. You wonder where all your hard work went as the sky turns grey into night and the night gets cold.
The slate, now blank, awaits consideration.
But it is in this work, this constancy, that the garden is most enjoyed. Learning takes place from our mistakes and blunders, our experimentations. Fervor overtakes us at times as we dig, getting into the soil, planting, waiting, finding out - will it grow? We are close to nature in these moments. Over time you develop a knack, and your gardening becomes an expression of your heart that others may not see; one that calls you onto those pathways that you made so that you could once again bend and toil, planting, harvesting, discovering.
Your garden, if you let it, will be another world to you. You may not have complete control as bugs and pests, and what is that fungus(!) confront you along the way. Nature has the last say. But let it be and let it grow and you will uncover a wild way to feel at peace.
Your expectations may be high as you envision manicured gardens that never deviate – but great expectations are prickly things that seldom soothe.
- Author: Andrea Peck
- Editor: Noni Todd
Holiday Herbs
By Andrea Peck Master Gardener
Q. I’d like to use culinary herbs in my holiday cooking, what can I grow in the garden?
Mary M. Atascadero
As you find yourself smack dab in the middle of the holiday season you may be pondering the idea of growing herbs in your own garden. Certainly fresh herbs would be nice as you tinker with recipes and sort through 5-year-old bottles of semi-green seasonings. Growing your own herbs is an easy extension of the gardening practice you currently indulge in and once you begin your own collection of herbs, you’ll likely find yourself eager to experiment. I must admit that having a little herbary in the yard makes for shorter shopping lists, fresher fare, and less money spent at the register. The exciting news is that herbs are easy to grow and make for attractive additions to the garden.
Herbs fall into three basic categories: annual, perennial and biennial. Annual herbs include anise, basil, coriander and dill. Perennial herbs include chives, fennel, lovage, marjoram, mint, rosemary, lemon verbena, lemon grass and thyme. Examples of biennial herbs are caraway, parsley and sage. Depending on your climate, annuals may sometimes take on a more perennial growth habit.
When planting herbs, it is important to select a good site, preferably one that is close to the kitchen. Place plants in a sunny spot that drains well. Herbs prefer loamy soil with a pH around 6.0 to 7.0. Don’t over fertilize herbs as this tends to create excess growth and deplete flavor. In areas where freezing is common, potting plants in containers can be a solution. Many herbs grow happily in containers provided the soil drains well.
A designated herb bed may be your first inclination, but when you see how pretty most herbs are, you may opt to plant them along borders in and among other edibles and ornamentals with similar sun and water needs.
During the holiday season, herbs have many uses beyond cooking. Create oil infusions and savory salts or fragrant sugars with herbs such as rosemary and lavender. Build a pungent herb wreath or simply trim your rosemary bush into the shape of a Christmas tree and decorate away.
- Author: Andrea Peck
- Editor: Noni Todd
Jack And Jill In The Garden
By Andrea Peck
I recently had a most disturbing conversation with a man regarding an opossum. It seems his dog barked at the opossums that visited his yard and he had gotten quite adept ‘with a shovel.’ There was a swinging motion that accompanied his statement that made the fate of the opossum clear.
As a wanna-be-vegan, I was appalled.
I know, I know, creatures large and small can be a total nuisance in the yard. The dog barks, the baby is trying to sleep, the neighbor complains. We all know that moment when we, too, could be good with a shovel.
The opossum tends to get the short end of the stick, however. Their lack of hair and beady eyes don’t help their case. It’s like they are bald mafia rats. They move so slowly. Their mouths are strange and teethy, like a beaky skeleton. And what’s with the playing dead thing? Shouldn’t an animal be quick and sleek?
You don’t hear the same distaste when it comes to raccoons, who actually are a true nuisance. Instead we tell funny anecdotes about them, how they look straight at you as if they are sizing you up. A raccoon would never play dead! He is too cool to play dead. No, the raccoon is a thug if ever there was one, but we love him for his outrightness, his boldness and his superhero mask.
The truth lies somewhere in between.
The fact is that opossums are not obese rats. Opossums hold a special place as North America’s only marsupial. They eat snails and bugs. On occasion, they eat rodents.
They have been blamed for knocking over trash cans and causing other disturbances in the night, such as eating your chickens. But, it is usually the wily raccoon or another predator that is to blame. By the time your opossum wanders over to catch a few freebies (and who can blame him) the real culprit is gone and the unwitting opossum gets the blame.
Opossums are non-threatening animals, but if you run into one and it hisses and drools, just remember that it is telling you to stay away; it has no real violent tendencies. Rabies is very rare amongst this peaceful group.
To prevent your home and garden from becoming the local opossum party headquarters, it is best to make access to food, such as pet food, trash, compost and fallen fruit, inaccessible to the critters. This way they will have no reason to invade in their slow, zombie-like manner.
If you can handle them wandering about your yard during the evening (they are nocturnal) then just leave them be, they tend to move on and don’t stay in one locale for more than a few days.
*A female opossum is referred to as a Jill. The male is called a Jack.
- Author: Terri Sonleitner Law
- Editor: Noni Todd
Winter Chores Workshop
By Terri Sonleitner Law Master Gardener
Q: I enjoy spending time out in the yard, but I have to admit I really don’t know a whole lot about gardening. What things should I be doing now? Cassandra, San Luis Obispo
There are many garden tasks that can be done over the coming months to make for a better garden with healthier plants next spring. Luckily for us all, the winter months in our area are relatively mild, so this is an important time to get outside, do some clean up and get your yard or garden ready for spring.
Winter garden tasks center around four basic areas: winter watering adjustments, garden care and clean up, vegetable gardening, and tool maintenance. First off, in our arid climate, it’s important to know how to properly adjust your watering schedule and winterize your irrigation system.
Garden care and clean up includes getting rid of fallen leaves and other garden debris, knowing what should be composted and what needs to be recycled as green waste, winter lawn care, and what types of mulch to use and how to place mulch correctly. Pruning some perennial landscape plants can be done in the winter, but others must wait for spring.
If you have a vegetable garden, you will want to know which crops you can grow over the winter, and the many things you can do in the garden to make your soil better for next year’s garden.
Lastly, you might also want to know about garden tool maintenance and storage of those tools for the winter.
If all of this seems overwhelming, the University of California Master Gardener educators stand ready to help! We have many pertinent articles about gardening on our website: http://ucanr.org/sites/mgslo/
The UC Master Gardeners will be giving a free Advice to Grow By workshop on “Winter Chores” on Saturday, November 16th from 10:00AM-12 Noon at the Garden of the Seven Sisters, our demonstration garden. We will meet in the auditorium adjacent to the garden at 2156 Sierra Way in San Luis Obispo.