- Author: Mike Gunther
Our green hills are gone
Replaced with dry yellow grasses
Up to us to prevent fires
- Author: Lanie Keystone
For years, I have been buying flowers with Peruvian lilies in the bouquet because those beautiful “lilies” last and last for at least two weeks. I have longed to grow them myself and have coveted any neighbor who has the good fortune to grow them in their own front yards. Alas, I've never grown any myself…until now! Two months ago, my husband and I moved to wonderful Dixon—and low and behold, when we walked up the front walk of our new home, there they were—exquisite, pink Peruvian lilies—right in my own front yard!
After my initial excitement of being greeted by these happy flowers, I decided to do a little research to make sure I keep them growing and thriving. Peruvian “lilies” are also known as Lily of the Incas or Princess Lilly. They are of the Alstroemeria genus, are not actually true lilies at all. But, because their blooms extend up from clustered spear-like foliage, they resemble lilies in many ways. Natives of South America, (Argentina and Chile), they come in the most vivid shades of yellow, orange, pink, red, white, and purple and seem to be sun-kissed with distinctive warm brown “freckles”. Besides being elegant and long lasting in bouquets, they make wonderful border plants, growing 1-3 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide. Typically, Peruvian lilies bloom in the summer. However, with our warmer than average spring, our little guys are blooming their gorgeous funnel heads off right now in early May. They are tubers which should be planted in the spring after the last frost. Moderately fast growing, they often bloom in the first year. However, if planted as bare root, they bloom in the second year. Planted in full to partial sun in rich, well-drained acidic soil is the key to success.
Peruvian lilies are definitely “pass-along” plants—growing strongly enough to dig up the tubers and pass them along to all who love them. In their native South American habitat, they grow profusely in large, spreading colonies. If planted in favorable conditions and tended well, they will grow vigorously anywhere in Zone 7-10. You can control spreading by cutting the blooms with abandon to prevent seeding…so it's just a win-win for everyone. They do need proper moisture, about 1 inch of water per week—so check the soil, especially in the hot weather. They do best in temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees—so, in our hot summers, it's best to plant them for morning sun only. Happily, they are not prone to pests, just the usual suspects of slugs, mites, and aphids. Keep that insecticidal soap and slug bait handy to prevent damage. Remember to cut them back after blooming to redirect the plant from seed production.
To me, one of the best parts of the “care and feeding” of Peruvian lilies is--the more you harvest the blooms, the more they will produce! Talk about a win-win. The best way to harvest the flowers is not with a pruner. Rather, grasp the flower stem, leaves and all from the root crown and pull up laterally. After that, just place them in a vase with the leaves. And now that I'm armed with that great harvesting advise, I'm off to gather my first bunch of Peruvian lilies right in my own front yard!
- Author: Michelle Davis
Arbor Day just passed, and we are now full on into allergy season. I hope that anyone who recently bought and planted a tree did a little prior research. Had I had been a smarter gardener years ago, I would have first researched the trees I planted more thoroughly. I did look at the estimated height, plant zone, and the sun and water requirements, but I didn't check the potential for pollen. That mistake has cost me a lot of sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes.
Trees do not usually produce pollen year-round, but spring is often a good time to check for it. Fruit, seeds or seed pods are indicators of a female tree. Female trees do not produce pollen. The cotton-like clusters that fly in our Solano wind are seed masses from cottonwood trees or native coyote brush. They are not pollen. That attribute belongs to male trees.
Pollen comes in an array of colors, not just the yellow as seen with acacias. Green, red, purple, white, brown, and gray pollen are all common. Another clue to male gender (and the potential for future pollen) is the adjective “fruitless” on the tree label. It's fruitless, because it is male. Fruitless mulberry and fruitless olive produce a lot of pollen. Still another indicator to check is a distinctive bulge at the base of a landscape tree indicating it has been grafted. Trees planted by cities are usually male (and pollen-producing) because the city doesn't want fruitsplatting on the sidewalks or roadways that they have to keep clean and safe for walking.
Some trees are monoecious, meaning that the tree has both genders on the same plant. If you don't want pollen, don't buy it. Some junipers and some palms are monoecious. Check with the nursery owner first to determine if the tree you are considering buying will produce any pollen.
A good resource to check before considering any potential pollen-producer is The Allergy-Fighting Garden by Thomas Leo Ogren (Ten Speed Press, 2015).
The American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology has a useful website with allergy offenders, when they are most prevalent and tips on gardening when you have allergies:
https://acaai.org/allergies/management-treatment/living-with-allergies/gardening-with-allergies/
PollenLibrary.com runs an allergy and botany library with 1200 plants that can be researched by plant name or by ZIP code for allergen potential. The same site has a map with current allergens, allergy forecasts and allergy alerts at Pollen.com.
https://www.pollenlibrary.com/
Our bodies have evolved to recognize pollen as foreign invaders, just like COVID, cancer cells, bacteria and the common cold. Now, we just have to be smarter in what we choose to plant.
- Author: Paula Pashby
This spring, while stepping out into my garden to make some plans for the upcoming summer vegetable garden, I noticed quite a few pollinators enjoying the winter vegetable plants that had begun the process of going to seed and flower production.
I took a closer look and to my delight, I spotted a large number of Lady beetles “ladybugs” in the garden enjoying one of their favorite meals – aphids!
I have heard many Master Gardeners say that when we first spot aphids in our gardens, we should not immediately try to get rid of them unless they are causing major damage. The University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UCIPM) states that “almost every plant has one or more aphid species that occasionally feed on it, but low to moderate numbers of aphids usually aren't damaging to gardens or landscape trees”.
So let nature take its course – let the ladybugs come in and do their thing. According to UCIPM, “beneficial insects such as lady beetles and lacewings will visit plants naturally when aphids are abundant. Protect these natural enemies by avoiding the use of insecticides that can be toxic to them.”
And if you see something that looks like the little alligator, shown in the pictures below, do not fear! This is a ladybug larva, an amazing beneficial insect in the garden. Mature ladybugs can feed on up to 50 aphids per day, but their larvae can eat up to 10 times that number!
Enjoy the lady bugs' beauty and the fruit of their labor – taking care of your aphid problem!
- Author: Karen Metz
It was a breezy day in the garden as my husband and I were trying to decide where to locate some plant shelves. “Hey, what's that fluff hanging from the tomato cage?” asked my husband. I came over to look. The familiar ootheca, or egg case, of the praying mantis was firmly attached to the top wire of the tomato cage. But there was definitely something below it, moving in the breeze.
As we got closer, we saw numerous nymphs clambering over each other as they came out of the egg case. They would hold tight when a gust of wind hit, forming a little nymph curtain. As soon as they could, though, they crawled along the wires of the tomato cage. They spread out quickly and soon only one or two stragglers could be found.
About a half hour later, I looked again. I only found a spider crawling along the tomato cage. I wondered if he had caught any of the praying mantis nymphs for his lunch. I hoped he hadn't gotten there in time.
According to the Natural Enemies Gallery in the UCIPM website, mantids lay their eggs in the fall. Adults do not survive the winter but the egg cases do. The nymphs emerge in spring and the life cycle continues.
