A prune is not merely a dried plum. Plums and prunes are really two distinct types of fruit. Plums are Japanese cling fruits, with their ripe flesh firmly adhered to their pits. They are rounder, softer, juicier, more colorful and best for fresh eating. Prunes, Prunus domestica, are European freestone fruits. They are slightly oblong, firmer, sweeter and dark purple.
Because of their higher sugar content, prunes are more popular dried than fresh. Plums are likely to mold during the drying process because they contain less sugar. Prunes are also better for canning and juicing than plums. However, for marketing purposes, modern prunes now qualify as plums. Plum juice is apparently more appealing than prune juice.
Regardless of their differences, plums and prunes are of the same genus. They grow on similar trees that require the same dormant pruning through winter. Dwarf trees are about ten feet tall. Semi-dwarf trees, which are the most popular, can get almost fifteen feet tall. Efficient pruning keeps them shorter so that more of their fruit grows within reach.
So much summer fruit is now in season. Most cherries have finished, but apricots, plums and prunes are still ripening. Nectarines and peaches will ripen immediately after them. Almonds will be the earliest nuts to ripen later in August or so. Birds, squirrels and other wildlife are eagerly watching and waiting. If they have not stolen fruit yet, they likely will.
Fruit appeals to wildlife like flowers do. Flowers employ attractive colors and fragrances to appeal to wildlife that pollinates them. Many reward such pollinators, which are mostly insects and hummingbirds, with nectar. Similarly, fruit uses attractive colors and aromas to lure wildlife that disperses its seed. Such fruit is compensation for this important work.
It is therefore only natural for wildlife to damage or abscond with fruit from home gardens. Such wildlife includes squirrels or various birds, or perhaps rats, opossums or raccoons. Protecting ripening fruit from them can be daunting. For some situations, it may not even be possible. Typically, wildlife takes only some fruit. However, sometimes, it ruins all of it.
Protection of fruit requires some familiarity with whomever exploits it. Squirrels and birds are visible as they are active during the day. Opossums, raccoons and rats are nocturnal, so are not visible during the day. Opossums and rats tend to nibble fruit but leave it on its stems. Raccoons tend to take fruit off trees to eat on the ground, leaving bits and pieces.
Bird netting can exclude birds, but is difficult to install, and almost impossible to remove. If effective for the particular birds, flash tape is an easier and more practical option. Fake owls or snakes deter both birds and squirrels. Relocation every few days improves their credibility. Because they are unfamiliar, plush toys may be as effective to deter squirrels.
Tree trunk baffles can protect fruit from opossums and raccoons. However, they are only effective if there is no other access from adjacent trees or fences. Rosemary, lavender or mint around fruit trees can supposedly be a minor deterrent. Not much deters a raccoon, though, once fruit starts to ripen. Electric fencing can be effective, but is not so practical.
Today, the Fourth of July, is 250th Independence Day, so is also the sestercentennial or semiquincentennial of the United States of America.
1. Pelargonium X hortorum, zonal geranium provides an ideal red. Other cultivars here bloom white, bright pink and brighter pink. They have been reliably perennial for years.
2. Lobularia maritima, alyssum is exclusively white for its particular application within the White Garden. In the past, we had pink and purple alyssum within other landscapes.
3. Salvia has a name; but it eludes me. It is a new addition to the Blue Bed, which is next door to the White Garden, and not actually as exclusively blue as its designation implies.
4. Rosa spp., carpet rose is not blooming profusely this year, but is blooming enough for at least this picture. It grows into wickedly thorny thickets that are no fun to work with.
5. Begonia X semperflorens–cultorum, wax begonia lives with the alyssum in the White Garden. It is enjoying improved sun exposure associated with the removal of a few trees.
6. Lobelia erinus, lobelia is perched on the edge of a color bowl, but is not yet cascading over. This color bowl also contains red, white and blue petunias, for Independence Day.
The many distinctive garden varieties of Canna typically begin as late or summer bulbs. They go into the garden as dormant rhizomes at the end of winter or beginning of spring. Then, they grow fast to bloom for summer. They continue to bloom until late autumn or, in mild climates, early winter. However, Canna foliage is as appealing as its colorful bloom.
The big and lush leaves may be green, bronze, striped or variegated. ‘Australia’ has very deep bronze foliage with fiery red bloom. ‘Tropicana’ has green, yellow, bronze and pink stripes with fiery orange bloom. ‘Stuttgart’ blooms merely with wispy pale orange flowers. However, it does so on high stems with foliage which is irregularly variegated with white.
Floral color can be pink, red, orange or yellow, either bright or pastel. Variegated, spotty or blotchy combinations of color are common and popular. Yellowish white is quite rare. Tall Canna can grow eight feet tall, but bloom with small and wispy flowers. Short Canna may stay less than two feet tall, but with big and bold bloom. All growth should be cut back as winter ends.
The definition of perennial is vague. Technically, it refers to anything that persists for any significant time. This should include trees, shrubbery and vines. Horticulturally, though, it refers to persistent species that lack any woody parts. Even this definition is vague, as it includes ferns, palms, yuccas and succulents. Perennials certainly are a diverse group.
Annuals are not perennials, since they finish their respective life cycles within one year. However, most annuals have potential to perform as perennials. They merely do not get opportunities to do so as other annuals become more seasonal. Biennials complete their life cycles within two years, so also do not qualify. Persistent bulbs might qualify, though.
Canna, for example, grows from thick and fleshy rhizomes that qualify as summer bulbs. Once established they are resiliently persistent. They proliferate and can migrate as they do so. Calla and various ginger do the same. All are easy to propagate by division while more or less dormant. They defoliate where winters are colder, but regenerate for spring.
Lily of the Nile is among the most popular and common perennials. It is very resilient and persistent. It does not need much attention or water, and is very easy to propagate. Even without bloom, its evergreen foliage is appealing. African iris, or fortnight lily, is probably the second most common perennial. It requires a bit more grooming than lily of the Nile.
New Zealand flax is a bigger perennial, although some cultivars are relatively compact. It is more foliar than floral, since its thin floral stalks are not as striking as its bold foliage. Daylily is among the more floriferous perennials, with bright yellow, orange or red bloom. Beard tongue is another efflorescent perennial, but with white, pink, red or purple bloom.
These are merely a few examples of the most locally popular and practical of perennials. This list should also include hosta, coral bell, yarrow, Shasta daisy and various salvias. It is impossible to mention all of the perennials that perform well here. Although most are evergreen, some are deciduous. Most need irrigation while some can actually naturalize.
These are a few more flowers that are in bloom now.
1. Lantana montevidensis, trailing lantana in white sounds better than it looks. White is my favorite color, but I fail to be impressed. Lantana excels at other more vibrant colors.
2. Rosa spp., miniature rose is the only miniature rose here. It arrived as a cheap potted mini rose from a supermarket, which had outlived its domestic appeal before rehoming.
3. Silene coronaria, campion is such a delightful weed that we leave much of it where it appears. Most grows where it is not a problem, although this one is in the White Garden.
4. Agapanthus orientalis, lily of the Nile in white is special both because there are not so many of them, and also because only a few can bloom in their formerly shaded situation.
5. Gladiolus X hortulanus, gladiola has been reliably perennial for several years. I would like to know what is so special about their situation that allows them to perform as such.
6. This is the first new painted rock that I have found in quite a while, and the first rock I noticed with a spell check glitch. Is this really a glitch, though, or actually from Fowler?
Old fashioned photinias, which are now rare, are thorny and messy with copious berries. Almost all modern photinia, though, are Fraser’s photinia, Photinia X fraseri. It is a hybrid that is both thornless and fruitless. It is also among the most popular plants for evergreen hedges and screens. Therefore, it is readily available from nurseries and garden centers.
After shearing, Fraser’s photinia develops richly reddish bronze new foliage. Such color eventually fades to dark green. However, the process repeats after each shearing, which may be three times annually. Shearing also enhances foliar density, and refines hedges. Bronze color is best in spring, after late winter shearing. It fades slightly faster in summer.
Without shearing, Fraser’s photinia can become a small tree as tall as fifteen feet. Foliar color is less vivid, though, and only develops once for spring. Also, unshorn trees bloom, often profusely, with big trusses of tiny white flowers. Some find the floral fragrance to be objectionable. Compact or variegated cultivars of photinia may sometimes be available.
Weeds are plants that grow wildly where they are undesirable. Therefore, all weeds are plants, but not all plants are weeds. Similarly, dirt is soil or similar substances where it is undesirable. Therefore, some dirt is soil, but soil is not necessarily dirt. The assumption that soil is dirt is disrespectful to the foundation of the garden. Roots know the difference.
Roots are experts in regard to soil because they inhabit it. They must disperse through it to procure nutrients and water, and to conduct respiration. They also provide stability for their associated stems and foliage above. Various soils are naturally diverse. Vegetation is more diverse to exploit them. Not many soils can not sustain some type of vegetation.
Soil, most simply, is the loose aggregates on the surfaces of most land. Loose is relative, since some soils are dense and quite hard. The inorganic aggregates range in size from microscopic clay particles to coarse sand. Most soils include small stones. Some include significant stones. Almost all soils contain organic material. Exposed bedrock lacks soil.
The texture of a soil is its ratio of the three basic components, sand, silt and clay. Sandy soils drain efficiently, but do not retain moisture as well as dense clay soils do. Clay soils retain more moisture, but do not drain as efficiently. Like climates, soils limit what grows well in a garden. Although local soils are of good quality, some benefit from amendment.
Soil amendments, such as compost, may improve both drainage and moisture retention. They also improve aeration and, as they decompose, they generate additional nutrients. Such organic amendments are helpful with the installation of new plants. They promote healthy dispersion of roots. They are also particularly useful for annuals and vegetables.
Fertilizers promote growth by providing more of the nutrients that the soil provides. Each nutrient promotes different types of growth. For example, phosphorus promotes floral and fruit growth. Nitrogen promotes vegetative growth. The formulation of synthetic fertilizers is very precise for specific results. Organic fertilizers can be less potent, but are effective.
Tony Tomeo 