Posted on by tonytomeo

Grape

Grapevines are productive and visually appealing.

Grape, Vitis spp., has been in cultivation for approximately eight thousand years! That is a very long time for many diverse varieties to develop. Most are cultivars of Vitis vinifera, but other species and hybrids are in cultivation also. Grapes are useful for juice, vinegar, wine, jelly, fresh eating and dried as raisins. Each application utilizes particular cultivars.

Grapevines are very vigorous. Without pruning, some can climb more than fifty feet high. Within home gardens, specialized dormant pruning limits most to less than ten feet high. On larger vines, fruit is awkward to reach. Vines climb with tendrils, but are conducive to redirection on trellises, fences or arbors. They are deciduous, so are bare through winter.

Grapes grow in clusters of all sizes, from only a few grapes to two hundred or more. Fruit can be green, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, dark blue or black. Table grapes are the most familiar seedless type for fresh eating. Wine grapes are smaller and contain seeds. Established vines do not need much water. Excessive irrigation can compromise flavor. Bare root vines become available for winter.

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Fruit Trees Versus Shade Trees

Excessive fruit can become a problem.

Why are more urban shade trees not fruit trees? Urban landscapes could produce much more food than they already do. It could be so nice to be able to pick fresh fruit from trees in parks or flanking streets. After all, this region formerly sustained orchards of fruit trees. It could certainly sustain more fruit trees again. Why waste space on mere shade trees?

Many cities in California sustain more trees than they naturally did prior to urbanization. Both San Jose and Los Angeles were chaparral grassland with only isolated woodlands. Their urban trees are now more numerous than native trees were only two centuries ago. The same applies to several urban areas, including San Diego, Bakersfield and Fresno.

Trees are not only more abundant than they naturally were. They are also more practical. They perform specific functions. Those that are street trees must develop high canopies, and need minimal maintenance. Those in parks must be broad enough to create shade. For many reasons, fruit trees are impractical for such applications in public landscapes.

Fruit trees generally require significantly more maintenance than typical shade trees do. Deciduous fruit trees require specialized dormant pruning each winter. Without adequate pruning, their limbs become overburdened with fruit and break. Such pruning is very time consuming. It also necessitates cordoning off space below trees during the procedures.

Also, fruit trees are significantly lower than shade trees. This facilitates both specialized pruning, as well as collection of fruit. Street trees and most shade trees are much higher for clearance below. With the same clearance, particularly over roadways, fruit would be out of reach. Limbs that are low enough to produce fruit within reach would be obtrusive.

Fruit that is out of reach becomes messy below. For street trees, it becomes a slip hazard on paved surfaces. Furthermore, fruit attracts unwanted wildlife, including rats, raccoons and opossums. Ultimately, trees selection should be appropriate to specific applications. Fruit trees are better within private home gardens. Shade trees should not produce fruit.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 14 Comments

Six on Saturday: Last Wednesday Again

Again, this Six on Saturday lacks a theme. These are six random pictures that I took last Wednesday morning.

1. Rain?! Well, actually, it was just drizzly fog. It certainly looked like rain, though, and it was enough to fill a few puddles, and be hazardous for commuter traffic on Highway 17.

2. Phlox paniculata, garden phlox that I got a picture of last week flopped forward from the weight of the drizzly fog. It stood more upright as the moisture dried later in the day.

3. Pinus thunbergii ‘Thunderhead’ Japanese black pine is generating new growth rather late. It probably should have done this in spring so its foliage would be matured by now.

4. Alocasia macrorrhiza, elephant ears is now blooming with its weird green spathe and spadix. This same blooming stem is already producing a new leaf, so is not monocarpic.

5. Hedychium gardnerianum, kahili ginger is beginning to bloom. It has not done much since its arrival a few years ago. Gophers typically ruin it before floral buds even appear.

6. Canna X generalis, canna bloomed with this strange orange and yellow combination, which we did not plant. It is a sport. Strelitzia nicolai, giant bird of Paradise is behind it.

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 12 Comments

Crape Myrtle

Crepe myrtle has notably complaisant roots.

The popularity of crape myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica, is mostly justifiable. It is a compact tree, so is proportionate to small urban gardens. Its roots are very complaisant, so should not displace pavement. It blooms spectacularly for summer, and then develops fiery foliar color for autumn. Its only problem is that it is so popular that it has become too common.

The largest cultivars of crape myrtle do not grow much taller than twenty feet. Therefore, they are appropriate for utility easements with high voltage cables. Because of their very docile roots, they are popular as street trees. Although, they do not grow wide enough to provide much shade. Street trees should have single trunks. Others can have multiples.

Floral color is white, pink, red or mauve. Bloom can be very profuse and billowy. Autumn foliar color is bright yellow, orange and red before defoliation. The smooth bark is nicely mottled. Aggressive dormant pruning for winter delays bloom, but promotes bigger floral trusses. Crape myrtle enjoys warmth and full sun exposure. It does not need much water, once established.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 2 Comments

Roots Are A Necessary Compromise

Surface roots can be very aggressive.

With very few exceptions, all plants have roots. Almost all roots remain out of view within soil or potting media. Consequently, they do not get much consideration or credit for their important functions. They stabilize and collect nutrients for the plants that disperse them. They are as diverse and specialized as the stems and foliage of the plants they sustain.

Naturally, large plants like trees and big shrubbery disperse their roots very extensively. They must in order to obtain the nutrients and moisture they need to sustain themselves. In home gardens, though, they do not need to disperse their roots nearly as extensively. With watering and maybe fertilization, they can obtain what they need relatively closely.

Roots of domestic trees and shrubs are therefore more confined than those of wild trees. They are also closer to the surface of the soil. Roots of plants that prefer better drainage will not disperse very deeply. Unfortunately, some are likely to displace infrastructure on the surface of the soil. They damage sidewalks, curbs, driveways, and even foundations.

Repair of such damage typically involves removing or at least severing the causal roots. Severing substantial roots can be stressful to their associated trees or shrubs. It can also destabilize them. Some of such trees and shrubs may actually require complete removal. Future damage is somewhat avoidable by simply planting appropriate trees and shrubs.

Near pavement, appropriate trees should innately exhibit complaisant root systems. For trees that have potential to damage nearby concrete, root barriers might be useful. Root barriers are rigid plastic devices that surround the root systems of new trees. They direct root growth downward. Most extend into the soil two feet deep, but are open underneath.

Other types of root barrier are available for established trees. They are either flexible but firm plastic flashing, or fabric studded with herbicide pellets. They too extend into the soil two feet deep. After trenching to cut damaging roots next to pavement, a root barrier goes into the trench. Filling the trench holds the barrier in place to redirect encroaching roots.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 12 Comments

Six on Saturday: Not Closeups

This is what some of the flowers and foliage that are normally shown in closeup pictures look like within their respective landscapes. The first three landscapes need some work.

1. Citrus X latifolia ‘Bearss’ lime is almost surrounded by neighboring cape honeysuckle, so it is difficult to distinguish in this picture. Cape honeysuckle should be removed soon.

2. Musa acuminata X balbisiana ‘Blue Java’ banana on the left may be ‘Nam Wah’. The other on the right is unidentified. They moved into their landscape before the landscape.

3. Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ smokebush is a striking focal point for its somewhat abandoned garden. It draws attention away from the neglect. It gets pollarded in winter.

4. Pelargonium hortorum, zonal geranium looks as good within the White Garden as in closeups. This is at the Mount Hermon Memorial Chapel. Its cypress need straightening.

5. Agapanthus orientalis, lily of the Nile is congregated in a large triangular herd on the side of the main road through Mount Hermon. It is blooming quite well for the summer.

6. Phlox paniculata, garden phlox appeared in this garden a few years ago, and has since become one of the more prominent features here. We have no idea where it came from.

Anyone who would like to participate in this meme should peruse this participant guide for Six on Saturday.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 2 Comments

Hydrangea

Hydrangeas tolerate a bit of shade.

Old fashioned hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, were somewhat predictable. Those that developed color bloomed pink in alkaline soil or blue in acidic soil. White hydrangea only bloomed white. Nowadays, some cultivars bloom better in pink while others bloom better in blue. Pink cultivars in acidic soil or blue cultivars in alkaline soil may be purple.

Floral form has also evolved significantly. Old fashioned hydrangeas bloom with big and rounded trusses of many small flowers. Such trusses are about four to eight inches wide. Some modern cultivars bloom with flatter or conical trusses. Some produce tiny florets in the center with bigger florets around them. All hydrangeas bloom for summer or autumn.

Big hydrangeas can grow about six feet high and wide. Most modern cultivars are more compact. The deciduous foliage is lush. Individual leaves are about six inches long, with serrate edges. Hydrangea perform better after dormant pruning during winter, to remove older canes. Younger canes that grew during the previous season will be more vigorous. Although bulky, hydrangea blooms are delightful as cut flowers. All parts of hydrangea, though, are toxic.

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Sunlight Is Necessary For Photosynthesis

All home garden plants require sunlight.

Almost every plant needs sunlight. Only parasitic plants that lack chlorophyll are the few exceptions. Even they rely on plants that need sunlight to conduct photosynthesis. Some plants require full sun exposure, while others tolerate some degree of shade. Actually, a few plants prefer partial shade. Situating plants accordingly promotes their performance.

Modern home gardens are generally shadier than older home gardens. They are smaller and surrounded by larger homes and fences. Taller fences, taller hedges and evergreen trees obscure adjacent homes. They also produce more shade. Plants that tolerate some degree of shading have consequently become more popular. They require less sunlight.

Most of such plants are understory plants. In their natural habitats, they live in the partial shade of larger plants and trees. They should do the same within home gardens. Ferns, philodendrons, alocasias, colocasias and Natal lily are a few examples. They are some of the few plants that actually prefer partial shade. They can roast with too much sunlight.

Azaleas, rhododendrons, andromedas and hydrangeas are also understory plants. They prefer a bit more sunlight than the other examples, though. They like eastern exposures, where they get plenty of sunlight, but only in the morning. Then, they are in partial shade as the weather gets warmer after noon. However, some can tolerate more sun exposure.

Oleander, bougainvillea, lavender, lily of the Nile and agaves are the opposite. They like full sun exposure as well as warmth. Unshaded southern and western exposures are no problem for them. Shade inhibits their performance, and promotes thin etiolated growth. Most yuccas and cacti require sunlight and warmth, but can be difficult to accommodate.

Northern exposures are the shadiest. Southern exposures are the sunniest and warmest. Both eastern and western exposures are partly shady, but eastern exposures are cooler. They get all their sunlight prior to noon, while western exposures get all theirs after noon. Big eaves extend shade. Deciduous trees shade during summer, but not through winter.