Horticulturists are by nature, nonconforming. I happen to find it difficult to conform to what makes us nonconforming. Trends are fleeting. Old technology that has worked for decades or centuries is still best. Although I am not totally against chemicals, I find that almost all are unnecessary for responsible home gardening. Pruning is underappreciated, and fixes many problems.
Prunes are not merely dried plums. They are European fruits which, although very edible fresh, are also popular for drying. Their significant sugar content inhibits mold during the drying process. Plums, Prunus domestica, are of the same species, but are of Japanese origin. They are quite popular fresh, but are more likely to mold than dry like prunes can.
Besides their lower sugar content, plums are a bit bigger and rounder than most prunes. Prunes are ‘freestone’, so their flesh separates from their seeds when ripe. Old fashioned plums are ‘clingstone’, so their flesh adheres to their seeds when ripe. The most popular plums are maroon or purple. Others are red, yellow, orange, green, blue or almost black.
Almost all plum trees within home gardens are semi dwarf. Although they do not grow as big as orchard trees, they can grow twenty feet tall. They require specialized aggressive dormant pruning during winter. Otherwise, they become shabbily overgrown with most of their fruit out of reach. Their prolific and bright white bloom is spectacular for early spring.
Dormant pruning of deciduous fruit trees last winter should finally be proving its benefits. Such pruning enhances tree vigor and resilience to disease. As importantly, it enhances fruit and nut quality. Birds, squirrels and perhaps other wildlife are unfortunately noticing. Protecting fruit as it ripens may seem to be impossible. Sharing might not be acceptable.
The problem with sharing is that most wildlife is greedy. Wildlife that is not greedy can be too generous by inviting their friends over to indulge. They may not consume everything, but might damage all that they can not consume. Protecting fruit does not deprive wildlife of sustenance that they require for survival. It merely diverts their exploitation elsewhere.
The problem with protecting fruit is that it can seem futile. Even if wildlife could read, they would not comply with signs telling them to keep out. Cats and dogs can not chase them all away, and can not be there to try all the time. Techniques that are somewhat effective for some wildlife are not effective for all wildlife. However, some techniques are effective.
Protecting fruit requires some degree of familiarity with whomever wants to exploit it. Not many deterrents are effective for all of them. Netting is only effective for marauding birds, but not rodents, who can chew through it. Because it is so difficult to install, and worse to remove, other options are better anyway. Flash tape repels some birds rather effectively.
Protecting fruit from squirrels is more challenging. Tree trunk baffles can only be effective if there is no other access to the subject trees. They are useless if squirrels can jump into low limbs from the ground or adjacent trees. Growing rosemary, lavender or mint around fruit trees is supposedly a mild deterrent. However, it obstructs maintenance of the trees.
Plastic snakes or owls might be effective for protecting fruit from both squirrels and birds. Plush toys might be as effective since squirrels and birds do not recognize them as safe. However, such effigies eventually become uselessly familiar without frequent relocation. Squirrels and birds may not seem to be very intelligent, but they are not too stupid either.
Several of these Six were featured here before, and some only recently. They continue to surprise.
1. Musa ingens, oem, or giant highland banana, produced two pups. This is the larger of the two. Although I was told that this is oem, I am not certain. It behaves like the species in some ways, but not others. For example, oem should only occasionally produce pups.
2. Heuchera sanguinea, coral bells does not look coral to me. This looks like simple red. I think of coral as more orangish pink. Is that correct? I can not complain, since I prefer this color. Some of the fancy foliar cultivars here bloom with colors other than coral too.
3. Canna X generalis ‘Cannova Mango’ canna and feral Antirrhinum majus, snapdragon that I posted pictures of two weeks ago are blooming even better together now. Why are some of the best flowers as unplanned as these were? Perhaps I should unplan for more.
4. Helenium autumnale, tickseed was yellow last week. This is literally the same flower. Is this new color orange or red? Was it supposed to be this color, or is this what happens to yellow flowers as they fade? I will need to see how the other two varieties bloom later.
5. Passiflora caerulea ‘Constance Elliott’ passion flower smells like pineapple guava, but only briefly. Its fragrance is gone before I can get someone else to confirm the similarity. The garishness of this bloom does not last very long either. This flower is wilted by now.
6. Rhody rarely cooperates for pictures. He should though, since he is who we all want to see here for Six on Saturday. I would post six pictures of him weekly if he would allow it. Perhaps I should have gotten a picture of Heather too. She cooperates more for pictures.
Giant reed is a horrid weed within many ecosystems.
The earliest infestations of giant reed, Arundo donax, that clogged tributaries of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers supposedly grew from pieces used as packing materiel for cargo from China. It was simply dumped into the rivers as cargo was unloaded in port cities like Stockton and Sacramento. How it got to China from its native range in the Mediterranean is unclear.
Because it is so aggressive and invasive, giant reed is almost never found in nurseries. In many rural areas, particularly near waterways, it is listed on the ‘DO NOT PLANT’ list. However, giant reed can sometimes be found in old landscapes where it was planted before it became so unpopular. It can also grow from seed in unexpected places.
Once established, giant reed can be difficult to eradicate or even divide. It spreads by thick rhizomes that resemble the stolons of bamboo, but not quite as tough. It is often mistaken for bamboo. Where it gets enough water, it can get nearly thirty feet tall, with leaves about two feet long.
Where it can be contained and will not become an invasive weed by seeding into surrounding areas, giant reed can provide bold foliage that blows softly in the breeze. ‘Versicolor’ (or ‘Variegata’) has pale yellow or white variegation, and does not get much more than half as tall as the more common green (unvariegated) giant reed. Incidentally, the canes of giant reed are used to make reeds for musical instruments.
The most familiar lawn grasses can not do what the many other grasses and grass like plants do in a garden. Lawns are mown into submission so that they can function like carpet in outdoor rooms. They certainly have their appeal and practicality, although they require very regular maintenance and generous watering.
Other ornamental grasses are grown like more common perennials, to provide appealing foliage, flowers, forms, textures and ‘motion’ as they move in even slight breezes. Most require significantly less water and maintenance than lawns do. Sedges, rushes and papyrus, although not grasses, function like grasses around ponds and in areas that are too damp for grasses to be happy.
Giant reed, pampas grass and bamboo are all notorious as invasive weeds. Giant reed and pampas grass appear and grow voraciously in some of the worst places that their seeds can get into. (Giant reed should not be planted anywhere near waterways or riparian environments.) Bamboo is not nearly as prolific, but spreads aggressively by stolons (subterranean stems) that grow very fast and potentially reach several feet.
However, where they can be contained, these three are the boldest of their kind. Giant reed grows like large types of bamboo, but fluffier, with broader undivided leaves. Pampas grass develops into big mounds of graceful foliage with billowy white or pinkish flower plumes. (Pampas grass leaves can cause nasty paper cuts, though.) The many different types of bamboo provide a variety of graceful foliage; and many provide striking form with their rigid canes. Some bamboo are low and compact. Most are tall and elegant.
Dwarf blue fescue is among the smaller ornamental grasses, forming round tufts of soft but seemingly bristly blue foliage that resembles dense bundles of pine needles. Fountain grass is considerably larger, with green or purplish foliage, and flower plumes that look like kitten tails. Hair grass is so softly textured that it barely supports its own weight, and often lays gently on the ground or leans onto other plants.
Except for giant reed, pampas grass and the various bamboos, most ornamental grasses do not need much attention. Some look better if they get cut back before they start to grow at the end of winter. Others should get their fading flowers removed. A few are deciduous, so die back over the winter. Grasses are otherwise easier to care for than any lawn and many other perennials.
Tangly Cottage Gardening made good use of obsolete water meter lids as stepping stones. Now that I procured quite a bunch from where I work part time, I can try something similar. Because they are rectangular and of standardized dimensions, they can alternatively function as contiguous pavers. I intend to eventually pave a small patio with them. Forty-three are identical, 20.75 inches long by 10.5 inches wide, which is approximately 1.5 square feet. One is slightly different, but of the same dimensions. Two are smaller. Because they are not exactly twice as long as wide, all must be set in the same orientation, but that will not be a problem. They can be arranged in five rows of nine, or nine rows of five, as an almost square patio of approximately 68 square feet, with approximately eight foot long sides. Only one lid will be different, and one lid, likely in a corner, will be lacking. If necessary, I can add the two smaller lids to awkwardly fill the otherwise lacking corner, or simply find another lid somewhere. More will be available later. Although it is not yet constructed, I am already pleased with this recycled cast iron patio.
Lineage can be difficult to identify. Most popular cultivars of angel’s trumpet, Brugmansia are hybrids. Many are hybrids of hybrids. Almost all are consequently identifiable by only their genus and cultivar names. They usually lack species names. Their original species were likely native from Venezuela to Chile or southern Brazil. No one knows definitively.
Angel’s trumpet is a big bushy perennial. Its trunks may be as substantial and persistent as those of small trees. Most popular cultivars can grow higher than eight feet. A few rare cultivars should grow larger. Leaves are about six inches long and half as wide, or larger on vigorous stems. Some cultivars have slightly tomentous foliage. A few are variegated.
Bloom is sporadic while the weather is warm, and can be profuse in phases. Flowers are commonly longer than six inches and wider than three. Most are very pendulous. Double flowers are quite frilly. The floral color range includes pastel hues of yellow, orange, pink and white. Several cultivars are nicely fragrant. All parts of angel’s trumpet are toxic.
Aroma and fragrance in a garden have two very different natural purposes. Aroma, which is foliar, repels insects or animals who may otherwise eat such foliage. Fragrance, which is floral, attracts insects and animals to pollinate such flowers. Aromatic foliage ironically appeals to people, particularly as herbs. The appeal of fragrant bloom is not so contrary.
With few exceptions, fragrant bloom is an asset to a garden. Although its primary function is to attract pollinators, people enjoy it also. The few exceptions are flowers that produce fragrances that are unappealing to people. For example, several species of Arum attract flies for pollination. Therefore, they exude foul fragrances that appeal specifically to flies.
Fortunately, most pollinators prefer fragrances that people also enjoy. Many of the richest and strongest fragrances appeal to a broad range of pollinators. Some more refined and distinctive fragrances attract specific pollinators. Fragrant bloom is most fragrant when its preferable pollinators are most active. A few bloom at night for their nocturnal pollinators.
Fragrant bloom is generally not as colorful as bloom that is less fragrant. It does not need to be. Color is merely another visual means with which to attract pollinators. Flowers that are both fragrant and colorful are mostly from competitive ecosystems. Angel’s trumpet is both spectacular in bloom and splendidly fragrant. Yet, its floral color is limited to pastels.
Some of the most fragrant bloom is that of bulbs that bloomed early last spring. Hyacinth, narcissus, freesia, lily and some bearded iris are both fragrant and colorful. Wisteria and pink jasmine are vines that were also fragrant and colorful last spring. Star jasmine is not quite as colorful, but is as fragrant, and still continues to bloom. So does angel’s trumpet.
Warming summer weather will now promote more fragrant bloom, even if it is not colorful. Pittosporum undulatum exudes an almost citrusy fragrance. Pittosporum tobira is slightly buttery. Sweet osmanthus and sweet box are proportionately more fragrant while young. Night blooming jasmine might be the sweetest of all, but more so during warm evenings.
