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Design and Implementation

This exposed urn looks like a koala tummy.

This is so silly that I sort of like it. I mean, I found it to be sufficiently amusing to get a picture of it to send to Brent. It is a nice large urn, with an Aeonium arboreum that is a bit bolder than any of mine, and delightfully blue Senecio mandraliscae. It has nothing else going for it, but perhaps its simplicity is an asset. It might look junky if it contained any other well planned but comparably maintained material.

My only personal criticism of its design is that it is located on otherwise useful pavement, where pedestrian traffic must divert around it; but I am merely a horticulturist, not a landscape designer. For all I know, it could be there to intentionally soften the expansiveness of all that useful pavement, without occupying too much of it. I would also say that the urn should be outfitted with species that are more tolerant of the partial shade of its particular exposure, but obviously, these two simple species are reasonably happy there.

My more realistic criticism is of its implementation. Is it really too difficult for so-called maintenance ‘gardeners’ to maintain this as the landscape designer who designed it thought they should be able to? Must landscape designers design their landscapes with the expectation that their work will not be maintained as expected? Although it is delightfully silly, it might be more visually appealing if the Senecio mandraliscae cascaded a bit more over the edge. Alternatively, it could be confined to the upper surface of the urn if a third perennial were allowed to cascade somewhat over the edge; but again, I am no landscape designer. The urn is nice, but might be nicer with a bit of foliar color, form and texture over some of its exterior.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 6 Comments

Six on Saturday: 6 X

Rhody, Carson and I are still here. We should be in Washington now. We were supposed to leave at about midnight between last Tuesday and Wednesday. Now, we plan to leave at about midnight between Sunday and Monday, and stay in the Pacific Northwest for as long as initially planned. I wrote about the delay earlier. It is why I posted no pictures of our trip yet. Instead, there are three ‘X’s and three eXotics, although the last might really be an undocumented native species. The first three ‘X’s are between generic and specific names of three interspecific hybrids. By next week, I should get six pictures from Oregon and Washington. Incidentally, the Official State Flower of Washington was nicely named after Rhody.

1. Prunus X subhirtella, winter flowering cherry was featured for the garden column last week, or later in some papers. This picture was not used. I did not want it to go to waste.

2. Pelargonium X hortorum, zonal geranium is nothing special, but I happen to like this red too much to discard it after it was clobbered by a car. I can only hope it was a Buick.

3. Freesia X hybrids, freesia is likewise nothing special, but got my attention just after I mentioned feral freesia in the garden column. It is misplaced but too colorful to be feral.

4. Vinca major, greater periwinkle is an aggressively invasive naturalized exotic species. Less pretty aggressively invasive naturalized exotic species would replace what I remove.

5. Allium triquetrum, wild onion is supposedly another aggressively invasive naturalized exotic species. It is so established that I had always considered it to be a native species.

6. Thuja plicata, Western red cedar is supposedly a naturalized species, but could be an undocumented native species. No one seems to know; but it is not aggressively invasive.

This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/

Posted on by tonytomeo · 2 Comments

Victorian Box

Victorian box does not get too big.

In the right situation, Victorian box, Pittosporum undulatum, is a nice small to mid-sized shade tree with dense foliage, sculptural branch structure and pleasantly fragrant spring bloom. In the wrong situation, it drops enough leaves, flowers and sticky seeds and bits of seed capsules to make quite a mess. This finely textured and sometimes sticky debris is easily absorbed into thick, shade tolerant ground cover like Algerian ivy, but is difficult to rake from pavement and to clean from roof gutters. Besides, even though Victorian box is not a large tree, the roots can eventually become aggressive enough to displace pavement.  

Young trees grow rather vigorously to about ten feet tall and wide, and then slow down somewhat as they continue to grow to as much as three times as tall and wide. They are easily contained with occasional selective pruning. The small, clustered flowers are not as impressive as their fragrance, adding only a bit of pale yellowish white color over the exterior of the rounded canopy. Some people, as well as birds, like the greenish olive-sized fruit that turns orange and eventually splits open to reveal sticky orange seeds within. (‘Pittosporum’ translates into ‘sticky seed’.) Leaves are about two or three inches long, or longer, with ‘undulating’ margins.  

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Selection of Appropriate Trees

Many trees get too big for many situations. Trees should be proportionate to their spaces.

Japanese maples are among my least favorite of trees. There; I said it! Even though I can not think of any single species of tree that has so many distinct and fascinating cultivars, I am bothered by how Japanese maples have been denigrated by their own overuse. That which is naturally an understory tree (lives in the partial shade of larger trees), which should be thoughtfully selected for its individual form, texture and color, to function as a focal point specimen tree, has become too common and misused.

Every tree should be thoughtfully selected for its particular application. The ultimate size, shape, shade, potential mess, cultural requirements, root characteristics and foliar characteristics (evergreen or deciduous) all need to be considered. Japanese maples are certainly appropriate for certain applications, but not every application. The same goes for London plane, crape myrtle, Chinese pistache and any overused tree.

Crape myrtles and Japanese maples are popular partly because they do not get too big, and are proportionate to small spaces. However, they do not get big enough for other situations. Although a silver maple will not fit into an atrium as well as a Japanese maple would, it is a much better shade tree for a big lawn. Italian cypress can actually get taller, but its very narrow shape makes a minimal shadow. Monterey cypress gets broader, but the shade is too dark for lawn.  

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a perfect tree. Jacaranda is of moderate size, has a good shape, and makes medium shade, but is quite messy, particularly over pavement. Silk tree is both messy and has aggressive roots that can break pavement, but just like jacaranda, it looks great and is not a problem surrounded by ground cover. Both are deciduous, so allow warming sunshine through in winter. An evergreen tree that would be better to obscure an unwanted view should not get so large that it also blocks a desirable view for a neighbor.

Palm trees are very different from all other trees in that they have no branches, only leaves. As they grow out of reach, they will need to be groomed by professional arborists. Palms only grow upward, and can not be pruned around utility cables. They will need to be removed if their trunks get too close to high voltage cables.

I certainly do not intend to convince anyone to not plant any trees. I merely want people to consider the variables involved with the selection of trees that are appropriate to each particular application. Trees are long term commitments. Problems caused by improper selection can be difficult or impossible to correct later.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 8 Comments

Horridculture – Traditional Delay

Rhody and his Roady, . . . still waiting to leave.

This article is scheduled to post at midnight between March 19 and March 20, which is precisely when we were scheduled to leave for the Pacific Northwest. We were supposed to arrive on the Kitsap Peninsula late in the afternoon, and likely continue to the coast the following morning. Now, we will not leave until midnight between Sunday, March 24 and Monday, March 25. I know that it is only five days later, but it changes the entire schedule. I should still be there in time to prune the apple trees prior to bloom. I do not know when we will return now, but it will likely be about Thursday, April 4.

Then, two and a half weeks later, we leave again for eleven days in Beverly Hills in Los Angeles County, and Buckeye near Phoenix in Arizona. That would involve leaving Wednesday, April 24, and returning on Saturday, May 4. That should be before the weather gets too warm in Arizona to prune the mesquite trees there comfortably. I suppose that the second trip does not necessarily need to be delayed just because the first trip was. We could still leave on Wednesday, April 17 and return on Saturday, April 27 as originally planned, even if that leaves less time between the two trips. Perhaps I should not worry about this until we return from the first trip!

This seems to happen annually. Regardless of how intent I am on leaving on time, we encounter a delay of some sort of another. Ultimately, we leave at about the same time annually, but only after planning to leave about a week earlier, just as we planned for the previous few years. I can not complain, of course, since the delay is justified, but that is another topic for another post.

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Cabbage

Cabbage is a cool season vegetable.

Resemblance to lettuce is merely coincidental. Cabbage, Brassica oleracea, is instead a close relative of very dissimilar vegetables. Brussels sprout, broccoli and cauliflower are different varieties of the same species. So are collard, kale and kohlrabi. All are winter cole crops. (Cabbage comprises the varieties of capitata, tuba, sabauda or acephala.)

Cabbage became seasonable last autumn. Its last phase is now maturing. It grows most easily from cell pack seedlings. Alternatively, it can grow from seed, which starts about a month and half earlier. Cabbage is biennial, so will go to seed if it stays in the garden too late. Warm weather initiates and accelerates the process, which ruins flavor and texture.

Green cabbage is the most popular type. Red cabbage is the second most popular type. Dutch white cabbage often classifies simply as a pale type of green cabbage. A mature cabbage weighs about a pound or two. Its loose outer foliage can be a foot to nearly two feet wide. Within more ideal climates, some varieties grow slower but significantly larger. With rain through winter, irrigation is probably unnecessary. Soil should be organically rich.

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Weeds Are Prolific And Invasive

Weeds are now growing vigorously everywhere.

Warming spring weather accelerates bloom and growth. Early spring bloom is now much more colorful than the best of winter bloom. Fresh foliage is already replacing defoliated deciduous foliage and faded evergreen foliage. Vegetation will soon be more active than they will be during any other time of year. Such vegetation unfortunately includes weeds.

Weeds are only weeds because they are unwanted. That is their only commonality. Most are exotic, or not native, but a few are native. Most are annuals, but a few are perennials, vines, shrubs or trees. Annuals grow from seed, but several of the others can perpetuate vegetatively. Some are appealing where appropriate, but migrate to where they are not.

Weeds become weeds because they are generally invasive. Many are aggressively so. They grow wherever they can, and compete with any desirable vegetation for resources. The most aggressive annual weeds begin growing before preferable species. They can overwhelm their slower victims. Several have bloomed and are already dispersing seed.

Exotic weeds are here for a variety of reasons. Some arrived inadvertently as seed in fur or digestive systems of livestock. Some were fodder for livestock. Many were originally desirable flowers for home gardens. A few were formerly useful as cover crops or erosion control. Many lack natural pathogens from their native ranges that limit their proliferation.

Regardless of their origins, weeds now necessitate weeding. They grow throughout the year, but most are most active as winter becomes spring. Obviously, they grow like their horticultural designation implies. Those that are not already dispersing seed should not get the opportunity to do so. Less weeding will be necessary later if more happens now.

Besides, weeding is easier while the soil is still evenly damp from winter rain. Roots are more pliable and less dispersed. They toughen and disperse as the season progresses. Rhizomes, stolons and other perennial weed parts are likewise easier to pull or dig now. Tilling might be more efficient for eradication of small but profuse young weed seedlings.

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California Poppy (not a plant profile)

Escholzia californica

California poppy is the Official State Flower of California. It is native to all but Yuba, Sierra and Imperial Counties within California. It is also native to portions of Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, Sonora and Baja California.

Although rare elsewhere, a few isolated colonies inhabit several other states and Canada. It naturalizes efficiently in many other regions of other continents.

California poppy naturally blooms almost exclusively orange. Modern varieties that bloom yellow, red, lavender and creamy white were developed relatively recently. Naturally white and lavender California poppies are extremely rare in the wild. To Californian children, they are supposedly good luck, like-four leaf clovers are to Irish children. I remember finding a few of each at the Portola Monument in Montara when I was a kid. I did not see either again until I found a white California poppy at work a few years ago. Of course, modern varieties take the fun out of that tradition.

California poppies are now blooming splendidly. Unfortunately, they are neither as common nor as profuse as they were only a few decades ago. They are displaced by naturalized exotic vegetation, including naturalized forage crops and cover crops. Also, exotic vegetation, including flowers within home gardens and orchard trees, distracts the pollinators that they rely on for pollination. We dispersed California poppy seed at work while the weather was still a bit rainy, so should get more blooming later in spring. Hopefully, they will disperse a bit more seed for the following spring, although I suspect that they would already be naturally established there if it were a good situation for them.

California poppies can get somewhat unkempt within refined landscapes, particularly if they stay long enough to disperse their seed. That is why we want more within unrefined areas.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 4 Comments

California Lilac (not a plant profile)

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus

Ceanothus of all sorts are collectively known as California lilac. A few uncommon species are also known by alternate names that might confuse those who are unfamiliar with them. Most species happen to be native to California, although most are not exclusive to California, and a few are not native to California. The species with the most extensive range is native to the eastern half of America, which does not include California. Incidentally, it is known more familiarly as New Jersey tea.

Ceanothus is not actually related to lilac. It merely blooms within the same season, with tiny flowers in floral trusses that are smaller but sort of shaped like those of lilac. The most traditional lilac bloom with lavender floral color, but a few cultivars bloom with pale blue floral color that sort of resembles that of some of the Ceanothus. Most Ceanothus bloom is richer blue, and some is pale white. The most fragrant of Ceanothus bloom is only mildly fragrant, and only in abundance. Most Ceanothus bloom lacks fragrance or smells rather dusty. Lilac, of course, is famously fragrant.

California lilac is therefore neither notably Californian nor a type of lilac. Nonetheless, during spring, we appreciate its bloom, both within refined landscapes and in the wild. It does not last for long, but it can be impressive, particularly among wild specimens that can grow larger than those within confined landscapes. The blue floral color of the majority of wild specimens and perhaps all cultivated specimens is comparable to that of native lupines, and contrasts splendidly with bright orange California poppies that bloom at about the same time. California lilac that grows wild need no maintenance, and although individual specimens do not last long enough to get old, they reliably replace themselves like so many native species do.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 18 Comments

Six on Saturday: Shabby Spring II

Some of these Six are leftovers from last week. Some might have been late last week, and are a week later now. African daisy and calla bloom somewhat randomly, so technically, may not qualify as late. Likewise, candelabra aloe does not bloom quite as randomly, but is not always punctual either. I should be more observant of bloom schedules. Evergreen clematis and bridal wreath spirea are more likely to be blooming late. I am more certain that flowering quince should have bloomed earlier. Only calla and candelabra aloe were grown here. The others were originally acquired from nurseries many years ago, so I can not gloat about growing them. Incidentally, Rhody and I will leave for Washington early Wednesday morning, so my next two ‘Six on Saturday’ posts should be from there.

1. Clematis armandii, evergreen clematis bloomed while I was not looking. This picture is from last week. Bloom lasted a bit longer than expected, but is presently deteriorating.

2. Osteospermum ecklonis, African daisy also bloomed last week, but of course, is rarely without bloom. It blooms a bit more profusely in phases between now and late summer.

3. Aloe arborescens, candelabra aloe typically blooms for late winter. These vivid orange flowers are resilient to wintry weather, and contrast splendidly with blue California lilac.

4. Zantedeschia aethiopica, calla grows wild within a portion of one of the landscapes. It could do the same elsewhere if we were to relocate some of it, which is why we rarely do.

5. Spiraea prunifolia, bridal wreath spirea seems to be blooming late. I do not know for certain because I do not remember when it typically blooms. Foliage develops afterward.

6. Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Double Take Orange’ flowering quince also develops its foliage after bloom. I am more certain that it is blooming late. It typically blooms with forsythia.

This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/