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Bromeliads Are . . . Weird.

Tillandsias, to the left and right, as well as Spanish moss, which hangs downward throughout, are types of bromeliads.

After certain botany classes, some of my Cal Poly colleagues and I found it difficult to enjoy eating certain fruits and vegetables like we did previously. Simple things like pineapples, figs, potatoes and Brussels’s sprouts were much less appealing, or even unappealing, once we discovered what they really are. Yet, we also gained a bit more respect for these seemingly weird plants. Even though their adaptations do not always make sense to us, and some adaptations are a bit outdated by a few thousand centuries, or much more, many plants are remarkably adapted to their particular situations within their natural environments.      

Pineapple is still one of my less favorite ‘fruit’. However, the related bromeliads, of the family Bromeliaceae, are fascinating. Almost all are ‘stemless perennials’ with basal rosettes of foliage. (Their ‘stems’ are actually out of sight below their foliage.) Most are epiphytes that live within the canopies of larger trees or on exposed rock formations, sustained by whatever organic matter that happens to fall onto them from above. They are consequently very well adapted to confinement in pots, so can be quite happy as houseplants. A few bromeliads that live in deserts or other comparably harsh environments actually resemble yuccas.

Some people like to water large bromeliads  in the ‘reservoirs’ formed by the densely set leaves at the middles of the foliar rosettes. In the wild, these reservoirs naturally collect rainwater to use during drier weather. Bromeliads can either absorb moisture directly from their reservoirs through their leaves, or they release some of the water between their foliage to their roots below as their leaves lose turgidity (wilt slightly) because of a lack of rainfall or humidity. Either way, bromeliads really know how to conserve and ration water accordingly.

Many bromeliads are appreciated for their unusually colorful and often strangely textured foliage. Many have very interesting or downright strange flowers that mostly stand high above their foliage. The flashiest bromeliads have all of the above ; oddly textured and colorful foliage with interesting flower trusses outfitted with bracts (modified leaves that adorn flowers) that are so colorful that it is difficult to know where the foliage ends and the flowers begin.   

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Planting Should Not Be Complicated

Soil amendment should not be excessive.

Autumn and winter are generally the best seasons for planting. Most vegetation is either less active than during other seasons, or dormant. It is therefore more complaisant to the distress of planting procedures. Weather is cooler and wetter than during other seasons. It is therefore less stressful to vulnerable vegetation recovering from planting procedures.

Nonetheless, planting continues throughout the year. Seasonal vegetables and annuals are seasonal at various times. Planting after any lingering chill or potential frost of winter is safer for several species. Also, planting commonly happens whenever it is convenient for whomever does it. Many species are most tempting whenever they happen to bloom.

Generally, this is no problem. Planting while vegetation is active during warm weather is riskier but feasible. It should preferably happen after the warmest time of day. Weather is likely cooler after three in the afternoon. Unusually hot weather justifies delay for another day. Once planted, thorough soaking settles comforting wet soil around vulnerable roots.

Realistically, most planting techniques and concerns are the same regardless of season. The processes only have more potential to be more stressful now than during dormancy. A few species are actually dormant during summer or even spring. Several spring bulbs, such as narcissi, are now ready for division or relocation. Bearded iris rhizomes are also.

Soil amendment helps new plants to feel more comfortable within their new situations. It encourages them to extend roots from their original media into surrounding soil. It should not be excessive though. Contrary to overly popular belief, it is unnecessary below roots. New plants can sink detrimentally below grade if amendment or loose soil below settles.

Stakes for trees that need them must extend past roots and into solid soil below. Binding nursery stakes should be loosened or removed if possible. Binding, which initially keeps trunks straight, can later interfere with trunk development. All new plants need systematic watering through dry seasons until they disperse roots. Most appreciate a layer of mulch, to retain moisture and insulate.

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Propper Gardening

Brent’s landscape style is VERY different from mine.

If you have ever seen ‘The Osbornes’ on television, you know how extravagant the work of landscape designer Brent Green of GreenArt of West Hollywood can be. He actually landscaped and has maintained the home of the Osbornes since before the Osbornes lived there, and has managed to fit a more extensive range of plants into the gardens than I have grown in my career as a horticulturist, arborist and nurseryman. His own home garden is just as bad . . . I mean ‘extravagant’, with more diversity of plants than could be found in any nursery.

Would you believe that Brent Green and I were actually college roommates in the dorms? Sometimes I do not believe it either. Nearly a quarter of a century ago, he came two hundred miles north, and I came two hundred miles south to ‘meet in the middle’ and study horticulture at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. He was very trendy for the time, wearing brightly colored mid ‘80’s clothes and a flat topped afro like Grace Jones. (Yes, he once had hair.) I was old fashioned for ten years earlier, just like I am now, with Levi’s, Durango’s and flannel.

As a landscape designer, Brent Green enjoys the diversity of plants, and getting them to fit into practical, functional and yet very enjoyable landscapes, gardens and outdoor rooms. Most of his favorite work is lush and tranquil, with all the fancy and artful curves, ‘meandering’ walkways, water features, extensive diversity of plants, and herds of color! Conversely, I am still a nurseryman at heart, so engage my garden as a commodity with conformity, simplicity and very basic functionality. I grow vegetables, many fruit trees, and many ‘copies’ of the same reliable plants that I propagate myself, mostly arranged in what Brent Green refers to as straight line ‘row crops’.

Yet, our gardening philosophy is the same. We both ENJOY our gardens, and agree that everyone should likewise do gardening on their own terms. Those who do not enjoy gardening should not need to. There are plenty of other things besides gardening to enjoy.

To facilitate the execution of proper horticultural techniques, we should grow only what we are able and want to take care of. What looks good in a magazine may require more attention that we can commit to or would enjoy. I still believe that the legendary horticulturist Robert Leakley was the first to say what many have copied in various forms since, “If you enjoy it, you are doing it right.”

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Florist Quality And Landscape Quality

Chrysanthemums are available out of season.

Roses from a home garden are not quite the same as roses from a florist or market. They mostly bloom on stems that are relatively thinner and shorter. Floral and foliar blemishes are more likely. As they unfurl, they can get a bit wider and disperse more fragrance. One of the more obvious differences is their seasonality. They are unavailable through winter.

Florist roses are likewise different from garden roses. They are not as limited by season, so are available at any time of year. Their elegantly straighter stems are relatively longer and a bit heftier. Blemishes are rare. Buds are generally plumper and likely to last longer, but may not unfurl completely. They are typically relatively narrow and a bit less fragrant.

Environmental factors cause most of the differences. Home garden roses develop with a relatively natural exposure to weather. Florist roses develop within synthetic greenhouse environments without natural weather. However, genetics cause some of the differences. Florist roses are not the same cultivars that are available from nurseries for landscaping.

The same applies to several florist quality potted plants. They also grow within unnatural environments. They also are cultivars that perform well for their specific purpose. Some cultivars are impractical for landscapes. Some take quite a while to adapt to landscapes. Many that are seasonally popular for particular Holidays may not last for long afterward.

Most azaleas and hydrangeas are landscape cultivars. Some are florist cultivars though. Landscape cultivars that grew outside in nurseries adapt efficiently to landscapes. Florist cultivars that grew in greenhouses take more time or may not adapt. Those that do might bloom with lavishly large florist type flowers. Such bloom may not be resilient to weather.

Several cultivars of florist carnations and chrysanthemums are also landscape cultivars. Florist lilies are the same that are seasonally available as dormant bulbs from nurseries. Adaptation to a garden can be stressful, especially for those that bloomed out of season. However, once they adapt, they might perform for several years as short term perennials.

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Sunscald

Even cacti are susceptible to scald if their exposure changes.

Agave americana is a tough perennial that is naturally endemic to harsh desert climates. It not only survives, but is happy in awful heat and dry air without shade. However, a specimen that lived in my garden for about two years succumbed to sunburn and moderate heat in less than a day.

The problem was that it had been growing in a rather shady spot since it arrived. There was enough ambient sunlight to sustain it, but no direct exposure to sunlight. The typically stout steely blue leaves were consequently elegantly elongated and slightly twisted, but well adapted to their particular environment. This would not have been a problem, except that I dragged the plant out to relocate it.

In only a few hours, the leaves were roasted by exposure to sunlight. They melted and laid limp like steamed asparagus. Only the unfurled leaves in the middle remained turgid. By the next morning, the scorched leaf surfaces were already turning ashy white. Now, the desiccating foliage lays flat with slightly curled blackening edges, around the surviving meristem (terminal bud in the middle), like an angry starfish road kill taking its last gasp.

The good news is that the new foliage that eventually develops from within the presently unfurled middle leaves should adapt to the environment where the plant gets relocated to, even if the first leaves to open are not quite adapted. The bad news is that the damaged foliage cannot be salvaged, and will need to be cut before planting. I will put the plant deeper in the ground than the level it had been growing at so that the leaf stubs will be buried.

Just as people can get sunburned, plants that are sheltered can succumb to sunscald when they suddenly become too exposed. It does not always result from the particular plant getting moved, but sometimes happens when nearby plants or features change. For example, foliage of Japanese maples that have grown as understory plants to larger shade trees is susceptible to foliar sunscald if the larger trees get removed or pruned significantly. Replacing old large picture windows with more reflective windows to keep the interior cooler may reflect enough glare to the exterior to temporarily scald sensitive ferns. Aggressively pruning English walnut, avocado or silver maple trees in summer may expose sensitive bark of main limbs enough to cause bark scald.

Damage to foliage may linger as long as the foliage does, but is typically as temporary as the foliage is. Deciduous plants will drop the damaged foliage in autumn, and replace it with more adapted foliage in spring. Bark scald though can be a serious problem, since the bark is not so easily replaced in a year. One of my great grandfather’s old English walnut trees got sunscald on some main limbs when the tree was pruned for clearance from a room addition in about 1950, and remained damaged when the tree was removed about half a century later. The scalded bark decayed decades ago, exposing inner wood to decay.

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Aridity Is Opposite Of Humidity

The sky is bluer with aridity.

Aridity is a measure of humidity. Humidity is a measure of aridity. Although opposite, they are similar. Humidity is the quantity of water vapor that is suspended within the air. Aridity is a deficiency of humidity. They are components of weather that are more likely felt than seen. Although, aridity clarifies the air, which typically causes the sky to seem more blue.

Of all components of weather, only atmospheric pressure is less tangible than aridity. It is measurable with instrumentation, but perceptible to very few. Except for its clarification of the sky, aridity is just as invisible. It is more perceptible, though. Just as humidity inhibits dissipation of heat, aridity promotes it. Therefore, arid heat feels cooler than humid heat.

That is why the West Coast is famous for its delightfully arid weather with sunsets. Even when the weather here is warmer than elsewhere, it may be more comfortable. Although undesirable, smog and smoke from forest fires provide color for clear sunsets. Temperate arid weather is more conducive to gardening. However, some vegetation might disagree.

Fragrant flowers can not disperse their fragrance quite as effectively during arid weather. Nor can aromatic foliage disperse its aroma quite as effectively. A few varieties of colorful foliage and flowers may fade a bit faster with minimal humidity. After all, most vegetation within home gardens is originally from more humid climates. It naturally enjoys humidity.

More importantly, most vegetation needs more water through arid weather. It loses much more moisture from its foliar surfaces at such times. Any breeze, which people might like, exacerbates loss of moisture. Obviously, warmth does also. Automatic irrigation requires appropriate adjustment as weather changes. Manual irrigation may become demanding.

Irrigation is less demanding for species that actually prefer local Mediterranean climates. Many of such species are native. Most are native to other regions with similar climates. A few are native to climates that are more arid, but tolerate a bit of extra moisture. Weather and climate do not adapt to a garden. It is best to cooperate with climate than not.

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Succulents

Succulents are remarkably diverse.

Among the many garden chores that I neglected so far this summer is the ‘processing’ of many of the bits and pieces of unusual succulent plants that I acquired from earlier volunteer work days at the Arizona Garden at Stanford. Volunteers are always welcome to take any of the debris that we generate. After everyone present took what they could, I could not bear to waste what was left; so I took more than I should. Cacti, agaves and yuccas cannot be recycled as green waste, so would otherwise have been disposed of.

I really wanted large canes of a particular unusual yucca, so processed them as large cuttings first. I only needed to cut away all but the foliage on top, stick them in the ground and keep them watered until roots grow. This particular desert yucca does not grow roots as efficiently as tropical yuccas do, though.

Meanwhile, many pieces of cacti, ice plant, and succulents that I can not even tell you the names of remain out in a pile in the driveway. However, as I was looking them over today, I noticed that they are not only alive, but actually seem to doing quite well. Some are even blooming!  

This is just too weird. There is no soil. There is no watering. Even if there were, there are no roots to exploit the resources that are necessary to keep plants alive. These bits and pieces of various succulents get only sunlight and warmth during the day. Apparently, this is all they need for now.

They know that it will eventually rain. When it does, they will develop new roots into the soil wherever they are. Since I do not intend to let them do this in my driveway, I will eventually get them into the garden, and water them in to hasten the rooting process. I will groom them and strip lower foliage from agaves and aloes, so that they look better than the debris that they are. They should actually grow slightly and look pretty good by autumn.   

There are so many different kinds of ‘succulent plants’ or ‘succulents’, that the definition is not always so clear. All cacti are succulents that are equipped with spines. Many relatives of poinsettia (euphorbs) have fleshy green stems just like cacti, so are also succulents. Some of these even look like cacti, with comparable spines. Aloes and agaves are succulents as well, with large fleshy leaves, some with very sharp leaf tips and teeth on their leaf margins. The list goes on, including sedums, sempervivums, echiverias, aeoniums, crassulas, lithops, ice plants and more.

Simply speaking, succulents store water in distended ‘succulent’ leaves, stems or even roots, in order to survive long dry seasons. Most happen to be remarkably easy to propagate from cuttings. Some can even be grown from relatively large cuttings. In the desert where water is a very limited commodity, many succulents defend themselves with spines or teeth.

Yuccas, which are related to aloes and agaves, are considered (by ‘some’) to be succulents as well, even though they lack fleshy leaves or stems. Some yuccas that form trunks and branches, particularly those that are from tropical or forest environments, and especially the common Yucca elephantipes, are just as easy to propagate from cuttings as other succulents are.

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Pollinators Are As Busy As Bees

Flower breeding is not for pollinators.

Flowers bloom for pollination. It is that simple. Most rely on wind to disperse their pollen. They are more abundant than colorful or fragrant. More prominently colorful and fragrant flowers rely on pollinators. Their color and fragrance attract preferred pollinators, such as insects, birds or bats. Such flowers sustain their pollinators with nectar or surplus pollen.

More than pollinators appreciate their diligence. Almost everyone who enjoys gardening enjoys floral color and fragrance. Cultivation of naturally appealing bloom began several thousand years ago. Selection and breeding most likely began relatively soon afterward. Ultimately, during relatively modern history, hybridization began getting too complicated.

Pollinators were not a priority during such processes. Because most ornamental flowers produce no usable fruit, pollinators are unimportant. Because of extensive hybridization, many ornamental flowers are sterile anyway. Floral color, fragrance and various tangible attributes are more important. Modern bloom appeals more to people than to pollinators.

A few modern flowers now confound their original pollinators. Some types of insects can die of exhaustion while trying to ascertain them. These insects may recognize floral color or fragrance but not strange floral structure. A few modern flowers are too frilly for access. Some attract pollinators without providing enough nectar or extra pollen to sustain them.

Several exotic flowers with less or no breeding distract pollinators with their abundance. Lemon bottlebrush blooms very abundantly and is still common within some landscapes. Blue gum eucalyptus is naturalized in parts of California. Both attract monarch butterflies that native species rely on. Native ceanothus must instead rely more on other pollinators.

Furthermore, a few pollinators actually disrupt native ecosystems. Honey bees, although very important to local agriculture, are not native. They arrived in San Jose in 1853, from where they dispersed throughout the West. It is now impossible to assess their influence. Even seemingly beneficial influence is unnatural and therefore ecologically detrimental.

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Village Harvest redirects surplus from home gardens to those who can use it.

Surplus need not go to waste.

(This article is several years old, so some of the information within is likely outdated.)

Those who witnessed the event know that it actually happened. During citrus season a few years ago, a crew of volunteers descended upon, or should I say, ascended ladders into the legendary and monstrously large King Grapefruit Tree in a gallant but hopeless attempt to harvest the fruit. Our caravan of an assortment of smaller pickups and my full sized Ford that we drove out to confront this aberration of nature where it resided was completely full by the time we had harvested only about a third of the fruit. We left happy with our plunder, but unexpectedly defeated by the abundance left behind. I have seen many fruit trees throughout my career, but have never seen so much fruit in a single tree! 

It may have watched us leave exasperated with our mud-flaps dragging, but the King Grapefruit Tree was not solely victorious. We Village Harvest volunteers and the many beneficiaries of Village Harvest enjoyed its fruit for weeks! Village Harvest arranges for community fruit harvesting events to collect fruit that might otherwise go to waste so that it can instead be distributed to people in the community who can use it. The fruit of the King Grapefruit Tree was donated, and more was harvested later, so that it would not become an unwanted mess for the residents of the nearby home.

This is just one of many examples of how Village Harvest community fruit harvesting events benefit everyone involved. Those who donate their surplus fruit get it harvested and taken away before it becomes messy. Village Harvest volunteers get to take a bag or so of the fruit that gets harvested during the event. The clientele of the local food agencies that distribute the produce get fresh home grown fruit from the Santa Clara Valley; which is, as we all know, the best in the world.

Although citrus season is still several months away, five community fruit harvesting events are scheduled to collect summer fruit through July. On July 18 and again on August 1, two Mountain View community harvesting events will be from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. Two Central San Jose community harvesting events will be from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on both July 20 and July 27. The Sunnyvale community harvesting event will be from 8:00 a.m. to noon on July 26. Locations to meet for each event can be determined when making reservations.

Information about volunteering for any of these and other events, or how to arrange for donation of fruit, can be found at the website, www.villageharvest.org, or by telephoning 888 – 378 4841. Because admission is limited, it is advisable to make reservations for any event early, either online or by telephone. (It may be too late for the July 18 event.) Parking is also limited, so participants should carpool if possible. Pickups and station wagons to help transport fruit are very helpful. So is a grocery bag to share in the harvest afterward. Covered shoes (not sandals) are important. Layered clothing is more comfortable for cool mornings that get warmer closer to noon.  

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Weed Abatement Beyond Refined Gardens

Dry weeds can be very combustible.

Gardening involves weeds. Gardening outside of refined gardens involves more weeds. A few of such weeds are native species which grow where they are undesirable. Most of the most aggressive are naturalized exotic species. Collectively, they are an unpleasant consequence of unmanageable external biodiversity. They necessitate weed abatement.

Weed abatement is a standard procedure within refined gardens. Most know it simply as weeding. Ideally, it is harmless to desirable vegetation. It may be a relatively simple task where desirable vegetation excludes weeds. Also, weeds are less abundant where they lack sources of seed to regenerate. Timely weeding should eliminate much of their seed.

Unfortunately, no garden is isolated from external influences. Weed seed sneaks in from uncultivated spaces, adjacent gardens or beyond. Suburban and rural gardens might be close to wildlands or forests. Many of such weed seed sources are beyond the control of their victims. Some are merely easy to ignore because they are out of view or not in use.

For some unused or unseen areas, weed whacking can be more practical than weeding. It entails cutting undesirable vegetation almost to grade with a motorized weed whacker. Manual weed whackers, although rare, are not extinct. Weed whackers are not selective. They can sever desirable annuals or perennials that mingle with undesirable vegetation.

The primary advantage of weed whacking is that it is fast and efficient. With good timing, it eliminates bloom or developing seed prior to dispersion of seed. Diminishment of seed inhibits subsequent proliferation, and is much safer for pets. Foxtail seed are notoriously hazardous. Besides, overgrown weed vegetation becomes a fire hazard as it desiccates.

Viable basal stems and roots that remain after weed whacking are not much of an asset. Many types of perennial and biennial weeds regenerate from such growth. However, to a very minor degree, such vegetation may contribute to healthy biodiversity. It may sustain some beneficial insects and soil microorganisms. Also, it can inhibit surface soil erosion.