Posted on by tonytomeo

Fourteen Weeks

July 12 & October 21

As mentioned in September of last year, comparisons of the growth of the Memorial Tree of Felton Covered Bridge Park are probably more accurate about now, at the end of its growing season, rather than in the middle of July, as I have been conducting them. So, like last year, I did comparisons at both times this year. A minor difference this year from last year is that this secondary comparison is fourteen weeks after the primary comparison instead of seven weeks, and more completely after the Tree has finished noticeable growth for the year. The first pair of comparison pictures compares the Memorial Tree now to July 12. The second pair of comparison pictures compares the Memorial Tree now to August 30 of last year. While the second pair demonstrates approximately how much the Tree has grown during the past year, the first pair demonstrates how much the Tree has grown since July 12. Strangely, most of the growth seems to have occurred after July 12. This is a good indication that the Tree has extended roots below the nearby lawn, so is exploiting irrigation there. (This species typically exhibits most of its growth during spring and early summer while the endemic soil remains moist from winter rain, but then decelerates its growth as the soil dries through summer.)

August 30, 2024 & October 21,2025
Posted on by tonytomeo · 4 Comments

Six on Saturday: Bad Timing

Autumn seems to be a bit early this year. The weather is already cooler with a bit of rain. Although no more rain is in the forecast, neither is warm weather. Besides, even if warm weather resumes, it will not last long. Vegetation really should be getting ready for that. A few species, though, are behaving like it is spring or summer. Some were prompted to do so.

1. Platycerium bifurcatum, staghorn fern has been happy this year, but should not be so active now that the weather is cooling. New growth will be vulnerable to chill this winter.

2. Solandra maxima, cup of gold vine cuttings are developing roots now that it will soon be too cool for them to grow. The pruning scrap just happened to become available now.

3. Prosopis velutina, velvet mesquite seedling had all summer to germinate, but decided to do so now. It is the only one of these ‘six’ that is not tropical, so it should know better.

4. Mangifera indica, honey mango seed was sown after its fruits were eaten. Seasonality was not considered. Several seedlings are now growing just prior to autumn and winter.

5. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, tropical hibiscus cuttings have been growing slowly but surely since the end of last winter, but just as they should be slowing, they are trying to bloom.

6. Alocasia macrorrhizos, taro is also trying to bloom just as it should be decelerating its growth for autumn and winter. It will be interesting to see how this late bloom proceeds.

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 · 7 Comments

Pollen

For urban areas, the first rain of the season is typically icky. It mixes with all the crud and filth that has accumulated since the last rinsing rain of the previous spring. Damp roads smell like a mix of automotive fluids and wet tires. Asphalt roofs smell like tar. Even urban trees can initially smell like damp dust. It takes a while and a bit of rain for the crud and filth to rinse away.

This is the second rain of the season, and in a less than urban area. It does not smell objectionable, and is not notably cruddy. However, it still flows with an abundance of pollen that had not rinsed away already. Perhaps this pollen accumulated just since the previous rain, although not much has been blooming visibly at this time of year. It is impossible to say even what species dispersed so much pollen. Nonetheless, here it is, floating in the first few puddles to accumulate. Yuck!

It is no wonder that pollen is as effective at pollination as it is. It is impressively abundant and permeating. It is also no wonder that it is such a pervasive problem for those who are allergic to it.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 6 Comments

Six on Saturday: Peeping

Autumn foliar color is scarce here, not because the weather is too mild, but because it is not such a priority within landscape design. A few species can develop such color as they do where autumn weather is cooler. Of course, some do not. Native California sycamore is a stately deciduous tree with striking form while bare through winter, but contributes minimal color.

1. Cornus florida, flowering dogwood is just beginning to exhibit foliar color for autumn. It performs surprisingly well in the Santa Cruz Mountains above the Santa Clara Valley.

2. Lagerstroemia indica, crape myrtle is also starting to exhibit foliar color for autumn. It may do so before the weather gets cool, as if it somehow knows what time of year it is.

3. Platanus racemosa, California sycamore does not know or care what time of year it is. It is more likely to yellow in response to hot and dry summer weather than to do so now.

4. Platanus X acerifolia, London plane tree is the sycamore with maple foliage. It is just beginning to yellow, but ultimately, does not do much more than that before defoliation.

5. Acer platanoides, Norway maple is the maple with sycamore foliage. This cultivar has bronze foliage through summer, so develops its yellow foliar color for autumn quite late.

6. Acer rubrum, red maple, like crape myrtle, can develop foliar color for autumn before cool weather, as if it knows what time of year this is. It defoliates relatively early though.

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

Mango Seedlings

There are a few reasons to not grow avocado trees from seed. Such trees take a few years to produce fruit. Then, their fruit may be very different from the fruit that provided the seed. It is therefore better to purchase a grafted tree, or at least to graft a seedling. However, some of the best and most productive avocado trees have grown from seed. I have been acquainted with many such trees, and have never met even one that produced inferior fruit. (The primary problem that I notice with seed grown avocado trees is that they grow so tall while young that most of their fruit is out of reach, but that is another topic for later.) Anyway, this is my justification for growing mango trees from seed. I am told that they are much more likely than seed grown avocado trees to produce inferior fruit. I suppose that I will find out now. I am willing to try grafting them if their fruit is not good. They can at least become good understock. Yet, I am also wondering why I get into these situations. I should have known better than to grow something that I know nothing about.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 6 Comments

Six on Saturday: Coming & Going

Although the weather is predicted to be more typical, it was prematurely autumnish last week. It is a reminder that it really is time for Autumny and wintry flowers to come into season while summery flowers go out of season. This “Six on Saturday” is about some of such coming and going. (To comply with guideline #7 of the participant guide for Six on Saturday, I am limiting verbiage.)

1. Viola wittrockiana, pansy is traditional for winter floral color. It replaces petunia, and should last until petunia becomes seasonable again next spring. It is coming into season.

2. Petunia X hybrida, petunia is traditional for summer floral color. It replaced pansy as pansy finished its season last spring. It is going out of season now. Do you see a pattern?

3. Tagetes patula, marigold is traditional for autumn floral color. It was just installed as a narrow border for a small rose garden. For there, it is one of the more reliable annuals.

4. Pelargonium peltatum, ivy geranium, in eight or so baskets, hung from the eaves of a prominent building at work, but never flourished. They will be recycled somewhere else.

5. Dianthus caryophyllus, carnation does not do much through summer, but now begins to bloom as nights become cooler. I forget that it is here. I also forget how delightful it is.

6. Canna, canna blooms a bit less enthusiastically as the weather begins to cool, but can technically bloom until it gets frosted. If it does not get frosted, it can bloom continually.

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 · 12 Comments

Sea Grape

The Shrub Queen sent me seed for sea grape, Coccoloba uvifera. Naturally, it is now very important to me. I wanted to grow it before obtaining the seed. Now, I am obligated to grow it well! Some of the seed germinated readily. The problem is that slugs promptly ate the tops of the seedlings. Only one seedling survived without damage. It now has its first pair of leaves, and looks like a green butterfly. A second seedling that germinated shortly afterward retains one of its first pair of leaves, so could possibly survive. Hopefully, more seed will germinate later. Sea grape is dioecious; so the primary seedling is either male or female, and therefore unable to produce fruit without a mate of the opposite gender. Most sea grape are female; so even if the secondary seedling survives, there is more than a fifty percent probability that both the primary and secondary seedlings are female. If more seedlings germinate in the future, they will increase the probability that at least one will be a gender that is different from the others. Actually though, I would be pleased with only a single fruitless sea grape. The seed was such a generous gift.