Posted on by tonytomeo · 4 Comments

Curve Leaf Yucca

Curve leaf yucca resembles other yuccas.

Several of the fifty or so species of Yucca are difficult to distinguish from similar species. Some are varieties of species, rather than distinct species. Some are naturally occurring hybrids. Curve leaf yucca, Yucca recurvifolia, is supposedly a naturally occurring variety of mound lily, Yucca gloriosa var. recurvifolia (or tristis). Alternatively, it could be a hybrid.

As if that is not confusing enough, its physical characteristics are variable. Foliar color is typically grayish, but might be simple olive drab like that of many other species of Yucca. Its typically pliable evergreen leaves that curve downward as they mature can be almost as rigid as those of common mound lily. Stout but upright trunks may or may not develop.

Curve leaf yucca is remarkably resilient. Actually, unwanted specimens can be difficult to eradicate. Small bits of rhizome can generate pups for many years after the removal of a primary plant. Occasional watering is appreciated through the warmest summer weather, but may not be necessary. Old colonies can get ten feet tall, and occupy significant area, but quite slowly.

Posted on by tonytomeo

Arid Climates Can Be Challenging

Some plants shrivel in arid warmth.

‘Mediterranean’ translates as an adjective that describes being at the middle of the Earth. Those who inhabited that region many centuries ago considered the Mediterranean Sea to be central to their World. That was long ago and far away. Nonetheless, climates here and now are somehow Mediterranean. Maybe semi arid climates of Italy are Californian.

Mediterranean climates are temperately warm with dry weather through summer. Rain is almost exclusive to a rainy season between autumn and spring. Although rain can briefly get abundant during the rainy season, the average annual rainfall is modest. Humidity is minimal for much of the time. Arid warmth is more comfortable than rarely humid warmth.

Desert climates accumulate less than ten inches of rain annually. Local climates receive more than fifteen inches of rain annually. They are therefore not sufficiently arid to qualify as desert climates. Technically, they are only semi arid chaparral climates. This climactic designation is perhaps more appropriate than the regional designation of Mediterranean.

Native plants and plants that are native to other chaparral climates are naturally pleased with the local climate. However, some initiate at least partial dormancy to survive through the long and arid summers. They may bloom early, but then partially defoliate for several months. Some delay dormancy if watered. A few dislike watering. It is unnatural for them.

Most plants in home gardens are not native to chaparral climates. They require watering to compensate for aridity during summer. Minimal humidity accelerates evaporation from foliar surfaces, which increases the demand for moisture. In conjunction with warmth and wind, aridity can desiccate foliage. Like people and pets, plants must maintain hydration.

Humid warmth that is less comfortable for people and pets is more comfortable for plants than arid warmth is. Humidity inhibits evaporation from foliar surfaces so plants consume less moisture. Incidentally, most pathogens, such as fungal diseases, bacterial diseases and most insects, also prefer warm humidity. People and pets seem to be in the minority.

Posted on by tonytomeo

Wild Radish

I get more produce from the forest than from the garden!

tonytomeo's avatarTony Tomeo

P90623This is why I do not bother growing greens in the garden just yet. Wild radish grows here wild; and there is way too much of it. Most but not all of it gets mown in meadows or cut down with weed whackers on the edges of roadways. There is no need to cut down that which is out of the way. Besides, we could not cut it all even if we wanted to. There is wild turnip and mustard too. All are prolifically naturalized and invasive exotic species.
These radishes do not make the distended roots that garden varieties of radishes are grown for. Nor to the wild turnips make distended turnip roots. They, as well as the mustard, do make good greens though. They may not be quite as good as fancier garden varieties, but I can’t beat the price, or get any other type of vegetable for…

View original post 150 more words

Posted on by tonytomeo

Like Peas In A Pod

Since posting this three years ago, I dug and canned two perennial pea that bloom white. I split one into three copies, and gave the other away. It was easy. I suppose I could do it again, and perhaps can one that blooms lighter pink, like in the upper picture.

tonytomeo's avatarTony Tomeo

P90622KGenerally, that is how they are. Almost all perennial pea flowers bloom with the same bright purplish pink color of the bloom in the picture below. That is, of course, before their pods develop, but you get the point. We sort of know what to expect from them.

As I mentioned in the ‘Six on Saturday‘ post last week, from which the picture below originated, variants like the pink bloom in the picture above are sometimes observed. The rare clear white flowers are my favorites. There might be fluffier double flowers too; although, in my opinion, the single flowers are prettier and look more like pea flowers should look.

I also mentioned last week that, although perennial pea has a sneaky way of growing where it is not wanted, it typically does not grow reliably from seed sown intentionally where it might actually be desirable. I have tried…

View original post 189 more words

Posted on by tonytomeo · 21 Comments

Six on Saturday: Oh Deer!

Deer have avoided the primary rose garden for longer than anyone can remember. They avoid a large colony of carpet roses nearby also. (The carpet roses were relocated across the road from where they were, but did not go far.) I thought that some old canned roses could be about as safe in another landscape less than half a mile of winding road away. I was wrong. The primary phase of bloom was harvested by neighbors who walk past that landscape. Subsequent phases are mostly consumed by deer. I was surprised to find that these flowers lasted long enough to deteriorate.

1. There is not much vegetation that deer will not eat. New Zealand flax is one of the few species they ignore. It is primarily a foliar plant though. Bloom looks like dinky bananas.

2. Carpet roses often manage to bloom regardless of the voraciousness of deer. Bloom is generally too profuse for deer to eat all the flowers. Unfortunately, I loathe carpet roses.

3. I believe that the color of this particular rose could be described as ‘peach’. I am not at all proficient with color, so this is merely a guess. This cultivar seems to be a floribunda.

4. This rose initially blooms brighter yellow before fading like this. Of course, I have not seen it fade much in the past. I am impressed that this flower lasted long enough to fade.

5. Two buds peeking over the edge suggest that this pink rose is a floribunda too, like the peach rose #3 above. I can not identify any of the cultivars of any of these recycled roses.

6. Rhody apparently shares my disdain for carpet roses. I realize that this is not the most flattering picture, but I also realize that the worst picture of Rhody is the best of my Six.

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

Blue Dawn Flower

Due to an inability to locate some of my old articles from nine years ago, I will recycle articles such as this, which already posted to this blog four years ago, through June and at least part of July.

tonytomeo's avatarTony Tomeo

70614Even within its native range, blue dawn flower, Ipomoea indica, can be a problem. There are not many other plants in some coastal regions of Peru that can avoid getting overwhelmed by the aggressive wiry vines. These vines grow roots where they touch soil, so can spread indefinitely over the ground. Vines that succumb to frost over winter regenerate as if nothing ever happened.

Three inch wide flowers are rich purplish blue when they open at dawn. They then fade through the day, only to be replaced by fresh new flowers the following morning. Bloom continues from spring until autumn, and can get profuse at times. The lush rich green leaves are cordate (heart-shaped) or lobed (with only three lobes). Too much fertilizer promotes growth but inhibits bloom.

Blue dawn flower’s main weakness is a dependency on water. If it gets too dry briefly in summer, it can die…

View original post 51 more words

Posted on by tonytomeo

Annuals Just Might Be Perennials

Due to an inability to locate some of my old articles from nine years ago, I will recycle articles such as this, which already posted to this blog four years ago, through June and at least part of July.

tonytomeo's avatarTony Tomeo

70614thumbAnnuals come and annuals go. There are cool season annuals for winter. There are warm season annuals for summer. Really though, there are all sorts of annuals that are not annuals at all. Most are some sort of perennial that has the potential to last longer than a single season. Only a few popular ‘annuals’ would necessarily die after blooming and producing seed, within a single year.

To be clear, true annuals last only a single year. They probably germinate from seed early in spring, and grow quickly. They then bloom in spring or at least by summer, and subsequently produce seed. Once their seed has matured and been dispersed, their job is done. They finally die in late autumn or winter. Annuals from deserts are even faster because of the harshness of the weather.

Many large-flowered sunflowers are true annuals. They are finished once their seeds mature. They will…

View original post 262 more words

Posted on by tonytomeo

Horridculture – Security Clearance

Hey, I grew my pineapple sage from cuttings from this sloppy mess!

tonytomeo's avatarTony Tomeo

P90619A well designed landscape should be an asset, not a liability. It should beautify and enhance the function of outdoor space, while harmonizing with associated indoor spaces. In order to continually do so, even a very well designed landscape requires maintenance so that it does not become so overgrown that it becomes unsightly and obstructive.
Some landscapes require less maintenance than others. There happens to be very few that can be allowed to grow wild, but only because their components are allowed the space they need to do what they do naturally. It is not fair to incorporate plants merely because they are appealing, and then expect them to conform to unnatural constraints without some degree of intervention.
As an arborist, I often see trees that must be pruned for clearance from roofs, gutters, walls, windows, lighting, utility cables and roadways. It is normal for trees and large shrubbery to…

View original post 440 more words

Posted on by tonytomeo

Silver Mountain Gum

Silver mountain gum is remarkably glaucous.

The strikingly glaucous juvenile foliage of silver mountain gum, Eucalyptus pulverulenta, is likely more familiar within floral design than in home gardens. Actually, it is uncommon within home gardens, although quite popular as cut foliage among florists. Its paired and sessile leaves are oval or bluntly cordate (‘heart shaped’), and about an inch or two long.

Adult growth is rare, even among established trees. However, small white flowers bloom from the axils of juvenile leaves that are a year old. (Juvenile growth of most species can not bloom.) Bloom might continue from spring until autumn, as blooming stems sag from the weight of younger distal growth. The aromatic and evergreen leaves stiffen with age.

Low and shrubby specimens with a few trunks may not get much higher than fifteen feet. They have potential to get twice as tall though, particularly if pruned up onto bare trunks. Lignotubers expand below the trunks. Strips of old bark shed to reveal fresh matte brown bark. Incidentally, the Latin name of this species often transposes for Eucalyptus cinerea.

Posted on by tonytomeo

Drought Tolerance Necessitates Root Dispersion

Extensive root dispersion enhances drought tolerance.

Fads certainly complicate gardening. Most are merely marketing tactics. Most are bogus. Many even contradict their justifications! For example, most new, trendy and supposedly sustainable plant cultivars are genetically weak because of extensive breeding. Drought tolerance likewise has potential to be a constructive fad, but is so commonly misapplied.

Incidentally, its terminology is somewhat inaccurate. Drought is an extended but unusual pattern of dry weather. Whether the duration is for one year, or many, it is not permanent. The dry weather that persists through summer locally is normal for the chaparral climate. It is therefore a normal characteristic of climate, rather than abnormal weather conditions.

Drought tolerance is therefore practical here as chaparral tolerance. Most plants that are drought tolerant are naturally endemic to chaparral regions or deserts. Many of the native species naturally exhibit remarkable drought tolerance. Once established, they might not require any more moisture than they get from annual rainfall. Some prefer dry conditions.

Drought tolerance should not imply that such plants are undemanding. In some regards, they are more demanding and less adaptable than plants that require frequent watering. Such plants rely on extensive root dispersion to procure the moisture they require within dry situations. Most do not adapt to confinement, even if watering is enough to cause rot.

Container gardening is therefore a fad that is incompatible with drought tolerance. It only uses less water for plants that use more water. Also, modern drip irrigation, which is very practical for plants that rely on irrigation, requires a bit more effort for plants that use less moisture. To not promote rot, emitters must move farther from main trunks as plants grow.

Many of the most sustainable and drought plants are old fashioned sorts that became too common years ago. Fortunately, some are regaining popularity again. Some of the more compact eucalypti are proportionate to modern gardens. Grevillea, bottlebrush, rockrose, juniper, rosemary, salvia, lavender and New Zealand flax are as drought tolerant as they had always been.