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Spring Bulbs Benefit From Vernalization

Spring bulbs vernalize with winter chill.

Spring bulbs obviously bloom for spring. Less obviously, they vernalize with winter chill. They are seasonable about now because this is when they should get into their gardens. Many prefer to be interred into their shallow graves by Halloween. Many can wait as late as New Year’s Day. If too much later, some may not experience enough chill to vernalize.

Planting spring bulbs can be ungratifying because there is nothing to see afterward. After all, they are dormant at the time. They lack foliage or any other parts to extend above the surface of the soil. They seem to remain inactive until they bloom as winter succumbs to spring. However, between now and then, they will secretly reset before resuming growth.

Vernalization is how many spring bulbs finish their previous season and begin their next. They know that it is winter after they experience a particular duration of a particular chill. By then, they should have finished all growth of the previous season. Afterwards, all new growth and bloom is for the next season. It is how they know to bloom on time for spring.

Dutch iris, freesia, ranunculus, anemone and common narcissus do not need much chill. Tulip, hyacinth, crocus and a few narcissus and daffodil do. Some bulbs that benefit from it get a prechill treatment before coming to nurseries. Prechilled tulip and hyacinth bulbs are sadly unlikely to bloom after their first year. They prefer more chill than they get here.

Otherwise, many spring bulbs are supposedly reliably perennial. Naturally, actual results may vary. Anemone can survive for many years, but might bloom only rarely. Ranunculus may be less perennial, but may also bloom better while it survives. Dutch iris and crocus are unpredictable. Freesia and simple varieties of narcissus are more reliably perennial.

Technically, some spring bulbs are not bulbs. Ranunculus and freesia, for example, grow from corms. Nonetheless, almost all spring bulbs bloom only once annually. Succession planting can prolong bloom. It provides subsequent phases to begin bloom as preceding phases finish. However, phases of reliably perennial bulbs synchronize after first bloom. Summer bulbs and bulb-like plants are seasonable later.

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Off Color – Reversion

‘Siam Ruby’ banana started to display bronze foliar color before it seemed to revert to chartreuse.

Of the two dozen or so cultivars of banana here, ‘Siam Ruby’ is one of only two that are merely ornamental. It and ‘Zebrina’ produce fruit that is too seedy to be reasonably palatable. Both are instead grown more for their colorful foliage. ‘Siam Ruby’ develops bronze foliage with yellowish green spots. ‘Zebrina’ develops darker bronze or brown color mixed with more but darker green. Since their distinct foliar colors are their primary attributes, I was initially disappointed when ‘Siam Ruby’ seemed to revert to chartreuse green without any bronze foliar color. I was informed that it is typically chartreuse while very young or if shaded, but develops bronze foliar color as it matures with adequate sun exposure. However, I still suspect reversion because it started to display broad bands of bronze foliar color earlier, but became exclusively chartreuse green afterward. While inquiring about the potential for reversion with this particular cultivar, I learned that ‘Margarita’ originated as a reverted sport of ‘Siam Ruby’ with exclusively bright chartreuse foliage, just like the specimen of ‘Siam Ruby’ here that I suspect reverted. So, I may have indirectly acquired a fake copy of ‘Margarita’, which should contrast splendidly with the bronze foliage of both ‘Siam Ruby’ and ‘Zebrina’! The grower who sent the original pup of ‘Siam Ruby’ already sent a replacement. Now I want to see what the original pup does. If it recovers its bronze foliar color, there will be two copies of ‘Siam Ruby’ here. If it does not, I will consider it to be ‘Margarita’, which is still a rare cultivar. In a way, I sort of hope that it does not recover. A glitch such as this is a good excuse to try something that I would not try otherwise. Actually, we already have plans for it.

New foliage of ‘Siam Ruby’ banana is exclusively chartreuse green, without any bronze.
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Off Color

Borage can bloom pink, although it should fade to blue.

Borago officinalis, borage blooms almost exclusively with blue flowers. Those that bloom with white flowers are a naturally rare variant, although a slightly less than natural white blooming variety is available. Although white is my favorite color, I wanted to grow the more common sort that blooms with blue flowers merely because, to me, blue seems like the more natural color for the species. Besides, white borage flowers look rather bland. Actually, I am not much more impressed with blue borage flowers, but wanted to grow borage just to see what all the fuss was about. Though they were not expected to be viable, I was pleased that someone shared some expired seed with me. Because I expected none of them to grow, and expected that even less than none would grow if I delayed sowing them until after winter, I tossed the seed into the cans of other plants in the recovery nursery. I figured that if one or a few grew, I could pull them up and can them separately. Only a few days later, they all seemed to be germinated and growing! I extracted and plugged them into one more six-pack than a full flat of cells, which is forty-two seedlings! The problem is that summer is over, and borage does not overwinter well, even here. I am pleased with them nonetheless, and am confident that some can survive with shelter. I figured that with so many seedlings, that one or more might possibly bloom with white flowers. I noticed floral buds a while ago, so was watching for my first borage bloom. I was not expecting this! What is weirder is that all are blooming like this. Apparently, it is normal for borage to bloom with pink flowers that fade to blue during autumn.

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Six on Saturday: Red Flag Warning

A Red Flag Warning that began Thursday night continues at least until five this evening. Arid wind severely increases the risk of wildfire during this time. The strong wind can be hazardous, even without fire. Big trees become big problems.

1. Wind developed soon after sunrise yesterday. I tried to get a picture of foliar debris as it fell from the forest canopy, but took only this. Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood makes the background, with Quercus agrifolia, coast live oak in the lower left quadrant.

2. Turkeys should hide from such wind. This one was alone and in a hurry, likely to find a sheltered situation with others, and just as likely, after shredding the red berries of the firethorn, Pyracantha coccinea. I saw no others as the wind continued through the day.

3. Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood is remarkably stable but structurally deficient where exposed to wind, which is why it grows in dense and mutually sheltering colonies. These big fractured limbs are very heavy, and fell with deadly velocity from very high up.

4. Umbellularia californica, California bay is often destabilized by structural deficiency. In other words, although its trunks and limbs are generally not structurally deficient, rot often compromises the structural integrity of the roots, which then become destabilized.

5. Two California bay trunks that destabilized and blocked the road in the picture above are obscured on the ground by their own foliage here. The fractured trunk that is visible was not structurally deficient, but was pulled down by the other two as they destabilized.

6. Hedychium coccineum X coronarium ‘Peach Delight’ ginger is likely too late to finish blooming. I would like to see it bloom to confirm its identity, but may need to wait until next year. Although irrelevant to the wind, I thought I should feature at least one bloom.

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/

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English ivy

A few cultivars of English ivy are variegated.

During the 1990’s, English ivy, Hedera helix, evolved beyond small scale ground cover and became popular for pseudo-‘topiary’. It is now commonly trained onto wire frames formed into spheres, cones and all sorts of shapes. English ivy is also a nice greenery to fill in between flowering annuals and perennials in mixed urns and planters, especially where it can cascade downward.

There are all sorts of cultivars (cultivated varieties) for all sorts of applications. ‘Hahn’s Self Branching’ English ivy is probably the most practical for ground cover, since it fills in so reliably and is somewhat tolerant of partial shade. ‘Needlepoint’ had darker and more finely textured foliage; but since it does not cover larger areas so efficiently, it is instead more commonly used as greenery with mixed annuals and perennials, or for pseudo-‘topiary’. All sorts of variegated English ivy, whether alone or as a component to mixed plantings, brightens slightly shaded spots. Variegation ranges from greenish white to yellow. Leaves can be lobed, ruffled, elongated, cleft or even nearly compound; but are generally two to three inches wide. Most have three to five ‘corners’.

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Vines Are Aggressive

Grapevines need to be tamed.

So many of the vines that we enjoy in our gardens might not be so appealing if we knew how they behave in the wild. Many of their characteristics that are often practical in garden situations are detrimental to neighboring plants in natural settings. If they can get away with it, vines can be just as brutal in our own gardens.

Creeping fig is perhaps the most brutally aggressive of vines. Like many other vines, it exploits trees for support. While it reaches the top of the trees, it wraps the tree trunks with a grafted network of stems that expands as it grows, literally strangling the trees that gave it support. By the time the supporting tree trunks decay, the creeping fig has developed its own self supporting trunk. Algerian and English ivies can do the same.

Fortunately, these vines rarely get such opportunities in garden situations. Nonetheless, they need to be kept out of trees that might otherwise get overwhelmed. Since they attach to the surfaces that they climb by aerial roots, they should not be allowed to climb onto painted surfaces, stucco, or anything else that they can damage.

Boston ivy supports itself by holdfast disks, which it leaves on everything that it gets a hold of. If the vines get removed to paint a wall, the disks remain. Like creeping fig and the ivies, Boston ivy, should therefore only be allowed to climb surfaces that are not likely to be damaged by its climbing techniques. Creeping fig and Boston ivy both happen to be quite practical for freeway infrastructure and sound-walls, but are difficult to accommodate in tame urban landscapes.       

Wisteria is another very aggressive vine that can overwhelm small trees and shrubbery, but lacks aerial roots. It instead climbs by twining stems, which are safer for painted surfaces, but can constrict and crush light trellises, wooden shingles, lattice or anything else that that wrap around. It is certainly worth growing, but needs adequate support.

Bougainvillea and climbing roses do not climb on their own, but instead produce ‘scrambling’ canes that shoot upward and then lean onto their surroundings for support. If grown as vines, they need to be fastened to their support. If not pruned back occasionally, they can get quite overgrown and shrubby. Most varieties that are popular now fortunately stay small and manageable.

Honeysuckle, potato vine, blue dawn flower, evergreen clematis, star jasmine and the various trumpet vines are more manageable, but are still moderately aggressive. Carolina Jessamine, lilac vine, mandevilla, and passion vine are among the more docile of vines, only outdone by the annual vines like annual morning glory and climbing nasturtium.   

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Horridculture – Pilferage

Cuttings could have been taken more neatly than this.

Aeonium arboreum, tree houseleek and a few other succulents within my tiny downtown garden are very important to me. They are from the former garden of a friend who passed away years ago. They have performed very well for this particular application since their arrival. They are resilient and undemanding, and provide delightful foliar color and form. The darkest bronze cultivar of tree houseleek that I ever grew arrived with them, but over a few months, was stolen until none of it remained. As the first few cuttings grew enough to become prominent, they were either taken completely, or deprived of their upper foliar rosettes. Any remaining rooted but bare stems eventually succumbed as any subsequent foliar rosettes that they generated were also taken. The surviving succulents remain only because they are both less popular, and too numerous for complete depletion. Actually, I would not mind if those who find these succulents to be appealing sometimes take a few pieces. I merely find their lack of tact to be annoying. I expect them to know better than to take the last of something. Also, I expect that they should have enough sense to take bits from where they would not be missed, and to do so neatly, without leaving broken stubs. Quite a few stems are sometimes overgrown or extending awkwardly outside the planter box, so should be removed anyway. Many stems that are overwhelmed by upper growth could be removed without compromising collective visual appeal. That might actually be a common occurrence that I am not aware of because it is done properly. Stems of these succulents can be easily broken neatly at their unions, without leaving stubs, so pruning shears are not even necessary. Fortunately, these damaged tree houseleeks will recover like they and other succulents always do.

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Coastal Redwood

Coastal redwoods need room to grow.

Not every garden can accommodate coastal redwood, Sequoia sempervirens. Wild trees can grow hundreds of feet tall, with trunks as wide as thirty feet! None are so big in home gardens, but only because they are still young. They can live for more than two thousand years. By that time, those in urban landscapes are very likely to become major concerns.

Realistically though, urban trees are generally more compact than wild trees. There is no need for extreme height without competition from other similarly tall trees. Besides, lower trees are less vulnerable to wind. Warm and dry wind can desiccate foliage. Strong wind can dislodge branches. Limbs that fall from very high canopies are extremely hazardous.

Almost all modern coastal redwoods from nurseries are of the cultivar ‘Soquel’. They are strictly conical and symmetrical in form, with uniform foliation. ‘Aptos Blue’ exhibits more relaxed form and very slightly bluish foliage. ‘Santa Cruz’ should be more available than it is since it is more resilient to arid warmth. Old seed grow trees are genetically variable. For old formal gardens, they are less formal than younger trees.

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Shedding Foliage Often Precedes Defoliation

Shedding foliage will eventually get messy.

Indian summer is more typical here than not. As usual, the weather cooled somewhat as summer finished, and then warmed again. It is now autumn by date, but still seems to be summer by weather. This might confuse some vegetation, although some is familiar with this pattern. Some vegetation reacts by shedding foliage prematurely, prior to dormancy.

Prematurely shedding foliage is not the same as defoliation of deciduous species. Many of the species that exhibit such response to the weather are evergreen. More importantly, both evergreen and deciduous species do it prior to autumn dormancy. Also, they do not defoliate completely. There will be enough deciduous foliage for autumn foliar color later.

In the wild, prematurely shedding foliage is common among native California sycamore. It is a natural response to minor desiccation from any combination of aridity and warmth. It is as random as weather. Anthracnose is a foliar disease that might cause more severe defoliation earlier. Either type of shedding may be visually unappealing, but is harmless.

Actually, premature shedding foliage is common among many regionally native species. It helps them survive within chaparral climates. Although not a problem in the wild, it can be messy in or adjacent to refined landscapes. Both coastal redwood and coast live oak are notoriously messy. Yet, both species are evergreen and endemic to coastal climates.

Some exotic species from various climates can exhibit prematurely shedding foliage too. Species from other chaparral or desert climates are naturally proficient with the process. Species from less arid climates learn fast. It can be stressful for some of them. Daylength assures them that shedding is now safe. However, warmth that necessitates it might not.

Various species react variously to the various causes of premature shedding. That is too many variables. Simply, shedding is different every year because the weather is different every year. Eastern redbud and birchs that are exceptionally messy now may not be next year. Japanese maples happen to be shedding a bit less this year than they typically do.

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The Hedge on the Ledge – Update

The Hedge on the Ledge continues to develop. Nothing has been added or subtracted from it since its previous update late last July. The vegetation has only grown and been moved about a bit. Perhaps that is an understatement. It has grown more substantially than it should have been allowed to within a situation that it should not actually be in. The only other change is that the pair of parakeet flower pups and the pair of banana pups switched places. It is so overgrown that it obstructs sunlight that would otherwise brighten the associated window. That was not so bad during warm weather of summer. It might not be so desirable as weather cools for autumn. Besides, all of this overgrown vegetation should relinquish its space to smaller vegetation that can benefit from the sheltered position and associated but presently unused heating mat through winter. After all, shelter from minor frost and access to electricity for a heating mat were the original justifications for the installation of this silly shelf below only the half of its window that opens. If I had known that it would still be here, I might have constructed it as a window box instead of an exposed shelf, so that the black vinyl cans and their faded old labels would not be so prominently visible. Eight #1 cans fit neatly onto the shelf, with three 4″ pots nestled into the spaces between them. An elastic strap holds them firmly in place so that they do not get blown off. The vegetation includes:

4 – #1 Solandra maxima ‘Variegata’ cup of gold vine – back row closest to window

2 – #1 Musa acuminata ‘Golden Rhino Horn’ banana – left and right corners of front row

2 – #1 Heliconia psittacorum (unidentified) parakeet flower – middle of front row

2 – 4″ Cucurma longa (unidentified) turmeric – left and right between rows

1 – 4″ Agapanthus africanus ‘Peter Pan’ lily of the Nile – middle between rows