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Red Alert

Acer platanoides

Acer platanoides ‘Schwedleri’, is Schwedler’s maple, which is an old fashioned cultivar of Norway maple. It is not a red maple. However, because its new foliage initially emerges with deep burgundy red color, it is often mistaken for red maple, particularly where red maple is uncommon. Its deep burgundy red foliar color does not last long before developing deeper purplish bronze color, with tiny contrastingly greenish yellow flowers. For autumn, the foliage turns yellow. Schwedler’s maple was a common street tree for the many large tracts of suburban homes that were built within the Santa Clara Valley during the late 1950s. Although it has not been available from nurseries for the past few decades, at least two similar but more modern and darker bronze cultivars of Norway maple are becoming more available. Modern cultivars are generally sterile, so are not invasive like the simple species has been within some ecosystems that are more favorable to naturalization than that of the Santa Clara Valley. The Norway maple in the picture above is not ‘Schwedleri’ but looks very much like it.

Acer rubrum is the real red maple, not just because of its often bright red autumn foliar color, but primarily because of its red floral buds that emerge immediately prior to foliation in spring. However, prior to autumn, its foliage is simple green. Red maple was rare here prior to 1990, and by the turn of the Century was still only mildly popular in the Santa Clara Valley. It could be more popular than it is, and realistically, performs better as a street tree than cultivars of Norway maple. Although not as colorful as bronzed cultivars of Norway maple are through summer, its vibrant yellow, orange and typifying red autumn foliar color is superior, even in response to only mild chill.

Acer rubrum
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Taking Sides

This is what taking sides looks like. The right side was taken completely off, leaving only the left. The view from the other side would show that the left side was taken completely off, leaving only the right. It is not such a good picture because it is difficult to distinguish the extent of the damage from what is going on in the background. Realistically though, a better picture would be even worse, since the extent of the damage would be more obvious. The justification for such damage here is more obvious, since, obviously, this is a bad situation, with no room for balanced growth. Although survival is possible, this is not what nature intended. Natural growth should be an asset, and efficiently directed to where it can be useful, which would most likely be much more balanced than this. Incidentally, this is a coastal redwood, which is the Official State Tree of California. This sort of pruning would be just as damaging to Western hemlock, Douglas fir or blue spruce. For that matter, it would be just as damaging to longleaf pine, Western white pine or Ponderosa pine. Ultimately, it is bad technique for any tree in any situation.

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Six on Saturday: Attempted Autumn

Astronomical autumn began more than a month ago. It is about a third done, with about two thirds remaining. Meteorological autumn can start at any time. Sometimes, it starts, but then pauses before restarting a bit later. Sometimes, the first rain is the beginning of the rainy season, which typically continues through winter. A bit of rain arrived between Wednesday and Thursday, and a bit more is here now, but no more is in the forecast for next week. Regardless of future weather, some flowers bloom, or at least try to, as late as they possibly can. Of course, some actually prefer to bloom even later and during winter. Apologies for the lack of focus of pictures #4 and #6.

1. A ‘chance or rain’ in the weather forecast here is generally not taken too seriously until something like this happens. It is a genuine puddle. It is wet, and full of water from rain.

2. Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood seems to enjoy this damp weather. It actually enjoys all weather, but appears to be more refreshed by any interruption of arid warmth.

3. Lemna minor, duckweed is even weirder with this border of white foam that develops as the first rain washes away pollen and dusty crud that accumulated since the last rain.

4. Hedychium coccineum X coronarium ‘Peach Delight’ ginger lily, which was blooming for last Saturday, is trying to bloom again. I already doubted its ability to follow through.

5. Brugmansia X cubensis ‘Charles Grimaldi’ angel’s trumpet looks like Carl’s Junior ate too much of its own food. I added this because of response to angel’s trumpet last week.

6. More interestingly, it produced this seed pod. Such hybrids should be sterile. I can not help but wonder if seed is true to type. If so, propagation by cuttings is easier than seed.

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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Zinnia

Zinnia look like small dahlia, but are annual.

The longer and cooler nights of autumn will soon finish the season for zinnias. (Most, but not all of the common zinnias are of the species Zinnia elegans.) They are really at their best while the weather is warm through summer and the beginning of autumn. As the garden warms up at the end of next spring, new seedlings can be planted, or zinnia seed can be sown. They like rich soil and regular watering, but are susceptible to mildew in humid spots. Sunny areas with good air circulation are best.

Like related chrysanthemums, zinnias are quite variable. Although the simpler forms remain more popular; double, cactus flowered and crested forms are also available.  Flowers can be less than an inch wide to more than five inches wide. Their color range includes white, yellow, orange, salmon, pink, red, rose, purple, lavender and even green. The narrowly oval leaves can get to about four inches long. Compact types stay about a foot tall and wide. Large types get twice as wide and more than three times as tall. 

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Cool Season Floral Color

Calendula dislikes summer warmth and may not last completely through winter, but should last as long as marigold.

What was probably the last of the warm weather for the year really got the zinnias going again; but only for their leaves to become dusted with powdery mildew in the subsequent long cool nights. No matter how good the zinnia flowers still look, it is time for cool season annuals.

In mixed plantings, cool season annuals can be ‘plugged’ (as seedlings or small plants) or sown (as seed) among the warm season annuals so that they are ready to perform as the warm season annuals succumb to cooler weather. Of course in more uniform beds, warm season annuals will eventually need to be removed to make space for their cool season replacements.

Pansies and related violas are likely the two most popular cool season annuals. They fill in nicely as bedding plants or are nice components to mixed plantings. They perform best early in the season while the weather is still a bit warm, but should last until the weather gets too warm the following spring.

Primroses and Iceland poppies can take a bit more effort since they need ‘deadheading’ (removal of deteriorating flowers) to continue blooming. Primrose can also be hazardous to anyone who happens to be allergic to them, causing skin irritation comparable to that of poison oak! Some primroses are very brightly colored, while others are more subdued and elegant shades of pink and white. Iceland poppies are mostly pale shades of orange, yellow, pink and white on wiry stems.

Chrysanthemums, which are actually perennials, are the most variable of the cool season annuals, with a wild range of colors and flower forms. The varieties most popularly grown as annuals stay low and compact. Taller types make good cut flowers, but are not so practical for bedding. The related African daisies, which are incidentally similar to the ground cover of the same name, lack the variety of flower color and form, but are easier to grow; particularly as a perennial long after other cool season annuals are gone.

Calendulas are another simpler chrysanthemum relative that are more proportionate to typical annuals, since they get only a few inched deep. They would probably be more popular than they are if they provided more colors than their marigold like orange and yellow. Unlike chrysanthemums and African daisies, calendulas really are annuals, so do not last long into warm weather.

Red, white, pink and rosy pink flowers among rich green foliage can be provided by sweet William (dianthus). They not only tolerate a bit more shade than some other cool season annuals, but are also likely to survive sporadically as perennials where protected from warm exposure through spring and summer.

Stock is the best cool season annual for fragrance. It smells like carnations, but much stronger. Short varieties are good bedding annuals, and even better for mixed plantings. Taller varieties are great cut flowers.

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Horridculture – Rocky XXIV . . . or XXV . . . or XXVI . . . Oh, I can not count them all.

another sequel

Winters are not very cold here. Otherwise, I might have assembled a fur coat. Instead, relocation of furs has been more practical than utilization. Besides, without exception, all were already in use when I encountered them. Actually, they were not relocated merely because I had no practical use for them, but, more importantly, because relocation was significantly less inconvenient to those who were wearing them at the time. Of course, it was not totally convenient either. That was sort of the objective. The inconvenience of relocation is a deterrent to those who wear the furs, who identify as racoons. They are unwelcome here. I realize that they eat mollusks and rodents; but neither mollusks nor rodents are problems here. I do not grow much vegetation that mollusks find to be appealing. Heather the kitty who identifies as a feline person is too proficient at deterrence of rodents to have use for any assistance. Actually, Heather is one of the two primary reasons that it is necessary to relocate raccoons. Rhody is the other. Unfortunately, raccoons have potential to become impolite or even dangerously hostile with my canine and feline housemates. Relocation does not permanently eliminate them, but it annoys them enough that, by the time they return, they are much more careful about avoiding us and our space. Also, their impressionable associates seem to learn from their examples. Because they can not be relocated off of the property, they go less than a mile away. So far, that seems to be sufficient. I do not know how long it takes for them to return, but I suspect that it takes quite a while. After this most recent relocation, I do not expect another relocation to become necessary until members of the most recent generation mature enough to become a problem.

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Vine Maple

Vine maple works like Japanese maple.

Japanese maples became so popular for their novelty that they are no longer novel. The diversity of their many cultivars is their primary appeal now. Vine maple, Acer circinatum, lacks such diversity, but is actually more novel. It is native from Mendocino County to the southwestern corner of British Columbia. Yet, it is very rarely available at nurseries here.

Vine maple has not been in cultivation for nearly as long as Japanese maple has. This is why its diversity is limited to not much more than a dozen cultivars. Its cultivars are even rarer than the simple species. Only a few ever become available, and almost exclusively by online purchase. Consequently, with very few exceptions, they are initially very small.

Vine maple grows somewhat like Japanese maple, typically with a few sculptural trunks. With regular pruning, it can stay as short as ten feet. It rarely grows more than twenty feet tall. The lobes of its palmate leaves are wider than those of Japanese maple. Leaves are only about three inches long and wide. Foliage develops bright orange color for autumn.

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Fall Foliage Is Gaining Color

Minor chill can initiate major color.

Fall foliage is underappreciated here. It is not naturally prominent enough to suggest that it should be otherwise. Most native vegetation is evergreen. Most that is deciduous turns simple hues of yellow, without much orange or red. Some just gets shabby and brown as it defoliates with minor chill. Native vegetation does not represent total potential, though.

Contrary to common beliefs, local weather is not too mild for fall foliage to develop color. Only a few locally rare deciduous species need cooler weather for such color. Only a few deciduous species prematurely shed too much to develop their color for fall. Colorful fall foliage really could be more prominent within gardens than it is. It merely is not a priority.

Many home gardens here are within suburban or urban situations. Evergreen vegetation is therefore useful for privacy or to obscure undesirable views. Winter weather is not cold enough for evergreen shade to make it significantly colder. Some believe that deciduous vegetation is messier than evergreen vegetation. Some find it less appealing while bare.

Actually, evergreen foliage is generally more persistently messy than deciduous foliage. Although it sheds less abundantly, it does so more continuously through longer seasons. Some never stops shedding. Ultimately, the quantity of its detritus is at least comparable to that of deciduous foliage. Deciduous foliage sheds more profusely, but does so briefly.

Efficient shedding could be an incentive for deciduous vegetation. Sunnier conditions for winter could be another, whether or not it adds a bit of warmth. The color of fall foliage is obviously worthy of consideration also. Some types are more colorful than others. Some are more reliable than others. Ultimately, there is quite a bit of fall foliage to choose from.

Sweetgum, pistache and flowering pear develop the most exquisitely colorful fall foliage. Their color ranges from bright yellow, through orange, to deep red. Sweetgum is messier than the others, but only because it retains its fall foliage longer. Crape myrtle is smaller, but comparably colorful. Ginkgo is quite reliable for exceptionally brilliant yellow foliage, early in fall.

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Off Color – Very Variable Variegation

‘Stuttgart’ canna

Reversion among vegetation is the loss of an aberrative genetic characteristic, such as variegation or bronze foliar color. Because most genetic aberrations that are susceptible to reversion are disadvantages, reverted growth generally performs more efficiently, and displaces remaining genetic aberrative growth. For example, because its variegated portions lack chlorophyll, variegated foliage is less vigorous than foliage that is not variegated. Therefore, if not removed, unvariegated reverted foliage is likely to grow faster and replace variegated foliage. This ‘Stuttgart’ canna leaf seems to have done the opposite of reversion, by exhibiting such extreme variegation that all green color is lacking. Fortunately, it is not as bad as it looks. This is merely very variable variegation. Just as a few leaves may be completely green without actually reverting permanently, a few leaves are extremely variegated, and on rare occasion, a few, such as this leaf, may lack any obvious green color. Leaves that developed after and above this leaf exhibited more typical variegation with both green and white. Otherwise, this particular cane would not survive for long without chlorophyll for photosynthesis. The flowers are unaffected because they derive their floral color from pigment rather than chlorophyll. White redwood foliage can survive without chlorophyll only because it can rely on resources provided by the normal growth with green foliage that it is attached to, almost parasitically. Such growth is considered to be albino, but because it merely lacks chlorophyll rather than pigment, it is technically not albino. Furthermore, it is technically not variegated, since it is so completely white, without any green chlorophyll. Oh, this is more complicated than it should be. It is probably better to simply appreciate appealing genetic aberrations such as white, variegated or other colorful foliage. ‘Stuttgart’ canna will not refresh its variegated foliage until the end of winter.

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Messy Mast

This is the mess that remains after acorns get raked or blown off pavement.

Masting is a technique that oaks and many other genera use to both outsmart and exploit squirrels and other wildlife that both consumes and disperses their seed. For several years, oaks here produce enough acorns to sustain a population of squirrels that is limited by their production of acorns. It may not seem to be very effective, since the squirrels consume almost all of the acorns, leaving very few or none to grow into new trees. Then, every several years, the same oaks collectively produce a ‘mast’, which is a crop of acorns that is too excessive for the limited population of squirrels to consume as thoroughly as they typically do. Squirrels instinctually bury many of the surplus acorns anyway. Because they do not return to dig and eat all of their buried acorns, some acorns grow as new trees. This is how the oaks sustain those who disperse their seed, but also get them to disperse their seed without eating all of it. Mast crops of acorns supposedly typically precede exceptionally rainy winters. So far, the mast this year is only coinciding with a messy situation with drippy nut disease. It is caused by bacterial infection of wounds that are caused by filbert weevils, filbert worms or other insects that damage developing acorns. Consequently, squirrels are ignoring many of the unusually abundant but damaged acorns, leaving icky messes of infected acorns and the goo that they exude. When it eventually arrives, the first rain will make this mess even messier. Later rain should rinse some of it away. It is impossible to know how successful this mast will be, since it is impossible to know how many viable acorns will actually contribute to the abundance and grow later, and how many will merely contribute to this unusually messy mast.