All posts by Jan Nelson

I am a landscape designer and consultant in the Santa Cruz mountains in California. I write a weekly gardening column for the Press Banner newspaper. I am also a Calif. Advanced Certified Nursery Professional and managed The Plantworks Nursery in Ben Lomond, Ca. for 20 years.
bonsai, Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai club

The Art of Bonsai

Forsythia bonsai- just one of the many bonsai in Bud Brown’s collection

Every year I have the privilege a visiting a bonsai artist from Santa Cruz Bonsai Kai in anticipation of their annual show at the Museum of Art & History in Santa Cruz. This will be the clubs? 31st annual show and will feature over 100 stunning bonsai trees developed by members and special demonstrators. I got the full tour of Bud Brown?s collection recently at his home in Boulder Creek plus some inside tips on how he grows such impressive specimens.

Bud told me he first became interested in bonsai way back during the second Watsonville Bonsai clubs? exhibition. From my calculations that happened back in 1976 and since then he?s been collecting, training, buying, selling, teaching and digging up potential trees whenever he has the chance. He still has a some of his original trees although the earthquake in 1989 saw a lot of them take a tumble and most of his vintage Japanese pots smash to the ground. Now he uses bungee cords to secure them to benches. Bud hasn?t decided which of his 80-90 trees will be in prime condition for the show that takes place on April 5th and 6th but whichever ones make the cut they will be displayed beautifully.

Japanese maple bonsai

Bud?s collection consists mainly of wisteria and myriad varieties of Japanese maple but he also has an Irish yew, coast and Dawn redwoods, a couple forsythia, flowering peach, a star magnolia and a walnut although ?the squirrels always get the nuts,? he told me. Many of Bud?s trees have been in his collection since the 80?s and he has a story that goes with each. When you go to the bonsai show you will see a card telling you how old the tree is and how long it has been in training. It?s the back story that I find interesting.

One of his wisteria, now covered with fat buds about to burst hopefully in time for the upcoming show, Bud found growing out of the pavement in the road. It literally had no roots when he dug it up but as you might know wisteria are the energizer bunnies of the plant world- it?s hard to kill one.

Another wisteria that was featured prominently in last year?s show suffered last summer from the heat wave and also the smoke and soot from the fires. It?s in rehab this year but will hopefully bounce back for next year?s show.

The flowering peach which was in full bloom at the time of my visit came from a 90 year old Portuguese friend 25 years ago. It was planted on a piece of lave so Bud has incorporated the lava into the present pot so he can remember his friend of long ago.

Bud pointed out a Japanese maple that, to my untrained eye, looked quite impressive. He told me he purchased it for barely nothing from famed bonsai expert Jahn Naka as it had not been trained correctly. ?A maple,? Bud told me, ?should have branches that grow up and out. This one?s not life-like.?

Japanese maple

The secret to Bud?s success undoubtedly comes from the 5 goldfish tanks and the horse trough which also houses goldfish. He keeps them to collect rainwater and for the nutrient rich water. Besides using the water directly for irrigation Bud siphons the fish debris off the bottom, too. Guess it?s not a secret now. Bud was excited to show me that one of the fish was pregnant.

When you go to the show this weekend- which runs 10am to 5pm both Saturday and Sunday April 6 & 7 at the Museum of Art & History in Santa Cruz on 705 Front Street- you will be inspired to learn more about bonsai. In addition to admiring the impressive finished bonsai trees, at 2pm each day there will be a demonstration by either bonsai artist Mike Pistello (Saturday) or sensei Katsumi Kinoshita (Sunday) who will style and transform a common nursery stock plant into a a specimen you?ll surely want to take home if you win the raffle. There will be many of other raffle prizes, complimentary tea, coffee and cookies, finished and pre-bonsai trees and pots for sale plus performances at 11am each day on the corner of Cooper and Pacific Ave. Saturday?s performance will be by Watsonville Taiko drummers and Sunday will showcase the Nori project musicians.

But wait, there?s more. Carolyn Fitz will be offering calligraphy and Semi-e ink painting demonstrations with hands on opportunities and Lesley Hasagawa, origami artist, will offer her expertise throughout both days.

Don?t miss out on this family friendly even this weekend. Admission is only $5.

bees, California Native Plants, Climate change

Helping Bees Help Us

Honey bee gathering pollen

Outside the birds are chirping like crazy in anticipation of this year?s nesting activities. The bees are becoming more active every day searching for nectar in the flowering trees and shrubs. Ceanothus season is coming soon and then they?ll really be busy. Last year was a banner year for my native bees and bumble bees. There were also a lot of European honey bees around. Maybe I was just lucky. What can you do to help our pollinators in these times of diminishing habitat, disease, climate change and pesticide use?

There are 1600 species of native bees in California with several hundred living in Santa Cruz county alone. They are solely responsible for pollinating many of our native plants. Being solitary they do not make a hive but make nests underground or live in wood, one female per nesting hole and she lays her eggs there. Leaving areas in your garden near flowering plants un-mulched helps her find a nesting hole. The hard working females mate, make nests, collect pollen for their young and lay eggs. Males live to mate and only pollinate inadvertently when they visit flowers for nectar to fuel their flight.

Long-horned native bee

Common native bees in our area are the yellow-faced bumble bee and the long-horned bee which has stripes a little like a yellow jacket. The hard working bumble bee is easy to identify from its bight yellow facial hair and yellow bands on their backs and abdomens. Female bumble bees? hind legs widen to form pollen baskets often filled with bright yellow, moistened pollen pellets.

The long-horned native bee gets their name from the long antennae of the males although the females do not have this. Males may be seen by day jostling for female attention above a patch of blooming plants while the females are collecting pollen. Only the females have branched hairs on their legs for carrying pollen.

Bees eat two things: nectar which is loaded with sugar and is their main source of energy and pollen which provides proteins and fats. Some of the common native plants that are recommended for our area to attract bees of all types include yarrow, columbine, California poppy, coral bells, silver lupine, penstemon, ceanothus, toyon, big leaf maple, mahonia, monkey flower, buckwheat, western azalea and purple sage.

Common garden plants that can attract bees to your landscape and vegetable garden are herbs such as African blue basil, oregano, mint, catnip and cat mint, borage, rosemary, chives, hyssop, dill, comfrey and fennel. Edibles that attract bees are blueberry, pumpkin, squash, sunflower, blackberry, hazelnut, artichoke, beans, cucumber and peas. Crabapple, iris, lavender, salvia, sunflowers, monarda, aster, butterfly bush, sweet alyssum, alstroemeria, red hot poker, gloriosa daisy, scabiosa, coneflower and echium also attract bees of all types.

Honey bee searching for nectar and pollen

The higher temperatures that come with climate warming can affect a bee?s ability to detect a flower?s pollen. A flowers scent is what tells a bee that nectar is present. If the weather gets to hot the plant will spend less energy on producing fragrance and just try to survive. When flowers stop emanating these enticing smells, some bees have a tough time finding food and may abandon certain area. Studies have shown that warming climates already have affected our central coast bumblebee population during the past 30 years especially the California bumblebee.

In your own garden an abundant and healthy population of pollinators can improve fruit set, quality and size. Crops raised in California depend on both domestic honeybees and native bees for pollination of almond, blackberry, cucumber and artichoke crops.

Honeybees and native bees need help to survive and we’re the ones to give it. Besides planting nectar and pollen sources you can help by buying local honey which support beekeepers.

Early spring bloomers, flowering shrubs, Flowering trees, fragrant landscape plants, fragrant plants, vines

Just a Few of the Plants Blooming Now

Fragrant Blireiana flowering plum

Some years plants bloom a couple weeks earlier than usual but not this year. Our February weather put many plants on hold. Nature?s catching up now. Outside my window the Blireiana flowering plum is covered with dark pink, double blossoms. It’s one of my favorite spring blooming trees with a sweet fragrance strong enough to scent the garden. It usually blooms in February in time for my birthday but not this year. Worth the wait. We all look forward to the earliest flowers of the new season. Spring officially began on March 20th.

Forsythia

The cold and rainy weather didn?t stop an old fashioned shrub like forsythia from blooming. They figure prominently in many old gardens because they are tough plants, able to survive neglect and still look beautiful. The bare stems of forsythia are completely covered with deep golden-yellow flowers in late winter and early spring and become the focal point of the landscape when in full bloom. The showy stems of this easy care shrub are great for cutting. Forsythias are native to eastern Asia but a chance discovery in Germany by a grower who specialized in breeding for the cut flower industry led to the especially vivid variety ?Kolgold? in the 1800’s. Forsythia has long been used in Chinese medicine. The flower petals contain powerful bacteria-fighting properties which make it an important dressing.

Flowering quince

Flowering quince is another old garden staple providing early color. They are easy to care for and nearly indestructible in almost any soil that is well drained and not overly fertile. Once established quince is a very drought tolerant plant and their spiny branches make them an excellent choice for hedges, screening or as a security barrier. There are red, pink, orange and white flowering varieties. The Toyo Nishiki cultivar even has pink, white and solid red flowers all on the same branch.

Yellow clivia

Buds are just starting to form on my clivia or Kaffir Lily. What would a shade garden be without a bright orange clivia? Every year I look forward to their huge flower clusters that emerge from between dark green, strappy leaves. Even in dark shade they will bloom and brighten the late winter/early spring garden although they would do fine in morning sun. If you have a north facing window you can grow them as houseplants. Clivias are hardy to several degrees below freezing. I have a yellow flowering variety also but I?m not seeing any buds forming yet. Possibly it?s too young. Clivie bloom best when crowded.

Hardenbergia ‘Happy Wanderer’

A beautiful vine that blooms at this time of year is hardenbergia ‘Happy Wanderer’. In the pea family, this evergreen vine looks like a small wisteria when in bloom. Pinkish-purple flowers cascade in clusters on twining stems that reach 12-16 feet long. They require little water once established and are hardy to about 23 degrees. If you have an older, tangled plant you can rejuvenate it with hard pruning in early spring after flowering. Never prune in late summer or fall because you will cut off the wood that is going to bloom the following winter.

The last plant I couldn’t live without is Fragrant Sarcococca. The tiny white flowers of this plant are easily overlooked but you can’t miss their scent. I have one near the front door that greets me with that vanilla fragrance every time I walk in or out. The flowers are followed by a bright red fruit. Sweet Box forms a natural espalier against a wall and if you have a problem spot in deep dry shade where other plants won?t grow give this plant a try. They are easy to grow, deer resistant and trouble free.