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.
Design trends

Bees in the Garden

This American Painted Lady Butterly and the Yellow-faced bumblebees both enjoy the nectar of these dianthus.

You can hear them a long way before you see them. I’m talking about the hundreds of honey bees feasting on the nectar of the Flowering Plum blossoms. I confess I don’t know a lot about keeping bees. I even had to look up what a nuc was when offered as a pre-order from Mountain Feed in Ben Lomond. BTW- a nuc is a small, fully functioning hive. It consists of 5 deep frames containing all stages of brood and live adult bees along with a young well-bred queen. However, I do know how to attract all types of bees to the garden and here are some tips and interesting information about the bees in our area.

There are 1600 species of native bees in Santa Cruz county. 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.

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 and provide pollen in your landscape and vegetable garden are herbs such as African blue basil, bee balm, 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, aster, coreopsis, sunflowers, monarda, aster, butterfly bush, sweet alyssum, alstroemeria, red hot poker, gloriosa daisy, verbena, scabiosa, coneflower and echium also attract bees of all types.

The higher temperatures that come with climate change 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 too 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. Use only organic pesticides and avoid applying during mid-day hours when honey bees and pollinators are most likely to be out foraging for nectar and pollen on flowering plants and only then if you can’t control a pest with any other methods including Pest Management techniques.

Help save the bees. Next week I’ll provide more interesting facts about bees and what attracts them to the garden.

Design trends

Time Well Spent in the Garden

Blooming now are this Lily of the Valley shrub along side the Bleeding Hearts. It’s one of my favorite combinations in the spring garden.

I’m so proud of myself. I write about all the important things to do in the early spring garden but often I don’t get to them myself. Seems there’s that book I’m reading or birding, hiking or wildflower walks that take priority. But this year, I’m on it. I’ve put out Sluggo on the new hosta emerging so the slugs and snails don’t have a field day this year and spread organic fertilizer on all my plants before it rained. I also weeded a little here and there. It’s amazing what you can accomplish in just two hours.

Think of gardening as therapy. Every moment you put in your garden is paid back with fresh vegetables or fragrant flowers. Think about it- stir up the soil, plant some seeds and you have flowers and vegetables in a few months. The satisfaction you get from cultivating living things is priceless. Get started on this free therapy by tending to your garden this week.

  • Check drip systems for leaks or emitters clogged by dirt or earwigs. Flush sediment from filters and check screens for algae. You may need to add emitters if plants have grown significantly and move the emitters farther away from the crown of the plant and out closer to the feeder roots which are under the drip line.
  • Spread fresh compost or wood mulch around all your plants. Good soil is the secret to successful gardening. The first principle of organic gardening is to feed the soil and it will feed the plant. Remember that all gardening used to be organic. Layer 2-3 inches of compost or mulch on top of the soil and let it slowly decompose and filter down into the earth. Bark nuggets do not increase your soil’s fertility like compost or wood chips do but they do conserve moisture and help keep weeds at bay. Transplant any plants in the garden that have outgrown their space or are not with other plants requiring the same water usage Now is a good time because plants are full of growth hormones and recover quickly from transplant shock. As you plant new additions to the garden add organic matter to the soil if it’s sandy. Organic matter enriches and allows it to hold water more efficiently. If your soil is sandy, organic matter will allow your soil to hold more moisture longer. If your soil tends toward clay, organic matter will loosen it and improve drainage. In fertile soil, plants grow deep roots, are hardier for cold, more resistant to disease and more drought tolerant. Organic matter such as compost, planting mix and well-rotted manure boosts nutrition and improves soil structure.
  • Fertilize – Citrus may be looking yellow from lack of nitrogen and iron which is not absorbed easily during the cold season. Shrubs and fruit trees just emerging from dormancy are begging for their first meal of the season. Lawns -if you still have a small section- and ground covers begin their spring growth now also and benefit from a boost of organic nitrogen. Spread a thin layer of compost over everything. Leave grass clippings on the lawn to shade the roots as it get warmer and as they break down they help feed it, too. Perennials benefit from both a fresh layer of compost or composted manure and a light application of balanced fertilizer. They respond to the phosphorus from bone meal especially in the spring for root growth, stem sturdiness and flower development. Wait until azaleas, camellias and rhododendron have finished blooming and you see new leaf growth starting before feeding them.
  • Weed – Pull weeds regularly before they set seed. They pull out easily from moist soil. Weeds rob your plants of precious water. Think of weeding as free gym time. If you are plagued by spiny-ball hedge parsley weeds it’s worth your time to pull them now before they go to seed.
  • Check for aphids. They are out in full force sucking plant juices from the tender new leaves of everything from roses to hellebore to Japanese maples. A strong spray from the hose may be enough to dislodge them. If they still persist, you can spray organic insecticidal soap, neem oil or horticultural oil to kill them. As with all pesticide sprays, do this early in the morning or later when they are not in the sun. Be sure to test first to make sure the spray doesn’t burn the new growth and always mix according to the directions. Ants can also bring aphids up into trees and shrubs such as camellias, citrus and roses. Ants feed off honeydew secreted by aphids, scale and other plant-juice sucking insects. Ants also protect these pests from natural predators. To keep them off, wrap trunks with a 1-2″ wide strip of masking tape and coat with a sticky barrier like Tanglefoot. Keep the barriers free of dirt and check them periodically for breaks. Reapply when necessary

Plant cool season vegetable like peas, chard, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, onions and other greens. You can also sow seeds of beets and carrots. The soil is still too cold for tomatoes and other warm season vegetables.

The most important to-do is to take time out and enjoy your garden and our beautiful surroundings. Those last few weeds will be there tomorrow but you’ll never get another today.

Design trends

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day & Spring Equinox in the Garden this Week

Fatsie japonice aka False Aralia displaying many shades of green.

Everywhere I look, it’s green- forest green, apple green, olive green, fern green, sage green, chartreuse green. Even all those showy flowering trees blooming now will soon be sporting bright green leaves. Since moving to the Santa Cruz Mountains in the late 80’s I have always lived in the forest, first in Felton, then Bonny Doon or now Boulder Creek. The green backdrop of redwoods, oaks and firs make us appreciate all the other colors around us. The calendar says it’s spring and I have “Spring Fever’ like everybody else.

On Tuesday, March 19th at 8:06pm the day and night will be almost equal. That’s why it’s called the Spring Equinox. Some years it falls on March 20th. It would occur on the same day every year if the Earth took exactly 365 days to make a complete revolution around the Sun. But it takes the Earth 365.25 days on average to go around the Sun once. Whatever the exact date and time it’s spring and with St. Patrick’s Day also in a few days I plan to add something green to my garden and tick off a few tasks on my to-do list.

There endless shades of green in nature because color is dependent on light. Humans can see more shades of green than any other color. This is an evolutionary trait handed down from our ancestors who needed to differentiate the shades of green in order to know which plants to eat and which to avoid. Wearing something green on St. Patrick’s Day has been a tradition since emigrants, particularly in the United States, transformed the holiday into a largely secular event celebrating all things Irish. Cities with large numbers of Irish immigrants staged parades going back to 1737 in Boston and in New York City since 1762. Although blue was the color traditionally associated with St. Patrick, green is now commonly connected to this holiday with shamrocks high on the list of things to wear on this day.

I often get a request for green to be in the color palette of plants that go into a garden. There are green flowers that you can grow and of course, many shades of green foliage. The low wavelength of green promotes calm, relaxation and restfulness.

If you’re looking for a heat, drought and deer tolerant plant that attracts birds, butterflies and hummingbirds you should grow Golden Leaf Salvia (salvia officinalis icterina). The fragrant foliage is good to flavor soup, sausage, dressings, cheese dishes and stuffing. The young leaves can even be eaten fresh in salads or cooked in an omelet or with beans, cabbage and garlic.

Another great greenish flowering shrub to try is Safari Goldstrike Conebush. This leucadendron is a vigorous compact grower to 6 feet tall and blooms during the winter and spring. Its bracts are excellent as a cut flower and foliage harvesting. They grow in full sun and have low water needs.

This chartreuse green hosta can take more sun than other varieties and the thick foliage resists slug and snails.

Some of my favorite plants that have green flowers or shades of green foliage are green hydrangeas, green hellebore, lime green coral bells, Lady’s mantle, Sum & Substance hosta, fats japonica, green gladiolas, Mediterranean spurge and Bell of Ireland, of course

So besides all that clover that is flourishing with all these spring rains, enjoy everything green in your garden. The Irish have observed this day for over 1,000 years and so can you.