Category Archives: Design trends

Design trends

Marigolds & Fruit Trees in the August Garden

Marigold are valuable in the garden but not for aphids.

I’m more into drinking ice tea and reading a good book on my Kindle than I am motivated to remove errant blackberry vines or control the hypericum creep. And certainly it’s more fun to plant a new addition in my garden than deal with the spider mites. Guess the Dog Days of summer are upon me and there’s still a lot of August left to go. You know the old adage: Do as I say, not as I do. Well, listen up.

Here’s some advice for those of you growing fruit trees. August is the best time to do summer pruning. If you haven’t already done so, thin out shoots and crossing branches. This allows more air and light into the tree, reduces disease and promotes earlier ripening of the fruit. Remove most water sprouts. These are the soft, fast growing shoots usually growing straight up. Cut them back to a main branch. If you need to fill in a spot in the tree and there’s a water sprout growing there, cut that one back to about 2 inches to promote a fruiting spur.

This Red Delicious tree could use some thinning and a little trimming.

Pruning fruit trees this month controls the size of the tree and can also prevent rampant sprout growth next spring. That’s because pruning removes many of the little food factories (leaves) that supply energy to the plant and store it, to be used for growth in the spring.

Prune to maintain a vase shape. By promoting upright limbs high in the tree and pruning hardest in upper and outer portions, fruiting wood is maintained throughout the tree. Also eliminate limbs growing inward. Remember never to prune more that 1/4 of the total mass of your tree at any one time and no more than 1/3 per year. Better to space out corrective pruning over 4 years if your tree has gone too long since the last pruning.

One last thing, fertilize your trees one more time. Most established fruit trees need their first application when the tree begins to emerge from dormancy in the spring, another after fruit set and the third immediately after harvest. For young trees in the first, second or third growing season, apply at half the rate. Feed your trees and they’ll feed you.

The other day at a garden center I was admiring the huge selection of marigolds. So many kinds and colors are available these days. All marigold are native to subtropical America and have been cultivated in Mexico for over 2000 years. But do they really help with pest control?

Like other members of the daisy family, marigolds provide nectar to beneficial insects, such as syrphid flies, who prey on aphids and other insects that attack garden plants. Parsley and dill flowers are even better but daisy family flowers keep the nectar flowing longer.

The USDA lists a total of 15 pests that attack marigolds. Included on their list are aphids, Japanese beetles, snails and spider mites. So they are effective in luring these pests away from your other ornamental plants.

Marigold have been shown to have some slight effect in repelling cabbage worms and bean beetle larvae. A variety called Stinking Roger repels flies that bother cows and other domestic animals but I’ve never seen this marigold available around here.

The common French marigold that has been shown to control nematodes. You need to plant them thickly as a cover crop and allow them to grow for many weeks to be truly effective.

So now you have the rest of the story. The bottom line, plant marigolds as they do have some beneficial effects but mostly because they’re pretty.

Design trends

Poisonous Plants in the Garden

Hydrangeas contain cyanide

When you look at the list of plants that are toxic in one way or another to humans or pets, it’s a wonder any of us has survived. Maybe it goes under the same category as drinking out of a garden hose when you were young but poisonous plants are a more serious threat. Take a look at your garden and evaluate the risks of these common plants if you have pets or small children.

Not that long ago I was suggesting vines for a design I was working on. The client had a dog that nibbled plants so I wanted to make sure none were toxic. Of the common vines I suggested that do well in our area Bower Vine, Royal Trumpet Vine, Goldflame Honeysuckle and Lavender Trumpet Vine were eliminated from our consideration.

Many of us are including native plants in our landscapes to attract wildlife and save water and resources. Here are some common native plants that you should be aware of if you have small children. This list comes from
Borstein, Foss and O’Brian- California Native plants for the Garden.

Coffeeberry- leaves, berries and bark
California buckeye- all parts (poisonous to bees also)
Western azalea- all parts
Elderberry- all parts except ripe berries and fruit
Solanum-all parts
Snowberry-berries
California buttercup- juice of the plant
Berberis- roots and leaves
Prunus ( cherry )- seeds
California poppy- all parts
Lupine (annual)- seeds, fresh leaves and stems.

Beware the lovely rhododendron

Rhododendrons are just one or our beautiful plants that are poisonous. Children are more susceptible to the effects of plant toxins and should be taught not to eat seeds, berries or leaves from any plant. Do not assume a plant is nontoxic because birds or wildlife can consume it without harmful effects. Be prepared for an emergency by keeping syrup of ipecac on hand and the number of the Poison Control Center. ( 1-800-222-1222 )

Small pets can also be at risk if they ingest parts of poisonous plants out in the yard. Know what plants you have and keep a list. Oleander and foxglove are notorious deadly plants. Here are just some others you might not know.

Hydrangea leaves, flowers and branches contain cyanide. Lantana foliage and especially unripe berries also contain dangerous toxins while delphinium leaves and seeds contain toxic alkaloids which decrease as the plant ages. Sweet peas, lobelia, impatiens, carnations, calla lily, mums and bleeding hearts also have plant parts with come degree of negative effect if ingested.

Surprisingly, even some vegetables contain natural toxins. Diseased celery and green potatoes as well as potato leaves and sprouts produce a very strong toxin. Raw, green, young asparagus shoots can cause dermatitis and the red berries that form on their feathery branches are poisonous. Large quantities of tomato leaves and stems contain alkaloid poisons. Livestock have died from eating the foliage. I guess the deer that browse your tomato vines aren’t ingesting enough to cause them harm as they seem to know just when you have another set of buds for them to nibble.

Trees are not the most common cause of accidental poisonings around the home but a few species may present a hazard.

The black seed inside apples contain cyanide although you have to eat large quantities for them to be deadly. Peach kernals, bark and twigs contain cyanide also as do apricot, cherry and plum pits.

You don’t have to eliminate plants around the home that have natural toxins. Humans have lived for centuries around gardens and orchards. Just be prepared by knowing what plants grow on your property.

Design trends

Planting Tips for Containers

Native Western Azalea is a sure “thriller” in any container

I used to have over 300 containers. Then I whittled them down to 200. The fire took care of that but I saved a bunch by cutting away burned roots, replacing melted pots and giving the survivors some TLC. I consider them pets now given all the care I have given them over the past two years. Now that they are showing progress I have my eye on planting new containers with natives, succulents and more flowers for the butterflies. I might try my hand at container vegetables again although last year’s effort was not very successful given the amount of shade that I have. Every gardener has their your own trial and tribulations, too, so I’ll quit whining now.

Adding California natives to my collection of container plants has been a goal for a long time. Besides attracting birds and wildlife to the garden they use less water than most container plants plus they are beautiful. Gardening in containers is easy. You can control the soil, water and light and the gophers can’t undermine your efforts. There are a lot of California native plants that do well in containers and I’m going to place them where both the birds and I can enjoy them.

This Woodwardia is growing in the ground but they also do great in containers

Natives that will do well in part shade include Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale), Chaparral Pea, Giant Chain Fern (woodwardia) and Deer grass. These plants grow big and are best for large containers. You can visit CalScape website for more native plants for any exposure and tailored to your exact location. https://calscape.org/search/

Dramatic containers utilize the concept of combining a thriller, some fillers and spiller or two. Not all my containers will use this formula but I seem to be drawn to those that do. Plants in nature can be quite random in the way they grow together and still be lovely. Containers need a bit more order to dazzle and direct the eye.

Thrillers act as the centerpiece of a container. They are usually big, bold and beautiful. Giant Elk Clover is one such California native that is an attention getter. It grows in part shade. Others that need more sun include Chilopsis linearis (Desert Willow) is another great subject for containers as it is slow growing and beautiful in leaf and flower. Other architectural natives that will catch your eye as the centerpiece of a container are Hardy Hibiscus (Rose Mallow) and Pacific Dogwood. The thriller goes in the center of the pot or if your container will be viewed from only one side it goes in the back.

Next come the fillers. They can be foliage or flowering plants but they should complement and not overwhelm your largest plant. Usually they have a mounding shape and I’ll plant several around the thriller. Good fillers include Heuchera maxima and Western Maidenhair fern, both which like part shade. Lucky for me.

The last plants I’ll add are the spillers which are small and will soften the edge of the container. Redwood Sorrel, Wild Ginger and Miner’s Lettuce are good choices. California Fuchsia would look spectacular with its red or orange flowers and grey foliage spilling down the side of my container if I had more sun.

In choosing a container, remember a porous clay pot will dry out fast in the summer sun as will a small pot. If you want pots on a sunny deck, you’ll have better results if your container is made or ceramic or colored plastic and is big enough to allow 2 inches of potting soil around the root ball. I don’t use water absorbing polymer granules in my containers as they are all in shade in winter and would stay too wet depriving plant roots of oxygen.

Water when the top inch or two of soil is dry depending on the size of the container.. On a very hot day, watering mid-day will cool the soil although I like to get my watering done early. Get to know your plants. Plants that are still growing into their containers need less frequent watering than those that are getting root bound. How much water? Water until it runs out the bottom and empty the saucer the next day if any water remains. Use a gentle nozzle that doesn’t dislodge the soil or compact it. Also make sure the water in the hose isn’t hot from lying in the sun.

The best overall soil mix for natives in containers is sharp sand and horticultural pumice added to a good potting soil. Never use perlite or that puffed up pumice because it will float and look terrible Don’t add gravel or clay shards at the bottom of the pot as this impedes drainage. It work best to fill the entire pot with soil, top to bottom with a screen over the hole to keep out earwigs and sowbugs.