wildflowers

An Adventure in Wildflower Country

Hwy25_wildflowers.1920Being that it?s nearly spring I decided to check on the progress of this year?s wildflowers. I figured the back of a motorcycle was a good way to get up close and personal with the backroads of our rolling hills. Outfitted in my riding suit I looked more like a storm trooper out of Star Wars than a gentle gardener but safety comes first. So off I rode heading down Hwy I recently on a beautiful sunny day.

Outside Watsonville I rode past strawberries so ripe and red you could see them from the road, then over towards San Juan Bautista where the apricot and walnut trees are getting ready to blossom. After lunch on the plant-filled iris_bearded-blue.1920patio at Jardines de San Juan I rode out of town. The real treat came while riding Hwy 25 which is the gateway to The Pinnacles National Monument. Although the rains have not been nearly enough for the year they have been generous enough to carpet the hillsides with wildflowers. Vast fields of rich blue annual lupine bloomed below patches of golden poppies covering the hills. Large expanses of acid yellow wild mustard swayed in the breeze. Coreopsis, fiddlenecks and thousands of small, ground hugging wildflowers completed the scene. The weather was warm and perfect for a wildflower outing and two female elk crossing the road could not have agreed more.

Strohn_Ranch.1600But there was more adventure to come. On I rode down to Priest Valley on Hwy 198. Arriving at sunset at Strohn Rocking 7 Ranch I first observed a flowering cherry besieged with small moths. Interesting in itself, it was the bats that came out to swoop up the moths for dinner that fascinated me. This historic 160 acre property is nestled in the Diablo Mountain Range of Southeast Monterey County and was one of the original homesteads that operated as a pump station when the oil fields of Coalinga were first established and the pipeline extended to the coast along this route.

The animals were penned up to protect them from bobcats, coyote, alpacas.1600mountain lions and other predators at night but come morning they are fed and most get to free range for the day. All except the peacock and guinea fowl who won?t come in for their own good. The rest of the menagerie including 2 alpacas, several wild turkey, chickens, a herd of African Pygmy goats, a dozen Indian Runner Pygmy_goats.1600ducks and two French geese enjoy the grasses growing around the ranch. A wild pheasant comes and goes as he pleases but roosts at sunset in the tall trees. Cottontail rabbits scurried everywhere along with some baby bunnies looking longingly at the garden and ornamental plants that were protected by chicken wire.French_geese.1600

I was sorry to leave the ranch and all it?s inhabitants but had heard that Jolon Road west of King City had good wildflower potential. Bisecting Fort Hunter Liggett the area has been mostly protected from ranch and farming activity and still boasts oak tree forests. Either it was too early for a good wildflower display or winter rains have not been adequate so I headed on Nacimiento-Ferguson Road up and over the Santa Lucia Hwy1_from_Nacimiento-Ferguson_Rd.1600range to the coast. This is one of the most gorgeous drives on the Central Coast as the roller coaster road passes Nacimiento River and ends with breathtaking views of the Pacific. Lots of California poppies decorated the roadside.

I?m looking forward to more wildflower adventures next month. We live in such an awesome and gentle place.

color in the garden, colorful foliage, compact shrubs, cool season flowers, Deer Resistant Plants, flowering shrubs, Fox Island, fragrant landscape plants, garden design, Pacific Northwest, trees,shrubs,vines,perennials, winter flowering plants

Plant Secrets You Can Use from Fox Island, Washington

deer_Japanese_mapleA year or so ago I planted a special kind of Japanese maple in my sister?s landscape. I traveled up to her house recently to celebrate our birthdays which are only 2 days apart and to check on the maple?s progress. Prized for their their brilliant salmon red bark which is much brighter than the regular coral bark maple, my sister?s Beni Kawa Japanese maple is coming along fine. I forgot to buff the bark with a soft cloth to polish it which keeps the color bright but I?ll be sure to remember that next summer when I visit again.

I also wanted to check in on her neighbor?s organic garden that I wrote about last summer. Bob was happy to show me what?s in the works for this year. Although he was fighting a cold -you can?t keep a good gardener down- he shared a few tips he is trying out this year.

Raw sawdust is his magic weapon in the strawberry patch. Sprinkled between the strawberry plants it is said to prevent annual weeds from germinating. He?ll get back to me with the results later in the season. His grapes were nicely pruned, the raspberries just starting to bud and the garlic which he planted last fall was about a foot high. The raised veggie boxes have been planted with lots of peas. Inside the green house, several types of kale and lettuce were just emerging in their flats.

Bob told me that this year again everything seems to be about 3 weeks early- sound familiar? As I walked the neighborhood enjoying the various blooming plants and taking in the sights of majestic Mt Rainier and the Puget Sound I admired many plants that also thrive here in our neck of the woods. A plant that grows in a multiple of growing conditions is always a winner in my garden. Here are a few notables from Fox Island.

What could a plant that is iconic of Scotland have in common with erica_canaliculata_Rosea.1600our area? Easy to grow heather and true heath look great in the garden at any time of year. Although both belong to the Ericacaea family, they are botanically different and are divided into the Calluna genus and the Erica genus. In the garden, however, they are nearly identical in color, shape and growing habits.

I love their colorful foliage and flowers and have seen the true heath, Erica canaliculata ?Rosea? blooming now also in gardens in our area. It is tolerant of winter lows a bit less than 25 degrees and will thrive in soil that is more alkaline than the calluna vulgaris heathers. Calluna types need more organic matter in the soil to really do well. Our acidic mixed redwood soils provide this and calluna cultivars are very cold tolerant. All need good drainage.

pieris_Valley_Valentine-closeup.1600Another shrub that I admire where ever I find it is Valley Rose? Lily-of-the-Valley. The other vivid rose variety which grows a bit taller is Valley Valentine. It seemed most gardens on Fox Island had at least one of these beautiful plants in full bloom including the stunning white flowering forms. Books might tell you they require average water but established specimens are remarkable tolerant of drought.

Although it wasn?t blooming yet I came across a lovely choisya Sundance choisya_ternata_Sundance.1600also called Mexican Orange Blossom shrub which describes the fragrant orange blossom-like blooms. The new growth of this fast growing, evergreen, deer resistant shrub is colored bright chartreuse and provides year round color to the garden.

To round out my tour of local rhodie_pink_early.1600landscapes on Fox Island many of the early rhododendrons were starting to bloom. Covered with vivid pink flower trusses they looked great planted with viburnum davidii, daffodil and narcissus, iberis and black mondo grass. All grow great in our area too. We have a lot in common despite the distance between us.

flowering shrubs, pruning hydrangeas, pruning tips, shade plants, shrubs

Hydrangeas-Summer Drama for the Garden and How to Prune Them

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThere are some plants that are so showy in the garden they are worth budgeting a little extra summer water. They really get your attention.That plant for me is the hydrangea. Want instant drama in the garden? Plant one of the many hydrangea varieties. All have flowers so large they can?t help but steal the show. Easy to grow, they are pest and disease free. Here are some of my favorites and how and when to prune them.

Back in 2001 a new variety of hydrangea macrophylla was introduced. Called Endless Summer it has the unique ability to re-bloom throughout the spring and summer on both current and older season wood resulting in a much longer blooming season. This was great news for me because as sure as the sun rises, a heat wave would descend upon my garden in May and many of my traditional mopheads and lacecaps would crisp up and the show would be over way too soon. With Endless Summer I get continuous flowering through the summer. How do I prune this variety to get the most blooms?

When you read care instructions about pruning any hydrangea and they refer to new and old wood it?s really just another name for a stem they are talking about. New stems growing this growing season will be green. Old stems that grew last year are brown.

Prune Endless Summer hydrangeas as needed to keep them symmetrical. Remove dead stems you are sure will not be leafing out this year. To revitalize a mature plant-about 5 years old- remove about a third of the oldest canes in the spring by cutting them as close as possible to the ground. If your plant looks fine, leave it alone. You can prune off spent flowers in August but I prefer to leave the flower heads on the plant for winter interest.

Classic bigleaf hydrangeas -hydrangea macrophylla- mostly bloom on last years stems or old wood. The proper time to prune them is right after blossoming in July or August. Again I like to leave the dried flower heads on for fall and winter color so I prune lightly in late summer and again now lightly to shape. I may be cutting off some potential flower buds by pruning now but those stems usually flower by early fall and I?m not wacking back the whole plant.

If your bigleaf hydrangea doesn?t bloom well any more it may be time for more drastic measures. Cut back non-blooming stems to about 6 inches high. This will stimulate the growth of news productive stems.

hydrangea_paniculata_LimelightAnother showy hydrangea with huge pyramidal flowers is called hydrangea paniculata or Pee Gee hydrangea. With chartreuse blooms, Limelight is one of my favorites. They tolerate drought better than other hydrangeas which is another plus. Because they bloom on new wood in midsummer into fall, prune them in winter or early spring. Cut away old flowers and prune to open the plant to sunlight.

Hydrangea arborescens like ?Annabelle? produce enormous white flowers and also bloom on new wood during the summer prune during the winter or spring. This is the variety you see grown as hedges. I think I need one of these in my garden.

Vying for attention in my garden is the oakleaf hydrangea or hydrangea hydrangea_quercifolia_bloomquercifolia. I love this plant because it is so versatile. I often include it in a landscape design because it is easy to grow in a variety of situations from deep shade to mostly sun and it tolerates some drought. The stunning summer display of elongated, creamy white flower clusters age to pink by autumn and then papery, rusty brown in winter. But it?s the fall display of handsome leaves that resemble oaks that will get your attention. Mine turns the color of bright burgundy but I?ve seen bronze and crimson color on others. Prune them in early summer right after flowering.

Even in our coldest winters, hydrangeas in our area are easy to grow and don?t suffer winter damage to the flower buds as those in snow country do. Lucky us. I?m looking forward to my hydrangea show which will last most of the year.

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