Design trends

Thoughts for the New Year from The Mountain Gardener

I don’t know about you but it seemed to me that 2023 was a challenge for the plants in my little garden. Between the atmospheric rivers and the cold nights in late spring I barely got my herbs started in June. Then the weather got hot and poof just when everything was growing great the first frost came early. But we gardeners are eternal optimists. So I’m looking forward to 2024.

Friends of mine give me a calendar each year showcasing the birds and wildlife they have seen on their many travels. Last year my calendar featured Mongolian eagle hunters and Shamans as well as the wild camels and horses that live in this unique region. Each month is a treat as I turn the pages of my favorite calendar. Now with each day getting a longer a new gardening year is upon us. These are some of my thoughts for the New Year.

I was able to visit some beautiful places in Oregon this year. There’s no better way to recharge your creative batteries than to see an inspiring landscape. Even a walk around your neighborhood can give you ideas for your own garden. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a huge boulder and wished I could magically transport it to my own yard.

The visit to Filoli Garden in the spring was breathtaking as always. I always look to see the beneficial insects at work. When I design a garden I now include even more pollen producing flowering plants to attract beneficials. This way I keep the good guys around longer to deal with the bad bugs and aid in pollination. Knowing what the good insects look like is important in helping me identify a problem that may be getting out of control.

I’ve tried to plant more edibles but my growing conditions thwarted me. I don’t have enough sun except for a couple hours during the hottest part of the day. Sound familiar? Edibles in the garden feed both the body and the soul. More than just vegetables and fruit trees, growing food connects us to the earth and to each other. I’m going to give those peas and chard another try.

When you grow something you are being a good steward of the land as you enrich the topsoil using sustainable organic techniques. You connect with neighbors by trading your extra pumpkins for their persimmons. Knowledge of how and what to grow can be exchanged, seeds swapped. Do your best even if you only have a few containers to grow an Early Girl tomato or some lettuce.

I always make a few New Years resolutions but I try to not be too hard on myself. Don’t get hung up on achieving everything you would like. Have I just given myself a bye if my plans don’t pan out this year? Your wish list will serve you well during the cold, wet days of winter even if you don’t get them implemented. Planning landscape changes that conserve water will benefit the environment and your budget. Ordering seeds for the spring garden is great therapy for winter blues and future meals.

Dreaming is more than an idle pursuit. It’s good for you and improves the quality of your life over the long haul. Don’t worry if you don’t get to everything you hoped to accomplish. It’s all in the baby steps. We gardeners are eternal optimists. Why else would be plant a tree or a seed or a garden?

And finally, learn something new every day. Whether it’s something new in the garden or elsewhere, keep learning. Enjoy the simple things. Laugh often. Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. Everyday is a gift, that’s why we call it the present.

Happy New Year to all of my fellow gardeners from The Mountain Gardener.

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A Poem for Christmas by The Mountain Gardener

Besides deer you might share your garden with chipmunks, too.

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the garden,
The creatures were stirring, the deer got a pardon.
The hummingbird feeders were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that the Anna’s soon would be there.

The flowering cherries were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of spring glory danced in their heads.
The summer vegetables were harvested and beds put to nap,
The compost’s a brewing so next year’s a snap.

When out on the lawn there rose such a clatter,
I ran into the garden to see what was the matter.
And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a big flock of chickadees and eight black-tailed deer.

They spoke not a word, but went straight to their work,
The chickadees devouring aphids with amazing teamwork.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the deck,
Prancing and pawing, the deer making a wreck.

A hydrangea here, an abutilon there, this garden’s a feast,
With edibles and perennials at the very least.
We love this garden, they whispered to themselves,
With any luck, they’ll think we’re the elves !

Beautiful flowers and nectar and fragrance abounds,
We’ll include this forever on one of our rounds.
The birds can sing and fly in the skies
But we have the charm with huge brown doe-eyes.

We get a bad rap, it’s not all our fault,
Most of our feeding grounds are covered with asphalt.
Just give us a sleigh and we’ll make you proud,
We’re good for more than eating roses, they vowed.

Call us Dasher and Dancer and Comet and Vixen,
Or Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen,
Then maybe you’ll forgive us for our past mistakes,
We can’t help that we eat plants, we just don’t eat steaks.

Now if you’ve been good this year, do make a wish,
And then when you see us- welcome, don’t banish.
All of us creatures will give our best shot,
To nourish your garden with nary a thought.

So everybody listen carefully on Christmas Eve,
And maybe you’ll hear and then you’ll believe.
You may even hear us exclaim as we prance out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

My thanks to Clement Clark Moore who wrote the original poem in 1822 in New York. I’d like to believe that he would enjoy my version for gardeners everywhere.

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Holiday Traditions

We all have traditions that we look forward to every year during the holidays. For some it’s the annual trip to the Christmas tree farm. For others it’s planning a holiday get together with friends and family. While decorating my tree this year I thought of Christmas past and family members who are gone but not forgotten. Who could forget my Dad’s 8mm movie camera with the bank of lights so bright you could barely see for an hour afterwards?

Some of us celebrate Christmas, some Hanukkah, some Kwanzaa. Many of our traditional holiday customs originated from Winter Solstice celebrations. The plants associated with each are an important part of tradition and symbolism.
Here are how some of those holiday traditions got their start.

Winter solstice is the 21st of December. Solstice literally means “Sun Stands Still’ and for a few days around this time of year the sun appears to stand still in the sky. Nearly all cultures and faiths have some sort of winter solstice celebration. They have been with us for thousands of years starting at the beginning of agriculture among people who depended on the return of the sun. We have incorporated many of the plants from traditional winter solstice celebrations into our own- holly, ivy, evergreens, rosemary and mistletoe. How did this come about?

Holly remains green throughout the year when deciduous trees like the oak shed their leaves. Decorating with it throughout the home has long been believed to bring protection and good luck. Placing a ring of holly on doors originated in Ireland since holly was one of the main plants that was green and beautiful with its red berries at this time of year. Norseman and Celts planted a holly tree near their homes to ward off lightning strikes. The crooked lines of holly leaves gave rise to its association with lightning and in fact holly does conduct lighting into the ground better than most trees.

Like other evergreens, ivy symbolizes immortality and eternal life. In England it is traditionally used in kissing balls with holly and mistletoe. It has also stood for fidelity, healing and marriage. Ancient Romans thought it brought good luck and joy. It was worn as a crown or fashioned into a wreath or garland.

Evergreen trees play a role in solstice celebrations. Early Romans and Christians considered the evergreen a symbol of the continuity of life. Fir, cedar, pine boughs and wreaths were used to decorate homes. Small gifts were hung from the branches. This may have been where the Christian tradition of decorating an evergreen tree or Yule tree in December originated. Other sacred trees of the solstice are yew, birch, arborvitae and ash.

We often see rosemary plants trained into a Christmas tree shape. Rosemary is evergreen in the winter and blooms at the same time making it the perfect plant for the holidays. Traditionally rosemary was spread on floors at Christmas as people walked over the herb releasing the fragrant scent and filling the home with blessings and protection.

How did our fascination with mistletoe get started? From earliest times it has been one of the most magical, mysterious and sacred plants of Greeks, Celts, Scandinavia, England and European folklore in general.The Druids believed the mistletoe’s magical powers extended beyond fertility. It was believed to cure almost any disease and was know as the “all healer”. Sprigs fixed above doorways of homes were said to keep away lightning and other types of evil. Because the plant is parasitic and has no roots it was believed that it grew from heaven.

Kissing under the mistletoe probably came from the Greek/Roman belief that it bestowed fertility and had life-giving power. In Scandinavia it was considered a plant of peace under which enemies could declare a truce or fighting spouses could kiss and make up. However this tradition originated, it’s a good one.

The Yule log dates back to the Saxons and Celtics. Oak trees represented strength, endurance, protection and good luck. It was the most sacred tree of Europe. On the eve of the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, people would keep a huge oak log burning for 12 hours. They would toss oak twigs and acorns into the fire, shout out their hopes and resolutions for the coming New Year and sing Yuletide carols. A piece of the Yule log was saved to start the fire the following year.

It’s traditional for us to have some poinsettias in the house for the holidays but they don’t have a very long history of European tradition like other plants because pointsettia is a native of Mexico. In the 1820’s President Andrew Jackson appointed Joel Roberts Poinsett as the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. In 1828 he found a beautiful shrub with large red “flowers” growing next to a road. He took cuttings and brought them back to his greenhouse in South Carolina. Because the leaves or bracts turn bright red around Christmas time they have been used as decorations for the holidays ever since.

The colors dark gold, blue and white are the traditional colors associated with Hanukkah. Celebrate this Festival of Lights with plants that represent this color scheme. These include lilies, white roses, white mini carnations, blue statice, and light and dark blue hydrangeas.

Kwanzaa is a Swahili word that means “first” and signifies the first fruits of the harvest. With ears of corn, fruit and nuts it is observed during for seven days during the last week of December and celebrates the “fruit” or accomplishments coming out of the year of labor. Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in its own way, but celebrations often include songs and dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry readying and a large traditional meal. Observed by people of all faiths it is a celebration of African roots.

Around the world, holiday celebrations have their own special meaning. So whether you Zoom with friends and distant family or celebrate in person embrace your own traditions and have a wondrous holiday. Take a moment to show your appreciation for those who make your life better.

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Making a Holiday Wreath

The call came last week reminding me of a much awaited annual holiday event. The Kelly’s wreath making party in Felton is something I look forward to each year to kick off the season.

The holiday season just wouldn’t be complete without a day spent with the Felton Christmas Wreath Makers at their annual get together at Barb’s house. Many of us regulars were anxious to get started and arrived midmorning eager to dig into the various piles of wreath making greens graciously supplied by Barb and her husband, Reg. We all shared stories and some laughs over glasses of sparkling cider or rose and french pastries.

I was first invited to the Annual Wreath Makers get together over 10 years ago but Barb has been creating wreaths with friends since about 2003. Friends and relatives come from near and far to make wreaths and enjoy some bubbly and pastries. Some will come from as far away as Folsom and Turlock.

We wreath makers had a great time. Barb told me a couple years ago that 44 wreaths were created over a few days. I made 5 on the day I was there. Another regular, Nancy, made two gorgeous wreaths and Barb made a perfect wreath for her front door. Hers are always stunners. Barbara explained that she once took a floral making class at Cabrillo. “I got hooked”, she says,”now I’m obsessed”. Some “wreathers” as we’re called, work fast putting together bundles of mixed foliage with lightening speed and attaching them to the frame with wire on paddles. Others are more meticulous grouping each bundle of various foliage with exactly the same mix. That’s pretty much it for required tools- gloves, clippers, a frame and paddle wire. A hot glue gun is a nice too for attaching accents like cones, berry clusters, driftwood, lichen, feathers, shells or flowers. Floral picks work nicely for small fruits like Meyer lemons, clementines or small pomegranates.

This year Barb and Reg collected a slightly different mix of material. “It’s different every year”, she said. During the drought years, they had to get creative as some of the greens didn’t look very good. This year they collected over 2 days – mostly on public land. They do have a source of variegated holly from a private garden up on Alba Road. Barb says she starts with a list of places and greenery they are looking for and hopes for the best.

Everyone makes a slightly different style wreath choosing greens, berries, seeds pods and hydrangea blooms or flower clusters of eucalyptus, acacia, pittosporum and Ruby Glow tea tree. Hollywood juniper, deodar cedar, red cedar, black pine, boxwood, camellia, oleander with long, slender seed pods and red flower buds, California bay, privet with berries and bottlebrush are just some of the plant material that we used this year.

Take advantage of this opportunity to prune your evergreen shrubs and conifers but don’t whack off snippets indiscriminately. Cuttings from fir, redwoods, pine, holly, mahonia, strawberry tree, toyon and cotoneaster parneyi make fine additions to your wreath or swag. To reveal the plant’s natural form, prune from the bottom up and from the inside out. Avoid ugly stubs by cutting back to the next largest branch or back to the trunk. If the plant has grown too dense, selectively remove whole branches to allow more air and sunlight to reach inside the plant. Look outside for different shades of foliage and spent flower heads. You can make a stunning wreath yourself from most anything you find around your garden. You’ll be amazed at what you can find right outside your door.

If you’re thinking of getting together with your neighbors to make wreaths or swags, start by having each bring a couple grocery bags of greens to share with other wreath makers. It helps if you can borrow a couple tables and have a few extra clippers on hand in case someone forgets theirs like I did. Each person brings their own wreath frames of wire or grape vine and some thin gauge wire on a paddle to attach the bundles to the frame. Wire coat hangers work just fine, too.

Trust me, you can’t make can’t make a bad wreath. They all turn out beautiful.

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What to Know About Holiday Plants

To kick off this year’s holiday season I plan to add come color to cheer up my houseplant selection. Sometimes I give friends and neighbors a holiday plant but I need to keep in mind if they have small children or pets as some of our favorites are toxic. Here’s what to know about those colorful plants available for the holidays.

Some years I have paper white narcissus decorating my house during the holidays. At other times I’ve had a pink jasmine wreath or one with holly, ivy and evergreens inside. Lovely cyclamen plants are available everywhere as are poinsettia. Christmas cactus are blooming at this time of year also. Which of these plants do I need to watch out for?

The classic plant to decorate our homes at this time of year is the poinsettia. Are poinsettia poisonous? Ohio State University conducted extensive research and concluded that although poinsettia sap from leaves and flowers might give you a stomach ache if you ate them they won’t seriously hurt you. The sap may cause a rash if it comes in contact with the skin on some people. With this in mind, you should keep poinsettia plants out of the reach of curious pets and small children.

Poinsettia do hold up well either as a cut flower or a living plant. Mostly it’s too cold here in the mountains for poinsettia to survive outside at night being native to Mexico but they thrive in the warmth of the house. They need a bright spot and the soil should be allowed to dry slightly, but not completely, between waterings. Deprive them of either of these requirements and the lower leaves will yellow and drop. Also be sure they aren’t sitting in water at the bottom of the container. Poinsettia are brittle and if you break off a branch, sear the end of the stem with a flame and it will hold up quite well in a vase or arrangement.

According to the Pet Poison Helpline cyclamen are mild to moderately toxic to dogs and cats if ingested but it’s the root or corm that is especially toxic if ingested in large quantities. Pets and people react differently and it is unlikely that children) would eat the corm and be affected.

My beautiful amaryllis flower and leaves are safe but the bulb is toxic. Amaryllis bulbs contain the same alkaloid that is found in narcissus and daffodil and is the reason deer know to leave them alone. Ingesting a small amount will produce few or no symptoms, however.

Azalea leaves are toxic and should be kept away from pets and small children. Holly berries are toxic if eaten in large quantities. Same for mistletoe, ivy and pink jasmine. Christmas cactus are safe except the berries from a pollinated flower.

Mistletoe contains multiple substances that are toxic to both dogs and cats. It can cause severe intestinal upset as well as a sudden and sever drop in blood pressure, breathing problems and even sometimes hallucinations. If a large amount of mistletoe or ivy is ingested, seizures and death may follow. The leaves and berries of holly and mistletoe plants, even dried, should be kept well out of your pet’s reach.

You can spray a plant with cayenne pepper dissolved in water if your pet is especially persistent to discourage them. While serious complications aren’t likely with holiday plants it’s still best to keep them away from small children and out of your pet’s reach.

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Happy Thanksgiving from The Mountain Gardener

Once upon a time when our area was under water
there were no parks or trails or trees or gardens.
I’m thankful that our mountains rose from an ancient ocean
so we could enjoy this beautiful place we call home.

I’m thankful for the Big-Leaf maples
that shower me with leaves as big as saucers
as I walk in Henry Cowell along the river trail
and for the giant redwoods that sprouted long ago
at the time of he Mayan civilization.

I’m thankful for the Five-fingered ferns that grow lush along
the lower parts of Fall Creek
and for the canyons, hiking trails and small waterfalls
that feed the year-round creek.

I’m thankful for the Felton Covered Bridge
that overlooks the San Lorenzo River
and for the sound of children laughing as they play in the park.

I’m thankful for the western turtles who live at the Quail Hollow pond
and for the unique sand hills, grasslands and redwoods, too,
and for the plants, birds and other small creatures that live only there.

I’m thankful for Bonny Doon where you can see both the Pacific Ocean
and the San Lorenzo and Scotts Valleys
and for the resilience of the people recovering after the fire
on the mountain made of sandstone and shale.

I’m thankful that Big Basin State Park, where redwood sorrel, violets and mountain iris
once covered the slopes and lush canyons and
is recovering as are the salamanders, banana slugs, marbled murrelets
and red-legged frogs who make it their home.

I’m thankful for the whisper of the wind blowing across the water at Loch Lomond
and for the gentle whir of fishing reels at the edge
of thick tanoak, redwood and madrone.

And finally, I’m thankful for friends and family and neighbors who share all this with me.
There’s always something to be grateful for. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

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