Gardening in the San Francisco Bay Area
Mary, Mary... How does your garden grow?
ARCHIVE:
January 2010
October 2009 Fall Cleanup
October 2009
September 2009
Apr-May 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
by Mary Crowell
January 2010
New Year’s resolutions, in my experience, most often fail, so therefore, I choose to confess instead of resolve. I kill houseplants, though I do wonderfully with all my outdoor ones, including my container plants. This year, I will make a concerted effort to keep the few indoor plants I have alive. Maybe watering them on a regular basis might be the first resolve. You have no idea how many times I have brought two anthurium’s back to life from cliff hanging death. An orchid I received last Christmas, stayed in bloom until last Sept., and just received its proper burial. You would think after working at SSF Rod McLellan’s Orchid company in the laboratory, I would be able to get them to re-bloom, but no, not I. My cyms do beautifully each year, but then again they are outside.
January, usually the coldest month in our SF bay area, is the time to prune, clean up yard debris, plant spring flowers and, of course, look at catalogues and magazines. Wait until frost is over before doing some of the pruning, difficult as it might be, as it will be best for the plants to have some protection, even if it is dead leaves, etc. My aeoniums took a beating this past week in mid Dec and look really bad, wish I had used a product called Cloud Cover when frost occurred. I think I will wait to be-head them and see what happens. Be sure to use Sluggo to control the slugs and snails at this wet time, it is considered to be nontoxic to pets and kids.
It is the right time to prune the roses and hydrangeas as they are cold hardy and appreciate going dormant. Also prune perennials, wisteria, grapevines, and last year’s bulbs. Roses can be pruned back to an outside 5-leaf node and all hips should be pruned off. Most garden centers, arboretums, rose societies and nurseries are having pruning demos for free. The San Mateo County Rose Society is hosting an hands-on rose pruning program at the San Mateo Garden Center on Saturday, January 9 starting at 10 a.m. This is a time to learn from the pros the technique of pruning roses, so if you wish to attend bring gloves and clean, sharp clippers and a good sense of humor as it will be lots of fun. Along with rose pruning there will be cymbidium and orchid care instruction.
Shrubs benefit by pruning for shape before the new growth appears. I am not personally into annuals but now is a good time to plant primroses, pansies, snapdragons, stock, cyclamen, Iceland poppies, and flowering kale. Fertilize citrus, gardenias, camellias, azaleas, and rhododendrons. Plant deciduous trees, grapes, berries, and wisteria. As for container planters, they need to be weeded, repotted, or their soil refreshed. Don’t forget to water when containers are under the eaves or in a protected area.
Every year in January in this column, I tell a little about myself and why gardening means so much to me. I live in the San Mateo, retired from the University of California, where I worked as a Medical Technologist at San Francisco General Hospital. As an amateur (and I stress this) gardener, maintaining, with a very helpful husband, a 14 year old garden that started with just a front lawn when I moved from SSF. I also have about 800 container plants, the majority of which are cacti and succulents. Since retiring in 1991, I was able to have time to go to school with CA Garden Clubs, Inc. and become a master floral designer and flower show judge, judging and entering horticulture and floral designs in shows and fairs. As an offshoot of my interest, I am currently a member of the San Mateo Garden Center, for whom I write this column, Corresponding Secretary and past Pres. of the Peninsula Succulent Club, member and past Pres. of the San Francisco Epiphyllum Society, member of the San Mateo Rose Society and two design guilds, Bay Area Floral Arranging Guild and Furyu Designers. These activities keep me out of mischief, retirement allows me time to give programs on horticulture, floral designs, table designs and crafts to garden clubs and design guilds, usually with my friend Shane or my husband John, as I am too scared to do so by myself. I also have a board job with California Garden Clubs as the Cactus and Succulent Chair.
You may ask me questions at macro6096@hotmail.com, or write to me c/o the San Mateo Garden Center News, 605 Parkside Way San Mateo, 94403.Back to top
October 2009 Fall CleanupFall cleanup and weeding is important for a healthy garden; time spent now will pay off in the future. As I write this, the weather report said it is going to rain quite a lot tomorrow so I am happy that I won’t have to water except for those plants under the eaves, don’t forget them just because it rains. One of the fallouts of the economy mess is that more people are going back to the earth, eating at home, growing their own veggies and fruits, bicycling to the store, to work or for just plain fun. There is more walking and talking with neighbors and sharing their gardens. My neighbor gave us some really great tomatoes as mine didn’t do so well this summer, not enough water as I cut back on my watering because of the drought. Also, we did get some great plums picked from a friend’s house and John made some yummy jam.
Nov. is the time to plant cool season flowers, trying your hand at seeds, or buying the small six packs of primroses, primulas, pansies, violas, snapdragons, stock, cyclamen, Iceland poppies, hellebores, plus trees and shrubs. Camellias, especially the sasanquas, are in bloom and bud in the nurseries if you want to see their color before you buy. Remember snails and slugs are really active in the fall and winter, so don’t forget the pet and kid-safe Sluggo or the beer in shallow lids! Garden debris harbors snails, earwigs and many other pests and a host of plant diseases. By composting your leaves, you will eliminate the hiding places of many pests and open the sunlight to the plants below.
There is still time to plant bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and many more spring blooming bulbs. Plant early blooming smaller bulbs as ground cover, they will reward you early in the spring season. It is also the time to plant winter vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, sorrel, chard, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, radishes, onions and garlic.
Roses don’t need too much right now but if you don’t want to keep cutting off the spent blooms, pull the spent petals now and let the hips form. This discourages the plant from creating new growth and forces it into dormancy. This resting period acts as rejuvenation to the rose plants. Continue watering until the fall and winter rains come. By keeping the debris clear around roses, it keeps the fungal spores and wintering insects at bay. For easier cleanup strip the roses of dried and withered leaves before they fall. Cut out any spindly or crossed growth now to save time when you do your major pruning later at the end of Dec. You can change location for roses now if you are careful, but be sure and prepare the hole ahead of time and check for drainage, a key to growing wonderful roses. They say the mood enhancing aroma of roses can lift the spirits like no other perfume, so consider having roses near windows or where you sit.
Speaking of fragrance, consider that fragrant plants add another dimension to your garden almost as strong as the visual beauty of flowers. Add fragrant plants near a door, under a window, on the patio, or along a walkway. Try some easy to grow scented geraniums, the smells of which can remind you of roses, nutmeg, apples, peppermint, chocolate mint, lemon and other citrus. Herbs along the pathway that one can brush against to release the aroma is also a great idea, try growing mint in a container as it will get very weedy and take over a garden plot. Try some of the following plants for fragrance: osmanthes, daphne, star jasmine, clematis, viburnum, pittosporum, azaleas, sage, gardenia, abelia, butterfly bush, chamomile, basil, catnip, phlox, lilies, sweet peas, and tuberose.
If you have container plants, remember to water them even though the rains might start. Speaking of containers, many veggies can be grown in containers as well as fruits.
November is also a great time to check your tools to make sure they are sharp and ready to go when you need them. You may write to me c/o San Mateo Garden Center or e-mail me at macro6096@hotmail.com.
In October, plant or sow fall blooming annuals. Use calendulas, pansies, Iceland poppies, snaps, sweet alyssum, ajuga, campanula, chrysanthemum, cineraria, nemesia, schizanthus, vincas, primrose, stock, viola, sweet peas and forget-me-not. Disbud fall-blooming mums if you want large, spectacular blooms instead of masses. Leave one or two buds per stem, feed regularly until they bloom. Cut back Perennials such as Coreopsis, Delphinium, Penstemon and Shasta daisies to 6 inches when flowers fade. You may get second flowering in the fall. Divide bearded iris. Trim fans to inverted "V" and replant one foot apart. "Aim" the leaf end towards the direction you wish the iris to grow. Sow seed for the following vegetables this month: carrots, chard, lettuce, peas, celery, radish, spinach, turnip, parsley, Chinese cabbage and mustard. You'll be harvesting them all winter-long. Remove seed pods on fuchsias to promote continued bloom. Fertilize summer annuals, begonias, fuchsias and container plantings. Train or tie any trellis-trained vegetable vines regularly. Tomatoes, cukes, melons and gourds are often trained vertically to conserve space and make for easy harvesting. For midwinter bloom, plant sweet peas this month. Sow seed of early flowering bush, knee-high, early multi flora and vining types. Soak the seed for 24 hours before planting to ensure germination. Fertilize fruit trees this month. Use 1/2 pound of sulfate of ammonia per inch of trunk diameter. Scatter broadly under the tree and water deeply. Fertilizing now helps trees build up the starches needed for winter maintenance.
Luckily in the bay area we are able to do garden projects almost all year long due to the mild Mediterranean climate. Planting bulbs now such as tulips, muscari, crocus, freesias, daffodils, hyacinths, gallanthus, ixia, Dutch iris, sparaxia, anemones, and ranunculus will brighten your garden in the early spring and late winter. Plant them at weekly intervals for several weeks to extend your flowering season. Remember to refrigerate the tulips, hyacinths, and crocus. Growing bulbs is especially foolproof if you improve the soil by adding amendment, compost, and humus which naturally improves the drainage, especially important for bulbs. At the same time add bulb fertilizer to provide slow release nutrients. Most bulbs need at least 1/2 day of full sun or partial sunlight under deciduous trees before they fully leaf out. A good rule of thumb is to plant bulbs 2-3 X as deep as the height of the bulb, or easier yet, use one of the charts available at any nursery. Plant bulbs with pointed ends up, corms, tubers and rhizomes with the withered roots at the bottom. Plant rhizomes of bearded iris now to enjoy the beautiful flowers in the spring both in the garden and in the house. The selection of iris colors is amazing and they grow easily in full sun or partial shade. Plant the rhizomes just below the soil line, making sure you have great drainage. Water immediately after planting and when the rains come the drainage is very important. If you plant flowers now between the bulbs, one can enjoy an abundance of color during the winter days. Color is the key when planting bulbs, grouping bulbs together for masses of color, planting low growing bulbs in front of tall growing ones. If you want to create a spectacular spring garden, try setting a mass display of one color against another mass display of another, some in a geometric display, some random. Plant some in interesting containers mixing bulbs with spring flowering shrubs and perennials for a continuous display of color, keeping in mind color, texture and shape. Oct. is a great time to choose narcissus and amaryllis for planting in Nov. for holiday gifts. A container of narcissus given to me by a friend a few years back still blooms each year. I was able to split that one container to three this spring, so I am ready with my fall gifts. What better gift than something alive and growing, lasting such a long time in flower.
I recently read about two nontoxic mixes for fertilizing and for pest control, they are as follows: Beer fertilizer- 1 12 oz can of beer, 1 cup Epsom salts, 1/2 cup ammonia, and 2 gal of water. When ready to use, mix 1/2 oz in a gallon of water and use every two weeks or so. All purpose rose pest control (rust, mildew, black spot)- 1 med onion, chopped, 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed, 1`/2 jalapeno pepper, crushed, steep these in 1 qt of warm water for an hour. Strain through cheesecloth or a strainer and add 1 1/2 tsp baking soda. In a spray bottle, dilute 1 pint of the strained liquid with 4 pts of warm water and add 2 drops of dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle and mist your roses or on other plants.
For lawn care this month, lower the mower blades for the winter, use pre-emergent feed and weed killer and fertilize. Be sure to order your bare root roses and fruit trees now for the best selection to plant late winter and early spring. Did you know the average home owner enjoys 8.5 hours per month in his/her garden (garden clubbers spend much, much more), during peak garden months for relaxation, exercise and enjoying and being in the outdoors. Prune hollies and late growth on camellias, divide perennials and also cut them back drastically. Be sure to keep using Sluggo to keep those pesky snails and slugs away.
Ask questions by writing me c/o the San Mateo Garden Center, 605 Parkside Way, SM, CA or email:macro6096@hotmail.com
Mary, John and >^..^< >^..^<>^..^< in San Mateo, CA
September 2009
My epiphytic cacti gave me such joy and pleasure this season with about 75% of my large hanging plants blooming from April to July. For those unfamiliar with epiphyllum, as they are commonly called, do a Google search image for epiphyllum hybrids and you will see why they make me smile.
Hope everyone was able to make it to the San Mateo County Fair this year. There were some huge challenges this year as floral arts had a new venue sharing the Fiesta Hall with home and fine arts. All in all, I thought it looked pretty great. There were beautiful cut flowers and potted plants along with some innovative and artful floral designs scattered amongst the paintings and art work. I have had the opportunity to judge many fairs and shows around the state and ours is definitely the best!
September is also the month many garden clubs resume their meetings after a summer hiatus. There are many advantages to joining a garden club. You learn about horticulture and floral design and you widen your circle of friends and your plant population. I think gardeners, on the whole, are very generous and very friendly. All the bay area garden clubs and societies welcome new members with open arms, cuttings, plants, bulbs, divisions, diverse programs, tours and great eating treats at the meetings. Check with the San Mateo Garden Center or with me for a society or club that might interest you. The Peninsula Succulent Club, of which I am a member, meets at the San Mateo Garden Center and is very active especially at the fair. There will be a wonderful day at the San Mateo Garden Center, 605 Parkside Way, Sat, Sept 19th where many clubs will be selling items and our Peninsula Succulent Club will have their annual plant sale. Come by and say hello.
Prune boxwood, laurels, pittosporums and other formal hedges this month. This is a great time to reshape those plants growing crowded far too long. We had to prune the wisteria as it was climbing in our front window and crawling on our roof, generally making a nuisance of itself, but oh so rewarding when it blooms in the spring. Also now is a great time to divide perennials and give some to your neighbors and friends. Deadhead all things in the garden, especially the roses. Take out any dead or crossed canes. Mulch now as our days are still hot and it keeps the moisture in the ground and the weeds out. Container pots dry out quickly so always keep an eye on them.
Perennials such as hostas, bleeding hearts, fountain grasses, lamiums, and coral bells are great in containers. I just saw beautiful flax called creme delight which is an arching one and stays small. So my tomatoes did well in those chimney flues I found on the street though I did have to stake them as they wanted to fall over. Plant other vegetables such as brussels sprouts (yuk), cabbage, spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli, carrots, radishes, and cauliflower. Take advantage of the warmth to get roots on your plants established before the winter. Plant annuals such as pansies, Iceland poppies, snapdragon, violas, and cineraria. Perennials such as chrysanthemums, cyclamen, coneflower, primula, primrose, yarrow, penstemon, candytuft, and my favorite, salvia (mine bloom 10 months of the year and I have several varieties) can be planted now. Fertilize trees, shrubs, lawns and groundcovers that love all-purpose (16-16-16) fertilizer helping with not only the fall growth but the spring too! Feed roses with rose food. Camellias, azaleas and rhodies love the 0-10-10 until they finish blooming in the spring. Look through catalogues and choose bulbs to plant in Oct and Nov like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, Dutch iris, freesias, anemones, crocus, sparaxis, ixia and ranunculus. Refrigerate tulips, hyacinths and crocus. The best selection is now. Stake tall perennials and trim iris foliage to 6 inch fans. Control snails by putting down non-toxic snail bait, such as "Sluggo". Ask questions by writing to me c/o the San Mateo Garden Center, 605 Parkside Way, SM, CA or email:macro6096@hotmail.comMary, John and >^..^< >^..^<>^..^< in San Mateo, CA
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April May 2009
Some of you may be curious to know where I get information for this monthly garden column. Along with my own 45+ years of gardening experience, first in Sacramento (3 years), Brazil (2 years), SF (12 years), SSF (14 years), and currently San Mateo (14 years) I grew up with my father’s gardening experience. I get ideas everywhere. I receive the local nursery and garden center’s monthly handouts, have saved all of the past gardening columns from the SMTimes, go to lectures whenever possible, read Sunset, Garden Gate, Fine Gardening and love searching the web. I have my father’s gardening log where he kept track month to month what to do. Believe me, I am not that organized. I no longer run a plant hospital and nurse those sick ones back to health, or try to save my friend’s castaways; what lives with us better not like a lot of water or babying. Also, since I am a flower show judge, judging horticulture, cut flowers and floral designs, I do get to see well-grown plants for our bay area. Belonging to local and state garden clubs also gets you in touch with fellow gardeners and they generously give away cuts and starts of unusual plant material.
April is a great planting time, especially geraniums and pelargoniums (try some of the scented ones), campanulas, iberis (candytuft), penstemon, phlox, delphinium, hellebores (I saw some gorgeous ones at the SF Flower and Garden Show), asters, including Michaelmas Daisy, coreopsis, armeria, aquilegia, (columbine), achillea (yarrow), geum, althaea (hollyhocks), chrysanthemum (marguerites), artemisia (Dusty Miller), bergenias, and salvias (Mexican sage and other sages), my personal favorites. Now is the time to plant those summer bulbs such as gladioli, watsonias (if you have the room), agapanthus (Queen of the Nile), anemones, cannas, callas (try the Green Goddess variety), dahlias (tubers), and ranunculus (rhizomes). Divide the older perennials already in your garden. It is surprising how quickly your garden can be transformed simply by deadheading and getting rid of the dead branches, plants, leaves and twigs. I have managed to work a few days for a few hours each time in between the rains and it is amazing the difference it can make in the garden and my disposition. This is also a great time to pinch out tips of shrubs and plants to make them more shapely and bushy. Many things do bloom on their end tips, so know your plants before pruning. Plant frost tender tropicals including strelizias (bird of paradise), citrus, hibiscus, lantana, hydrangea, and protea; try leucodendrons for beautiful rewarding plants as they are drought tolerant.
Sometimes I think it is quite unfair to live in such a yummy gardening climate, when other states have horrible weather problems, aahhh, no I don’t!! It might get cold again. So watch the weather report. Hope some of you made it to the SF Flower and Garden Show at San Mateo, what spectacular gardens, garden jewelry, along with great free lectures and some wonderful floral designs from California Garden Clubs right there in the expo hall including two of yours truly.
Some of my favorite plants in my garden right now are succulents (in bloom), Green Goddess callas, birds of paradise, leucodendrons, alstromerias (just getting ready to flower), pelargoniums, both scented and zonals, citrus, New Zealand flax, salvias, hebe, gardenias, iris, daffodils, kangaroo paws, black bamboo, cymbidiums, loropetalum and lavender.
If you are short on space in your garden as I am, and love roses, try some of the miniature rose introductions mentioned in the San Mateo County Rose Society’s newsletter, The Rose Digest. Some names to look for are Amber Sunset, Carolina Lady, Best Friends, Gala, Halo Sweetie, Hilde, Michael Cholet, Mini Tango, Montana, Orange Parfait, Petite Perfection, Ruby Ruby Baby, Sweet Caroline, Sweet Diana, Y2K, Merlot, Jilly Jewel and Ralph Moore.
You may ask me questions at macro6096@hotmail.com., put, in the subject line, Q. mary, mary or write to me, Mary Crowell, c/o San Mateo Garden Center, 605 Parkside Way, San Mateo, Ca, 94403.Mary, Mary, How Does Your Garden Grow? by Mary Crowell
What is that old adage, “April showers bring May flowers?” Hasn’t the weather been superb, windy but sunny, in between the unexpected showers? We can now finally enjoy the color, the beauty, being out in our gardens more than a few hours at a time without the winds, rain and cold of the last few months. Finally we are able to weed and prune our garden to where we are no longer embarrassed to have someone stop by. BBQ season is upon us. It is really amazing the transformation of the garden by deadheading, pruning judiciously and cleaning out debris. There is nothing quite as cathartic as a peaceful sunny day working in the dirt and gathering those pots that are crying for help. What do you have in bloom at the moment? Those roses are something else, they really loved the rain this early spring. I love taking different routes to and fro in my local area, looking at what is in bloom. Today (tax day to be exact), I have cala lilies, both green and white, bromeliads, cacti, succulents, wisteria (oh wow!), birds of paradise, bearded iris, leucodendron, loropetalum, clivia (my first bloom of a yellow one), ranuncula, camellia, lots of cymbidiums (still), viburnum (snowball tree), geraniums (actually pelargoniums), lavender, and roses (we only have two large rosebushes, a space crunch problem in our yard, one variety called ‘Betty Boop’ and a beautiful single petaled red ‘Altissimo’, but we do have many miniatures, as they take up little space).
Yesterday, I received a small book from my garden gate magazine called Ultimate flowers for sun and shade. Wow, it is so inspiring. One of the chapters is called Flowers Plus which discusses plants that give all year, blooms, berries, interesting foliage and then lovely seed heads. They called these plants multitaskers! Some of the suggestions are: rugosa rose with it’s beautiful long lasting flowers and in the fall bright red hips (seed pod), big-leaf hydrangea, canna hybrids such as ‘Tropicana’, Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) which has fall foliage to die for and long wand like white spires in late spring. Some other suggestions from the book are a Peony-flowered poppy (Papaver somniferum) which has gray green seed pods in the fall and a plant called Prairie smoke (Geum triflorum).
Remember the chimney flues I mentioned a few years back that I found on the street and hauled to my front yard and placed on the lawn? Last year we had tomatoes all summer long and yesterday I bought 4 new tomato plants to put in them. I love growing veggies and didn’t think I had any room, but think vertical. I also dragged home some metal fencing that I am placing in the front lawn to grow peas and beans to crawl up them.
It is also time to feed the citrus and the roses again. Attracting beneficial insects and birds such as bees, hummingbirds and butterflies to the garden is both an art and a science. Do Not Spray Insecticides if you want to attract bees and butterflies. This is also a great time to pinch out shrubs and herbs to make them lush and full.
There are some great sales this month, watch the local papers, starting with the San Francisco Botanic Gardens 42nd Annual Spring Plant sale, May 1 members only 5-8 PM, May 2nd, public sale, 10-2, at 9th and Lincoln, city fair bldg., in Golden Gate Park. The San Mateo Garden Center will have its annual plant sale May 9th, 10-3 PM, volunteer propagated plants very reasonably priced at 605 Parkside Way, San Mateo.
You may ask me questions at macro6096@hotmail.com, write to me c/o the San Mateo Garden Center News, 605 Parkside Way San Mateo, 94403Mary, John and >^..^< >^..^<>^..^< in San Mateo, CA
March 2009
Weren’t those rains in Feb. something? Seems all I did over the President’s long weekend was watch my garden slurp up those gentle rains. It really helped our water table and maybe the dreaded “D” word will be long forgotten. While I had all that time to think, a question came to mind, “What are the best things you have learned from your garden?” Two things come to mind right away, patience and serenity. March is such a fabulous time to sit in the garden and contemplate. Time to really look at each flower emerging from the winter sleep, ready to perk up our life and make us smile. It is in spring when the garden is at its peak, the time when one can get absorbed in the sights and smells of the greenery and flowers to come. It is also the time to reflect and watch the birds and butterflies as you weed.
MARCH 18-22 will be the fantastic and possibly the last SF Flower and Garden Show, as this year the venue will be in our backyard at the San Mateo Fairgrounds, not the Cow Palace as in the past. The theme this year is “Sustainable Spaces, Beautiful Places. “ According to the web site, “There will be 4 acres of inspiring flower gardens, free seminars for all gardening levels, and shopping at 300 exhibits all strictly related to San Francisco & California gardening, outdoor living and gardeners.” Anyone interested in any aspect of gardening shouldn’t miss this spectacular event. California Garden Clubs, CGCI, will be represented in the Fiesta Hall this year, look for one or two of my floral designs; they will be on pedestals this year. Check out the schedule at http://www.gardenshow.com.
March in your garden is a time of activity, it is not hard to resist getting out on those sunny and balmy days, paperwork goes by the wayside in our house even though tax time is approaching fast. Hopefully you have already applied acid fertilizer for those citrus trees, camellias and azaleas along with an all-purpose one for the rest of the garden. If you planted the fall bulbs, you should be getting an array of color right about now, my daffodils, hyacinths and grape hyacinths were up in Feb.! Now you may safely prune those plants that badly needed a haircut last month. Keep those trees healthy by raking the leaves and pulling any grass beneath them as the grass takes away the nutrients. Some hardy perennials to consider might be campanulas, penstemon, phlox, mimulus, hellebores, delphiniums, salvias, and geraniums, especially the scented ones. I love to plant the summer bulbs in Mar to get the blooms of glads, watsonias, agapanthus, anemones, cannas, begonias, ranunculus and dahlias (tubers). When you read gardening books such as Sunset Western Gardening Book find your appropriate zone. Put out snail bait such as Sluggo as we seem to be overrun with them right about now or you can make the midnight run with the flashlight or put out beer in small lids to drown those lushes! To get rid of aphids on roses, dig in systemic rose care products around the base every 6 weeks and get rid of the ants!!
Container plants seem to be my personal favorites; I have over 1000, but will pare down this year to a more manageable number. I find it fun to find odd artifacts that can be made into interesting dish gardens, by creating drainage. This year the Peninsula Succulent Club is making dish gardens for the CGCI convention luncheon out of old jello molds. Containers can provide colorful impact for the garden, a small balcony or patio and are portable. Staging containers around your garden is a way to spotlight them to best advantage and are an easy way to have an instant vegetable garden using a trellis to grow beans or peas. I am going to plant this month with a 5 year old, Seth, who lives in the front house, scarlet runner beans and English peas from seed. Using containers on your front porch is a great welcoming feature.
Perennials have long lasting appeal even when they are no longer in bloom as many have interesting structure and seed heads. Try some of the following that provide structure: Phlomis, Veronicastum, Thalictrum, Eryngium, Filipendula, Salvia, Limonium. Plants that provide interesting seed heads: Aster, Monarda, Sanguisorba, Rudbeckia, Solidago, Persicaria, Sedum telephium, Echinacea, Helenium, Kirengeshoma.
You may ask me questions at macro6096@hotmail.com, write to me c/o the San Mateo Garden Center News, 605 Parkside Way San Mateo, 94403.Mary, John and >^..^< >^..^<>^..^< in San Mateo, CA
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In February, because of the iffy weather, it is still difficult to do full-time gardening. Now is a super time to read those great gardening magazines. I love the “Garden Gate”, “Fine Gardening” and “Sunset” also any articles about Going Green! Environmental issues are something that we all have to understand for the world to continue into the future. What can an individual do? Tending a garden brings you closer to the earth and “how” you garden can make a difference. Avoid the use of chemicals and pesticides by switching to natural resources such as lady bugs, insecticidal soaps, Sluggo (for snails and slugs), compost teas and keeping your plants healthy. Ever try layers of newspaper under your mulch? It ends up using less mulch and the newspaper does eventually break down, but keep colored papers in the recycle bin. What about a drip irrigation system? It uses less water and can be very efficient, especially if you get one of the new timers with a rain sensor. How about recycling plastic pots? Our own San Mateo Garden Center can always use your castoffs, along with local nurseries that may take back their own pots, check with them.
Continue doing your pruning, fertilizing, applying the organic dormant spray, looking at catalogues, reading about your plants and planting spring flowers and shrubs. Going to the Peninsula Home and Garden show this month, Feb. 20, 21, 22 at the San Mateo Fairgrounds is a grand place to see a lot of interesting ideas for landscaping and vendors all in one place. Our Peninsula Succulent Club will have a booth and will be selling cuttings and plants that are easy and drought tolerant. Jan and Feb is the right time for planting bare-root roses, shade trees, fruit trees, flowering shrubs, grapes, and strawberries. Choose those plants that have strong stems and a healthy root structure. Always plant as soon as possible after you get the plants. I am not sure how many of you lose plants waiting to get them into the ground or into a pot, but I have been known to send more than a few to plant heaven! In fact, I have learned not to even go near a nursery unless I have the time, energy and plans to plant ASAP or put it on the honey-do-list. Prune any frost damaged leaves and branches, but be careful, as exposing the new tender undergrowth can be tricky on your timing. It really is best to wait until the weather report gives the green light before pruning, as in “no frost”! If you failed to prune your roses in Jan, do so right now before new growth is damaged. Be thinking about mulching, adding humus, compost and preparing any planting beds this month when the ground is easy to dig and weed.
Now is a great time to sharpen and inventory your tools, clean your shed or garage, Here is a list of my favorite local nurseries in the SF Bay area that are fun to visit: Half Moon Bay Nursery, Hwy. 92, on the left side before you get to HMB, 650-726-5392, Wegman’s, 492 Woodside Rd, RWC, 650-368-5908, Roger Reynolds, 133 Encinal Ave., Menlo Park, 650-323-5612, Central Garden Center, 408 Ninth Ave, San Mateo, 650-340-8850, Golden Nursery, 1122 Second Ave (at Amplett), San Mateo, 650-348-5525, Carlmont Nursery, 2029 Ralston Ave., Belmont, 650-591-6845, The San Mateo Arboretum Society, 101 Ninth Ave, San Mateo in Central Park, 650-579-1536, and our own San Mateo Garden Center, 605 Parkside Way, San Mateo, 650-574-1506. The SF Botanical Gardens at 9th and Lincoln in SF have monthly plant sales and is a fantastic world class garden.Cymbidiums should be spiking, some flowering already, mine started around Christmas. We should have changed to the hi nitrogen fertilizer in Jan and use that through June, switching to the lo nitrogen (hi bloom) in July through December. Remember cymbidiums are heavy feeders and need more sunlight than one expects (4-6 hours of direct sunlight for best flowering). Stake any spikes with figure 8 ties and stakes, so the heavily laden ones don’t break off. Watering needs are low this time of year, but don’t forget under the eaves, patios, or trees.
You may ask me questions at macro6096@hotmail.com, write to me c/o the San Mateo Garden Center News, 605 Parkside Way San Mateo, 94403.
Mary, John and >^..^< >^..^<>^..^< in San Mateo, CA
January 2009
Recently I read this quote from the editor of a magazine that made my heart sing, as a friend of mine is want to say. “Ah, to be so appreciative of nature, and so intimate as to be in harmony with her.” This is how I feel about my garden and gardens in general and the reason I do write this monthly garden column.
January, usually the coldest month in our SF bay area, is the time to prune, clean up yard debris, plant spring flowers and, of course, look at catalogues and magazines. Wait until frost is over before doing some of the pruning, difficult as it might be, as it will be best for the plants to have some protection. Try using a product called Cloud Cover when frost does occur. Be sure to use Sluggo to control the slugs and snails at this time, it is considered to be nontoxic to pets and kids.
It is the right time to prune the roses and hydrangeas as they are cold hardy and appreciate going dormant. Also prune perennials, wisteria, grapevines, and last year’s bulbs. Most bulbs profit by allowing the stems to wither. Don’t braid them as some tell you to do to tidy them, as it breaks the layers needed to allow the nutrients to return to the bulb or rhizomes. One can plant gladiolas this month and next. Roses can be pruned back to an outside 5-leaf node and all hips should be pruned off. Most garden centers, arboretums, rose societies and nurseries are having pruning demos for free. Shrubs benefit by pruning for shape before the new growth appears. I am not personally into annuals but now is a good time to plant primroses, pansies, snapdragons, stock, cyclamen, Iceland poppies, and flowering kale. Fertilize citrus, gardenias, camellias, azaleas, and rhododendrons. Plant deciduous trees, grapes, berries, and wisteria. As for container planters, they need your attention to be weeded, repotted, or refreshing their soil. Don’t forget to water when they are under the eaves or in a protected area.
Every year in January in this column, I tell about myself and why gardening means so much to me. I live in the San Mateo Village, retired from the University of California, where I worked as a Medical Technologist at San Francisco General Hospital. As an amateur (and I stress this) gardener, who maintains, with a very helpful husband, a 13 year old garden that started with grass when I moved from SSF. I also have about 1000 container plants, the majority of which are cacti and succulents. Since retiring in 1991, I was able to have time to go to school with CA Garden Clubs, Inc. and become a master floral designer and flower show judge, judging and entering horticulture and floral designs in shows and fairs. As an offshoot of my interest, I am currently a member of the San Mateo Garden Center, for whom I write this column, President of the Peninsula Succulent Club, member and past Pres. of the San Francisco Epiphyllum Society, member of the San Mateo Rose Society and two design guilds, Bay Area Floral Arranging Guild and Furyu. These activities keep me out of mischief, retirement allows me time to give programs on horticulture, floral designs, table designs and crafts to garden clubs and design guilds, usually with my friend Shane or my husband John, as I am too scared to do so by myself. I also have a volunteer job with California Garden Clubs Board as the Cactus and Succulent Chair.
My father was a wonderful gardener who had a super flower and veggie garden wherever we lived when I was an Air Force brat. My mother took Ikebana classes for years and some of it must have rubbed off. In our very small garden in San Mateo, we have a perennial border and a side cactus and succulent garden along with a wisteria, a gardenia, a citrus, some bulbs and glads, a rose bush called “Betty Boop”, and a hydrangea in the front flower bed. In the back yard, we have the many container plants, about half cacti and succulents, the rest a mixture of cymbidiums, bromeliads and perennials. When my epiphytic cacti are in bloom in the spring, May-June, we usually have an open house in our garden. Watch for that date.
You may ask me questions at macro6096@hotmail.com, or write to me c/o the San Mateo Garden Center News, 605 Parkside Way San Mateo, 94403.Mary, John and >^..^< >^..^<>^..^< in San Mateo, CA
During December garden work sometimes slows down to give us more time for the holiday festivities, but this fall has really been screwy. I have been spending these gorgeous days outside until after 4 PM, when it starts to chill down. We have been pruning like mad, it seems the garden flourished in the rain we just had and the recycle bins are now full. Now is the time to get some added stimulation from gardening magazines, horticulture books (from the library), and catalogues. My favorite magazines are “Fine Gardening” , “Garden Gate”, and “Sunset”, all available at the library, bookstores and by subscription. This is a great time to work in the shed, cleaning tools and sharpening the pruners, putting like pots together so it is easier to find things when you need them. Anyone want to come to my yard to help do this?
There is still some time left to do some winter perennial and annual planting such as salvias, carnations, coral bells, oriental poppies, azaleas, primroses, pansies, violas, sweet william, flowering kale and cabbage, calendulas, cyclamen, camellia, and marguerites. Protect tender plants such as bougainvillea, citrus, fuchsia and succulents by covering them when frost is expected. Remove the coverings when the temp rises. Also keep the ground moist, use ground covers and consider a product called Cloud Cover, if long lasting frost is expected. Continue with routine maintenance chores such as weeding, raking, and deadheading. Consider buying some paper white narcissus and plant them now for holiday gift giving. Our narcissus planter, a gift from friends some years back needed dividing so I now have 3 gifts from that one planter. Watch for snails and slugs, they are sneaky little devils. Bring branches indoors of forsythia and flowering quince for forcing. You'll have brilliant displays of color during the holiday season.
Time to prune all herbaceous plants and perennials as they can be whacked back rather severely at this time of year. Roses can be pruned back the end of this month through Jan, watch for pruning demos around the nurseries and also at the San Mateo Rose Garden, Jan 6th, Sun, in the San Mateo Garden Center. Prune out the old wood in vines and camellias. This is a good time to take hard wood cuttings of anything you might like to start or give away.
Plant any bulbs you forgot to do in November, it is not too late. You can also plant bare root roses. Fertilize those cymbidiums that should be making their flower spikes by now, remember they are heavy feeders, so use the hi bloom (lo Nitrogen) July through Dec and the high growth (high Nitrogen) Jan through June. One of the most common mistakes people make with cymbidiums is to put them in too much shade, they need 4-6 hours of sunlight. So if yours are a beautiful green and not many flowers try moving them to more sun where their leaves will be a more yellow green but should flower to make you proud. Fertilize the lawn this month also.
Stake any young trees or tall, floppy plants which you haven’t pruned as yet. Improve your soil by adding compost and humus now when your soil is moist, pulling weeds as you go. Protect your container plants by bringing them close to the house, under the eaves or under trees. Water needs are low this month, but be sure to pay attention, especially those plants under protection.
You may contact me at macro6096@yahoo.com or write me c/o the San Mateo Garden Center News, 605 Parkside Way, San Mateo, CA, 94403.Mary, John and >^..^< >^..^<>^..^< in San Mateo, CA
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