Lilies

It's hard to believe lilies are so easy to grow. The energy and beauty stored in their bulbs makes me appear to be a more attentive gardener than I am. I just plant and water and wait for the show.

Grow-off, Show-off Kitchen Gardening Contest

Check out this contest sponsored by Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI) and Mother Earth News.

How to enter
Entries must be received by 5pm Eastern, November 1, 2007. All entries must be submitted using the official entry form and submitted either by e-mail to info@kitchengardeners.org or by snailmail to Kitchen Gardeners International, 3 Powderhorn Drive, Scarborough, Maine, 04074, USA. E-mail and early entries are encouraged.

KGI will be posting entries on their website as they receive them.

Red orchid cactus

From a single passalong cutting (thanks, Cheryl and Cheryl's friend), came this obscenely beautiful epiphyllum. I don't know its species and/or cultivar name because it was given to me as "red orchid cactus". Who cares, though, right? It's just... wow.

Want to see how it looked last May, and want to see the Mother Plant? Click here. Mailorder sources for epis include:

Don's Epiphyllum World

Also check Ebay sellers.

Calandrinia grandiflora

Calandrinia grandiflora, commonly known as Chilean rock purslane, is one of my new favorites in the garden. It's new to me, anyway. Last summer or fall, I spotted it in bloom in one-gallon cans at Emigh Hardware. The fleshy, silvery-grey foliage reminds me of sedum (another fave), but you will be pleasantly surprised by its delicate, clear pink poppy-like flowers, held on nodding wiry stems up to 2 1/2 feet tall.

Despite a few frosts and freezes here in Carmichael this winter, C. grandiflora wintered over nicely up against the southern side of my stucco house. It receives bright, lightly filtered light next to my lath patio cover. According to a Dave's Garden member, it propagates from separated "rootballs" which should callus over for a few days before re-planting. Haven't tried that yet, but I am experimenting with tip cuttings as well. Oh, and you can buy it at Annie's Annuals.


Today's bloom


My plant's foliage with young buds just beginning to emerge


(Photo from Dave's Garden, taken by Dave's Garden member RWhiz)

For Sale: House with scummy pool full of mosquitoes

New front in war in mosquitoes

Real estate agents urged to report untended pools, ponds.

By Jim Wasserman - Bee Staff Writer

Last Updated 12:06 am PDT Monday, May 14, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1

To report unmaintained pools in your neighborhood:

Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District
916-685-1022
www.fightthebight.net

Placer Mosquito and Vector Control
916-435-2140
www.placermosquito.org

El Dorado County Vector Control
530-573-3450
http://www.co.el-dorado.ca.us/emd/vectorcontrol/vector_control.html

Sutter-Yuba Mosquito and Vector Control District
530-674-5456
www.sutter-yubamvcd.org

Food for thought...

Editorial notebook: La fruta del diablo

Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, May 14, 2007
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B4

Garden update

I'm sitting on my patio in a comfy but plastic Adirondack chair that will leave a chalky white film on my butt when I get up. Hey, they were only 20 bucks each and seemed like a good deal at the time. It's 7:22 pm, sun is setting, the temperature feels like 72 degrees of perfection. The garden is absolutely still except for the movement of a few bees (yes, bees), ants and at this very moment, a hummingbird. An owl is hooting in the nearby park. Two yellow-billed magpies are carrying on a conversation from separate trees.

My laptop is propped precariously on my crossed legs, my Sennheiser PX100 headphones (a very good value, I might add) are delivering 'Darlin' Do Not Fear' by Brett Dennen while the sun sets.

When I look to the left, I see a 4 1/2 foot tall coral-flowered Phygelius a friend gave me for my birthday last year that's about to bloom for the first time. Other bloomers as I survey the yard include: lavender, penstemon, columbine, orchid cactus, abutilon, verbena bonariensis, roses, salvia, California bush anemone, wallflower, coral bells, lamium, cerinthe, California poppy, million bells, kangaroo paws, 'Get Mee' campanula, etc. Lilies planted in the last couple years in the ground and in pots are tall, budded stalks about to put on a big show.

Winter cold wiped out my beloved bush echium, Mexican bush sage, and nearly all of my hopseeds. A few weeks ago, the gaps and overall scorched earth vibe in the backyard made me want to go plant shopping. I'm glad I waited because I would have definitely over-planted. Now I see that the daylilies, veronica, agapanthus, penstemon, butterfly bush, and other warm-weather plants are really taking off and filling in those gaps. I still need to add some fillers, but not nearly as many as I thought.

I mowed and edged the lawn... yes, on Mother's Day... and yes, my teenage son was supposed to have done it last week. I got tired of asking. He did compliment my work and even admitted the lawn looked better than when he mows it. I offered to show him my technique.

Last week, I planted tomatoes and basil. Let's see... tomatoes were 'Sungold', 'Early Girl' and 'Heatwave'. One more... an heirloom... should be plenty for me this year. The basil plants are Genovese and they're being protected from snails quite successfully by Plant Defenders. Oh, and I put in three 'Anaheim' peppers. I will start some 'Gold Rush' yellow zucchini this week from seed. They're delicious and excellent producers. Like I even need to mention that about zucchini. I'm not going to go nuts with the veggies this year. I tend to overplant. For some reason, I'm finding it easier than usual to avoid frantic overplanting. I think it's the yoga. It mellows me out and the effect is somewhat residual.

I plan to replace my dead hopseeds with more hopseeds, but purple ones this time. Bronzy purple foliage adds such drama to the garden. Speaking of drama, my 'Tropicana' cannas are about 2 1/2 feet high after dying back completely to the ground over winter.

Ok, I just saw a mosquito. Time to go in. Somebody's barbecuing steak. I wish my blog had smellevision. Goodnight from my northern California backyard. As I log off, The Staple Singers are singing 'I'll Take You There.'

I'll post some flower pics soon. It'd be a crime not to.

Trees to help block auto exhaust at Arden Middle School

Trees will be a breath of fresh air for school

By Chris Bowman - Bee Staff Writer

Last Updated 12:18 am PDT Saturday, May 12, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B1

This is a great idea. For years, I've wondered about the air quality at Arden Middle School. In fact, I decided to take it out of the running as a potential middle school for my son because of my own (usually overprotective) air-quality concerns. Back then it was just a hunch. Now the high concentration of particulate pollution at the school has been verified, quantified and they're working on an arboreal solution. Yay trees!

This school is located on the corner of Watt Avenue and Arden Way in Sacramento, CA. Arden is a fairly busy street, but Watt is a multi-lane major thoroughfare for neighborhood traffic and cars and trucks getting off and on Highways 50 and 80. Plus, the light at the intersection of Watt and Arden is a long one, which means lots of idling cars followed by accelerating cars. All day long. Cough, cough, choke, choke. I'm surprised those kids aren't walking around with oxygen tanks, hunched over like longtime pack-a-day smokers.

I applaud the efforts to improve school grounds air quality by planting a tree buffer. I just wish they'd consider greater tree diversity. Another Bee article stated that redwood trees were tops at intercepting auto exhaust. I wonder why only oaks and cedars were planted. I'd also like to point out the obvious aesthetic benefits of planting trees at the school. Arden being a very tree-oriented neighborhood, I'm surprised they weren't planted sooner for beautification reasons... and to give the kids some shade. Is it because of safety and maintenance issues? Dunno, but I'm glad to see this much-needed buffer being installed.

The seedier side of California tomato production

Probe of tomato board pushed
By Dennis Pollock - Fresno Bee
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, May 11, 2007
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1

Mark Morford on Colony Collapse Disorder

"MaMo" addresses the bee problem, AKA Colony Collapse Disorder, in today's column, with humor, as he often does. So if you like your bitter news with a dose of honey...

Apocalypse Of The Honeybees - How poetically appropriate that the End of Man should come from such a tiny, sweet source Mark Morford, SfGate.com, 05/09/07

What can you do that might help bring back the bees? Yes, it's entirely possible bee populations will rebound without our help, but there's no harm in helping now, especially considering scientists are still stumped by the massive die-offs. We're hearing possible culprits include pesticides, GMOs, cell phones, parasites, mites, fungi, and Ashlee Simpson. In the meantime, think about doing your part:

-- Garden organically and practice Integrated Pest Management in your own backyard.
-- Buy organic.
-- Throw away your cell phone. Kidding! I hope.
-- Boycott GMO crops.
-- Support organizations working to help the bees.
-- Elect environmentally-aware representatives.
-- Plant bee-attracting flowers: bee balm, lavender, salvia, zinnia, natives, etc.
-- Put up a bee house (see below).
-- Hug a scientist. Better yet, donate to your local college's entomology department.

Can I get a gardening rain check?

Sometimes I come somewhat grudgingly back to gardening after a long, wet winter. I'm like a teenager... like my teenager... who keeps pushing the snooze button on a school day. Only it's not a school bell looming over me, it's weeds. And drought. And a lawn that could swallow my short-legged dogs if I'm not careful. The fact of the matter is that I'm a lazy slacker of a gardener.

I hate weeding. I hate mulching. I hate feeding. I love planting. I love shopping for plants. I love deadheading, but not major pruning. I love watering with a hose, but hate hooking up drip systems. I really love photographing flowers. Yes, I earned a degree in horticulture from a respectable university, but most days it looks like I attended the Fickle Princess School of Mood Gardening. Not moon gardening, mood gardening.

If I'm in one of those magical moods which, perhaps not coincidentally, coincide with days when I'm well rested and sufficiently caffeinated, I can haul ass in the garden. Other times... ok, most of the time... gardening consists of watching weeds reach flowering stage, watching flowers wilt, and watching my dogs disappear into the lawn. This does bring on feelings of guilt and distress and inadequacy... and I usually respond by performing some hideous but tiny gardening task. Reactively, not proactively, I might add.

But today, I got a rain check. I don't have to tackle the weeds in my veggie beds. Can't find the damn hula hoe anyway. It probably hula'd its way over to a more worthy garden. As for me, I've got to scuffle off to yoga class. Believe me, I need it. Looming garden chores really stress me out. Namaste. I believe that translates to "Yours in sloth".

My bloom cup runneth over...

California bush anemone (Carpenteria californica)


Red orchid cactus


Dianthus hybrid 'Devon Cottage Rosie Cheeks'... very prolific bloomer


Chinese ground orchids and lamium


Purple Million Bells


'Chicago Peace' rose

Linaria triornithophora... a.k.a. "Three Birds Flying"

Linaria triornithophora
"Three Birds Flying"


This was one of my impulse purchases at the Annie's Annuals booth at the 2007 San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. I stuck it in a pot and it's just beginning to bloom. Isn't it amazing? At this stage, it looks more like Two Birds Sleeping and Two Birds About to Fly, but I'll keep looking for the three flying birds. Maybe it's like one of those optical illusion drawings that you have to stare at for a long time without blinking, when all-of-a-sudden dolphins appear. Now that I think about it, who cares about three birds flying. I'm going for the hidden dolphins!

Osteospermum 'Sunny Sheila'

Have you seen this new offering from Proven Winners? Hubba hubba!

Osteospermum 'Sunny Sheila'

(Photo from Proven Winners website)

I indulged in a single one-gallon specimen this afternoon. Yes, it's just an African daisy... but what a daisy. Coppery... irridescent... pinky... hints of yellow. It's catch-your-breath gorgeous, especially when lit by late afternoon sun.

Light Brown Apple Moth discovered in Bay Area

(Photos from the California Department of Food & Agriculture website)

Here's a snippet from the CDFA profile:

Background

This moth is originally from Australia, and has become established in New Zealand, New Caledonia, Hawaii and the British Isles. Its discovery in California is a new North American record.

Hosts

LBAM has been recorded from over 200 plants in 120 plant genera in 50 families. Some notable trees are apple, pear, peach, apricot, nectarine, citrus, persimmon, cherry, almond, avocado, oak, willow, walnut, poplar, cottonwood, coast redwood, pine, and eucalyptus. Some common shrub and herbaceous hosts are grape, kiwifruit, strawberry, berries (blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, raspberry), corn, pepper, tomato, pumpkin, beans, cabbage, carrot, alfalfa, rose, camellia, jasmine, chrysanthemum, clover, and plantain.

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pdep/lbam_main.htm

If you see this moth, contact your local County Agriculture Commissioner's Office.

Chinese Ground orchids (Bletilla striata) in bloom

For "Snappy" (David) to show to his potted Bletilla babies.

Help the bees

Sunset mag tells you how: http://www.sunset.com/sunset/garden/article/0,20633,1038908,00.html

Rainy Day Daze

I'm forcing myself to get back on a good sleep schedule, so today I am in a good-for-nothing daze, desperately wanting a nap but knowing that if I do, I'll be up late again and the vicious cycle continues. Luckily, garden blogging isn't brain surgery; one can blog and take pictures drowsily and no one gets hurt.

This sleepy, grey day did feel perfect for delving into my signed copy of Anne Lamott's new book, Grace (Eventually). I had the pleasure of attending her discussion and book signing at Borders Books on Monday evening. She was fabulous and hilarious and thoughtful and profound. I thought she'd be mostly serious, but she got more laughs than most stand-up comedians on a good night. Her brand of black humor comes through in her writing and it definitely comes through in person. Also impressive was the fact that she was nearing the end of her book tour yet nothing she said seemed recycled or rehearsed. She's the real deal.

A few snaps from today...

Chinese ground orchid (Bletilla striata) about to bloom. In my top 10 favorite garden flowers. You can't see how beautiful this orchid will be, but it perfectly reflects how I feel about today... so full of potential but the timing is a little off.

Queen's tears (Billbergia nutans)... also in my top 10.

'Paul's Scarlet' English hawthorn

Red field poppy. I sprinkled seeds in a lot of my pots and they came up!

Baby lime

Purple columbine... one I got from Annie's. Can't remember which species or cultivar.

Delphinium, which I only grow as a hanging plant now because it's proven so snailolicious in the past.

Happy Easter, 2007

California bush anemone (Carpenteria californica) buds
This is one of my fall-planted natives receiving no supplemental water yet doing great.

Sedum

Santa Barbara daisies (Erigeron karvinskianus)

Dan sees a squirrel

Dan "hides" in the grass

Annie, too, is "invisible".

A springtime romp in the yard.

Chinese ground orchids... See, Snappy? These are about to bloom. The ones in cans behind the magenta ones are somewhat exotic yellow and white varieties and so far only the white has bloomed. Will report on any yellow blooms.

Viola cuteness

'Apricot Chiffon' California poppy

tricolor sage

Wallflower

Ceanothus, a very fast grower and very drought tolerant

One of the Annie's plants I bought at the S.F. Flower & Garden show this year. It's a glad! I think it's a drought tolerant native species... well, not a Calif. native, but native to somewhere. Will report back when I find the tag.

Some o' my pots on the back patio