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

Back from Mendo

Back from another Mendo getaway. As always-- ate too much, didn't exercise enough, didn't take enough pictures, had lots of laughs... and can't wait to go back.

I saw lots of trillium blooming at Fern Canyon at Russian Gulch State Park. If you go to Mendo, this paved bike ride/hike to a waterfall is a must. It's spectacular... very Land of the Lost.

Camping, Angela style...

We had wi-fi at the house... for awhile. After losing access, I couldn't even get a dial-up connection. Nooooooooooooooo! Thank God there's an internet cafe in the village.

My mom made quiche. Take that, tent campers.

I love it when fog rolls through town. It's thick and fast-moving. Every day was sunny, which made the fog an extra special treat.

Heed these words, unless you want to be the meat in a car sandwich.

Here's a little something for dog-loving purse fanatics.

Catch the peace sign on the front railing? You'll see a lot of peace signs in Mendo. My kind of town.




I stopped by Ingridd's Potter's Studio to take a few pics in her front garden. There's always something interesting nestled in the flowers.

I love the rugged bluffs of Mendocino. Sandy beaches aren't as accessible as in Southern California and the ocean waters can be rough on ships, but that obviously has something to do with the fact that Mendo still offers much in the way of pristine wilderness.

Despite the abundance of natural beauty, you'll still spot the occasional dorky tourist...

Dinner at the Moosse Cafe. I had the halibut with fingerling potatoes and veggies. Whoops, I also sampled the honey and lavender crème brulee for dessert. Delish.

Huge victory for Sacramento city front yard gardens

The Sacramento City Council voted 8 to 1 for the Front Yard Landscape Ordinance with the deletion of subsection "c", "...which had sought to restrict the growing of fruits and vegetables to 30% of the landscape and four feet in height." (SacGardens.org)

A Sacramento Bee editorial, Needed: A peas treaty... Does council know beans about gardens?, weighed in on the subject the other day.

Get out those veggie seed packets, head for the veggie aisle of your local nursery, and check out the following books for inspiration. Don't forget to plant some fruit too!

Wildflowers in Sonoma and Mendocino counties

On the drive to between Sacramento and Mendocino, by way of Hwy 37 --> 128--> 101 N-- 1, lupine and California poppies are quite spectacular right now, especially against a startlingly green background. Everything is green, leafing out and beginning to bloom. Ceanothus and lilac are blooming.

The change of scenery from the Valley to the coast is very dramatic. You go from flat land with a 360 degree view to rolling, oak-studded foothills, and then into the deep dark redwood forest. Then suddenly... boom... there's the Pacific Ocean. The transitions are very sudden, which makes the drive interesting and makes the sunglasses go on and come off many times.

I was thrilled to discover I've got wi-fi at the rental house for the first time ever, so I can now glance up from my untethered laptop while composing a blog post and see the ocean. This afternoon, I may venture out back to one of the Adirondack chairs and check my e-mail while enjoying the peaceful waves crashing in the distance. This is one happy "camper".

Yes, I am addicted to modern technology and yelled a "Praise Jesus!" when I also discovered my cell phone works here for the first time ever. If I were forced to go tent camping sometime in the not-very-likely future, I'd be one of those panicky techno junkies scrounging around every morning for my solar iPod/cell phone charger while wondering who's gonna go out in the freezing cold to start the fire... to boil the water... to make my French roast coffee. Must... stop... thinking about tent camping.

Outside right now, birds are chirping and it looks like it's going to be a sunny, non-windy day. No formal plans today except to wander around town on foot and by bike. S'later!

Spring front yard flowers and one annoyed kitty

I'm just a blogging fool today. That's because I should be cleaning and running errands and packing before my trip.

Here's what's blooming in my front yard right now. Had gone out to check the mail and couldn't resist grabbing my camera.

Emily rarely smiles for the camera. In fact, she rarely sits still for the camera. It's difficult to get good pictures of her because the moment she knows you're paying attention to her, she jumps down and starts rubbing against your leg. When I was photographing poppies this morning, she bit me to get my attention.

yellow 'Lady Banks' rose

Pink cyclamen

Ixia

Calif. Poppies against Western redbud (Cercis occidentalis)

More Lady Banks

Poppies and Ixia, both of which get by on natural rainfall

Buzz Kill by Novella Carpenter in Salon.com

Buzz Kill

I enjoyed this piece, and it relates to recent news regarding bee die-offs across the country. I'll be looking for bees when my lavender blooms. I'm pretty convinced my veggie garden productivity last year was aided by the constant buzz around my lavender plants. It wasn't an intentional planting arrangement, but it seemed to help and it sure beats having to hand-pollinate.

If you're not a paid Salon subscriber, you will have to sit through an online ad or two before reading the article. Such is life in the frugal lane.

Mendo or bust

I'm going to Mendo next week. Will check in from Moody's if there's anything horticulturally significant to report. Yes, I'm bringing my camera. Not sure what the weather will be like, though. I'm hoping to get in some good bike rides, but if it's raining we'll have to go to plan B, which is to eat and lounge by the fire. It's all good.

New book: The Home Orchard

Another fine offering from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR)

Organic Landscape Maintenance in Sacramento

Recently, the Sacramento Stormwater Quality Partnership published the River-Friendly Landscape Guide, along with a companion brochure for homeowners titled "Choosing a Landscape Professional." The brochure gives general guidelines for choosing an ecologically aware landscape professional, but doesn't list local companies following "river-friendly" landscape practices. That left me wondering-- Who in the Sacramento area offers organic or river-friendly or ecologically sound (i.e. sustainable) landscape maintenance services?

Guess what? I found a couple.

The emphasis seems to be on lawns, probably because nearly every house has one and it's still a measure of residential prowess. It's also true that while neighbors compare lawns like cars, nobody seems to want to maintain their own.

We hire mow-and-blow crews and maintenance companies employing traditional methods for keeping grass frequently shorn, weed free and dark green... but at what cost? High water requirements aside, lawn maintenace has traditionally contributed to fertilizer and pesticide runoff into our creeks and rivers, not to mention the residual hazards to people, pets and wildlife right on our very own properties.

In today's copy of Inside Arden, I learned about State of the Earth, a local company offering residential and commercial landscape services promoting, according to their website, "... sustainable landscapes by using intelligent practices and organic materials, creating more robust and vibrant plant communities that looks great and can cope more successfully with seasonal changes and threats from pests."

State of the Earth

Phone: 916-978-9630
E-mail: service@stateoftheearth.com
Snail Mail: P.O. Box 255366, Sacramento, CA 95865


I've also heard much about Steve Zien's Living Resources Company over the years. According to the Living Resources Company website, they "...will evaluate your soil type, fertility, and percolation rate, grass type, turf density, pests present, and thatch depth. A custom organic fertility and pest management program is then designed and implemented to improve and maintain your landscape at its best. Normal maintenance includes foliar fertilization, pest control monitoring, and recommendations. Pest control and weed control can also be included at the option of the client."

Living Resources Company
E-mail: bugs@organiclandscape.com
Snail Mail: BUGS, P.O. Box 76, Citrus Heights, CA 95611
Phone: 916-726-5377

In a related vein, if you have a chance to install an ecologically friendly landscape or want to revamp your old landscape, you might want to call licensed contractor Dave Roberts of Roberts Landscape. His focus is sustainable landscapes and his creds are impressive.

David R. Roberts, Owner

5960 South Land Park Drive #174

Sacramento, CA 95822

Telephone : 916/444-6458

Fax : 916/441-6066

Email :mailto:roblands@comcast.net

QUALIFICATIONS

• State of California Contractors License #590317, C-27 Landscape http://www.cslb.ca.gov/
• Bachelor of Science in Ornamental Horticulture 1975 California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
• Member of the California Landscape Contractors Association http://www.clca.org/
• California Department of Pesticide Regulation Qualified Applicator License #30038
• California Certified Nursery Professional #626 since 1975

INSURED

• Liability
• Workmans Compensation

REFERENCES

• Available upon request

If, on the other hand, you're a DIY'er, by all means order the River-Friendly Landscape guide and frequent the UC IPM website. Your lawn and garden can look as green and pristine as your neighbors' without a single skull-and-crossbones-bearing product.

Whether you're a DIY'er or prefer to hire out, you now have some very viable options for switching to greener methods of maintaining your yard without risking the health of your family, your pets, your neighbors and everything downstream of you. Imagine if we all did that (cue John Lennon music).

My next quest? A list of landscape maintenance companies using quiet, non-polluting tools. Am I dreaming?

Propagating Succulents

I heart succulents. They're fascinating looking, so easy to grow, and thrive on neglect. The biggest threat to succulents in my area is frosts and freezes, which makes them good candidates for containers. I've been on a succulent kick for a few years now and noticed that whenever a leaf broke off and fell on the soil surface, I would often end up with a new plant!

Turns out tip cuttings root just as easily.

Here are the results of my first attempt to propagate succulents in flats. You don't need to get that fancy, though. Pinching off a tip cutting and sticking it in the same or another pot in plain old cactus mix works just as well.

Some "mother plants"

flats of cuttings

tip cuttings and leaf cuttings

I experimented with leaf placement by sticking some upright in cactus mix, some on the soil surface, leaf base pointing up and some on the soil surface, leaf base touching the soil. They're all rooting.

Ideally, you want to allow your cuttings to callus over for a few days in a dry, semi-shaded location before planting. Spring and summer are particularly good times for makin' babies... succulent babies... oh, heck, all kinds of babies...

regrowth after tip cuttings were taken

baby!

leaf rooting in air!

To learn more about propagating succulents, this link will get you started: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/library/view/article/307/

I also referred to this book.