Wind damage in my area

These pictures are a good reminder that if you don't prune the dead wood out of your trees, a good wind is liable to do it for you.

We had a strong, cold Santa Ana Wind this week and any tree that had a bit of deadwood, or weak limbs, quickly shed them into streets, yards and even on top of a couple of houses. Sometimes you can't really tell if you have dead limbs higher up in the tree, but if you see them, it is best to remove them on your terms, and not the weather's.

Here in Los Angeles, we have the additional issues of dead palm fronds. These can look light, but they can come down with surprising force on unsuspecting cars and pedestrians. I wasn't able to grab a picture, but one street I passed was almost entirely buried in palm fronds, making it difficult for cars to even get down the street.

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Patio Bed Cleanup and Division Complete

After almost a week of being down with a bad cold, I HAD to get out into the garden today. Since it was garbage day, it was also a good idea to fill our green bin while we had the chance.

About 2 weeks ago I cleaned out half of this bed, dividing a large clump of agapanthus and replanted the divisions. I ran out of time, energy and green bin space, so I left the remainder until today. Having done part of this bed already, I knew what I had to do. The large amount of leaves were raked off, pulling out most of the agapanthus with it. They were so crowded that they had pushed themselves almost completely out of the underlying soil, so they came up easily. It only took a few moments to pull out the strongest rhizomes and set them aside for transplanting.

My little Troy-Bilt Electric Cultivator did its usual great job of fitting up the bed. I then dug a small trench and re-inserted the rhizomes. After a good watering-in and then a run on the soaker hose, I was done.

I am thinking of picking up some nasturium seeds to plant in this newly turned area, They have done well in this area in the past and should brighten up this bed which is so close to the house and we see every day.

It is great to have this particular project out of the way and it shows me how to approach the clean up of my other beds.

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Elsewhere Online: Tilling is one chore you might be able to skip

Image via Wikipedia

I thought I was just being lazy by not doing a lot of tilling in my garden. (SMILE) This article from Fine Gardening magazine gives several other reasons, though.

Tilling is one chore you might be able to skip

Turning the soil over each year is a millennium-old tradition that has been challenged only in the last half century. The major benefits attributed to the annual rite of tilling are that it aerates the soil; chops and kills weeds; and mixes in organic materials, fertilizers, and lime. Not to be downplayed are the psychological benefits of tillage. It induces a righteous-feeling sweat that makes a clean slate of last year’s mistakes. So is it any wonder that plants survive and thrive in the wild in the untilled soil of fields and forests? Not really.

Read this entire article "Tilling is one chore you might be able to skip"

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FREE CLASS! TPF Kids: Art & Science of Native Plants, with Pamela Burgess and Lisa Novick

Image via Wikipedia

This looks like a great free class at the Theodore Payne Native Plant Foundation. You can find complete information on the calendar at TPF Web Site.

FREE CLASS! TPF Kids: Art & Science of Native Plants, with Pamela Burgess and Lisa Novick

Saturday, August 22, 9 - 11 a.m.

Join Pamela, TPF's first artist-in-residence, and Lisa, TPF Outreach Coordinator, for two hours of solar-powered fun! We'll make shadow drawings and experiment with leaf adaptations while learning about plant-animal connections and, of course, the Sun! Wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and bring a hat and water. TPF will supply the rest. FREE. Each sign-up admits one adult and one child (age 5 through 12). PLEASE CALL THE FOUNDATION TO PREREGISTER. THANK YOU!

Malibu Garden Club - May Meeting

Image by Tie Guy II via Flickr

You may have heard about the Malibu Garden Club recently in this LA Times story, Malibu Garden Club trowels for new members.

Link: Malibu Garden Club Web Site

When I read this story, I immediately thought that there might be some ways to use New Media to gain visibility (and hopefully, new members) for the group. I even wrote a blog post about it. (Can New Media Save a Gardening Club?)

I am planning to be at this next meeting both to meet the members and learn more about the group and also because I think I will really enjoy the speaker.

Why don't you join me?

---

Malibu Garden Club - May Meeting

OUR WILD BEES: Ode to Flight Season

Back by VERY POPULAR DEMAND! If you missed Frances Night last year, you won’t want to miss her talk this year. Frances is a bee expert who will speak about Bees & their relationship with plants, nature and our Gardens, and how to plant a Bee friendly garden.

California is home to a great diversity of native bee species, whose role in pollinating plants is ‘foundational’ to the life of our ecosystem. Sudden declines in honeybee and wild bee populations around the world have set off alarms about the sustainability of wild lands, the reliability of our food crops, and the quality of life. There is new urgency for habitat preservation and more responsible use of pesticides. Learn how we can identify these fascinating and gentle insects, and how we can provide nectar and pollen plants, and nesting materials for them in our home gardens.

PRESENTED BY:
Frances Night
-WEDNESDAY-
May 6, 2009

The Club House
Pt.Dume Club
29500 W Heathercliff Rd.
Malibu at 7:30 PM

Guests always welcome. Refreshments served.

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Compost harvest and vegetable bed prep

My gardening task for the day was to empty out Composter #2 for the first time and then use that compost to prep the small bed outside the kitchen. Most of the finished compost from Composter #1 went into this bed last season, but I wanted to add some more before turning the ground and trying some shade tolerant vegetables in this spot. We tried tomatoes here last season, but there just isn't enough sun for something like that. I mentioned some shade tolerant veggies in a previous post here.



Composter #2 has more compost than I thought. I had opened the bottom door to check in it a few weeks ago, but it looked like it was still cooking. I needed to make some space in it for more kitchen scraps, though, so I started digging some from the thin layer at the bottom. I quickly found that the compost in the middle was completely ready and was hidden by a small covering of uncomposted leaves and such. I ended up with about 4 -5 cubic feet for the new bed. Cool!

I sifted this compost and then spread it on the new bed and used our new electric cultivator to give it all a good turn. The bed looks good and ready for us to do some shopping for seeds and transplants.

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Time to find some shade vegetables

Image via Wikipedia

Although I didn't really believe it at first, there are some vegetables that will grow in part sun. I am going to head the the nursery this weekend and find some that will not only grow in the little bed outside the kitchen window, but also be something that we will actually eat.

I am a fussy eater, so that could be a challenge, but after doing a bit of research on the Net I find that kale, oregano (I know, a spice, not a vegetable), broccoli, cauliflower and a few others might do OK here. I plan on pulling out the little electric cultivator and perhaps working in some more of our homemade compost.

I also plan on putting in some salad mixes. According to some sites, growing this in partial shade, especially here in the hot San Fernando Valley might help to keep the lettuce from bolting as the days start to heat up.

This little project will help me complete a long list of to-do items so I am looking forward to it. Too often, I can come to dread various gardening projects, but this one holds a lot of interest for me.

Here is my list of things to accomplish fairly soon, if not this weekend:

• Visit nursery for transplants and seeds
• Empty mature compost from both compost bins
• Work compost into the bed using electric cultivator
• Plants seeds and transplants
• Adjust/fix soaker irrigation system to minimize leaks
  

Elsewhere Online: Indoor Gardening Projects for Kids

Image by cafemama via Flickr

I am always looking for garden projects for kids, so when I saw this one come through my RSS feeds, I knew I wanted to share it with everyone here. There are 3 projects which can help to keep your kids (and you, too) entertained on those cold, damp and possibly snowy days.You can read about a germination experiment I did with my son a few years ago. We had a good time and it includes pictures and everything.

Read: The Seeds of Time

Indoor Gardening Projects for Kids

from Urban Garden Casual by urbangardencasual.com By Vanessa Richins

When I was a tiny child, I remember proudly bringing home a paper cup full of dirt and bean seeds.

I would watch anxiously for the first peep of the stem pushing through the soil.

Years later, I still enjoy watching new plants grow.

Gardening can teach children so many skills. They learn about science, patience, math and more. You don’t have to wait until summer, either. There are many gardening projects that can be started indoors year-round - especially inviting in the bleak winter months.

Read the entire article

Elsewhere Online: How to use plant stakes correctly

Image by Tie Guy II via Flickr

If you are planning on doing some planting of larger trees or shrubs in your garden, this article is a must-read before you start. I have several trees in my garden that will have to be removed very, very carefully, as they have rebar stakes deeply embedded in their trunks. This will prevent me from grinding out these stumps, should I ever need to remove these trees. Not fun. Starting your new plantings correctly is very important.

How to use Plant Stakes correctly

from Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas by scrobins@westnet.com.au (Stuart)

In most garden activities there is rarely a "RIGHT" or "WRONG" way to perform it. Yet, when it comes to applying plant stakes it pays to do it correctly. At best, a poorly applied plant stake may fail to do it's job, while at it's worst your maligned stake could injure, maim or even fatally wound the plant it was trying to help.

Read the entire article

Tomato vines are done

Image by pictoscribe via FlickrWell, the tomato vines are finally done. They have turned brown all the way to the top, so it is time to pull them out and see what else we can put there. The Fall is planting time here in LA, so I need to hit the nursery and get some ideas.

We didn't get many tomatoes from our 3 plants, but I suspected as much, as the location didn't seem to get enough direct sun during the day. The mature trees shade the house and garden quite a bit, so growing food stuffs is a little difficult.

Still, Rosanne really liked having fresh tomatoes around, so I will have to look for a better growing location for next year.

Book: The Water Lily Cross: An English Garden Mystery by Anthony Eglin

Update (5/10/07): The Water Lily Cross is now available at Amazon and other book resellers -- Douglas


The Water Lily Cross: An English Garden Mystery
Anthony Eglin
A Thomas Dunne Book for St. Martin's Minotaur

Although he would be more comfortable restoring gardens and traveling about in his sporty 1964 TR4, Lawrence Kingston, botanical expert, finds himself once more engaged in another mysterious adventure.

This 3rd book in the English Garden Mystery series has Kingston searching for an old friend who has disappeared, quite possibly kidnapped. It seems Kingston's friend has discovered a way to use water lilies to solve one of the world's most pressing problems. Crossword and anagram clues, helicopter flights and threatening messages lead Kingston on a whirlwind and dangerous chase across the English countryside.

Eglin's mysteries are always a great romp combining two of my favorite things -- mysteries and gardening. Lawrence Kingston is a character you wouldn't mind inviting into your home on a regular basis and each new book is an opportunity to do just that. I can imagine sitting across from him, sipping his single-malt Scotch, as he recounts his latest tale of mystery or the details of a garden rejuvenation somewhere in the English countryside. Both are equally interesting to me.

I will say, Eglin is so good at creating interesting supporting characters that I sometimes miss the young couple who discovered The Blue Rose and the American woman who owned The Lost Gardens from his earlier books. Perhaps he can return to them for a future adventure.

The Water Lily Cross and Eglin's previous books are the perfect choice for some relaxing reading between your gardening chores. Pull the chaise lounge under your favorite tree, or within the scent of your favorite roses, and delve into the mysteries of the garden.

Highly Recommended

Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, outdoors, writing, london, uk, mystery, english, flowers, gardener

Wisteria arising...

I took a few moments to stroll through the garden this morning, after spending so much time cooped up in the house this week. I am glad the birds have finally returned to the feeders. It is such a nice diversion to watch them flitting about...and the insects eaters have arrived to help keep the aphids in check as the roses start to throw off their new, tender growth.

I noticed today that the wisteria is showing the first few leaves of the season. This is a full 3 weeks later than 2005 and 2 weeks later than 2004, according to the notes I keep in my calendar. Everything has been delayed a bit this year, probably due to the lack of rain. We did get about an inch this week, though, and that seems to have jump started a few things in the garden

Photo: First wsiteria leaves of 2006.

Tags: : garden gardening plants plant wisteria vine flowers calendar notebook