Gardening Suggestions

Gardening Suggestions
July / August 2009
California gardens have been
greatly influenced by Spanish elements
of design. The roots of these elements
can be traced back to between the seventh and fifteenth centuries A.D., when
that land was inhabited by an amazing
diversity of peoples; Arabs,
Moriscos (converted Muslims), Moors
and Saracens. As
garden writer Helen
M. Fox said, “The
Hispano-Moresque
customs and art became the true expression of Spanish people
of the period, and left an
indelible impression for
all time.”
Inspiration came from Italy,
as the Renaissance began.
Spanish explorers came
into contact with the “wild
extravagances” of Peruvian
and Mexican art, and were
exposed to Chinese art. All
these new ideas stimulated them to indulge in the orgy of architectural forms
known as Baroque. Ironically, it was
these ornate if not garish themes which
were chosen by the fervent priests when
building their missions and churches in
Southwestern North America, Mexico
and South America.
Walled courtyards with wooden doors
and shutters, iron window grills, flow-
erpots and tiles were all common elements in design. The patio became
an oasis; a respite from the hot, dry,
dusty and harsh environment outside
its walls, as were the original patios in
Ronda or Cordoba. Frequently, running water would be included as
a cooling, relaxing feature. In
these gardens, mimicking
nature was not the goal.
Simplicity was the key. A
few pots of geranium strategically placed, a bougainvillea clambering up
one wall, and perhaps a
few rushes set in a pond
were all that would be
needed to create the
right atmosphere.
Whatever the plant
choices, they must
have been “tough”; real
survivors. Not far from
Seville, hidden from the unsuspecting tourist by blank
plaster walls, I recall discovering a deserted huerta, a garden where fruits, vegetables and flowers are grown together.
A few fig trees still spread their branches
over purplish green cabbages which,
like impoverished noblemen, were surrounded by the tattered remains of the
box hedges of their former splendor.
Ever since knowing about this place
I look with suspicion at all high walls
and wonder whether they too, are hiding some secret gardens.
C L O S E D T H U R S D AY
– Paul
The Seed Corner
If
Summer is also a
great time to start
thinking about sowing
your winter vegetables
from seed. Some of the
veggies that you can start
from seed in July and August
are beans, beets, carrots, leeks and
swiss chard just to name a few. We sell a
Vegetable Planting Calendar for frostfree areas of the San Francisco Bay Area
designed and produced by artist Helen
Krayenhoff. Ask at our sales counter.
you come into the
store to visit the
seed racks, you
may notice that there
are a number of empty spots. In order to
ensure freshness of the
seeds, our seed vendors try to
project the amount of seeds they
need for each year and sometimes
they underestimate – thus the empty
spaces. As the vendors run out of a variety, we try to substitute other varieties in order to keep a good supply for
you to choose from. Even as summer
progresses, we are lucky here in the Bay
Area to be able to still grow some plants
from seeds.
– Jeanne
Veggies that are ready to pick early
such as lettuce, spinach and radishes
can pretty much be grown year-round
in the Bay Area. All three do not like
intense heat, so pick a partly shady
area and enjoy your harvest. I have a
friend who takes a bag of potting mix,
lays it flat on the ground and cuts a
rectangular opening on the flat top
of the bag (leaving about a 1-1/2 inch
border) and just plants his lettuce seeds
directly into the planting mix and waters. Once the lettuce is done (you can
keep reseeding weekly to ensure a continuous bounty of lettuce) you can just
dump the planting mix in your garden
or compost pile.
True or False?
1. A branch will rise as the trunk
to which it is attached grows.
2. Venus flytraps help to control flies.
3. Plastic milk or bleach bottles
keep dogs away from the
garden.
4. “Organically Grown” costs more.
5. Bougainvilleas are easy to
transplant.
6. There are plants deer will not eat.
7. Always prune deciduous trees
when they are dormant.
8. Bigger means better.
We carry lettuce seeds from all of our
vendors – Botanical Interests, Franchi
Italian Seeds, Kitazawa Seed, Lake Valley, Renee’s Garden and Seed Saver’s
Exchange. Botanical Interests, Renee’s
and Seed Saver’s have lettuce mixes
and we carry spinach and radishes from
Botanical Interest, Lake Valley, Renee’s
Garden and Seed Saver’s Exchange.
9. A layer of pebbles in the bottom
of the pot aids drainage.
10.Making compost is a
painstaking chore.
Kudos to those of you who
guessed False for all of these.
BHN
‘Nips in the bud:
Blooming Nepeta!
This short article on catnips is dedicated to our cat
in residence Lulu, who (like most felines) is very
fond of flowering Nepeta. Catnip aficionado Victor
(himself a rare form of catnip) says that “God-willing
and the spittle bugs don’t rise” we will be carrying these
varieties and more at Berkeley Hort. this season:
Nepeta tuberosa
This fuzzy-leaved catnip creeps along by means
of tuberous rhizomes. Spikes of lavender-blue
flowers rise from its silvery-white stems from
late spring to fall. Leaves are broader and
furrier than Faassen’s Catnip and undersides
of leaves are whitish. From Spain, Portugal
and Sicily, and with a “look” well-suited to
Mediterranean-style gardens.
Nepeta x faassenii ‘Six Hills Giant’
This ‘nip is a soft lavender blue, like the
other varieties of the Faassen’s Catnip, but it is
distinctly larger, to about 3 feet tall and equally
wide. Victor tells of wading through a bee-loud
glade of this giant ‘nip in Scotland a few years back,
an experience that should be possible to reproduce in
any well-drained sunny or lightly shaded spot with
adequate irrigation during dry spells.
Nepeta x faassenii ‘Dropmore’
‘Dropmore’ blooms bright lavender-blue, and is half the height, or less,
of its cousin ‘Six Hills Giant’. Its foliage is a bit greener than that of most
catnips. Cut back after the first flush of bloom to encourage continued
flowering. This one is great in containers, and also makes nice curtains for
the knobby ankles of hybrid tea and other roses.
Nepeta sibirica ‘Blue Beauty’
Siberian Catmint is violet-blue in flower and, as its name suggests, is suited
for cold climates where N. x faassenii might be less likely to survive the
winter. Like the other catnips, this one blooms well into fall, but looks a
bit better than the others towards the end of the season since its stems are
less lax than those of Nepeta x faassenii varieties. Known in Europe and
sold here sometimes as ‘Souvenir d’André Chaudron’. Great for cutting!
The main things to remember about the needs of most ‘nips is that they require
what most kitties adore: sun or light shade, enough, but not too much water, and
well-drained soil (though it needn’t be as well-draining as litter). Unlike kitties,
they require very little food, and appreciate hard pruning in late spring.
BHN
– Margaret
replaced with a summer-blooming plant
like Lobelia cardinalis
or maybe a big showy
Marsh Mallow. With either method, it is best to
use heavy clay soil that won’t
float to the surface or rot in the water,
and cover it with a layer of gravel.
The best way to minimize algae
growth in a small pond is to make sure
50% of the water’s surface is covered
with plants. Many plants, like Parrots
Feather, are oxygenators that add oxygen and remove nitrogen from the water, which helps eliminate algae. If your
container is small enough, changing
the water is not such a big job. Adding
a small submersible pump to keep the
water moving can also help, and the
sound is quite lovely and refreshing.
If you like, you can add a small fish
or two. Call your county’s Mosquito
Abatement District, and they may deliver mosquito fish, free of charge. If
you live in a water district that adds
chloramines to the water, you’ll have
to add a product like ‘Water Prep’ to
neutralize the chloramines (which are
not harmful to plants, only to animals
with gills). You may also find that your
little water garden is attracting an enjoyable variety of birds and butterflies.
If you’d like more ideas for miniature water gardens, stop by and visit the aquatic
section at Berkeley Hort. We have many
inspiring displays of water dishes, dragon
jars, cement bowls, and other containers
of all shapes and sizes, filled with attractive arrangements of aquatic plants. This
is a fun, easy, creative way to bring a
little bit of nature onto your deck
or patio this summer.
Are you limited by
small space? Planning
to move in the near
future? Intrigued by
water but not ready to
commit to a backyard
pond? Try a tub garden.
Any container that can hold water can be
made into a ‘bonsai’ pond, complete with
water plants, fish, or maybe a fountain.
Even a small 6" ceramic bowl can support a colony of Duckweed, without
any soil. A slightly larger bowl with
room to submerge a 4" pot could also
include an attractive vertical accent,
like a small potted Juncus or Acorus.
Lush, green, Parrot’s Feather will trail
gracefully over the sides of the bowl.
Large ceramic urns or water jugs can be
planted with dramatic Papyrus or a tall,
primitive Equisetum. A half wine barrel
can hold a cornucopia of plants, including miniature water lilies, aquatic
irises, floating four-leaf clover, or an assortment of colorful bog flowers combined with stately rushes and reeds.
There are two ways to plant your container garden. The bottom of the tub
can be filled with soil, and the plants
removed from their pots and planted directly in the tub. Alternatively, the plants
may stay in their original nursery pots,
which can be submerged in the larger
container with the rims covered by an
inch or two of water. There are several
advantages to this second method. It
helps keep the plants smaller and less
invasive, it makes cleaning the water
much easier, and it allows you to make
seasonal changes in your pond’s landscape. For instance, when the irises
have finished blooming, their
pots can be removed and stored
elsewhere until next spring, and
– Elizabeth
BHN
NEW
ARRIVALS
Achillea
Scented Geraniums
Yarrows are versatile in more ways than
one. They’re durable plants with longlasting flowers and aromatic foliage,
they are drought tolerant, and they
provide a charming texture in a mixed
perennial bed. On your next visit head
to the beginning of the alphabet in our
sun perennial section and prepare to be
amazed at the variety.
• 4 inch pots
$4.95
• #1 size cans
$9.95 and $10.95
This botanically ambiguous group of
species and hybrids is huge, but they
all belong to the genus Pelargonium.
Grown mainly for their aromatic foliage, they come in Peppermint, Rose,
Lemon, Lime, Apple, Nutmeg and
many more. Great for smaller pots in a
sunny location.
• 4 inch pots
$5.95
Sedum
So many Stonecrops, so little space.
Their succulent foliage helps them deal
with dry conditions, their spreading
habit makes them suitable as ground
covers, and their red, pink or yellow
flowers make them great container
plants. Some have striking variegated
foliage, all are easy.
• cell packs (6) $5.00
• 4 inch pots
$4.95
• #1 size pots $10.95
Protea
These Australian and S. African natives
make excellent garden subjects for the
Bay Area as long as you can provide
perfect drainage and minimal nutrients. In addition to 5 true Proteas, we
have an assortment of close relatives
including Leucospermum, Leucadendron
and Banksia.
• #1 to #5 size cans $12.95 to $49.95
The
Gardener’s Calendar
July Checklist
August Checklist
✔ Mulch the soil around vegetable
plants for water conservation.
✔ Dig and divide Bearded Irises now
(also check our selection).
✔ Check your water garden to see that
it is clear and free of mosquito larvae.
✔ Last chance for Summer Pruning of
fruit trees.
✔ Tropical plants will benefit from extra
feeding during these warm months.
✔ Remove canes that have already fruited
on Berry Plants (raspberries, etc.).
✔ Feed acid-loving plants with
Cottonseed Meal.
✔ Include your garden when making
vacation plans. What happens
when you are away?
✔ Deadhead and feed early-flowering
perennials for a second bloom.
BHN
✔ Deep-water winter/spring flowering
shrubs, as now is when the buds
are initiating.
Dr. Chlorophyll
Advice for the horticulturally harassed
3) A man who shoveled snow for an
hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned
with his vehicle to find a woman
had taken the space and refused to
move her car. He shot her.
“I’ve got good news! You won’t
have to worry about being late
for work again.”
“There’s a little something extra
in your pay envelope this week,
and it’s pink.”
4) After stopping for drinks at an illegal
bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found
that the 20 mental patients he was
supposed to be transporting from
Harare to Bulawayo had escaped.
The driver then went to a nearby
bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He delivered
the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients
were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn’t
discovered for three days.
“I don’t know what we’d do without
you, but I’m eager to find out.”
Ominous workplace e-mails.
I THINK WE NEED
AN EVOLUTION
Speaking of things to be avoided and
in the interest of bettering mankind,
some entertaining soul e-mailed Dr.
Chlorophyll a list of the Darwin Award
winners for last year, recognition bestowed upon some of the least evolved
of our species. As Joe Bob Briggs always
advised, eternal vigilance is eternally
necessary. Remember, these people
walk among us. The hands-down winner for 2008:
5) A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter,
and asked for change. When the
clerk opened the cash drawer, the
man pulled a gun and demanded
all the cash in the till, which the
clerk promptly provided. The man
took the cash from the clerk and
fled, leaving the $20 dollar bill on
the counter. The total amount of
cash he got from the drawer: $15.
(If someone points a gun at you and
gives you money, is that robbery?)
1) When his 38-caliber revolver failed
to fire at his intended victim during
a hold-up in Long Beach, CA, wouldbe robber James Elliot did something
that can only inspire wonder. He
peered down the barrel and pulled the
trigger again. This time it worked.
6) Seems an Arkansas guy wanted
some beer pretty badly. He decided
that he’d just throw a cinder block
through a liquor store window,
grab some booze, and run. So he
heaved the cinder block at the window, and the cinder block bounced
back and hit the would-be thief on
the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window
was made of Plexiglas. The whole
As for the honorable mentions:
2) The chef at a hotel in Switzerland
lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and submitted a claim to his
insurance company. The company,
expecting negligence, sent a claims
inspector to investigate. The inspector tried the machine and he
also lost a finger. The chef’s claim
was approved.
BHN
event was caught on videotape.
❖ WEEKEND ❖
7) The Ann Arbor News crime column
reported that a man walked into a
Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan,
at 5 a.m., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk explained
that he couldn’t open the cash register without a food order. When
the would-be robber ordered onion
rings, the clerk said they weren’t
available for breakfast. Frustrated,
the man just walked away.
SPECIALS
July / August
July 3 to 5
MaxSea Plant Foods
1.5 lb. canisters reg. $14.99
$11.50
July 10 to 12
Ground Covers
cell packs reg. $5.00
$3.50
8) When a 20-year-old man attempted
to siphon gasoline from a motor
home parked on a Seattle street, he
got much more than he bargained
for. The police arrived at the scene to
find a very sick man curled up next
to a motor home near spilled sewage.
A police spokesperson said that the
man admitted to trying to steal gasoline, but plugged his siphon hose
into the motor home’s sewage tank
by mistake. The owner of the vehicle
declined to press charges, saying that
it was the best laugh he’d ever had.
July 17 to 19
Terra Cotta Pottery
all sizes
25% OFF
July 24 to 26
Magnolias
all sizes
30% OFF
July 31 to August 2
Sloggers Garden Sandals
all styles/sizes
25%OFF
August 7 to 9
Salvias (flowering sages)
all sizes
30% OFF
August 14 to 16
Dr. Earth Fertilizers
12 lb. bags reg. $19.99
$14.50
August 21 to 23
Aquatic Plants
all varieties
30% OFF
We will be Closed on Saturday, July 4
Enjoy the Holiday !
August 28 to 30
Japanese Maples (Acer)
all varieties
30% OFF
Dr. Chlorophyll knows everything and has been
known to comment on matters horticultural.
INQUIRIES SHOULD BE SENT TO:
(510) 526-4704
Dr. Chlorophyll
C LOS ED TH U RS D AY
Berkeley Horticultural Nursery
1310 McGee Avenue, Berkeley CA 94703
SUPPLIES LIMITED TO STOCK ON HAND.
NO DELIVERIES ON SALE MERCHANDISE.
BHN
©2009, BERKELEY HORTICULTURAL NURSERY
R ET U RN S E RVI C E RE Q U ES T E D
1310 McGee Avenue, Berkeley CA 94703
510-526-4704
Berkeley Horticultural Nursery
online @ www.berkeleyhort.com
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