tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66902491574747353522024-02-21T10:37:31.156-08:00Linnscapes Garden DesignReal Gardens for Real PeopleEileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-80718025297828744042010-08-04T16:41:00.000-07:002010-08-04T16:41:20.647-07:00The Summer That Wasn't...It's August, and I have no idea when we will actually get some consistent heat around these parts! Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the cool evenings - and low water bill -- but my vegetable garden is stalled. It doesn't help that my garden plot is not located in a super sunny location in the yard, but sheesh... nothing is developing... except powdery mildew... <br />
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Perhaps I'll get some summer vegetables in the Fall. Or maybe I should start my search for Fried Green Tomatoes recipes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-X2KhIEoKsHgLhAo7QUvdAn4adSg9MXmfAbEK8UbdEvNnnz-yK59h0YSJ14eHe6hfBHX78sraXKz0eYhnq1U5pLzIHSX1EAVr69-do3OCTxKigx_yyWrT9dKvNOTgRrititLQg3LznKI/s1600/Powdery+Mildew_00.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-X2KhIEoKsHgLhAo7QUvdAn4adSg9MXmfAbEK8UbdEvNnnz-yK59h0YSJ14eHe6hfBHX78sraXKz0eYhnq1U5pLzIHSX1EAVr69-do3OCTxKigx_yyWrT9dKvNOTgRrititLQg3LznKI/s320/Powdery+Mildew_00.JPG" /></a></div>Normally, I should be trying to sneak squash onto my neighbors' porches right about now... instead, here's my first and only (tiny) yellow squash. And leaves decorated with powdery mildew.Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-17752079795852365132010-03-19T15:01:00.000-07:002010-04-26T15:53:15.758-07:00Perhaps "Plant of the Week" was too ambitious...So, obviously, I'm not updating my blog nearly enough to call it "plant of the week." So here's a "plant of the when-the-mood-strikes."<br />
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Spring has definitely sprung in our neck of the woods, so perhaps you'll be wanting to do a bit of planting. I've been testing out this plant in my garden for a few months now, and I have to say, I really, really like it!<br />
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It's a Euphorbia, which a huge genus of plants that can look entirely different from each other. Some get quite large. This one, stays compact. Most, if not all, get some form of this unique flower.<br />
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I introduce to you, "Euphorbia efanthia"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSX6_gVOWXg6JBqNW3tcpF0NZE97sfx95zv4FFOvb6uVNuJZgIaWInf6sfXX_g075xh53HWobbYCP5vS1HQdi_2QKeZQ4iZenl9_gYLzzel8YfpMgDw8k4iDQtI_B-W0Bk9kAdpgbfVng/s1600-h/Euphorbium+elephantin+(11).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSX6_gVOWXg6JBqNW3tcpF0NZE97sfx95zv4FFOvb6uVNuJZgIaWInf6sfXX_g075xh53HWobbYCP5vS1HQdi_2QKeZQ4iZenl9_gYLzzel8YfpMgDw8k4iDQtI_B-W0Bk9kAdpgbfVng/s400/Euphorbium+elephantin+(11).jpg" vt="true" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I put this plant in last Fall from a 4" pot. They are now about 2'x2'. As you can see they get these really cool lime green flowers. The leaves are dark green and in the fall/winter they are edged in purple. They like full sun. The one in part-shade is smaller than the others. They can tolerate dry conditions. Our cold winter also didn't bother them at all.<br />
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The details:<br />
Blooms Spring to early Summer<br />
Zones: USDA 4-11; hardy to -20F<br />
Height: Medium: 14-20"<br />
Water: Dry to Normal<br />
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade<br />
Features: Drought Tolerant; Heat Tolerant; Deer ResistantEileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-50465788149152112312010-02-10T13:44:00.000-08:002010-02-10T14:15:36.509-08:00Gave my roses a haircut...Last chance to prune your roses! At least for those of us who live in more temperate climates. For those in even warmer areas then mine, your roses might actually still look pretty good. However, your roses will benefit from a good haircut as we approach the end of Winter. You might have heard you should cut the roses back by Valentine's Day. It's good advise -- and easy to remember. If it takes you until later in the month -- that's OK too.<br />
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I like to really cut back my roses -- from 1/3 to 1/2 of their height. And, I strip every single remaining leaf off the shrub. Why do I do this? Not because I enjoy getting stuck by thorns, which, by-the-way is awful. But... because it's the best way to get a head start on organic disease prevention. The leaves harbor black spot and rust -- two diseases that don't really kill the rose bush, but make it look horrible. The winter rains will spread the disease from the old leaves to the newly emerging buds. Why start Spring with a problem?<br />
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This is how my white Iceberg rose looked pre-pruning. It was 6 feet tall.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAe6dGPUIyAKyRCWJ2DjuGOusCIZ97ots-U-4gV13WiDVh_CYXgLLdCbgPwgHKW35eBQkArHfv5SmdW55KPyJqXvw0OOIo50y9RUKQixaws3UEuwmkc669pIJOR0_43vN1L9ax7osG-Q/s1600-h/IMG_4807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAe6dGPUIyAKyRCWJ2DjuGOusCIZ97ots-U-4gV13WiDVh_CYXgLLdCbgPwgHKW35eBQkArHfv5SmdW55KPyJqXvw0OOIo50y9RUKQixaws3UEuwmkc669pIJOR0_43vN1L9ax7osG-Q/s320/IMG_4807.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is how it looks now - 2 feet shorter:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihC8bHkVoNF9APwuY5TGaLUhCXy6mQlY7racpCX4zHPhUJgCS85XizLrWdiTmQX3qcUfsqL1TFdybZlcV5gTJn1DlZ6Lxm3Z-OZH74iFOV7kfETrw6HpFMvQad5jcuzcObNgrNcBIJ5ko/s1600-h/IMG_4827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihC8bHkVoNF9APwuY5TGaLUhCXy6mQlY7racpCX4zHPhUJgCS85XizLrWdiTmQX3qcUfsqL1TFdybZlcV5gTJn1DlZ6Lxm3Z-OZH74iFOV7kfETrw6HpFMvQad5jcuzcObNgrNcBIJ5ko/s320/IMG_4827.JPG" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pruning roses isn't too difficult. You need a sharp pair of by-pass pruners, some gloves (unless you are a glutton for punishment like me) and a few tips. There are tons of "how-to-prune" rose websites. Just Google away. But here are the nuggets you should know.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By now, the leaf nodes will be swelling on the plant -- and maybe even budding out a bit. This is where a new branch will form on the rose bush. This is where you will be cutting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is an example of a node -- plus a visual of how and where the cut should be. There are two nodes in this picture. They are the little pink bumps.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HAF70KCRNC9WTk47Gvs9DUuzjeueMfA8D8miw5u1N77frt18Z86VAFB1OoA5DEEgGGAFhHTQFMEll3M_UvtG1Hlg4lr98kS7SY3R6mHJpnczKTEY78ZGGxbemaN5TkLMZkRQiRGEruQ/s1600-h/IMG_4876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HAF70KCRNC9WTk47Gvs9DUuzjeueMfA8D8miw5u1N77frt18Z86VAFB1OoA5DEEgGGAFhHTQFMEll3M_UvtG1Hlg4lr98kS7SY3R6mHJpnczKTEY78ZGGxbemaN5TkLMZkRQiRGEruQ/s320/IMG_4876.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Your goal, should you choose to accept it:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. Remove any dead or diseased canes (see below for description).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. Remove any canes that are crossing and/or are in the center of the plant.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. Remove any canes that are teeny-tiny (smaller than the diameter of a pencil)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. Remove all the leaves both on the plant and on the ground.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5. Use bypass pruners (not the anvil type). Cut with the blade on top.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">6. Cut using 45 degree angle about 1/4" above the nodes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">7. Cut at the outward facing nodes (When you cut back the rose, you will want to cut just above an "outward" facing node. You want the rose to grow away from the center.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">8. Remove 1/2 to 1/3 of the height of the shrub</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">9. Aim to have an open form.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Dead/Diseased canes:</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The dead canes are brown and dried out. Simply cut them out as close to the plant as possible. The diseased canes are dying back from the tip toward the center of the plant. If you want to keep that cane, then you will need to cut back a few nodes to get ahead of the disease. You can tell if there is disease because the cane will have a bit of gray coloring inside the stem.</div><br />
Happy pruning!Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-87276190334126146742009-10-21T15:05:00.000-07:002009-10-21T15:05:22.682-07:00Halloween Planting...<div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5rd7iiPb_w6yYj4eUNb6yRQmTsrVOsOp9cWdGgLVKjRrUvJgBDkFdhky_G2ewy8PVuws3of-bMBQUP1u__JHqyoFCpzjiY6ky6x9PEUFjiYUECpZVUpbnJ13Ga1KRwEABeRkRi_6Dsc/s1600-h/IMG_4550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5rd7iiPb_w6yYj4eUNb6yRQmTsrVOsOp9cWdGgLVKjRrUvJgBDkFdhky_G2ewy8PVuws3of-bMBQUP1u__JHqyoFCpzjiY6ky6x9PEUFjiYUECpZVUpbnJ13Ga1KRwEABeRkRi_6Dsc/s320/IMG_4550.JPG" vr="true" /></a>I was looking for a little Fall/Halloween inspiration for my empty pot. So on a whim, I ran out to my local garden center to see what I could pull together. It needs a week or so to fill in, but it's got the classic black, white and golden/orange Halloween color. It cost about $14 for the plants.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">(In case you're wondering, that's a Coleus in the background... Home Depot special, not sure which variety!)<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here's the recipe:<br />
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</div><div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">24" pot<br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 - 1 qt. mum, golden colored<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 - 4" Sweet Potato Vine, 'Blackie' (<em>Ipomoea</em>)<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 - six-pack Viola, 'Coconut'<br />
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</div><div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The plants shown here do well in Sun to Part Shade and are considered winter annuals. The most tender of the bunch is the Ipomoea, which may fail in temperatures below 30 degrees.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHx-0iGUT9EXo49qw8HFzGAfJ7-lxJzcaJW5ZtU-pPcB36ZWJy6LIzWnFEPZbeX-jFO9vA3HWPzgbwPxzw9SNpyRyefSMDNk0KxPLIBYTusy8Ciq9pIDQCWkhbYVwMY3MsUYxOuEBGMs/s1600-h/IMG_4565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHx-0iGUT9EXo49qw8HFzGAfJ7-lxJzcaJW5ZtU-pPcB36ZWJy6LIzWnFEPZbeX-jFO9vA3HWPzgbwPxzw9SNpyRyefSMDNk0KxPLIBYTusy8Ciq9pIDQCWkhbYVwMY3MsUYxOuEBGMs/s320/IMG_4565.JPG" vr="true" /></a><br />
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</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-57204366216096737322009-05-26T20:36:00.000-07:002009-05-26T20:39:34.815-07:00A Peony Blooms in Danville...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKGJpJfFslwp2mfg6FAdbEocSaPI9TM5xxxaDD7RmjtyQmQyjWLhFltnUc8RANxGQxiwc4ZIrMySznY9qA2RRV3JA9LuVKNuGp9JEmC-vtLW_y9QEa_TBLL8UDYupNJSa0P8Xv7gthwg/s1600-h/Peony+2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340343211778682610" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKGJpJfFslwp2mfg6FAdbEocSaPI9TM5xxxaDD7RmjtyQmQyjWLhFltnUc8RANxGQxiwc4ZIrMySznY9qA2RRV3JA9LuVKNuGp9JEmC-vtLW_y9QEa_TBLL8UDYupNJSa0P8Xv7gthwg/s200/Peony+2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Who knew? I adopted this peony from my sister-in-law from Oregon many years ago. It just now decided to bloom. I guess I'll keep it!</div>Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-50135178217360279942009-05-06T16:26:00.000-07:002009-05-06T17:16:28.356-07:00A Partial Victory Garden...I've always had a garden, even when we lived in an apartment. About 3 years ago, we removed a huge hedge to clear a spot for a garden. I love having my own produce growing in my back yard. I'm not the most dedicated vegetable gardener; however, and sometimes I forget to take a look back there for a week or so. I could probably increase my yield by just visiting more often. So, that's why it's only a partial victory. It's in and we get some food from it.<br /><br />Well, this year's frost season was freakishly late. We had some frosty mornings all the way through April. I'm impatient. I put everything in while it was still frosty. I'm a firm believer in Darwinism's theory of "survival of the fittest." All <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fOLh9UjZuA-aM32gcjzKZ4stv7dMjAGYFTMI7Vq9ORP4pNnVPl5nYQobTtXpSGBF07-Q7psukDJxPNwwJEzz_WgVIt26Ru8IC16WKFyYwxt1Pp7A3KyZQj55xkbFHPUFvCJyV-8HFWo/s1600-h/IMG_2918.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 112px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332864970394830674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fOLh9UjZuA-aM32gcjzKZ4stv7dMjAGYFTMI7Vq9ORP4pNnVPl5nYQobTtXpSGBF07-Q7psukDJxPNwwJEzz_WgVIt26Ru8IC16WKFyYwxt1Pp7A3KyZQj55xkbFHPUFvCJyV-8HFWo/s200/IMG_2918.JPG" /></a>my vegetables are raised with tough love!<br /><br />Good intentions to re-build the raised beds have fallen by the wayside and I'm making due with what I have.<br /><br />For two weeks, in preparation for planting, I brought in bags of compost to add to the bed, removed the huge amount of redwood roots that have sought out the easy pickings of water and nutrients in the beds and turned the soil. And finally, assembled a variety of structures to hold the future bounty. The effort felt like a sort of tinker toys for adults. Then we planted seeds & transplanted starts from a neighbor.<br /><br />Here's a list of what I'm growing this year:<br /><br /><span style="color:#006600;"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Howden</span> Pumpkins<br />Oregon Sugar Pod Snow Peas<br />Little Finger Baby Carrots<br />Cherry Belle Radishes<br />Yellow Crookneck Squash<br />Green, Yellow and Purple string beans<br />Straight Eight Slicing Cucumbers<br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Genovese</span> Italian Basil<br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Canteloupe</span> from a neighbor<br />3 varieties of Tomatoes (Big Boy, and two unknowns) from a neighbor<br />An unknown pepper from same neighbor<br />Salad Bowl Mix of Leaf Lettuce<br />Bean plant that Megan is sure will take us to the Giant (thanks Miss Janie!)<br />Random Sunflower seeds<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#000000;">The radishes are ready to be harvested and the lettuce should be big enough in a week or so! Everything seems to have sprouted and I lost nothing to the late frosts we had!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;color:#cc9933;">April 21, 2009<br />3 weeks</span><br /><div><div><div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsui204Ie17t2DoZxlKEuuuBcLflPlGQQ5vTG7xeUUG1ZoaMFpiwcg5zI33p149P3BPqdSyImSF-hrBixAM4AilancdOqLAQe5do9xqKS0oxSN1NzE3tOupDdcgIfsz7pYGBGlNljm_s/s1600-h/IMG_2981.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332861075847043650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsui204Ie17t2DoZxlKEuuuBcLflPlGQQ5vTG7xeUUG1ZoaMFpiwcg5zI33p149P3BPqdSyImSF-hrBixAM4AilancdOqLAQe5do9xqKS0oxSN1NzE3tOupDdcgIfsz7pYGBGlNljm_s/s200/IMG_2981.JPG" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;color:#cc9933;">May 6, 2009<br />5 weeks<br />(unsure why picture is sideways...)</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nAfS9Bm9BFIBra0XSLi5m02LBytrpebJnjgBM_Zdi35ff8sGjCK-6wiIv9BxYUhLDTZywpmuD1BmQQepUXrA1Yssn1ysCjJel-MIYQNhaDOvtckFs5qQv5UyAtkz0mtqV5KpAcQ4eag/s1600-h/IMG_3079.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332865554205580370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nAfS9Bm9BFIBra0XSLi5m02LBytrpebJnjgBM_Zdi35ff8sGjCK-6wiIv9BxYUhLDTZywpmuD1BmQQepUXrA1Yssn1ysCjJel-MIYQNhaDOvtckFs5qQv5UyAtkz0mtqV5KpAcQ4eag/s200/IMG_3079.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><p></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKCMl0-V7zUSLAvlxESZ_87g9vzuBXo0B7B-Tp12ic73OSOcYufQ19AfHOquDY3Lyfv9HInCDOQtl2MJuzyBD2d3RQhOyGswi2R_l8AYVDGpW-3m467YF_-VAMtLYS8FlbGueme1G3OA/s1600-h/IMG_3079.JPG"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p></div></div></div>Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-26769363364139298142009-05-06T15:51:00.000-07:002009-05-06T16:20:31.457-07:00Plant of the week...So I'm pretty much a plant-a-holic. I don't even think there is a twelve step program for people like me. I will purchase plants at the nursery and then wander around my yard looking for a place to put it. You can tell us from the regular gardeners, because there's usually a place in the garden that looks more like a nursery -- full of little pots of plants waiting for a home!<br /><br />Here's a nifty plant that you might like to find a home for in your garden.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7adhsE5F9FrWvZBmzO-UuqJ4wpapCQKyEDNIbhzFnbBDOOTWkTrIHHFHDZ_90Qlpgr_27mRfY-1skyCJKdgsl_PNSCy02CngSF2_POGciZmtwFo7YI7T-FrdZ1YyYngbJTavEnemJg4/s1600-h/IMG_2957.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 215px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332851064455832226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7adhsE5F9FrWvZBmzO-UuqJ4wpapCQKyEDNIbhzFnbBDOOTWkTrIHHFHDZ_90Qlpgr_27mRfY-1skyCJKdgsl_PNSCy02CngSF2_POGciZmtwFo7YI7T-FrdZ1YyYngbJTavEnemJg4/s200/IMG_2957.JPG" /></a> Common Name: Wallflower<br />Botanical Name: Erysimum<br /><br />Sunset Zones: 4-9; 14-24<br />Full Sun to Light Shade<br />Water needs vary, but tend to require less water<br />Bloom time: Early Spring through Summer/Fall<br /><br />Height: 3'<br />Width: 4'<br /><br />You will find "Bowles Mauve" - the purple variety, "Lemon Zest" - the yellow one shown. There is also an orange-y colored one too. These shrubs give you that "pop of color" in your garden.<br /><br />Erysimum look great in a perennial garden, especially if you have low growing plants in front of it. That's because they tend to get leggy after awhile. Deadhead the flowers once they stop blooming to clean up their look.<br /><br />Don't make a long-term commitment to these plants. They'll only survive a few years in your garden before you'll want to replace them.Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-72283636565569918072009-05-01T15:46:00.000-07:002009-05-01T16:19:42.097-07:00What's eating you...<blockquote><p align="right"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOlAdu_AFOgFeUb8WxOCXGq72fJU8RK0WxeDHTp_dJcwti_YQg7i08PEVtKIDZCIcPyV_sViMNZWtPRORHbkyqAkLI7pc_XUTTVxnzDY5KPsbsYsSbmtOfZP2OsGHkSBGVKroffuKFYrk/s1600-h/IMG_2978.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330997933349408914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOlAdu_AFOgFeUb8WxOCXGq72fJU8RK0WxeDHTp_dJcwti_YQg7i08PEVtKIDZCIcPyV_sViMNZWtPRORHbkyqAkLI7pc_XUTTVxnzDY5KPsbsYsSbmtOfZP2OsGHkSBGVKroffuKFYrk/s200/IMG_2978.JPG" /></a></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#996633;">Winged and wingless aphids. The white flecks are the<br />skins from aphids that molted.</span></p></blockquote><p>I don't know about your little piece of the world, but my little garden is now a thriving metropolis of aphids. They started appearing about a month or two ago and now are all over the place.<br /><br />Believe it or not, there are quite a few different types and colors of aphids. They can be green, red, brown, yellow or black in color. Most of them are wingless, but they do sometimes have wings so they can fly to a different host plant if food becomes scarce.<br /><br />As far as damage is concerned, aphids generally not too destructive. They can in large numbers, stunt your plant's growth and curl or yellow the leaves. I believe the worst thing is that aphids secrete a honeydew while they are feeding which is a clear sticky residue. The honeydew attracts ants and can be a host for 'black sooty mold'. Personally, I think my plants look better without ants or 'black sooty mold' all over them.<br /><br />The easiest and least expensive way to remove aphids from your plant is to aim the garden hose at them. As I mentioned, most of them don't have wings, so they fall off the plant and can't get back up. If your aphids favorite food is your newly emerging rose buds, make sure you hose the plant in the morning so it has time to dry. You don't want to trade an aphid problem for a mildew or black spot problem!<br /><br />If you have a mildew or black spot problem already or you don't want to use the hose, here's another solution. Your local garden center will have 'insecticidal soap'. These will contain animal fats and/or plant oils which will suffocate the aphids. There are several brands available, the store staff will be able to tell you which brand they carry.</p><p>Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading out to garden with my hose!<br /></p>Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-55382529106662580662009-04-24T09:20:00.000-07:002009-04-24T09:47:29.242-07:00Have a cup of tea and kill weeds at the same time...One of my instructors in the Master Gardener program once mentioned that she couldn't understand why a neighbor would spend all day meticulously picking weeds out of their walkway when they could pour boiling water over them. Seeing how I'm stubborn, I've been sticking to the "sit on the ground and pull weeds from the paver" methodology. Occasionally, I use Roundup on the stubborn ones, which causes me a little bit of guilt.<br /><br />So yesterday, I decided to try the boiling water method -- seeing how it's Earth Day and all. And being the researcher that I am, I documented the experiment. I used my tea kettle to boil the water and then carefully poured the water on the weeds, making sure to cover all the leaves.<br /><br /><div></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;color:#cc9933;">Weeds before (lft - oxalis, rt - spotted spurge)</span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVfJqVWzx0jJGwCWccjrr2Jv8FA_pDOPg8O64NJFj9a2e10N5Aob_cNrPAsW0WsXCOTlbPr2GCFHsBwWKkqfWK_sslh_BpWhzLGcVqvsrXZtkWtrQVOTtPBLC1X7UGTyPwMfd1XoAZGo/s1600-h/Weeds+Before.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328295229755742978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVfJqVWzx0jJGwCWccjrr2Jv8FA_pDOPg8O64NJFj9a2e10N5Aob_cNrPAsW0WsXCOTlbPr2GCFHsBwWKkqfWK_sslh_BpWhzLGcVqvsrXZtkWtrQVOTtPBLC1X7UGTyPwMfd1XoAZGo/s200/Weeds+Before.JPG" /></a><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#cc9933;">2 minutes after boiling water applied</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xIFqCeph-qVErdXW43bCWlDvnwAStEK6Z6HJGuzWegd56xx-s7t6ZdWhTSAuQR4usuv6qvrusY5ayvPH1moKTdwZQ8k5C5kTzhmkO9HUQoeTNpzJikIpn_38h18_PkM_5X75qE8_JIg/s1600-h/Weeds+right+after.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328295231050116402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xIFqCeph-qVErdXW43bCWlDvnwAStEK6Z6HJGuzWegd56xx-s7t6ZdWhTSAuQR4usuv6qvrusY5ayvPH1moKTdwZQ8k5C5kTzhmkO9HUQoeTNpzJikIpn_38h18_PkM_5X75qE8_JIg/s200/Weeds+right+after.JPG" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div align="right"><span style="color:#cc9933;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Weeds 24 hours late</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyd757KdqrQrBJSGkE-Tw2E9dDYAmxdABcXkpSMpzBCHZRTTCD62m45-dXhDuhIoGBDgE1EUaVaQogBp7dg050legE8OKNySkCxoPcIuK38CROEHpCHfZJ0lLKXNSQ-X9G6_wASWiC5JQ/s1600-h/Weeds+24+hours+later.JPG"></a><span style="font-size:85%;">r</span></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyd757KdqrQrBJSGkE-Tw2E9dDYAmxdABcXkpSMpzBCHZRTTCD62m45-dXhDuhIoGBDgE1EUaVaQogBp7dg050legE8OKNySkCxoPcIuK38CROEHpCHfZJ0lLKXNSQ-X9G6_wASWiC5JQ/s1600-h/Weeds+24+hours+later.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328295241965884946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyd757KdqrQrBJSGkE-Tw2E9dDYAmxdABcXkpSMpzBCHZRTTCD62m45-dXhDuhIoGBDgE1EUaVaQogBp7dg050legE8OKNySkCxoPcIuK38CROEHpCHfZJ0lLKXNSQ-X9G6_wASWiC5JQ/s200/Weeds+24+hours+later.JPG" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Last thoughts on this method...</div><div> </div><div>It certainly works well enough to be added to my "weed removal tool kit." I will still pull the winter grass because I want to keep the reseeding to a minimum. I'm not sure it'll work on all weeds, it didn't seem to have any effect on the birch seedlings. I'll have to keep trying on different types. I'll definitely use it where I'm concerned about drift from using Roundup. Remember, the hot water will kill any living organism, so it's best used for weeds in pavement cracks and not in a vegetable garden (for instance). And do I have to remind you to wear closed toed shoes while pouring hot water on the ground?!!</div>Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-485869241351900682009-04-22T09:18:00.000-07:002009-04-22T14:42:56.189-07:00Soldier On, Soldier Beetle...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEPGCcHV3NI-bGMuMMUUxzPiw80i3Dr_ZGdVtVi9MaXFbYzMECrcDR4cS9V1QwnoVW9He1F7qEpgRWAdXvJelSPjPgkIQ5nzXp9dbOHio8cvueoV8dbnhmfl66GxrXmihHaSTOfzymeI/s1600-h/Soldier+Beetle+2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 186px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327553536173644738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEPGCcHV3NI-bGMuMMUUxzPiw80i3Dr_ZGdVtVi9MaXFbYzMECrcDR4cS9V1QwnoVW9He1F7qEpgRWAdXvJelSPjPgkIQ5nzXp9dbOHio8cvueoV8dbnhmfl66GxrXmihHaSTOfzymeI/s200/Soldier+Beetle+2.jpg" /></a>Have you seen this guy in your garden yet? If so, count yourself lucky and step away from the bug spray!<br /><div></div><br /><div>This is a Soldier Beetle and it's one of the beneficial bugs in your garden. Their cuisine of choice in adulthood are aphids (which by judging by my yard are quite plentiful right now) and pollen/nectar. Despite their appearance, they don't bite, sting or pinch and my girls love to catch them.</div><br /><div></div><div></div><div>If you would like more information about these insects, check out this link:</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/NE/soldier_beetles.html">http://ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/NE/soldier_beetles.html</a></div><br /><div></div>Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-3589027509759970162009-04-20T21:22:00.000-07:002009-04-22T09:44:01.654-07:00If I could find them, I'd buy them...<p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_B7z7ZP8vXvwmvq3jaZgB34dXeB2tyHOKXMEL9g5ZkX5uyPgqWEyQCOB0-7FObeQrfVb2fBH1RI2WSFwTnIRQVudiivXcBR_xhcd6ZnJC7ThoUHNOj9aEmWOQuqd2U3M7B1RcjSy3cE/s1600-h/Garden_Ideas+005.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326998079474419602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_B7z7ZP8vXvwmvq3jaZgB34dXeB2tyHOKXMEL9g5ZkX5uyPgqWEyQCOB0-7FObeQrfVb2fBH1RI2WSFwTnIRQVudiivXcBR_xhcd6ZnJC7ThoUHNOj9aEmWOQuqd2U3M7B1RcjSy3cE/s320/Garden_Ideas+005.jpg" /></a></p> A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Copia Wine Center in Napa. In a nutshell, this really cool facility was dedicated to good wine and gardening! Unfortunately, it's been a casualty of the current economy. They hope to reopen one day, and if they do, I highly recommend a visit -- especially if you like to eat and drink wine!<br /><br />So, while touring the extensive gardens, I spied these red ceramic balls tucked into the planting beds. I like the clean lines and the way you can bring art and color into your garden in an unusual way. Unfortunately, beautiful red ceramic balls aren't standard fare at the local garden center. One day I'll stumble across them and I won't think twice about hauling them home in the back seat of my car!Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-79803466207367199582009-03-04T17:21:00.000-08:002009-04-16T19:21:14.698-07:00Yearning for Late Winter Flowers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWFJIae2hWhxMRvIRcDmtNGL89agzxgN5K1uYLtom8yt90I5NfCubWaxKVEgSZe33eHfnvTfSeeekn_iVP40dZZG8bvluPzOz2dEny5C2zKwadlryFIPBz4vfWpEFnMVh9AtLzV2RHzA/s1600-h/IMG_2559.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309510963151401218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWFJIae2hWhxMRvIRcDmtNGL89agzxgN5K1uYLtom8yt90I5NfCubWaxKVEgSZe33eHfnvTfSeeekn_iVP40dZZG8bvluPzOz2dEny5C2zKwadlryFIPBz4vfWpEFnMVh9AtLzV2RHzA/s320/IMG_2559.JPG" /></a> One of my favorite bedding plants is called 'Candytuft' (Iberis). Two of the most common varieties are 'Snowflake' and 'Purity'. It is a low growing, evergreen shrub with bright white flowers from late Winter to Summer. It can reseed, so I recommend shearing off the spent flowers in the Fall. However, it hasn't been invasive in my Zone 14 yard.<br /><br /><div></div><div>The particulars:</div><br /><div>Full Sun to Part Shade</div><div>Regular Water</div><div>Sunset Zones 1-24</div><div><br />Snowflake is 4-12 inches tall and 1.5 to 3 feet wide. It has broader, more leathery leaves; larger flowers in larger clusters on shorter stems.</div><div><br />Purity is 6-12 inches tall as well as wide. It's more compact than Snowflake.</div><div><br />Save your money and skip the 1 gallon cans -- the 4" pots establish themselves really quickly and are half the price. They should be appearing at your local nursery right now.</div>Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-88595743377445903672009-03-04T16:29:00.000-08:002009-03-04T17:17:59.816-08:00Got Scale?To me, one of the summer's peskiest pests is scale. This insect has many different varieties which seem to attack many different species of plants. One plant in my Northern California yard that seems to have a perennial problem with scale are my Birch trees (Betula; B. pendula).<br /><br />Scale will produce a sticky substance called "honeydew" when they feed on your plants, which in turn invite ants and sooty mold into your garden. While I don't necessarily have a problem with ants in the ground, I draw the line at having them crawl all over my trees. Nature provides lady bugs and parasitic wasps to help take care of the problem, but sometime the scale population becomes overwhelming. However, now's the time for you to provide a little extra help.<br /><br />Horticultural oils are an effective way to control certain pests in your yard. They are less harmful to the beneficial bugs in your yard then a traditional pesticide. And they work well on the more stationary pests such as scale. The best time to use horticultural oil against scale is right when the baby scale hatches and begin to craw up the tree. At this time their shells are soft and the oil will do a good job in suffocating them. You can apply tape to the tree to try and catch the scale to see if it's active, or you can use 'bud break' as a sign as it's time to spray. I use 'bud break'.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZKvOkRx1XQVsTutXmwBDlO7mMCeoO2TwUZBuGAEoe4IabhFLnHxlN-OnOR7cnQJo8tNym4JV-kCbwczSRGbubwDYakj-uhUck9VoSEwVHRsSZsUK1qmLLrJ6U_w6BVnQncJMJ-DD_lg/s1600-h/IMG_2572.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309503807633430466" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZKvOkRx1XQVsTutXmwBDlO7mMCeoO2TwUZBuGAEoe4IabhFLnHxlN-OnOR7cnQJo8tNym4JV-kCbwczSRGbubwDYakj-uhUck9VoSEwVHRsSZsUK1qmLLrJ6U_w6BVnQncJMJ-DD_lg/s320/IMG_2572.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I just noticed that one of my birch trees is just starting to leaf out. It's in the 'bud break' stage and now's the perfect time to use a relatively safe method to control the outbreak of scale. I've attached a picture of what 'bud break' looks like.<br /><br />You can find a horticultural oil in any home and garden center. Make sure you read the label so that you get the one that kills scale AND make sure you follow all the application rules. The adage of "If a little is good, then a lot is better" DOES NOT apply to using any type of pesticides.Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6690249157474735352.post-16792926495794616752008-11-14T11:24:00.000-08:002008-11-14T11:35:16.790-08:00Planting a Blog<div>Since Fall is the time to plant, what better time to start a gardening blog?</div><div> </div>In an attempt to cultivate (pun intended) my interest in the garden -- I've decided to create a small forum to allow myself to focus on what I enjoy. Who knows what will be posted here, but for the moment the options are endless.Eileen, Garden Coachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151804378664192809noreply@blogger.com0