May, 2008
Wild Gladiolus and Wild Animals.
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Spring is racing into summer very fast with the grasses well on their way to golden on the hillside and many wildflowers long since run to seed. I was delighted to mark the appearance for the first time of a deep blue larkspur on the back meadow along with a strong show of lupine and yellow redwood violets. This area, once completely covered in brush and dead wood, was carefully cleared some years back and native grasses encouraged. The area also acts as my fire clearance below the house.
When clearing for fire, do not make the mistake of stripping every thing away so thoroughly that you expose an area to erosion. If you are clearing brush, it is helpful to leave the natural layer of duff to insulate and protect the soil. In fire clearance, the object is to reduce burnable fuel volume, not create an ecological desert. Chaparral rootstocks should also remain to stabilize the slope. Yes, they will re-sprout, but some short growth is welcome until grasses can establish themselves in the open space.
The vegetable garden is fully planted by now. Peppers and tomatoes are doing well despite the cold, windy nights. Somehow they seem to push on despite the chill and I spotted a few baby fruits on ‘Sungold’, a sweet golden cherry type. Some beds mix flowers with vegetables, adding both color here and at the table with sweet peas, coreopsis, and the odd rose of two. The Austin Rose ‘Charles Darwin’ is a rich yellow color that is a good contrast the purple and maroon of antique Sweet Pea, ‘Cupani’s Original’, that Renee Shepard ( www.reneesgarden.com) gave me last year.
Animal pests loved the long spring season and many new gophers turned up . I don’t use baits anymore in fear of poisoning hawks or cats, so employ MacAbee Gopher Traps instead. These old fashioned traps are most effective if used in the freshest gopher hole you can find; gophers dig new holes to access fresh plants so the newest hole indicates where the gopher is most active right now. I open the hole carefully to expose the tunnel and slip the armed trap inside. I then bait the trap with sweet smelling bubble gum and cover the hole with a small plank sealed against wind with soil piled over it. Gophers seem to love the gum and will literally kill themselves to get at it. I often find the gum gripped in their mouth in death. If after a day I have not caught the gopher or he has filled the tunnel with earth, I find a new hole and try again. Outside the garden fence I bury the gopher in his own hole to drive his family away.
Out in the Long Border, I have added some new wild Gladiolus. Unlike the giant florist types you might be familiar with, wild glads are tiny things, often in pink or lavender blotched with deeper rose. There are several species, I have G. calianthus and G.turbigenii (buy at www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com) growing in my garden. I plant them directly under the spreading purple verbena ‘Homestead’ and allow the bulbs to force their way out through it’s stems, creating a two color bouquet effect. The glad’s thin grassy foliage will hardly be noticeable as it fades.
Keep dealing with mildew and rust right away on roses with a spray as soon as you see symptoms and clean up any fallen diseased leaves. Don’t forget to sign up to help out at the Hidden Gardens tour; it is a fun way to see those secret coast gardens!
Dave Egbert
