The Coastal Gardener - January 2004
Frosty mornings
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Happy New Year and best wishes for a January without frost! Cold temperatures can be hard on tender plants. Frost generally forms on cold still nights without cloud cover when cold air drops down into canyons and basins, rolling away from ridge tops and hillsides. Frost often does not form in areas with good overhead cover from evergreen trees or eaves of buildings or when a breeze stirs the air. Hence the old adage, "Frost descends, wind be-friends". So why is frost damaging? For some tropical and sub-tropical plants, cold temperatures alone can slow growth and induce leaf and flower drop. But many plants are actually harmed when the water inside their cells freezes. The water expands and the cell walls burst and collapse. In the morning, the thawed plant is nothing but a mushy pile of wilted stems unable to draw up essential water and nutrients into the damaged stems.
Frosts in Big Sur are thankfully brief and easy to
defend against. On coldest nights, when temps drop into the 30's, expect
frost and go into action to prepare plants. A simple way to ward off a
freeze is with a bed sheet or shade cloth tent. Set poles into the ground
around the tender plant and drape the cloth over this, covering the tops of
the plant, creating a warmer bubble of air underneath. Do not let the sheet
contact the plant, which will freeze to it. Or string a set of Christmas
lights through the bush and keep them on all night (old style large bulbs
work best). The slight heat from the bulbs will probably keep the air near
them above freezing. For large plants in extreme cold, spray them with
water. The water will freeze onto the foliage, damaging it slightly, but
protecting the rest of the plant under a sheet of insulating ice.
Well, on those cold nights you may want to cozy up to a great seed catalog
or a good garden book. Here are a few of may favorites from this year.
*Forestfarm: a thick catalog of shrubs, vines, perennials, and bamboo from Willits, Oregon. The catalog has so many selections of excellent plants that it takes me several days to read it through and is a valuable reference all year. The plants are much larger than other mail order plants, well packed and shipped quickly in excellent condition. Some of my selections from them last year include Lespedeza "Gibraltar", Erythrina cristi-galli, Panicum, "Heavy Metal", and Rhus typhina "Lancinata". If you don't know what these wonderful plants are, come to the Hidden Gardens tour in June, 2004 to see them growing along! www.forestfarm.com to shop on-line or order a catalog ($5.00)
*"In My Garden" by Christopher Lloyd. This entertaining book is by one of England's most formidable and opinionated gardeners. His estate, Great Dixter, is one of the biggest garden attractions in a country of great gardens. The book is a compilation of his columns and letters in Country Life magazine. Each chapter focuses on a selction seasonal subjects and includes thoughtful commentary about plants, design ideas, form and color schemes. He has experience with so many plants and a good wit planted in among them.
*Territorial Seed Company. A great company specializing in organic, open pollinated and traditional vegetables and flowers along with a huge selection of tomatoes. They offer seeds in packets and by the pound for market gardeners. They even offer some 20 varieties of garlic! I picked up Italian White and Chesnok Red (from the Republic of Georgia). www.territorialseed.com.
Of course don't forget the Sunset Western Garden Book, probably one of the books everyone should have in their library.
PS: With so much said last month about Pampas grass, here are some interesting facts about our local invader. Cortaderia jubata is a native of the mountians of Ecudor, Peru and Chile. The rosy purple inflorescences fade to a dull tan and it is earlier flowering than C. selloana. C. selloana and it's cultivars are prized by gardeners around the world for their fluffy, bright white, larger infloresences, which in some cultivars are sterile. Most stands of C. jubata contain only female plants that can set seed without male fertilization through a process called apomixis, which contributed to their rampant spread. C. jubata is an opportunistic seeder that favors disturbed soils resulting from grading, landslides, etc. Several strong doses of Roundup (glysophosphate) are the best way to control it's spread along with removal of young flowers before they mature.
C. selloana is still sold as an ornamental in Monterey County and is used as large scale accent, hedge or windscreen worldwide.
Source: John Greenlee, The Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses, 1992;
Rick Darke, The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses, Sedges, Rushes and Bamboos, 1999.
Enjoy! Dave Egbert
