The Coastal Gardener - January, 2005
Hands on experience
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"There comes a morning after a hard rain when we waken to the sound of roaring water. The creek is foaming down our canyon…a thousand creeks are pounding through a thousand canyons, a billion tiny rivulets are pouring down the slopes to join the creeks." Judy Van der Veer, from Foothills, 1946.
There is certain knowledge and insight that comes from
doing. To read about a rose and to grow a rose are very different. With the
act comes the first whiff of fragrance of a dewy blossom or the way a rose
cane looks when it sprouts from the rootstock as a sucker.
The other day I was at the Historical Society Holiday Party and a neighbor asked why I had not written about a certain subject. She said, "You know that EVERYBODY would be interested in hearing what you have to say about this!" And I replied to the effect that yes, they would, especially since I have never experienced that subject and they would be waiting to send little emails that go like: "I so wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your little piece in the Roundup but…(insert catty comment and their own authoritative source here)." The reason I don't talk about orchid growing or the finer points of espalier fruit trees or new broccoli hybrids is simply that I have not tried these things myself.
Each day I pull weeds or divide perennial or just water
some pots and find inspiration. Each time I step into the nursery I am open
to the new cultivar or plant that I have never grown before to add to my
experience.
Now on to some practical notes for January. Roses will be prime for attention by now. I have two groups of roses in my garden: those that need a good hard pruning such as the hybrid teas; then the species and English hybrids that need a very light touch. Most of my hybrid teas are in pots so I take the opportunity to repot them in fresh media just after the hard cutting back. Removed from the pot I tease out 1/4 of the old soil then pack new potting media among the roots and replace them in their containers. It is like getting a new rose come spring. Each is given a good dose of balanced food right away, I no longer wait for the foliage to grow 6-8 inches like many recommend.
Take the left over rose prunings and select out some strong straight stems about a thick as a pencil for making cuttings. Each cutting should be about 6-8 inches long with 4 good buds. Remove any foliage and dust the bottom ends in rooting hormone then thrust them almost up the topmost bud into pots of soil. Kept cool and moist in a shady spot, about 70 percent of the cuttings will sprout. Rose cuttings should be withheld from blooming for the first year so to build up their strength.
Turn you attention to the strawberry patch for a moment. Old crowns should be replaced every two years using tow methods. In August, runners can be trained into empty spaces in the patch and rooted which will be next year's fruiting crowns. Or you can wait till now and remove everything, consigning the old crowns to the compost heap. New crowns are available bare-root at local nurseries. If not, consign the old plants Turn the area over thoroughly adding several barrels of manure and compost to create a rich bed. Sprinkle some soil polymer like Soil Moist into the soil to keep in moist during hot weather. Buy new crowns bare-root at the nursery this month. Strawberries are great in pots too, especially if you a have bird issues. Give potted berries a little shade in the afternoon.
If you have a low maintenance garden of drought tolerant and native plants, the one fertilizer application you should apply is right now. A dose of organic triple 16 will go along way in keeping your landscape healthy and encourage a rich floral display in March. The winter rains will water the food in after you scratch it down into the mulch layer with a three-pronged cultivator.
Remove the suckers from fruits trees cleanly at the trunk or root. You may have to dig down a bit, but a clean cut will not re-sprout. A stump at ground lvel will sprout twice as many!
Must Have Plant of the Month: Cerinthe major 'Purpurea'. A cool season annual with incredible arching flowers resembling purple shrimps. Reseeds easily in full sun, long lasting in flower arrangements. Available from Annie's Annuals at local nurseries (add dot.com as usual.)
Underappreciated Plant of the Month: Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia. Handsome native shrub with masses of red berries and glossy green leaves., well adapted to use as hedge, screen or small accent tree 10 15 ft. though almost never seen in gardens, even those specializing in native plants. Grey mottled bark on twisting trunks shines in night lighting. Toyon can get fireblight, which kills off whole stems, but usually not the point of disfigurement.
Enjoy! Dave Egbert.
