The Coastal Gardener - February, 2006
Cold frames and the first flowers of spring
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I look forward to the month of February, for it is the month in which spring
first comes to visit my garden. Daffodils are in full fig in the beds and wildflowers have begun their show on the sloping meadow
below the garden.
Just near the cliff edge, the grass is short and this month, damp from an oozing spring. There a colony
of shooting stars (Dodecantheon) flourish with purple-pink upswept flowers tipped with yellow and white on short stems. They are vernal
perennials, going dormant as summer approaches, but for now are a delight mixed with gold-back fern, moss and yellow flowered redwood violets.
Up in the garden, I am getting ready to plant out the first groups of seedlings from the cold frame.
The frame, consisting of a simple box of rigid clear plastic with a slanting hinged lid, measures 14 inches high by 36" long and 24 deep.
I find it more effective than starting seeds indoors on a windowsill or under fluorescent lights. In the frame, the seedlings receive
ample sunlight protected from the cold night temperatures and they grow stout and strong without stretching. I employ an electric heating
mat under the pots to warm the soil but leaves the air temperature cool. The hinged lid can be propped open slightly to allow hot air
to vent on sunny days.
I have just brought out seedlings of a red leaved Japanese Mustard, a purple frilled kale called 'Redbor',
and Salad Burnett. All have bold attractive foliage that will not only be good to eat but act as a foil for spring flowers like calendula,
bachelor button, myosotis and penstemon.
New seedlings illustrate that a garden is a living-breathing thing that cannot be fixed in one spot in
time. Plants grow, get old and must, over time be replaced with something new. Take my rosemary hedge planted well over 11 years ago.
It had finally worn out it's welcome and once I decided it must go, I found little metal ID tags for long forgotten plants engulfed by the
hedge's 6-foot spread. With it gone, the circle bed can make a new beginning with the red flowered Ohia Lehua from Hawaii and
gold-candled Banksias from Australia.
Out in the vegetable garden the raised beds will need a little topping off. Each season,
the soil level drops slightly, indicating the loss of organic matter and tilt in the soil. If your beds have dropped below the
edging, it is time to add a healthy dose of compost, manure and fresh soil. Vegetables are hearty feeders and quickly deplete the
nutrients in the soil. The added organic matter should keep the beds level with the edging and give the hungry veggies the food to
grow big and strong.
One last thought involves the selecting of roses. You see them in bags at the hardware store and home center,
but look carefully, a healthy rose will have juicy green canes, unwrinkled and no brown spots. They should exhibit green buds on
each cane. Avoid dry looking stems, blotchy bark and no visible growth. No matter how cheap, a dead rose is no bargain. There is
still time to order healthy strong roses from reputable sources such as Regan's Nursery in Fremont
(www.regannursery.com) or David Austin English Roses in Texas
(www.davidasutinroses.com). One of my favorites is 'Royal Sunset' a tough as
nails climber with large fragrant apricot blooms.
Must have plant of the month: Ohia Lehua, Metrosideros 'Springfire'. From the cloudy reaches of Hawaiian
volcanoes, this evergreen shrub is perfectly suited to life in Big Sur. With red flower clusters in spring and summer, it can take
direct beach conditions and dry spots as long as they are not frosty. Fine specimens grow as small trees in the parking lot of the
Sand City Costco.
Enjoy!
Dave Egbert, The Coastal Gardener
