Photo by Philip Van Soelen

Cleveland sage is neat looking, round-shaped, California native shrub with grey-green foliage. In summer it displays exquisite whorls of light to violet blue blossoms on slender stalks. The scent of Cleveland Sage is especially lovely. Cleveland Sage loves the sun, heat and good drainage. Popular cultivars include “Allen Chickering” at about 4′x4′ and “Winifred Gilman” at 3′x3′. I suggest you leave the seed heads on the plant after the blooming season is complete to further support the bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and songbirds this gem is known to attract. Cut them back in winter for a fresh look in the new year. This shrub is deer resistant.

2. CALIFORNIA LILAC (Ceanothus sp.)

California Lilac or Ceanothus is a California native plant known for its dark green leaves and indigo flowers. It loves the sun and needs good drainage. It blooms spectacularly in late winter to spring. You don’t want indigo flowers? Some cultivars have pale blue or white flowers. It is a great attractor of bees and provides seeds for birds. The fun thing about California Lilac is that it comes in just about every size and shape. The 6″-12″ ground-hugging C. “Centenial” spreads to 6-7′ wide. C. “Ray Hartman” can be pruned into a small tree and reaches 20′ high.  Some of my personal favorites are C. griseus horizontalis “Yankee Point” which grows 3′x10′ and C. “Dark Star” with it’s tiny leaves a iridescent indigo flowers (6′x10′). My favorite place to research the many Ceanothus options is at Cal Flora Nursery in Fulton, CA (www.calfloranursery.com).  Most Ceanothus are not deer resistant.  Choose C. “Dark Star” or C. “Julia Phelps” if you have deer problems as they have tiny, less tasty leaves.

3. LAVENDER (Lavendula sp.)

Everyone knows and loves lavender so it is a no brainer to include it in this drought tolerant list. This silver-grey to grey-green sub-shrub loves the heat, the sun and good drainage. It is world-famous for its spikes of very aromatic flowers which range in color from white to pale lavender to deep purple. Lavender is a bee magnet when in bloom. A nice, compact lavender at 1’6″x 1’6″ is L. “Hidcote Superior”.  The famous Hedge Lavender (L. X intermedia) is known to be one of the most productively aromatic and can get up to 4′ high and wide. There are many cultivars, sizes and colors.  If you cut back your lavender flower stalks after the early spring-summer flowers are spent you will get a more beautiful second bloom in autumn. Prune once a year to maintain a neat appearance or let it go untamed for the natural garden. Lavender is deer resistant.

4. CALIFORNIA FUCHSIA (Zauschneria sp. or Epilobium sp.)

I love California Fuchsia for its brilliant, long-lasting orange-red blossoms from late summer through late fall. This plant can be the star of your autumn garden. Like the other plants mentioned in this article Cal. Fuchsia loves sun, heat and good drainage. It can take light shade too though. This California native sub-shrub is a bit of a wild thing and can range throughout the garden if the conditions are right. It is semi-deciduous and looks best if it is refreshed or cut back to the ground in winter.  Some cultivars have thin silvery leaves (E. “Catalina”) while others put forth wider, light to grey-green leaves (E. “Everett’s Choice”). There are many cultivars with sizes ranging from 6″ to 3′+. One of my personal favorites is E. “Select Mattole” with its low-growing silvery foliage and its pack-a-punch mass of blossoms each year.  I once watched a humming bird and a carpenter bee duke it out for the right to drink the nectar of this garden delight. Yes, it is a terrific habitat plant. 

Calendula or Pot Marigold

Spring has sprung. Well, not really. We officially have a week to go. But now that we have actually had some rain and the weather remains mild we are all ready for a new growing season. So what should we be doing in the garden now? 

1)      Spring is a good time to refresh the compost and mulch in your planting beds and around your trees.  This is especially important if you don’t have the time or interest in adding regular fertilizers throughout the growing season. Good compost is fertilizer. A once a year dose does your garden good.  Add an inch or two for best results. Top the compost with a couple of inches of organic mulch to protect your soil from erosion and to keep the planting bed looking tidy. Remember not to pile these amendments around the base of tree trunks unless you want to encourage root rot.

2)      Pull back your winter mulch in your veggie beds if you are going to start everything from seed.  This will help the soil warm up.

3)      It is still a good time to plant summer-flowering bulbs. Last I checked there were plenty in stock at our local nurseries.

4)      Finish winter clean-up chores such as disposing of old fallen fruit and leaves. This is especially important for your edible fruit trees.  Good garden hygiene helps keep plant diseases in check.

5)      Have you finished your winter pruning? Roses are already leafing out.  Although roses don’t have to be cut back you want to do so in order to manage their size in tighter spaces. On my walks around town I have also noticed many butterfly bushes (Buddleja) that haven’t been cut back. As the years pass these shrubs will just get bigger and bigger. They bloom on new growth so cut them way back now to contain them and have new growth and blossoms at eye level.

6)      Start weeding.  Don’t let those sneakers overtake your planting beds and garden paths. Now that we have had a bit of rain the weeds should be easier to pull too.

7)      Repair structures or components that have been neglected over the winter. Test your irrigation system for leaks and breaks and fix them now so you don’t have to rush later this spring. Repair any tears in your gopher wire in the bottom of your planting beds. If you use warm-season deer repelling sprays such as predator urine now is the time to start up again. Apply regularly.

8)      Finally, try not to step on or over-compact your planting bed soil. Compacted soil has reduced air and water pores that are so vital to plant health.

1) I don’t recommend that you plant frost tender plants such as citrus or princess flower.

2)The timing is still right to plant bare root trees and roses. Installing hardier ornamental landscape plants is fine too. Be sure to add a top mulch to help suppress weeds and moderate erosion caused by spring rainfall.

3) It is also a good time to plant cool weather vegetables such as lettuce, chard, kale, cabbage, peas, turnips, and broccoli, etc. Be ready to protect new seedlings if a hard frost is predicted.

4) Finish off your structural winter pruning of small trees and shrubs if the leaf and flower buds on your plants are not swelling. If the buds are swelling or the plant is already blooming or leafing you might consider waiting until after the first surge of new growth. On many species you’ll know this phase has completed when the leaves darken. 

5) Now is a good time to plan and dream about your 2012 vegetable garden. If you are new to gardening purchase a couple of good gardening books. If this is a brand new garden make sure the site you have chosen: a) has at least six hours of sunlight; b) is relatively level; c) is located close to a water source; d) is located  close to the house; and, e) is protected from the wind.

The purpose of the ISA Certification Program is to improve the level of knowledge and standard of practice within the tree care profession. It is designed to assist the public in identifying those professionals in arboriculture who have demonstrated a thorough knowledge of tree care practices.

The International Society of Arboriculture is a scientific and educational organization devoted to the dissemination of information in the care and preservation of shade and ornamental trees. 

1) The weak, the sick and the elderly should be pruned minimally or not at all.  They may not have the reserves to heal from pruning cuts. They are possibly better served with a layer of compost and proper irrigation adjustments.  An exception to this is the removal of any limb that is hazardous to people or property.

2) Start with cleanup.  Remove dead, diseased, and disorderly branches.  Any branch that crosses over another at an odd angle, rubs up against other branches, grows inward toward the center or is a duplication of another branch immediately below or above it can be removed.

3) When you remove a branch don’t cut completely flush to the trunk or larger branch that is left behind. On some trees and large shrubs you can see a ridge of thickened bark both above and below the branch.  These are called the branch bark ridge and the branch collar. Prune just outside these areas.  If you cut into them you compromise the natural plant healing process and make it harder for the shrub/tree to fight off disease organisms. Unfortunately the branch bark ridge and branch collar aren’t always visibly detectable. So do your best and leave just a little bit of outer tissue.

4) When you remove a branch don’t leave behind a funny looking blunt stub either. A pruning cut that ends in a blunt stub is called a heading cut.  This is the most difficult type of pruning wound for a plant to heal.  It also looks unattractive and unnatural.  Hedge pruning is an exception to this but the cuts are typically done on much smaller branches that are capable of sprouting a lot of small, outer leaves. Pollarding is another special case that deserves its own article.

5) If you want to reduce a plant’s overall size cut branches back to smaller side branches that are at least 1/3 the diameter.  These smaller side branches can “take on” the terminal end of the branch. The overall finished look should look natural. 

6) Overall, wound dressings  have not been show to be effective in accelerating the healing process.

7)  Use the right tool for the right branch size. Hand pruners are appropriate for branches under 1/2″. Loppers are good for branches up to 1″.  Loppers are clumsy though and don’t always make the cleanest cuts.  It is best to use pruning hand saws for branches over 1/2″. Never use a carpenter’s saw. It isn’t designed to cut into live wood.
 

These stakes are too tall

Improper tree staking can damage your trees. These inadvertent staking mistakes can: 1) create a weakened tree; 2) damage the bark; 3) open up  inroads for disease and pests; 4) cause a tree to grow crookedly; and, 5) compromise your garden investment. 

Let’s look at some common staking problems and what should be done about them. At the end of this article I’ll list some general tips about  staking installation and maintenance.

The first photo on the right shows stakes that are too tall. The branches will rub up against the stakes and become abraded or scraped during windy conditions. Over time a serious wound can develop.  A wound opening is an easy pathway for disease and insect penetration. Some of the tree’s energy is diverted toward healing the wound rather than growing strong and upright.  These stakes should be cut back so the top of the stakes are not mixed in with the branches.

The second photo on the right shows a stake that is too close to the trunk.

This stake is tied too close to the trunk

A stake right up against the trunk will ultimately create a crooked tree because chemical/hormonal  reactions in the tree will ultimately cause it to bend or arch away from the stake. The tightly tied stake  doesn’t allow the tree to move (exercise) in the wind. Without that movement the tree won’t develop proper taper and strength. It’ll stay skinny and dependent on the stake. Additionally, the stake tie(s) restrict (or girdle) the trunk as the trunk grows and expands. This girdling inhibits the flow of nutrients, sugars and water within the tree. This stake should be untied and removed. If the tree actually needs a stake it should be placed about a foot or so away from the trunk outside the root ball and secured around the tree with flexible, non abrasive ties.

The horizontal indentation in the trunk is an example of girdling damage from a tree tie being left on the tree too long. Ouch!

 This fourth photo exhibit a loose stake that has become useless. 

This stake wasn't installed deeply enough. It is flopping around not doing its job.

The stake is not secure and is flopping around. It cannot do its job of supporting the tree. The stake can abrade (scrape) the bark and cause injury. Both stakes should be pounded into the ground more deeply so that they are secure in the soil. Be careful not to damage any roots. Note how the stake height is appropriate for the branching of this tree. The distance from the trunk looks appropriate too. Do not reinstall the stakes any closer to the trunk.

Our final photo (below) shows a long forgotten stake that should have been removed many years ago. The stakes and the horizontal cross bracing (hard to see in the photo) are only irritants to the tree. The tree has actually grown over and around the cross-bracing which is embedded inside the tree. Remove these stakes. Carefully saw off the cross-bracing.

This tree outgrew these forgotten stakes many years ago.

General tree staking tips:

1) Buy trees that are strong and sturdy.  These are less likely to need staking at all and will save you time and money.

2) If a tree can stand on its own it doesn’t need a stake.  You may still want to stake the tree if the tree is located in a windy location or on a steep slope, if the tree flops over and can’t hold itself upright, or if you believe the tree won’t initially root well in the soil.

3) Wean your trees off the stakes within one year (two years in really tough situations). If you don’t wean your trees from the stakes they won’t grow as strongly as they could otherwise.

4) Don’t leave the nursery stake on the tree.

5) Stakes should be placed outside the root ball, not up against the trunk.

6) Check your staking regularly to make sure it hasn’t come loose. Flopping stakes and ties can damage your tree. Make sure the ties aren’t too tight.

7) I found this nice tree planting and staking diagram on Urban Tree Farm’s web site

Lemon Tree & Fruit

Lemons, limes, oranges and kumquats. We all love citrus.

Most citrus originate from tropical and subtropical climates.  They are very cold sensitive. To ripen they require varying degrees of “heat units”. Oranges and grapefruit require a lot of heat units. They do best in southern California and Florida. Lemons, limes and kumquats require less heat and are therefore much easier to grow in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Here are seven must-do tips that will help ensure a vibrant tree and a productive citrus harvest:

1) PROVIDE FROST PROTECTION. Have some old sheets or blankets ready to drape over the trees when a night time freeze is predicted.  Make sure they are big enough to cover the entire tree canopy. If you want you can stake or tie down all sides except the  (sun) side of the plant. Do not tie off the coverings around the trunk. That can create even colder night-time conditions than if you had no covering at all. Remove the covering when danger of freezing is past. During extended freeze warnings you’ll also want to remove the covering during the warmer daytime hours so your citrus tree gets enough sunlight. 

2) IRRIGATE REGULARLY – once a week or every 3-4 days during the dry season. Citrus require even soil moisture.  Test the soil between watering cycles. You don’t want soggy soil either. Adjust as needed.

3) COMPOST ANNUALLY. Add 1″ of compost under the canopy of the tree each spring.  Compost improves drainage, improves nutrient absorption and improves soil structure. Do not pile up compost (or anything) around the trunk of the tree though.  Burying the root crown can lead to crown rot and gnarly, choking roots. It can also provide handy habitat for bark gnawing rodents.

4) FERTILIZE your citrus MONTHLY with organic fertilizer formulated specifically for citrus trees. Add chelated iron tablets under the drip line of the tree if your citrus leaves look small and yellowish with darker green veins.

5) REMOVE SUCKERS. Suckers are those vigorous, very straight, upright and often thorny branches that grow from below the graft union around the base of the tree.  They won’t bear the fruit you want. They wreck the form of the tree. Prune them off – the sooner the better.

6) REMOVE UNNECESSARY STAKES. Your tree should not have the stake that was originally attached to it when you bought it. The stake’s ties restrict tree growth and the stake itself keeps the tree weak by not allowing it to sway in the wind. The only reason to stake a tree is if it can’t hold itself upright and then that stake should be installed properly (not against the trunk) and removed within one year. 

7) CITRUS TREES REQUIRE FULL SUN. TRANSPLANT your tree to a sunny spot if it isn’t receiving at least 6 HOURS of direct sun per day. I generally don’t recommend transplanting December through February when the risk of a freeze is higher and the soil is saturated from winter rain.

*** To find out more about citrus care read this Dec 10, 2011 Marin Independent Journal article where Karen was interviewed about citrus care. 

Permaculture is a design philosophy and practical approach to living on the land.  In permaculture we attempt to integrate plants, animals, human needs, water use, soil management and microclimate into a highly interdependent and self-sustaining ecosystem.

From there I went on to explain the core values, the ethics and the eleven core principles. Terms commonly used among permaculturists such as multi-functionality, stacking functions, accelerate succession, efficient energy planning, zones and sectors were described and demonstrated.

I tried to make the workshopsboth entertaining and educational with slide shows, garden tours and hands-on activities. Like most permaculturists I hoped to influence people to live and garden more sustainably.

Many who attended these workshops thought it all made sense.  Permaculture has, in theory, caught on.  There are articles about it in the mainstream press. Permaculture classes abound in municipalities and regions throughout the country. So why is that I rarely see a permaculture garden in my meanderings throughout the Bay Area or other places across the country?

What is stopping people?

Yes, most of us are too busy. And it is expensive to transform your landscape – even when you do so ecologically.  But I think the main reason for many is that permaculture seems a bit too hard.  It’s complicated. It often comes across as heady.  What fun is that?  I’m here to claim that permaculture is FUN.

Wikimedia - Margnus Manske

Permaculture is especially suited for people who like to create puzzles. Do you like having a dose of Rubic’s Cube in your life? Then you’ll like permaculture gardening. It is a terrific challenge to research,  and discover trees, shrubs, ground-covers and stunningly beautiful flowers that provide food and medicine and support beneficial insects and provide shade for the house and support each other and do some of the garden maintenance themselves. Does it intrigue you to figure out the prettiest 1’ tall plants that attract bees to pollinate your espalier apple tree and also provide fodder for the chickens at the same time? Your sister has arthritis? Which herbs can you grow for that anti-arthritic salve you want to make for her? And if you grow those herbs next to the black currant bush could they actually potentiate its growth too?  On and on it can go!

Wikimedia Commons - AnemoneProjectors

Permaculture is perfect for the amateur sleuth. If you read detective novels as a kid you can apply that passive sleuthing knowledge to the active permaculture garden. Pests, diseases and the occasional failed plant are common in all types of gardening. The challenge in permaculture is to determine the true cause and then develop a natural organic set of responses rather than a treating the problem with a knee-jerk dose of poison.  So when the almond leaves show distortion you might actually identify the bug or fungal culprit and learn about its life cycle.  In your research you’ll discover there is another insect that can keep the problem bug in check.  You can bring that beneficial insect into your garden and keep it there by providing it with a home by planting a certain gorgeous flower or delicious herb that you read about in your bug book.  And you’ll learn that applying compost to that almond tree will make it stronger and more resistant to pests in general. On and on it can go! 

Wikimedia - Mdf- Edit by Laitch

Permaculture delights magic lovers. A permaculture garden becomes healthier, richer and more diverse over the years. Habitat such as birds, insects and other creatures will flock to your garden. Have you ever watched a fat bumblebee and a shimmering hummingbird duke it out for access to the nectar in the flaming red California fuchsia blossoms? You’ll be blessed with unimaginable fertility – gorgeous tomatoes, succulent lettuces, silky lavender eggplants. You’ll experience the joy of giving excess fruit away to your friends and neighbors. Each day you’ll witness magic as the garden grows and responds to you and the world around it.

Creating puzzles, sleuthing, watching magic – now what can be more fun than that?

Freshly sheet mulched area. The mulch will settle at soil level after decomposition.

Sheet mulching is a gardening technique that suppresses weeds and builds fertile soil. In sheet mulching thick layers of organic matter are placed on the ground lasagna style. These layers are then left to decompose ultimately creating a rich planting medium (compost) that is terrific for vegetable gardens and ornamental planting beds.

The advantage of sheet mulching over composting in a bin is that the finished compost does not have to be hauled to the actual planting bed. It is created right on top the planting bed. The process can take three to six months so it is best to plan ahead and sheet mulch the season before you want to install your plants. However, it is possible to install some plants right after you sheet-mulch by punching a hole through the sheet mulch for each plant and popping them in.

Sheet mulching is effective at suppressing weeds because it is so thick – as much as 12 inches – and because one of the bottom layers has no holes in it for air and light to sneak in. The weeds and anything else underneath are snuffed out. You can even sheet mulch right over the top of sod. There is no need to remove the lawn ahead of time.

I’ve taught many people how to sheet mulch in the permaculture workshops I used to lead at Kenwood Permaculture. My goal in this article is to describe various sheet mulching options. Each one is progressively more complex.  But they are all easy and fun, especially with a group of people at a sheet-mulching party.

Materials:

Don’t worry about the length of this list. You can successfully sheet mulch with just three of these items.

a. Sheet Mulch*. The sheet mulch layer is a solid layer of overlapping cardboard pieces (remove tape – it doesn’t decompose), newspaper (¼” thick -no glossies), old 100% cotton sheets or blankets, or wool carpet. No synthetics.

The most commonly used sheet mulch material is cardboard. Try to find plenty of big pieces from house-hold appliances or computers. They cover a lot more square footage than a shoe box.

b.Soil Amendments. This depends on your soil needs. Use gypsum for clay soil or compacted soil. Use bone meal, blood meal, or cottonseed meal to increase nitrogen. Use lime if your soil is too acid. Green sand, rock dust and kelp have trace minerals. Elemental sulfur increases soil acidity.

c. Bulk organic mulch*. Straw, weed free garden waste, garden trimmings, leaves, bark, stable straw.

Straw from bales is easy to work. It often peels off in nice layers and is compacted so it doesn’t blow around in the wind. Straw bales cost more than other bulk mulches obtained from your own backyard.  Other bulk mulches (yard waste, trimmings, leaves tend to be courser than straw and can have a lot of air pockets when you put them down. If you are aiming for a 6” thickness they will settle out much lower – maybe 3-4” so you have to compensate by adding more. Don’t use hay. It has seeds in it

d. Compost.

e. Manure. Goat, sheep, horse, chicken, steer. See if you can find some for free at local stables. Don’t use dog or cat feces.

f. Top mulch layer. Shredded bark, leaves, straw. This is basically the same material as the bulk mulch layer.

g. Water*. You’ll need a fair bit of water. But a proper compost pile is moist – not soggy. You might be concerned about adding water at every level if you live in an arid or semi-arid location. The trade-off is that you are building rich, organic soil that will hold  moisture more effectively and will produce beautiful crops and ornamental plants.

* – Required materials.

Tools.

1) Gloves
2) Scissors to cut twine from straw bales
3) Tarps to hold your compost, manure and other amendments close to the sheet mulch area
4) Large buckets, transfer shovels, pitchforks to move amendments around
5) Hose(s) with sprayer(s)

Planning:

1) Ideally you’ll sheet mulch the season before you plan to actually use the planting bed. In regions with a distinct rainy season it is best to sheet mulch right before the rains as more consistent moisture assists decomposition.

2) Calculate the square footage of the area you will sheet mulch to determine how much material you will need. It isn’t much fun to get geared up for a sheet mulching project and then run out of cardboard half-way through the job. For a 23’ by 7’ planting bed you’ll need (23 x 7 = 161) 161 square feet.

3) Choose the sheet mulching method you will use. Based on this calculate the cubic footage of bulk mulch, compost, manure or other amendments you will need. An online calculator for cubic feet is http://www.gardeners.com/Soil-Calculator/7558,default,pg.html. Eight inches of bulk mulch on top of that 161 square foot area requires about 4 cubic yards of mulch. First, convert to inches – (23’x7’) = (276” x 84”) x 8”. Then use the online calculator which gives you 108 cubic feet or 3.975 cubic yards of mulch.

4) Gather all your materials and tools ahead of time. It is easiest if you have them all staged near the sheet mulch area.

Three Easy Sheet Mulching Methods

I call these approaches: a) simple; b) advanced; and, c) super. The simple approach is faster and cheaper. The more complex approaches take more time, materials and money but they potentiate long-term soil fertility by aiming for a balanced carbon to nitrogen ratio that is ideal for composting.

Option 1) Simple SHEET MULCHING

1) Slash down tall weeds. Leave the weeds on the ground.

2) Water the area to be sheet mulched.

3) Put down a good layer of cardboard (or newspaper ¼” thick). Make sure there are no gaps between the cardboard. The pieces must overlap. This is the “sheet” layer. Water generously.

4) Put down 6” of straw. Water generously.

5) Wait 3-6 months for it to decompose.

Option 2) Advanced SHEET MULCHING

1) Slash down weeds. Leave the weeds on the ground.

2) Water the area to be sheet mulched.

3) Add compost and/or manure. This layer can be 1/4″ – 3” thick. Water generously.

4) Put down a layer of cardboard (or newspaper ¼” thick). Water generously.

5) Add more compost and/or manure – 1/4″ – 3” thick. Water generously.

6) Put down 6-12” straw or mulch. Water again.

7) Wait 3-6 months for it to decompose.

Option 3) Super SHEET MULCHING

1) Water the area thoroughly beforehand.

2) Slash down tall weeds. No need to pull them out.

3) Add soil amendments as needed. Sprinkle them around generously. Water.

4) If your soil is compacted, break it up a little with a pitch fork or spade.

5) Add a 1/2″-1″ of manure, blood meal, fish meal, cottonseed meal, grass, and/or kitchen scraps. Add water.

6) Lay down the cardboard or ¼” newspaper. Remember that all pieces should overlap.

7) Add another 1/2″ – 1″ of manure, blood meal, fish meal, cottonseed meal, grass, and/or kitchen scraps. Water generously.

Bulk organic mulch – (straw, yard waste, etc) 6-12″. Water generously.

9) Add 2” of compost. And more water. Supplement with soil/manure if you don’t have enough compost.

10) Add a 2” Finish layer of mulch, straw, or shredded bark(looks nicest if it is in a visible area) Add a final dose of water.

11) Wait 3-6 months for it to decompose.