PLANTWISE Blog

favorite plants

The Sweet, Sweet Scent of Autumn at Lan Su

sweet olive trees in bloom!

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Nov 03, 2011 at 09:03AM Speech Bubble 2 Comments

The apricot colored and scented flowers of the fragrant sweet olive (Osmanthus fragrans ‘Aurantiacus’). This species produces the flower used to scent Chinese osmanthus tea.

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I love plants that do wonderful things at unexpected times of the year. Osmanthus is just such a plant, producing clusters of intensely fragrant flowers in late autumn – usually October and into November, when the rest of the garden is winding down for the season.They’re such great plants that I just can’t figure out why more people don’t plant them!

Also known as sweet olive (O. fragrans ) or sweet holly (O. heterophyllus ), Osmanthus is in fact in the olive family. And while one of the more fragrant species – O. fragrans – can suffer in our most bitter cold spells (sort of like real olive trees can suffer when young), the other species are very tough and cold-hardy. Not to discourage anyone from trying the sweet olive: once it’s established, it can survive just about any cold the Portland area can dish out. For proof, just visit the Lan Su (Classical Chinese Garden) in the next week and you’ll might find yourself swooning as you wander near the Garden’s Osmanthus fragrans ‘Aurantiacus’ – the orange-flowered sweet olive – which is currently encrusted with tiny, headily fragrant, apricot colored and scented flowers. About twenty feet to the north of it is another species that looks to me like Osmanthus decorus (also fragrant).

The Garden actually has several other species of sweet olive. In the entryway garden is one of the most magnificent of them all: a white-variegated Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Variegata’ – an ancient specimen (about 20′ × 20′) culled from a Portland neighborhood shortly before the Garden opened. I seem to remember the Garden also containing a specimen of Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Sasaba’ – a very spiny, poky-looking, slow-growing species with rich, dark green foliage.

In addition to being wonderfully fragrant, Osmanthus are easy-care plants. They are moderately drought-tolerant when established and enjoy full sun but tolerate a half-day of shade, and there’s enough diversity among cultivars and species that you can find one for nearly any garden use you may have.

Osmanthus heterophyllus is a hardy broadleaf evergreen which can be grown as a pruned or unpruned hedge. Left to its own devices, it will become a 15-20 foot-tall and wide tree. Cultivars abound: there’s the white-variegated Variegata; the warm yellow-variegated Aureovariegata; and the purple-tipped Purpureus, all of which can reach about 12-15 feet over 20+ years and, eventually, can reach 20’ tall and wide. There are smaller cultivars, too: Sasaba, the prickly shortie with a very architectural look; Goshiki, a gold-and-green-variegated ball reaching about 4 feet in 10-15 years; and Gulftide, to about 10-12 feet, with spiny margined leaves. I am also fond of the cultivar Rotundifolius, with soft, non-spiny foliage and attractive burgundy-rust new growth. It is more slow-growing than the species and seems to reach about 6 feet in ten years. And best of all, I just saw an exquisite gold-leafed cultivar called Ogon for sale at the Garden in one gallon pot.

Osmanthus fragrans is usually seen with white flowers, but the form Aurantiacus has lovely apricot colored flowers.

Another fall-blooming species is O. decorus, a small, tidy tree with white flowers and smooth leaves resembling those of the bay tree. The tree reaches about 12 feet in ten years.

But there are a few spring-flowering Osmanthus as well: O. delavayi is a 15-20’ tree in time, with small leaves and lots of little white tubular flowers and is a parent to O. x burkwoodii, a bi-generic cross between O. delavayi and Phillyrea vilmoriana and reaches about the same size or a bit bigger, with larger leaves.

The spring-bloomers are nice enough, but the it’s the surprise of the fall-flowering sweet olives that really does it for me. Visit them in the next week at the Lan Su Garden and imagine having that fragrance and beauty in your own garden!

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plant sale

Bovees Nursery

one of Portland’s great horticultural treasures

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Oct 31, 2011 at 12:38PM Speech Bubble 2 Comments

I don’t know if they still carry it but I bought one of these – the very unusual Rhododendron auriculatum – at the Bovees years ago. It’s a treasure: big, blue-green leaves; lavender-pink new growth; and best of all, huge, lily-scented white flowers with a green throat in July and August!

It’s a great time to shop for plants – seems like nearly every plant nursery in the area’s having a fantastic sale.

Included in the roster is the venerable yet barely-known Bovees Nursery. This is definitely an “Old Portland” nursery, run by a trio of avid plant collectors who bought the property from the original owners (not coincidentally, the Bovees) who founded it in the 1950s.

The Bovees Nursery specializes in rare and unusual plants (see plant list here.) Some of the best plants in my garden have come from the Bovees over the 20 years I’ve been visiting, and the mostly shady display gardens are a joy to wander through. If you have a shady area in your own garden, you owe it to yourself to make a pilgrimage, for inspiration and planting ideas. Autumn is a peaceful time to visit, with the foliage turning on some of the deciduous azaleas and understory plants.

The current owners are slowing down due to age, but definitely not quitting, they say. However, they are paring down their plant list to focus on the exotic tropical Vireya rhododendrons they so love. So get over there soon to buy some of those rare non-Vireya plants before they are all gone!

It’s quite magical to wander through the Vireya greenhouses and see and admire these candy-colored, tropical rhododendron species flowering in little pots. But if indoor or greenhouse tropicals aren’t your thing, worry not: the nursery has a bounty of treasures for the outdoor landscape, such as more uncommon rhododendron, camellia, lilac and conifer species, shrubs like unusual Vaccinium and Zenobia, rare trees like Lindera obtusiloba, and herbaceous plants that can be hard to find elsewhere including several species of Soldanella (adorable little purple fringed alpiney-woodlandy plants) and the funny little Chirita (a Gloxinia relative).

BOVEES NURSERY FALL SALE
The sale runs from Halloween to Christmas, 2011.
Almost everything on sale at 30% off, except perennials and species Vireya rhododendrons. Included in the sale are dwarf shrubs, shrubs, ferns, trees, conifers, rhododendrons, azaleas and Vireya hybrid rhododendrons. (Mail order customers: only certain items are for sale.)

The nursery is open 9 am to 5 pm daily except for Sundays, when it’s after 12 noon.

The Bovees Nursery
1737 SW Coronado, Portland, Or 97219
1-866-652-3219

Directions:

The nursery is located between SW Lancaster and Arnold Roads., off of SW 16th Drive, just north of Lake Oswego off of Boones Ferry. For more detailed directions, call 503-244-9341

From I-5 South:
Take Terwilliger exit #297 and cross over the freeway bridge eastbound. Continue through the Burlingame district and take the RIGHT FORK (onto Boones Ferry) in the road when it branches at a stop light. At the bottom of the hill turn RIGHT onto Arnold and go up to 16th. Turn left and go two blocks.

From I-5 North: Take lake Oswego/Durham Exit and follow Boones Ferry north through Lakegrove and continue on Boones Ferry to Stephenson St. and turn left. Watch for our signs and turn right on Lancaster and then right on 16th.

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plant sale

Sale at Ferguson’s Fragrant Nursery

60% off any one item

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Oct 28, 2011 at 08:00AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Ferguson’s Fragrant Nursery is a gem amongst retail nurseries in our area, nestled amidst agricultural fields out in St. Paul, approximately 30-40 minutes from downtown Portland. The nursery specializes in colorful seasonal containers and baskets but also carries a range of flowering annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines and trees, including the occasional large specimen of something unusual.

Through the end of October (Monday is the 31st), Ferguson’s is holding their Buyer’s Choice sale: 60% off any one item at the nursery. And with trees and shrubs in stock, as well as pre-planted winter containers, that could amount to a great deal.

Plus, October’s a particularly lovely time of the year for a jaunt into the Willamette Valley. Lots of winery tasting rooms are open on weekends, and late October is a fine time to gad about the area, well ahead of the crowds that descend upon the wineries for Thanksgiving weekend. With the fall color finally kicking in, you couldn’t ask for a more perfect time for little road trip.

Ferguson’s Fragrant Nursery
21763 French Prairie Rd NE, St Paul OR 97137
503-633-4585

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Halloween Costumes for Plant People

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Oct 27, 2011 at 09:10AM Speech Bubble 7 Comments

A Chinese shop merchant’s idea of a “sexy gardener” – part naughty librarian and part Saint Pauli Girl! From Ali Baba costume supplier. (I know nothing about this supplier and neither do or do not endorse this product or vendor.)

I was contemplating Halloween costume ideas and suddenly, the thought of some kind of garden-related costume crossed my mind. What would be clever and campy and suitable for a party full of horticultural revelers – but not so ironic as to be tiresome?

Of course I started perusing on line garden-related Halloween costume ideas and soon discovered someone had actually had the same thought as me – and marketed it. There are several sites: here, a “sexy gardener” costume, complete with vixeny apron and watering can; here, the garden ho (or hoe, for family-oriented readers).

But the sexy version of everything has been done before. And besides, who wants to dress your child up as a garden ho? No-one! (Right?) So if you’re looking for fodder for your gardeny Halloween costume, here are some ideas to start you off:

- Insects. There are so many insects out there that could be replicated with a little tin foil, body paint and gossamer wings. Spiders are pretty common but bees are so hip right now – how about a native bumble bee or that marvelous pollinator, the orchard mason bee? Or a “beneficial insect” like a ladybug, hoverfly or praying mantis? Guys, you’ll melt a gardener-girl’s heart in a bee costume, I guarantee it. If you want to strike fear in a gardener’s heart, you could dress up as the dreaded root weevil. Going to a winery party? Dress up as a glassy-winged sharp-shooter or Phylloxera, two insects that destroy wine grape plants. You’ll be the life of the party!

- Garden Tools. You want to deconstruct the idea of a “garden ho”? Dress up as a “garden hoe” instead! Okay, it’s a dorky idea but it could be a scintillating conversation-starter. C’mon, who isn’t sick of all those obvious, cheap, supposedly sexy costumes? Where has all the creativity gone? You might need to be skinny, but you could wear a nice sharp, silver headdress and just stand there having people bring you drinks all night while you lean up against a shed.

- Lady Chatterly’s Lover. Are you a guy that wishes he could be a garden ho? If you have a Derbyshire dialect down, you’re home free! Dress up in a rustic pair of worn khakis, a work shirt (unbuttoned a little too far), and maybe a tweedy 1920s cap. Want to be gardeny but not too male-ho-y? Don a slightly provocative leather holster for your tools. Now, quick, read the book for more details – Halloween’s just a few days away!

- Heirloom Vegetables. You could be something simple like an organic spaghetti squash. (Can make an organic sticker for self.) Or, if you have papier mache, you could whip up a costume in the shape of a ruffled heirloom tomato like Costoluto de Genovese. Kids always look super-cute dressed up in a pea-pod outfit. But what about a purple potato? Or local favorites, kale or cabbage? And here’s a good challenge: okra!

toddler’s garden gnome costume spotted on ebay

- Garden Nymph, Fairy, Sprite or Gnome. These are just adorable, no matter whether it’s a child or grown-up in costume. Who wouldn’t want to be a little sprite? The costume possibilities are endless! A quick google results in lots of great images to play with. You can affix fresh flowers and foliage all over yourself. For inspiration, check out these flower shoes on florist Françoise Weeks’ website.

- Be a Plant. Dress up as a simple giant sunflower (maybe you’ll meet a nice pollinating insect at the party!) or maybe an orchid, many of which require acrobatics on the part of prospective pollinators! Or, if you’re feeling a bit plant-nerdy, a Trachelospermum asiaticum (wind the vines and tendrils all around yourself, over a body stocking!) or our native coastal pine, Pinus contorta, which has a very fine form. People will ask you, “So, what are you?” and you will be able to reply…

Oh, it’s silly, never mind!
Have fun.

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favorite plants

Cold-Hardy Yuccas for Portland Gardens

Bold, swanky… and just a little dangerous! There’s a yucca for every situation

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Oct 26, 2011 at 09:24AM Speech Bubble 7 Comments

Yucca rostrata at the Denver Botanic Garden, March 2011

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Succulents are hot-hot-hot – but not all of them can take the cold.

Yuccas are just one of many kinds of succulents, but among their ranks are some of the hardiest and most handsome succulents that can grow in Portland gardens. In fact, there are some sixty species and subspecies, plus dozens of cultivars, that happily thrive in our climate – and most of them also flourish in climates even colder than ours. While most yuccas are native to the southwestern US and northern Mexico or central America, some (Yucca glauca) are native as far north as the southern Canadian provinces and there are species that thrive in New England and cold central and eastern states of the US.

Yuccas are members of the agave family – itself a lily relative – which explains why their flowers are so darn attractive and sometimes even fragrant. The plants are deer-resistant and the flowers are hummingbird-attracting. Most are drought-tolerant, thriving in situations where little to no water is needed (although they can grow faster with occasional water). They are visually striking, with bold rosettes of lance-shaped leaves. Some even develop statuesque trunks – the kinds of trunks you associate with plants of the desert Southwest. Yuccas make fantastic container plants but trunked yuccas are some of the most fabulous of all, with the combination of those attractive trunks topped with spectacular globes of spiny green or shimmering blue-green leaves. There are even yuccas that tolerate light shade. Yuccas range in size from less than a foot tall and wide to well over ten feet tall over time.

So which ones can survive our cold, wet winters, and which will simply turn up their little spears and melt at the first hint of brutal East wind? Peruse this list for a selection of cold-hardy yuccas – many trunking types – for our area; then look them up via the links below to see which forms require extra-good drainage, which tolerate a bit of shade and which, you know, tickle your fancy.

The source of the original plant material can make a big difference in hardiness with yuccas, as with any plant. The nurseries listed below seek to supply the most cold-hardy plant material available of each species.

Like yuccas that look like porcupine lollipops? I do. Here are some of my favorites – but there are many more available – some just recently named or available in cultivation. Some of these species form a single, upright trunk; others tend to form multiple trunks. Most grow s l o w l y so if you want to see some trunk, start with the biggest plant you can get. Or, just be patient. And if you’re worried about cold hardiness, note that most of these plants grow merrily at the Denver (yes, Denver Colorado) Botanical Garden. (The yucca-rama slideshow is from a trip I took to the Denver Botanic Garden this spring.)

Yucca aloifolia (zone 7) 5-15’ tall
Yucca baccata (zone 5) 8’ tall
Yucca elata (zone 6) – 6-10’ tall
Yucca brevifolia Joshua Tree! – (zone 6) 8-20’ + tall
Yucca faxoniana (zone 5) 8-18’ tall x 5-8’ wide
Yucca gloriosa (zone 7) 4’ tall or so
Yucca linearifolia (zone 7) 4-8’ tall
Yucca recurvifolia (zone 7) 4’ tall x 6’ wide
Yucca rigida (zone 7b) 12’ tall
Yucca rostrata (zone 5) 4’ tall
Yucca rostrata ‘Sapphire Skies’ (zone 5) 4’ tall – Portland’s own Sean Hogan selection of Y. rostrata
Yucca schotti (zone 7 or colder) 6-15’ tall
Yucca thompsoniana (zone 5) 6-8’ tall x 4-6’ wide
Yucca treculeana (zone 7) 15’ tall x 8’ wide

Who would have guessed there were so many? And this is just a snippet of what’s out there… in another post, I’ll show off some of the dishiest variegated and dwarf yuccas I’ve seen, which make such wonderful container subjects, particularly in winter.

…and now, a word of caution: yuccas (as well as agaves, hardy cactus and other succulents, can really hurt you if you get poked in the wrong place (I’m particularly thinking of the eyes, since they’re vulnerable, but there are several other wrong places I can think of). Plant them with care.

Sources for unusual yuccas:
Cistus Design Nursery
The Desert Northwest
Rare Plant Research (call directly for availability)
Yucca Do Nursery
Plant Delights Nursery

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weekend project

Garlic-Planting Season

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Oct 21, 2011 at 04:40PM Speech Bubble 1 Comments

Softneck garlic, braided in July. Save the biggest, fattest heads to replant in the fall.

Late October to early November is the time to plant garlic in our region. Fall planting ensures strong root development before the first freeze, which helps plants grow more quickly the following spring.

There are two main types of garlic: hardneck and softneck.

Hardneck garlics have large, easily peeled cloves with bolder flavor, and tasty, edible scapes (the curlicue flower stems that appear in farmers markets come June). Milder softneck garlics store well – most commercial garlic is softneck, due to its better storage capacity. Softneck is also the kind to grow if you wish to braid the tops to hang in your kitchen, near at hand.

Both types need little more than rich soil, good drainage, consistent water, and a sunny spot in the garden.

Don’t plant cloves bought at the grocery store—some commercial producers spray bulbs with growth suppressant to discourage green sprouts. Buy heads at your favorite local nursery or farmers market, where you can choose from dozens of culinary varieties, such as Early Italian Red, Spanish Rojo, or Thai Purple. Break cloves apart just before planting; place the larger cloves three to four inches apart with tips up; cover with one to two inches of soil; and water. Plant the large cloves and just eat any that are small – the larger the clove you plant, the larger the resulting head of garlic that grows from it. So just plant the big fat ones, and then set aside the best of the bunch to replant next year. Over time, you’ll be selecting for size and vigor in our own garden conditions.

Garlic is usually ready to harvest from late June to mid-July, depending on variety.

Sources:

Hood River Organic Seed Garlic – this website has a fantastic calendar and all variety of tips and resources for growing, cultivating and harvesting garlic.

Naomi’s Organic Farm Supply is a great source for a huge selection of garlic varieties. Visit their mobile shop at People’s Food Co-op on Wednesdays from 2-7 pm (3029 SE 21st, between Powell and Clinton) or email or call for information on their drop-sites around Portland and southwestern Washington.

Urban Farm Store at 2100 SE Belmont has a good selection of varieties.

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weekend garden project

Coming In From the Cold

how to overwinter tender plants indoors

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Oct 14, 2011 at 05:55PM Speech Bubble 2 Comments

This scruffy collection will come inside with me this winter, once it’s all cleaned up.

In the Portland area, the first frosts usually arrive towards the end of October or early November. So now’s the time to take a close look at any houseplants you put outside for summer vacation, or tender outdoor container plants you bought this spring or summer that you might like to keep for next year. You’ll now want to clean them up and get them ready to spend winter indoors.

Are you ready? Here’s what to do:

Select the plants you want to save.You’ll have the best luck if you start with healthy plants, as moving and transplanting can be stressful on a plant.

Once you’ve selected the plants you want to save, check for insects. Wash off any you find with a stream of water under a tap or with a hose. Use your fingers to rub insects off under a stream of water, giving special attention to new growth, where aphids often live. If there’s an infestation, drench the plant with Safers soap a few times for a week before bringing it indoors. Also remove dead foliage to discourage disease and insects, and prune back any lanky growth. While you’re at it, give plants one last drench of water to flush out any fertilizer salts from the roots and make sure the entire root ball is damp. And be sure to wash off the sides of any pots, not only because it’s a pain to do it inside but also because there could be insect eggs attached. Naturally, it’s best to do this messy stuff outdoors, before bringing the plants inside.

If you’re bringing your plants into a heated part of the house, you might set them on a tray of pebbles with water in it. The pebbles keep the pots out of contact with the water but as the water underneath evaporates, it humidifies the air around the plants. You can also use a little squirty mist bottle, if you enjoy that sort of thing.

Once you’ve settled the plants into their new home – whether it’s in the main part of the house or an out-of-the-way area – check plants weekly for moisture and insects. Most plants should be allowed to dry out a little between watering. Clean off any dead foliage as the winter progresses, as it can harbor insects. And expect a few insects: it’s almost inevitable. Catch them early and they won’t proliferate!

Come April or May, ease your plants back to life by gradually increasing watering and light. By late March/early April, you can begin to apply quarter or half strength fertilizer. You can bring them outdoors again around May or early June, when temperatures are consistently warm.

Here are some plants that are best brought indoors at this time of year:

Houseplants
Examples: Orchids, indoor ferns, Clivia, succulents and cacti like Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus, etc.

Most houseplants are happier when given a “summer vacation” outside in the natural environment. Outdoors, they can put on great spurts of bushy, healthy growth in summer that can help sustain them through our long, gray winters by the windowsill. But while Cymbidium orchids and Christmas cactus need a little chill to set flowers, most houseplants are tender tropicals, and must come indoors before frost.

Tender succulents and cacti
Examples: more tender succulents like Echeveria, Cotyledon, and Senecio

We’ve all done it: splurged on some gorgeous succulents in spring and summer, only to realize that the tag says “hardy to 20 or 30F”. If you love that gorgeous, ruffly-leafed Echeveria and don’t want to watch it turn to mush, bring it in in the next couple of weeks.

Most succulents need maximum light in winter. If you don’t have a big, bright window, consider setting up grow-lights. Most succulents overwinter well in warm household conditions.

Seasonal flowers including annuals, tender perennials and “tropicals”
Examples: zonal and scented geraniums, begonias, Abutilon, Fuchsia, Cuphea, tender Salvia (like S. leucantha and S. elegans) as well as tender “tropicals” like Meyers lemon or blood orange, tender bananas or cannas, and bougainvillea

These plants overwinter best in a cool, bright area like an unheated mudroom or vestibule, sun porch, or even a drafty windowsill. If given enough light, they will even flower throughout the winter.

If you don’t have enough window space and you just want them to survive so you can replant them next year, stash them in a cool but not freezing part of the basement or garage near a window where their scruffy appearance won’t bother you. If they’re in unwieldy pots, dig them out with a good chunk of root ball and either repot them in smaller pots or just heel them in, all squished together, in trays or buckets of potting soil that you can easily lift and move. They don’t need to be pretty over the winter: their roots just need to receive occasional water – just enough to survive in a dormant state over the winter. Even if the tops die down and the leaves drop, the roots usually stay alive.

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horticultural education

Weather for Gardeners

the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon offers a class on understanding our climate from a gardener’s perspective

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Oct 13, 2011 at 03:23PM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Paul Bonine photo courtesy of Timber Press

Weather is notoriously difficult to predict. We all talk about the weather endlessly but those of us who like to push the boundaries of hardiness in our gardens have a certain investment in knowing a little more about the art and science of weather prediction. It can mean the difference between losing precious, newly-planted plants or gaining bragging rights in spring as said plants sail through the frost and flower magnificently, to the amazement of friends and family…

Portland is fortunate enough to have a serious weather nerd, Paul Bonine (co-owner of wholesaler Xera Plants and author of Timber Press’s Black Plants) to illuminate some of the stickier aspects of weather for us, including what hardiness zones really are, how to make the best use of our gardens’ microclimates, the best ways to prepare for extremes of heat and cold, and how climate change may affect future weather and our gardens.

WHAT: 2011 Garden School: The Ways of the Weather in the Garden class taught by Paul Bonine
WHEN: Tuesday Oct 18th, 7pm
WHERE: Multnomah Arts Center
COST: $10 – preregistration is recommended. Go here to do that.

There will be a small Xera plant sale before and after the program.

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plant of the week

Naked Boys

Colchicum species light up the fall garden with sparkly purple or white flowers that look dazzling against autumn leaves

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Oct 11, 2011 at 12:42PM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

The exquisite double Colchicum ‘Waterlily’ with Cyclamen hederifolium in background

Better known as “autumn crocus,” Colchicum flowers appear on leafless stems in autumn, usually starting around late August or early September. They are known in some parts of England as naked boys, which sounds naughty in a nice English way, doesn’t it?

So what’s the reason for this epithet? Colchicum are dubbed “naked boys” because their blooms appear on “naked” (leafless) stems. Once the flowers are finished in late autumn, the leaves emerge and then just sit there as tiny green nubbins through the winter. By mid-spring, the little leaf nubbins rise up into giant green, coarse, dark green leaves nearly a foot tall that sit there photosynthesizing like mad for a month or two, until they flop over and squash everything around them. Then they turn brown and shrivel up. While this may not sound so attractive, the autumn show is so worth it! Just remember to position any delicate little plants about a foot away from the Colchicum bulbs. Or plant your Colchicum amidst a tough ground cover like Ajuga, Acaena, mosses or in a place where there is nothing else growing. The flowers are truly sparkling in the slanted rays of autumn, with the leaves dropping off the trees all around them. And they look striking emerging from bare, brown earth.

Interestingly, Colchicum disappear completely in summer between about mid-June and some time in August, when the flowers reappear. And you can barely see them over the winter, when their leaves are just sitting, barely emerged and waiting to shoot up in spring.

Colchicum bulbs are usually for sale in late summer, while still dormant. They often start to flower while still in the boxes but at some point, they are often potted up and can be purchased that way too.

If deer or rodents are an issue in your garden, you’ll be glad to know that Colchicum are pest-proof plants. In fact, they are quite poisonous (like hellebores, Aconitum, peonies, and many other common garden plants) and deer don’t touch them.

Although their bulbs are often very deeply buried in the wild,Colchicum are best planted with the tops of the bulbs just below the ground level in the garden. They prefer rich, moist, reasonably well-drained soil and are very well adapted to our winter-wet, summer-dry climate. They don’t need supplemental summer water, since they are naturally dormant during our dry summer season. I have several clumps in my parking strip, planted under a tree, and they always offer a pleasant surprise then they emerge, as I seem to forget they’re there every summer.

The commonly-seen species Colchicum speciosum and Colchicum autumnale are both lovely, with lavender purple flowers and a delicate little goblet-like flower. But there are some especially lovely cultivated forms available:

1. Colchicum ‘Waterlily’ – a double-flowered lilac purple variety reaching 4-6 inches tall. It’s quite vigorous and will increase in size year after year when happy.
2. Colchicum speciosum ‘Album’ – huge, white, goblet-shaped flowers rise about 6 inches above the ground.
3. Colchicum autumnale ‘Alboplenum’ – this expensive treasure combines the white color with a double form. It is simply spectacular!
4. Colchicum ‘Giant’ – huge, pinkish-lavender flowers with a white throat

Sources:

Odessey Bulbs
Cistus Design Nursery
Dancing Oaks Nursery

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things to do

Chinese Orchids

learn about the cultural history and care of Chinese orchids at the Lan Su Garden this Sunday

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Oct 06, 2011 at 08:59AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

photo courtesy of Lan Su Garden

The Oregon Orchid Society is putting on a day of classes and lectures at the Lan Su Garden focusing specifically on Chinese orchids.

One translation of the name “Lan Su” is “garden of awakening orchids”. Orchids are symbolically important in Chinese culture, and specifically for our own classical Chinese garden, Lan Su. But best of all, they are fascinating and sometimes surprisingly cold-hardy plants with intricately patterned flowers and some of the most unique and subtle coloration of all orchids. There will also be a wide array of exquisite Chinese species on display at the show.

WHAT: Oregon Orchid Society Chinese Orchid Show
WHEN: Sunday October 9 from 11 am to 4 pm
WHERE: Lan Su Garden
COST: Lan Su Garden admission
$8.50 Adults
$7.50 Seniors (age 62 & over)
$6.50 Students (age 6-18 and college students with I.D.)
Children five and under are free

Schedule of Events

11:00 a.m. – Orchid Potting Demonstration
12:00 p.m. – Orchid Lecture: “Growing Orchids in Your Home”
1:00 p.m. – Orchid Potting Demonstration
2:00 p.m. – Orchid Lecture: “Orchids and Their Relation to Chinese Culture and History”
3:00 p.m. – Orchid Potting Demonstration

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weekend garden project

Between the Sheets

create a luxurious garden bed with sheet mulching

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Oct 03, 2011 at 05:00PM Speech Bubble 8 Comments

This lush garden was sheet mulched this past winter and planted in April and May.

Sheet mulching – also known in Permaculture as “composting in place” – is one of the best ways to create a new garden by eradicating weeds and building soil fertility without herbicides or tilling, both of which damage soil ecology. At its simplest, it’s a two-step process in which a layer of cardboard or up to a half inch of newspaper is laid over grass or weeds, and then the whole shebang is covered with about 12 inches of organic compost or mulch and given time to break down.

Autumn is the perfect time to begin, as you can set it up and forget about it for six months, while the rains keep it damp, smother the weeds below the paper, and aid in the decomposition of the compost on top. October is also perfect because the ground is not as saturated as it will be in December of January. You still need to be careful about walking on it and compacting it, but you’re less likely to damage garden soil by walking on it at this time of the year than in winter, when it’s completely soaked.

Sheet mulching is sometimes called the “lazy person’s” way to create a garden bed. And it’s true – it’s easy, when all you do is spread newspaper and throw compost on top. And when your soil is basically decent, and you’re just planting vegetables, that can often work fine. But with a little elbow grease at the front end, you can speed up the soil improvement process and customize your soil for the particular plants you plan to grow.

For seasonal vegetables and flowers, the simple two-step method is fine. Decide on the outline you want (use a garden hose to outline a curvy garden shape, or – if you want to be symmetrical – measure with a stake and string to create a square, circle or oval). First, water the ground well. Then, cover the grass or ground with cardboard or up to 1/2 an inch of newspaper, making sure to overlap the edges to avoid gaps. On top of the cardboard or paper, spread about 12 inches of organic matter. See Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway for an abundance of ideas for materials, soil amendments and mineral and fertilizers that can be used to enrich the soil during the composting process. This process is quick and easy on the front end, but it can take a few years for the existing soil and the new compost to integrate. And it’s important that the soil not be too compacted when you lay down the paper. If it is, it really is best to rough it up with a spade.

Another approach, used by garden designer, horticulturalist and plant explorer Sean Hogan, owner of Cistus Design Nursery, requires a bit more front-end work but ultimately creates more beautiful soil more quickly. Sean calls it his “modified English double-dig” method:

-First, weed the area, particularly focusing on perennial weeds. Starting at the center of the bed, chunk the soil roughly like a farm field. Every once in a while, toss clods towards the center so the center is a little higher than the edges. When you’re done, you want a slight depression around the edges, and a humpy, hummocky look. Add 3-4 inches of whatever soil amendment you’re using. Chop it in, “lazily,” as he says, to roughly level it. Add another 3-4 inches of your new mix over the top and plant. Sean doesn’t use cardboard or newspaper, as he says these create an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment.

Personally, I mix and match methods, depending on the existing soil conditions and the plants that are going in. For instance, I use 4-8 layers of newspaper when dealing with more pernicious grasses or dandelions (morning glory and blackberry have to be completely removed beforehand – no amount of cardboard will kill them), figuring that it’s okay for it to be anaerobic for the first few months while killing the perennial weeds… but I do always chunk up the ground beneath and chop in about 1/3 of the soil amendment into the chunked-up soil underneath the newspaper/cardboard layer before adding another 4-6 inches on top.

Chunking the soil is important to help blend the two layers, avoiding the problem of plants only rooting into the light, fluffy soil on top – a particularly bad problem in areas of town with a very heavy, compacted soil profile. I’ve often heard it said that “earthworms and soil biota will integrate the two layers” but in my experience, this doesn’t happen fast enough – it’s best to do it by hand in the beginning and then not worry about having to blend the layers later.

So how to choose the compost?

When planting annual vegetables or flowers, I usually use a composted manure compost like washed Tillamook cow manure or mushroom compost.

When planting mixed beds of shrubs and perennials, I pick a soil blend incorporating both manure and wood-based compost.

When planting woodland or forest margin plants (for example, hydrangeas, witch hazels, viburnums, or herbaceous perennials from an understory woodland environment), I look for compost made up primarily of ground wood or bark. It’s okay if there’s manure in it but the woody material is recommended for the trees and shrubs.

Finally, when planting drought-tolerant Mediterranean or California herbs and shrubs like Cistus, Ceanothus, thyme, rosemary, or lavender, or any plants that thrive in poor, well-drained soill, I select a gritty, well-draining soil blend with liberal amounts of pumice added.

Soil and Compost Sources:
Pro-Gro Mixes
McFarlane’s
Mt. Scott Fuel
Grimm’s
Wood Waste Management
Nature’s Needs

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great gardens

Lotusland

a romp around Ganna Walska’s legendary private playground outside Santa Barbara

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Sep 23, 2011 at 12:20PM Speech Bubble 3 Comments

The iconic entry to Lotusland, with Euphorbia ingens Weeping Form

View Slideshow »

Lotusland… the very name conjures up romance and bohemian quirkiness; the place itself oozes charm and fresh delights at every turn.

I’ve wanted to visit Lotusland just outside Santa Barbara since I first read about it some 15 years ago. Back then, you had to make reservations a year in advance. I’ve never been able to plan a trip that far ahead so I pretty much gave up on ever visiting. But in recent years, the neighborhood rules have relaxed concerning visitors. I found out about the change in rules before my trip to LA and was able to make reservations a mere three days ahead of time.

This remarkable garden was created by Madame Ganna Walska (1887-1994).

Born in Poland, Walska became an opera singer and soon “attracted the attention of audiences, critics and gentleman admirers on both sides of the Atlantic.” She married six husbands over the course of her life, wrote an autobiography (“Always Room at the Top”) and studied spiritual teachings in her quest for personal and creative fulfillment. In a word, she is what my mother would affectionately call a “West Coast flake”! She moved to California and, with her sixth and last husband, bought the 37-acre estate in 1941 that would become Lotusland. Before long, the garden began its inexorable pull on her, and she devoted the remainder of her life to creating a magical horticultural wonderland. (See Slideshow, above.)

The garden consists of over 20 distinct areas, including succulent, bromeliad and palm gardens, a topiary garden (so playful and fun!), a vast and stunning cactus garden (over 300 species), a fernery, an olive allee, a Japanese garden, tropical gardens, and more. Walska was a serious plant collector and, at one point, sold personal jewelry in order to purchase plants for her cycad collection. Many, if not most, of the plants throughout Lotusland are labeled with both botanical and common name, so you’re never wondering about what you’re looking at for very long. But the overall sweep of plants and the quaint and charming design is what your eye mainly sees.

Somehow, though, in spite of the labels and the widened pathways, Lotusland still feels like a garden that belonged to someone – not just a display garden or a botanical garden, but an outdoor space that exhibits an individual spirit. It’s not typical for such a large garden – maintained by a team of professional gardeners, and after the owner’s death no less – to feel so personal, but this garden somehow does it.

There are two, two-hour tours per day; currently, these take place at 10 am and 1:30 pm. Call or email the office and make reservations ($35/person for garden admission and the complete garden tour). The address will be provided upon payment.

To make reservations, email reservations at lotusland dot org or call 805-969-9990 Mon to Fri from 9 am to 5 pm and Saturdays between 9 am and 1 pm.

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