Thediggingfork Jul Aug 2008

The Digging Fork A Davis Garden Newsletter July - August 2008 July Planting

Warm season annuals

Perennials

Perennials

Can still plant, but need to keep plants well watered until established

Seeding directly into the garden

Warm season vegetables: These crops are best direct seeded in garden in early July-

snap beans, cucumbers, summer squash and corn Warm season annuals sunflowers, cosmos, celosia, alyssum, marigold, zinnia

Seeding in trays outside or greenhouse, to transplant in fall

Fertilize

August

Warm season annuals

Cool season vegetables: Must shade seedlings!! Brussels Sprouts, rutabaga Perennials and cool season annuals Cool season vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, leeks, lettuce, cauliflower and romanesco Roses after bloom

Cool season vegetables: Strawberries (if you can find them), potatoes (early Aug.), leeks Can still plant, but need to keep plants well watered until established. Cool season vegetables: Must shade seedlings!! broccoli, cabbage, leeks, carrots, cauliflower and romanesco, Florence fennel, kale, lettuce, green onions, parsnips, turnips, Swiss chard

Perennials and cool season annuals

Citrus as needed. Look for nutrient deficiencies – especially iron and nitrogen. Soil sulfur for citrus and acid loving plants (will lower the pH of soil making iron more available to plants. Mix soil sulfur with top 6” of soil and water well)

Pest & Disease Control

Tomato hornworms - pick off Snails, slugs and earwigs damage –use baits or traps Aphids -can spray off with water and watch for ladybeetles.

Tasks

Summer pruning of fruit trees will devigorate plant and help control size. Weed control continues

Water

Same as for July.

Summer pruning pruning apricot trees only in Aug. helps control Eutypa disease

Stake dahlias and other tall plants that need support

Divide and replant bearded iris.

Cut back berries and tie new canes to supports

Weed control continues

Mums, asters, perennial sunflowers, etc. can be cut to about 12” in early July to encourage branching and reduce plant height. This may delay the bloom time. Water deeply and infrequently to encourage deep roots!! Deep water trees and shrubs

Order cool season bulbs and perennial plants for fall planting (see article in The Digging Fork, May 2007 issue) Same as July. Water compost piles!

Early November succulent display

Succulents Although many of us have been growing succulents for years, they seem to be extremely popular right now. They are interesting plants even when not in flower with leaves that can be pinkish, grey, white, red, yellow, etc. Succulents are plants that are able to store water in their swollen, fleshy roots, stems, flowers or leaves making them a good choice for low water gardens. The cactus family, with all plants originating in the Americas, contains about a quarter of the succulents. So, all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. It is not so easy to distinguish a cactus just by looking at it. Most cacti have sharp spines, but many do not. Many non-cactus succulents also have spines, thorns or sharp toothed leaves which make them look like a cactus. Succulents can be planted in pots or in the garden. They require well drained soil and little water. Some will be very happy in the garden with regular watering, however more succulents die from over-watering than anything else. Some are fine in the sun but most like afternoon shade in our climate. These plants also have evolved to require less nutrients. Planting in pots can be challenging in Davis with our long, hot summers, but succulents are a great choice with their low water and nutrient needs. Several types with differing forms, colors and sizes can be grouped in a pot for interest. They also lend themselves to some creative planting in wreaths, wheel barrels, old logs, etc. Cactus and noncactus succulents are best not grouped together as their needs differ. The only negative features of succulents is that they do not tolerate being walked on and sometimes stems easily break off. In the wild, propagation by seed is most common. However gardeners can take advantage of the easy vegetative propagation of succulents. Propagation is easiest when the plants are actively growing. To prevent pathogens from entering, stem and leaf cuttings need to heal for a couple days to several weeks before planting to form a hard calloused layer.

Local classes and workshops

Offsets can often be separated from the mother plant and replanted.

Stem cutting – roots grow at nodes

Master Gardener Educational Workshops Fruit Tree Summer Pruning and Irrigation Saturday, July 12, 9-11 am Woodland Community College Greenhouse Orchard Yolo County Fair Aug. 13-17, Floriculture building and courtyard Booth featuring container gardening Flower pounding Saturday, early afternoon , Composting Friday and Saturday, 10-11am Tomato Festival and Seed Saving Aug. 23 Woodland Farmer’s Market

Mother plant with offsets

Maintenance is easy. Pull off or cut spent flowers and remove withered leaves. Remove the cobwebs with a soft brush. If growing in pots, repot occasionally, adding a thin layer of gravel on top of the soil, if desired, to help with drainage. Some succulents are frost sensitive and may die during a cold winter. Many will change colors as the weather cools with beautiful shades of red, purple or orange. Here are some of the easiest succulents to grow in Davis. Most Aloe have spines on the edges of leaves. The juice in the leaves of the well known Aloe vera is used to treat minor burns. Aeonium, Sempervivum and Echeveria all have wonderful rosettes and can be very showy. Sedum are very easy to grow and propagate. There are many sizes and colors and they are also very frost hardy. Crassula can be frost sensitive and includes the Jade plants that are commonly grown. Dudleya are succulents native to California. The local nurseries have a wonderful selection of succulents!!

Workshops are free 666-8143 http://ceyolo.ucdavis.edu/Gardening_and_Master_Gardening/

Davis Central Park Garden Workshops Tour of the Garden Saturday, July 26 9am Free, more information

http://www.centralparkgardens.org

Gardening Skills Class – Davis Adult School Mondays, September 22 to November 3, 6:30 – 8:30 pm Plus two Garden Visits to reinforce classroom learning: Sunday, September 28, 3-5 pm and Sunday, October 19, 12-4 pm (rain date is Oct. 26) Taught by Patricia Carpenter and Marlene Simon Information www.djusd.k12.ca.us/AdultSchool

Ceanothus California Field Botanists Association Learn to key plants. Saturday, July 12, 9 am to 12 noon Held at UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity Information www.ceanothusfieldbotanist.blogspot.com

City of Davis Worm and Garden Composting Free compost bin by taking Davis Compost Correspondence Class Information

www.davisrecycling.org

(530) 757-5686

~ Garden Intern Needed ~ For a few years now, Patricia has tried to have a paid intern one day a week. The intern learns about plants, garden maintenance, irrigation, propagation, etc. and Patricia gets a bit of help in the garden. Days and hours are flexible. If this sounds interesting to you, send an email to Patricia.

Plant sales and events UCD Arboretum Plant sale Saturday, October 4 Lots of great guided tours and workshops coming up!! For information

752-4880

www.arboretum.ucdavis.edu

Fall Plant Sale and Garden Walk Sunday, September 28, 10-3pm Sale held in Patricia’s garden, 36951 Russell Blvd. Davis Patricia Carpenter and Frances Andrews, propagators Information 753-0607

Collection of succulents in pot

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

[email protected]

Davis Garden Club Tour - Morningsun Herb Farm Sunday, July 27 10:30 am For information 222-3052

www.davisgardenclub.org

Plant Sales at The Gifted Gardener

Saturdays and Sundays: July 19th and 20th , September 9:30 am to 3 pm. 20th and 21st, October 4th and 5th

18th and J Streets, Sacramento. Sales benefit local charities Information [email protected] (916) 923-3745

Friends of the Davis Library Book Sale August 8 (noon-7 pm), 9 (10 am-5 pm), 10 (10 am-3 pm) Often good finds on gardening books! Info. 758-4754

Planted in old boots

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Newly planted log

Plant notes! Here is more information about some plants mentioned in this newsletter.

Shade plants: Asian lace fern Microlepia strigosa Bright, dappled and deep shade. 2-3 ft. tall. Tolerates drier conditions than most ferns.

baby’s tears Soleirolia soleirolii Evergreen mat, perennial. Will die back with sun or hard frost, but regrows. Bright to deep shade.

bergenia, pigsqueak Bergenia Evergreen About 18 in. tall. Pink flowers in winter. Bright, dappled and deep shade. Wonderful with ferns.

bloody dock Rumex sanguineus Dappled to bright shade, some sun. 1-2 ft. tall. Edible sorrel.

calla Zantedeschia aethiopica Perennial rhizome may go dormant in summer with lots of sun or lack of moisture. Flowers white, 2-4 ft. Bright to dappled shade, some sun. cast-iron plant Aspidistra elatior Evergreen perennial, 2-3 ft. tall. Bright to deep shade. The reddish flowers are only 3 inches tall. Chinese foxglove Rehmannia elata Dappled to bright shade. 2 ft. tall. clivia Clivia miniata Perennial from tuberous rhizomes, mostly orange flowers. 2 ft. tall. Dappled, bright and deep shade. dead nettle Lamium maculatum Evergreen groundcover. Bright to dappled shade, some sun. Many wonderful cultivars. flowering maple Abutilon hybrids Woody shrub 3-10 ft. tall. Bright to dappled shade, some sun. Semi-evergreen, almost always in flower. Properly stake newly planted shrubs. Scale can be a problem. hellebore Helleborus Evergreen perennial, blooms late winter. Bright to dappled shade. Unusual flowers last a long time on plant. Helleborus orientalis, Lenten rose does well here. Japanese anemone Anemone x hybrida 2-5 ft. tall, fibrous root. Flowers pink or white, cut back after bloom. Takes awhile to establish plants, then spreads. Bright and dappled shade, some sun. Japanese aucuba Aucuba japonica Evergreen woody shrub 6-10 ft. Direct sun will burn leaves. ‘Variegata’ usually called gold dust plant. Myers asparagus Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myers’ Evergreen, 2 ft. tall. Bright to deep shade. Upright green tufts can be trimmed to ground to replenish. rose campion Lychnis coronaria Perennial, white or magenta flowers, self-sows. 2-3 ft. tall. Gray foliage. Bright to dappled shade or sun. southern sword fern Nephrolepis cordifolia Evergreen, tolerates poor soil, spreads by runners. Bright to dappled shade. spider plant Chlorophytum comosum Common indoor plant can be used as a groundcover or specimen plant. White flowers and variegated foliage lighten up a bright, dappled or deep shade area.

Dead nettle ‘Orchid Frost’

Rose campion

Shade - So Welcome in the Summer In the heat of the summer, a shade garden sounds like a wonderful idea. Getting plants to grow in shade however can be difficult. They grow slower than in sun, if planted under trees they have roots to contend with and water needs vary depending on the amount of shade. There are many types of shade including deep shade, shade with bright light and dappled shade. Knowing the type of shade in your garden will help with plant selection. Shade refers to an area that receives less than 5-6 hours of sun. Plants in shady areas may get a bit of direct sun in the morning or afternoon. Direct sun in the morning is ideal, being that it is not as harsh. Just about any shade plant will be happy in this location. If the direct sun occurs in the late afternoon, this is a more difficult spot. This can be a western exposure where sun is blocked most of the day or a northern exposure with hot afternoon sun for a few hours just in the summer when the sun sets further north. In this location, a sun plant will not thrive with so few hours of sun but the intense afternoon heat may prove fatal to more sensitive shade plants. Flowering maple, Japanese anemone, calla, dead nettle, and rose campion are examples of plants that do well in this tough spot.

Succulents: Aeonium (ay-OH-nee-um) Mediterranean islands and western part of N. Africa. Rosettes, prefer afternoon shade. Will tolerate regular garden Watering, are somewhat frost sensitive. Propagate by stem cuttings Aloe (AL-lo) From drier regions of Africa and Madagascar. Some will grow 30 ft. tall. Well drained soil and low water, but tolerates regular garden watering. Propagate by offsets. Some prefer full sun and others part shade. Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) used for burns. Crassula (KRASS-yuh-lah) From southeastern Africa. May die back in a cold winter. Propagate by stem cuttings. The Jade plant, C. ovata is common in Davis Dudleya (DUD-lee-yuh) Native to California, Arizona and Oregon. They need well drained soil. Echeveria (etch-a-VER-ya) From Mexico to Venezuela. Propagate by planting offsets or leaf cuttings. These benefit from more water, more fertilizer and a richer soil than most succulents. Sempervivum (semm-pur-VEE-vuhm) From the mountains of Europe, Asia and Africa. Winter hardy. S. Tectorum is the common houseleek, often called hen and chicks. Propagate by cuttings and offsets. Flowers are green, white, yellow, pink and red. Prefers afternoon shade. Sedum (SEE-duhm) Stonecrop is from northern temperate regions, parts of Africa and South America. Many colors and forms and among the easiest succulents to grow, cold hardy. Propagate from cuttings. Many sedums benefit from cutting back to new growth after flowering. Flowers white to red, yellow.

Flowering maple

Japanese anemone

Some areas of shade receive both sun and light intermittently throughout the day. These filtered or dappled shade areas occur generally under the open canopy of a tree. Most shade plants thrive with these conditions. Some areas get no sun at all. Bright shade, sometimes called light shade, most often occurs under

Cool season vegetables: Seeds can be sown directly in the garden in the summer for a fall crop. Shade seedlings and keep them well watered until established. Seeds can also be started in trays or pots and the plants will be transplanted into the garden in Sept. and Oct.

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a patio overhang or a high tree canopy. Sun’s rays never penetrate but there is enough light for a lot of plants to grow such as the Asian lace fern, southern sword fern, hellebore, Chinese foxglove, bloody dock, bergenia, and spider plant. Many have unique textures and variegated foliage that we rely on to brighten the shady area, even when there are no flowers. Deep shade can be daunting to a gardener. Usually it is found in an enclosed area such as a porch or under a dense canopy. Very little light penetrates here, but there are plants that will grow with these limited light conditions. The cast-iron plant, Japanese aucuba, baby’s tears, clivia and the Myers asparagus fern are examples.

Stressed trees and shrubs Trees and shrubs need extra water during June when they are really starting to grow and the weather is warming. Just when we were thinking of giving them this extra deep watering we got a very hot spell in early June. Many plants got water stressed with leaf edges browning. They should now be showing new, healthy growth as they start to recover.

Tomatoes Lower yellow leaves on tomatoes are common once the plant has reached a good size and is producing fruit. Plants move nitrogen from the old leaves to the new ones. No need to worry or fertilize. Control tomato hornworms by hand picking at dawn or dusk. Locate dark excrements to determine if hornworms (larvae of the large “sphinx” moth) are the culprit. If numbers are high, be sure to till up the soil before spring planting to kill any over-wintering pupae. Damage (eaten leaves and buds) can be severe even with small numbers of the larvae.

Native bees

Asian lace fern and spider plant

Hopefully you are seeing lots of bees in your garden. The common honey bee is from Europe and is the bee that has been in the news lately with declining populations. Bees that are native to California are very common in the garden and visit many non-native plants as well. The carpenter bee and bumblebee are two that are easy to identify.

Bloody dock

Another shade dilemma is areas of winter sun but summer shade found under deciduous trees. Spring blooming bulbs are ideal for these areas. They bloom in winter and spring requiring a good amount of sun. Don’t be afraid of shade. Create a cool, shady spot to enjoy during the hot summer.

European honeybee

Bumblebee with pollen on hind leg

Carpenter bee (US Forest Service photo)

Spiders July is spider month in the garden. Watch for some incredible webs and interesting spiders. Sometimes they build the web across a path, attached to two tall plants. Patricia always walks carefully and carries a big stick to avoid a web and big spider in her face.

Cocoa mulch is toxic to dogs Chinese foxglove

Cocoa Mulch, available at many garden stores, contains an ingredient called 'Theobromine' that is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and can be really tempting to dogs. Not all dogs will eat it and for those that do, not all will die.

Japanese aucuba ‘Variegata’

More gardening tips

Newsletter created by: Marlene Simon -- UCD graduate in Horticulture Patricia Carpenter -- Gardening Coach (Design and Education), with 35 years of Davis gardening experience.

Earwigs eat flowers Many flowers are munched by earwigs which hide in petals. Dahlia, marigolds, zinnia, etc. benefit from an application of Sluggo Plus® or try some rolled up wet newspaper around your plants. In the morning, discard the roll with the earwigs. A shallow container filled with water and vegetable oil (fish oil is even better) will also attract them.

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