My Little Piece of Marin

Potted starfruit in the winter

2012-01-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

Most of my potted tropical fruit trees struggle in the winter. Cool temperatures, lack of light and low humidity cause them to loose leaves and look sad. The one exception is the starfruit. No wonder there are so many people in non-tropical climates growing starfruit in a pot. This Kari starfruit is starting to grow quickly. You can appreciate lots of greenish/brown new growth near the tips of branches. Also, most of the larger leaves near the top right-hand side of the picture also represent new growth since being brought inside.

Starfruit have issues with spider mites indoors, however these have been kept at bay with a bi-weekly spray of potassium salts of fatty acids. The key is to completely drench all sides of the leaves. So far it is working like a charm. It will be great to see if this tree will fruit this coming summer.

Out with the old and in with the new: winter plantings

2012-01-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been focusing my efforts on replacing fruit trees that have not worked with new varietals. Gardening is trial and error. One has to be willing to except failures and be willing to go in a new direction. Below is a short list of the fruits I am replacing this year. While these new trees are just a bunch of sticks right now, we are only about a month away from the explosion of flowers and new leaves that comes with spring.

Frost peach (replaces Heavenly White nectarine)
All of my nectarines were incredibly susceptible to brown rot, thus I have decided to get rid of them. Allegedly peaches are less prone to this disease. Frost peach is a very flavorful peach that is also very resistant to peach leaf curl.

El Dorado Miniature Peach (replaces Necta-Zee Mini Nectarine)
The miniature nectarine was an incredibly attractive tree, but suffered the same brown rot issues as my other nectarine.

Parfianka pomegranate (replaces garnet sash pomegranate)
Parfianka is one of the most flavorful of all pomegranates available in the US. It has won several taste tests. There was a misconception that garnet sash and parfianka were synomonous, however this couldn't be further from the truth. The arils of garnet sash were white or a light rose color and their flavor was somewhat insipid. The fruit of garnet sash was also very susceptible to sunburn and the leaves developed quite a bit of yellowing late the season.

Fig (replaces Comice pear)
With my Warren pear now producing absolutely delicious fruit, my desire to have a second pear tree has been less strong. The Comice seemed very disease prone and suffered from Pear Mite Blister disease. My two boys absolutely love figs, so I decide to round out the fruit selection with a fig tree. This is a cutting taken from a variety from my father-in-law's garden. We are not sure of the variety, but the honey-flavored figs are absolutely delicious. The cutting was taken 3 months ago and is just now starting to put out new leaves.

Weeping santa rosa plum
This is an addition; it doesn't replace anything. The garden lacked a plum until now, and I thought it would round out the fruit selection nicely. The weeping santa rosa plum is both attractive in its form and one of the most flavorful of plums according to the Dave Wilson taste tests.

Medlar
This also is an addition, and does not replace a fruit tree but instead was planted in favor of a Magnolia. Medlars are ancient trees that were evidently popular in medieval England. They are attractive trees that almost tropical in appearance with large green leaves. The fruit ripens in the winter after being exposed to frosts. It tastes like spiced, apple cinnamon goo.

Fava beans as cover crops

2012-01-28T15:14:00.000-08:00

I decided this year to plant a cover crop. The wikipedia definition of cover crop is as follows: "Cover crops are crops planted primarily to manage soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife."

It really seemed like a no-brainer. Plant something in the fall and watch it grow with essentially no care. Its deep, nitrogen-fixing roots would improve the soil at the same time yielding something to harvest in the spring-time. Fava beans seemed like the perfect choice. I have mainly planted them in the same location as the tomatoes, my summer-time annual harvest. So far they are approximately 6 inches high, but I am sure they will take off in the spring when the soils begin to warm.

The affect of 25 degrees on subtropicals

2012-01-24T17:58:00.000-08:00

Northern California as a fruit growing region represents a good balance between heat and cold. It is cool enough that apples, cherries, plums, peaches, etc which require cold temperatures during their dormant period do well. At the same time, it is warm enough that one can grow subtropicals such as citrus.

It does get cold here, however. Frosts are very common in the winter with temperatures commonly between 30-32 degrees. Temperatures of 27-29 degrees are less frequent but not rare. Temperatures between 25-26 degrees seems to occur once or twice a season and even lower temperatures occur only once every several years.

So, it is fairly reasonable to accept 25 degrees as the lower end of the temperature range for a normal year. We had a short episode of 25 degree temperatures last week and here is the affect.

Passionfruit, Frederick: This "tropical" fruit vine is shockingly cold hardy! While there is damage to the new growth and some of the old growth, most of the leaves look very healthy. There is even a bit of new growth pushing out at the left/center and upper portion of the picture. This vine has faired just as well as my citrus.

Citrus: These have a wide range of sensitivity to the cold. My variegated eureka lemon (1st picture) looks terrible, while on the other hand the Kishu mandarin (2nd picture) looks unfazed. Keep in mind, the maturity of the citrus has a significant effect on its cold tolerance. By the end of the winter new plantings or small trees always have more damaged and dropped leaves than the larger, established trees regardless of the type of citrus. Trees with a larger and more established root system have a superior ability to supply and maintain leaf health. My kishu looked terrible at the end of last winter, but is doing much better this year.

White sapote: The suebelle white sapote has seen better days. This is also likely due to its young age and the fact that it was planted in the ground only last year. White sapote is supposed to have a cold tolerance similar to citrus. Hopefully, it will grow quickly this summer and show better cold tolerance next winter.

Joey, avocado: This cold hardy avocado had looked so great this winter until the latest freeze. It allegedly is hardy into the low teens. The 25 degree weather caused some damage to the new growth, but otherwise the rest of the plant looks untouched.

Winter action in the garden

2012-01-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

It is nice to see something happening in the garden in the midst of winter. While most other plants are dormant, the Big Jim Loquat is growing and flowering. Notice the lighter green colored leaves towards the top of the plant. That is all new growth since the fall.

Ants and bees were busy collecting nectar from the flowers on this warm and sunny day. The flowers are not particularly attractive, but they are one of the few plants that flowers in the middle of the winter.

I am a bit doubtful that it will fruit this year, but Loquats are a no-brainer for our climate. They are evergreen, very tropical looking and completely pest free.

In a search of the freeze hardy avocado

2011-12-26T13:31:00.000-08:00

Northern California is a marginal climate for growing avocados. When temperatures drop below freezing, avocados are extremely unhappy. Lately, however, there seems to be a burgeoning interest in California, Florida and Texas in discovering very cold hardy cultivars that can withstand temperatures between 10-20°F. The characterization of these cultivars is in its infancy, so the home gardener is faced with the prospect of a lot of trial and error when testing these in his/her own backyard. Cultivars such as Fantastic, Joey, Brazos Belle, Lila, Wilma, Opal and Poncho seem to originate mainly from Texas. It is unclear how they would perform in California, particularly in terms of fruit quality. There are also some very new cultivars originating from cool California sites such as Santa Cruz. Here is my own personal test of a small selection of the cold hardy avocados. It has been consistently cold this winter with lows so far around 27-28°F.

Joey: The cold hardy winner so far this year is Joey. It has been completely untouched by the cold. Even the new growth is flawless in appearance.

Fantastic: This cultivar is supposedly the most cold hardy of all avocados. The one I purchased is almost completely fried. Every leaf on the tree is dead. The wood still appears unaffected by the cold. I expect this is not actually Fantastic, even though it was sold as such, given such a discrepancy between the described and actual cold hardiness.

Mexicola grande: Until recently this variety was the only show in town in terms of cold hardy avocados, although the new varieties seem to take cold hardiness to another level entirely. I have been disappointed with Mexicola grande, it seems to suffer major leaf damage at around 28°F even though it is allegedly cold hardy to around 22°F. I think this is going to be pulled in favor of other, more cold hardy varieties.

Miho satsuma

2011-12-15T13:03:00.000-08:00

This is a relatively rare and hard to find variety of satsuma that seems to be primarily available in Texas. I was lucky enough to find one in California a few years ago. Miho differs from Owari (a very common cultivar) in that it ripens earlier, and has bigger and sweeter fruit. In Texas, it ripens around Thanksgiving, although this seems to be much later in California.

The Miho fruits have put on a lot of color these past few weeks. I tasted one last weekend and it was still quite tart, so there are probably 2-3 more weeks until it ripens. Mandarins seem to improve in flavor after being picked and kept at room temperature for a week or so. Also, the quality of fruit is highly dependent upon the age of the tree. Many people have removed young trees because of the disappointing flavor of the fruit, unaware that the quality will significantly improve after 5 or more years of age.

It's freezing outside

2011-12-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

For someone who enjoys tropical plants and fruits temperatures below freezing are scary. That being said, I actually enjoy testing the limits of plants. It is fascinating to see which tropical plants are the most frost tolerant and how subtle differences in location can affect the cold's influence on a plant. This is particularly fascinating when experience flies in the face of established conceptions. For instance, you can't grow passion fruit in northern California...or can you? Some varieties of "tropical" passion fruit are surprisingly frost hardy. Here is a Frederick passion fruit vine that has been untouched by the cold weather. Yes, it does lie right next to the house which, I am sure, helps with the frost. By the way, I purchased the plant this spring when it was about 6 inches tall, so this is one season of growth. Pretty impressive!

Bananas are very susceptible to the frost. After three days of 28-30 degree nights, the banana leaves are toast. I am comforted by the fact that the banana will recover very quickly with growth from the top of the pseudostem once the weather warms again. I am hoping that this California gold banana fruits next summer. Evidently it fruits at about 5 feet high.

It's nice to see some plants still flowering. My 6 year old son picked this plant out at the nursery, so I am not sure what it is. He loves to shop for plants! It continues to flower when very few others show any sign of growth. If anyone knows what it is, be sure to let me know.

Plant of the year: gaura lindheimeri ‘cloud of butterflies’

2011-12-04T23:18:00.000-08:00

This flowering perennial performed wonderfully in the garden this past year. It grew quickly despite being planted in clay. It is extremely healthy and has an attractive burgundy colored new growth that fades to green as it matures. It flowered constantly from late spring to fall. The delicate, two-toned pink flowers add an intense flash of color to any garden theme. Assuming this plant survives the winter (the roots of some plants decay in our wet winters in the clay soil), it is an absolute winner!

Fall colors

2011-11-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

Having grown up on the east coast, the season I miss most is the fall. The cool, crisp air while visiting pumpkin patches and apple orchards is a fond childhood memory. The intense colors of the changing leaves is also missing from Northern California. This year has actually been fairly good for leaf color in the bay area. The cool summer has left many trees devoid of the typical summer leaf burn that so often degrades the quality of the fall leaf colors.

This is evidently a virdis maple trained into an upright form. Its reddish fall colors look particularly vibrant against the waterfall.

These old standard green maples provide a wonderful shaded area in the garden in the summer. Their yellow fall color is always very attractive.

A few flowers are still blooming. I actually am not sure what these yellow flowers are. My 6 year old son picked them out at the nursery this spring, and they have thrived in their location. A bit of a purple verbascum is vying for the attention of the camera.

Eating the Warren pears

2011-11-20T23:37:00.000-08:00

Ripening a home-grown pear takes some work. While on the tree, they go from hard to soft/mealy very quickly. I learned the best way to ripen a home grown pear from Axel on the cloudforest site. For a great treatise on the ripening of fruits off the tree see this link: Perfecting fruit off the trees, a lost art

After the pears are picked off the tree keep them in a refrigerator for one or more months. These Warren pears were picked at the very end of August.

They were in the refrigerator for a little over two months. They emerged from the refrigerator about 2 weeks ago and were left to ripen at room temperature. The end result is that they were absolutely perfect: flavorful, soft and buttery. Ripening fruits off the tree is certainly a lost art.

Citrus season is approaching

2011-11-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

While many fruit producing plants are dormant in the winter, the cold months of the year signal the onset of citrus season. Biting into the tart/sweet flesh of a tree ripened mandarin brings a freshness to the senses that makes the short days and lack of sun seem not so bad. My boys particularly enjoy juicing fresh Cara Cara navel oranges.

This year was excellent for citrus growth, but very poor for fruit production. This sentiment is echoed by many other gardeners in this area. The only of my citrus trees that produced any fruit this year are the meyer lemon and the miho satsuma. Meyer lemons produce fruit essentially all year round.

The miho satsuma usually ripens a week or two after Thanksgiving, however this year it will be late given the cool summer. Despite being a small tree, the miho has over ten fruits on it. It is interesting to hypothesize why it has produced fruit, but the other mandarins have none.

Pushing the seasonal limit of the tropicals

2011-11-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

It has gotten cold in the past few weeks. The temperature has been in the mid-30s to low 40s at night, and on several occasions has been close to freezing. Unless you have a well heated greenhouse or a warm sunroom, the goal of bringing the tropical plants inside in the winter is to simply keep them alive until the warmth of spring and summer returns. For this reason, I try to keep them outside as long as possible. This is particularly advantageous with plants such as starfruit that are extremely susceptible to spider mites and other indoor pests.

Of course, freezing temperatures can be deadly to many tropical plants, so having them outside this late in the season is akin to playing a game of chicken. That being said, the forecast for the next 10 days shows no possible freezing temperatures so the tropicals are still enjoying a bit of late season sun.

My tropical canary (a California Gold banana) is still singing and doesn't show any side of cold damage. It is situated in a very exposed location so any significant damaging frost will be evident. The banana contrasted against a backdrop of a deciduous tree with its changing red and yellow leaves puts this picture in an interesting context.

The plumeria still look particularly lush and tropical, and even demonstrate some persistent infos. The first is Celadine and the second is a dwarf singapore.

Starfruit

2011-10-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

Despite having a very cool summer, the tropicals are doing quite well. They all demonstrate healthy, vibrant colored leaves and have shown lots of healthy growth. One of the easiest tropical trees to grow in a pot is Starfruit. Below is a picture of my 'Kari' starfruit. Kari is a Hawaiian creation and is supposedly one of the most flavorful. Starfruit are incredibly easy to grow in a pot, although they are very susceptible to spider mites when indoors in the winter, so a regular spraying regimen is recommended. After being re-potted in the spring, this plant has shown almost continual growth throughout the summer.

Tough decisions

2011-10-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

The decision to remove a plant is one of the hardest we make as gardeners, but it is necessary. Gardening is trial and error and plants are well adapted to very specific environments. Sometimes a plant is just not well suited to the climate, soil, watering regimen or sun that we provide.

One of my favorite fruits is the nectarine. Their sweet, flavorful, melting flesh is a favorite summer treat. Also, home grown nectarines tend to be far superior to store-bought ones. I have two nectarines: Heavenly White and a miniature named Necta Zee.

Both have been in the ground for about 4 growing seasons, and combined they have yielded about 2 fruits. They are VERY susceptible to brown rot. Despite the fact that they are healthy-looking, well established trees (the Heavenly White is around 8 feet tall), it is time to try something new.

Interestingly, many people report that peaches are significantly less susceptible to brown rot compared to nectarines although there is no mention of this in any of the commercial sites. Thus, this winter I plan to replace these two trees with Frost and El dorado peach trees. While I will morn the loss of these two trees, it will be interesting to see if there is an improvement in the fruit yield with the new varieties. Check back in 3 years.

Fuji apple picking day

2011-09-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

The weather has turned on a dime today. For the past few weeks it has felt like the middle of the summer with highs in the 80s and 90s. Today the wind the picked up and the temperature dropped; it felt like fall. This seemed like a prime opportunity to pick some apples. The Fuji's seemed close to ready. A quick taste test confirmed a perfect level of sweetness and flavor. Our tree is young, about 6 feet tall, and we had a lot of brown rot this year, so the apple harvest was not large, perhaps a small bowl full. My two year old boy Jack still loved it. He is obsessed with picking fruit. He carried the small bowl of about 8-10 apples inside and proudly showed his spoils to the rest of the family.

Today's tomato bounty

2011-09-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

I just love the variety of colors, shapes and sizes.

Hibiscus Rosa del Rio

2011-09-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

This cold hardy hibiscus was a solid purchase this past spring. Once the hot summer weather arrived, it grew quickly to about 4'H. Its large flowers open as a whitish-pink and eventually turn a medium purple color. The dark purple throated interior of the flowers really gives it extra interest. It is the easiest cold-hardy hibiscus I have grown.

The tomatoes are really cooking now

2011-09-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

Consistently high temperatures in the low 80s have finally ripened the non-cherry tomatoes. During the late summer, these beauties form our appetizer each night prior to dinner. A colorful plate of sliced tomatoes with a bit of olive oil and salt is the perfect start to a meal. Finding the right varieties for this climate is one of trial and error. This year's varieties are shown below. I must admit that I am not blown away by the flavor of any of these varieties and will probably try some new ones next year. That being said, they are still quite delicious and far better than any store-bought tomato.

B.W.P.S.
A big, beefsteak, yellow colored tomato this variety has a mild, fruity flavor and is quite sweet.

Black and brown boar
A small/medium sized tomato that is a dark brownish red with green stripes. It is meaty with a rich flavor.

Thessaloniki
For flavor, this is my favorite so far this year. It has an attractive red color and a sweet but rich tomato flavor.

This place is crawling with hummingbirds

2011-08-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

The hummingbirds have set up a permanent residence in the backyard. They are almost a constant presence amongst the flowers of various colors and shapes. The record was the simultaneous presence of four hummingbirds. They are very territorial, so these four were darting around the yard, chirping and trying to chase each other away. Despite the plethora of hummingbirds present, they are still difficult to photo. The picture shown below was the best of about 50 photos. Their favorite flower is from the mimosa tree; their second favorite is the Agastache 'Ava' shown here.

A tour of the citrus

2011-08-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

If I had to choose a single plant about which I am most passionate it is likely citrus. There is something undefinable about their beautiful dark, evergreen leaves contrasted against the colorful fruit. Also, citrus supply us with incredibly flavorful and refreshing fruit that commonly ripen in the winter when other fruit giving plants are dormant. Here is a short tour of my citrus. Of note, this year has been excellent for growth, however strangely the fruit set in the spring was terrible. Sadly there is precious little fruit maturing right now, however there is always next year.

The Citrus Strip
At the top of a hill is a thin strip of land that is nearly perfect for citrus. It is warm and gets light almost immediately upon sunrise. Its loamy clay soil is on about a 15% incline so that any excess water drains easily. The citrus seem to thrive in this location. The only downside is that it is exposed in the winter, thus the cold damage on these citrus has been significantly worse than other citrus locations. As cold damage decreases as the trees age, I hope this will become less of an issue over time.

Kishu mandarin. My come-from-behind favorite the tiny fruits are perfect for snacking and have a classic sweet/tart mandarin flavor. This tree suffered major cold damage last winter, but has shown strong growth all summer and now looks great.

Cara cara navel orange. This big bushy orange is very healthy and happy at the top of the hill. Cara cara is a pigmented orange that ripens beautifully in California. It is perhaps one of the best tasting oranges.

Moro blood orange. The moro also suffered a lot of cold damage this winter. Note the major growth near the ends of branches, but the sparse center of the plant compared to the cara cara. While moro is not necessary the most flavorful blood orange, it develops color and ripens the most consistently in northern California.

Miho satsuma. Most satsumas sold are the Owari variety. I am not a huge fan of the flavor of owari, however satsumas do very well in this environment. When I had the chance to buy the rare satsuma variety Miho, I jumped at the chance. It supposedly ripens earlier than owari (around Thanksgiving) and is larger and sweeter.

Late lane navel orange. One of my relatively newer purchases, this is the first summer in the ground for this late maturing navel orange. It yields fruit in the spring and summer, similar to Valencias, and holds very well on the tree.

Gold nugget mandarin. This is a very flavorful mandarin that ripens in spring and summer, and is appropriate for cooler citrus growing regions. It is many peoples' favorite.

Grapefruit are everywhere
Oroblanco. My sons' favorite citrus is grapefruit. It seems like an odd choice, but there it is. Most grapefruits do poorly here as they need LOTS of heat. Oroblanco is an exception. This grapefruit/pumelo hybrid ripens even in cooler climates. It is also a very attractive tree with large, dark green leaves and huge, fragrant blossoms.

The first picture is of my semi-dwarf oroblanco which I have just planted in the ground. I am trying to plant all my potted citrus in the ground. They seem to be much happier, and they are a lot easier to water with the drip system.

The second two pictures are oroblancos on standard citrus rootstock. They are in slightly less sunny locations and get about 4-6 hours of sun per day. They both abut our property with neighbors, thus I am hopeful they will produce an attractive screen plant.

Just planted in the ground
Variegated pink eureka. I have not had good luck with variegated varieties. They grow slowly and suffer a lot of sunburn/leaf drop. This plant was doing very poorly in a pot, so I decided to plant it in the ground. We'll see if it rebounds.

Seville sour orange. The classic marmalade orange, Seville sour orange forms the rootstock of many standard sized citrus. The tree is very ornamental in its own right. It tends to be very vigorous with fragrant blossoms. I have just replaced some bamboo by our fence at the edge of our property with these two trees. I hope these will someday form a beautiful screen. As a testament to their vigorous nature, they were planted about a week ago, and are growing as if it never happened.

Nordmann seedless kumquat. I planted this in the ground a month or so ago just prior to a short heat spell, my mistake. It suffered some intense leaf burn, however it is recovering nicely and is in the process of a new growth flush. This variety is very similar to Nagami, however is seedless.

Tango mandarin. A seedless version of Murcott (my favorite tasting mandarin) this was also just planted a few weeks ago about mid-way up the hill. So far it looks content.

Waiting in pots
Tarocco blood orange. This will be planted in the ground at the top of the hill next year, however since it is fairly small I want to give it a bit more protection for one more season. Tarocco, while not being highly pigmented, is heralded by many to be the most flavorful of the blood oranges. Having tasted the three major blood orange cultivars I would agree.

Bouquets de fleur sour orange. I have three of these trees. They will eventually replace three weeping maples near the front of the house that have completely outgrown their location. The small, overlapping leaves resemble a bouquet of flowers. The blooms are very fragrant.

Eustis limequat. Want a lime substitute that won't be bothered by our cold winters, this is a good option. I am not sure where these will eventually be planted, however they have a nice bush-like form. I have just replanted them into new pots, so they look a bit sad right now.

Variegated calamondin. I just can't get variegated citrus varieties to grow. This is my saddest citrus. Hopefully it will recover and a lot more is going on below the ground than is evident.

The senior members
Meyer lemon. The second oldest citrus in my garden, this six foot tall tree is as happy as a clam in its protected area right against the house. It gets about 5-6 hours of sun per day, which is plenty for it to grow and produce its unique flavored lemons.

Calamondin. The oldest of my citrus, this is also very content in its protected location. It always looks extremely healthy and grows like a weed. If I had not pruned it back on several locations it probably would be 10 feet high by now. Calamondin is a sour citrus that is used in a similar manner to lemons except with a slightly different flavor.

Flowers in the late summer

2011-08-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

Things are really cranking now in the garden from a blooming perspective. The late summer bloomers have joined the long-blooming plants to create a huge cornucopia of shapes and colors. Here are some of the current favorites.

Blue mist, first choice (Caryopteris clandonensis)
I have planted this summer flowering plant in several locations, however it has not been happy until this year. I knew it was in the right spot the instant it started growing quickly in the spring. The purple/blue foliage has interesting shapes. The bees seem to love it. It resembles a dark, lavender in many ways.

Hibiscus, rosa del rio
A cold hardy hibiscus with attractive, large (although not large compared to other hibiscus), light purple blooms that have a dark purple throat. This seems to be very happy in loam amended clay soil and the shape and size of its flowers is a nice contrast to the smaller, more delicate ones around the garden.

Meyer lemon
This is in a continual state of bloom. Nothing else thrills me like a happy citrus. Citrus are often finicky, however when they become established in an appealing environment, they grow quickly, look healthy and frequently grace us with their attractive and fragrant blooms. This cluster of blooms resembles a bouquet.

Late summer fruits

2011-08-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a rough year for fruits. Every one of my nectarines had brown rot. I have heard that many people have had issues with cherries, peaches, apricots and plums because of the very wet spring. Despite these difficulties, there are a lot of good fruits that are ripening. Often weather that brings problems to certain types of fruits represents conditions under which others shine.

Fuji apple. This is the first big harvest for the Fuji apple which usually ripens in October. This 6 foot tall tree has around 50 fruits. Hopefully, the birds won't get them all.

Garnet sash pomegranate. This variety is said to often yield fruits the first year it is in the ground. This is the third season for this attractive bush-like fruit tree and there are about 5 fruits ripening.

Warren pear. These are the healthiest and cleanest looking fruits in the garden right now. This variety supposedly ripens in late August/early September. I can't wait to taste these even though there are only around 5-7 on the tree.

Tomatoes. The tomatoes are coming from behind to be the most productive plants in the garden. They are situated at the top of a hill and receive sun from the moment it arises until late afternoon.

The sungold is the earliest and so far has been the most productive. It is a delicious, sweet, red cherry tomato that has a very tomato-like flavor, not overly sugary.

It will soon be surpassed by the show white cherry. This monster plant is 6 feet heigh and 8 feet wide. There are probably 200+ tomatoes forming. The first have turned their ripe white-yellow color. The flavor is sweeter than Sungold, but has a bit less of that intense tomato flavor. This will likely be the most productive fruit in the garden by the end of the season.

The black cherry tomatoes are just starting to turn color. They supposedly have a flavor that is very close to Black Krim and other dark tomatoes. We will see in the next week.

The non-cherry tomatoes are still 2-3 weeks away from harvest. The most productive so far seems to be the B.W.P.S. In fact there are so many tomatoes that the cage partly fell over. These are a large, yellow tomato that supposedly taste very fruity and do well in cooler climates.

Gardening: this is what it's all about!

2011-07-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

As the sun was starting to descend this afternoon, I stood at the door to my back yard and reflected upon all of the hard work that has gone into the garden this year. The sun backlit all of the various sizes, forms and colors of the plants growing happily under my care. It was a moment of peace to truly appreciate the results of those hours of work. While a picture can no way duplicate the image that our eyes can produce with a simple glance, this could perhaps give you a small sense of that moment.

Blooms around the garden

2011-07-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

There is quite a cornucopia of colors around the garden. Here is a sample.

Lantata, both purple and yellow. Drought tolerant, in fact needing almost no water at all, this trailing vine blooms its head off all summer long and never looks tired.

Agastache, Ava. Hummingbirds abound around this dark purple/red agastache. It's leaves smell like a fruity mint.

Wild cineraria. A mounding ground cover that has yellow blooms all summer. It's flawless, healthy looking leaves are highly attractive next to the flowers.

Yarrow, cassis. Yarrow is one of the easiest plants to grow here. It doesn't need good soil or much water, but flowers profusely.

Penstemon, garnet. This penstemon is long lasting in my garden if thinned and separated once a year. It is another hummingbird favorite.

Pomegranate. A nice counterpoint to the purples, pinks and blues in my other flowers, these large orange blooms started around a month ago and are still going strong.

Russian sage, blue spires. Dark blue spires of flowers rise above this attractive and drought tolerant sage.

Sea thrift, pink. Dainty, light purple flowers adorn this plant with its small, rounded, delicate form that is perfect when placed at the foot of larger plants.

Sage, chiapas. Deep green, healthy leaves give rise to spires of purple/pink flowers.

Star jasmine. The tiny white flowers of star jasmine give off a divine smell that is reminiscent of the tropics.

Verbascum. Blooms when the plant is small or big. Blooms spring, summer and fall. Blooms when it is cool or hot.

Heliotropium, fragrant delight. This plant seems a bit disturbed by our hot, dry summers so far, however I'll give it some time to adapt as the vanilla-like fragrance of its violet colored flowers is to die for.

Meyer lemon. The second set of blooms for this season is underway on the Meyer lemon. The fragrance of citrus blooms is perhaps one of my favorite.

Mimosa. The blooms of the mimosa trees are like pink, puff balls. Their subtle fragrance is a bit reminscent of citrus blooms to me except a bit more refined and less sweet. This is a great shade tree and very tropical looking.

strawberries

2011-07-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

The big harvest right now is strawberries. Our Evie-2 day neutral strawberries had a tiny crop about a month ago, but are now starting to put out a larger bounty of fruit. Also, the slugs and snails have been less of an issue since the weather became hot and dry. We are hiding the ripening fruit under the leaves of the plant to prevent the birds from stealing them.

Day neutral strawberries are perfect for our 2 year old son who loves to pick one or two per day over an extended period of time. This type of strawberry has relatively small yields but over a long period of time, namely the entire summer. Evie-2 seems perfectly content with our hot, dry summers. I planted a row of these strawberries along a path leading to the top of our hill. It is intermixed with catmint and Agastache.

How many fruit trees can you fit into a small space

2011-07-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

For my birthday I received a wide angle lens. I took a picture of my entire backyard. The entire square footage of our property is around 7,600. This picture is probably a bit less than one half of that total.

I count a total of 23 fruit trees in this picture including:

1. Kishu mandarin
2. Cara cara navel orange
3. Moro blood orange
4. Late lane navel orange
5. Tarraco blood orange
6. Gold nugget mandarin
7. California gold banana
8. Angel red pomegranate
9. Syrah grape
10. Necta-zee miniature nectarine
11. Fuji apple
12. Garnet sash pomegranate x2
14. Minnie royal cherry
15. Royal lee cherry
16. Heavenly white nectarine
17. Big Jim loquat
18. Suebelle white sapote
19. Mexicola grande avocado
20. Comice pear
21. Warren pear
22. Oroblanco grapefruit
23. Frantoio olive

This is excluding the non-tree fruit bearing Navaho and Arapaho blackberries, and Evie-2 day neutral strawberries. Also, not included in this picture are the Meyer lemon, calamondin and Frederick passionfruit, in addition to the fruit trees in pots.

California is not known for large properties, but with judicious pruning and management of tree size, one can easily fit a multitude of varieties in a small space. In fact, having a relatively small space allows one to really focus on making that space as productive and attractive as possible.

Now if I can only get these trees to start producing good crops. They are all fairly young, so we are still waiting for bounty.

kishu recovery status

2011-07-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

The ability of plants to regenerate and rejuvenate is impressive under the correct circumstances. One month of growth on the kishu has transformed it from a Charley Brown/stick-like tree into one that is well on its way to looking green, lush and healthy. Again, this need to regenerate is probably a result of cold damage. The kishu seems to be a relatively cold sensitive mandarin. With some good growth this year, a greater volume of leaves and a more established root system the plant will likely become more cold tolerant; I am just not sure to what degree.

Kishu on June 12th

Kishu on July 4th

Early contenders for plant of the year

2011-07-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

Every year I mentally note my plant of the year. The plant must demonstrate good growth, health and an attractive/disease-free appearance. Last year's winner was my Minnie Royal Cherry. It grew about 4-5 feet and looked healthy almost all summer.

The early favorites for plant of the year for this season are the following:

1. Gaura Lindheimeri 'Pink Cloud'
The plant keeps pumping out tons of pink blooms. It has grown a couple of feet high so far and has an attractive maroon/green foliage. The wispy stems give a sense of lightness to the garden.

2. Pomegranate 'Garnet Sash'
The pomegranate is very stately this year with its attractive multi-stemmed form, red-tipped new growth and unique orange blossoms. It looks like I will get fruit for the first time this year, however the attractiveness of the plant is enough to win kudos.

Some dark-horse, potential come-from-behind winners are listed below:

1. Tomato 'Snow White'
The cool spring and early summer have not been kind to the tomatoes. From the perspective of fruit-set, they are way behind. A few spikes into the low 90s of late has made-up for some lost time. We are hoping for some late season bounties of tomatoes. Actually, the Sun Gold has set the standard for flowering and fruit set, however the snow white has shown the best vigor and health.

2. Rosa del Rio Hibiscus
This hardy hibiscus has been loving the hot weather recently and is starting to take off. It supposedly can grow 5'H in one season and blooms all summer long. I expect great things in the next month.

3. Chiapas Sage
This recent addition looks as healthy as a plant can be. I just love that deep, unblemished, brilliant green color. While it supposedly flowers in the fall and early winter, these have been sending out blooms recently. I love the spire-like flowers with their bright pink/purple color.

Baby swallows

2011-07-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

We put a bird box up a few years ago and have never seen any action until now. There is a small family of swallows that have taken residence in it. Our boys think it is the coolest thing in the world.

Pineapple guava

2011-06-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

Despite having the word "guava" in its name, this fruit tree is very cold hardy, able to take temperatures down to around 15°F. It has a busy form and attractive silvery-green foliage. There are multiple varieties with varying fruit quality, but one of the best is Nazemetz. My pineapple guavas are flowering for the first time this year. The blooms are very attractive and highly tropical in their appearance. Interestingly the petals of the flowers can be eaten and have a spicy sweetness.

Suebelle white sapote is in the house!

2011-06-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for a Suebelle white sapote for two years. White sapotes are well suited to Northern California and are similar to citrus in their cold hardiness. The fruits generally taste like a creamy custard with a bit of a citrus element. Suebelle is a dwarf variety that allegedly produces very flavorful fruit in our environment.

So, I had a perfect spot laid out for this tree and was unable to find one for the longest time. I scoured the internet. Supposedly some of the big box stores had these, however it was only for a short time in the early summer. I don't have time to visit these stores weekly for several months. I tried to special order them from local nurseries to no avail.

Finally, I found a reliable nursery that could special order them, placed the order, and they arrived two weeks later. I purchased two just to be safe. It is going to be hot this week, in the low 90s, so I plan on waiting until this weekend to plant them. Then it is a matter of sitting back and letting them grow. I love getting a new fruit tree!

Habitat garden

2011-06-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

One enjoyable aspect of gardening is to create a habitat for various animals. A garden should provide protection and food for birds, honeybees and other various beneficial creatures. In what has become an annual tradition the quail have been visiting frequently, checking things out.

Last year they considered our back yard the play area for their children.

This bird was getting a hose-off in the new waterfall in the filtered shade of a japanese maple tree; nice life!

No evidence of colony collapse here. We have an abundance of bee action. They are very particular about their plants of choice. They are particularly fond of the catmint.

Being next to open space, our yard is chock full of lizards.

Recently I noticed some aphids on my avocado and citrus. Now the aphids are gone and all I see are some fat, happy ladybugs.

Summer and sage

2011-06-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Summer has finally arrived with temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s. The summer blooming plants are starting to show their colors. Sages have been all the rage at our house this year. They have a great diversity of shapes, sizes and colors. They tend to be tough as nails and long lived. This variety, Salvia patens 'Gentian Sage' displays a stunning deep blue color that is difficult to find in other garden flowers.

Kishu mandarin in recovery mode

2011-06-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

Citrus perform quite well in this environment. Here is a good example. This Cara Cara navel orange has a dense, bush-like form with dark green leaves and is currently putting on a nice growth spurt.

Only two of my citrus are struggling, one of which is the Kishu mandarin. The Kishu is the perfect mandarin for growing at home. It is very difficult to get in stores. The mandarins are sweet, tangy and about the size of a large golf ball.

My Kishu is planted outside in an exposed area. I believe it is a fairly cold sensitive mandarin as it seems to struggle and loose many leaves during the winter. It is currently attempting to rejuvenate itself with an enormous growth flush. When citrus put on a growth flush such as this (usually when conditions improve after an extended period of stress), the end result can be a bit wimpy, lots of small leaves and short branches. I will maintain an update of its status.

Tropicals pleading for heat

2011-06-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

A bit of heat is finally coming to Northern California, and the tropicals are really in need of higher temperatures. They have been growing at a snails pace and some look downright unhappy.

The Malaysian guava seems to lose most of its leaves at the end of every winter. When the summer comes it bounces right back. You can see the second flush of growth this spring starting to emerge.

The selma cherimoya looks healthy, but has grown very slowly. Cherimoyas are an excellent choice for a tropical plant here, as they appreciate our cool nights.

The jaboticaba lost most of its leaves after being repotted, but has bounced right back with a nice flush of growth. This plant also seems to be quite happy in its environment.

I have had lots of trouble growing mangoes. They seem to be in a constant stall, never growing. Bailey's marvel mango is an exception, however. This is the only varietal I have grown with success. It is very cold tolerant and vigorous.

The lychee looks terrible. It tried to put on a growth spurt a month ago during cold weather and this is the result. Hopefully it will recover when it gets warmer.

The plumeria is really trying to grow without much success. It has looked like this for about a month.

My new Florida avocado, Fantastic, looks great. I purchased it this winter and it subsequently lost almost all of its leaves. Supposedly Fantastic is THE most cold hardy of all avocados. Eventually I want to graft three varieties onto one tree: Fantastic, Joey and Mexicola grande.

The first tomatoes have set!

2011-06-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Despite the strangely cold weather here, I noticed my first baby tomatoes forming yesterday. As you would imagine, the cherry tomatoes are the first to set. These are sun gold tomatoes. With the weather warming in the next couple of weeks, I hope to see more. Stay tuned.

One year of citrus growth.

2011-06-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of debate over the optimal fertilizer regimen for potted citrus. It is difficult to find complete controlled release fertilizers that supply all micronutrients. I use dynamite all-purpose fertilizer that has a N-P-K ratio of 15-5-9 and supposedly supplies all minor elements. Compare my potted oroblanco from spring 2010 and 2011. I would say that this fertilizer regimen is working quite well.

What a difference a year makes!

2011-06-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

Each year around June 1st I take pictures of the garden. When you see something every day, it is hard to appreciate changes over time. The direct comparison of pictures one or more years apart always makes you realize just how much things have grown. Below are pictures from 6/2010 and 6/2011. The arrow color code is below:

Yellow: Minnie royal cherry
Dark blue: Moro blood orange
Light blue: Heavenly white nectarine
Pink: Necta zee miniature nectarine
Orange: seedling avocado
Light green: garnet sash pomegranate
Olive: Frantoio olive

A few observations.

1. The cherry grew like a weed! Actually when I got it in the mail it essentially had no branches. That's about 4 feet of growth in one season!

2. The moro looked terrible last year. I think it was cold damage. The citrus are in a bit of an exposed area. This year it looks fantastic and has regained its beautiful, glossy, dark green leaves.

3. I didn't think the Heavenly white nectarine grew that much. Man I was wrong!

4. The pomegranate didn't grow that much, however its sibling which is a year older, grew a lot in the past year. I expect this one to take off this year.

5. The olive, while not a lot higher, has really filled out. Interestingly it flowered last year (and set a lot of fruit), but is not flowering at all this year.

6. Mulching really makes everything look more attractive.

When I was a kid I loved new toys. As an adult I love new plants!

2011-06-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

Buying a new plant is like Christmas for an adult, well at least for me. I get a particular rush from new fruit trees. I had a perfect spot for a citrus in my backyard that was inhabited by some evil, generic green bush-like plant that pre-existed our purchase of this house. I have been waiting for years to de-capitate and de-root this ugly beast. Well, the day has come.

I purchased an absolutely beautiful four and a half foot tall Oroblanco grapefruit on standard citrus rootstock. For those not familiar with Oroblanco, it is a grapefruit-pomelo hybrid that tastes very much like a grapefruit but is sweet and does not require sugar for eating. Other grapefruits need lots of heat to ripen, and probably wouldn't produce tasty fruits in the bay area most years. Oroblanco on the other hand will do just fine. My six year old son's favorite fruit is grapefruit. Hopefully in a few years we will be swimming in it. I love a new tree!

Perennial flowers and renewal

2011-05-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

Long-lived perennial flowers are a mainstay of the garden, however if you don't want to replace your plants every few years a bit of effort is required. Some plants become woody and are unable to generate new growth when pruned over time. Coleonema pulchellum (Golden breath of heaven) is an attractive, wispy, light green bush with small white/pink flowers in spring. It is supposed to look like this...

After a few years, however, it becomes woody and looks unattractive such as this one...

There is something to be said for perennials that take to pruning well. You can chop them to the ground and they respond with a burst of new, fresh, regenerative growth. These often require yearly pruning as many of these perennials die back in the winter, but in the long run it is worth it. Here are some examples.

Gaura lindheimeri ‘Pink Cloud’
A new addition this year. It seems to do very well in heavy clay. The purple growth is a great contrast to other green plants. The pink flowers are very attractive.

Verbascum, Southern Charm
I love this plant with its tough nature and spires of attractive flowers. It seems to do well in pretty much any location.

Mimulus naiandinus, Mega
Despite this new plant being only a few inches high (it eventually gets to be about 20"H) it is already blooming like crazy. Seems to do well in shade or part sun.

Impatiens sodenii, Madonna
A large impatiens that will eventually get to be 5'H, this is planted under some large, established Japanese maples. Despite the root competition, these have grown very quickly and flowered early.

Waterfall

2011-05-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

Focal points and accents are a cornerstone of the backyard garden, complementing the beauty of the plants that surround them. Our house used to have a fish pond with a small waterfall. Fish ponds are not good ideas when a two year old boy is around, willing and able to fall into the water. So, we removed the fish pond and turned it into a waterfall 4 years ago. We were disappointed with this waterfall from the get-go. It didn't look natural or attractive.

Recently we decided to completely re-do the waterfall. Well, we didn't re-do it, we hired someone to re-do it. I am certainly not that talented. The new waterfall, created by a company called Art Gardens, is absolutely wonderful. What a difference it makes in the enjoyment of our backyard.

Not only is it beautiful, but it has lots of handy bells and whistles. It fills with water automatically as needed. In the winter, when it rains, it drains automatically directly into our normal drainage system. The old waterfall used to flood this entire area. Also, it has adjustable flow, so you can turn it into a soft brook for a calming effect or a raging stream when the boys want to get wet.

What's happening in the garden

2011-05-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

It has been another cold spring with temperatures barely getting above 70 degrees most days. The plants are growing very slowly, but look healthy. The biggest growers so far this year are the citrus. It was a relatively mild winter. This has given them a head-start on growth as the weather has warmed. The moro blood orange is really growing well this year, with its beautiful dark green, glossy foliage. It is the larger tree in the forefront. The smaller citrus in the background is a Cara Cara navel orange.

Note how bad it looked in the spring two seasons ago (forefront on the left side of the photo) when we had a very cold winter.

Tomatoes usually like warmer weather, but these varieties are more tolerant of our cool nights and have been growing very nicely. They are all about 1 1/2 to 2 feet high. The varieties include three cherry (snow white, sun gold, black cherry) and three regular (thessaloniki, black & brown boar, B.W.P.S.).

All of the fruit trees and plants are relatively young, so we are still a few years off from large harvests. So far this year the Fuji apple is doing quite well and the Heavenly white nectarine has a decent harvest.

The young Evie-2 day neutral strawberries are a new addition this year lining a footpath to the top of the hill. Our two year old boy loves picking strawberries, but he has had a lot of competition with the birds.

Pomegranate in the rain

2011-05-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

Rain has descended upon northern California. Significant rain in May is very unusual here in our Mediterranean climate. We have received around 0.5 inches over the last couple of days with more to come.

The pomegranate looked particularly attractive in the rain with its bush-like form and red-tipped emerging leaves. Pomegranates are very ornamental trees with attractive red/orange flowers and fruits. The fruit is variable in color and flavor, but is often described as wine-like. I particularly look forward to making juice from the fruit when the tree develops a significant crop.

This variety of pomegranate is called garnet sash or parfianka and has won several taste tests through Dave Wilson nursery. I also have angel red, a variety whose seeds are supposedly edible.

Catmint (Nepeta, 'Select Blue')

2011-05-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Catmint is not just for cats. One of the most attractive plants in the garden this time of year, the purple/blue flowers just explode with color. This drought-tolerant variety of catmint is low-lying, not growing more than about a foot in height. It is perfect for edges or cascading over rocks and walls. The green/gray foliage is highly fragrant, even for humans.

The Warren pear has finally arrived!

2011-04-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

The Warren pear is described as a delicious dessert pear that is very fireblight resistant. When choosing my fruit trees, it sounded like a no-brainer. After purchasing it, I learned that many people had great difficulty getting this variety to fruit. The theory is that the flowers don't shed pollen or don't have nectar and thus don't attract bees. The solution is to graft a variety that sheds a lot of pollen and has a lot of nectar.

My Warren pear has been planted in the ground for three seasons, this will be it's fourth. Today I just noted about ten fruits developing as shown below. This spring I had just grafted a Turnbull giant pear onto the Warren. This has been suggested as a good variety for attracting bees to the Warren. Obviously, this graft contributed nothing to the development of fruits this year. The conclusion is that the Warren pear will fruit on its own given patience.

Phyllostachys aureosulcata ‘Aureocaulis’

2011-04-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

I find bamboo is a great thematic addition to a garden. I particularly appreciate the look of bamboo in pots. The largest of all grasses has a stately and elegant appearance that accentuates other elements in the garden. Bamboo can do quite well in pots, but need to be divided every 2 years or so to improve long-term vigor. I have found running bamboos do better in pots, whereas clumping varieties do better in the ground. One of the most unique aspects of bamboo is the diversity of colors, textures and shapes of their culms. Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis' is predominantly a yellow-culmed bamboo, but in the spring they have a gorgeous magenta component to them. This bamboo has particularly thrived in pots. It's new culms are precocious and very numerous in the spring.

Tropical fruits

2011-04-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

The thrill and challenge of growing tropical fruits in a non-tropical climate is a common theme amongst a small group of gardeners. There are many challenges such as winter frosts, cool summer nights and low humidity. My success with tropical fruit trees has been biased towards failure, yet I continue to try to succeed at this passion. The tropicals never look good this time of year. They are ragged from the winter, in which the goal is just to keep them alive until they can revel outside in the warm sun again. Here are some that are starting to awaken.

Cherimoya is a good tropical for this environment. These trees appreciate cooling night breezes, and enjoy the lack of oppressive heat that characterizes places such as southern Florida. The tree is semi-deciduous, loosing its leaves for a month or two in the late winter and then re-emerging very quickly in the early spring. These are tiny newly emerging leaves on a Selma Cherimoya. It is one of the most cold hardy and flavorful. It is the only variety whose fruit is cream and red colored.

I plan to keep trying to grow lychees until the end of time. I don't quite understand the compulsion to grow this particular tropical fruit tree, but there you have it. The new leaves of my Sweetheart lychee are just starting to emerge.

Mangosteen is considered the queen of fruits and people rave about its flavor. It is as tropical a fruit tree as one gets. Mangosteens start getting cranky when the temperature gets below 50°F. The are a variety of different fruit trees in the same family, Garcinia. This tree, the Bolivian mangosteen, is one of them. It is more cold tolerant and fruits at a much smaller size than regular purple mangosteen. Some people say the fruit is just as tasty. I just purchased this tree a couple of months ago. No one seems exactly sure of the cold tolerance, however mine was left outside at 38°F and barely flinched.

Shirasawanum moonrise

2011-04-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

The final maple to emerge this year was the Shirasawanum moonrise. Notice the striking bright reds of the new leaves that quickly turn to a yellow/green. In between these two extremes lie green leaves with an interesting patterned distribution of the red color.

This maple has large leaves with a similar shape to Aureum, but is significantly more heat tolerant. No other maple in my collection has leaves with this shape or size. Last year, this tree was located in fairly deep shade and didn't do so well. Hopefully, with a bit more sun it will thrive without developing a lot of leaf burn.

Inspiration from Hawaii

2011-04-17T20:26:00.001-07:00

A trip to Hawaii always invigorates the desire to grow tropical plants. Their vibrant colors and interesting textures always add spice to the garden. I tend to migrate towards growing tropical fruits, however there are many non-fruiting tropicals that are appealing as well.

Nothing is more classically Hawaii than the Ohia Lehua tree. A native Hawaiian tree, this is often one of the first plants to colonize newly formed lava flows. It is treasured for its attractive flowers and extremely hard wood.

Naturalized groves of guava trees are very common in the uninhabited areas of Hawaii. This variety was located on a ridge overlooking the ocean between two valleys on the North Kohala coast of the big island.

Plumeria, while not a native Hawaiian species, is closely associated with tropical locations. The singapore variety, shown here, is very common in tropical resorts, probably because it is one of the few varieties that is not deciduous. Most other varieties of plumeria loose their leaves for a period in the winter.

This bromeliad garden can be found at the Dole Pineapple plantation on O'ahu. While a tourist trap, the garden is quite nice.

Ginger is another non-native species that is always associated with tropical destinations. While attractive, this plant is actually quite invasive. I hiked through large groves of ginger on the hillsides above the back of the Waipio valley. They were so thick I could barely see the path.

Kukui nuts are the state tree of Hawaii and very distinctive with their silvery green foliage.

Acer palmatum 'moonfire'

2011-04-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

Moonfire is a wicked cool maple variety. It gets its name from the appearance of its leaves in the sunlight. Especially when seen from below, the leaves appear to glow an intense red color. The bark of the tree is very dark, almost black. The branches twist and turn as the extend towards the sky. All of these characteristics combine to form a very unique form and color.

Out with the old and in with the new

2011-04-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

Gardening necessitates making decisions, and sometimes the decision is removal of a plant. No gardener want to get rid of something, but certain plants are not well suited to our particular backyard microclimate. I have had Apache blackberries for 3 years. Apache is an upright blackberry that does not require trellising and produces large, sweet fruit. Last year they grew to about 6 feet tall and produced some absolutely delicious, mouth-watering fruit. The warm fruit directly off the plant melted in your mouth with a texture, ripeness and complexity of flavors that you will never find in store-bought blackberries. A picture of the flowers and young, unripe fruit from last year is shown below.

The problem with Apache is that it is extremely susceptible to UV damage, a fact I only learned after growing them for 2-3 years. Seeing 80% of the berries turn completely brown on a hot sunny day was heartbreaking. So this year I decided to rip the Apaches out and replace them with Navaho and Arapaho blackberries. These two varieties are also upright, self-supporting blackberries that are not quite as large but just as sweet (if not sweeter) than the Apache. Most importantly, they are not nearly as suscpeptible to UV damage as the Apache. While making this change is good in the long run, it will take a few years before I have significant harvests of blackberries again. A picture of an infant arapaho berry plant is shown below.

A mosaic of garden themes

2011-04-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

One way to make a garden design successful is to create small localized themes using natural boundaries. For instance, in the garden that directly abuts the back of my house I have three main themes: maples, citrus and bamboo. These are all divided by retaining walls or constrictions in the paths that lead from one location to another. Using themes allows one to create cohesion, but at the same time having a great diversity of textures and colors.

The maple theme is a small seating area underneath two large, 20+ year old standard green maples. The established maples supply summer shade for the small maples that are mostly in pots. A great diversity of textures and colors are present.

My citrus theme is in its early adolescent stage. The citrus are very young, so you have to imagine what it will be like in 2-3 years when they have put on significant growth. The largest citrus here are the variegated lemon directly adjacent to the back door and the oroblanco grapefruit in the tall, olive colored pot near the center of the picture.

The bamboo theme always looks a bit ragged this time of year. The bamboo are just starting to grow new leaves and send out new chutes around now. The culms of the bamboo often a lot of diversity in size, shape and colors. Also, I love the sound of the wind rustling through bamboo on a warm summer day.

Maple of the day: shishigashira

2011-04-01T19:54:00.001-07:00

To finish off the week, this maple is perhaps my favorite. Shishigashira is a unique specimen with its small, crinkled leaves. In the spring the new leaves emerge with a pale green color that darkens during the summer. The fall color is bright yellow in this environment, but in many locations is orange, likening the tree to a lions mane after which it is named. Slowly growing, it demonstrates an upright and rounded form. This 8 foot tall tree is the pride and joy of my maples.

Maple of the day: sango kaku

2011-03-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Sango Kaku is a cultivar well-known for its bright red bark that is particularly luminescent in the winter. I find the leaves of Sango Kaku much more appealing than its bark. In fact, I find the red bark a bit disconcerting. It just shouldn't be that color! The leaves, however, are wonderful. Fairly large in size and densely distributed, they demonstrate a beautifully clear light green color that doesn't mind the heat and remains fresh and vibrant all summer. The fall color is an attractive yellow that seems to consistently deliver, even in this warm climate.

Maple of the day: shaina

2011-03-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

Shaina is one of the best dwarf purple-leaf maples. The leaves open in the spring with a purple/red color and are deeply divided. By the end of the summer they loose their red-color and change to a more standard green, although this happens quite slowly so you have time to appreciate the red colors. Growing to a height of 8'H over 10 years or so, it has a nice bush-like form that is densely covered with leaves.

Late March

Late August

Maple of the day: katsura

2011-03-29T19:59:00.001-07:00

Yellow leaves round out the diversity of spring maple colors. They contrast very nicely with the various shades of greens and reds. The leaves of Katsura are very yellow, particularly in the correct light, and open with a slight red edging. By late spring they fade to a light green. This is a vigorous cultivar that seem to be very heat tolerant, although it resides in one of the shadiest parts of my garden.

Maple of the day: kagiri nishiki

2011-03-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

Maples are also interesting for their changes throughout the growing season (spring to summer). kagiri nishiki is a classic example. Note the bright magenta/red color of the new leaves unfurling, changing to a brick red in the mid-spring and eventually fading to a cream color in the summer. The greens of the leaves also change, evolving to a dark green with blue hints in the late summer. Kagiri nishiki is a heat tolerant, upright cultivar that is perfect for a pot.

Late March

April

Late August

Maple of the day: beni maiko

2011-03-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

The leaves of this dwarf, upright maple are so red in the spring. They contrast beautifully with those of the adjacent citrus. In early summer, the colors of this tree will fade to a more traditional green. In general, maples' fall colors are not nearly as vibrant in California as on the east coast because it is warm very late in the season here. For this reason, it is important to have maples that show vibrant and colorful spring colors. The intense red of the beni maiko fits in beautifully with the different shades of greens and yellows of the other maples.

Maples in the rain

2011-03-19T12:40:00.001-07:00

The fresh, new growth of the emerging maples always looks particularly vibrant on a cool, cloudy, rainy day. The contrast of the bright leaves against the grey sky is something I always look forward to this time of year.

This is Ryusen, a weeping maple that is like a shower of green stars.

My favorite time of year for shishio hime is when the new leaves emerge. They have a dark, brownish-red edge. This dwarf is barely two feet tall, but I love its very tree-like form.

The beni maiko looks stunning with it bright red new leaves, particularly contrasted against the green leaves of a Calamondin.

Candytuft purity (Iberis sempervirens)

2011-03-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

This gem of a flowering plant is a favorite in the wintertime. No more than 6" high and eventually growing to around 3-4' wide it is an incredibly attractive, clean-looking, low profile plant perfect for edges. Once established it is fairly drought tolerant and it always demonstrates fresh green foliage. Its best quality are its beautiful white flowers. It begins blooming here in mid-winter, when very little else has flowers, and continues into late spring.

Let's talk rootstocks

2011-03-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the most important decision you can make when purchasing a fruit tree, besides the kind of fruit it produces, is the choice of rootstock. Different rootstocks have specific advantages; some tolerate heavy soil better than others and some are resistant to certain pests. The rootstock is most influential, however, on the size of a tree. Consumers are faced with a choice of dwarf, semi-dwarf or standard rootstocks. The primary advantage of dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstocks is a smaller tree. This is a tempting prospect for the home orchard culture in which space is limited.

I urge you to hesitate prior to purchasing a dwarf over a standard rootstock, however. It is fairly easy to keep a tree a desired size as long as you are willing to prune it 1-2 times per year, and there are several major advantages to a standard rootstock. A dwarf rootstock restricts the water and nutrient supply to the tree; a standard rootstock does not. Trees on standard rootstocks grow faster, require less water and probably have a longer lifespan. An apple on standard seedling rootstock requires little to no supplemental watering in the summer once established, even in our dry, rainless California summers. The fruit of trees on standard rootstock is likely a higher quality earlier in the lifespan of the tree. Standard rootstocks provide a deeper and stronger anchor for the tree. If you find it hard to wait for fruit the dwarfing rootstocks do allow for earlier flowering and fruiting.

Below are examples of two low chill cherries (Minnie Royal and Royal Lee) which I believe are on different rootstocks. Both were equal height when planted and they are in essentially the same environment. The Minnie Royal has approximately twice the height and trunk thickness as the Royal Lee. So strongly consider your choice of rootstocks prior to making your next fruit tree purchase.

Spring color

2011-03-09T23:36:00.000-08:00

The citrus always seem the first to come alive in the spring. This is typically followed by a few of the Japanese maples and finally the fruit trees. Many of the fruit trees explode with color in the spring. Perhaps my favorite is my dwarf nectarine Necta-Zee. This tree is extremely healthy, has healthy green leaves in the summer and beautiful, large, pale pink blooms in the spring. I have yet to taste the fruit (I waited too long last year), but I expect it to be good. Usually dwarf stone fruits aren't as good as the normal sized varieties.

The flowers on my Heavenly White nectarine are much smaller and a darker pink. This standard sized nectarine makes a superb, white-fleshed fruit.

This will be the second season for my two low chill cherries: Minnie Royal and Royal Lee. I don't expect any fruit for a couple of more years, but their white blooms are a nice contrast to the pinks of the nectarines.

The loquat flowers are not attractive at all, but its tropical-looking foliage can be appreciated all winter long.

Last of the freeze damage, hopefully!

2011-03-09T17:41:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we had a so called "arctic blast" during which the temperature reached a low of around 25 degrees. Hopefully it was the last of the season. This followed temperatures in February that for a short time reached as high as 80 degrees. This unfortunate heat spike woke up the plants which started to put out lots of new growth. Of course, the new growth is very sensitive to freeze damage. Below is a picture of my variegated lemon. Note the burned leaves at the top of the picture in the exterior of the canopy and the untouched new maroon-colored growth lower in the canopy. While lemon is the most sensitive citrus to frost damage that I own, this one is situated directly next to the house. The new growth on my mandarins at the top of the hill was completely toasted. Easy come, easy go.

Things are waking up

2011-02-06T13:09:00.001-08:00

It has been warm here in Northern California. Temperatures have approached 80 degrees for the past two days. The first of the trees to wake up usually are the citrus. In the past week they have started to simultaneously flower and put on new growth.

The variegated eureka lemon actually started to put on a growth flush last fall just before it got cold. That same growth is just now starting to come alive again. Notice how purple the new growth is. Flushes in the summer aren't nearly as purple

One of my favorites is the oroblanco grapefruit. The tiny new leaves have just started to emerge. I fertilized this tree three times over the winter, and it has never seemed happier. Contrary to what most believe, it is probably wise to fertilize citrus over the winter, albeit at a much lower rate.

The meyer lemon looks as great as ever. I made some Meyer lemonade a few weeks ago that didn't last long.

Tropicals in the late summer

2010-09-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

The temperate fruit plants always look a bit ragged this time of year as the summer nears its end. The tropicals on the other hand are in their element right now and continue to give the garden a fresh look. Here are a selection of my tropicals. Keep in mind these are all quite young and relatively small, but I have high hopes for the future.

Malaysian guava is a great little tree with attractive purple/green foliage. While this tree has flowered it has not yet produced fruit.

In the past I had a few dwarf mangos such as Carrie. All they did was flower over and over again, never growing even a single leaf. I decided to purchase much more vigorous mangos and keep them pruned to a reasonable shape. Bailey's Marvel mango has been with me for about a month and is already starting to put out new growth. The grasshoppers and green cucumber beetles love the flavor of the new growth unfortunately.

Sweetheart lychee is supposedly one of the best tasting Lychees. I have had two prior lychees die, so I am hoping experience will help keep this one alive. This one is putting on a major growth spurt right now, and seems to be dropping most of the rest of its old leaves.

The Bays cherimoya has been a very slow grower this year. I expect that there is a lot more action going on underneath the soil. The foliage looks very healthy, however.

Grumichama came as a free tree with another purchase and has turned out to be a quality bush-like tree. It seems that it really appreciates afternoon shade, as does the Chocolate persimmon next to it. They both developed lots of leaf-burn when in full sun all day. There is lots of healthy new growth which has been emerging continuously for the past 2 months.

My relatively young plumeria always look great this time of year as the continue to pump out new growth all summer. Keep them well watered and encourage growth so that the blooms will eventually come.

A post isn't complete without a picture of citrus. This is my pink variegated Eureka lemon. I love the fresh and vibrant colors of the slightly pink new growth.

Plumeria

2010-08-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

If you want a taste of the tropics in a non-tropical climate, plumeria are a good choice. They have big tropical leaves and beautiful blooms. As most go dormant in the winter, you can bring them inside in a cool location that doesn't freeze and essentially forget about them. It helps to know a few facts about them, however, so as to encourage blooms. Here are a few tips:

1. Buy varieties that are naturally compact and well-branched such as any of the dwarf varieties or something such as Celadine. When a plumeria flowers, the growth tip associated with it will branch. Thus, the well branched varieties tend to be those that flower relatively frequently.

2. Do NOT use bloom-promoting fertilizer. Plants use N-P-K in a fixed ratio. Fertilizers high in P (which is the highest component of bloom-promoting fertilizer) only have the potential to be toxic to plants because of soil build-up of the P. Also, the plant is designed to grow a certain amount before it flowers. If you deprive it of nitrogen, it will not grow well and thus will not flower very frequently. I use a N-P-K ratio of 5-1-3 and the plumies love it!

3. Plumeria like full sun and lots of heat.

4. When it is hot Plumeria can tolerate lots of water. In a well-draining soil they can be watered every day when the temperature is in the 90s or above.

The picture below is of my dwarf pink Singapore. These are a great super-compact dwarf that flowers profusely and frequently. It is a great choice for containers.

Pushing the zone limit, part 3, it's too hot to grow that here

2010-08-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

Japanese maples are one of my favorite plants with their diversity of colors, shapes and sizes. That being said, they are not well suited to our hot, dry summers. They do best in the Pacific northwest, but with proper selection and care they can be enjoyed even here. Here are some tips for growing cool climate plants in a place with hot summers:

1. Select the most heat, sun tolerant cultivars. This is the key to these trees thriving and providing a beautiful garden accent even late in the summer. The most heat and sun tolerant cultivars I have encountered are as follows with the most heat tolerant listed first:

Bloodgood/emperor I
Tennyo no hoshi
Hoshi kuzu
Oshio Beni
Kamagata
Sango kaku
Moonfire
Kagiri Nishiki
Butterfly
Katsura
Shishigashira
Red dragon
Shaina

2. Water regularly, but not too much. I water my maples every 3-4 days in the summer, and that seems to suit them well. Also deep watering is important. Salt retention in the soil is probably just as instrumental in producing leaf burn as heat.

3. Give afternoon shade if possible. During the hotest times of the day the maples appreciate a bit of rest from the sun. With that in mind, my Bloodgoods are in full sun all day long and have suffered from zero leaf burn this summer.

4. Fertilize lightly but regularly. A well nourished plant will be more healthy and less prone to sun damage. Some people use potassium silicate (Pro-tekt) for the purposes of increasing resistance to leaf burn. I have not personally tested this.

Below are some late summer examples of how the maples have fared.

Bloodgood: No wonder these stalwarts are so popular. Emerging dark red, they deepen to dark purple in the mid summer and then eventually lighted to a dark red with olive tones during the late summer. Despite being in full sun these have almost no leaf burn.

Italy Red: This is a sport of Bloodgood that is about half the size and seems to have the same resistance to leaf burn. This tree is in shade for 2/3rds of the day. Note the difference in leaf color compared to the Bloodgood.

Hoshi kuzu: This is my first year with this tree and it still looks great with its subtle green on light green variegation. The leaves still look fresh and new.

Oshio beni: This tree came with our house, so I am not exactly sure of the cultivar, however I think it is Oshi Beni. Very tolerant of heat and sun, this tree starts out a deep red color and then turns to redish/yellows by the end of the summer.

Shaina: A great example of how leaves change through the summer. This one starts out a bright red color and now is a solid, standard green. It seems quite heat and sun tolerant.

Shishigashira: One of my favorites with its small crinkled leaves, my largest is around 9 feet tall and almost as wide. It is a striking tree along the fence with the neighbors. While it is fairly heat tolerant, it has suffered quite a bit of leaf burn on the exposed growth tips this year. I increased the amount of water it gets, so we'll see how it does next year.

Mikawa Yatsubusa: One of the least tolerant cultivars I own. The picture below is of a tree that was in sun for the first 2/3rds of the day, and you can see quite a bit of leaf burn. It is an extremely attractive plant, however this tree is going to be moved to a very shady part of the garden next year.

Pushing the zone limit, part 2, it's too cold to grow that here

2010-08-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

Despite what the rest of the country thinks, Northern California does see freezing temperatures. It is not uncommon for us to get frosts with temperatures as low as the mid-upper 20s. The lowest temperatures we get (17-18ºF) occur only very rarely. Cold temperatures tend to occur in dry conditions under clear skies. This is because these conditions are optimal for radiation of heat away from the surface.

Growing tropical and subtropical trees is very challenging under these conditions, however the challenge is part of what makes it so appealing. There is just something tempting about the possibility of harvesting mangoes, lychees and guavas in a non-tropical environment. Optimizing the possibility of success involves picking the right varieties, placing them in sheltered locations and utilizing means of protection during cold spells.

An equally important consideration is summer time temperatures. California days are warm and sunny, but the nights are very cold from the perspective of a tropical plant with temperatures usually dropping into the 50s. Also, the humidity during the days is very low in contrast to that in the tropics. So how do you successfully growing tropical fruit trees in this less than ideal environment.

1. Choose tropical-looking trees that are well suited to this environment. For example, loquats have large, green, tropical-looking foliage and produce a tasty fruit which has a flavor similar to an apricot. They are cold hardy to the low teens and don't mind cool nights or low humidity. The variety I have is named "Big Jim" because the size of the fruits are very large for loquats. This tree looks very tropical, grows fairly quickly and is extremely healthy.

2. Carefully choose varietals which can tolerate the winter temperatures. Citrus are an excellent example of this category. Some citrus, such as Buddha's hand, can't tolerate any frost. Most sweet oranges and mandarins, on the other hand, will tolerate even the coldest winter temperatures we have. They may develop some leaf damage on the coldest nights, however the damage will not kill the plant entirely. I know people who have Navel Orange trees which have survived 17°F for multiple nights in a row. Limes can tolerate a light frost, but are one of the most sensitive of citrus trees. Lemons such as Eureka will generally do quite well, but even large established trees will die to the ground during the most severe of freezes.

The following is a picture of my Miho Satsuma mandarin. Satsumas are the most cold tolerant of all of the mandarins. The flavor of the Owari, the most commonly available cultivar, is not my favorite. Miho on the other hand is a very difficult to find cultivar which ripens very early and has a superior, somewhat sweeter flavor.

Believe it or not, there are very cold tolerant varieties of fruit trees which are considered purely tropical. Take mango, for instance. Most mangos are grown in tropical environments whose temperatures never get below freezing. That being said, there are a few cultivars which are considered very cold tolerant. Bailey's Marvel and Valencia pride are two which are said to tolerate temperatures in the mid-high 20s. Another major issue with mangos are the cold summer nights which inhibit their growth. I have had several "condo" mangoes, named as such because they are naturally dwarfed and densely branched, which never grew a single leaf, they simply flowered over and over again. Choosing very vigorous varieties with rapid growth rates will counteract this effect to a degree. The vigorous mangoes typically become large in size, however any tree can be kept small with pruning. Below is a picture of my Bailey's Marvel which I recently purchased.

3. When it gets really cold location is very important and you must be ready to provide protection. Each property is composed of multiple micro-climates which may demonstrate a few degrees of temperature difference. The best locations for the protection of tropical fruit trees are ones which are under the cover of the house or other trees. This prevents, to some degree, the radiation of heat from the ground. Also, as cold air tends to sink, higher elevations tend to be superior. A few degrees of extra protection can be provided by covering the trees with frost covers or Christmas tree lights.

I have had a lot of difficulty with Avocados. These grow extremely well in the summer, however they in general have a cold tolerance which is less than citrus. Mexicola grande is reportedly the most cold hardy variety. I lost one of these last winter during a spell of 26-27° temperatures, likely because it was in an unprotected area. I decided to try it one more time and keep it in a protected location underneath some large palm trees.

4. If the plant isn't going to make it outside in the winter, just bring it inside. Ultra-tropicals are plants that not only can't take a frost, but don't like temperatures below 50°F. Papayas are a classic example. When the temperatures get below 45-50°F they tend to get root rot and die. I have lost two this way, one of which was in a heated greenhouse. From now on I plan on keeping my T.R Hovey, which is a dwarf Papaya, inside during the winter.

Pushing the zone limit, part 1: accepting what fits

2010-06-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

Northern California is perhaps one of the best environments for growing plants in the entire USA. This is particularly true for fruit bearing plants. The summers are very warm, but not too hot, with nearly full sun every day and very low humidity. Watering is total in your control, thus there is no risk of diluting fruit flavors with intense rainstorms. The winters are cool. Cool enough to acquire enough chill hours for many stone fruits, but not too cold to preclude growing things such as citrus which don't appreciate a hard freeze.

That being said, many gardeners enjoy the challenges of growing plants which are not necessarily well adapted to their particular climate. For instance, I really enjoy the elegance and diversity of Japanese maples, however they are well suited to our hot, dry summers. The maples often develop leaf burn, and by the end of the summer most of them look quite ragged. On the other end of the spectrum, I also really enjoy growing tropical fruit trees. The thrill of harvesting lychees in Northern California is quite a temptation for me.

One of the downsides of pushing the zone limit, is that there are commonly failures. Plants die because it is too cold or too hot, or they were not well protected enough during a frost. While I still enjoy the challenges of growing plants not particularly adapted to this environment, over time I have become more attracted to those plants that are perfectly adapted to this environment. They are just so much easier to take care of. For instance, it is easy to appreciate the healthy and attractive look of a pomegranate tree. The plant thrives despite the fact that I occasionally forget to water it and virtually never fertilize it. Below are some of the best adapted trees to our Northern California environment.

Apples: Apple trees are one of the classic fruits of Northern California and perhaps one of the best suited to this environment. Some apples need more chill hours than our relatively mild winters provide, however most truly thrive in this environment. As a reference, we received about 800 chill hours this past winter. Also keep in mind that most quoted chill hours are very conservative and in fact the variety likely needs less than that is described. My Fuji apple, while not as vigorous a grower as the cherry, is as healthy as can be and started producing fruit for the first time this year.

Pears: Probably the second best suited tree to northern California is the pear. I must admit there are some fireblight issues with pears in Northern California, however the majority of pear trees thrive here. I have two varieties. The first is the Warren pear which is a delicious dessert pear, that supposedly takes a long time to start producing fruit. One possible reason is that the flowers do not produce nectar, so it is difficult to draw pollinators to the tree. The other pear variety I have is the Comice pear, which is the classic gift box pear. While these trees are not the most attractive in the world, they are very healthy and grow consistently.

Olive: Nothing is more classic than an olive tree. This is perhaps one of the best suited trees to Northern California as it is very similar to the olive's native Mediterranean climate. The tree grows very rapidly to a large size and needs no summer watering once established. McEvoy is an olive oil producer in our town which is nationally known. They have a program whereby you can bring them olives harvested from your own trees and they will produce olive oil for you for a nominal fee.

Pomegranate: My current favorite tree is the pomegranate. More like a large bush, this tree is absolutely perfectly suited to our environment. It is a very handsome tree with deep green mature foliage contrasted against maroon new growth. The large, bright red blooms are very attractive. It needs little watering once established and grows despite a dearth of fertilizer. My variety is garnet sash, otherwise known as parfianka. It is one of the top rated pomegranates in the Dave Wilson taste tests.

Grape: This is a no brainer. Being just south of Napa and Sonoma counties, the grape growing capitals of the US, this vine does extremely well in our climate. The only difference between northern Marin and the aforementioned areas is that we are a bit cooler. Drought tolerant, my Syrah grape always has beautifully clean growth and requires little care. So far the grape clusters have been a bit small, but I'm sure that will improve with age.

Nectarine: I am not exactly sure of the perfect climate for nectarines. They are very susceptible to leaf curl, thus a dormant spray is required for disease prevention at least twice a year. At the same time they need a good amount of irrigation. Nectarine and peaches are likely a result of selection over the years for flavor, but not necessarily disease resistance. That being said, my Necta Zee Miniature nectarine is one of the healthiest looking fruit trees in the garden. It is highly resistant to leaf curl and has incredibly healthy, dark green foliage contrasted against the red fruits.

Rosemary: One of my greatest successes in the garden is rosemary. You will notice a trend amongst this post with lots of plants originating from the Mediterranean. Rosemary is the perfect hedge. Drought tolerant, clean foliage, wonderful culinary uses and attractive tiny purple flowers in the spring are its notable characteristics. These examples are planted almost entirely in heavy clay with little amending. It took them about two seasons to show any significant growth, but a bit of patience has paid off.

Creating a fruit producing backyard

2010-05-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

We bought our house approximately four years ago. The prior owners did a fantastic job of landscaping, however there was one major problem. They had not planted a single fruit producing plant. Now, many people believe that a garden should be something pretty at which to look. I, on the other hand, understand the absolute delight of harvesting fresh produce directly from the garden and eating it immediately. Nothing tastes sweeter! A couple of things to keep in mind.

1. Fruit eaten from the garden is as fresh as you will ever find.

2. Fruit in the stores must meet two requirements. First, it must be appealing to a huge number of people. This means that most of the fruit sold in stores is good, but does not have the most intense or distinctive flavors, as these could be too strong to appeal to the masses. Second, fruit must transport well without bruising. The fruit that transports well is very frequently not the fruit that tastes the best. For instance, Cavendish bananas are the most frequently found varieties in the store because they taste OK and they transport well from Costa Rica and other such places. These are definitely not the most flavorful bananas, however.

3. You have no idea what sort of chemicals, pesticides, etc. are given to the trees which produce fruit in the stores. For instance, the chemical imidacloprid is a highly effective systemic insecticide that is not currently approved for fruit/vegetable producing trees. I have heard rumors that this pesticide is used not infrequently by fruit producers.

So when we bought the house 4 years ago my goal was to remove many of the decorative trees and replace them with fruit bearing trees. Most of my fruit bearing trees are very young and have yet to produce significant fruit. Below is a list of the trees I have planted so far:

Apple, fuji

Blackberry, apache

Cherry, minnie royal

Cherry, royal lee

Mulberry, pakistan king

Nectarine, heavenly white

Nectarine, necta zee minature

Pear, comice

Pear, warren

Pineapple guava, nazemetz

Pomegranate, garnet sash

Raspberrry, heritage red

Loads of citrus and avocado

Below are a few examples of the plants/trees which have begun to bear fruit.

Fuji apple: It is said that Fuji takes a while to bear fruit, but once it does it bears very consistently from year to year. I only have a handful of fruit forming this year. Interestingly these are all on the only branch which I did significant pruning on last year.

Blackberry, apache: I have a rule, it takes two full seasons in the ground before plants start growing rapidly or producing significant fruit. This is the third season my blackberry plants have been in the ground. They are producing tons of berries and growing like weeds. Apache is a thornless, upright variety which is well suited to hot climates like ours. This is going to be a great long term producer in the garden.

Variegated calamondin: Citrus are a fantastic addition to any warm climate garden for several reasons. They are extremely attractive, particularly in the winter when the yellow/orange fruit contrast against the deep green foliage. Their fruits are very versatile for fresh eating, cooking, drinks, etc. Calamondin is an extremely hardy variety whose fruit typically look like an orange when ripe, but are sour and should be used like a lemon.

Pakistan, mulberry: The clear winner for early ripening in the season. I am amazed how many ripe fruits will be harvested off this three foot tree. The fruits don't have the intensity or acidity of most cane berries, however they have a pleasant, mild plum-like flavor and are very sweet.

Nectarine, necta zee minature: It has been a rough year for nectarines with the cool, wet spring. My other nectarine tree, heavenly white, is covered with leaf curl and has only a couple of fruits which may not make it to ripeness. The necta zee, however, has only minimal leaf curl and is starting to produce significant fruit. There are probably a good 15 fruit on this four foot tall tree. The heavenly whites we ate last year were absolutely fantastic, hands down the best nectarines I have eaten. Hopefully the necta zees will be at least in the same league.

Raspberry, heritage red: This is a great raspberry, but not well-suited to our hot climate. These plants always produce an OK crop of tasty raspberries, but they never thrive. Compared to the blackberries they are not nearly as healthy-looking or producing the same amount of fruit. Next year I plan to tear these out and replace them with Baba raspberries which are supposedly much better suited to this climate.

First fruits are ripening

2010-05-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

Early May and the first fruits on my Pakistan Mulberry tree are beginning to ripen and turn a dark maroon color. I am very excited at the prospect of this tree providing an extremely early fruit source in the season. Ten years from now, this Mulberry tree will be supplying more fruit than we will now what to do with. My eventual goal is to have trees and berry bushes that sequentially ripen and produce continuous fruit throughout the year. It looks like the Apache blackberries will likely ripen next as they are beginning to turn a slight purple color.

Rain and garden niches

2010-04-11T12:03:00.001-07:00

Another round of rain has come to Northern California. We have had much more rain in April than is typical for this month. I don't mind, because it delays the need to start up the drip system. I am keeping an eye out for problems caused by high humidity such as fireblight and fungus, but luckily there are none so far.

I find there are little spots in the garden which always draw attention to themselves because of interesting textures and contrasts. I love these little garden niches and try to apply their attractive nature to other parts of the garden. The niche below is the view from outside the shower window. It is a small area that borders the neighbor's fence which combines a small tennyo-no-hoshi maple, pink breath of heaven, rosemary and agapanthus. The pale yellow/green leaves of the tennyo-no-hoshi at the center make for a wonderfully beautiful contrast to the surrounding darker greens with splashes of pink and dark blue flowers.

Current happenings in the garden

2010-04-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

While the maples are often the first to bring bright colors to the garden, many other plants are emerging from dormancy in preparation for the summer. Here are a few...

Pomegranate: These are just starting to push out pretty little green/red leaflets. I am very excited about having pomegranates in the garden as their juice is delicious, they are extremely attractive trees and need very little supplemental irrigation once established. I have two pomegranates called Garnet Sash which have supposedly done very well in the Dave Wilson taste tests. These have been in the ground for less than a year, but I expect great things.

Pakistan Mulberry: This tree is hard is nails and thrives regardless of location or lack of fertilizer. You can see that it is loaded with flowers, even though the tree is only about 6 feet high. I am going to have to fight off the birds this summer when the fruit ripens.

Meyer lemon: I just love citrus, but I have yet to develop the midas touch with all of my varieties. The Meyer lemon however is incredibly healthy and is putting on a major growth flush currently. The blooms are also just beginning to emerge. Nothing is quite like the incredibly fragrant citrus blooms. Can't wait to make lemonade.

Comice pear: This is the classic gift box pear and a recent winter purchase. Pears and apples are probably the best performing fruit trees in northern California. My Warren pear grows like a weed and is incredibly healthy, although strangely it did not flower this year. The Comice is a week or two behind the Warren, but it is around 3 years younger.

Apache blackberry: I planted these two summers ago and this is the first year they are blooming. My son just loves picking the Heritage raspberries I have at the top of the hill, so I am sure he will be thrilled at the prospect of fresh blackberries. This variety of blackberry doesn't need staking and is supposedly well adapted to hot climates.

Avocado: This is a seedling avocado that I was given by my wife's grandmother. Her mature tree is about 15 feet tall and is clearly a Mexican variety with its dark, soft, thin skinned fruit. It has a wonderful nutty flavor. This is the first year this seedling, now 6 feet tall, is blooming. It will be very interesting to see how the fruit tastes. The general thinking is that seedling avocado fruit is usually inferior to the parent, but I am skeptical and think that this thinking is probably based only on anecdotal information.

Fuji apple: A great tasting apple, this tree is around 7 feet tall and one of the last of my fruit trees to emerge from dormancy. Fuji is listed at around 500 chill hours (we usually get >650 chill hours per year), but it seemed to demonstrate some signs of not enough chill last year (bare wood, delayed blooming). This year it looks perfect with no bare wood and homogenous emergence of flower buds. Fuji takes a while to bear fruit, so I bet we still are a few years off from any significant fruit production.

Last of the maples

2010-04-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

Most of the maples are in full spring swing. The last to come out this year were the ones below and my bloodgoods, which still have only very few leaves.

Tennyo-no-hoshi: A beautiful vase-like maple with leaves that start out a pale yellow/green color in spring and then evolve into a green/cream color as the summer progresses. Both of these phases are complemented by an attractive red-edging. Supposedly, this is one of the most heat tolerant maples around. Mine gets essentially no leaf burn in the summer even though it is in full sun.

Hoshi kuzu: Very heat tolerant, leaf-burn resistant solid green leafed tree with a subtly lighter green variegation at the edges. This is a new addition to my garden this year. We'll see how it does.

Here come more maples!

2010-03-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

Beautiful weather has come to Northern California and the maples continue to emerge. Here are a few more below.

Butterfly: Absolutely beautiful cream and green colored leaves with a splash of red compose this medium-sized upright tree. Despite its delicate appearance, this tree is tough as nails and one of the most heat tolerant maples I have. Despite its ability to take some sun, this is in a tucked away, shady area of my yard. It's beauty is always a surprise when visiting this secluded part of the property.

Kigiri Nishiki: One of the most heavily variegated maples I own, the intense red and green colors provide a striking contrast. The tree is a bit twiggy right now, but hopefully will fill out with some judicious pruning.

Seiryu: The only upright dissectum, this has become the focal point in an area in the front of my house which we have just re-landscaped. The tiny pointed leaves give the tree a great sense of elegance. Don't be misled, however, this is another hardy, heat tolerant specimen.

Spring has sprung!

2010-03-17T20:05:00.001-07:00

One of my absolute favorite times of the year is spring, the season of rebirth. With the warm sun on my face, I head back into the garden to witness the new leaves emerging on the Japanese maples. Nothing is quite like the fresh, vibrant, infant maples leaves with their variety of sizes, shapes and colors. Here is a sampling.

Shishigashira: Perhaps my favorite of all was the first to emerge this year. The small, crinkled leaves and tiny red seeds are so elegant on this regal tree. Slow growing, this specimen is about 8 feet tall and probably 15 years old, it is such an attractive addition to the garden.

Katsura: A new addition to my garden, this is supposed to be an intensely orange color as it first emerges in the spring. I think that will become more prominent as it ages. This tree has the red edges to the leaves which I find so attractive, but is even better displayed on Shishio Hime shown later.

Shin Deshojo: The leaves on this tree display a bright, intense red color when they emerge in the spring that subsequently fade to green as the summer progresses. It is quite a dramatic picture this time of year.

Shaina: A sport of Bloodgood, this gorgreous purple/red bush-like dwarf is a great compact maple which is well suited for pot culture.

Shisio Hime: An amazing dwarf maple only reaching a few feet tall at maturity, but whose leaves have a striking red edging as they emerge in the spring.

Italy Red: The classic purple leaf maple, similar to Bloodgood but at least half of the size. The leaves undergo an interesting evolution through the season beginning as a bright red/purple color, darkening to a dark purple in the early/mid summer and then developing more and more green elements as the summer progresses. The leaves return to the bright red/purple color in fall.

Ryusen: A new addition to my potted maples this year. This is a weeping maple, not a dissectum mind you. Supposedly there are potted specimens where the branches weep very far below the trunk. This tree is likened to cascading stars.

Sango Kaku: The classic red-barked maple. The leaves are equally attractive, with a fantastic star shaped form which is a bright yellow green throughout the summer. Very heat tolerant, this is one of my favorities for its overall structure and shape/color of it leaves.

Kamagata: A great small/mid size tree with tiny, star-shaped leaves. Very heat tolerant, this tree is admirable for its resistance to leaf burn, highly attractive leaves and densely branched structure. I have three of these trees which are all going to be planted in the landscape next winter.

Mikawa Yatsubusa: A small tree with relatively large leaves which overlap like shingles on a roof. Highly elegant this is a unique and maple.

Winter Daphne

2010-02-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

While winter is a time of dormancy, there is one plant which fills my whole garden with a wonderfully fragrant, sweet, pungent, citrus-like smell signaling that the warmer weather is not too far around the corner. The plant responsible for this fragrance is Winter Daphne, a wonderful addition to any shady part of the garden. Winter Daphne is characterized by attractive, clean-looking lightly variegated foliage in a small bush form. The best feature of this plant, however, is the wonderful late winter aroma it gives off. My experience with Daphne has been almost entirely positive, although some people have expressed difficulty growing the plant. Daphne strongly prefers a shady environment. The Daphne in my garden that looks the healthiest gets almost no direct sun in the summer. While not a drought plant, once established they don't need very much water. I water mine once a week in the summer. Whenever I think about adding extra plants to the garden Daphne is always at the top of the list.

Snow in the bay area!

2009-12-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

OK, well it's not really snow, just a heavy frost, but my boys were really excited at the prospect of snow on Christmas. Does everyone see the reindeer tracks?

Wintertime color

2009-12-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

One great thing about wintertime in the garden is the beautiful color of ripening citrus. I love the contrast between the green leaves and orange fruit. The picture above is of my Kishu Mandarin, an extremely flavorful, Clementine-like mandarin which is characterized by tiny, seedless, easily-peelable fruit.

Assessing the damage

2009-12-22T11:53:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we had some major cold weather in California. The minimum temperature recorded at our house for two nights in a row was, now don't laugh if you are from the east coast, 23°F. It was consistently below freezing during these two nights. Now for California that is cold, especially for our plants, many of which do not tolerate these temperatures well. I think it is fascinating to see how different plants fare and how these significantly differ between microclimates even on a small property. I have two major points with this thread:

1. Cold tolerance listed for plants on the internet usually significantly under-estimates how well these plants tolerate these temperatures.

2. There are major differences in how well cold is tolerated depending upon location (e.g. distance from the house, elevation, etc.).

The only plant I have that demonstrated major damage was my Avocado Mexicola Grande. Now this variety is supposed to take temperatures down to the high teens, and perhaps it becomes more cold tolerant with age, but its external and upper leaves got totally fried. The inner leaves and branches are relatively spared. The plant will easily survive, but I think I am going to move it to a more protected area.

The two tree ferms below demonstrate how minor differences in location are vitally important. The fronds of the tree in the background are totally brown. The fronds of the tree in the foreground show absolutely no damage. The difference... the one in the foreground is slightly lower, closer to the house, and protected by the other fern.

My citrus all did very well including Meyer lemon, calamondin, oroblanco grapefruit and various oranges and mandarins. The only damage was on new, tender growth. The calamondin demonstrates this nicely. Notice the damage at the growth tips, whereas the lower leaves are completely uneffected. The picture below the calamondin is my grapefruit which looks great except one tiny damaged new leaf.

In contrast, the greenhouse plants mostly look great. Below is my Chocolate persimmon tree which continues to grow at a fast pace and even has flower buds emerging.

Maples in autumn

2009-11-29T16:42:00.000-08:00

Autumn is in full swing in northern California. The sun seems dim, the nights are cool and the colorful leaves are blowing around the flagstone patio in large piles. With that in mind, it was strangely warm today, an Indian summer as some people call it. Here are a few photos of my maples losing their leaves. The first is my personal favorite Shishigashira, and some others follow. Enjoy.

Bamboo along the edges

2009-10-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

I love the elegance, grace and privacy that bamboo provides. The picture above is a strip bordering the edge of my property on which I have planted Drepanostachyum sengteeanum bamboo in between 3 mature Shishigashira maples. This bamboo has a beautiful bright green color and graceful arching tops which almost gives it the form and structure of an archway. I planted 3 five gallon pots of this bamboo in between each set of maples three seasons ago and it has developed into this elegant privacy screen. Some people would discourage planting bamboo in such a small strip, however this clumping type of bamboo is easy to maintain even within the confines of this small area. Once a year I use a chainsaw to prevent root extension underneath the flagstone and the wooden fence next to the neighbors yard. Its take about 10 minutes, and the rest of the year I get to enjoy this beautiful part of my yard.

The year's successes

2009-10-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

The approaching winter is always a time for reflection on the past growing season and its successes. It's interesting how each year there are different plants which seem to thrive because of some unknown combination of age, sun, heat, rain, etc. This year I had my share of both failures and successes, but the most vigorous and healthy plants were: Moro blood orange, Warren pear, Mexicola grande avocado, Drepanostachyum sengteeanum bamboo, Calamondin, Meyer lemon, and Cobweb spiderwort. I planted the Mexicola grande avocado pictured above this past spring. This strip our property is east facing and borders open space. It is the perfect location for avocado and citrus as it receives sun almost all day. While the avocado hasn't put on incredible growth, it is amazingly healthy with every leaf demonstrating a beautiful deep green color. It flowered last year, and perhaps I will produce fruit either next spring or the following.

The warren pear in fall

2009-10-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

I awoke this morning to beautiful sunny weather after several days of rain, clouds and fog. There is something mesmerizing about clear days after rain. The colors seem crisper, the plants healthier, the landscape has more clarity. The most striking part of landscape this morning was my young warren pear whose leaves are in the midst of turning colors. Growing up on the east coast, I am used to the beautiful yellows, red and oranges of the fall leaves. California never achieves the same degree of color diversity and intensity, but seeing the warren pear reminded me of a crisp coastal Maine fall with its incredible display of leaf colors. The warren pear has been one of my most successful growers this year, thriving despite being on relatively steep grade. I have heard that it is a long wait to get this variety of pear to fruit, so in the meantime I will appreciate its beautiful form and colors.

Last blooms of the season

2009-10-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

Four and a half inches of rain fell this week in a very unusual October rainstorm. It has been warm (60-70s) and very humid, an atypical condition in California. The tropical plants have been loving this weather despite the cloudy/foggy weather that has accompanied this storm. Pictured above are a Hula Girl Hibiscus bloom and the first bloom on my Celadine plumeria. The Hula Girl is an absolute Hawaiian classic, and reminds me of my favorite vacation spot in Kona, where they abound. Plumeria is also a Hawaiian classic, with Celadine being one of the most fragrant. Plumeria are a bit challenging, even in sunny California. As with many tropical plants, they dislike the cool nights we have, and thus take a while to really start growing in the spring. Celadine is a good choice, however, as it is a vigorous and densely branching specimen. This one bloomed on each of the three growth tips this year at a height of only about 2 feet.

Calamondin

2009-08-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Looking for a fool-proof citrus to grow, consider a Calamondin. This citrus is used in a similar manner to lemons, however it is more cold hardy than the lemon tree. Of all of the citrus varieties I grow, calamondin is by far the easiest to take care of. It always demonstrates beautiful deep green foliage and it grows very rapidly, despite little fertilization. This is a great, attractive, bush-like tree that is not well-known, but should be.

The trials and tribulations of growing citrus

2009-07-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

It is said that the difference between an expert and a novice is that the expert has already made every mistake possible. While I certainly do not claim to be a citrus expert, I have made a lot of mistakes and finally feel like I have a good system. My citrus are currently undergoing a major growth spurt and there is nothing more beautiful than the tiny new leaves emerging as you can see in the picture above of my variegated pink Eureka lemon. Notice the purple color of the new growth.

I just love the fresh, lively taste of ripe citrus and thus I have around 15 different citrus in pots and in the ground including:

Moro blood orange

Tarocco blood orange

Kishu mandarin

Tango mandarin

Gold nugget mandarin

Oroblanco grapefruit

Trovita orange

Navel orange

Meyer lemon

Eureka pink variegated lemon

Bearss lime

Calamondin

Until recently many of my citrus have struggled, but I have finally discovered the reason: biuret toxicity. This is a little known problem that is seen with urea based fertilizers (e.g. Miracle Grow) and manifests by splotchy yellow/brown leaves, particularly involving the tips. Given the mistakes I have made, I have some advice to those who have not yet made quite as many. Here are my keys to successfully growing citrus:

1. Use a really chunky, well-draining potting mix. I currently use the following recipe: 3 parts regular potting soil (Sloat organic potting soil), 2 parts pine bark (~1/8" size) and 1 part perlite. Some people use coconut husk chips, but I had a lot of salt retention issues with this medium.

2. Don't over-water, but also don't under water. This is one of the hardest balances to achieve. I water around once a week in my climate (all day sun, 80° weather). Moisture meters are notoriously inaccurate, particularly with trees which are newly planted and have not developed an extensive root system.

3. Use a complete fertilizer, high in nitrogen, with minors. The idea ratio of N-P-K for citrus is 5-1-3, however it is not important to have a fertilizer which is actually in this ratio. I use Dyna-gro Foliage Pro which is in a 9-3-6 ratio and also has minors. Avoid urea based fertilizers! Citrus are heavy feeders so don't be too stingy, but then again don't over-do it.

4. Do not choose too large of a pot. Citrus are very susceptible to the effects of the perched water table so it is very important not to over-pot.

5. Give them lots of sun and wait for the fruit to roll in. Many people will advise you to take off all of the fruit while the tree is young for better growth. I disagree. Only remove fruit if the tree has a very heavy fruit set and is quite young, then you may want to do a bit of thinning. Otherwise, you deserve to taste the fruits of your labors.

Dreaming of tomatoes

2009-06-05T00:06:00.000-07:00

There's nothing quite like a plate of fresh tomatoes from the garden eaten with a bit of olive oil and salt. The bounty below is from August 23rd of 2007. 2007 was a great year for tomatoes. I can't take credit for it however, since it is from my father-in-law's garden. There's a period of about a month when we are fortunate enough to eat a plate of tomatoes such as this every couple days. I can't wait!

Wollemi pine

2009-05-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

Many of us are fascinated by those things which are rare or endangered. The picture below is of a Wollemi Pine. This is a rare, ancient and endangered pine tree from Australia. It is found naturally in only one small enclave in that country. Part of the conservation efforts involve propagating the species and selling them to home gardeners. This both generates income and raises awareness of the plight of the tree. I love its very unique look. In my environment it seems to be a very slow grower. This one has doubled in size over about a 3 year period.

Siam Ruby banana

2009-05-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

Below is a picture of my Siam Ruby banana plant. I have had good luck growing bananas both indoors and outdoors, however the Siam Ruby is my favorite one for the indoors. My other bananas develop some discolorations and brown spots by the mid/end of the winter when they are inside. The Siam Ruby, on the other hand, always looks great. It doesn't have the dark Burgundy color that it would get outside, however it's leaves range from a translucent green to a dark redish/green color. It also grows very quickly inside. I am getting a new leaf every 2 weeks or so.

Mangosteen

2009-05-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

Mangosteen is the ultimate tropical fruit tree, and very difficult to grow in California. It needs heat and humidity. We meet one of those requirements for about 6 months a year. I have two of these trees, one I am growing in a protected area outside underneath a tree fern and watered by sprinklers. The other is inside in a well lit room. My ultimate goal is to get one of these to fruit in a pot. Wish me luck!

Some of my favorites from the garden

2009-05-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of some of my favorites from the garden. More will follow in subsequent posts.

•Shishigashira Japanese maple: These are great trees, very sun tolerant with an interesting crinkled leaf. I have a total of three of these with the one in this picture being the most mature. Someday I hope that they will become confluent with one another to provide a continuous screen from the neighbors yard. Until then I have planted bamboo in between.

•Fig tree, sunray tickseed, apache blackberries and tuscan blue rosemary. The fig is from my father-in-law. It is a green fig with a great honey flavor. These things are so easy to grow in California. I essentially just took a cutting from the tree and stuck it in a pot, no problems. While the plant is only about a foot high, the roots are at least two feet deep. In the backround is the open space behind our house.

•This seating area is underneath two 25+ year old green palmatum Japanese maples. Nothing is better than sitting here on a hot day, sipping a cool drink.

Introduction

2009-05-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

I debated for a long time the utility of having a blog. There is so much noise on the internet, so what's one more blog site. Well, this is a place to share those interests I have in common with others on the internet, but particularly gardening. Some people become at least temporarily obsessed with their hobbies. Perhaps this is some sort of work denial.One of my current obsessions is gardening (with a particular focus on tropical fruit trees and Japanese maples). I hope to share my experiences with others who are equally obsessed!