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Prunus serrulata 'Kanzen' Calendar

Gardener’s Log – April 2022

While Mark Twain is inaccurately attributed with a statement about the bad weather in San Francisco supposedly saying: “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco,” I can now categorically state that the worst winter we ever had in Oceanside, Oregon, was April 2022. The month has been atrocious in just about every manner. It has been cold and wet, including snow and hail. Hardly a day when it became possible to make much progress in the yard.

While conditions are not tracked here, Portland may have its wettest month for any April. They were in the top ten when barely half-way through the month. Snow has snarled the city and brought hundreds of trees down. The weight of the snow captured by slowly opening buds and blossoms caused havoc. The city is saying will take weeks to clean up.

Garden Progress

Still, a small amount of progress has been made. More land for the Mediterranean garden has been cleared. I had hoped that it would be getting more sun than it actually seems to be getting. The large Douglas Firs next door are blocking most of the sun and it is certainly not getting “full sun”. Perhaps it will have to become a Mediterranean semi-shade garden.

You can get a feel for the steepness of the ground when you see the bare soil here. The height difference here is almost 6 feet across the span of 10 feet. To make matters worse, at the far end, the lower point is even lower while the upper point has risen slightly, making it almost a 1:1 grade

Visits

While not a lot of progress was made outside, we did utilize a dry but grey day to take a visit to Dancing Oaks nursery in Monmouth. This is a nursery that has many unique and hard to find plants. The proprietors make international trips and bring new plants back with them. These are plant rarely found in the U.S. nursery trade. Towards the end of last year, they made a trip to England and brought back a number of plants. They are now trialing and maybe will make available in a few years.

What made this visit even more special was the small number of other people who are yet to venture out to the nursery. With only a few other visitors, we managed to make wonderful use of one of the owners (Thanks Fred). Fred not only helped us find plants on our list, but also imparted his wisdom about plants that would do well under our extreme growing conditions. We came back with many new plants and good feeling about plants that we had shunned because we were concerned about the potential for them escaping into our habitat.

Manzanita and Dicentra at Hunter Arboretum
Manzanita and Dicentra at Hunter Arboretum

That visit also resulted in a wander around the Hunter Botanical garden in Dallas, Oregon. There is a write up about that here. A true delight hidden alongside the city park.

On the last day of the month, a plant pop-up in Wheeler and a visit to the Wonder Garden in Manzanita raised the spirits. I shall have to write about the Wonder Garden in the near future. It has much the same climate as we do and a lot of plants in common. Given that they are a volunteer run garden (as is the Hunter Arboretum) I did drop them off a plant that may do well for them – Grevillea juniperina ‘Pink Lady’ This is the plant that got me started collecting Grevillea.

What’s in Bloom

The cold weather has slowed things down this year. But there is a bright side. It means that while some plants have been delayed, others have remained in bloom longer than they would in a more typical year. One Grevillea has been blooming its heart out for most of the month is Grevillea lavandulacea ‘Penola’. It has been loaded with its bright red to magenta flowers that are set off so well against the silvery foliage.

Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola'
Grevillea lavandulacea ‘Penola’

There is so much to love about Prunus serrulata ‘Kanzen’, the flowering cherry tree. It sits across from the tea house. The coppery color of the new foliage that crowns the double pink blossoms is stunning. This year, not only have the blossoms lasted much longer, but it is the first year that the deer did not tear the tree apart trying to eat them.

Prunus serrulata 'Kanzen'
Prunus serrulata ‘Kanzen’

Another outstanding plant this month has been Rhododendron x yakushimanum ‘Gold Prinz’. Rhodies do not do well for us. We planted a bunch of them when I first started to create the garden here. But they were one of the plants that told us we were going to have to think differently because they suffer during our dry summer. But this year Gold Prinz has put on quite the show. The buds really do start off an intense red and the final form of the blossom is a pale yellow.

Rhododendron yakushimanum 'Gold Prinz'
Rhododendron yakushimanum ‘Gold Prinz’

Weather Summary

As I said at the beginning, it was a long, cold, wet month. Let’s start with the temperature. While individual days can be really nice in April, not this year. Last year, we had four days over 70 and one over 80. This year, that total would be none. In fact, the average temperature across the whole month was 3.5°F colder. Last year, the average was 49.8 and this year a measly 46.3.

But that is nothing compared to the rainfall comparisons. Last year, we had 1.35″ of rain. This year it was 10.81″. Our last rain event of this year gave us over 2″ of rain. That is more than the whole months total from last year! I hope that makes some of the plants happy, but then again I know that one day after rain, the soil is starting to dry out.

The anemometer remains broken, so please ignore wind speed.

Manzanita and Dicentra at Hunter Arboretum General

Hidden Treasure: Hunter Arboretum in Dallas Oregon

A few weeks ago, I received an Oregon and Southwest Washington Road Map, produced by the Oregon Associations of Nurseries. It contains many retail nurseries and garden centers, as well as public gardens in the region. While it certainly does not contain all nurseries, I thought it was a good resource to keep in the car. To get your copy, click here.

While getting ready to visit Dancing Oaks Nursery in Monmouth, we checked the map to see if there were any other nurseries in the area worth visiting.

Welcome sign to the Arboretum

What we found was the Delbert Hunter Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Dallas. We have driven through Dallas many times and were not aware of his garden and so hadn’t really expected much. It is nice when you go in with low expectations and come out being surprisingly impressed. The arboretum, founded in 1983, is situated on one end of the city park. It covers an area of 7 acres, divided into a number of sections and themes.

Rickreall Creek

Rickreall Creek

The site sits next to La Creole Creek, later renamed as Rickreall Creek, and a couple of rapids along its length means your trip through the arboretum has running water as the backdrop. That immediately provides a sense of calm. The land was sculpted by early logging activities that scoured out new channels so that logs could be floated down river. Over time, that damaged the river and Delbert Hunter was the driving force behind its restoration.

Manzanita and Dicentra

Trails

Today, the young arboretum has seven trails, such as the meadow trail, dogwood loop, Oregon grape loop and the flume trail. There are also small inset gardens like the Lewisia garden, and fern garden. Most of the major plants have easy read signs, and they are certainly up to date with naming – replacing Mahonia with Berberis.

For our visit, the arboretum floor was a tapestry of wood hyacinths, trillium and fawn lilies. Trees were just coming into bud and some of the dogwoods were blooming. Adding to the color were Dicentra, Oregon Grape, Ribes and more. It was a true delight.

Moss and Lichen on Dogwood

So, if you find yourself in the vicinity of Dallas, Oregon and have an hour to spare, give this small, hidden, volunteer run arboretum a visit. I know I will back to see it at different seasons.

Isopogon formosus Calendar

Gardener’s Log March 2022

For the first time in quite a while, a month has been acting like it should. March has been fairly grey, a reasonable amount of rain, lots of sun breaks, most of them fairly short, some warmer days, some colder days and a general improvement as we have gone through the month. Having said that, there have been several frost threats. We only got down to 34°F, but that was close enough given that I have plenty of tender stuff getting hardened off at the moment.

Daffodils are blooming everywhere and for many people they are the real harbinger of Spring. Can you blame them – they are so cheery. Lots of new ones were added to the lower part of the garden this year.

Narcissus – shady mix

Construction Update

While we have not had many dry days in a row, I have been able to make some progress on the construction projects in the garden.

Pot Benches

The second of the benches in the potting area has been completed. This one has the means for quickly covering up plants when frost or heavy rains threaten. It also has a stainless-steel workbench on one end to make potting and plant care a lot easier without forever running in and out of the greenhouse. I have also laid down a pathway from the main entry axis along the benches. As well as being functional, I tried to make it a little more interesting by running the line of red brick through the pavers. I think it works. Now I have to get more gravel to level up the far end a bit.

New area for Pots taking shape

Winter Garden

The other area that has seen a lot of progress is the clearing of the area that will become two garden areas. They are separated by a new rock retaining wall that runs along the contour of the slope. Above the path is an extension of the ‘Upper Woodland’ which will be a Winter Garden. Many of the trees and plants are being selected are particularly showy during the winter months. I have done a separate post on the Winter Garden. Below the path will be a sort of Mediterranean Garden, but I will probably add a few Agaves and other more architectural plants. Lots more clearing to do before planting begins, but it is getting to the point where I should stop in case any birds decide to start nesting in there.

Both gardens will go almost to the property line, but then I have to work out how to create a path down the very steep slope into the Fairy Garden, which has seen no construction this month. The fairies will have to be a little patient with me.

What’s Blooming

It really is all about the daffodils this month. The Anemones are adding a touch of pink and blue in several areas of the garden. I also noticed many seedlings along the path by the Portal. I may have to thin those out a little, or see if I can transplant some. Pulmonaria and Fritillaria are both adding their unique charms.

Sometimes, plants can be real characters. This, believe it or not, is a Fritillaria imperialis ‘Argenteovariegata’. Let’s just say this one is not destined for imperial anything. I think it is rather shy and bowing for acceptance.

A shy Fritillaria imperialis ‘Argenteovariegata’

The Hellebores are almost over at this point and most of the Correa are winding down. The Isopogon is still glorious, and this has made my heart sing after losing so many other Protea over winter. A couple of Grevillea are blooming, none better than G. ‘Poorinda Leane’.

Grevillea ‘Poorinda Leane’

In the greenhouse, one of the Gladiolus carneus I grew from seed is blooming. The flowers are a range of pinks. I love the patterning and the contrast created by the blue anthers.

Gladiolus carneus
Gladiolus carneus

Weather Summary

March 2022 was a warmer month than last year, but also with more rain. On average we were almost 3° warmer and both the high and the low were 5° higher. On the other side, we had 80% more rain. 2021 saw just 6.34″ while this year we soaked up 10.39″. The wind gauge has not been fixed yet, so we are unable to make any comparisons there.

Oceanside Winter Garden Garden Areas

Winter Garden

When most people talk about gardening, they are likely to concentrate on vegetables or flowers, but what about the garden in Winter? Some may talk about it as showing the bones of the garden. The perennials will have disappeared for the season and the leaves have fallen from the deciduous trees; what is left is often the hardscapes. These are a very important element of the garden and one that I have tried to work on, so that the garden takes on a cohesive feel.

But there can be so much more and being in a mild climate means that we really can think about making a region of the garden beautiful over winter. Hats off to the Gardener’s World program produced by the BBC, who showcased a few Winter Gardens and got me thinking about it.

A winter garden exists on several levels, just the same as a garden in any other season. Trees, shrubs, ground cover, accents.

Newly Planted Winter Garden

Trees

Trees can be important in several ways and both deciduous and evergreen have important roles to play. Deciduous trees can provide incredible bark texture and color. A silver birch creates dramatic white lines that reach for the sky. Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ has bright red twigs that add an element of fire to the garden. Acer griseum, the paper bark maple has dramatic brown and red exfoliating bark. There are many other trees that are suitable for all climates that can create that vertical element of drama.

Evergreens add form and structure that is often almost formal. Picea pungens, the blue spruce forms a blue pyramid. Other conifers may be tall and slender. Green, yellow and blue hues predominate.

There are a few trees that also bloom in winter – perhaps the most notable ones being Camelia and Witch Hazels. The latter also adds a wonderful fragrance. Camelias come in a range of styles, colors, and forms.

I have selected Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ (Coral Bark Maple) and two dwarf evergreens, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘treasure Island’ and Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Blue Surprise’ as the anchor plants.

Shrubs

There are two ways to look at shrubs – individuals and groups. Groups are often part of hedges that can provide an important backdrop and that in turn can make other aspects of the garden become even more pronounced. Clipped topiaries can also add an important structural element.

Many evergreen shrubs take on winter plumage. Hebe ‘Silver Dollar’ adds bright red to its leaves in winter. Cryptomeria japonica ‘Mushroom’ takes on a bronze coloration.

There are several blooming shrubs that can both add color and fragrance. An example is Daphne, which contributes in many ways. Not only does it bloom, but some, like Daphne retusa have wonderful bark color and form. The winter heather (Calluna) are covered in tiny drooping buds in white through to purple.

We cannot leave out the deciduous shrubs either because they contribute what is perhaps the most famous of all winter garden plants – the shrub dogwoods. These unassuming plants for the rest of the year show off their stem color in winter and these range from yellow to red and every imaginable combination in between. ‘Winter Fire’ is a popular newer cultivar that has both distinct red and yellow coloration.

Many of the plants mentioned have been included. Betula x plettkei ‘Golden Treasure’, also marketed as Cesky Gold and Cornus sanguinea ‘Cato’, also marketed as ‘Arctic Sun’, plus Daphne tangutica (syn. Daphne retusa). The trunk on this is chunky and almost Dr Seuss-like and it almost matches the Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’ (Lion’s Head Maple) growing on the bank above it. It has it trunk exposed in winter, showing the similarities between them. The Dogwood picks up on the color of the Coral Bark Maple. Two heathers have been include Calluna vulgaris ‘Siska’ and Calluna vulgaris ‘Verenka’.

Winter Garden – Similar Trunk shapes

Succulents

Many Aloes bloom during winter and into early spring. One that has just been added to the collection is Aloe striata, The Coral Aloe. It should have multiple, branched clusters of coral red blooms. However, for us, we may need to keep it in a pot because it does not like a lot of winter water. A space to put a pot when it comes into bloom is a good idea.

We have placed a number of Sempervivum ‘Red Beauty’ (Hen and Chicks) into the rock wall, that will not only fill in the gaps but provide a softening of the rock.

Fragrance

I have already mentioned a couple of winter garden genera that are good for scent, Hamamelis and Daphne) but there are many others. And the fragrance doesn’t have to just come from flowers. Lavender and Rosemary both provide plenty of fragrance when brushed against and the rosemary is likely to be in bloom as well, with it blue flowers.

I choose Osmanthus delavayi. It has white fragrant flowers, but I am suspicious that it may have been forced into bloom, and that a more usual bloom time is April. That is somewhat out of the Winter Garden timeframe, but we shall see as it settles down. We do have a Viola odorata ‘Comte de Brazza’ that is adding both a little color and some fragrance.

One I would like to add is Edgeworthia chrysantha. I don’t know what this is not more popular in this country and easier to obtain. It has the most magical yellow, perfumed blossoms that hang down from the branch tips. Before opening each flower in the cluster looks like a fuzzy cats paw. That fuzz then extends to the tips of the petals. While I have located one for sale across the other side of the country, it gets to be quite expensive when shipping is involved.

Early Color

This is one area where we are really lucky. We really do have something in bloom every month of the year and winter is no exception. The Hellebores start in December and go all the way through winter. Whites, reds, purples, yellows and almost black are available these days with many patterns and forms.

Calluna (Heathers) have already been mentioned, and ephemerals like Cyclamen hederifolium ‘Silver and Pink’ add a little bit of a filler color and leaf texture.

Looking farther afield for plant ideas, the Correa have been blooming their hearts out over the past couple of months. Correa ‘Ray’s Tangerine’ was selected because it matches the color of the Coral Bark Maple and the Dogwoods.

By January and through to March, the first of the bulbs are providing intense pops of color. My favorites are the dwarf Iris that come in some stunning blue, yellow and white combinations. These like to remain dry in summer, so I am thinking about planting some in the path itself. I haven’t done that yet, but remains a possibility.

Hardscape colors borrowed in Winter Garden

Further Expansion

The top portion of the garden has a dwarf Birch Hedge, which over time should hide the heat pumps a little. I selected Betula x plettkei ‘Golden Treasure’ which should only get to be 4′ tall and wide. That still leaves room for filler plants around the stepping stones and at the far end, where construction is not yet finished.

The deer have already found the garden. Last night they came in and left their mark and decided that they like the Dogwood. The damage was contained to one of them and not too bad, but we may have to give them some protection until they become more established.

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  • Gardener’s Log – April 2022
  • Hidden Treasure: Hunter Arboretum in Dallas Oregon
  • Gardener’s Log March 2022
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