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Gardener’s Log – December 2021

Oh, what a month. To say that this has been a wild weather month is no exaggeration (see below for the averages).

California excursion

The month started off great, with our second trip down to California this year. The main reason for this trip was conference but then we also visited three University of California locations that have arboretums or botanical gardens (Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Davis) and the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek.

This was actually from our trip in February, but in December it was just as packed.

We had 40 new plants crammed into our car, but then impending bad weather all the way from the Bay Area up the coast made us cut the trip short. Fearing that the mountain pass would become treacherous, we assessed coming up the more coastal US101, but there were reports about road closures due to landslides. Instead, we took a chance on I5 and the snowy pass. Chains were purchased, although in the end not needed.

Christmas Un-Presents

Then came Christmas and Oceanside Oregon got a white Christmas. Most of it was hail, but there was also some snow mixed in. More arrived on Boxing Day (that’s the day after Christmas to us English folks) and some disagreement on the weather forecasting models had us dreading temps in the teens – unheard off for us. Temperatures have only touched 32 a couple times in the 6 years that we have lived here.

We crammed as many plants as we could into the greenhouse which has a small heater, but there was not room for everything and we had to be selective. There were some wrong choices, or perhaps better put, we did not have enough knowledge about some of the plants to know their tenderness.

Thankfully, we only dropped to 29 that night, and all of the later threats of cold – well evaporated. Even that has brought some heartbreak. It is now evident that we are not in zone 10 as we were beginning to assume. Some plants are clearly suffering or have died, and we may not know the full impact for some time. Still – gardening has always been about pushing limits and trying new things so we expect to have some failures.

Weather Summary

It certainly was a cold, wet December compared to last year. On average we were almost 5 F colder. We also had 5″ more rain, the total this year being over 17″. The setup for the cold over Christmas was a weather pattern we had not seen before. Thankfully, it did not turn out to be as bad as the models predicted, but it has still resulted in some plant losses. Time will tell if any of them re-sprout in Spring. Until then – here is hoping that 2022 is a great year for the garden and all gardener’s out there!

What happened in Oceanside Garden during December 2021. New plants, lost plants, and some extreme weather.

Gardener’s Log – November 2021

What a wet November it has been, making it almost impossible to get out into the garden and do anything. Thankfully, there has been plenty to do in the greenhouse as seeds have poured in from around the World (South Africa, Spain, England, Australia). The only problem, and one that every greenhouse owner faces, is that you need a greenhouse at least twice the size of the one that you have!

Dahlia Rethink

The dahlias were a real disappointment this year. The extended dry period and our soils that are so sandy that keeping moisture in them is tough, made their growth stunted and very few blossoms. The ones that did better were grown in pots out the front of the house. Those had a much more water retentive soil and while I put them in pots that were too small, they did much better. With that in mind, all of the Dahlias got lifted this year, at least the ones that survived. Several were lost, but hopefully quite a few are salvageable.

Dahlia 'Phyllis Farmer' — Dahlia ‘Phyllis Farmer’

Normally, you should cut the tops off and then wait for a couple of weeks before lifting them. That was not in the cards. We had one somewhat dry day and that was my opportunity. I dug them up with tops still attached and then spread them out under the porch so that they get some protection from the rain that quickly returned. Hopefully, that will help to harden them off a bit before I start to clean them. Then they will go into some slightly moist wood shavings and into paper bags until next spring.

Symbiosis

I read an interesting article in the latest edition of Horticulture. It talked about the similarities of the human gut and root – I know, not the most pleasant of topics. But it made the connection that both rely on a symbiotic relationship. Roots, just like the human gut, cannot actually extract the nutrients they desire. They can absorb them when they are in the right form, but they rely on something else to do that for them. In the case of us humans, we have a large intestinal flora that performs that function. Roots use mycorrhizal fungi. The fungi extract the nutrients and make them available to the roots in exchange for being provided with sugars and starches that they need for their growth. Us humans provide a nice environment for the flora to live in and they also get to take as much food as they want.

But for every rule, there is an exception. In the plant World, the rule breakers are the members of the Protea family. They evolved in soil that did support mycorrhizae. Instead, they evolved along a different path and managed to come up with an alternative way to do it. They have special root structures, called Proteoid roots, that do have the ability to extract the nutrients themselves. This is both good and bad. It means that they can live in very impoverished soils.

However, mycorrhizal fungi also perform another function. They protect the plant from phytophthora species – the main reason why plants ‘damp off’, or get crown rot. This is why many people find it difficult to grow Proteas, because once your soil has phytophthora, it is almost impossible to get rid of it. The best defenses are sharp drainage, keeping moisture away from the crown of the plant and avoiding overwatering.

Plant Hunting

Planning is well underway for another plant hunting trip down into California during December. While this may not be the greatest time of year (spring is best), we need to go down to San Francisco for a conference and why fly with unvaccinated people when you can drive! Plus, you have in effect, a very suitcase with you. The UC Santa Cruz botanical garden will certainly be on the list, along with the Ruth Bancroft Gardens, UC Berkeley and UC Davis. The latter two are new for us, so that is exciting.

Plant Patents

There is a lot of bad information on websites about plant patents. This is what I understand to be true. A plant patent protects the developer of a plant for 20 years form the time the patent was granted. This prohibits any form of propagation without permission. So, even dividing an overgrown clump is not permitted. When you buy a plant, you have a ‘license’ for that many plants, and should you need to divide your clump, you may only keep one clump and the rest should be destroyed.

Will the plant police track you down for keeping two – very unlikely, but it is still illegal. Dividing is not the only way that plants can be propagated, and some of them become even more muddied. If you buy a patented bulb that produces bulblets, in theory you have to throw them away. Buy a strawberry plant and it will send out runners – you have to cut them off and throw them away.

New Plants

There are some plants that are worth having just because they are so improbable. One such plant is Massonia. I managed to get a bulb from a Pacific Bulb Society exchange earlier in the year and it has just started to bloom.

It never gets more than two leaves and that is in a 3.5″ pot. It would appear to not like frost, so it will probably remain in the greenhouse even after it has finished flowering.

Weather

The main focus for the month was wet – 19.68″ of it. That compares to 12.17″ last year. To compensate, those atmospheric rivers or warm tropical air pushed our average temperature up 2 degrees for the month at 50.4F. The maximum was 63.7 and the low at 38.1. Winds were slightly higher this year, although last year had a 57mph gust, whereas this year, we only managed 41.2mph.

Gardener’s Log – October 2021

Some people call them statement plants, others splurge plants or anchor pants. These plants are called to perform a very special role in a garden. Quite often they require a little gulp when you see the price tag, either in terms of the money to be paid upfront, or in terms of the care and attention they will need to perform to their full potential. Today was one of those days.

The plant we added into the collection was Bismarkia nobilis – a major statement plant if ever there was one. It is a silver blue palm that can grow to be quite large, but is also a slow grower. It is destined to be at the top of staircase that will be built to produce a forced perspective. The path will zigzag up with each zig and zag getting shorter than the one before making it look as if it is receding into the distance. The statement plat at the apex of this path will thus appear to be even larger. It will also be coming from the Fairy garden where everything is small, so I hope it will make a very big statement.

None of this is built yet and will be part of the plans for next year. First we have to keep it alive over winter and then prepare the location where it will be planted – long before the path to it will be built.

Bring On the Roses

When the garden was first started, roses were on the top of the menu for the deer. I kept a sole rose on the deck (Vavoom) where they couldn’t get to it. Last year, I tried a climbing polyantha ‘Cecile Brunner’ on the portal where it had some protection. Some blossoms poked out from the trellis and they didn’t get eaten immediately.

So this year I am ready to try the next step. The number of deer incursions into the garden has reduced, so I am putting in two new climbers along the exterior fencing: Golden Showers and Purple Splash. I am hoping that climbers will be able to handle a small amount of munching without undue damage, whereas a shrub could be eaten to the ground.

** It took the deer two days to find them and find a way to get at them. They are now reduced to sticks with just a few leaves remaining. Given they were due to go into dormancy, I will not give up hope, but I will make sure to put a protective shield around them before spring.

Mourning the Loss

It is always sad when a nursery that you have discovered and has provided incredible and unique plants disappears. This has happened twice this month, both in rather different ways. The first is saying goodbye to the only nursery in Tillamook – Hidden Acres. It was recently bought by Jandy Oysters and has been turned into an oyster bar. They still say they want to do plants on the side, but it is unclear if there is any knowledge or expertise left amongst the staff. There is always the hope that they will continue and only time will tell.

The second is Joy Creek in Scappoose. They have suddenly decided to retire and close operations at the end of this planting year. This was a true nursery in that they found and propagated most of their own material, meaning that most of their products were not the common stuff you find in the big box stores. This is a big loss to the Portland area gardening community, and we will certainly try and get a final trip in there to say goodbye and thank you. We wish you a long and happy retirement.

** We did indeed get there and came home with a collection of 20 Fuchsias and many other plants. We have started to plant a Fuchsia garden and now we will always associate that with Joy Creek.

Weather

Finally a month where this years rainfall exceeded last year, and not by a small margin. We almost doubled it. This year’s total was 12.50 inches compared to 6.45. As can be expected, a majority of the rain was in the back half of the month which is exactly the period that was almost without rain last year. 2019 managed to record 7 inches. As for temperatures, we were slightly colder this year and windier, but not by any significant amount.

Gardener’s Log – September 2021

The first signs of fall are here. I am sure every gardener has a few tell-tail signs that they use, but one of the plants for me has always been the cyclamens, and in particular Cyclamen hederifolum. The bright little pink flowers push through the surface, just as leafless as any of the naked ladies.

A new one of those this year is Lycoris radiata, the spider or hurricane Lily. Its bloom spikes are 10″ to 12″ and much larger. The blossoms are quite a striking red.

As for trees, the first to start turning are always the dogwoods – Cornus ‘Venus’. They start to color up by the beginning of September, putting on their orange, then red and finally burgundy cloak. The only thing that stops their display being magical is that every leaf turns on its own schedule, meaning that the tree is a combination of all colors and not a single bold display.

Start of the Rainy Season

We have still to have the first rain of the wet season and much of the garden is looking totally parched. That rain is expected later this week and they say it could be 1″ to 3″, so quite a soaker. Let us hope that it starts gently so that it can properly wet the soil, because sand resists water.

Update – the rains came and we had 2.5″ – and at least some of it soaked in, but the soil still remains quite dry.

Lots of work over the weekend got the area between the Garden of the Giants / Whimsey Way and the next-door forest area cleared and planted. Some Woodwardias have gone in along with an Enkianthus, candelabra primulas (Primula beesiana), and other plants that should provide some interest throughout the year. They were selected to provide a transition to the more natural area, rather than a last hurrah. Everything was selected as being deer resistant, but our local deer aren’t very smart and cannot read labels. Over time, their aching tummies will tell them, assuming the plants survive.

Update – the deer have decided that they like Onoclea sensibilis – the Sensitive Fern

La Nina is supposedly forming in the tropical Pacific this year and that traditionally means a cooler and wetter winter. Given the dryness this year, that will certainly be a change, and most of the Gondwanan plants will probably appreciate it. It does mean that I will have to take special care to bring sensitive plants in for some protection because it may mean some arctic blasts.

Looking Back

Talking about Gondwana, my Facebook account reminded me about a photo I posted a year ago. The rock walls were still going in. I decided it would be nice to do a side-by-side to show the plant progress in a year.

It looks as if the Banksia specioca, that I grew from seed and was doing so well in Gondwana, has very rapidly croaked. The tips of the new growth curled and then the whole plant has yellowed. I am not sure it will re-shoot from the base when moisture becomes abundant, or if that is the end of story. It will be a shame if that is the case.

The rains did indeed come, and all the plants are much happier. It takes a lot of rain to completely re-wet our soil. After 2 1/2″, one of the outdoor moisture sensors is saying that the soil is at 76% saturation and the other one remains at 12%. My guess is that most of the water ran off in that area rather than soaking in.

Seed Starting

The latest batch of seeds arrived from South Africa this week and so there has been lots of activity getting those started. Most of the seeds are for somewhat diminutive bulbs and will take 3 years before they get to a blooming size. The others are seeds of Protea cynaroides, Protea lepidocararpodendron, and a yellow hybrid Leucospermum.

These need a little more pre-treatment before sowing. Some like a hydrogen peroxide treatment to loosen the other coating and then soaking in smoke water. I am trying to germinate them in a sterile condition by having them against a damp paper towel. That way I can immediately see if they germinate or if there are any fungal problems. That can be a significant issue because they may well take 3 or 4 months to germinate.

Gondwana Extension

Gondwana got a small extension. On the extreme left side, when looking up the hill, the juniper was pushing into the Grevillea and the retaining wall behind that had never been finished. That was corrected and then the nest tier above that was partially put in and the soil dug. Getting rid of all of the Salal root is important because that has a habit of sprouting for many years to come and I don’t want to be pulling out those roots after Protea family plants are in place. Three new plants were added – Protea eximia, which I grew from seed, Grevillea ‘Robyn Gordon’, and Leucadendron ‘Jester’. The variegated leaves of Jester should provide a good tie into the red flowers of Robyn Gordon and the bright yellow of the foliage across the stepping stone path into the conifer forest.

Leucadendron 'Jester' — Leucadendron ‘Jester’

Aloe Plicatilis

What a difference a year makes. I was going through plants looking to see what needed potting up and realized how much the Aloe plicatilis has growth since I got it earlier this year. The first picture was taken in February and the second in September.

This is exciting because I thought its growth was going to be a lot slower. I am not sure if that is its first branch developing in the center.

Weather Summary

This has been the end of a long dry spell and over the last few days of September we picked up about 4″ of rain to give us a total of 5.13″ for the month. However, that still left us with a deficit as compared to last year when we had 6.90″ and 8.99″ the year before. Temperatures were cooler by 3.2 degrees and along with that, winds were considerably higher accounting and more westerly – which explains being cooler.