Hellebore Archives - Oceanside Garden

Gardener’s Log – December 2022

They say that every year appears to go by faster, but that has not been the case this year, thanks to the increasing pain in my leg. This has reduced my ability to make progress, especially over the past couple of months, but I remain hopeful that this will be resolved in the New Year. It has also been a year of unexpected surprises from the weather. No longer can we claim to be a marginal zone 10 garden, not even a 9B. In fact, we were book-ended by bad weather – cold early which killed a lot of plants, and a major storm in the past few days that left the whole region without power for a day, and for us – almost two days. Thankfully, it appears that no significant damage was done by the wind and rain that came with that.

Garden Progress

Having said that, some major changes did happen over the course of the year, making it a very productive year. The new growing benches out front have made life a lot easier and are full to overflowing. Much less bending, plants not attempting to root into the ground, and making it a lot easier to get organized for watering and feeding. I also sold plants for the first time this year on ebay – all of my excess Protea venusta plants (it bloomed for the first time this year), many Grevillea, and a few other plants that I had excess of. I should have many more this spring to put up.

Progress through the year

In the main part of the garden, progress happened in three main areas. The new Winter garden, the Mediterranean garden and progress on the Fairy garden. Also made a start clearing out a lot of the Holodiscus from what will be the Native area of the garden. While the Holodiscus are natives, I don’t need the whole area filled with them and it will make room for native Vine Maples, native Rhododendron, Mahonia and others. I also have a batch of Trilliums going for ground cover.

I am not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed about the number of plants that have been purchased over the course of this year. A total of 341 new plant entries have been made in the catalog. If it is any consolation, it is a few less than last year that came in at 375. Many of those are bulbs, with a lot more reticulata Iris being included this year, after they brought so much joy last year. There has also been a concentration of plants that can take a little more shade. Dry, shade, sharp drainage is a difficult set of requirements, and then you add on top deer resistant. A lot of the plants are experiments to see how well they do.

Iris reticulata 'Harmony' — Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’

What’s in Bloom

Winter is time when many of the South African and Australian bloom, although it is still early for most. Crowea ‘Poorinda Ecstasy’ has started early this year and started putting out the first blooms early in the month.

Crowea 'Poorinda Ecstacy' — Crowea ‘Poorinda Ecstacy’

Many of the Correa’s have started to put out a few blooms and that will intensify through winter. Correa glabra ‘Marian’s Marvel’ is one with slightly more pastel colors than some of the others.

Correa 'Marian's Marvel' — Correa ‘Marian’s Marvel’

Grevillea lanigera ‘Coastal Gem’ has really come into its own this year. It has spread nicely and has been holding its buds for a couple of months now.

But there are other more Northern Hemisphere plants that are also blooming. Helleborus x ericsmithii ‘Winter’s Song’ is the first of the Hellebore’s to bloom for us. I gave it a good hair cut a month or so ago meaning that the blossoms are really visible this year. It will soon put on new leaf growth.

Outstanding New Plants for 2022

There have been three plants that I acquired this year that have really blown me away. Two were from UC Santa Cruz arboretum (Norries) and the third from Half Moon Bay Nursery. They were all acquired in July and were blooming at that time. What is amazing is that all three of them are still blooming! The number of blossoms has changed, and the Ceratopetalum cheats a little bit because it is the bracts that are the most colorful and they last much longer than the actual flowers. But it is still putting out a few and with that, it keeps coloring up the leaves.

Grevillea rhyolitica

Leptospermum scoparium ‘Snow White’

Ceratopetalum gummiferum ‘Fairley’s Coral’

Weather Summary

For weather this month I am cheating a bit. First, we had another sensor go out on our array, meaning we had no record of rainfall during the last week of the month. A new array is on its way. Also, during the large storm at the end of the month, we were without power for most of two days, whereas Netarts, just a mile down the road, was out for a much shorter space of time. I have thus “borrowed” the data from them.

The average temperature for the month was 1 degree warmer than last year. The high was 59.4 and low of 27.7, compared to 55.9 and 29.1 last year. Last year’s winds were 29.8 and gust of 51.4. This year, thanks to the late storm winds clocked in at 70, gusting to 85.7. No wonder the entire county was without power.

Weather - December 2022 — Weather – December 2022

Yearly Summary

January and February were quite delightful months with lots of sun and low rainfall. March, April and May made up for that. Then we went into a long dry summer that extended into October. The final two months were somewhat average apart from the big storm in the last week of December. That was the worst since we have lived here. In total we had 105″ of rain this year, that was highly concentrated into 6 months. That is a little bit above last year at 98″.

2022	High	Low	Average	Rainfall
Jan	63	30.6	46.5	14.3
Feb	72.7	22.5	44.7	7.4
Mar	64.8	36	46.9	10.35
Apr	66.2	32.5	46.3	10.81
May	66	38.8	50.3	13.22
Jun	90	45.1	56.6	6.88
Jul	79.3	47.8	58.8	0.44
Aug	80.4	50.7	60.5	0.51
Sep	94.6	48.6	59.4	1.51
Oct	89.8	43.5	54.6	6.55
Nov	64.6	34.7	46.1	17.71
Dec	59.4	27.7	43.9	15.16

Calendar

Gardener’s Log – February 2022

February has been both cruel and kind. Let’s start with the kind.

The dry, relatively warm weather has enabled significant progress on three areas of the garden that are under development. The bench/seating area in the fairy garden now has a bench and work is progressing on the slate flooring in there. Black pebbles will fill in the major gaps under and behind the seating, and then Herniaria glabra will be planted in the gaps. A half flat of these has been growing from cuttings in the greenhouse over winter.

The second area is the extension to the upper woodland and surrounding area. I had to start work on this so that there was a temporary place for some of the pots, but more about that in a minute. Along with the clearing, the location for the new path that will go through that part of the garden came into focus. Thanks to a delivery of rock, I was able to start building the retaining walls for this.

Winter Garden

When I started thinking about what plants I had available for that area, I decided that a secondary theme for it should also be a winter garden. I had seen a couple of episodes of Gardener’s World that featured these and decided that it was something I could easily do in that area. The first addition was an Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’, more commonly known as the Coral Bark Maple. Along with plants already in the collection, I will probably also try and acquire one of the more interesting colored twig dogwoods to go in there. Daphne, Hellebore, Winter flowering heaths will join them.

Below the walkway, and along the main pathway will be a Mediterranean garden. This will take on a somewhat pastel color tone and double as a bee/butterfly garden. Along with Lavender, a number of other perennials have been ordered to create a significant splash of muted color. I am planning the build some bug hotels at the bottom of this and in Nature Island – an area of the garden that I am leaving to fully native plantings – just like it was when I started the garden.

Contemporary Garden

The final area under development is in the front of the house and comprises what will become the contemporary garden and the new and improved area for plants in pots. The old Escallonia hedge is now fully removed, stumps out, and the structure for the fence is built. Pickets will be painted and installed as weather permits. The first of the new benches has also been constructed and is now housing plants from the Protea family. A smaller and lower section will be added to the end of it later. I also managed to acquire a stainless-steel bench that will be a small work area in the pots area.

Cruel Cold

Now on to the cruel. After our lowest recorded temperatures last month, that whacked a few plants, we dipped another 8 degrees colder than that for a couple of nights. We got down to 22F – that is a full 10 degrees below the lowest we have recorded before this year. It broke records in other areas along the coast set back in 1960, so perhaps this is a once in 100 year event, but with global warming, I am getting to think that it just means that both our highs and lows will become more extreme.

With those temperatures, many things have died. It is still not possible to know the full extent of the damage yet, but some major plants appeared to be gone. Like the Echium “Pride of Madeira” was about to come into bloom after growing it from a tiny plant for 3 years. Several Grevilleas, including King’s Fire and Superb look as if there is nothing left. Many other plants look as if the leaves have suffered but will have to see if the crowns survived. I had thought we were a safe 9b or even a 10a with some protection, but after this year 9a is the best we can reliably hope for. That will change some of my plant selections in the future.

February Bloomers

A number of things have been blooming this month. The Hellebores continue with ‘Double Peach Blush’ entering the fray.

Helleborus 'Double Peach Blush' — Helleborus ‘Double Peach Blush’

A number of the Correa are blooming, including Ray’s Tangerine.

Correa 'Ray's Tangerine' — Correa ‘Ray’s Tangerine’

A new little charmer is Viola odorata ‘Comte de Brazza’

In the Iris collection, Iris histrioides ‘Sheila Ann Germany’ takes over. Isn’t she an absolute charmer. I hope to add more dwarf Iris for next year.

In the more unusual flower category is Isopogon formosus. Thankfully, it seems to have survived the cold snap.

And Leucadendron salignum ‘Winter Red’

February Weather

As already stated, February has been a month of extremes. The highs of 72.7 was wonderful, but the lows of 22.5 was not. We also had by far the strongest winds we have ever recorded at 54.6 mph with a gust of 111.8mph. Shortly after this, the anemometer stopped working, so we do not have wind speed for the second half of the month.

Last year, the high was 54.5 and the low was 32.7. Interestingly, the average temperature was almost exactly the same, meaning that this year was lots of extremes on both ends. Rainfall last year was 11.48″ and this year we only managed half of that, coming in at 5.73″ and 3″ of that has been in the last two days.

An interesting evening

After I took the measurements for the month, things got interesting. Not only did we have a lot more rain, at one point, I noticed we were up to more than 4″ for the day, but then the lights started to flicker along with bright flashes in the surrounding hills. Each time the power came back – until it didn’t and was replaced by several fires shouting up into the sky. Thankfully, the rain and our great volunteer fire department took care of everything. Thanks folks.

Calendar

Gardener’s Log – January 2022

What a glorious month and perhaps somewhat deserved after a total bust that was fall. It has enabled a very productive gardening month and allowed me to catch up on many of the tasks not completed last year – like doing all of the weeding. It feels good to be on top of them, although I am sure there will be many more spouting as soon as I look away.

Junuary

The month of June is often called January because it can be one of the worst months of the year on the coast. In April and May, spring gets going and the sun gets higher in the sky. Temperatures warm and the rains decrease and then along comes June and the onshore winds kick in. It becomes cold, cloudy, windy and just like we expect January to be.

But this year we have had the opposite. You could be forgiven for forgetting that it is January because it is behaving like a real June. We have been dry for over two weeks. While nighttime temperatures have been cold, the days have hardly had a cloud in the sky. Temperatures between 50 and 60, no wind – absolutely glorious. I don’t think I have even managed to garden as much in a January.

Microclimates

We often here the term microclimate, but rarely do we see it exhibited as much as we have this month. I probably wouldn’t have known if not for the temperatures sensors we have around the house and garden. Our main weather station is on the decking of the main floor of the house. This is a good 20 feet above ground level. We also have a sensor on the Portal, which is probably about 50′ away and 30′ down in elevation.

I always suspected that the Portal would be a degree or two cooler because cold air flows downhill and there is nowhere really for it to go once it gets there. For the past week the air has been very still. While the tops of the tree are moving, the air is completely stagnant down in the lower part of the garden. That has resulted in a continuous temperature differential of between 5 and 10 degrees, both day and night, between those two points. That is basically a whole USDA zone difference.

Escallonia removal

Escallonia is one of those plants that is a deer magnet. We had a whole hedge of it in front of the house. Half of it was removed to make way for the greenhouse. Now it is time to deal with the other side. It is not uncommon to catch the deer munching on the hedge. While I don’t mind, the problem is they trample over my can yard to get to it. Many plants have been crushed, pots broken or tipped over. It is good to be rid of it.

The plan is that this area will become a contemporary garden filled with grasses and display pedestals on which plants of note will be placed. These will be rotational. Plants may find they place here because they are architectural, bizarre, or just looking especially good at that moment.

Next month, the roots will be coming out – hopefully. That means all of the pots that were out front had to be moved. That means I had to clean some other ground and set up a temporary area for some of the pots. It is not ideal that they are in front of the heat pumps, but it should only be for a short time.

What’s in Bloom

Some things have certainly been hurried along this month. The first Iris of the year have been blooming, but then they often do start the bloom season. Iris reticulata ‘Katherine’s Gold’ is usually the first followed by ‘Harmony’.

The Hellebore ‘Winter’s Song’ has been blooming all month and certainly brightens up the pathway leading to the Tea House. Up in the pots, a few plants have been putting on a show. First up is Isopogon formosus. The common name for this plant is drumsticks and you can see why from this photo.

Several of the Correa have a few blooms on them right now, but ‘Dawn in Santa Cruz’ is in full bloom. The pink and yellow trumps certainly like to celebrate the new year.

Correa 'Dawn in Santa Cruz' — Correa ‘Dawn in Santa Cruz’

One plant that is not meant to be in bloom at this time of year is the Crowea ‘Poorinda Ecstacy’. It doesn’t have many blooms, but they are still very welcomed.

Weather Summary

Sometimes, averages tell you nothing. When comparing this January against last year using the average figures, you would think that last year was the better of the two. The high temperature last year was 65.3 and only 63 for this year (not that anything over 60 isn’t wonderful in January.) The low last year – 34.2 against 30.6 for this year – the first real frost we have ever had here. It was colder down the bottom of the garden. Rainfall was less this year, clocking in at 14.16 inches versus 19.55″ last year.

Winds were a little higher this year compared to last, the same with the gusts. The big difference comes with how the rain was distributed and you see that long dry spell, starting from the 20th almost to the end of the month. Last year, it dribbled a little bit almost every day, so the skies would have been grey and that also explains the higher average temperatures because we had cloud cover at night.

Calendar

New Year Bloomers

With an increasing array of South African and Australian plants in the garden, the number of plants that we can expect to bloom at this time of year is significantly increasing. I just dodged the rain showers to take stock of what is blooming today.

The new year starts of with Grevillea ‘Neil Bell’ continuing to bloom, as is the Correa. Both of these plants appear to want to bloom year round. Some of the other Grevillea really want to open up, but they will probably wait for a warmer day to do that.

In the greenhouse, a newly acquired bulb has started blooming – Lachenalia quadricolor. This is such a delightful little plant and I hope I can get them to increase over time.

Also blooming in the greenhouse is an unknown variety of Echeveria. (looks like it might be Echevaria shaviana)

A couple of Hellebores have started their display ‘Winter’s Song’ and ‘Snow Fever’. Other Hellebore are getting ready, but these two have already been at it for a couple of weeks.

Down in the Tuxedo garden, the Leucanthemum continues to put out cheery blossoms. A few other plants that should have died down continue to have a few blooms, such as the Gaillardia, and some of the Fuchsia. The rosemary also believes that the entire year is the right time to bloom.

The first of the Galanthus woronowii (snow drop) has just opened up. The common name for this is the Green Snowdrop. I know it looks white, but when it open up a little more, it should have a green trip inside. No page for that one yet, but stay tuned. Also putting on a display at the moment is a silver leaved Cyclamen of an unknown species.

Well, that’s the list unless there were things that were hiding from me as I did my rapid walk-around. Happy New Year everyone.