Leucadendron Archives - Oceanside Garden

Gardener’s Log – January 2023

Unfortunately, last year was not the exception. A couple of cold snaps already this January have shown us that last year was aberration. Prior to 2022, we had barely touched freezing since we moved here 8 years ago. A couple of times we could see frost down the bottom of the garden, but the little weather station that we have up by the house hung around the 32F mark. Last year we dropped to 22F and this year we have already seen 27F and 25F. That firmly puts us at USDA Zone 9B at best. Still, this is a lot better than the Z8 that we are officially classified as.

It is time for people to start thinking I am sick or lost my marbles. We have now gone through a whole month of the new year and I have not bought a single plant, bulb or seed. It is possible that my wife views this as a miracle, but I promise this will not continue into February. We have an exciting trip to southern California all set up and I know we will manage to bring back a plant or two. Nothing like our trips over the past couple of years. We are flying this time, and so it will just be a few tucked in with the clothes. In previous years, the car was chock full.

Leucadendron rubrum

Back in December, one of our local nurseries was doing a lot of wreath making classes. They brought in a bunch of raw material that people could use. Included were a variety of different Leucadendron and Protea stems. I can never pass up an opportunity to try using any material for cuttings and that is what I did. While that was not very successful, it was still fun trying. However, the Leucadendron rubrum had really nice fat cones. I kept those in water until the cones started to open. Then I extracted the seeds, soaked them in smoke water for 24 hours and sowed them in a mix of perlite and peat. They are placed on heat and under mist. No germination yet, but I am quite hopeful.

Garden Progress

I did have good intentions to tackle a couple of projects in January. Alas they have not progress beyond order the necessary lumber and moving those into position. One of the cold snaps got in the way. I do not like using power tools when fingers are cold, but hopefully soon I will be able to get to work on those.

One task is to build another section of the deer perimeter. There is an open area at the bottom of the large staircase that has become a path well-trodden by the deer. Once they have their route established, it is difficult to break it just by chasing them off. Just the other day I noticed that the white Camellia was blooming. The next day I grabbed the camera to take some pictures and found two deer just finishing them off. One single blossom was left!

What I have found is that a fence does not have to be solid to deter deer. I know they can jump a 6′ fence, but when there is an easier path for them, they don’t seem to like doing unnecessary exercise.

I have also found that by putting a strip of lattice about 2′ tall and elevated by about 18″ or 2′ from the ground (around eye height for the deer) that tend to see it as an impenetrable barrier. That means the rest of the fence can be very open, airy. In addition, the lattice allows for climbers to get established along the bottom. The picture below shows a similar piece of the fencing down the bottom of the garden.

The other project is to make progress on the pathways across the other side of the yard. This will become the shady woodland and natives area and connect the Winter garden to the Fairy garden. PLus, it will provide a second “working” path up to the greenhouse and growing area. In order to do that, I need to create a foundational deck that will link the Winter garden path to the staircase that will go both up and down from there. It will also help deal with the very steep drop-off of the ground in two direction there, which would have been very difficult to level using retaining walls.

Visits

None this month, but next month we will be visiting the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden, California Botanic Garden, Descano Gardens, Fullerton Arboretum, Niguel Botanical Preserve, San Diego Botanic Garden, and Balboa Park (even though the conservatory is closed for renovations.)

What’s in Bloom

While there are things blooming in the garden, and a lot more will start next month, there are a few special plants in the greenhouse that have been blooming this month. Both are Lachenalia (Cow Slips) but both of very different colors. Quadricolor is very much as its name suggest in that its blooms have four colors, and viridiflora, also as its name suggests, is turquoise, although the color does not seem to be true in the photo.

The Iris are normally the first of the bulbs to show, and this year one came along with some snowdrops. But that is not all that is blooming. Some of the Grevillea continue to put on a wonderful display, the Correa are blooming and the Crowea has blossoms as well.

Polygala chamaebuxus 'Kamniski' — Polygala chamaebuxus ‘Kamniski’

While many of these do not have large flowers or totally covered with blooms, we have to remember this is January and that makes them special!

Leptospermum scoparium 'Snow White' — Leptospermum scoparium ‘Snow White’

Weather Summary

January has been fairly typical, if a little colder than previous years. The high has been 57.7, the low 25.7 and an average of 44.5F. That comes to a high of 63, low of 30.6 and average of 46.5F for last year. Last year (14.30″) saw more than twice the rainfall of this year (6.25″) although this year it dribbled out across the whole of the month making it feel wetter.

Weather - January 2023 — Weather – January 2023

The big impact this year is that California was impacted by most of the major storms that came across the Pacific Ocean. During one week, I think they were hit by three separate atmospheric rivers. Those would normally have been aimed at us. They needed it more, but it is sad how much damage it caused to them.

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Gardener’s Log – November 2022

November is an interesting transition month. The last remaining plants of the year continue to put out a few blooms, although they certainly fade from their former glory, but taking over from them are the early harbingers of spring. Already, the first snowdrops are blooming and the Mahonia flower buds are coloring up, letting you know that they are ready to take on winter. In my garden, there is another layer that adds color through the winter. Many of the South African and Australian plants bloom during winter, and the Grevillea ‘Coastal Gem’ has been covered in a mass of red buds for over a month now. It is just waiting for the right moment to burst open. Other Grevillea are also blooming, but not with the same kind of flower density.

A new beginning

This is also the month when seeds and bulbs come pouring in, creating a temporary frenzy of activity. Many of the bulbs already had their location picked out when they were ordered, but each year I try out a few new things and I like to keep those in pots for the first year so that I can see them up close and under more controlled conditions.

Seeds are more difficult to obtain these days due to restrictions or conditions that were put in place during Covid. South Africa remains in a state that can only be described as close to collapse. Their mail system is no longer trustworthy and seeds from there have to wait for a courier to take them out of the country to somewhere like England, and then they are mailed form there. That is a tough journey for some of these seeds. Australia has put in place a lot more restrictions and many of the companies I used in the past no longer entertain international orders. But still – I have lot of things to try and germinate. With many of them, it will be years before I really see the fruits of my efforts.

Garden Progress

Little progress has been made this month, primarily due to a continuing medical condition. But there has been progress on the stream bed and waterfall. It starts in what will be Nature Island and ends up in the Fairy garden. The bottom part of it was nearing completion, but the upper stream bed was non-existent. The ground has now been cleared. That meat getting up a number of mature Sword Ferns and moving those along to the property border. My experience has been that these ferns are tough as nails when it comes to this kind of relocation.

The land has been contoured, and most of the underground pipework is in. Now it is a matter of working out where I can put in some small margin and bog areas, building the sides and then mortaring everything in place and sealing all the joints. The mortar is necessary based on my experience with raccoons. Once they damage a butyl rubber liner, there is almost no hope of every fully sealing it again, especially if it is in an area that is not totally flat.

What’s in Bloom

Out with the old

These are a few of the plants that continue to bloom. Fuchsia and Salvia hang on with fewer flowers than they used to have. Plus, it is easy to forget some of them, like the Rosemary, that are almost always in bloom.

Rosemarinus officinalis 'Huntington's Carpet' — Rosemarinus officinalis ‘Huntington’s Carpet’

Toad lilies (tricyrtis hirta) come in some amazing colors and patterns. This is one I grew from seed.

And the Hesperanthus just refuse to give up.

Hesperanthus coccinea 'Oregon Sunset' — Hesperanthus coccinea ‘Oregon Sunset’

In with the new

These are the first harbingers of spring. This was the first snowdrop of the year.

And the Mahonia media ‘Charity’ getting ready to bloom

Not blooms, but great anyways

There are many plants that have insignificant flowers, but have other ways to put on a wonderful display. Here is a Leucadendron ‘Hawaii Magic’ that has colorful bracts.

Weather Summary

To look at the averages for this year, you would think that it was very similar to last year. This year, the high was 64.6, low 34.7 and average 46.1. Last year the high was 63.6, low 38.1 and an average of 50.4. Rainfall this year was 17.71″ versus 19.68″. But behind the numbers is a very big difference. This year we went two weeks with no rain! It didn’t feel like November at all, with the sun shining. The clear nights meant that it was a little colder and that is what accounted for most of the lower average temperature. Last year saw some rain almost every day. I would certainly take this year over last year, even though at one point I had to go out and water some plants!

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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.

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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.