In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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February 29, 2008

Top 10 tomatoes

If you’re thinking of planting heirloom tomatoes this year - and it isn’t too late to start seeds - here are the top 10 for 2008, according to Gary Ibsen, grower of 600 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and owner of TomatoFest Garden Seeds in Carmel.

The Top 10 favorite heirloom tomatoes are:

Paul Robeson (purple/black)
Cherokee Purple (purple/black)
Brandywine (pink)
Amana Orange (orange)
Marvel Stripe (red/yellow striped)
Julia Child (pink)
Black Zebra (green/purple striped)
Black Cherry (purple/black)
Kellogg's Breakfast (orange) and
Aussie (red)

Ibsen points to the increased number of black tomatoes on the list, and calls black tomatoes “the new red.”

The only black tomato I’ve grown and tasted is Black Krim, and I thought it was great.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 12:21 PM | Comments

Sun loving plants wanted

Q: Any suggestions for a “year around” shrub: specifically, flowers in the summer and colored leaves in the winter, that grows about 3 feet tall and planted in full sun.
Bob Bryans, Lincoln

A: I don’t know whether you’re looking for a single shrub, or perhaps an entire row, and that makes a difference. Are you adamant about fall color, or would evergreens be OK, too? What is your soil like? How will the plants be watered? Will you be installing some sort of irrigations system? Do you want drought tolerant plants? Are you willing to do some pruning to keep plants three feet tall?

Still, the possibilities are numerous. My suggestions are:

Nandina: yes,it’s very common, but tough and beautiful. It makes clusters of white flowers in spring that become beautiful red berries in the fall. Comes in many sizes and foliage types.

Barberry: The stems are armed with spines, but what beautiful foliage it has! It comes in green or purple, green edged in gold, and several other combinations. It loses its leaves in fall. Spring flowers are almost inconspicuous, small bright red berries in fall.

Other dependable sun-loving plants include: Cistus (evergreen, great flowers, no fall color), and forsythia (beautiful yellow flowers in spring, yellow leaves in fall).

I’d also add lantana, grevillea, rosemary and quince to the list, even thought they don’t have fall color, as well as California natives like ceanothus, manzanita, Dendromecon (bush poppy), baccharis (coyote bush).

Another good suggestion is to browse through a nursery and see what you like. If fall color is more important than flowers, visit in fall when plants are turning color so you see what you are getting.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 10:53 AM | Comments

February 26, 2008

Fun in the vegetable garden

Put a little fun in the garden this year. When you send in your seed orders, or when you’re browsing through the seed racks, look for something a bit different, a tad odd or unusual to try.

Here are a few of the offbeat things I’m going to try this year:

1. Cranberry Red potato: It’s red on the outside and on the inside, and the flesh stays a pink-red color even when cooked. It’s great sautéed, but probably not as mashed potatoes. Wood Prairie Farm

2. Broom corn: It’s actually sorghum, and comes in many colors, including bronze, cream, black. The stems below the seed heads are stiff enough to make into brooms. I love the names of the various varieties: Apache Red, Texas Black, Amber, Tennessee Red. Great in flower arrangements. Seed Savers Exchange

3. Walking Stick Kale: Also called Jersey Kale, the stalk can grow six or seven feet tall with the kale at the top. If you live where it will over winter, it can grow to 15 feet the second year. And, yes, you can make a walking stick out of it. Whatcom Seed Company

4. Udumalapet eggplant: This one is from Seed Savers Exchange, and it makes striped teardrop shaped fruits that are green with lavender stripes. They also offer one called Stiped Toga that is orange with green stripes. They’re so pretty I’ll probably leave them in the garden and never harvest them! Seed Savers Exchange

5. Yugoslavian Finger Fruit winter squash: It’s an acorn-type squash, except it’s creamy white with ten finger-like ribs that come to a point. It was introduced as “Pineapple” in 1885, and is said to be fine grained and smooth to the taste. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

6. Explosive Embers peppers: Yikes. They’re a brilliant purple color when young, although eventually turn bright red. Tomato Growers Supply Company

Posted by Pat Rubin at 12:35 PM | Comments

February 25, 2008

Has shade; needs plants

Q: The front entry to my house faces north, and doesn't get any sun, no matter what the season. What can I plant that's green all year and flowers?
Sandy Wright, Sacramento

A: Shady spots can be as difficult as those in full sun. Both are extremes that require plants that love those particular conditions. It seems sun lovers get all the press, but there are fabulous shade-loving plants that can brighten up a dark corner, surprise you with luscious flowers and soothe your soul with their cool, green foliage.

I suggest a combination of evergreen and deciduous or herbaceous plants for your shady garden. That way, there’s always something interesting happening. Plus, you'll have plants growing and blooming at many different levels.

Evergreens: My top choice would be the camellia. They come in a wide range of sizes and flower colors. Choose them in bloom. Now is the time to find camellias you’ll love in the garden. Azaleas make good companions below or in front of camellias, and revel in shady nooks. Gardenias are another possibility. They come in sizes that range from a foot tall to five feet, have beautiful deep green foliage and wonderfully scented white flowers in the summer. Other good choices include viburnum and euonymus (‘Emerald & Gold’ and ‘Silver Queen’ have variegated foliage that can add some light to shady areas.

Another good choice is dogwood, although they loose their leaves. They flower while the branches are bare, and it’s a stunning sight.

I’d underplant the shrubs with primroses, ferns, coleus, hostas, heuchera, hakone grass (brilliant yellow foliage that flows in one direction like a waterfall), hellebore, Japanese anemones (watch this one: it can spread) or pulmonaria.

There are also many California and Mediterranean natives that prefer shade, and some of them even thrive in dry shade. Ribes malvaceum, the chaparral current, appreciates quite a bit of shade, and Ribes viburnifolium makes a low ground cover in dry shade.

Last suggestion: find yourself a book on shade gardening. One of the newest ones I've seen is called “Shade, ideas and inspiration for shady gardens” by Keith Wiley (Timber Pres, 2007, 176 pages, $19.95).

Photo Camellia 'Lady in Red' by Florence Low, Sacramento Bee photographer.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 12:28 PM | Comments

February 22, 2008

Disease-free rose

Weeks Roses has, according to their press release, come up with a disease-resistant rose that “is the very first modern rose that's disease free. No matter what, it does not require spraying, and it needs nothing more than the basics you give the other perennials in your garden. It just keeps on growing and blooming and looking fabulous.”

Pictured here, it’s called Home Run, and has clusters of red blooms with big yellow stamens. Weeks says the rose is always in bloom from spring to late fall, and can be used as a landscape plant or with perennials.

To find a local or mail order source for this rose, visit the Home Run website.

I haven’t tried it, so if you decide to take a chance and order Home Run, let me know how it does in your garden.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 12:03 PM | Comments

February 21, 2008

Scented plant in Iraq

Q: I’m am trying to help my daughter, who is stationed in Iraq, identify a plant. She asks whether there's "a type of eucalyptus or palm tree that has a jasmine-like scent? Every now and then I catch a similar scent in the air, and there's definitely no jasmine around here. However, we do have desert palm trees and some odd form of eucalyptus."

Do you have any idea what the plant could be or how I could find out?
Helen Rains

A: That question stumped me, so I called Warren Roberts, Superintendent of the UC Davis Arboretum. Roberts has studied plants for many years, traveled widely learning about plants, and is a treasure trove of information.

He agrees it’s unlikely the plant is jasmine since it’s too early for jasmine to be blooming. However, he added, there could be jasmine growing in courtyards, so you wouldn’t see them. You’d catch their fragrance in bloom.

His best guess, he says, is Pittosporum undulatum, which blooms early, has a sweet, jasmine-like scent, and almost looks like a eucalyptus.

Also called Victorian box, mock orange, Australian cheesewood, and Victorian laurel, it is a handsome, slender branched tree that can grow upwards of 30 feet. They are some on the coast of California that are 40 feet tall, Roberts says. The flowers are wonderfully fragrant. Native to Australia, it can be invasive.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 02:56 PM | Comments

February 20, 2008

Gardening between raindrops

Now until spring is the hardest time of year for a gardener because good gardening weather is so close we can feel it. And February teases us with just enough sunny, mild weather to make us think spring will come early.

Then Mother Nature turns cold and rainy again, and dashes our gardening hopes. We have to sneak in bits of gardening here and there. Whenever the rain stops, when the sun finally breaks through the clouds, you'll likely find a gardener feverously planting seeds, repotting plants or pulling weeds.

It's not so hard waiting to garden the rest of the year.

During spring, for example, we know the showers are only temporary, and that the sun will come back shortly.

During summer we can work outside early in the morning or evenings after the weather cools.

We know winter will keep us out of the garden for weeks, even months.

But February really ought to be kinder to gardenrs.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 10:15 AM | Comments

February 19, 2008

When will those seeds come up????

Q: Hello. I have questions regarding germination. I planted 9 different types of seed, and want to know how long each of them takes to germinate. How long does it take for carrots, onions, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, marigolds, bell peppers, snap beans and sunflowers to germinate. If you've counted, I've listed eight plants because the radishes have already sprouted.
Hailey Schelmety

A: The days to germination should be listed on each seed packet, but it also depends on whether you planted them directly in the ground or in pots. And it depends on the soil temperature. Hot weather vegetables like snap beans, sunflowers and bell peppers like the weather to be dependabl;y warm and the soil temperature to be above 50 or 55 degrees.

Of all the seeds you planted, the bean seeds are most likely not to come up at all this time of year. In fact, they'll likely rot in the ground because the soil is just toocold.

The lettuce, marigolds, onions, peas and carrots will likely come up next. The sunflowers will remain in the ground unharmed until they decide it's warm enough to germinate. I believe the bell pepper and cucumber seeds will be Ok planted now, but won't germinate until the weather is warmer.

If as the season progresses you don't see any seeds sprouting, then I'd replant and try again.

We had a sunny weekend, but it's raining and chilly again, and our soil temperatures remain below 50 degrees. You might check with your local nursery for planting times.

Good luck.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 04:17 PM | Comments

Don't prune yet

Q: I have several plants - hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, artemesia - showing new growth or buds, below where they died back for the winter. Should I prune back now or wait a little longer to be sure of no freezing?
Jean Stiarwalt, Rocklin

A: I too see new growth - finally - on my hydrangeas. Ditto mums and artemesia. And I did recently succumb to the temptation to cut the old, dead growth away on the hydrangeas in pots on the deck. I would say the same applies to ones planted against the house since those are in protected areas where I don't have to worry so much about freezing temperatures.

I prune back to one of the lower buds so the plants come back nice and bushy.
The artemesia, however, can be pruned back pretty heavily. I have Artemesia 'Powis Castle,' and I give it a good shearing every year and it responds with the most beautiful silvery growth and stays compact and bushy all summer.

However, plants in the main part of the garden remain unpruned. I'm giving a bit more time. Then when I'm sure all dange of frost is past, probably early April, I'll be out there, pruning shears in hand, clipping away.

So wait a bit longer.....spring really is weeks away even if February does tempt us with mild weather and sunshine.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 03:37 PM | Comments

To seal or not to seal...rose cane cuts

Q: We have heard conflicting ideas about using a pruning seal on rose bushes after they are pruned. Can you advise?
Patricia Fish, Fair Oaks

A: That’s a question that’s puzzled gardeners for years because some experts recommend sealing wounds while others are against it.

I sent your question to Sacramento rosarian Debbie Arrington, a colleague at The Bee, who said it’s a question that her fellow rose growers have discussed over the years.

“Sealing is designed to prevent boring insects such as cane borers, which tunnel into the canes’ pith via the cut. The borers are actually larvae of carpenter bees, wasps and other such bugs,” she says, adding that most rosarians don’t seal cuts unless the cane is larger than an inch in diameter.

That’s a pretty big cane.

She adds: “Unless there’s evidence of borers (you see holes in the end of other canes and significant die-back where the cut canes have turned brown), sealing smaller cuts is a lot of extra work for not much.”

Some rosarians recommend using common white glue – like Elmer’s – to seal cuts, but the glue is water soluble, and washes away within weeks.

“If you’re going to seal a large cut, use a brush-on pruning compound (available at nurseries),” Arrington says.

Further, Arrington says, more important than sealing is the type and location of the cut in preventing disease and limiting die-back of the cut cane.

“Make cuts at a 45-degree angle (to allow water to run off) within a half-inch above a healthy bud (where the leaflet was and a new stem will grow). The cut should slant away from the bud. (The cane above the bud won’t get any more nutrients, so it will die back and form a little buffer for the terminal bud, which will send out the new growth. You want a buffer, but not too much.)

“Also, if you’re going to seal a cut, make the cut now while the rose bush is dormant. If you wait and try to seal the cut, you’ll actually do more damage than good, because the sap will be flowing.”

Posted by Pat Rubin at 12:21 PM | Comments

February 14, 2008

A Gardener's Gathering, March 1

I’ll be one of the speakers at the Placer County Master Gardeners’ symposium called “A Gardener’s Gathering,” 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 1 at the Blue Goose Fruit Shed, 3550 Taylor Road in downtown Loomis. The cost is $25, and the deadline for registration is Feb. 25.

Other speakers are: Marcia Braga, Sierra College environmental horticulture chair; Patrick Rodysill, owner of Garden Faire; Ed Laivo, from the Dave Wilson Nursery; Ken Menzer, certified arborist and owner of Abacus; and Chet Blackburn from the California Native Plant Society. It looks to be a fun, educational day.

For information, call the master gardeners at (530) 889-7388.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 11:18 AM | Comments

February 13, 2008

Worms making compost in the kitchen

I unpacked the Can-O-Worms composter a few days ago, then sat on the kitchen floor reading the directions. Actually, my husband and I alternated reading the directions because I was too excited to read them. I wanted the silly thing set up and working. My pound and a half of worms had arrived in the mail earlier that day, and I wanted to get them out of their box as soon as possible and let them start eating kitchen scraps. I’d already carried the box of worms carefully into the house, not wanting to disturb them or bump them. It was like getting 1,000 new pets.

First step, however, was to assemble the Can-O-Worms, which was pretty easy and straightforward. It has three trays, and the worms start in the bottom tray, and as they eat their way through decomposing kitchen waste, and leave behind trays of compost, you put food in the next tray, and so on. When they reach the third tray, you take the bottom tray off, empty it into the garden, and it then becomes the top tray.

The circular piece of cardboard packaging went in the tray first. According to the manufactuer, it makes good sense to let the worms eat it rather than risk it ending up in the trash or landfill. The contraption also came with a block of compressed coconut fiber that, when soaked in a pail of water for 15 minutes, expanded to gigantic proportions. That was the bedding for the worms, and it went in next. Then the worms, which came in damp peat, went on top.

That took me to the top of tray one, so, the directions said, I should palce tray 2 on top, and add kitchen waste. I added salad scraps along with some decomposing pumpkin from the giant pumpkin I’d harvested the previous fall. I covered it all with damp newspaper, and closed the lid.

The directions said NOT to look at the worms for a few days, and I have to admit that it takes all the will-power I can muster not to peek. Finally, last evening I took a look. The worms are already coming into tray number 2, and a few had insinuated themselves in the lid, so I carefully put them back in the bedding and admonished them not to do that again.

The directions said it could take a few months for the worms to get fully into the next tray, not to feed them too much, and to keep damp newspaper, which they’ll eventually eat, over their food.

It’s a lot of pressure keeping a thousand or so worms alive.

My husband is slightly amused by the whole process, and by having a worm bin in the kitchen, though I swear it will go into the garage as soon as the weather gets milder (I don’t want the worms to get cold!!!). After all he says, how many families put in a new floor, granite countertops, a new range and wall oven and then a worm compost bin in their kitchens?

Posted by Pat Rubin at 11:28 AM | Comments

February 12, 2008

Has shade,needs plants

Q: The front entry way to my house faces north, and does not get any sun, no matter what the season. What can I plant there that is green all year, and flowers?
Sandy Wright, Sacramento

A: Is the shade dark and deep, or is it filtered? That makes a difference. There are varying degrees of shade. The hardest type of shade to work with is deep, dark shade, the kind no light penetrates. Then there's high shade, and filtered shade, both conducive to growing plants.

Assuming it's filtered shade, camellias would be a great choice. You can have camellias blooming from September through March if you choose the right varieties. Start with the Sasanqua camellias in the fall, and plant Japonicas for winter to spring bloom.

Another good choice is Christmas Box, Sarcococca. It's evergreen, very beautiful and graceful in its growth habit, and in February the stems are covered with tiny white highly scented flowers.

Another good bet would be gardenias. Their foliage is a rich, deep green, and the white flowers are scented and look great against the foliage.

You might also try underplanting with hellebores, violets (watch out, they can spread), or ajuga. It's good to plant yellow foliage in the shade to give the area some light. Hakone grass (beautiful waterfall-like yellow foliage) or asparagus fern are good bets.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 03:23 PM | Comments

Want flowers now?

February is one of those months that teases us with nice, spring weather. Suddenly the weather will turn warm and sunny, and we'll be lured into thinking spring really is just around the corner. Then the rains return, it's chilly again, and we're back in winter.

But there are ways to enjoy the winter garden without lifting a finger: plant shrubs that bloom when the calendar says it's winter. Here are five beautiful shrubs guaranteed to be in bloom now and every winter thereafter.

1. Sarcococca (pictured): Also called Christmas Box. Beautiful evergreen shrub for shady areas. Tiny highly scented white flowers on the bottoms of the stems, followed by red berries that deepen to black. Slow grower to three to five feet tall and as wide.

2. Witch Hazel: A slow growing deciduous small tree or multi-branched shrub. Makes clusters of ribbon-like yellow flowers in the middle of winter. Great for cutting and bringing branches indoors. It tends to hang onto its old leaves, however, until spring.

3. Daphne: Makes a neat mound growing eventually to about three to five feet wide and nearly as tall. Heavenly scented flowers. Daphne aureomarginata has gold-edged leaves.

4. Camellia japonica: A popular evergreen shrub, it looks good year round. Gorgeous flowers in many colors and shapes. Needs morning shade, or filtered shade all day.

5. Wintersweet: Chimonanthus praecox, it’s a deciduous tall shrub/small tree. The flowers, which are sweetly scented, look like tiny baubles hanging on the bare brown branches. Can take a lot of sun.

And one of the best things about winter blooming plants is all you have to do, other than cutting a few branches to bring indoors, is to enjoy them.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 10:42 AM | Comments

February 11, 2008

Roses up for auction on Valentine's Day

If you love roses, and love to try the latest and greatest selections, mark your calendar for the Sacramento Rose Society's annual bare root auction 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento.

More than 140 new and popular roses will be up for bid including such varieties as Eternal Flame, Julio Inglesias, Pope John Paul II, Black Cherry and the yet-to-be-released 2009 All-America Rose Selection (AARS) winner (a rust-colored floribunda by hybridizer Tom Carruth).

This is the society's major fund-raiser of the year with roses donated by several major growers. Checks or cash only. The public is welcome.

For more details, call (916) 326-5514 or visit www.sactorose.org.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 03:34 PM | Comments

Lavender woes

Q: We recently bought a home in Lincoln. We have a hedge about 3 feet high of lavender along a fence area on north side of lot. It was planted in late 2002.
The lavender has a very woody base of about 6 inches with little new growth or leaves, but the top was growing and filling out well. However, recently it got well trampled by workmen repairing a fence. It needs help.
Should I prune it heavily and try to let it come back or dig it up and start over?
Barbara Marquardt, Lincoln

A: I love lavender. I love the plant. I love the flowers. I love the scent.

Lavender is beautiful, tough, drought tolerant once established and pretty forgiving.

Years ago I sold bouquets of lavender at the Auburn Farmer’s Market, so each Friday evening I’d cut lavender, bring it into the kitchen and put together the bouquets. My entire kitchen would be scented with lavender. Today I have lavender flanking the path into the vegetable garden. Its long stems hang into the paths so I have to walk through them. I walk slowly, close my eyes and breathe deeply. Amazing.

Try lavender paired with something electric yellow like euphorbia, and you’ve got a winning combination. Plus, lavender will send up two or three successions of bloom. The first flowers will be on stout stems, long strong. The next periods of bloom will be on smaller stems and the flowers will be smaller.

But, and you knew there had to be a “but,” didn’t you? Lavender does have its drawbacks.

The older it gets, the woodier it gets. The woodier it gets, the harder it is for it to break dormancy and grow and bloom profusely year after year. By the time it’s six or eight years old, it’s about done, especially if it wasn’t pruned properly from the start. Even pruned and grown properly, lavender has a lifespan of eight or ten years, tops, before it needs to be replanted.

Years ago I was visiting a lavender farm, and the grower told me the secret to keeping it growing as long as a decade, maybe more, is to cut it back severely after flowering.

I’ve grown and lost enough lavender plants over the years, so figured I’d try her approach. Once the flowers are spent, I prune my lavender back to short mounds, probably no more than six inches tall. So far, so good.

If I were you, I'd be tempted to replace the entire hedge since now it's not only old, it's damaged. If you replant the hedge, after the first year cut the new lavender plants back to just a few inches above the woody part. Each year thereafter, trim it back after it blooms.

If you want to try and save it for a year or two longer, I’d go ahead and prune it now to remove the damaged stems and clean it up. Prune it as far back as you dare. Then it’s wait and see. If it comes back beautifully, get it on a pruning schedule. You might be able to get a few more years out of it, but the flowers won't be as spectacular or as plentiful as they would on younger plants.

To me, it's worth the trouble of having to replace it every six or eight years.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 01:19 PM | Comments

February 07, 2008

Worm composting

My weekend project is going to be setting up a bin for vermicomposting - or worm composting. I vowed I’d get this project going this year as part of my commitment to be more environmentally friendly

The Can-O-Worms bin I ordered arrived a few days ago, and now I’ve ordered 1 ½ pounds of worms. My plan is to feed the hungry critters the kitchen scraps we produce each night as we make salad for dinner. The worms will turn it into compost for the garden.

According to Michael Dunn of P. J. Dunn Worm Farm in Galt, “For 24 hours a day (the worms) are tunneling and feeding on bacteria and decaying organic matter…Redworm castings are one of the richest amendments you can add to your soil.”

Of course, you can simply add worms to the compost pile and let them do their own thing. In fact, if you dig to the bottom of the pile you'll likely already find worms at work. Or you can buy or build a bin specially designed for them, like I have.

So tonight I’ll unpack the Can-O-Worms, read the directions so that when the worms arrive in the next day or so, I’ll be ready.

I’ll let you know how the project goes. Of course, if any readers have any advice, I'll be happy to receive it.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 03:49 PM | Comments

February 06, 2008

Pruning hibiscus

Q: I planted four hibiscus last year and have never pruned them. When is the best time to prune my beautiful plants?
Christina Oscar, Roseville

A: I have a beautiful Rose of Sharon (hibiscus) growing in a pot on my front deck. It was a cutting from a friend who loves the plant and its soft, pink-colored flowers. Each year she asks me how it’s doing, and I am happy to report it’s doing well.

It’s leafless now, of course, allowing me to clearly see all the branches. Last year, some got so long they flopped over a bit, so pruning hibiscus is on my mind, too. I plan to prune the branches back about 12 inches to keep the plant shorter and bushier.

Some horticulturists suggest pruning hibiscus Spring through August, while others say August to October. I prefer to prune once all danger of frost is past, but before the plant really gets growing in Spring.

That's because it's a bit of a Catch-22. When you prune, you’re going to lose flowers while the plant grows back. The flip side is pruning stimulates the plant to grow and bloom, and you’ll have a healthier, more beautiful plant, more floriferous plant.

If you don’t prune, the plants will get leggy and the flowers will get smaller.
Pruning is far preferable to letting the plants grow out of bounds.

I always cut a branch back to a bud, and try to do more thinning cuts rather than lopping off big branches. When you’re done pruning, you want the plant to look like it naturally grew that way. You want it to look tidy, open and healthy, not butchered and chopped up.

If the plant is really overgrown, used the 1/3 rule: don’t cut more than a third of the plant off at a single pruning. Instead, wait a while to do any additional pruning. That said, I’ve known people who were so frustrated with their hibiscus shrubs that they cut them back to mere stubs of their former selves, and the plants responded beautifully with strong, new growth. That kind of pruning is best done in spring so the plant has the coming growing season to grow and recover without any chance of the new growth getting nipped by a frost.

Horticultural advice aside, to me the ideal time to prune is when I have pruning shears in my hands.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 02:23 PM | Comments

February 04, 2008

Winter interest & Giants football

I was a guest on Farmer Fred Hoffman’s radio show Sunday morning (The KFBK Garden Show, KFBK 1530, is on from 8:30 to 10 a.m., while Get Growing , KSTE 650, follows from 10 a.m. to noon) and each week Hoffman poses a “Garden Grappler” question. The puzzle he presents to listeners is often tied to the weather or current events.

Sunday’s Garden Grappler was to name a plant with winter interest that began with a letter from the word “Giants.” And even though “Giants” has six letters, Hoffman’s contest is open to the first five listeners who get the answer right.

Listeners guessed Gardenia, Ilex, Azalea, Narcissus, Silver Fir. The “T” was never chosen.

I’d add: galanthus (snowflakes), ivy, incense cedar, acanthus, aconite, tulip, toyon, snowberry, sarcococca to the list.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 04:53 PM | Comments

Whenever I see a viburnum in bloom, I want to plant one in the garden. The flowers are perfect balls of tiny white blooms. The stems have a lovely pinkish tinge. The foliage is rich dark green, very tidy, very beautiful. Come fall the plants are covered in blue-black berries. The plant is lovely to see all during the year. The Shasta, or doublefile viburnums, are eceptionally lovely and graceful in their growth habit.

Then I remember the Viburnum compacta I had for many years. While it was beautiful in bloom and had gorgeous foliage, it also reseeded itself all over the garden. At first I thought it was nice to have a sort of mini-forest of viburnum. It’s rich dark green leaves looked spectacular next to the fiery red of Euonymous compacta alata in the fall. Then in mid to late winter the flowers would start to appear, and I’d forget about the viburnum’s thuggish tendencies and let it live another year.

Finally I realized if i didn't do something soon, I'd have nothing but viburnums in the garden. I realized I'd ceased looking at the beauty of the plant, and instead saw it as a seedling-spitting machine determined to cover my whole garden with baby viburnums that would grow up to produce even more viburnums! Actually I had to remove four viburnums growing in close quarters with trunks the size of baseball bats. It was a bit of a chore, and getting the stumps out was even harder. Then there was the forest of tiny seedlings with tough taproots that sprouted after the mother plants had been removed. Then another batch of seeds would sprout. I even discovered a three-foot-tall sprout growing beneath the McNabb cypresses on the other side of the house!

After taking this photograph of a gorgeous viburnum in the Ruth Risdon Storer Garden at the UCD Arboretum, I decided to take another look at viburnums. The Web sites I visited all say viburnum seeds are difficult to germinate and require a long dormancy period.

Was I simply one of the “lucky” few to have so many viburnum seedlings? Do you readers have any experience with viburnums reseeding all over the garden?

Bottom line: look at viburnums again for their year-round beauty, but ask whether they reseed. No one wants to let loose in the world a thug determined to take over the world.

Posted by Pat Rubin at 12:09 PM | Comments

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