Secret Garden

Recently I spent several hours in a secret garden in Berkeley. By secret garden, I simply mean a private, out-of-the way place that can be used as a retreat. In this case, the garden was a corner turn away from a busy courtyard used by many. My husband introduced me to the garden, and suggested I might enjoy it while waiting for him to finish up some work before a dinner date.

 

Secret garden in Berkeley



The afternoon was unseasonably hot and bright, so this shaded garden seemed like a great place to relax and read. The design is simple – a raised bed with a central fountain is surrounded by plantings. Three wooden benches provide seating for contemplative meditation; private conversation; or undisturbed reading or studying. Leafy trees provide dappled light, and a painted wall provides a visually stimulating background.

Raised bed in the secret garden - benches are hidden behind the fountain

My husband was right – I did enjoy this shady retreat and a chance to read and think in a beautiful environment.

Deer Proof

While in Bend, I saw this great deer-proof vegetable garden – a raised bed surrounded by a high fence. The fence looks sturdy, the garden is easy to see through the wire mesh, and a small door provides easy access. The fence looks high enough to keep out leaping deer.


Sturdy, attractive, deer-proof vegetable bed.

According to the Sunset Western Garden Book, a deer-proof fence should be at least six feet high on level ground to keep out most deer, but some deer can jump seven or eight feet high. Others recommend ten feet high fences, because deer are such amazing jumpers. The Sunset website shows another design that is adapted for a ten-feet high fence.

 

Back to the Feed Store

When my brother-in-law announces an outing to the feed store, I love to tag along. His mission is usually parts for the farm equipment or irrigation system, feed for the chickens, or salt licks for the cattle. Mine is the gardening department (but I love to shop cross-departments, because you never know what you’re going to find). On this visit, a bunch of us piled into the car to go to the Big R Store in Redmond, Oregon. I learned that both of my folks were familiar with feed stores in Southern California, since their families raised chickens and rabbits during their youth.

Big R Stores in Redmond, Oregon

As I reported in a past post (see “Feed Store Fun”), you can buy anything for the ranch, farm, and garden at the feed store. They even carry clothing, toys, canning supplies, barbecue gear, patio furniture, and anything you can think of for the home. This is a great business model, since there is something for the whole family!

The garden department

I’m always on the lookout for something new. Last time, I found CowPots™ (planting pots made from 100% Renewable Composted Cow Manure). This time I hit pay dirt with drip irrigation parts. I have wanted more control over my drip line, but have been unable to find what I need. At Big R I found valves for ½” and ¼” tubing, and a manifold for six lines, each of which has its own shut off valve. I also found a 360 degree fogger mister that will be great for ferns. I can hardly wait to experiment.

Shut off valve for 1/2" drip line (open position)	Shut off valve for 1/4" drip line (closed position)
Six-line manifold with shut off valves for each line	360 degree fogger mister for water loving plants

HTML Tables

These parts are distributed by DIG Corporation out of Vista, California. See their web site at www.digcorp.com; under Professional, navigate to the shutoff valve page. Looks like there is a distributor here in the San Francisco Bay Area, in nearby Berkeley!
 

Rock Walls

Rocks can be the bane of existence for ranchers and farmers, but they have use as hardscaping in the landscape. While in Bend, I was on the lookout for rock walls built with local materials, and found some great examples.

Rock wall made of volcanic rock

Lava rock has a very distinctive look; around Bend they can be tinted red, and can be very rough and abrasive. Here are several  rock wall examples – one separated a camp ground from public land; another separated a cemetery from public land.

Rock wall around a campground

Rock wall bordering a cemetery

Other rocks are larger and smoother. Frequently plants grow at the top of the wall and cascade over the edge, or the wall is planted as a rock garden.

A rock retaining wall

I found this natural rock wall on scrub land near Bend, and spent some time observing how plants grow in a natural rock garden. Nature can be a great teacher.

A "rock wall" found in nature

 

Mistletoe in Bend

While in Bend, we saw some good examples of mistletoe growing on conifers. In all cases, the mistletoe was growing on Juniper trees that grow on wild, uncultivated land, sometimes even growing right next to cultivated land. Possibly trees that receive less water are more prone to drought and infestation.

Juniper scrub plant community in Bend, Oregon

As mentioned in a previous post (“Mistletoe”), mistletoe growing on conifers produces scales instead of leaves. Scales are a leaf adaptation.

Healthy Juniper scales

Seedlings that land on the branches are capable of photosynthesis, but the adult plants are dependent on their host for nutrients from photosynthesis and as moisture.



Mistletoe growing on a Juniper

The haustoria taps into both of the tree’s transport systems – the xylem that brings moisture and nutrients up from the roots, and the phloem that distributes nutrients from the photosynthesis process.


The mistletoe leaves resemble the scales of the juniper

The mistletoe causes distortions in the conifers, called witches’ brooms.
 

Beautiful Bend: 2013

My husband and I have recently returned from Bend, Oregon and another high school graduation. This time my niece, Thea, marched for her diploma (two years ago saw her sister, Sarah, marched – see “High Desert Low Down”). Extended family on both sides gathered to celebrate this important milestone, and catch up on all the family news. My folks and brother flew down from Alaska; other family members came from all over Oregon. We had glorious weather – hot and dry during the day, then cooling off at night. Bend was especially beautiful this visit, and still green from recent rains.


Ranch with a view

My sister and brother-in-law are gentlemen farmers on their 30-acre spread, growing hay for their cattle and horse (see “Ranching in Bend”). Chickens, dogs, cats, and cars (all four kids are now teenagers) abound! The hay is lush and green, and several weeks from harvest. The cattle roam the property munching green grass, or laying in dirt or mud to keep cool during the hot part of the day. These are truly happy cows. The chickens move between the comfort of their roost and fenced yard, and produce delicious eggs. The three dogs roam the property chasing gophers, or retreat to the coolness of the shed. One sad note, the show llama died this winter after a nice long retirement; I loved how the llama would pose whenever a camera came out.


Moving the wheel line to a new location

Irrigation wheel

Between conversations, meals, and quick dashes to the store, there are many chores around the ranch. Animals need to be watered and fed, and the irrigation line needs to be moved periodically. The property is alive with the sound of birds and frogs. The big sky arcs overhead. At night, the stars and a crescent moon come out, along with shooting stars and satellites.

Lichen

Many people become concerned when they see lichen growing on their trees, wondering if their tree has a disease. However, lichen, like moss, is not a plant parasite. Instead, the lichen is using the structure of the tree for physical support, but is not tapping the tree for its nutrients.

Lichen and moss hitching a ride on a Rhododendron

Lichen is a composite organism, which consists of a fungus and a photosynthetic partner (such as green alga or cyanobacterium) growing together in a symbiotic relationship. This organism produces its own food via photosynthesis, and absorbs moisture from the environment.

Lichen is a composite organism, but not a plant parasite

The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) site indicates that you can use herbicidal soaps to control mosses, lichens, and algae. But, personally, I like the look of lichen and moss growing naturally on trees.

Mistletoe

Mistletoe is a plant parasite of trees – both deciduous and conifer. Mistletoe on deciduous trees typically attach to stems, are capable of photosynthesis, and are parasites of the xylem. Mistletoe on conifers produce scales instead of leaves; the seedlings are capable of photosynthesis, but the adult plants are dependent on their host, parasitizing both xylem and phloem. The mistletoe causes distortions in the conifers, called witches’ brooms. Mistletoes are dioecious, meaning they produce male (pollen) and female (berries) reproductive structures on separate host trees.

Mistletoe in a sycamore

The mistletoe is easiest to see in deciduous trees, when they have lost their leaves in the fall. The mistletoe is evergreen and appears as a leafy mass hanging off a branch. Here in the Bay Area, we frequently see mistletoe in landscape trees. Broadleaf mistletoe (Phoradendron macrophyllum) infests alder, Aristocrat flowering pear, ash, birch, box elder, cottonwood, locust, silver maple, and walnut. P. villosum infests oaks. Arceuthobium spp. infests firs and pines.

Detail of mistletoe in a sycamore tree

Birds feed on the berries and excrete the partially digested seeds, which fall on branches. When a seed germinates, it sends haustoria into the bark. The haustoria “takes root”, tapping into the xylem and/or phloem transport systems and consuming nutrients and water. The mistletoe grows slowly at first, but becomes embedded deep in the branch. The host tree may not look as healthy as uninfected trees, since it is sharing its nutrition with its parasite. A tree can support a mild infestation, but individual branches may weaken; a heavily infested tree may eventually die, especially when the tree is stressed by environmental conditions such as drought.

For management tips, see the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) site. To manage the problem you must contain its spread as quickly as possible. Prune infested branches at least one foot below the point of attachment. For infestations on a branch or trunk, this may be a problem. The IPM site recommends wrapping the area with wide, black plastic to cut off the light source for the mistletoe, causing it to eventually die. Chemical treatment with a plant growth regulator (ethephon, or Monterey Florel Brand) is possible. IPM recommends planting resistant tree species, including Bradford flowering pear, Chinese pistache, crape myrtle, eucalyptus, ginkgo, golden rain tree, liquidambar, sycamore, and conifers such as redwood and cedar. 

Plant Diseases - Flowering Plant Parasites

For the next several posts, I’m taking a look at more diseases that affect plants. Previously we looked at bacteria; this time we're looking at flowering plant parasites that live off other plants in the Kingdom Plantae! For sources I’m using Essential Plant Pathology, the U.C Davis Integrated Pest Management (IPM) website, and information from my plant diseases course at Merritt College, taught by Dr. Ann Northrup in Fall 2012.

Plant parasites are categorized as eukaryotes, and have a fairly normal life cycle, in that seeds germinate and develop into plants with flowers that are pollinated and produce seeds. The difference is that instead of roots, the plants develop an absorption structure called haustoria, which enters an opening in a plant’s root, stem, or branch, and grows as a parasite. Seeds can exist in the ground for decades, until they are in proximity of an appropriate host.

Mistletoe growing on a Palo Verde stem
in Joshua Tree National Park

There are two main categories of flowering plant parasites (some do not fit these categories):

• Hemiparasites – these have green leaves and can produce their own food using photosynthesis. They absorb water and minerals from their host, so are mainly xylem parasites.
• Holoparasites – these do not produce their own food using photosynthesis, so they depend on their host for water, minerals, and nutrients. They are both xylem and phloem parasites.

There are four major types of parasitic flowering plants – broomrapes, dodders, witchweeds, and mistletoes. I’ll focus on mistletoe.