Soil Compaction - Step Four

Back to my soil recovery project for an update. Recall in Soil Compaction Recovery - Step 3, my cover crop was fully developed. Soon after that report, I cut down the cover using a machete; and turned under the soil to break it up and incorporate the roots and plant material. As an experiment I left a corner section unturned, with the idea of planting seeds in the soil without disturbing it. I have read that some farmers are using this technique on a large scale to help preserve soil.

The soil is prepared.

In July I planted several varieties of beans and peas in this small 10 x 10 foot plot. I fertilized with organic Alaska fish fertilizer, laid out my rows, and planted seven types of seed. I was pleased at how friable and tillable the soil was after just one cover crop. Per usual, I had a few experiments going, including: (1) using seeds for 2012, (2) using seeds from 2004, (3) using seeds from a variety of growers (Burpee, Ferry-Morse, Cornucopia, Seeds of Change, and NK Lawn and Garden), and (4) using Heirloom seeds that I harvested from my bean crop last year.

Planting lines.

I expanded my drip system to the new plot, by adding a second line to my hose system, and and a switch between the two lines. Eventually I plan to install a more permanent, and automated, drip system, but am content for now to learn all I can about drip systems and how they work.

Second drip line added.

I also reused my bamboo trellis from last year - moving it out of the raised bed, and installing it in my recovery plot for the bean and peas. The trellis is looking a little shoddy, but the bamboo, plastic cinches, and webbing appeared strong enough to handle another season.

Repurposed bamboo trellis.

Street Trees Through the Seasons - London Plane Tree

Platanus x acerifolia (London Plane Tree, or Western Sycamore) is in the Platanaceae family native to temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Platanus x acerifolia is a hybrid between P. orientalis and P. occidentalis. The tree is frequently pollarded (the tops of the trees cut of to encourage new growth); examples can be seen on the University of California, Berkeley campus and at Filoli.


The tree is deciduous, and key diagnostics include leaves that are alternate, simple, palmate, 4-10” long and wide with 3-5 lobes, coarsely toothed margins, fuzzy tomentose undersides, fall color (typically brownish gold in Dublin). Flowers are ¾ to 1” round, either single or in twos and threes on a string (male flowers are from previous year, female flowers are from current year); seed balls ripen in the fall, drop to the ground and disintegrate into many achene seeds. Bark is smooth and cream-colored, and peels in blotches.

Platanus x acerifolia - leaf shape and habit.

This is a tough tree that can tolerate heat, smog, and dust. It is susceptible to Anthracnose, which causes leaf drop and disfiguration. I could see evidence of disease in my sample (see picture above).

Winter - bare branches decorated with achenes.	Spring - fresh new leaves.
Summer - the leaves cast refreshing shade.	Fall - leaves turn golden brown.

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Street Trees Through the Seasons - Ficus spp.

Ficus spp. (Ficus) is in the Moraceae family, a species of the fig tree that is native to southeast Asia and Australia.

Ficus spp. - leaf shape and habit.

The tree is evergreen, and key diagnostics include glossy leaves, 2-5” long, oval with an acuminate tip, on drooping branchlets; new leaves are reddish. Insignificant white flowers cover the tree in spring, giving it a light feathery appearance. Fruits are small (less than ½”), red, and round. Bark is smooth then becoming somewhat ridged with age.

Winter - evergreen throughout the season.	Spring - new leaves are reddish.
Summer - golden hue in summer light.	Fall - evergreen throughout the season.

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Street Trees Through the Seasons - Desert Willow

Chilopsis linearis (Desert willow) is in the Bignoniaceae family, and native to desert washes and stream beds in southern California, Nevada, Texas, and Mexico.

The tree is deciduous, and key diagnostics include leaves that are simple, 5-10” long by ¼” wide, alternate, drooping, opposite or whorled, grayish to bluish green, linear to linear-lanceolate, with smooth edges and blunt acuminate ends; young leaves are slightly sticky, and fall leaves have a dull yellow color. Flowers are showy loose clusters of tubular, bell-shaped, 1-2” flowers in racemes. Bark is thin, rough, and brown, with shallow interconnected furrows and ridges.

Chilopsis linearis - leaf shape and habit.

This tree tolerates arid conditions, and poor or sandy soils.

Winter - bare branches.	Spring - leaves emerge in May.
Summer - lovely pink blossoms.	Fall - leaves persist; seed pods form.

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Street Trees Through the Seasons – Chinese Hackberry

Celtis sinensis (Chinese Hackberry) is in the Ulmaceae family, and native to China and Asia.

The tree is deciduous, and key diagnostics include alternate leaves, 2-5” long, shiny, and dark green. The venation pattern arises from the leaf base and spreads outward in a palmate pattern; the edges are crenate with acute ends, lighter undersides, and minutely hairy along the main vein. Flowers are tiny and yellow, on a threadlike stem from the leaf base. Bark is smooth with shallow furrows and plates. Seeds are small drupes that are green in the spring, and then turn dark orange or red orange in the fall.

Celtis sinensis  - leaf shape and habit. Note the
distinctive vein pattern and green drupes.

This is a tough tree that tolerates heat and dry climates (if watered), is pest and disease free, tolerates urban pollution, and is deeply rooted. It is a great choice for parking lots, shade and lawn trees, and street trees.

Winter - bare ascending branches.	Spring - leaves emerge early in the season.
Summer - lovely filtered light.	Fall - slight change in leaf color.

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Japanese Garden Highlights

The Nishinomiya Garden at Manito Park in Spokane has many traditional features you would expect in a Japanese garden. Several water features are represented. The Koi pond is green to reflect the surrounding trees (gold and black Koi seem suspended in the water). A small water fall and running stream pass by the pagoda. The sound of water is relaxing and soothing. Rocks are incorporated into the water features and landscape, strategically placed in horizontal or vertical positions.

Rocks and a black Koi.

A small fountain of bamboo and stone.

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Trees are manicured to look natural and controlled (“big bonsai” as one of my Merritt College professors would say). Most plantings are shades of green, although a few flowering trees are evident and maple leaves are shades of red. Plantings are a mixture of traditional Japanese plants, such as cherry and pine; and plants of the Pacific Northwest, such as lilac and rhododendron.

A pine tree and boulder.

Sculptures include a small pagoda and a large lantern, both gifts from the Mayor Yoneji Yagi, the Isamu Otani family, and the people of Nishinomiya in 1989. Smaller lanterns are scattered about the garden. Benches and a small structure provided vantages places to view the garden. Many people visit the garden, but there is room for all. The garden provides a tranquil retreat from the cares of the day.

A small tumbling stream passes the pagoda.

Nishinomiya Japanese Garden

While in Spokane for Bonnie’s memorial gathering, my husband, son (who flew down from University of Alaska, Anchorage during summer term), and I visited the Nishinomiya Japanese garden at Manito Park. This seemed fitting since Bonnie loved to walk her dog, Daisy, in the park, and used many Japanese gardening elements in her own garden.

The Koi pond provides a central focus for the Nishinomiya Garden
in Manito Park (Spokane, Washington).

Nishinomiya Garden is a friendship garden between the cities of Nishinomiya, Japan and Spokane Washington. Nagao Akurai was commissioned to design the garden in 1963 (he had once directed the grounds at the Imperial Palace); two landscape architects—Shosuke Nagai and Hiokiko Kawai—completed the garden in 1974.

A wooden fence encloses the garden, giving it a feeling
of privacy and intimacy.

The garden is designed around a large Koi pond, and surrounded by a large wooden fence. Paths weave around the pond and through the trees, and lead to benches and shelters where you can contemplate the garden or life in general, or converse with a companion. Manito Park is one of Spokane’s treasures.

This structure provides shelter, a secluded place to gather,
 and a view of the garden. 

Elements of the Japanese Garden

Because of the early cultural exchange, Japanese gardens incorporate many of the same elements as Chinese gardens, including rocks, water, plants, and structures. The arts, such as poetry and calligraphy, and wine or tea with friends are also important. But Japanese gardens have evolved to develop their own unique expression and style. Examples include the custom of flower viewing (cherry blossoms), moon viewing (night gardens or white sand gardens), an appreciation of gardens in all seasons, and the tea house. Concepts of proportion and “borrowed scenery” are also implemented. Christopher Thacker provides some interesting insights in The History of Gardens.

• Stones, gravel, sand – stones are the most important elements in the Japanese garden. They are used symbolically to represent islands or religious beings (such as Buddha and his disciples). They are used structurally to keep land in place, and in water features. They may be used as stepping stones on land, or as a bridge over water. The placement of the stones may suggest the pacing and nature of your walk (placed close together for a slow pace to meditate or observe details, or placed far apart for a fast pace to cover ground and look at the larger view). Raked sand or pebbles represent water, and are used to reflect moonlight.
• Lakes, streams, waterfalls – water features are frequently used. Lakes and ponds may be  home to Koi, and reflect the surroundings.
• Plants – an austere palate of plants includes evergreen trees, bamboo, and shrubs, with minimal reliance on flowering plants and shrubs. Still, flowering trees, iris, chrysanthemums, azalea and others make their way into the landscape. Japanese gardens also make use of moss of all kinds.
• Islands, bridges, paths – provide interest in the landscape, and lead the visitor through the different rooms or views of the garden. In a large garden, bridges may be highly arched to allow boats to glide under it.
• Structures and ornaments – gardens may include buildings, such as a tea house or a viewing platform for day or night time viewing of the garden and gathering with friends. Ornaments include stone lanterns (the large mushroom-shape top is to keep snow off the fire box), or small water features that provide the sound of water and attract birds and wildlife.

Look for some of these elements in the Rikugien Park garden in Tokyo.

Garden History – Japanese Gardens

Back to Thacker and Rogers for more garden history – this time taking a look at Japanese garden history. I’m using The History of Gardens (by Christopher Thacker) and Landscape Design – a Cultural and Architectural History (Elizabeth Barlow Rogers) as my sources. I have been exposed to several gardens in the Japanese style, and love the naturalistic look, the manicured trees, and the plant palette (including moss).

As with general garden history, early Japanese gardens were sacred places set apart in nature, or associated with temples and palaces. Religious movements have influenced Japanese garden design, including Shinto, Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism. As elsewhere, early gardens were frequently associated with emperors, aristocrats, religious orders, and military leaders. Only later, do others have the time, money, or leisure for small personal gardens. As with Chinese gardens, Japanese gardens can be highly symbolic (such as the raked, dry gardens of Zen Buddhism, which use sand, rock, and gravel to symbolize nature). In naturalistic gardens, garden elements are highly symbolic as well.

Beauty even in winter. A bridge in Kenrokuen garden in Kyoto, Japan.
Photo by Chris Gladis, and used under Creative Commons
Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

The Ise shrine to the sun-goddess is considered the oldest example of a Japanese garden, and dates from the 5^th century. Its main structure is rebuilt every 20 years, and is surrounded by raked pebbles. In the 6^th century, Japan was exposed to Chinese culture, including Buddhism, which influenced its gardens. In the 12^th century, power shifted to the military, which had embraced Zen Buddhism. The minimalism of Zen Buddhism frowned on the extravagance of flowering trees in favor of shades of green.

In the 17^th century, with the rise of the merchant class in the Edo period, garden design departed from minimalism and became more recreational. Strolling gardens became popular – with paths, ponds, bridges, tea houses, and artificial hills. Modern gardens are typically small and functional – providing a spot of nature in a crowded, busy time.