Deer Proofing the Raised Bed

This summer, inspired by ideas from the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, I decided to deer and bird proof my vegetable garden. The raised bed is already gopher proofed from below - protected with a hardware cloth mesh underground cage that prevents tunneling. Time to protect from the air.

Deer proof raised bed, with newly planted tomatoes in June

Using material on hand, I constructed a framework of wire tomato cages (some collapsed, others assembled). The deer and bird netting is draped over the sides and top, and secured into place with small plastic ties. On two sides, the netting is anchored into the soil with U-shaped sod nails used for irrigation, but can be rolled up for easy access for weeding (and hopefully harvesting). The results may not be glamorous, but seem to be effective.

Two months later and tomatoes are thriving

It has been two months, and no breaches in the netting security so far! The two cherry tomato plants purchased at the Merritt College Spring Plant Sale are thriving (they are kept watered via the drip irrigation system installed several years ago). The blossoms are just giving way to green cherry tomatoes, but need some heat to bring them into full ripeness.

Merritt College Plant Sale Spring 2016

Merritt College just held their annual spring plant sale on the weekend of April 30^th and May 1. The plant sale is part festival and part marketplace, and a great venue for mingling with fellow plant lovers and knowledgeable horticultural students. You can find healthy, well-rooted California native, drought-tolerant, and organic vegetable starters to purchase. For best selection, get there early on Saturday (but I have found great plants even late on Sunday).

The Horticulture Club and associated volunteers grow the starters on premise, in the green house and planting beds. The Horticulture and Sustainable Agriculture departments team up to experiment with interesting ideas for raised beds, using natural materials. They also propagate many varieties of native plants, and heirloom produce and trees.

Approaching the Plant Sale on the Merritt College campus

This year I found several new plants to try. I purchased a couple of interesting cherry tomato plants, and a few shade-loving plants and ground covers for my "white garden". The pink dianthus is for a hot, sunny location in the garden. I already planted a few of the plants, and look forward to getting the rest planted soon.

The Spoils - ready to plant

The Merritt College plant sales coincide with the ideal planting times here in the East Bay—in the Fall (right before the wet season, so that roots can go deep and become established), and in the Spring (at the end of the wet season, when the soil is still soft and moist). These are great sales for stocking up on beautiful plant starters.

Where to Shop: California Natives

In the last few months we've decided to swap out our lawns for a drought tolerant alternative; researched native plants that thrive in Bay Area conditions; and spotted interesting dry garden examples. Now we need some plants. Luckily, we have some excellent native plant sources here in the Bay Area. Nurseries are one option.

Nursery	Details
Berkeley Horticultural Nursery	This nursery has been at the same Bay Area site since 1922, and has grown along with its community. "Berkeley Hort" carries a full line of plants, including California natives. Check the website for new arrivals, edibles, speakers, demonstrations, and plant care information. Address: 1310 McGee Avenue; Berkeley, California 94703; (510) 526-4704 Web: http://berkeleyhort.com/index.html
Annie's Annuals and Perennials	Annie Hayes, a former Berkeley Hort employee, started this nursery in the 1980s. They carry annuals and perennials, from all over the world, and California. Plants are sold in four-inch starters, to insure healthy roots, and useful plant care information is available.   Address: 740 Market Avenue; Richmond, CA 94801; (510) 215-3301 Web: http://www.anniesannuals.com/
The Watershed Nursery	This small nursery specializes in native plants, and restoration projects. They grow their plants in deep containers for healthy roots. Plant lists are published on their website. Check availability before you go, or order plants online and pick them up once they are available.   Address: 601 A Canal Boulevard; Richmond, CA 94801; (510) 234-2222 Web: http://www.watershednursery.com/
Bay Natives Nursery	This nursery, on Pier 96 in the Port of San Francisco, offers rare and endemic plants from the Bay Area, and drought tolerant plants from across the state. View their extensive online catalog for ideas, and order plants for pickup. They do not ship, but can deliver large orders (and they have parking)!   Address: 10 Cargo Way; San Francisco 94124; (415) 287-6755 Web: http://www.baynatives.com/

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Another source is the native plant sales held periodically at colleges, universities, and botanical gardens. For example, Merritt College hosts spring and fall plant sales, as does University of California, Berkeley. San Francisco Botanical Garden offers a plant sale most months.

Even hardware stores and nurseries offer native plants. You may need to march past the brilliant petunias and marigolds that beckon, to the back of the plant section, where you find the small-leaved, muted colored natives. But that is changing as gardeners get savvy about the drought, and distributors begin to offer exciting drought-tolerant plants.

Capitol Park in Sacramento

Recently my husband and I visited Sacramento – he was attending a conference for therapists and psychologists, and I saw an opportunity for exploring winter gardens! We have passed Sacramento many times on our way up and down Interstate 5 between Southern California and Seattle to visit family and friends, but never stopped (our son did travel to the State Capitol with his fourth grade class many years ago)! The conference was held at a hotel within walking distance of Old Town on the Sacramento River, and near Capitol Park.

California State Capitol - palm trees grace the wide walking path,
characteristic of Victorian era (1837 - 1901) planting

Capitol Park covers 40 acres and spans 12 city blocks, providing a beautiful setting for the State Capitol building. Landscaping efforts began in 1870, four years before the Capitol’s completion. The land was graded, and enriched with river silt and soil. Eight hundred trees, shrubs, and flowers were planted, both native and non-native. Native plants were collected from each of the State’s 58 counties. Non-native plants were collected from climate zones all over the world. Many of the non-native trees thrive in Sacramento’s mild climate, over 100 years after planting.

 

Mature cedar trees

Grove of oak and magnolia trees 

 

I had heard about some of the beautiful heritage trees in Sacramento, while attending landscape horticulture classes at Merritt College in Oakland. It was a pleasure to see so many mature trees, such as olive, sequoia, redwood, magnolia, Deodar cedar, orange, palm, oak, bunya-bunya, and many others. I also enjoyed Capitol Park’s theme gardens, including the famous Camellia Grove; the World Peace Rose Garden; a Civil War Memorial Grove planted with trees from every major battle; and an oak and grinding stone tribute to California Native Indians. I definitely need to return for more exploration, possibly in another season to experience the landscape more fully. I'm encouraging my husband to register for a fall conference in Sacramento! Learn more: http://capitolmuseum.ca.gov/VirtualTour.aspx?Content1=1416&Content2=1414&Content3=508

 

Mature olive tree in Capitol Park

 

 

Finished Plant Diseases!

Last week my Plant Diseases course at Merritt College in Oakland, California came to an end. Our professor, Dr. Ann Northrup, did a fantastic job teaching the course. We learned about plant pathogens from five kingdoms or phylum – plant, animal, fungus, bacteria, and protists (as well as viruses). We focused on fungi and bacteria, since they are the most prevalent. We learned about the pathogens we experience in the San Francisco Bay Area (water molds are big). I was fascinated to learn about:

• Viruses (bits of genetic code encased in protein), which, when inserted into a plant cell, change its DNA to create a habitat for a vector (such as the oak apple gall that provides housing and food for the Oak Apple Gall Wasp).

Oak apple galls near Clear Lake, California.
Genetic engineering by the Oak Apple Gall Wasp

• The relationships between plants and pathogens (narrow and wide host ranges).
• The native plant-pathogen arms race where each tries for supremacy and adapts in response.
• The dangers of exotic pathogens that can wreak havoc on native plants that have not been in that arms race.
• The built-in mechanisms that plants use to fend off or work with its pathogens. Hint: caffeine and nicotine are poisons that coffee and tobacco plants use as defences against pathogens.
• The merits (and fears) of genetic engineering for ensuring food production as the world’s population soars.
• How well fungi and bacteria will thrive as the planet warms, and the threat to the food supply that will result.

I am sorry to see the class come to an end, but look forward to visiting the Sick Plant Clinic at U.C. Berkeley and continuing to learn more about Bay Area plant diseases and how to manage (or live with) them. With this class, I’ll have met the requirements for the basic Landscape Horticulture certificate at Merritt College. From my point of view though, I’ve just scratched the surface of all there is to learn!

Plant Diseases Update

My Plant Diseases class at Merritt College is in full swing. I’m steeped in bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and viruses. We’ve seen cankers, and blights, and molds under the microscope (grisly and beautiful all wrapped up together). We’ve learned about the fungi, molds, smuts, and bacteria that give some of our favorite foods their distinctive flavors. And we’re learning how pathogens disrupt plants – some block the vascular system, some destroy tissue (living, dead, or both), some form parasitic relationships with roots, stems, or leaves. With this knowledge we can analyze the plant’s environment and resulting stresses before trying to identify the specific pest or pathogen. To learn more about plant diseases and careers visit the AmericanPhytopathological Society web site.

The class brings plenty of challenges. I am dredging up my chemistry and life sciences course work from decades ago (back when fungi were still thought to be a plant without chlorophyll, and organisms and ideas were just crawling out of the primordial ooze). I look up every term I read, and typically have to look up every word of the definition! But I look forward to each class and the class project. And I’m pretty sure I need a microscope.
 

 

Back to School – Plant Diseases

Tonight I head back to school. For the past several years I have been taking classes at Merritt College in Oakland, working toward the basic Landscape Horticulture certificate.

This semester I am taking the Plant Diseases class - to learn all about the pests you find in the garden and the plant problems that result. Sounds hard - more memorization, more Latin names to learn, and more science. And lots of diseased plants to diagnose (all without my Tree ID buddy, Ruth, who is taking another class). What am I thinking? I don't have to do this. But here I am with IPMs (Integrated Pest Management documents) loaded onto my iPad, and a book bag loaded with my notebook, text book, magnifier, and camera.

What is that? I found it hanging
in a pear tree at the Wolf Creek Inn in Oregon
a few years ago. I'm hoping to learn
how to diagnose what is going on.

At home, my long suffering husband is hunkering down to endure four more months of leftovers, fending for himself, and conversations about the insects, bacteria, and viruses that plague the plant kingdom, and ways to combat them without pesticides. Stay tuned!

Soils in Our Environment

Soils in Our Environment, by Duane T. Gardiner and Raymond W. Miller, is a great book for learning about soil. This book is for soil nerds only, probably not the typical gardener. But if you are up for it, you can learn a lot about soil from this book. We used it as the text for the Soil Management class taught by Dr. Ed Brennan at Merritt College.

The first half of the book covers soil composition; physical, water, and chemical properties; organisms; soil formation and morphology; and soil taxonomy. That gives you a good background for understanding other topics like nutrition, fertility, erosion, and irrigation. The book describes how to read soil surveys to better understand your specific soil, and provides specialty topics like soilless culture, salt-affected soils, and soil compaction (a favorite topic). The Appendices provide information about the many graphics, references for measuring soil volume and moistness, a refresher on the periodic table (handy, since it had been decades since high school chemistry), and a glossary of term.

The book is well written and nicely illustrated with photos, charts, illustrations, and graphs. Turns out, all that science is pretty interesting, and really useful for finding out more about practical gardening things, like how to deal with clay soil, acidic soil, erosion, and so forth. I recommend this book as a reference.

Street Trees Through the Seasons - Birch

My Tree ID class at Merritt College will be coming to a close by the end of May. It’s been a great class. Dr. Lawrence Lee has exposed us to over 160 trees over the last four months – trees that you might see in gardens throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The trees come from all over the world, some have naturalized, others thrive in the Mediterranean climate. Rather than memorizing, we are learning how to use a tree’s key characteristics, its diagnostics, to identify it.

For my class project, I’m reporting on street trees through the seasons. I work in Dublin, California, and try to take a walk almost every day. For the last year and a half, I have been observing and photographing the trees as they go through the seasons. Those of you from other parts of the country may question that we have seasons in the Bay Area, but I found my subjects actually do undergo seasonal changes! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing my findings with Eden By The Bay readers.

My first subject is a Birch tree – Betula nigra (River Birch), which is in the Betulaceae family. Betula nigra is native to the Eastern United States and is often planted in small groves in the landscape. The tree is deciduous, and key diagnostics include small green leaves with 5-9 paired veins; regular apetalous, tassel-like flowers in early spring (3” long male flowers in clusters of 1-3, and ½” long female flowers at the ends of branch spurs below the males); and wonderful peeling bark that is pinkish tan when young then becoming darkened and furrowed in age.

Betula nigra - leaf shape and habit, and flowers.

Birch does require water so it is best suited in a lawn or close to water. In Dublin, the birch are planted in lawns and irrigated with potable (gray) water. The tree has interest all through the seasons.

Winter - lacy branches and exfoliating bark.	Spring - a succession of male and female flowers, then new leaves.
Summer - dense shade for the hot Dublin summer.	Fall - leaves turn yellow and orange.

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Spring

Spring does not come all at once in the San Francisco Bay Area; instead it comes in a long procession, with something new blooming every week. We’ve been studying flowering trees in my Tree ID class at Merritt College, taught by Dr. Lawrence Lee.

Samples of Pyrus calleryana 'Aristocrat'
(Aristocrat Pear) for the Tree ID class
at Merritt College

Here is a week-by-week account of some of these trees we have seen as they come into bloom – mostly Acacia, Prunus (cherry), Pyrus (pear), Magnolia, and Eucalyptus. Many of these trees can be seen in the Montclair Hills in Oakland, others are found throughout neighborhoods in Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro, Hayward, and Orinda.

Week	Latin Name
February 1	Acacia baileyana Prunus cerasifera Prunus dulcis
February 8	Magnolia grandiflora Prunus cerasifera 'Atropurpurea' Pyrus taiwanensis
February 15	Acacia melanoxylon Magnolia x soulangeana Magnolia stellata Prunus x blirieana
February 22	Acacia cognata Rhaphiolepsis 'Majestic Beauty'
February 29	Acacia longifolia Acer rubrum Cercis canadensis Eucalyptus globulus Eucalyptus sideroxylon 'Rosea'
March 7	Prunus laurocerasus Eucalyptus ficifolia
March 14	Acacia dealbata Malus x floribunda Photinia serratifolia Pyrus calleryana 'Aristocrat'

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Studying and understanding this progression of blooming is useful for envisioning trees and plants in the garden, and planning a garden with progressive blooming throughout the year. With our mild climate and microclimates, these dates and the progression may vary by location, and vary from year to year.

History of Gardens

The History of Gardens by Christopher Thacker is a classic resource for learning about garden history.  It is published by University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles (reprinted in 1997). Dr. Thacker traces three thousand years of garden history, from Eden and natural places; to Chinese, Japanese, and Islamic gardens; to European formal and naturalistic gardens; to modern gardens.

We used this book as a text in the History of Gardening class I attended at Merritt College in Oakland. Our instructor guided us through its pages, and brought the book to life with stimulating discussions. We learned about paradise gardens, garden symbolism, utilitarian gardens, walled gardens, royal and status gardens, hydraulics in the garden, botanical gardens, plant discoveries, private gardens, and eclectic gardens. The book is well illustrated with photos, drawings, and pictures that reinforce its concepts and illustrate its ideas.

I was especially interested to see how garden design is influenced by the social and political thought of the day; as well as discoveries and technology. Some of these ideas have been foundational as I pursue my own discovery of gardening and gardens in the San Francisco Bay Area. There is much more at play than simply an individual garden. If you are interested in learning more about garden history, this is a great place to start.

Back to School – Tree ID

Well, tonight I’m heading back to Merritt College to resume work on my Landscape Horticulture certificate. Merritt offers a great program in Landscape Horticulture – including a certificate program, with several different emphases, and a new AA degree. Over the last four years I have been taking classes for the basic certificate. I took a year off to pursue my own research and writing, and to wait for the classes I need to complete the certificate.

This semester I’m taking the Tree ID class, which focuses on trees used in San Francisco Bay Area landscaping. I’ll be learning about native trees and Mediterranean trees that do well in our mild climate. Plant ID courses require lots of memorization, which is daunting at a certain age. But, I managed to survive the Mediterranean Plant ID course a couple years ago, so I’m ready for the challenge. Plus, it is probably good for my brain to learn 150 trees (give or take) in a four month period.

What is the Latin name for these pepper berry street trees?
Pretty soon, I'll be able to tell you!
Answer: Pistacia chinensis (Chinese Pistache).

I plan to keep blogging during the semester, but if I miss some posts, you’ll know why. Think of me, I’ll probably be studying a list of Latin plant names, and trying to identify them in a plant photo lineup!

Trees at Mills College

My Arboriculture class from Merritt College visited Mills College to learn how to evaluate trees (mature trees can add thousands of dollars to the price of a home), and how to assess trees that present a danger. Our guide was Judy Thomas, who worked at Merritt College for many years, developed much of its landscape horticulture curriculum, and now works as a professional tree evaluator. Our class was fortunate to have the opportunity to see the historic campus, known for its botanical collection and heritage.

Rothwell College Center at Mills College

Tree-lined path that follows Richards Road into the campus

Mills College was founded in 1852 as a Young Ladies’ Seminary, originally in Benicia, California, and then moved in 1865 to its present site in the Oakland foothills with the new name Mills College. The college developed a collection of native and exotic plants. In 1919, Mill’s botany professor, Howard E. McMinn, wrote A Manual of Trees, Shrubs and Vines of Mills College Campus, which provides plant identification for its 263 species collection. The book was updated in 2011 (both edititions are available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Amanual%20trees%5Cc%20shrubs%20vines%20Mills%20College%20Campus&page=1).

Leona Creek restored with native plants



A Eucalyptus tree that still remains

Mills College worked with Robert Sabbatini, ASLA, from 2006 to 2009 to update their landscape. They developed the Mills College Landscape Heritage Plan, which embraces current ideas in landscape architecture, and retains the College’s sense of place and botanical history. Part of this plan included restoring Leona Creek, which courses through the property, and replacing a landmark double-row of blue gum Eucalyptus trees, planted a hundred years ago, with another type of tree. To view the plan: http://www.sabbatini-loyd.com/r-Mills-Summary.pdf.

Leona Canyon Preserve

May is a great time to hike in the Leona Canyon preserve, which is located in the Oakland Hills. The canyon and hills are green from winter rains, and the wildflowers are blooming. The preserve is part of the East Bay Regional Park District’s network of parks and open space preserves. We took a short hike starting from the Merritt College trail head, but didn’t make it all the way down the canyon.

Lush vegetation on the Leona Canyon trail, near
the Merritt College trail head.

An interesting aspect of the trail is that to the East, the hillside resembles chaparral, and to the West, woodlands. This is typical of the San Francisco East Bay, where sunny facing slopes are dry with sparse vegetation, and shaded slopes, which are shrouded in coastal fog for longer periods, support lush vegetation.

Taking a breather to enjoy the canyon view. You can see
the difference in vegetation between the hill on
the left and the one on the right.

I am interested in seeing native plants in their environment, to learn more about what grows naturally in the area, and to consider what might be adapted to my shady garden. The brochure at the trail head is very informative about native plants, and their uses by the Ohlone people who lived in the area. The trail has corresponding markers for the information described.

To learn more about the East Bay Regional Park District: https://www.ebparks.org. To learn more about the Leona Canyon Regional Open Space Preserve, see the Teacher’s Trail Guide publication on Leona: https://www.ebparks.org/parks/leona-canyon.

To get to the Preserve:
There are two trail heads – one from the Merritt College campus, and one from Oaks Canyon Drive off Campus Drive.

Finding the Essence of a Tree

I recently attended a pruning class called Finding the Essence of a Tree, taught by Michael Alliger. The class is part of the Aesthetic Pruning series that is held on the Merritt College campus. Aesthetic pruning has two goals:

• Enhance the natural form of the tree.
• Enhance the function of the tree in the garden design.

According to Alliger, pruning is more than removing what is bad; it is also about revealing what is good. This includes revealing the tree as a representative of its genera, species, or cultivar, and revealing its individual characteristics. The goal is to make each aspect of the tree or bush readable. Readable elements include the root crown, trunk, branches, foliage, and the flowers and fruit. Alliger advocates studying trees in books and in their natural setting, to see how they grow without interference; and to study Bonsai forms, which emulate the natural form of a tree in miniature. Then prune to liberate the tree's essence.

A Madrone in nature, with its beautiful
bark, leaves, and distinctive berries.

To find out about the series of classes see: http://www.aestheticpruning.org/AP/Classes.aspx. The series lasts for a year, but you can attend classes in any order, over a period of several years.

The Art of Structural Pruning

I have been attending a series of aesthetic pruning classes, held on the Merritt College campus in Oakland. Aesthetic pruning refers to the art and science of pruning small trees and shrubs in the garden, using design principles that honor the essence of the plant. The first aesthetic pruning class was developed in 1986 by Dennis Makishima, from the Merritt College Landscape Horticulture Department. Michael Alliger and others developed additional classes to form the series. Alliger teaches many of the classes, and has a wonderful way of conveying principles, demonstrating artful cuts, and providing practical information.

Through this series, I have learned that many of the pruning rules you read in gardening books do not apply in the San Francisco Bay Area. For example, in many instances, you can prune year round. You just need to understand a tree or shrub’s growth pattern, and what you are trying to achieve with your pruning.

In The Art of Pruning Deciduous Trees and Shrubs, I learned the concept of structural pruning for deciduous (leaf dropping) trees. In the winter, without the leaves, you can see the base structure of a tree. This enables you to make structural cuts that enhance the tree’s form for its winter silhouette, and its long term development. There is beauty in bare tree limbs against the winter sky.

The Bay Area has many gardening resources; the Aesthetic Pruning Series is one of its treasures. To learn more about aesthetic pruning, visit http://www.aestheticpruning.org/AP/Default.aspx. To find out about the classes, visit: http://www.aestheticpruning.org/AP/Classes.aspx. The series lasts for a year; you can attend classes in any order, over a period of several years.

Without leaves, a tree's basic form is revealed.