Symphony in the Garden

 We recently added wind chimes to the garden. Its rich tones add a gentle, soothing musical element, almost like hosting a small private symphony. The tones may even dampen some of the traffic noise from the nearby highway.

Every once in a while a breeze kicks up, and the birds around the water dish pause from drinking or bathing to listen. They keep coming back, so it must be an acceptable sound. That might change as we move into fall and winter, and experience big winds.

In the meantime, we can enjoy the symphony in the garden.

Plant Aquarium: Chinese Elm

A mature Chinese Elm grows in our front yard. It must be over 40 feet tall, and its long tails of small leaves provide wonderful dappled light and shade all through the day. Its nearby neighbor is the oak, and together they provide deep shade that cools our home in summer. Both trees came with the property, and were probably planted by the original owners. 

Chinese Elm

Chinese elm or Lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia) is native to eastern Asia, including China, Taiwan, Japan, North and South Korea, and Vietnam. It is a small-to-medium tree that grows to 60 feet tall, with a mottled trunk of grays, browns and red. The single-toothed leaves are leathery and small. Here in the Bay Area the leaves are retained throughout the year, but in Europe and other places in North America they are typically dropped. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, and the fruit is a samara with a seed in the center. 

Chinese elm and its oak companion

Our tree is infected with Anthracnose, a fungal disease that causes lesions on leaves, cankers on twigs and stems, and distorted limbs. When the disease infects the bark and encircles a branch, it dies. Periodically our tree drops a branch (see The Chinese Elm Drops a Branch). The frequency of limb drop seems to be increasing, and we can see more and more cankers with each drop.

Chinese elm leaves (color distorted due to seasonal fires)

Our arborist has worked valiantly to keep the tree as healthy as possible over the last 20-plus years, monitoring the progression of the disease and clearing out unhealthy vegetation. During that time we have enjoyed its graceful stance, cooling shade, and beautiful features. It will be a sad day when the tree is finally removed.

Learn More:

• Wikipedia
• Jepson eFlora
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• U.C. Integrated Pest Management - Anthracnose

Where are the Hummingbirds?

My husband and I have been enjoying hummingbirds in the garden this year, starting in late spring and lasting through the summer. They flit from Pittosporum blossoms in the side yard, to the vibrant calendulas in containers, to the white agapanthus, to the flowering trees and plants throughout the yard. They even occasionally drink from the communal terracotta bird baths under the oak tree.

Hummingbird feeder in the Pittosporum

I recently hung a hummingbird feeder in the Pittosporum tree that grows in the side yard. It's the perfect location, close to shelter and protection from the tree, and viewable from both our offices. I picked a discrete looking glass model, which resembles a Mason jar. It serves up clear sugar water via white and yellow metal "daisies". We thought watching beautiful hummingbirds from our offices would be inspirational and a great distraction.

View from my husband's office

View from my office

For about a month, nothing happened. Not a single hummingbird visited the new feeder, even though I continued to see hummingbirds in the yard, visiting real flowers. Admittedly, that is better, both for nutrition and pollination. 

Finally, we had a visitor! The hummingbird took a good long drink, and then seemed to "look over" the feeder, before flitting off. Now that the hummingbird feeder has been discovered and tested, maybe we'll get more visitors. I'll keep the feeder cleaned and filled for the coming days as blossoms become scarce.