Newsletter - December 2008

Hi,

The cold is finally moving into our area. I've been using it as an excuse to curtail activity in my garden especially as I like to be out early in the morning when it's really, really cold. I can't warm up fast enough to get involved. However, from the windows, I see items that argue for attention and events that just catch my eye.

For instance, the Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia candida) is still blooming. This probably means it isn't as cold as I think. This is a hardy tropical that loses its leaves completely each year when the weather is truly cold, but the plant returns vigorously as the weather warms. Yes it's toxic, but the long, showy trumpets are beautiful and fragrant in the evenings. Then, the cymbidium orchids are beginning to spike and I'm looking forward to their long lasting winter display. I'll need to surround them with droplights before it gets much colder. The lights work well to warm my dwarf containerized citrus trees too.

Last week I was outside planting violas for their winter color, but at the nursery I was directed to a new hybrid of Mirror Plant (Coprosmia 'Chocolate') with dainty dark brownish foliage and the size of 18"x18". I had to try some, so I put them in front of the variegated Holly Osmanthus. It's a pretty combination with the dark red and yellow violas at their base. The tri-color beech is loosing its leaves, but the Japanese maple is really beginning to color well with red, yellow and orange streaking through the green.

A former client called last week about his Japanese maple. He was worried because the tree has developed a whole branch with leaves of a different shape. I first asked if the branch was coming from the base thinking that maybe the tree variety below the graft was sending up branches, but the odd branch had developed from the middle of the tree. Japanese maples are notorious for mutating. I explained to the client that if he was into breeding trees, he could remove the strange branch, try to reproduce it, then if successful, could name and market it. He wasn't interested, so instead decided to remove the invader and encourage the regular foliage growth. Then a current client had a question about the light requirements of a Japanese maple. In their native environment, the trees grow under pines, so here designers use them both as a small tree, or large shrub by themselves, but also value them as "under story" trees, or trees that will grow well mixed with taller varieties and not suffer from light depravation. Other plants we use in the same manner include, dogwood (Cornus florida), redbud (Cercis canadensis, or occidentalis), many of the taller species of Pittosporum and also Juniperus. So don't be afraid to place these in either full sun, or in patterned shade.

Speaking of trees, I want to reduce my crabapple by half. The rule is to never remove more that one third the growth at a time, so I'll do this, let it recover next spring, then prune heavy again next December to bring it back into a good proportion for my garden. This pruning rule works for all plants including lawns. With turf grass, the highest concentration of chloroplasts (the cells that photosynthesize glucose and make the plant look green) is located in the upper half of the leaf blade. If you remove more than one-third of that blade, the lawn responds by turning brown. If it isn't too hot or too cold, it recovers quickly - usually in only two weeks, but don't mow to that short length again the following time as it really stresses the plants. Also if you have stressed the lawn, do not give it nitrogen. If the plant isn't photosynthesizing well, the extra nitrogen will burn the remaining blades, further stressing the plants. This is true of any damaged plant, unless the damage is due to lack of nutrients. Then the rules are different.

If you are using a cut live tree this holiday, be certain to keep it hydrated. Always make a new cut on the bottom of the trunk to expose fresh phloem cells. These cells absorb water. Soak the tree well for a day before bringing it inside. When in the house, keep it in an easily refilled bucket and check it often especially that first week, as it will use water quickly. If you have time, add a tablespoon of "Chlorox" bleach and a quarter cup of "Karo" syrup to the water to help with freshness. Some people prefer 7-Up, so any source of processed sugar seems to help. Keep the tree away from heat sources and it should last very well. If you're using a live tree that you intend to plant in the garden after the holiday, only have it inside for a maximum of eight days. (This rule also goes for any living outside garden plant, such as azaleas and bonsai). Any longer and the plant loses vigor and may not recover. I confess to using a pre-lighted fake tree that spends most of the year in the closet under the stairs. Whatever you decide have a wonderful, safe holiday and many happy hours enjoying your garden.