Gardening Question of the Day for Tuesday, December 4, 2007

(Via Gardening Question of the Day (from the Old Farmer's Almanac))

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2007-12-03, 20:00:00

What time of year should fence posts be put in the ground? (answer).

From The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Sitka spruce succumbs to storm

(Via OregonLive.com: Dig in with Kym)

Posted by admin to Breaking News on 2007-12-03, 16:05:08

It breaks my heart to see Oregon's champion Sitka spruce give up the ghost. It was inevitable, I suppose. After all, everything dies. I just wish it had died after me. The massive, 750-year-old tree was hit by lightning 40...

Compost Pile - The Way To A Healthy Garden

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2007-12-03, 14:10:12

There is no doubt about it a healthy garden needs good rich compost to enrich the soil with nutrients to replenish those taken out by year round growing. There are many way's to make a compost pile but here is one sure way to make it a success.

Asparagus, Liriope and Ophiopogon - Excellent Perennials For a Dry Climate And Mediterranean Garden

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2007-12-03, 14:01:58

If you're looking for a group of plants that look good 12 months in the year, are appropriate to a number of design situations, and are easy to look after, then read on. An important type of plant for all gardeners but particularly for dry climate ones, is an herbaceous perennial that fulfills a number of design functions, is easy to maintain, and consumes relatively modest amounts of water.

Cowichan Primroses

(Via An Iowa Garden)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2007-12-03, 13:53:00


Where did all the Cowichan primroses go? I guess the answer might be... to Brittany. Cowichan primroses are deeply colored garden primroses with the yellow eye in the center being very small, so you get a big snootful of rich, dark color. The original Cowichan primrose, I read, appeared from seed in Cowichan Station in the lovely Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island in the 1930's. It was a deep red with almost no eye, so it was very striking, and was passed by the original gardener, a man named Neel, to a friend, then it was passed along further until a local nursery began to sell it, calling it 'Cowichan Primula'.
Florence Bellis, the breeder of Barnhaven primroses in Oregon, obtained a plant and did extensive further work with its pollen (her original plant died soon after she got it), producing a whole strain of small-eyed, dark-colored primroses. Upon her retirement (she died about twenty years ago), her breeding stock was passed on to several successive further generations of primula growers, and currently is under the care of a couple in Brittany who carry on the original name as Barnhaven Primroses.
Interestingly, supposedly the original Cowichan plant still survives in the gardens of some primula fanciers in Great Britain, and can be seen on the message board of the SRGC.
Now, it seems as if about the only primrose of the Cowichan strain you can get commercially in this country is 'Velvet Moon', a deep red. Thompson & Morgan (who it is said might have been the source of the seed for the original plant) did sell what they call Cowichan seed, and I bought a packet many years ago, but in moving from garden to garden I only still have the one seedling primrose shown above that has made it to my present garden... and it has rather too large of an eye to be considered a real Cowichan. This fall I constructed a new little shady, moist bed with the thought in mind that I would grow some more of these little beauties. Alas, next year's T & M list does not seem to have the Cowichan seeds in it... I have a serious case of gardening winter mopes, and it is only December.


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Nuytsia floribunda: Our Christmas Tree

(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)

Posted by admin to Trees & Conifers on 2007-12-03, 13:30:44

christmas-bush-nuytsia.jpg
The stereotypical Christmas tree is an evergreen conifer, drooping at the foliage end from the weight of the crisp, lazy snow. Even in Australia, where temperatures soar past the 100 mark... and more, we idolise this sentimental picture as though it were something we experience every year.

If the truth be told, however, our environment couldn't be more extremely opposite than the images we hold dear.

So it's with a tinge of passion, and patriotic pride, that I reveal the Australian Christmas tree; Nuytsia floribunda. This tree shouts Ocker; Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...Oi! Oi! Oi! from every pore in its genetic makeup. It's even got the lights already in place and needs no more adornment.

As a gardener, I love the seasons as they come and go. When winter rolls around the acacias light up the bush dismissing the depressingly grey clouds overhead. Then the banksias, proteas and grevilleas summon in the start of spring as the Geraldton waxes follow them up like a child lagging on his way to school.

And once they've all finished their vain promotion, and the grasses have turned a golden brown, the Nuytsia stands to attention and flicks the switch on the most incredible light show the bush has ever seen. The lighthouse of the Australian native garden.

I've had an insatiable curiosity with these trees ever since my mother pointed them out when I was just a boy. How did they flower, when everything else had long finished and gone into seed production? But more importantly, why did we still buy conifers for Christmas instead of planting one of these?

The answer is because they're not the easiest plant to cultivate. As a member of the mistletoe family they're parasitic and require a host plant in cultivation. They can be propagated from their ripened seeds but when planted out need to be coupled with a host plant, anything that will allow itself to be dominated.

Once established, the Nuytsia can grow about 10-15m high and require very little water, relying predominantly on good winter rainfall. They will flower profusely from the start of December up until Christmas and their flowers commence hot orange fading to a dulled light ochre.

Nuytsias are a beautiful tree. Hopefully one day they will replace the snow-laden conifer on our Christmas cards and truthfully show an Australian December.


Garden Buildings Are Beautiful Addition To The Garden Itself

(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2007-12-03, 06:15:31

Garden buildings are arguably the most popular feature in most gardens. To have a pergola, or a garden shed surrounded by a picturesque garden is in itself a tonic for the average person. A garden building per se has to be not just aesthetically appealing but also weather resistant and sturdy.

Creating Your Own Holiday Designs

(Via gardenauthor)

Posted by admin to Christmas greens, holiday greens on 2007-12-03, 05:21:00

Rose Hips

West Coast Cedar

Winterberry

Juniper

Mixed West Coast Greens

Native White Pine

Yellow Twig Dogwood

Noble Fir

Red Twig Dogwood

Boxwood

A special thanks to Corliss Bros. Nursery & Garden Center of Ipswich, MA for these fine examples of holiday greens... fresh, fragrant and ready for the nimble fingers of those backyard gardeners among us, with a certain flair for creating their own seasonal decorations. Though it's true that thrifty, wily gardeners will clip sprigs of evergreens and berries from the backyard, often the quality, variety and quantity available at garden centers, tempts us into augmenting our own sometimes meager stock.

From prime west coast greens to native materials, chances are your local garden center is ready with a wide variety of greens to spark your imagination. The long, colorful branches of red and yellow twig dogwoods are perfect for lending color and structure to large, empty pots -
just avoid terracotta, ceramic or non-draining containers which would break or sustain damage, over the course of the winter. Whiskey barrels, fiberglass and many heavy-grade plastic pots (maybe those that held annuals last summer) are usually ideal for a winter-long display. Dogwood stems, cut a bit smaller, brighten up window boxes and hay rack planters. These colorful stems are handsome alone, or combined with graceful evergreen boughs.

Of course, needled evergreens like those pictured above, are wonderful for filling window boxes, rounding out mixed displays or fashioned into garland, roping, swags and wreaths. Combine these with broadleaved evergreens, like boxwood or holly, for a textural design. Add a few sprigs of rose hips or winterberry for an eye-catching bright note. Remember, handled properly, many of these items are utilized indoors in seasonal arrangements. To preserve the moisture within these greens, many can be sprayed with an anti-desiccant, such as Wilt Pruf®, whether displayed indoors or out.

Why all this interest in holiday greens? Most of us begin our holiday decorating outdoors, so it's logical to begin the discussion with the greens. But, it's not just about Christmas, or holidays, in general. While it's true that such hand-crafted decorations add warmth and cheer to both invited guests and passers-by, it's all about sharing these elements throughout the often dull winter season. Long after the holiday season is but a memory, you'll be enjoying the results of your handiwork... here's to a well-decorated winter!

©Deb Lambert 2007