Saturday, December 26, 2009

Plant profile: Zantedeschia

The eight species of Calla lily have the distinctive funnel-like flower shape we all know. Painters like Diego Rivera and Georgia O'Keefe got a lot of mileage out of these flowers over the years, and they're certainly an elegant look.

Latin name: Zantedeschia ("zan-teh-DESH-ee-ah")
Common name: Calla Lily, Easter lily, Arum lily
Originally from: Southern Africa from South Africa north to Malawi.
Blooms: White flowers start in late fall and go on through spring. Other species come in yellow, pink, orange, red, burgundy and shades in between.
Light: Full sun to light shade.
Water: Drought tolerant! They go dormant in summer when there's no water, but will stay green year round if you keep them moist.
Where to see in P. Garden: Flowering right now, at the bottom of the steps.

The name of the genus was given as a tribute to Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi (1773-1846) by the German botanist Kurt Sprengel (1766 - 1833). We have Zantedeschia aethiopica in the garden - the usual white version. I'd like to get some other colored ones sometime too.

It has been cultivated for the Easter floral trade since the early 20th century; hence the (ambiguous) name 'Easter lily', common in Britain and Ireland. It has become an important symbol of Irish Republicanism since the Easter uprising of 1916.

UPDATE June 2016:
These guys have seeded around a bit and now we have two massive clumps that are just starting to die back for the season. We don't have enough dampness to keep them green year round, but they are well worth it for the oodles of flowers they put out from December until June.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Happy Holidays!


Hope you are enjoying a cosy and peaceful holiday. If you're in the area, drop by P. Garden and bring a flask of something warm. Have a seat on the bench and relax for a bit. Aaaahhhh...

Dress warm though - we had 2' of snow in P. Garden overnight! Check it out in the photo, left!!!!!*

*Just kidding ;)

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Rearranging


Now is a good time of year for transplanting, so I went out and moved two Kniphofias and a Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos) out from under the big, variegated Echium in the front middle bed. Just one Opuntia cactus to go...

I also moved a wheelbarrow full of muck from the storm drain, and weeded the cactus wall. Had a short chat with Gary, watered a couple things, and that was all for the day.

Photo shows (clockwise from bottom left) Cuban Oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus), Pennisetum setaceum "Rubrum", Artemesia "Powis Castle", and a yellow Osteospermum.

Plant profile: Euphorbia


Where to begin with Euphorbias? They come in such an amazing array of types that you wouldn't believe they were related! Everything from small trees to cacti to your holiday poinsettia. Annuals and perennials. All sorts. According to Wikipedia "The genus Euphorbia is one of the largest and most complex genera of flowering plants and several botanists have made unsuccessful attempts to subdivide the genus into numerous smaller genera. According to the recent phylogenetic studies, Euphorbia can be divided into 4 subgenera, each containing several not yet sufficiently studied sections and groups."

What all that means is I'm going to cover quite a few different plants here - we have about 10 or more of the 2,160 species available in P. Garden. One thing they do have in common is a caustic, poisonous milky sap (latex) containing terpen ester resiniferatoxin. In contact with mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) the latex can produce extremely painful inflammation. In experiments with animals it was found that the terpen ester resiniferatoxin had an irritating effect 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than capsaicin, the "hot" substance found in chillies.

Yep, once again - don't touch or eat the plants, and keep your pets out of the borders!

Latin name: Euphorbia ("you-FORB-ee-ah")
Common name: Spurge
Originally from:  Tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and the Americas, but also in temperate zones worldwide. Succulent species originate mostly from Africa, the Americas and Madagascar.
Blooms: They're more of a foliage plant. Flowers are not usually very showy.
Light: Full sun to light shade.

Water: Drought tolerant! For the most part, the only problem we have had with them is giving them too much water by mistake.
Where to see in P. Garden: Well, we have a lot of them! Photos from the top:
Euphorbia polychroma "Blackbird" (Cushion Spurge) - left bed.
Euphorbia (what sort? Tall, thin type...) - cactus wall.
Euphorbia mellifera (Honey Spurge)
Several Euphorbia cacti in the cactus wall bed.
Euphorbia rigida - middle front bed. (Donkey Tail)


Also in the garden, but not shown:
Euphorbia myrsinites is right in front of the big variegated Agave - middle of the garden when you enter via the arch.
Euphorbia tirucalli "Sticks on Fire" (Red Pencil Tree) to the left of that.
Euphorbia lambii (Tree Euphorbia) - middle back bed.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Rain


On and off showers have led to fairly damp ground at the garden: makes weeding easier. So yesterday I went out and realized I needed some coffee before the weeding began. I cut a few Gaillardias and sage flowers that are going to be cut back soon anyway, and took a bunch up to Farley's. They have been pretty decent to me this year, so why not! And I got a free coffee in return. Well alright!

Then I saw Rick back at the garden, weeding the lavender hedge area. We had a chat about damage to the hedge and noticed there's a lot of dog poop up there. I have a lot of plastic bags to add to the dispenser up there - hope that helps.

I got pretty wet weeding and pruning... after a while it stopped being fun so I went indoors.


Then I went by Audrey's place as she had some plants for me! Today I planted the Chasmanthe and Amaryllis belladonna bulbs she and her husband Joseph donated to the garden.  I also deadheaded some Cannas, moved an Achillea and an Agave attenuata to better places (left), and weeded some more.

I shovelled a wheelbarrow full of muck from the storm drain to the bigger compost heap, and shovelled some compost from the bottom to the top of the round plastic bin (looks great!).

Then I potted up three Opuntia cuttings and planted another, and chatted with Adolfo, Alison and Gary separately.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Winter tidying

Today we spent an hour doodling around doing a few things:

- Planted 1 Yucca, a Senecio and a Crassula by the toolshed - reorganized and weeded there too.
- Sprinkled 2 packets of Mexican Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa) by the cherry trees.
- Cut back a lot of Cannas, a couple Sedums and a lot of yarrows (Achillea)

It was sunny out, and the ground was damp, so the weeding was easy.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Plant profile: Leonotis leonorus

Leonotis leonurus is in the genus Leonotis which consists of about 40 species of plants. Aside from that, there's not a lot to be found out about the plant online, nor have I seen them available for sale locally. It's such a striking plant that I find this odd; perhaps it has some evil tendencies that I'm not aware of.... yet.

Latin name: Leonotis leonurus
Common name: Lion's Tail, Wild Dagga
Originally from: All but one species, Leonotis nepetifolia (native to both tropical Africa and southern India), are native to southern Africa.
Blooms: Covered in frills of orange tubular flowers. It's quite a sight!
Light: Full sun to light shade
Water: Drought tolerant!
Zone: 8 to 11
 Where to see in P. Garden: We have one in the middle back bed, and one in the brights bed.

The most common use for the plant utilizes the picked and dried leaves brewed as a tea, which is said to be quite relaxing. One experimental study suggested that "the aqueous leaf extract of L. leonurus possesses antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic properties; thus lending pharmacological credence to folk usage of the herb in the management and/or control of painful, arthritic, and other inflammatory conditions, as well as for adult-onset, type-2 diabetes mellitus in some communities of South Africa."

This plant is a big hit with hummingbirds, bees and butterflies, and is fast growing and is frost hardy. Ours went from a little rooted cutting Leah gave us back in Spring to a 5' tall and 4' wide clump in one season! I'll be moving ours a bit further back in the bed at some point, at which time I hope to divide it - they do get quite tall. Plants should be cut right back at the end of winter - ours is still flowering away madly in December so it will be a while before this gets a haircut.

Monday, December 14, 2009

It's raining seeds and bulbs!

I went out yesterday and planted some bulbs and seeds, as follows:

40 Narcissus (Daffodils) "Ice Follies" (left bed)
20 Narcissus "Dutch Master" (left bed)
1 packet Baileya multiradiata (Desert Marigold) (lavender hedge)
1 packet Layia platyglossa (Tidy Tips) (left bed and lavender hedge)
1 packet Gazania rigens (Gazania) (next to Wrong Way sign)

I still have 5 packets of poppies and a slew of other species to plant because Now Is The Time to do that.

The ground under the mulch is still dusty and dry. I'll have to try and get out there and look like an idiot, watering in the rain....

Thursday, December 10, 2009

He hasn't croaked yet! And other godawful puns...


It has been brought to my attention by an inside source that another birthday is upon us. Yes, Gary of Brickley Production Services has just turned 21 again. Here he is looking delighted (left). Happy birthday Gary!

It is unlikely that you will appreciate the significance of the balloon he's holding, but if you look closely you'll see it has a frog on it. I can reveal to you now that P. Garden will soon be welcoming a colony of frogs to live among us! My friend Jack is a keen amphibian-liker and suggested adding a few Pacific Tree Frogs to the garden. I quite liked the idea of little frogs chirping in the bushes, and since this species is rare within San Francisco proper, it only seemed right to have them. I was a tad hesitant about their needs, but Gary found out and got all excited about the froggy business. He has agreed to be the frog ambassador and will be writing a little piece or two about them when the time comes.

So yay for Gary and yay for his impending army of frogs. Yes, that's right - the collective noun for frogs is an army. Or a colony, or a knot. But I like army.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Parks & Rec

Yesterday I had a visit from Julia from SFPT. She wanted to see what I was up to, since SFPT is a nonprofit organization that has some sort of mystical relationship with DPW, who have taken out the encroachment permit with Caltrans for me. It's a bizarre love triangle, with me in the middle, encroaching away as fast as I can before anyone notices.

Julia was very nice, and had all sorts of suggestions for grants I might get (woot!) and so on. She was very encouraging about the garden indeed, so I dragged her down to the strip of land opposite Center Hardware where I planted some star-crossed sunflowers last May.

I have been trying to get someone to admit they own this little strip for a while now, so that I can then harass them into fixing the fence that has a giant hole in it. Once the fence is fixed, I can plant that area with proper, drought tolerant plants, and already have got two energetic urban gardeners (Denise and Emily) interested in doing this little project with me. We have already planned some seriously drought tolerant plantings, and have begun amassing plants.

(I was showing Julia the hole it dawned on me that I am Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) from the TV show Parks & Recreation and Sandra from DPW is Leslie Knope.  This trivial parallel only enhanced by the hole and the desire to make a little park where it is!)

Anyway, I think this is going to happen.Progress and encouragement. It's all good.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Chilly, it is

Well the big rain forecast for today was once again a bit disappointing. I'm really glad I soaked some areas of the garden at the weekend because that sort of rain doesn't penetrate the mulch at all. Boo!

I went to the garden at lunchtime to fix the twig border (left) near the bench, which had got all ratty. I used Kepa's branches and managed to get it done in 15 mins while at the same time (sort of) holding a conversation with Gina! I saw Gary and Annelle too but couldn't stop to chat - I was on a mission!


Later on Emily went by and busted out some plants she snagged from Annie's Annuals, as well as some compost. We had talked about her garden being a bit shady, so I told her she could add some of her favorites to sunny P. Garden. I am going to post her email to me because, well, I'm lazy and I'm enjoying a glass of Lambrusco by the fire.



"So I planted all of the things pictured, and spread a bunch of compost in the top part of the succulent slope (the big empty spot). When I put in the Knautia macedonia I found a bunch of daffodil bulbs lining that area. I also found one that was buried so deep it had a good 3 inches of white top still way below the soil. I dug it out and put it next to the Knautia. It kinda works out, because the Knautia will get nice floppy foliage that will cover the daffodils when they die back in the summer, and the Knautia starts doing a ton of burgundy flowers. I dug out the rattier looking chard and put the Columbine (Aquilegia) in its place. Surprisingly everywhere I dug was only damp a few inches down, so I will go back later this week and water everything. The close up of the Pam's Choice petiole shows the purple spots - how cool! : )

The new twig barrier looks awesome, I took photos of it."



How about that then? I can't wait to see all the fruits of Emily's labor flowering away in the garden. And to top it all off she took at the pics for today's post. Thanks Emily! I am going to lazily go back to my Lambrusco and toast all your hard work ;)

Here's the final tally, photos top to bottom, left to right:

Glaucium species (Horned Poppy) "Iran" - bench and Emily's cute dog in the background.
Aquilegia chrysantha (Columbine) "Yellow Queen" in the left bed.
Knautia macedonica in the red bed.

Penstemon hartwegii "Tubular Bells Red"
Digitalis (Foxglove) "Pam's Choice" near the steps

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Happy Birthday Pennsylvania Garden!

Emily, Josh, Matt and Bonnie joined me in the garden today, and we enjoyed a little pizza (thanks Matt!) and a little gardening. Gary and Carrie were by too - Gary has plans for the side of his building, and Carrie made a great contribution (below)!

- Planted several Alstroemeria "Third Harmonic" in the red bed, and an Arctotis "The Ravers: Unmellow Yellow" in the left bed
- Planted some Aloes and various succulents in the succulent slope
- Moved some Phormiums around
- Planted a Verbascum olympicum in the left bed
- Carrie added a city wheelie bin for dog poop (thus making emptying much easier - THANKS Carrie!)
- Emily planted a slew of bulbs and seeds she brought:
Plants: Anemone "Blue",  Anemone coronaria '"His Excellency" (red), Ranunculus tecolete "Red"
Seeds: Delphinium 'Black Knight", Nicotiana '"Tinkerbell"
- Watered some areas in advance of the rains due next week: got to get the ground damp so the rain will penetrate the mulch.
- Deadheaded some Cannas
- Moved the big pile of orange tree branches left for us by Jo (Thanks Jo!)

It was really fun. I couldn't have imagined such a great group of friends working on the garden when it all started last year: I really though it would just be a few plants and nothing else. Just goes to show - when you keep your expectations nice and low, anything can happen ;)

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Birthday coming up!


Pennsylvania Garden will be one year old on December the 7th!

I am planning to visit the SFBG's half off plant sale on Saturday December 5th, just as I did last year, to get plants for the garden.

Do you want to celebrate with me? Come to the garden on Saturday for our regularly scheduled monthly volunteer day (11am-1pm) and help me plant a few plants, weed out a few weeds, and enjoy the garden!

If you happen to go by Home Despot this week, remember they have a half off bulb sale going on - grab a bag for the garden too! We love bulbs, and you will too when you see how they look in February :)

Yesterday, Emily went to the garden and planted a couple things:

- Planted a magenta pink Cistus x pulverulentus (Rock Rose "Sunset") in front of the Phormium in the back side of the red bed.
- Planted a line of white flowering tobacco (Nicotiana) in line with the (hopefully) white ginger near the bench. (Wait til the both flower - what a perfume!)
- Distributed the foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) seedlings in a line behind the Yucca by the steps.

This morning I went by and watered them in. Looking good, Emily! :) Also noticed that Jo had left me some orange branches for the garden - wonderful! Photo above shows our orange Crocosmias flowering for the first time.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Plant profile: Brugmansia

Brugmansia is a genus of seven species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae (the potato family). Their common name, Angel’s Trumpet, is also given to the Datura – a related but different genus. How can you tell them apart? In general, Brugmansia flowers dangle down, whereas Datura flowers point upwards.

Latin name: Brugmansia (pronounced broog-MAN-see-ah)
Common name: Angel’s Trumpet, Datura (incorrect)
Originally from: Subtropical regions of South America, along the Andes from Colombia to northern Chile, and also in southeastern Brazil.
Blooms: Big, trumpet-shaped white, yellow, red or pink flowers dangle down, flowering almost constantly, and often richly scented depending on the species.
Light: Full sun!
Water: Drought tolerant once established but not xeric.
Height x width: 8'x10'
Zones: 7b-11
Where to find in P. Garden: In the left bed, in front of the cherry plum trees.

The name Brugmansia comes from Sebald Justin Brugmans (1763-1819), a Dutch professor of natural history.

These long-lived, woody trees or bushes produce masses of usually super-exotic flowers, and are fast-growers and heavy feeders, needing to be fertilized regularly during the growing season. Our “Brug” is a double-flowered white version of unknown name. It was bought as a 1 gallon plant in March ’09 and it’s now an 8’ tall monster, about 10’ wide. My plan is to remove the lower branches to make it into a short tree, and allow other plants to grow underneath it.

All parts of the Brugmansia are very toxic, so it’s located a bit further back in the bed. Don’t eat it! A traveller in nineteenth century Peru gave the following description of the effects of psychoactive Brugmansia drink on an Indian man:

"He was seen to be falling into a heavy stupor, his eyes vacantly fixed on the ground, his mouth convulsively closed and his nostrils dilated.

In the course of a quarter of an hour, his eyes began to roll, foam issued from his mouth, and his whole body was agitated by frightful convulsions.

After these violent symptoms had passed, a profound sleep followed for several hours duration and when the subject had recovered, he related the particulars of his visit with his dead ancestors. He appeared very weak and exhausted. "

Among the pre-Conquest Chibcas of Colombia a concoction of Brugmansia, tobacco and maize beer was given to slaves and wives of dead kings in order to put them in a deep narcotic state so that they could be buried alive with their masters and husbands.

That certainly puts a damper on the visions of sugarplum fairies conjured by the plant’s flowers!

UPDATE: Our bruggie started looking sad in midsummer, wishing for a moister spot. I decided to cut it down and did so in August 2012. A few months later, it sprouted up again! Now in April 2013 it looks great again, but time will tell if it can survive repeated coppicing, or whether we just need to move it to the middle back bed where things are damper.

UPDATE December 2015:
After 6 years in the ground and 4 years of drought, this plant suffered from dryness, was coppiced and returned to form: it's currently covered in leaves after a few rainfalls this winter. Surprisingly resilient plant!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

New species visits P. Garden!

I keep catching sight of that durn rabbit out of the corner of my eye and having palpitations! So today when we had yet another species visit the garden I almost jumped out of my skin. However, it turned out to be "someone" I know!

At first she was a bit worried - she kept looking back at her home, the lovely white Victorian on the corner.

But she trotted over, meowing the whole way!

Wait! What's that?! Over there!

She's a sweetie though!

Stylish in her green collar. She has a short tail - she looks like a bobcat.

And off she bounded to work on her camouflage. Which isn't bad at all, I might add.

In other news, I went to Home Despot (uh-oh) and get a flat of red Gazanias which I planted in the red bed and front bed. They were also having a half off bulb sale (woot!) so I got (and planted) 14 Narcissus tazetta
(scented geranium daffodils), 10 Narcissus triandrus "Thalia" (white scented daffodils) and 14 Narcissus "Salome" (pink and white daffodils). Yep - daffodil addiction in full swing, people. I have never seen a garden with daffodils in it and thought "my god, they've really overdone it  - too many daffs!" Never. Not once.

I should mention another great surprise: Anna was at the garden, weeding away, when I arrived today. Sweet! Can't beat that for a Thanksgiving moment :)

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Plant profile: Psoralea pinnata, the Kool Aid bush

Today we have another wonderful article by P. Garden supporter and Potrero Hill resident Josh - click his name to see all his articles. Enjoy!
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Plant Profile: Psoralea pinnata, the Kool Aid bush
Fabaceae Family

A few years ago, I was on a garden tour in San Francisco. As a group of us plant geeks walked down a street, hunting for the address of the next garden, we passed a small tree, or large shrub, covered in a haze of blue flowers. From a distance, it appeared to be a Ceanothus, but as we got closer, we realized that it was a large Psoralea pinnata, the South African shrub pea, or fountain bush. It was definitely popular with the local bees and other pollinators, and was practically buzzing with their activity.


Psoralea pinnata has been grown in gardens since the late 1600’s, when it was introduced to English gardens from seeds brought back from South Africa. Like many South African plants, it thrives in the milder parts of California, where it is safe from frost. The name fountain bush refers to its habit of growing along streams and in wet places in the wild. In cultivation, it does best in well-drained soil, and needs little water once established. It can be pruned after blooming to limit its size, or it can be allowed to grow into a small, elegant tree up to 12 feet tall. The flowers are not very large, but they blanket the ends of the branches in a cloud of color ranging from blue to purple. They look almost like blue moths; in fact, the flower structure is described as ‘papillonaceous’, or butterfly-like, by our botanist friends. When in bloom, the amazing fragrance is similar to grape drink, leading to another common name: the Kool Aid bush.

The Latin name for this plant comes from the Greek word ‘psoraleos’, meaning warty. This refers to the dots that cover the leaves. The species name, ‘pinnata’, refers to the pinnate form of the leaves.

Psoralea pinnata is easy to grow from seed. While small, make sure it gets regular waterings. Once it is larger and planted in the ground, it can do with occasional watering during the dry season. Flowering is best in full sun, although the plant can tolerate some shade. Seedlings can often be found growing near an older plant, and are easily dug up and given to lucky friends.

There is a small kool aid bush in the Pennsylvania Garden, near the bench. It hasn’t bloomed yet, but hopefully this summer we will all be enjoying the scent of grape Kool Aid and watching the bees dancing around this plant.

Update: Photos above show our plant flowering away!

UPDATE December 2015:
After 7 years in the ground and 4 years of drought, this plant grew to 15' tall but very sadly succumbed to the drought in the end and died after years of beautiful flowers and an excellent, evergreen form. I would love to replace it, even though it could not handle extreme drought.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Easter? What the...? Oh snap!

On Thursday Emily planted a Scabiosa cretica from her own allotment to P. Garden. She also moved a Tulbaghia and I went by at lunchtime to water them in.

On Saturday Matt and I were planting succulents and Yucca tips around the garden from last week when Gary showed up.  "Quick! Come here!" he called to me "And be quiet - there's a rabbit in the garden!"

I rushed over, all agog to hear that a rabbit not only existed in the city, but had crossed multiple roads to get to the garden and was somehow hanging out in plain view! Gary and Matt were pointing to a small, furry form under the tree dahlia* which as I approached appeared to be a white rabbit. Oh well, I thought - a lost pet. We'll have to catch it...

But no. It was oddly still... in fact... it was dead. It was a taxidermied white rabbit attached to a piece of wood.

Right then.

On Sunday I went to Jo's house, and she gave me all sorts of plants for the garden. Thanks Jo! Then I met Emily in the garden. She's going to be planting up some bare spots in some beds and had prepared some printouts to show me her plans. She knows all sorts of cool flowers that will work in the garden - can't wait to see what she does!

Emily also planted 6 Calendulas and a Coreopsis in the back middle bed, thereby increasing the yellow:purple ratio to a much better balance.

Photo at left shows the view of the bench from the path below, with Callas in the front, and Crocosmias sprouting behind them.

*The tree dahlia snapped in the storm this week. Oh well - you had your chance to see it!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Mulch

Today we have another splendid article by P. Garden supporter and Potrero Hill resident Josh. Enjoy!
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Mulch is such an evocative word. It always makes me think of something vaguely mysterious, with an earthy smell and unclear origins. In reality, mulches are one of the gardener’s best friends. There are many different materials that can be used as mulch, but they all have many of the same benefits for the garden. Mulches shade the soil, keeping plant roots cool in the hot sun, and warmer at night when the air temperature drops. Mulches also help the soil retain water, so that the soil moisture is more even between waterings, and can reduce erosion from water runoff. Mulches can also reduce weed growth in the garden. Many types of mulch decompose over time, adding nutrients to the soil. Besides these practical reasons for using them, many mulches just make a garden look nicer.

There are organic and inorganic mulches. The inorganic mulches include plastic sheeting, gravel, tumbled glass, and in some gardens, bowling balls and broken dinner plates. Obviously, these mulches are not going to break down and add nutrients to the soil, but they will perform all the other roles of mulch that are listed above. Some plants, such as succulents and cacti, don’t like lots of organic stuff in their soil or at their feet. Inorganic mulches, such as pebbles, gravel and rocks, are ideal for these plants. I’ve seen tumbled glass  used as a striking mulch in several gardens. There are few limits in terms of materials that can be used as inorganic mulch, so let your imagination run wild!

The organic mulches include straw, garden compost, leaves, pine needles, cardboard, newspaper, wood chips, bark chips, cocoa hulls, sawdust and lots of other materials. All of these are derived from plants, and will break down over time and add nutrients to the soil. Generally speaking, no matter what kind of organic mulch you use, plan on using at least a 3-inch thick layer of mulch between plants. Keep the mulch away from the bases of plants in order to allow water to enter the soil and to keep the bases of the plants from rotting.

Depending on the material you want to use, there are many sources for mulch. The deep, luxurious mulch in the Pennsylvania Garden was donated by the Bay View Green Waste Management Company. You can contact them if you are interested in getting some mulch for your garden - they make their mulch from the contents of the city’s green bins.

If you are curious about this mulch, check it out the next time you are in the garden. Carefully stick your fingers in one of the planting beds and lift up a bit of the mulch. You will probably find that it is dry on top and moist further down. Most of the beds in the garden are thickly mulched (4 to 6 inches) to help compensate for the lousy soil, so you probably won’t hit dirt if you stick your finger in it. An added benefit of this thick mulch is that the weeds that do manage to grow are usually really easy to pull out! The succulent beds have much less mulch, and we are hoping to get some gravel to use in these beds. If you have any unwanted gravel, let Annie know!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Plant profile: Tibouchina

Our original Princess Plant (Tibouchina urvilleana) was the first plant I noticed at P. Garden, planted by Jim who had rescued it from the street. She was a scraggly specimen with a split trunk and long, unbalanced branches that had not been looked after over the years. For her own good, she had to be pruned rather hard by Leah, and for a while there we wondered if she was going to make it. She has since bounced back and is currently putting on quite the display (photo bottom)!


I got another type from Jared, a Tibouchina heteromalla (Silver Leafed Princess Flower - left), which looks swell by the bench with it's silvery, fuzzy leaves. This one has a different type of flower habit too, with the smaller flowers appear along a vertical spike.

Latin name: Tibouchina (tib-oo-KEE-nah, tib-oo-CHEE-nah)
Common name: Princess Plant, Glory Bush
Originally from: The rainforests of Mexico, the West Indies, and South America, especially Brazil.
Blooms: They're pretty much covered in waves of big purple flowers almost all the time
Light: Full sun!
Water: Average to low once established.
Where to find in P. Garden: See the original Tibouchina urvilleana in the center back bed, and  the Tibouchina heteromalla (Silver Leafed Princess Flower) next to the bench.


There are about 350 species of Tibouchina. The name comes from an adaptation of the native Guiana term for these shrubs. Although a common and beloved plant here in California, the Princess Plant is a nasty invasive weed in Hawaii. I have to say I don't have a lot of compassion for the Hawaiians, since they can grow all sorts of tropical stuff year round but I suppose you have to have weeds, even in paradise.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Plant swapping


I removed the Hyadrangea and Wisteria last week, after giving them almost a whole year to make a go of it (sorry Kepa!) but they didn't like life at P. Garden. So I put them on craigslist.

This resulted in Matt and I driving to El Sobrante yesterday and trading the plants for other plants owned by a woman called Shanti. Namely, some Yuccas, Aloes, Opuntias and other succulent cuttings, including some Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi. Neato.

I also spent some time in the garden with Emily and her mum discussion options for plants Emily's going to add to the garden. She knows more about annuals and flowers than me, so I'm enlisting her help to plan a few extra spots.

Also, almost forgot to mention that lovely Josh propagated several Dipogon lignosus (aka Dolichos lignosus) - the Australian Pea Vine or Cape Sweet Pea! I had researched the prefect vine to grow on the arch at the front of the garden, and decided on this one. It had to be evergreen, flowering, hardy and scented, and this one checks all the boxes!

Josh came over and constructed some bamboo trellis to assist it up the smooth arch sides, and planted 3 vines on each side (photo above.) Can't wait to see it in all it's hot pink glory.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Sit still

Today the San Francisco Botanical Garden was having a sale, so naturally I was drawn there at a brisk trot. I dragged Matt along and we got one plant (One! Plant!) which was an incredible display of restraint if I do say so myself. The plant was Eriogonum giganteum (St. Catherine's Lace - the largest of the native "Buckwheats") and it will make a good 4' tall and wide shrub on the far side of the steps to block the view and sound of the freeway. It's a very drought tolerant native from Santa Catalina Island with lovely white flowers, which are an important food source for butterflies and bees galore.


Matt also moved some Mexican feather grass, a Dianthus, and we put the Leucadendron from the front of the left bed up in the red bed before it was killed: it's branches were being broken off and it smelled like dog pee: not the hardiest specimen to pose as a dog urinal. We replaced the Leucadendron with a variegated Agave americana (left) which will echo the large one in the middle bed, and should be tough enough to survive.

While Matt was busy moving plants around I enjoyed a chat with Joan who was in the neighborhood. Suzannah, a yoga instructor on the hill, once told her class that when you sit still (in a pose) for quite a while, things change. It was great to sit still on the bench with Joan and hear her talk, our feet resting on the Victorian bricks she found for the garden, and her Buddleja growing behind us. Thanks Joan.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Plant profile: Tree Dahlia


Something is happening in the garden right now and you need to see it: our Tree Dahlia is flowering! Get out there right now and take it in: it will soon be over and the plant will be cut back to the ground until next year.

During the 16th century the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the mountain regions of Mexico and Guatemala. They brought with them botanists, who cataloged the local plant life when they weren't busy conquering the local Aztec tribes. With hollow canes, the Tree Dahlia was often used for hauling water or as an actual source of water to Aztec hunters: the Aztec name for the Tree Dahlia was "Acocotli" or water-cane. Today the Dahlia is the national flower of Mexico.


Latin name: Dahlia imperialis ("DAH-lee-ah im-peer-ee-AH-liss")
Common name: Tree Dahlia.
Originally from: Central America.
Blooms: 4 to 6 inches across, and lavender or white. Ours is lavender.
Light: Full sun!
Water: Average water.
Where to find in P. Garden: In the left bed.

This is not your ordinary Dahlia. If you are expecting brightly colored pom-poms of petals in a 1-2' high plant, think again - this is your Dahlia on steroids!

Growing up to 20' high in a single year, the Tree Dahlia is drama on a stick. Literally - a stick. We bought a dry stick about 12" long from the Berkeley Arboretum back in mid-April, planted it in the ground and now it's about 12' tall! (Photo above with 6' tall Matt for scale) Our Tree Dahlia is absolutely covered in flowers: a pretty good crop for it's first year.


The only problem with this shocking display of herbacious brawn is that it just might flower right before it gets blown down by a winter storm. Or it might not! Many people give up on Tree Dahlia as they never get to see the flowers bloom, but ours has made it this year and you can't miss it.

Due to it's amazing growth, high failure rate, and the massive hole it leaves in your border when you cut it back, this plant is not seen for sale very often. However, we have room for spectacular feats of foliar whimsy here at P. Garden - enjoy! We will have cuttings available when the time comes, and if you'd like some please let me know.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Cactus happenings


Yesterday Matt and I went over to pick up some cacti, an Agave and Yuccas from John. John is always exceptionally generous with his plants and we loaded up the car with all sorts of new and cool stuff. And it is now clear to me that I have no idea what most of my cacti are, so I'll have to post some pics and try and get some hints.

First we planted 3 Yuccas to the side of the stairs (left). I don't know what kind they are but they are shortish, multi-trunked affairs and very cool. (UPDATE: John says they are Yucca recurvifolia)  Behind them I'll put a shrub of some sort that's about 6' wide and tall and quite dense, to block the view and sounds of the freeway and the view of the compost piles. Any suggestions? Must be extremely drought tolerant, enjoy 4-6 hours of hot sun and preferably be an evergreen perennial with yellow or white flowers.

Two plants that had been in that area were removed: a pink Hydrangea and the Wisteria. Neither of these has been thriving with the lack of water so if anyone wants them speak up: they are ready to rehome.


Next we tackled some cactus wall plantings. We removed the annual Euphorbia lathyrus (Gopher Purge) that was done for the year and moved the Sedum telephium "Autumn Delight" up to the cherry tree area. In the space left we put a Santa Rita Prickly Pear (Opuntia santa-rita) which has a lovely pinkish tinge. I moved a purplish ice plant to be in front of it, as well as a cutting of Calandrinia grandiflora (Rock Purslane) with the lovely pink flowers.

Another prickly pear, O. aciculata (Chenille Prickly Pear) we planted (above left) is new to me - it has long spikes coming from the middle of yellow puffs of what look like soft, fuzzy buttons on each pad. Cactus afficionados and local vandals though will tell you that these are dangerous. They're actually loosely-connected spines (called glochids) that work their way into your skin through two pairs of work gloves and create burning sores until you cut them out with a pair of sharp nail scissors. Ask me how I know this! It does make them very tricky to place in a pleasing layout - I'll have to get some kitchen tongs as John has advised. The species name "aciculata" comes from the Latin for "covered with small pins (that were used for headdress)".

A last prickly pear John gave is was O. acaulis - didn't get that planted yet. We did place a nice big Agave shawii in a prime spot, and an A. parryi too. Popped some other Opuntias in pots for safekeeping, did some weeding, turned the compost and called it a day.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Damp ground

After Friday's rains the soil at P Garden was nice and damp. Perfect for planting and for weeding!

Today's volunteer day had a nice turnout. Leah, Josh, Janet and Anna came by to help out, and we got tons done! It was really heartwarming to look around and see everyone busy in the garden, having a good time.

- Planted 6 Gazanias in the front bed
- Weeded lots of Nasturtiums out
- Planted 6 Iberis under the cherry trees
- Raised the canopies of the cherries by removing low branches so the view of the bench is improved
- Planted a flowering cactus in the cactus wall bed
- Planted a yellow dwarf Canna behind the wong way sign
- Planted orange Alstroemerias ("Third Harmonic") and Irises in the red bed
- Watered
- Planted 2 Arctotis "The Ravers: Unmellow Yellow", a Pennisetum glaucum "Purple Majesty" (Ornamental Millet) and a Pennisetum setaceum "Red Riding Hood" in the left bed
- Saw a Black Phoebe (bird)
- Planted a small tree fern and a Pyrrosia hastata (Felt Fern) from Leah.
- Chatted with the usual stream of visitors to the garden

One of the best things today was discovering that the bottom bin of the worm composter was full of usable worm castings. I used them on almost all the plantings today - I expect those plants will grow like rockets!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Dull day


It looked like it was going to rain all day, but didn't. Shame! Our sprinklers have been off for almost a month so aside from a little hand watering on new plantings the garden is making a go of it alone.

Dull light is good for photos though - this morning Matt and I had our breakfast on the bench and I took the pic left, showing (from left) the lovely orange Leonotis leonurus, also known as Lion's Tail, is just starting to bloom. In front of that the Linum grandiflorum "Rubrum" (Scarlet Flax) is still going strong, with a purple Salvia leucantha (Mexican Sage) behind it. That's a pretty hot color combo - if we can get some yellow and pink in there I think my eyes will start bleeding!

We had some help from Josh this week - he spent an hour and a half weeding the other day.  One good rain and the weeds spring into action! One good Josh and they have to pipe down ;)

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Agaves in the Pennsylvania Garden

This is the first in (hopefully) a series of guest blog posts, written by people who have helped build the garden. Enjoy!
- Annie

Josh is a resident of Potrero Hill, dog lover, artist and gardener. He has spent countless hours weeding and planting in the garden, and can always be relied upon to be the voice of reason in matters concerning correct and aesthetic plant placement. His articles regularly appear in Pacific Horticulture magazine which is published by the non-profit Pacific Horticultural Foundation, and we're delighted to have his article grace this blog!

______________________________________________

A. filifera
As you walk through the Pennsylvania Garden, you can’t help but notice agaves and aloes, since there are some in several of the planting beds. Although they resemble each other, these succulent plants are not even closely related. There are over 700 species of agaves and aloes, which is good news for people who are into succulents. They tend to be very hardy and thrive with little care once established. If you look at the labels for this blog, you’ll see that agaves and aloes have more labels than pretty much everything else- there is a reason for this!

Annie wrote about Aloes in the April 22, 2009 blog entry, so I will focus on the Agaves in the garden.

A. parryi
The Agave family (Agavaceae) includes the agaves, beschornerias, furcreas, yuccas and hesperaloes, among others. The family name comes from the Greek agauos, meaning ‘related to kings and heroes, or noble’. Wow, who knew we had so much royal blood in the garden? The agaves are distinguished by the large spine on the tip of each leaf that most of them possess. Be careful near these plants, or you will add your own blood to the garden… Most of the agaves are monocarpic, which means that they flower once, then die. Luckily for us, most of them send out pups, or baby plants, from their base before they die. Others can only be grown from seeds. The agave’s biggest claim to fame is probably the fact that one species is fermented to make tequila.

A. shawii
Near the entry gate to the garden, you can see Agave filamentosa, also known as Agave filifera, with white filaments curling off of the leaves. This plant hails from Mexico, and sends out lots of pups. (photo top)

Nearby is Agave parryi, (second from top) a pale blue, almost round blob of beauty from Mexico, Arizona and New Mexico. These reappear throughout the dry succulent bed behind the storm drain, and up the hill in other beds. Although it is tempting to touch their wonderfully smooth leaves, the dark spines at the leaf tips are amazingly sharp, so best not to pet them.

A. americana variegata
Agave shawii, (third from top) no relation to Annie, is found along the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula into southernmost California. It is a smaller agave, very slow growing, and happiest near the coast far from frosts.

One of the more obvious plants in the garden is the ginormous Agave americana marginata in the center bed (second from bottom). These plants get huge, so if you plant a cute little baby, make sure you give it plenty of room. There are other variegated Agave americana types, such as A. medio picta and A. variegata. They differ mainly in the length of their leaves and the yellow or white stripes on the foliage. There are also a bunch of non-variegated, blue Agave americana plants in the succulent bed and in the back hill near the compost pile.

A. tequilana
Last, but certainly not least, is a longtime favorite for many of us, Agave tequilana (bottom photo). Native to the state of Jalisco in Mexico, it grows in the wild at altitudes over 1500 meters, so it can take some cold weather. Tequila is made from fermenting the core of this plant after growing it for about 10 years. There is one large, and several small, tequila agaves growing in the succulent bed behind the storm drain. Maybe in ten years’ time we will have the courage to hack them apart and make our own tequila? I don’t think so.

A. attenuata
The spineless A. attenuata is shown at left, growing in the middle front bed. Not all shown, but growing at PG or PRG:

A. americana 
A. americana variegata
A. americana "Lemon Lime"
A. americana medio-picta "Alba" 
A. angustifolia 
A. attenuata 
A. attenuata"Nova"
A. attenuata "Ray Of Light" (since stolen)
A. bracteosa 
A. celsii var. albicans "UCB" (since stolen)
A. colorata
A. decipiens
A. desertii
A. desmetiana "Variegata"
A. filifera
A. franzosinii
A.gentryi "Jaws"
A. gypsophila
A. gypsophila
A. havardiana
A."Joe Hoak"
A. lechuguilla
A. lophantha
A. "Mr. Ripple"
A. murpheyi
A. murpheyi "Engard" - Variegated Hohokam Agave
A. ovata
A. parrasana (probably a hybrid of this species)
A. parryi
A. salmiana ssp. crassispina
A. salmiana 'Green Giant'


A. scabra
A. scaposa
(probably)
A. shawii
A. "Sharkskin"
A. sisiliana  
A. tequilana
A. tequilana "Sunrise"
A. weberi "Arizona Star"
A. weberi "Reiner's selection"
A. vilmoriniana (Octopus Agave)
A. vilmoriniana "Stained Glass"
A. weberi "Reiner's selection"
 
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