Dancing Days

I've got that old Led Zeppelin song in my head - "Dancing Days are here again, as the summer evenings grow" - you know the one. I'm feeling it. We've had glorious weather, as the photo above shows. This was my Weeds class hike yesterday, and we did see a lot of terrible weeds (do you see that yellow flower on the hillside? That's French Broom - Genista monspessulana - which causes sane people to tear their hair out). I'm loving Weeds class, because we get out there and see the plants in nature. Below is a picture of a very prevalent weed here - Vetch - Vicia - which is beautiful but a bully for sure. This particular one we looked at had a couple of ants feeding on the plant's Extrafloral Nectary. Check it out.

Many plants have these; they are a way to attract insects that are not pollinating the plant, but are willing to protect the plant because it's their food source. Ants are very typical visitors at these nectaries; so are wasps. They will defend the plant against things like caterpillars, who would eat it. It's pretty neat to see in the wild.

We also saw plenty of native plants, including trilliums, by an honest-to-God rushing stream with waterfalls. Unless you live here, you can't imagine how cool that is. To have rushing streams where they are supposed to be, where they haven't been for twenty years, is totally euphoria-inducing.

I've tried, with no success, to find a nursery that sells native CA trilliums. I love everything about them, from their shape, to their mystery, to their common name (Wake-robin, if you please), to their delicate scent.

Dancing days are happening in my garden, too. This warm weather has caused all my Asian greens to bolt. Which is ok - both the bees and the chickens like them, and there's plenty of other greens for the Boegels to eat.

Speaking of chickens, I know you'd like an update on Ginny. She's alive, and she seems to be ok, but she is still limping around. I've witnessed her pooping, and she also laid a huge egg, so she's not eggbound. Her foot and leg look fine, so I think it must have something to do with her wing. Our vet, who makes housecalls, is coming tomorrow to give the cat her once-yearly exam; I'll have him look in on Ginny too.

Back to the garden... Here's a few highlights.

The tomatoes are going crazy in the 'greenhouse.' I leave the door open all day, and shut it at night, and I'm going to have to pot these suckers up again soon. I'm so glad we got this greenhouse built because plants LOVE IT.

Our Asian pear is blooming! This is exciting, as it's now in it's second year and looks like it will bear. I don't think you can beat these blooms for beauty. Those pink anthers on the stamens against the white petals? So gorgeous. 

The hop vines (bines) have begun their push to the heavens. Tom will need to get some guide strings up for them this weekend - these babies want to GROW. I planted fava beans in these planters over the winter, and cut them down before they set fruit, so hopefully this soil is full of nitrogen for the hops and they will be very vigorous this year.

I just ate my first strawberry of the year! Well that's not exactly true, California strawberries have been back at Whole Foods and the Farmers Markets for a couple of weeks now, but it's especially fun to have the first one from the yard. I recently learned in my basic Landscape Hort class that strawberries aren't really berries, according to botanists. True berries have seeds on the inside, like blueberries. Strawberries have seeds on the outside - but wait - those are actually the ovaries, or achenes, or the actual fruit. The berry itself is an enlarged receptacle, the part of the plant that connects the flower to the stem. You can sort of see this in a strawberry blossom:

All those yellow dotes in the center are each a pistil attached to an ovary, which will become the black 'seeds' on the outside of the strawberry. The green round pillow in the center is the swollen receptacle, which will continue to swell and become red.

Harlequin flowers (Sparaxis) surprise me every year, with their Dr. Seuss insides. Crazy.

And the bees are very very busy, totally recuperated from their brush with concentrated thyme (although I'm going to have to apply it again this weekend), and they are often all over this Ceanothus. 

I've had far too much homework to get into the hills and see the wildflowers, but I keep hearing and reading reports that they are astounding this year. Have any of you been to see them?

Rain is on tap here for next week, which is just what all these thirsty sun-drenched plants need about now, so I'm happy about that. Meanwhile, I'll be humming Dancing Days, because those long summer nights are coming. Nothing beats Led Zeppelin, of course, but I've always secretly preferred the Stone Temple Pilots version of this song, which I just happened to find on YouTube. It's especially poignant to listen to this, knowing how Scott Weiland ended up.

Common Garden Weeds (and how to get rid of them)

If you live in the West, you've been living in a very wet place indeed, and one thing we can count on during our rainy winters is WEEDS. (Apologies to those of you in other states; I know there's been cold, snowy weather going on where you are, but eventually your wet spring will come, and then you'll have weeds, too.) Even in my garden, which is heavily mulched and full of organic matter, I still get weeds. Most often they are not weeds at all, just seedlings of trees or bushes that have germinated below the canopy. Those are easily pulled, though certainly it is not a fun job. But I don't really consider those weeds. To me, weeds are something blown in on the wind, or 'placed' there by birds, something I didn't intend to have in my garden. So, for instance, my pepper tree releases thousands of seeds each year, and many of those germinate and start baby trees. Those are not weeds, because I placed that tree there knowing that I'd have seeds to deal with. (Or at least one would hope I planned that far ahead, and chose the tree with that knowledge; certainly that's the way I'd do things now, but I'm not at all sure I did things that way at the time I planted the pepper tree.) But lately I've noticed a lot of Veronica persica (Persian or Bird's Eye Speedwell) in my pollinator beds. This is a plant I didn't intend to be in my garden, and even though, as weeds go, it's not a heinous one, it's something I will take steps to control. 

Speedwell

Veronica persica is a pretty little thing, with small, hairy, heart-shaped leaves, and sweet tiny purple flowers. It's a weed that likes disturbed places, gardens, turf, orchards, vineyards, and roadsides. I disturbed the soil in this particular area by pulling out some annuals, and that, plus wet, overcast conditions, caused this weed to move right in. I don't use herbicides, but this one is resistant anyway, so don't bother with that (and honestly, you never need to resort to that). You need to remove the plants before they set seed, but of course removing the plants means you're disturbing the soil even more. These plants don't do well in sun, so likely they'll disappear once we have long, hot, dry days. Mulching these (with a little cardboard underneath) would take care of the problem, but this in my pollinator gardens, where I'm also trying to germinate annual wildflowers. Likely those will crowd this little guy out, so for now, I'll just cut off the tops and make sure they don't set seed.

Dandelion

Here's one we're all familiar with, the good old dandelion, or Taraxacum officinale. I remember my dad going out with his special dandelion weeder on Saturday mornings when I was a kid in Maryland, trying to pry these things out of his well-tended lawn. Dandelions are special because their roots can grow new shoots. This is unusual. So if you cut off only the top of a dandelion, its root can send up new growth in the form of a shoot. Most plants can't do this (unless it's the type of plant that spreads by rhizomes underground). If you've ever tried to get one of these out of the ground, you'll know that it has a long taproot which makes it difficult to remove; and if you don't get the entire root, that darned thing will send up a new shoot. Personally I rather like dandelions; the flowers are a boon to pollinators, and I have no precious lawn to ruin. However I do not let them set seed in my garden. Still, there's plenty of dandelion seeds in the neighborhood that blow right in. 

Mallow

Here's another weed with a long taproot - common mallow, or Malva neglecta. Folks around here call it cheeseweed, because the seed pods look like little wheels of cheese. This plant is entirely edible, but it doesn't taste like much of anything to me. However the greens are highly nutritious, so it doesn't hurt to throw it in a frying pan with some kale or chard. Mallow is ubiquitous in my neighborhood, colonizing neglected yards and hell strips. It shows up in my garden sometimes, in back corners where I haven't been in a while. It's best to pull this guy when small and young; the taproot develops considerably as it gets older and it is extremely hard to pull out at that point.

Mustard

Many weeds are edible, and here's one I collect frequently when hiking to add to salads and omelets, though only when the leaves are young and before flowers appear. The thing you taste in all Brassica species (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, mustard etc) is called 'myrosin.' As the plants get older, the myrosin gets stronger, and it's often distasteful at high levels. But when the mustard leaves are young, they have a pleasant spiciness that can really wake up a plate of greens. Many people grow them for that reason, and they are a fancy-restaurant specialty. Around here, they are invasive. There might be 60 different varieties of mustard plants (all in the family Brassicacaea) growing in the hills in California, and they make a beautiful yellow haze this time of year when they bloom. But make no mistake, it's dangerous to let these guys go to seed in your garden. They will take over. 

Common Groundsel

And speaking of taking over, this is a weed I see next to every sidewalk in my neighborhood, in huge quantities. This is Senecio vulgaris, or common groundsel, or Old-Man-of-Spring. As you can see from this picture, the seeds are incredibly abundant. This weed grows everywhere humans are, next to roadsides and freeways, in nurseries, gardens, vineyards, and orchards. It does have a taproot, but you don't have to remove the entire thing. This is one weed that benefits from shallow tilling. You can also mulch it. It likes wet and cool, so it cannot live in hot and dry. Apparently there is some promising research on a fungal control for this guy, but meanwhile, do not let it set seed. Get it out of your garden. 

Bittercress

How about this pretty little weed? This picture was taken in front of my next-door-neighbor's fence. Bittercress, or Cardamine oligosperma, flourishes in that location every year, and I work hard not to let it cross the 'line' and come into my garden. Bittercress is also a Brassica, so it is edible, but it's so tiny that you'd need a lot of it to make it worthwhile (come on over, I'm sure my neighbor won't mind if you forage her front fence, and you'd be doing me a big favor). This little plant grows in nearly every plant community we have in California, and it's wicked: It is also called 'pop seed' because the seeds pop out of the pod and fly everywhere if you so much as graze it with your shoe. Do not let this plant get to that point. Hand pull it before it flowers or sets seed. Again, it prefers wet conditions, so it will die out in the summer here. But the seed can live in the soil forever and anytime you disturb it, up it will grow.

Herb Robert

This is a pretty weed too, called Herb Robert or Geranium robertianum. This developed from an escaped cultivar at some point, which makes it sound very exciting and might convince you that you should keep it around. The experts say it's not invasive, but it's another weed I see everywhere humans are. It is attractive, but it's sneaky. I say get rid of it. I find it in my vegetable beds where it hides cunningly until it grows to gigantic proportions. This weed is easily hand-pulled which makes it somewhat ok in my book.

Petty Spurge

Finally, we have Euphorbia peplus, or petty spurge. Gosh I see this one on the margins of gardens everywhere, and I'll bet you do too. It's mildly toxic and can cause a rash, so use gloves when removing this plant. And remove it you should, the entire thing, including the root. It also prefers moist shade, like a lot of the weeds coming up right now. This plant often comes into our gardens through nursery stock, so check the plants you buy carefully before putting them in the ground.

This is by no means a complete list. I haven't mentioned purslane, or oxalis, or many of the most common weeds found in gardens. These are just a few I am noticing right now. In many ways, this is the best time of year to remove weeds, because they come out of the wet soil easily. But a note of caution: So many of these weeds like both disturbed and compacted soil. Walking near the plants or on them will cause our sodden earth to compact terribly and the weeds will proliferate even more. Be careful when walking around your beds. Use the paths, or if that's not possible, take a board out with you to step on, to diffuse your weight. If possible use long tools to help you, so you don't need to step in the beds. If you can cover the weeds with cardboard and mulch, that will not only prevent compaction and block photosynthesis, it will also improve your soil and acidify it so that weeds will not enjoy living there. Remember, lots of organic matter is key to improving your soil and making it inhospitable to weeds. Disturb the ground as little as possible. Be vigilant about removing flowers and seed heads. Over time, this will overcome even the most difficult weed. I've witnessed this as my battle with bindweed seems to be finally over, after many years of eagle-eye weeding. Keep at it and you will succeed! 

Why I Don't Have Many Weeds

It was another interesting day at school yesterday, full of information; there is a lot of presumed competence going on in these classes (which I appreciate), but that means my learning curve will be steep. Normally I like that. My brain is just a little tired at the moment.

Swiss Chard in the South Garden

The nice thing is that I'm also getting answers for why some things in my garden are working right - and I didn't even know I was doing them. Or if I did, it was for some other reason, and it turns out that it works well for other things, too.

Blueberry

For instance, I learned a tidbit in my "Weeds in the Urban Landscape" class that helped me understand why I have very few weeds. I always thought it was my vigilance paying off - and in fact that is probably part of it - but it has a lot more to do with the way I am managing my soil these days.

Cabbage, acting more as a trap crop at the moment

Did you know that weeds like a high ph? They prefer things around 8 on that scale - quite alkaline. Did you know that gardens high in organic matter tend to be closer to 6 or 6.5 ph, more acidic than weeds like? I didn't know this. I was adding tons of organic matter to the soil to improve water retention, amount of oxygen, and food for the microbes. I had no idea that I was also making an inhospitable place for weeds.

Yarrow

We did apply wood chips with the consciousness that they would smother weeds. But a thick mulch doesn't just smother them - it also prevents seeds, blown in by wind or pooped out by birds, to reach the soil. It also prevents light from getting to seeds that do touch the soil, which means they never germinate. And of course wood chips, or any organic mulch, is also adding a layer of organic matter on top of the soil, thus decreasing ph.

Chinese Forget-me-Nots

Here's something I did know: A no-till system also discourages weeds. Our vegetable beds have not been tilled in many years, and we get very few weeds in them. When you turn over soil, you expose many buried seeds to light and air, therefore causing them to germinate. It's far better to disturb the soil as little as you possibly can.

California native annual wildflower seeds, before getting mixed into a bin of soil to add to our pollinator gardens

I do still get a stray weed here and there, but considering the state of our yard before our sheet mulching project (bindweed so widespread I thought we'd never get rid of it, ditto Bermuda grass), the difference is pretty incredible. And another benefit of added organic matter is that it's easy to pull the weeds I do find.

Diablo Foothills, Castle Rock park, this past Tuesday's hike

For those of you that live in California: The instructor of my native plants class is also an avid hiker. He says he believes this year will be a banner year for wildflower shows in the hills, due to the vast amounts of moisture we've been getting. He beseeched all of us to get out there this spring. Don't just be satisfied with seeing other people's pictures! he said. You must get out there and see the beauty for yourself. This instructor, Stew Winchester, also leads backpacking excursions specifically to see wildflowers. If this interests you, you can visit his website for more information. I believe the summer dates are not up yet; check back later or send him an email. He also teaches in many places besides Merritt.

I look forward to learning ever more about what I've been doing wrong (and right!) in my own garden, and I hope to share those things with you as I discover them.