Pacifc Coast Iris

Some friends and I just returned from a backpacking adventure in Pt. Reyes. We camped a Coast Camp, which itself was blanketed in Pacific Coast Iris. On Saturday we did a pleasant 11mi loop up the coast and back along the Sky Camp ridge. The wildflower show was spectacular, and we enjoyed good weather all weekend. The Ceanothus shrubs were particularly stunning, carpeting the rolling coastal hills with their lilac blooms. Poppies and Lupine abound on the bluffs, along with Sparaxis, which while pretty is actually native to South Africa.

On my way back I met my family at Tara Firma Farm in the hills

Tara of Tara Firma Farm describes her hog operation to my sister, mom and dad.

East of Petaluma. These folks bought their 300 acre farm two years ago after being inspired by the Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. They have copied Joel Salatin’s farm almost exactly, and it seems to be working for them. They are raising pastured chickens, pigs, and cattle on some of the most beautiful rolling hills in California. They gave a nice tour and at the end everyone got a free pork chop.

Here is a Ceanothus “Julia Phelps”. Ceanothus (California Lilac) are remarkable native plants. The shrubs in this photo have received minimal water in the past three years, and yet they continue to look healthy and bloom well.

Below is a bumble bee pollinating a Ceanothus blossom at Rancho Pillow.

I just led a private party on a hike up Oat Hill Mine Road to Bald Hill. Above is a Lupine bush on top of Bald Hill looking out on the Calistoga Valley. We were treated to a phenomenal wildflower show that included Indian Warrior, Shooting Stars, Hounds Tongue, and Milk Maids. The sun shone brightly as we walked up Pallisades Ridge, through dense chapparal and open meadows. Out of town guests are always captivated by Manzanita shrubs, with their striking burnt umber bark and gnarled branches, and I tell them how the Indians used to make cider out of the berries. After 3 miles of steady ascent, we reached Bald Hill, where we did a bit of cross country to reach the top direct. The top of this hill was blanketed in flowers and offered spectacular views of the Pallisades and Mt. St Helena. Follow the link below to read a blog about a longer version of this hike.

http://www.adampaul.com/hiking/palisades05.shtml

A honeybee pollinates a nectarine blossom at Rancho Pillow.

Another bee pollinating away.

After a wet winter, spring has arrived, and not a moment too soon. The smell of flowers and freshly cut grass are in the air, and you can almost taste the coming cornucopia of fruit.

Now is a good time to plant annuals, hardy perennials and cool season veggies. It’s also a good time to cut back ornamental grasses, and do rejuvenation pruning on old shrubs (such as butterfly bush and lavatera).

It’s also an excellent time to get out and enjoy the Sonoma County wildflower show. I find nothing inspires my garden designs more than a spring wildflower hike. With a long dry summer ahead, the next couple of months offer the only chance most native wildflowers will get to bloom and reproduce.

Indian Warrior at the base of a Manzanita. This photo was taken on Oat Hill Mine Road.

Foothill Penstemon

Western Columbine

Here is an example of a shrub that needed rejuvenation pruning (a loropetalum). It's foliage used to stretch beyond the asphalt, but I limbed it up, and the clients were happy with the result. Now we can put some plants underneath and and can enjoy the shrub's gnarly branch structure.

A pot of yellow violas, one of my favorite container flowers.

With this Spring forecast to be a wet one, it’s a good idea to spray your fruit trees and roses with a combination of copper and dormant oil. These products are often listed organic and they help eliminate pests and fungal diseases. If you have a number of trees to be sprayed you might consider calling a pest service, such as the Hitmen or Hydrex. They offer competitive prices and have truck mounted power sprayers. Ideally, one should spray 3 times a year: in the late fall, mid winter, and just before bud break. However, if you spray once or twice in the next couple of months, it will still have a beneficial effect. Copper is effective against diseases like curly leaf, powdery mildew and rust. Dormant oil smothers the eggs and larvae of unwanted insects that burrow into fruit and rose buds.

It’s time to prune! All roses except Lady Banks need to be pruned in the winter. Also, all deciduous fruit trees except for the members of the prunus (plum) family need to be pruned.

Why prune? Here are some of the biggest reasons:

1) To promote new growth.

2) To thin and let light into the plant (lack of light will cause branches to die).

3) To remove dead and diseased wood.

4) To improve the structure and appearance of a plant.

Roses need a lot of pruning because they grow quickly and will become congested and will flower less if not pruned properly. Large flowering roses (hybrid teas) need to be pruned the hardest. Old canes should be cut to the ground and several young canes should be selected and pruned to between 10 and 30 inches depending on the health and age of the plant. Cluster flowering roses (floribundas) should be pruned less. Cut new growth back to 4 inches and select some older canes to prune back to the ground. There are no hard and fast rules for rose pruning. Roses are tough and will usually recover from whatever cuts you make, so be brave! Pay attention to where cuts were made in prior years and how the plant responded. Let the rose tell you how to prune it.

Fruit trees are a more challenging pruning subject. The best thing to do is read a book about fruit tree pruning before you begin. Also consider summer pruning your fruit trees. Refer to the UC extension service for recommendations.

With the arrival of Fall, many perennials are finishing their bloom, while the native plants are just waking up. Fall is a good time to prune many evergreen plants, a list of which I’ve compiled below. I like to leave many plants unpruned this time of year for interest and to let plants rest. Consider letting roses form attractive hips, allowing birds to feast on sunflower seeds, and letting the spent flower stalks of echinacea and black-eyed susans provide structure. Fall is also an excellent time to divide many bulbs and perennials, such a Shasta daisies and coral bells. Finally, Fall is a good time to add compost and other mulches to suppress weeds and enrich the soil. Check the Sonoma Compost link on the right for organic, lab tested soil products.

Fall Pruning of Shrubs and Perennials:

Flowers: Nemesia, gaillardia, bidens

Bulbs: Crocosmia, gladiola watsonia, cut once stalk has turned brown

Herbs: Nepeta, oregano, thyme, Exception: salvia (wait till spring)

Shrubs: Mallow, butterflybush, viburnum, hebe, artemesia.

Dividing bulbs succculents and perennials:

-Shasta daisies, herbs, heuchera.

-Bulbs: dahlia, gladiolas.

-Succulents like echeveria (hens and chicks)

Mulching:

Why mulch?

-prevents weeds
-insulates soil from heat and cold
-adds organic matter (builds humus)
-acts like a sponge increasing water absorption and reducing runoff
-looks attractive
-replenishes nutrients

These benefits vary according to the type of mulch that you choose:

Wood chips:
-United Forest Products
-Sequoia woodland mix
Nutritious mulch:
-compost
-homeade
-Screened early mulch

Green Mulch: Cover Crop

-clover
-fava beans
-blend
-buckwheat
-purple vetch

I spent the first half of September hiking the John Muir Trail from Tuolumne Meadows to the summit of Mt Whitney (200 miles). The trail is high and rugged, crossing numerous passes above 11,000 ft. Despite the harsh alpine environment, many species of plants thrive, and due to some late Sierra snows, we were treated to a spectacular fall wildflower show.

Below is a photo of sky pilot (polemonium), a common flower on many of the high passes we hiked over.

Below is a typical alpine meadow full of paintbrush, grasses and willows.

Check out the slideshow link on the right for a photo album with a soundtrack and captions.

Fishing at Rae Lakes: