By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

Here's a foliage plant I haven't grown yet but can imagine a half dozen uses for without half trying.  It is called Santolina virens 'Lemon Fizz.'  I can picture it in light shade at the front edge of a dry shade border.  I think its feathery foliage would be a nice contrast to the thicker leaves of succulents.  It would be striking against black Mexican river pebbles on either side of a sidewalk.  It would look good in a wide, shallow container with a small ornamental grass like Carex 'Toffee Twist.'  Or, I don't know, how would you use it?

The close-up photo is from Native Sons, one of my favorite wholesale nurseries in Southern California.  And the other photo, which gives you a better idea of flat, compact habit, is from The Perennial Blogger.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

Calandrina grandiflora, Chilean rock purslane, has becoming an increasingly popular landscaping plant in Southern California, and no wonder.  It is drought-tolerant, easy to grow, and its magenta flowers bloom a long time.  I'm used to seeing it used en masse, especially in parkways and medians.  And it always looks good that way.

But the garden staff at Casa Romantica (see yesterday's post) decided to plant it in a pair of shoulder-high planter boxes, which brought the blooms up to eye level and literally made you see the plant in a new way.  The effect was charming.  Wish I had someplace to duplicate the idea in my own garden.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

The gardens of Casa Romantica were included in San Clemente Garden Club's Annual Garden Tour on June 20th.  (Casa Romantica, designed by Carl Lindom, who also designed Casa Pacifica, better known as the Western White House, is the former home of the founder and developer of San Clemente, Ole Hanson.)  I was so impressed with the gardens I went back for a second look.  Here's some snapshots of that follow-up trip.

Matilija poppy and Cleveland sage were still holding on in the Native Bowl (the photo on the left), and the new Herb Garden, just planted last November (photo on the right), was going strong -- artichokes in bud, borage and creeping thyme in exuberant bloom, scented geraniums perfuming the air, and lettuces in full romantic bolt.

And on the other side of Casa Romantica some of the gardens just seemed to be hitting their stride.  The Butterfly Garden, for instance, shown below. 

Same thing with the Spanky Chang Children's Garden.  Lion's Tail, shown here, Lamb's Ears, Parrot's Beak, and Salvia 'Hot Lips all looking splendid, and Mint Marigold still to come. 

If it's been awhile since you visited Casa Romantica, come back and take another look.  Maybe you visited once and thought some parts of the garden looked a little, shall we say, scrufty.  I've sometimes thought so, too.

Well, that's definitely not that case now.  Launa Gould, the head gardener, is primarily responsible for that.  (Gould used to be the president of the San Clemente Garden Club, has lots of experience with civic beautification projects, and put in six years volunteering at the Casa before being hired for this position.)  But Gould is blessed with a great second-in-command in Lisa Goff, a volunteer who also happens to be a landscape architect.

The garden has always had a magnificient setting. And excellent bones, too--Isabelle Greene designed the basic layout. But somehow it just didn't seem to come together.  Now it does.

I'm already looking forward to my next visit.

By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

Photographs by David Meyer

Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

When we think of garden art, we think of statutes or abstract sculpture.  Or sun dials and birdhouses.  Or bas-reliefs or architectural fragments or vintage tools hung as wall art.  But always we imagine three-dimensional.

But now that more than ever gardens are becoming genuine outdoor rooms, homeowners are looking for two-dimensional art suitable for outdoors as well.

We featured Ketti Kupper's glicee prints, one of which is shown opposite, in a previous post.

We found another example at Sunset Celebration recently.  The dramatic Aaron Chang photograph shown immediately below, `Silver Palm', graced the Modern Cottage installation.

The prints are made with a photo-sublimation process that utilizes water-based, earth-friendly inks, says Chang.  The image is then printed on recycled aluminum that is 90% post consumer, and the pieces coated with a UV protector.  The prints are fade resistant for up to 3 years depending on how much exposure they are subjected to, says Chang.

Below are two additional examples of his photography -- `Samoan Ginger' and `Jungle Light.'  See the Aaron Chang Gallery website for more.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

Here Aaron Chang combines photography and function.  This wall hanging also doubles as a recirculating fountain.  Water cascades down the print in the areas where the waterfalls cascade in the photo.  The clear tank at the bottom holds the recirculating water.  And, to add to the illusion, lava rocks and living plants as well.

By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

Rock work can be daunting. What size rocks do you need for landscape construction, for example—and how big a rock can you handle by yourself? The chart below shows coverage and recommended sizes to make a wall. Your experience, strength, and equipment determine how heavy a rock you can safely handle.

For big jobs (walls over 4 feet tall) or anything larger than one-man rock, get professional help and advice. But there are lots of jobs even novices can handle well. Start with something simple, like edging a gravel path in stone.

Because rock is handled in bulk and sold by the ton, every load contains individual rocks that are well above and below the size you paid for. That isn't a bad thing, since larger rocks go on the bottom, and smaller ones on top and in the spaces between larger rocks.

For a given volume, rock weight also varies greatly (think of the differences between pumice and granite, for example). But the chart below, based on rock from Lynch Creek Quarry in Puyallup, Washington, gives useful averages. Among landscapers, the definitions of one-man, two-man, and three-man rock will skew toward the high side of the weights shown here.

 

From looking at the chart, it's clear that most of us won't be picking up a 250 pound rock any time soon, so "one-man rock" must mean something else, and indeed it does: it's the size rock one person can move into place with a 6- to 8-foot pry bar. The lever is a beautiful thing when it comes to moving rocks around—one that makes you feel considerably stronger than you are. Use it to help roll big rocks along, or to lever them into position.

A two-wheeled garden cart can move rocks better than a wheelbarrow, whose high center of gravity and single wheel makes it unstable and tipsy.

A hand truck (the kind you use to move furniture) is good for one or two heavy rocks, since it has a very low center of gravity. Some tool yards rent a variation on this called a ball cart or basket dolly. It lies flat for loading, then is picked up by the handles and pushed.

Stone sleds were once used for commercial construction, but they have long since been replaced by trucks and heavy equipment. But you can use a snow sled covered by a piece of plywood to accomplish the same thing, dragging it along with heavy nylon rope (but beware: it tears up lawns).

An ancient Egyptian method also works well. Put down parallel rows of poles or pipes, set a plank or square of thick plywood on top of that, and put the heavy rock on top of that. Then you can roll the stone over the poles; it's especially useful in the construction of pyramids.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

There are few lavender farms in Southern California you can even visit, but between late June and the end of July you can not only visit New Oak Ranch in Ojai, California, you can harvest bundles of lavender stems for about what you'd pay for a frappuccino -- $5 for as much as you can stuff into an 8-inch twist-tie. The owners, Bill and Karen Evender provide shears and ties; you the labor, if you can call it that.  

 Even if you're not a crafter, it's a fun thing to do.  It gives you an excuse to plant yourself smack in the middle of 5,000 lavender plants and inhale for all you are worth.

To make the most of the day, pick up picnic supplies in Ojai first and have lunch at the Ranch; there's plenty of shade under the walnut trees. 

And take home some of the Ranch's products.  I recommend the lavender water.  It's lovely sprayed on your pillow just before you go to bed.  Or, if you are as domestic as Martha Stewart, sprayed on your linens before you iron them.  Not much chance of that happening in my house.

For day, hours, and directions, see their website.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

Candle lanterns like the one shown below look simple enough to figure out without instructions.  But why waste time blundering through it?  Willi Galloway shows how to turn old jars into candle lanterns step by step on her blog, DigginFood.  She's come up with some pretty embellishments, too.

* * *

I check in reguarly with Barbara E. at Wild Suburbia because she's way ahead of me in her adventure with California native plants, and I inevitably learn a lot.

Her blog entry on Native Grasses, Sedges, and Rush for the Garden, for instance, is practically a thesis. 

I like her photography, too.

Finally, even though other garden bloggers have linked to it, we wouldn't want you to miss Owen Dell (that's him hamming it up below) and BIlly Goodnik of The Garden Wise Guys rocking out on their video, Taking Out the Grass is a Gas on YouTube.

By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

 

When I visited Karen & Dwight Sigworth’s Portland garden last week, I was awed by the greenhouse, which happened to be fitted with a recycled door and windows (see them in last Wednesday’s blog).

But those weren’t the only recycled pieces in the garden. The Sigworths’ ivy-covered garden wall also has a built-in recycled door and windows (top), and their woodshed (bottom) has more recycled windows—windows without walls. See a trend here?

You can see Sigworths’ garden yourself tomorrow on the Seeding Our Future garden tour, sponsored by the Foundation for Tigard Tualatin Schools.

 By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

Buy this new striped Mandevilla developed by Suntory Flowers Limited and tuck in some dark blue lobelia around the rim of the pot, and you've got a Fourth of July theme. How easy is that?  In Southern California you're most likely to find 'Stars & Stripes' at Armstrong Garden Centers.

Another fun idea for the Fourth from Sunset.  How-to details here.

By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

 

Two excellent Oregon garden tours are coming up this weekend, both in the Portland area, and both full of splendid gardens. I previewed each of them last week, and came home with a wealth of great garden ideas.

The Seeding Our Future garden tour, sponsored by the Foundation for Tigard Tualatin Schools, runs Saturday from 10 to 4, and includes the widest range of gardens, from suburban gems to estates. Take this to see what may be the most beautiful garden greenhouse ever (pictured above), a thoughtfully designed Asian fusion garden by Paul Taylor, and a look at Bella Madrona (right), which for decades has been a very hot ticket among knowing gardeners.

There are six gardens total (four without lawns!), each with remarkable features, and an art show at Tigard High School. You can get into the art show free (it's on Friday), but you'll need a $20 ticket to visit the gardens. Go to the web site for more information.

The Association of Northwest Landscape Designers (ANLD) presents eleven gardens from 10 to 4 Saturday only, also for the price of a $20 ticket. Most of the entries are suburban gardens on city lots of all sizes, and taken together they show how you can master steep sites, corner lots, water restrictions, close neighbors, and more. Tickets were almost gone last time I checked, so if you want to join in, go to ANLD's web site fast.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

Dustin Gimbel, owner of Second Nature Garden Design, gardens mostly in containers by necessity.  (See yesterday's post below).  But Dustin doesn't limit himself to nursery pots.  Anything that will hold a few scoops of dirt is fair game.

These industrial-chic containers, for instance, are inexpensive metal storage bins from IKEA.  The fact they aren't very porous is actually an advantage in this hot roof-top situation, says Dustin.

 The handsome boxes below are alley finds Dustin rescued.  From the lettering you can still read on a few of them he believes they were old machine shop tool bins.  Because Dustin didn't want to drill holes in such handsome pieces, he filled them with a sharp potting soil and planted them with succulents, which don't require a lot of water.

And, finally, can you guess what these are?  Palm fronds in the streets after a high wind are a common occurrence in Southern California.  Dustin is rescuing them, too, and making what he calls "rafts" out of the sheaths.

What about you?  Are you planting in a container that would surprise us?  Send us a photo.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

You don't have to own land to enjoy plants, as Dustin Gimbel and Gary Putnam prove below.  The pad the two roommates share is just off Main Street in Seal Beach, California.  It's the town's oldest and most popular retail area.  Their place is tucked back between two-story retail buildings.  All you see from the front is a number and a gate.  Not exactly where you expect to find a garden.  I scratched my head, rechecked my address, and thought this can't be right.

As soon as you open the gate, though, there's evidence of garden -- plants spilling off walls, and pots lined up all along one side.  But it doesn't prepare you for the explosion of potted plants that greet you once you move into the central courtyard.  In fact, the only way you can really take in how much Gary and Dustin  packed into this little square is to show you what it looks like from the roof.   (That gray curtain that divides the space into foyer and living room, by the way, is Spanish moss draped over wire.)

Now for many people this would be enough.  But Gary wanted to grow tomatoes.  Not enough sun in the courtyard, not to mention room.  And Dustin, the owner of Second Nature Garden Design, needed more space to try out new plants.   Only one place to go -- the roof.  So they did.

And, to show just what dedicated gardeners these two are, here's how they access that roof.  You get used to climbing up that bouncy ladder, Dustin claims.  But it makes your heart thump a little the first time, that I know.  Kind of fun up there, though.

How about you?  Do you garden some place most people wouldn't think possible?  Tell us about it.  Even better, send photos.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

The Pacific Horticulture Symposium, "Gardening Under Mediterranean Skies VII: Lessons in Sustainable Gardening" set for Sept. 26-27 in Santa Barbara, California sold out a few days after it was posted.   If you missed out, you have another chance.  The same symposium will be repeated on October 3-4.

Here's what the package includes:

Saturday, Oct. 3:  continental breakfast and morning lecture at the Hotel Mar Monte, docent-lead tour and al fresco luncheon at spectacular Lotusland, (see photos below for a sneak preview) tour of a Susan Van Atta designed garden, and finally twlight tour and wine reception at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

Both photos above by Bill Dewey

Sunday:  continental breakfast, again at the Hotel Mar Monte, followed by tours of four private gardens designed by such well-known landscape architects such as Isabelle Greene and Lynn Woodbury.

There is also a bonus Friday night lecture.  Owen Dell will be speaking on "Sustainable Landscaping: A Visionary Look at the Future of Gardens".  Dell is the author of Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies which we reviewed on Fresh Dirt recently. 

If you sign up before September 1, the fee for the whole package is $320, which includes a one-year subscription to Pacific Horticulture magazine.  If you already a subscriber or are a member of either the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden or the Mediterranean Garden Society, your early registration fee is discounted to $295.   After September 1, add $50 to those figures.

Sounds like a lot of education and entertainment for the price.  The Hotel Mar Monte are offering discounted rates for Symposium members, which helps, too.

I think I've just talked myself into going.

For a registration form, email medskies@SDHortSoc.org or call (760) 295-2173.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

Johanna Silver, Sunset's test garden coordinator, writes about her experience growing garbanzo beans  on Our One Block Diet blog. It's her first time -- it would be mine, too -- and she is soliciting feedback. 

Take a look and add your expertise.

By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

I’ve never before reprinted a press release, but one I just received from Washington State University includes so much good info that I decided to republish at least a digest of it. The subject is nutritional value of organically grown produce.

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PULLMAN, Wash. – . . . There is now a growing consensus among scientists that organically grown fruits and vegetables may contain higher levels of nutrients than conventionally grown produce. . . .

That was the conclusion of a panel of scientists at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science this past February in Chicago. The scientists on the panel, which was organized by Preston Andrews, associate professor of horticulture at WSU, and The Organic Center, reviewed a decade of research comparing the impacts of organic and conventional farming systems on soil and food quality.

. . . They cited research that has found that organically farmed tomatoes have higher levels of soluble solids and secondary plant metabolites. Most of the secondary plant metabolites are antioxidants, which help prevent human diseases.

Studies of 27 varieties of organically grown spinach found higher levels of flavonoids and vitamin C and lower levels of nitrates. Nitrates in food can form cancer-causing compounds.

Improved soil . . . [was] seen in apples grown organically in research in Washington . . . [leading] to added nutritional quality, taste, and storability. . . .

What lessons can home gardeners learn from this research?

“Increase the organic matter content of your soil,” Andrews said. “I think one of the best ways you can do this is with compost. Feed the soil so that the soil microorganisms can provide readily available nitrogen and other nutrients that plants need, but in a more slow-release fashion than synthetic fertilizers do.”

Composting is the managed decomposition of plant and animal material, and is a way of speeding up what happens in the soil naturally. Yard wastes and vegetable scraps, which comprise as much as 20 percent of household garbage, can be recycled in the soil as compost, according to Craig Cogger and Dan Sullivan, authors of “Backyard Composting,” a free WSU Extension bulletin.

“With composting, you get some readily available sources of nitrogen and ammonium because the soil microorganisms produce them as the digest the proteins and then the amino acids that are broken down from the proteins,” Andrews said.

“Backyard Composting” is available as a free download from WSU Extension.

Sunset can also show you how to Build the perfect compost bin with online instructions for both the bin and for compost making.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

Ptilotus 'Joey' is getting all the press, but Ptilotus 'Platinum Wallaby', shown opposite, seems to be the better plant in every respect.  And especially so for any area of the West that has alkaline soil.

I saw 'Platinum Wallaby' at Proven Winners' trade show in Bonsall, California in late March and totally fell in love with those feathery lavender-gray flowers.  I also liked hearing the plant would be nearly ever-blooming in my Southern California climate and that it was very drought-tolerant.  I could think of a hundred different things I'd like to see it combined with without even working up a sweat.

Then I came home and starting reading about Ptilotus 'Joey' on other garden blogs.  And found out both plants are the same species, P.  exaltatus, which is more than a little confusing.  Especially after  I went to a nursery and got a first-hand look at 'Joey'.  It had similar flowers for sure but somehow lacked the overall excitment of 'Platinum Wallaby'.

I have since found out why the two varieties are different, but, realizing not all of you are going to want all the "horty" details, I'll just summarize how 'Platinum Wallaby' is better first, and you can read the rest if you want.

•  'Platinum Wallaby'  is a perennial; 'Joey' is an annual.

•  'Platinum Wallaby' has longer "feathers" than 'Joey' and they last longer.

•  'Platinum Wallaby' likes alkaline soil; 'Joey' likes acidic soil.

• 'Platinum Wallaby' foliage holds up better throughout the course of the season, too.  Maybe it's just the plants I happened to see, but I thought 'Joey' already looked bleached out at the nursery.  Maybe it doesn't like our salty water either.

'Platinum Wallaby' will be harder to find, at least for awhile, but considering its advantages I think it's worth searching out or asking for.

***

Okay, now here's the "horty" stuff.  Ptilotus is a complicated genus.  Per the breeder of 'Platinum Wallaby'  there are 101 species of Ptilotus.  And the species P. exaltatus has five subgroups or "taxanomic varieties".  And 'Joey' and 'Platinum Wallaby' are in different ones; the former is mostly annual; the latter perennial.  But even better the P. exaltatus var. villosus group 'Platinum Wallaby' belongs to is the only Ptilotus that occurs naturally in alkaline soil.  In fact, says the breeder, it is found in calcarious soils--caliche, in other words.  So it should be able to handle anything the West can dish out.

'Joey' is a seed grown plant, so there will be natural variation in what you find in nurseries.  'Platinum Wallaby', on the other hand, was selected from seedlings for superior performance and is grown from tissue culture.  So nursery material will be very consistent.

Also, if you're wondering how to pronounce Ptilotus, just ignore the P.  It's silent.  As in Ptolemy.

By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

Sometimes background plants catch my eye: ones that will never get lead billing in a garden show, but which give the landscape a finished, well-covered look. Such is silver-edged horehound (Marrubium rotundifolium)—the lovely gray ground cover that edges the path in the photograph below. (For reference, common horehound is the closely related Marrubium vulgare.)

I found it in Dave and Margie Van Cleve's garden in Selah, Washington (near Yakima). They found it at High Country Gardens, where it's described in words any Westerner could love: "does well in lean, well-drained soils"; "little water once established"; "evergreen"; and "native to high, dry areas of Turkey." This is a ground cover that thrives on neglect, and in a color that goes with any other plant that happens to grow nearby.

Mature size is about a foot tall and twice as wide. The leaves are cupped and frosted around the edges with a pattern that looks like lacy embroidery (see below). High Country says the plant's insignificant flowers should be sheared off, but I'm not convinced. To me they look like beautiful little frozen explosions. Judging from the plant's description and native range, I think this would grow well in Sunset zones 2b-12, 14-23. High Country says its woolly leaves melt in a combination of high heat and humidity.

Silver-leafed horehound isn't in the Western Garden Book yet, but looks like it might be worth adding. That's where you come in. Are you growing it? If so, let me know where you live, how it's doing, and whether it shows any signs of invasiveness (common horehound sometimes gets out of hand).

By Johanna Silver, Sunset test garden coordinator

June is flying by. I can hardly catch my breath, but it's all worth it because of this:

Yellow Buddleja, with a little pollinator


Dahlias



Volunteer Verbascum


The cucumber plant has a baby and more flowers!


Nobody seems to like them, but the Gladiolus are blooming.


Tomato flowers make my mouth water.


Ok, it's not exactly blooming, but my very first artichoke plant is in bud.
The flowers will be snipped (and eaten) before they bloom!