By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

For 30 years I've been walking through the forest behind my house, which is a mile from Puget Sound in Western Washington. In those walks I see a second forest of invasive garden plants taking root. English laurel, English holly, English ivy, spurge laurel, European mountain ash, myrobalan plum, Himalayan blackberry, and Scotch broom are the principle offenders. I used to pull or cut as many as I could, but it's beyond my power to make much difference now: there are just too many woody weeds back there.

English holly provides a good example of an invasive run amok, so I was surprised to read on the Northwest Holly Growers Association q&a page that "While English holly (Ilex aquifolium) is non-native to North America, it is not clear that it causes any harm to the environment," and that "Holly cannot thrive in our native forests because it is shade intolerant and cannot compete in a dense forest environment."

These assurances don't square with what I see.

On the first point, "it is not clear that it causes any harm to the environment," it is clear that where holly grows, something else doesn't grow. Maybe the holly supplants a western yew, or a red-flowering currant, or a vine maple. Or maybe its shade is too dense to allow trillium or Pacific dewberry to grow underneath. But for every holly, some group of  native plants gets displaced, and I would call that "harm to the environment."

On the second point, "Holly cannot thrive in our native forests because it is shade intolerant and cannot compete in a dense forest environment," I can only say that this was clearly written by somebody who hasn't walked in my woods (see bottom photo). Holly grows perfectly well in both hardwood (maple and alder) parts of the forest, and under mixed conifers (hemlock, western red cedar, Douglas fir, Pacific yew).

After reading the same q&a page, Sunset's garden editor, Kathy Brenzel, asked me whether any other holly besides English holly was invasive. I had to say that I don't know—all I see is English holly—but I thought Fresh Dirt's eagle-eyed readers might shed light on this subject.

If you've personally seen other hollies going feral, please post your observation and your location in the comments that follow this blog.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

I wrote about the combination watering hole/bird bath Cindy McNatt (of the garden blog Dirt Du Jour) created in her own yard and about what a successful bird magnet it turned out to be in my last post.

Here's another way to achieve the same thing.

This fountain is outside my home office window.  Water comes up through the center of the urn and spills back into the basin below.  The urn is filled up to the top with river rocks so birds can land on the top for a drink or to take a bath, and they do both. 

Like Cindy McNatt's ground-level fountain, mine was a success, too, from the day the reservoir was filled and the water started circulating.  Hummingbirds were the first to show up, followed shortly thereafter  by sparrows and finches. 

As Cindy mentioned, the big payoff, though, is migration periods.  To see something like a Western tanager land on that rim, so close to my window, will, I hope, never fail to excite me.

Hot Santa Ana days, though, can be almost as thrilling.  The urn isn't big enough for crows to land there comfortably normally, but when they're thirsty, the wily creatures manage it, though awkwardly.  And hawks drop in sometimes, too.  Now that's a sight that will make your heart stop.

Really and truly, if you want more birds in your yard, forget food.  Give them fresh water.  They'll come.

P.S.  Remembering crows reminded me of Jim's post about crows and math, still one of my favorites of his.  Check it out.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

photo by Cindy McNatt

Bird feeders will attract avian visitors to your garden, for sure.  But providing a constant supply of fresh water works even better, as garden blogger Cindy McNatt (Dirt Du Jour) will attest.

Above is a water park for birds McNatt created at her home in Tustin, California.  When she moved in this highly visible spot was filled with a mound of dirt composed of the decomposing roots of a recently removed monster ficus tree.  Cindy hauled away tons of dirt and created this bird fountain.

Three vintage stepping stones found buried on her property form the heart of it. They rest on cinder blocks. Below is a reservoir contained by a pool liner and a pump in a low hole filled with gravel.  The pump runs constantly to keep water fresh the way birds like it.  (Keeps mosquitoes from breeeding, too.)  The reservoir is topped off daily with water from the sprinkler set-up.

The combination fountain/bird bath works even better than Cindy hoped.  Hummingbirds, sparrows, and other regulars show up daily.  But migration seasons are when the fountain really proves its worth.  "Cedar waxwings, warblers, tanagers, vireos, grosbeaks, lazuli buntings, and other migrating birds show up and hang around for a week or more," she says.  "It's thrilling to look out and catch those flashes of color."

See this previous post for another glimpse of Cindy's garden

By Johanna Silver, Sunset associate garden editor

You still have two days to make it to The Sonoma County Fair Grounds in Santa Rosa to check out The National Heirloom Exposition hosted by the folks from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. A team from Sunset was up there yesterday, and we were all blown away by the spirit of the event. It is NOT to be missed.

Here are a few shots I snapped on my phone.

Heirloom apples

Heirloom winter squash display

This guy won the giant pumpkin contest. 

A heritage rooster

By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

It's been fun watching the heirloom edible movement regain momentum. A century ago, everybody grew heirlooms. Then hybrids and genetically modified edibles (GMO's) swept in and took over most of the market. Now the tide is turning. To see how much, go to the National Heirloom Exposition in Santa Rosa, CA, this Tuesday through Thursday (September 13–15).

The speakers alone are worth it. With names like Alice Waters, Amy Goldman, Gary Ibsen, Jere Gettle, Jeff Smith, Vandana Shiva, and Sunset's own Johanna Silver, they'll cover everything from pure local foods to urban gardening and heirloom tomatoes. In all, there will be 70 speakers, 250 vendors selling everything from seeds to tools, plus exhibitions of livestock, bees, chickens, flowers, hydroponic gardening, and even fruit and vegetable carving. There will also be plenty of food and music.

Tickets are $10 (free under 18) online or at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. The event runs 11 to 9 daily.

By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

One of the best things you can do to rejuvenate the soil in vegetable and flower beds is plant fava beans (Vicia faba) soon, after this year's annuals come out. Depending on which kind you choose, they'll grow up over winter, then can be tilled in during spring or grown out and eaten late next spring and early summer.

Small-seeded kinds (horse beans) are best for cover cropping. Planted about a month before first frost, they are hardy enough to make it through winter in climates where the soil doesn't freeze. In spring, as they put out tender new growth, you dig them into the soil, where they rot completely within a couple of weeks. They add nitrogen to the soil and increase its organic content, improving its tilth before you plant next summer's crops. It is essential to dig them in before they go to flower, usually in May. If you don't, they'll become too woody for fast decomposition.

The large-seeded kinds (broad beans) are best for eating, but they come with a warning. People (mostly of Mediterranean extraction) who have a hereditary condition called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD) can develop a condition called favism if they eat fava beans. It causes red blood cells to break down and can result in an extreme, potentially fatal form of anemia. For the rest of us, fava beans are an excellent source of vegetable protein. They mature in early summer.

Favas are unusual in a couple of ways. First, these natives of North Africa and west Asia are the only Old World beans. The others are native to the Americas. Favas are also the only frost-tolerant beans, withstanding temperatures down to about 15° F.

They grow four or five feet tall and are generally self-supporting. You only need to hold them up with stakes and string if they grow in a windy spot.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

On Wednesday I suggested that anyone interested in losing their lawn or sustaining it a more environmentally friendly manner check out this month's Garden Designers Roundtable where those bloggers tackled this issue along with guest contributors from the Lawn Reform Coalition.

I have been reading those posts myself since and came across this opportunity in Genevieve Schmidt's post about ways to keep your lawn but reduce its environmental impact.  

One of the ways, she says, is to revert to a mower where you supply the power.  And with the new Fiskars Momentum Reel Mower, says Schmidt, you can do that without being Hercules.  She's giving one away.  Click here to enter the contest.  Don't delay, though.  Today's the last day to enter.

But read some of the other posts on the Roundtable, too.  Great information all in one spot.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

Would you like more information about using native grasses in the landscape to reduce irrigation needs, prevent erosion, and enhance wildlife habit?  If so, you might be interested in the workshops the California Native Grasslands Association is holding on September 29th at Fallbrook, CA and on September 30th in Arcadia,CA.  The all-day workshop is open to both professionals and homeowners.   There is more information on the CNGA website and you can register there as well. 

Need a landscape designer but don't know any?  Monrovia can help.  The wholesale grower has added a new feature on its website to help homeowners and landscape professionals connect. 

Enter your zip code, narrow the search by choosing a style (Contemporary or Cottage, for instance) or an expertise (edibles, meadows) and a list of professionals comes up with links to their websites.  Pretty handy.  Click here for a trial run.

Wish you could visit the gardens of some of your favorite garden bloggers?  I have.  Rueben Munoz of the Rancho Reubidoux blog is high on my list.  The below photo, shot by TK, shows why.  I love the way Rueben makes arid look stylish. 

Photo by Mitchel Maher

Maher shot more of Reuben's garden and turned the results into a cool video.  Click here to take a look.

While you're on Reuben's site, read about this wonderfully shaggy living wall he saw at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles.  More about it here.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

The Garden Designers Roundtable (a panel of professional landscape and garden designers who blog monthly on a chosen topic) are joining forces with the Lawn Reform Coalition (a group of gardening and environmental advocates promoting change in lawn use and maintenance) are joining forces today to discuss alternatives to the common lawn. 

A total of 21 bloggers from all corners of the US and from England will participate, including several from our blog roll -- Billy Goodnick of Garden Wise Guy; Ivette Soler, the Germinatrix; Susan Harris of Garden Rant, and Susan Morrison of Blue Planet Garden Blog.

Lots of opinionated people--and that's a good thing.  Should be interesting. Click here to go there now.

When you're through, come back and look through this portfolio of 21 "Lose the Lawn" projects on our website.

By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

photo by Alison Terry

This is red buckwheat--Eriogonum  grande rubescens--a species endemic to the California Channel Islands that exhibits its full glory in the heat of summer instead of spring like the more common buckwheats.

This example is blooming in the Trabuco Canyon garden Terry designed mentioned in my previous post but I'm enjoying the same plant in my own coastal garden.

More summer-blooming natives