My Garden Diary

This morning, I saw evidence that snails have been busy in my back yard. Narcissus are being chewed even before the flowers are fully open. So I bought and set out some carnivorous decollate snails, which eat the eggs and young of the destructive brown snails. (In California, decollate snails can be used legally only in the 12 most southern counties, including my Ventura County.)

Trimmed the pink clover along the edge of the rose bed in back.

Renovated the pink penstemon in the rose bed, cutting much of it down to bare branches. This also allowed me to thin out some of the pink clover growing in that area. The red penstemon in the adjacent east bed is still blooming. I plan to cut it back in about a week even if it's still blooming.

Dug out a remnant Aristea ecklonii (21 Jun 09) from the rose bed and another one from the west bed. A large Aristea remains in the rose bed, but it is surrounded by freesias and ranunculus (R. asiaticus). I'll leave it alone until the spring flowers have faded and their plants begin to go dormant.

One of the 'George Taber' azaleas in the camellia bed died, so I replaced it. Digging out the dead stump was more work than I expected. The old azalea had been there a long time. It had branches an inch in diameter where they came out of the stump. As with the Camellia sasanqua 'White Doves' in the rose bed (31 Jan), I planted the azalea on a raised mound; both camellias and azaleas demand good drainage, which can be difficult with my heavy clay soil.

Tied down two canes of the climbing 'Dublin Bay' rose in back.

Unlike the other varieties of Camellia sasanqua in the rose bed — all of which have dark green leaves — the 'Jean May' bush has pale green (almost yellow-green) leaves. Since all species of camellia require an acidic, fast-draining soil, I gave 'Jean May' a generous dose of gypsum (to open the soil) and soil sulfur (to acidify the soil). These were rinsed into the soil by the recent rain.

All of the roses — front and back — are starting to leaf out. Today, I fed them with ammounium sulfate, gypsum, soil sulfur, iron sulfate, and Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). In back, I rinsed the fertilizer through the pink clover (Persicaria capitata); otherwise, the ammounium sulfate would burn and even kill that ground cover. There is nothing growing around the roses in front; I'm waiting for next rain — predicted in two days — to do the rinsing there.

Stirred the compost pile. There is already some very nice compost ready for sifting. I'll let it dry some from the recent rains. In the meantime, stirring well-composted matter into contact with uncomposted leaves in the pile will hasten the composting of those leaves.

Planted a Camellia sasanqua 'White Doves' in the rose bed in back, to replace one of the same variety that died. This time, I mixed enough peat moss and compost into the planting hole that I was able to plant the camellia on a raised mound. Camellias require good drainage; and the mound — along with a generous amount of gypsum stirred into the planting hole — will help provide that. I also stirred a small amount of bone meal into the planting hole. After the camellia was planted, I scattered a small amount of soil sulfur over the mound to acidify the soil. I mulched the mound with leaves from The Tree that are still piled on the patio.

Finally did the dormant spraying of the peach tree and grape vines in back and the roses both front and back. I added a blend of copper sulfate and dormant oil to water with some liquid soap. The copper sulfate prevents fungus diseases. The oil smothers over-wintering insect eggs. And the soap ensures that the mix wets the plants. Several times, I had to stop spraying until the breezes died.

While I was on My Hill spraying the 'Flame' grape, I also fixed a floppy sprinkler at the top of the slope. On my way down the slope, I spotted a patch of 'Red Apple' iceplant, which I removed. When I pull weeds on My Hill, I often just leave them to form a mulch and eventually compost. However, I took the iceplant with me because the pieces might take root again, compounding the infestation.

I saw some large patches of perennial grass on My Hill. Some resemble Bermuda or devil grass. Rather than pulling the grass (which is quite difficult), I will have to use a grass-specific herbicide in the spring.

Pruned the last two of my roses (17 Jan). Both climbing 'Dublin Bay' and miniature 'Salmon Ovation' were still in bloom; but if I waited much longer, new growth would start. I still have to apply dormant spray to the peach tree, grape vines, and roses; but more rain is expected in two days.

Removed all the mounds of leaves from the walkways in back and even one mound from the patio. Compost was starting to form at the bottom of the mounds. However, my grandson's favorite mound in which to play (3 Jan) still remains; unfortunately, the leaves are far too wet for us to allow him to play there.

I think the hummingbird nest just outside my window (21 Jan) has been abandoned, possibly because of the stormy weather. The nest has not been occupied in three days.

I am very concerned about my garden. The last time we had such heavy rain, many plants rotted in the ground. This time, at least, I'm not concerned about My Hill; I'm confident that it will hold.

The Tree is already starting to leaf out, but I haven't yet disposed of all the leaves it dropped. When I looked out the window of my second-story office, I saw a hummingbird nest where two branches of The Tree — each the diameter of a pencil — fork. Yes, I actually saw the hummingbird sitting in its nest.

Trash is collected on Fridays. With a empty green bin (the bin for garden waste, which goes to the county's composting project), I was able to clear several mounds of leaves from the walkways in back.

Pruned the 'Iceberg' rose in back. It started raining before I could get to the other two roses that have not yet been pruned.

I also removed some 'Red Apple' iceplant (Aptenia cordifolia) growing through the fence from a neighbor's hill. Iceplant in any form can actually cause a slope such as my neighbor's and mine to slide, so I informed my neighbor. This iceplant started from another neighbor who used to live on the street behind us, at the top of the slope. That neighbor eventually removed the iceplant from his garden; but by then, it had already escaped onto our hills.

Pruned the last three roses in front, even though they were still in bloom. In the kitchen, there is now a 'Honor' bloom in a vase for my wife.

Yesterday, I picked two ripe oranges from my dwarf 'Robertson' navel orange tree. They were quite good, but they did not peel as easy as commercial 'Washington' navel oranges. I also picked a few kumquats; they were excellently tart.

Finished pruning the second major limb on the peach tree and started on the third. The third is the largest of the four. Forking near the trunk of the tree, it might even be considered two major limbs by itself.

While I worked on the peach tree, Luc enjoyed himself by playing again in a mound of leaves on the patio.

Pruned one of the four main limbs on the peach tree and started on a second limb. I will not have to climb a ladder to pick peaches.