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My Garden Diary

September and October 2012

Copyright © 2012 by David E. Ross

Many years ago, when I first started my Web site, I created an online diary of my gardening activities and observations. However, with work and the commute from Hell, I was often so tired I had to choose between maintaining my garden and maintaining my diary. Sometimes, I did neither. In 1998, I stopped my diary and removed the pages from my Web site.

Now I am retired. I am well-rested and have plenty of time to both garden and maintain a diary. This diary is primarily for my own benefit, so that I can look back upon what I did and when. But I thought others might also be interested, so here it is.

Also see What's Blooming in My Garden Now?


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Entries are in reverse order (latest at the top). Daily, I might stoop to pull a weed or use a hose to water some potted plants; however, I don't consider those significant gardening activities. Thus, you will not see daily entries. Also, I might accumulate a few entries before updating this page on the Web.

When plants have well-known common names, their scientific names are given only the first time they appear on this page (entry closest to the bottom). There, the common name is in bold or appears as a link to another Web page.

Dates refer to other entries in the same year as the entry in which they appear unless a different year is given. However, they may refer to entries on prior pages.

Date and Weather Observations and Activities
31 October

Clear, sunny, and mild

Temp: 57-83
Humidity: 21%
Wind: 0-10

Rain —
This season: 0.13
Days since last: 8

Last Sunday, loosened the screws that hold the wind chimes bracket on The Tree. As The Tree grows, this is something that must be done a least once a year (6 Apr 2011).

For the first time this autumn, raked leaves in front. I would have put them in the green trash bin for the county's composting program; but these were oak leaves, which make the very best leaf mold. I used them to mulch the camellia bed in back because, as oak leaves decompose, they become acidic; and camellias prefer an acidic soil.

Today, divided the 'Henry Shaw' bearded iris (I. germanica). This has a white flower that is striking when seen with the adjacent 'Study in Black' iris. I was going to divide the 'Gold Galore' iris and move the 'Study in Black'. I had let the 'Henry Shaw' go too long without dividing, however; and I was too exhausted to do them.

26 October

Clear, sunny, and mild

Temp: 62-78
Humidity: 12%
Wind: 10-24 (with gusts to 40)

Rain —
This season: 0.13
Week: 0.02

Santa Ana winds are here!

Planted statice (Limonium perezii) in the east bed to replace one that died.

While planting the statice, I noticed three hollyhock (Alcea rosea) seedlings at the very back of the bed. These are from seeds I planted a year ago. I have seen other seedlings, but none have survived. If these do not survive, I plan to buy hollyhock plants at a nursery to plant there.

Removed the shade cloth from the greenhouse window.

Cleaned the accumulated eroded mud from the drainage catch box at the bottom of the down-hill V-ditch on My Hill. A heavy rain would have flushed the mud through the drain pipe and into the street in front; but a light rain (much more likely) would have deposited the mud in the pipe and clogged it. About 2-3 feet up the V-ditch from the catch box, English ivy (Hedera helix) had grown out from My Hill and rooted in a patch of mud and other debris. I left this alone since the ivy will trap leaves and prevent them from blocking the catch box's grate.

Tested the garden drains by running a hose at high volume into them. I discovered that one drain is quite slow but not clogged. If I need to have a plumbing drain cleared (quite likely), I will have that garden drain done at the same time.

17 October

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 71-98
Humidity: 12%
Wind: 3-11

Rain —
This season: 0.11
Week: 0.11

Fed the roses with ammonium sulfate. Since I want growth to slow or even stop by the time I prune the roses (late December and early January), this is the last feeding until new growth starts in the early spring.
14 October

Clear, sunny, and warm

Temp: 61-92
Humidity: 15%
Wind: 0-16

Rain —
This season: 0.11
Last season: 8.95
Week: 0.11

Planted an azalea 'Formosa' in the circular bed in back to replace one that died.

Planted a Camellia japonica 'Kramer's Supreme' in the camellia bed to replace a struggling 'Daikagura'. When I removed the 'Daikagura', it had only six leaves. It was at the corner of the house and thus got more sun than the three camellias adjacent to it. Apparently, 'Daikagura' is quite sensitive to sun. 'Kramer's Supreme' is somewhat sun-tolerant.

5 October

Clear, sunny, and warm

Temp: 57-81
Humidity: 40%
Wind: 0-16

Rain —
This season: 0.00
Last season: 8.95
Days since last: 30

Treated the dwarf tangelo with a systemic insecticide drench to stop the leaf miners (3 Oct). I will be carefully examining the lemon and orange. I already treated the kumquat (6 Sep).

Mulched the camellia bed in back with wood chips remaining from having my trees trimmed last spring (5 Feb).

One of the Artemisia 'Powis Castle' in back appears to be dying. Unlike the 'Formosa' azalea and the 'Daikagura' camellia (23 Sep), which will have to be replaced by purchaseing new plants, it is quite easy to root cuttings of Artemisia. I'll wait until spring to use new shoots of the other Artemisia for cuttings.

Weeded more of the parkway in front (13 Sep).

3 October

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 70-94
Humidity: 19%
Wind: 0-11

Rain —
This season: 0.00
Last season: 8.95
Days since last: 28

Hot and dry, we have started a new rainy season.

Fed the dwarf citrus and gardenia with a commercial citrus food plus a large pinch of zinc sulfate. This is the last feeding until next March. Any further fertilizer this year would promote frost-tender new growth.

The dwarf tangelo has signs of leaf miner. This pest might also be in the dwarf navel orange. Next week, I plan to use a systemic drench (6 Sep) to prevent further damage.

30 September

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 75-101
Humidity: 10%
Wind: 0-13

Rain —
Season: 8.95
Days since last: 25

I had a list of garden tasks for today but did not do any of them. It was just too hot. Even the minor task of grooming away dead flowers left my shirt soaking wet with sweat.

Tied up and disbudded the spoon-flowered chrysantemum (C. morifolium) on the patio. This part of the patio is in the shade and was not as hot as the rest of the garden.

27 September

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 63-94
Humidity: 27%
Wind: 0-12

Rain —
Season: 8.95
Days since last: 22

Removed a daylily from the rose bed in back. It was crowding an adjacent Camellia sasanqua and Cuphea hyssopifolia. Also, it was a variety quite different from the other daylilies in that bed.

Planted two ranunculus (R. asiaticus) in the rose bed. I already have some there, but they are mostly pastels. From the photos on the bulb bins at the nursery, however, these two are intense primary colors: red and yellow.

23 September

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 77-98
Humidity: 13%
Wind: 0-14

Rain —
Season: 8.95
Days since last: 18

Six azaleas are planted around the edges of the circular bed in the back yard. Three 'Formosa' alternate with three 'Alaska'. Five of them are thriving; two 'Alaska' azaleas are even blooming right now (out of season). However, one 'Formosa' azalea is dying. I'll replace it in about a month, when the soil will still be warm but the air will have cooled. At that time, I might also replace the 'Daikagura' Camellia japonica in the camellia bed; this too has been struggling.

Tied down a cane of the climbing 'Dublin Bay' rose in back. This required drilling into the slough wall, setting an anchor, and then inserting a screw-eye. I also tied down another cane of the climbing 'Peace' rose to an existing screw-eye.

It was sufficiently hot that sweat was dripping off my head and pooling inside my eyeglasses when I bent down to pull a weed. After a quick walk-through to groom faded flowers, I quit. Later, I went out to pick up two lemons that fell out of the dwarf tree and gave them to a neighbor. Then, I cut some rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) in front, which my wife wanted for the chicken she was preparing for our dinner.

20 September

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 70-101
Humidity: 16%
Wind: 0-14

Rain —
Season: 8.95
Days since last: 15

Yesterday, I fed the roses in back with a commercial fertilizer that contains a systemic insecticide. I did not have enough fertilizer to also feed the roses in front, so I bought some at a local hardware store. Today, I fed the roses in front.

Tied down some of the canes on the climbing 'Peace' rose in back and removed two canes that interfered with the sprinkler system. I also have to tie some canes of the climbing 'Dublin Bay' rose, but I need to buy some large scew-eyes to embed in the slough wall.

Weeded some more of the parkway in front.

13 September

Clear, sunny, and hot

Temp: 69-102
Humidity: 12%
Wind: 0-14

Rain —
Season: 8.95
Days since last: 8

Fed the dwarf citrus and gardenia (G. jasminoides 'Veitchii') with ammonium, iron, and zinc sulfates. I also gave iron and zinc sulfates to the Australian tea tree (Leptospermum laevigatum) in a continuing effort to counteract chlorosis.

Weeded the parkway in front some more. Because of the heat, however, I was not able to do as much as I wanted. If the heat continues, it will take 3-4 more sessions. In the meantime, I lightly broadcast some lawn food where I had already removed weeds, hoping this will encourage the cinquefoil to spread more quickly.

7 September

Clear, sunny, and warm

Temp: 68-86
Humidity: 42%
Wind: 0-14

Rain —
Season: 8.95
Week: 0.01

The cinquefoil (Potentilla neumanniana) in the parkway in front is finally beginning to spread. It's only been 4 years since it was planted. To help it spread some more, I weeded between the driveway and the Japanese zelkova tree (Z. serrata). The rest of the parkway is twice as long and thus will take two more weeding sessions (at least).
6 September

Clear, sunny, and warm

Temp: 66-88
Humidity: 36%
Wind: 0-15

Rain —
Season: 8.95
Week: 0.01

A tiny bit of rain fell yesterday. That makes 0.02 inch for this summer, which is 0.02 inch more than fell last summer.

The dwarf kumquat finished blooming, which means it is no longer attracting bees. Today, I treated it with a systemic insecticide drench to stop the leaf miners (22 Aug). None of the other citrus seem to be infested yet.

Weather data are from the Cheeseboro (CHE) weather station, about 2 miles ENE of my house.

The high temperature (°F) is daytime for the indicated date; the low temperature (°F) is for the previous night.

The relative humidity is at noon. (In my garden, it is likely higher than reported, a result of regular irrigation.)

Wind speeds (mph) are average (not peak) low and high, midnight to midnight (subject to later correction for diary entries posted before the end of the day). I also indicate peak wind speeds parenthetically when they are significantly high.

Rain is in inches. Rain amounts are omitted after 60 consecutive days elapse without any measurable amount. Season is the cumulative amount of rainfall from 1 October until 30 September of the following year. Week is the cumulative amount of rainfall from noon seven days ago until noon of the indicated date. If no rain fell in that period, Days since last is reported.

Characterization of the weather (e.g., Clear, sunny, and warm) is purely subjective; for example, "warm" might occur with higher temperatures than "hot" if the former occurs with lower humidity and more breezes than the latter. Also, a day that would normally be characterized as "mild" might instead be "warm" if the immediately previous days were quite cold.

The signature line I use when writing messages about my garden includes the following:

Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
See also The Climate.
July-August 2012
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