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Jul 6, 2021

Climate change in the garden | The JOLT - The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater - The Jolt News

Over the 10,000 years or so since humans figured out how to plant seeds and become partners with nature, humans have always adapted to change. Now that we know that our climate is becoming both hotter and more unpredictable, the question is not just whether we can adapt again; it’s whether we can adapt fast, and then adapt again and again and again. It isn’t as if there will be a new normal we can adjust to. There just won’t be a normal. We will live and garden in the midst of constant uncertainty because climate change is now incremental and inevitable. Each year may be different than the last, not just in rising temperatures, but also in the timing and quantity of rainfall and the likelihood of more severe storms. These changes – and this level of unpredictability – are already baked in our cake; they will happen for decades to come even if we succeed at making major reductions in global carbon emissions in the next 20 or 30 years. This is the consequence of being way too slow to respond to a known danger. So what is a gardener to do? First, grieve that it’s come to this. Second, reflect on our role – as gardeners and as citizens in a democracy that gives us a voice in our future. Third, plan. As we walk around our gardens, it’s time to pay attention to which plants coped and which suffered in the heat. It’s time to think about how to make our gardens more resilient and diverse, so that even if one crop fails, we have others that will flower or put food on our tables. Our plants – both vegetable and ornamental – are trying their best. On two of my favorites, open flowers were scorched, but the buds that opened after the severe heat had passed look fine. Now that’s resilience. By the end of the week, they helped me recover from being mired in my dark thoughts about climate change. A wise elder once said to me, “Grieve your losses and then move on.” The “moving on” part of that challenges us to gather our wits, and to use all our skills as gardeners and ...

Apr 4, 2021

Posted Apr 03, 2021 The Flower Nook: Connecting people and telling stories - Salina Post

Christmastime, that number jumps to about 30.Playing off the old adage that "variety is the spice of life," DeBey said the artisans who are showcased are changed regularly, with the majority of artisans signing a three month contract."Rarely do they come back. It's not because I'm opposed to that. It's just that I realize that my public is not going to come in and see the same thing," DeBey explained.In fact, to change things up further, cosmetic changes are made to the Flower Nook on a regular basis, she added. There is one artisan display that has stood the test of time, however."Alpaca we've had for four years in a row. He's my only person that I have an exclusive contract with in Salina," DeBey said. "We expand it when it's winter because of all of their stuff." A selection of the clothing items from North 40 Alpacas. Salina Post photo" A selection of the clothing items from North 40 Alpacas. Salina Post photoSome of the items from North 40 Alpacas include sweaters, socks, scarves, and other gear to help keep people warm.DeBey said another group that occasionally has items featured at The Flower Nook are the nuns from the St. Joseph's Motherhouse in Concordia."They're such great women. I've had them here off and on. They brought in some crocheted dolls and now we have their quilts," she said.Some of the creations from Janet's Flower Garden. Salina Post photo" Some of the creations from Janet's Flower Garden. Salina Post photoAmong other artisan works on display so far this year at The Flower Nook is a colorful collection from Janet's Flower Garden. Janet Stanley "creates expressions of sentiment using pressed flowers, postcards, and oth...

Apr 4, 2021

No 'super bloom' but wildflowers still coming to Anza-Borrego - Los Angeles Times

Baja fairy dust. Desert sunflowers were some of the early bloomers at the Arroyo Salada in the Anza-Borrego desert in 2019. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) Those rain-fueled super blooms occurred in 2017 and 2019, and they each drew an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 visitors during peak season. The 2017 bloom, nicknamed “flowermageddon” by some, was such a legendary tourist magnet that weekend traffic backed up 20 miles on Montezuma Valley Road (County Highway S-22), the road that leads into the 630,000-acre state park in east San Diego County. Knaak said visitors arriving this month won’t see fields of color, but they will spot pockets of flowers and annual blooming shrubs, especially if they venture to the shadier areas that retain some moisture, such as Box Canyon, Rainbow Canyon and Hornblend Canyon. “We don’t want people to get their hopes up too high,” she said. “Right now people are reporting patches here and there, especially in the area we call south of Scissors Crossing. They’re seeing some nice blooms. Not big fields or anything, but people who are into botany are finding them.” An Ocotillo plant with some red flowers sits on the western edge of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in 2013. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune) In a phone interview last week, Knaak said the forecast for the rest of the peak season wasn’t looking great. Then she called back 20 minutes later with joy and excitement in her voice. “Do you hear that?” she asked, holding the phone to the window at the history association’s office, where a roar of rain was coming down. “It’s pouring. This is a game-changer.”According to the National Weather Service, a little under a quarter-inch of rain fell in the Borrego desert Wednesday afternoon. That may not sound like much, but the Borrego region averages only 5.3 inches a year, and more rain is in the forecast this week. Knaak said it takes from three to six weeks for flowers to emerge after a good rainfall like last week’s. The flowers now blooming in the park were germinated in a late January storm, so Knaak said the soonest these new flowers will arrive is late March or early April.

Apr 4, 2021

COLUMN: The golden flowers of the trumpet tree - yoursun.com

Tabebuia, they are now Handroanthus.Handroanthus chrysanthus (sometimes called the golden trumpet tree) is a bit cold tender and better adapted to the warmer parts (and microclimates) of Charlotte County and southward. Handroanthus umbellatus (sometimes called the yellow trumpet tree) is better able to tolerate low winter temperatures here and further north.One last species seen in our area is silver trumpet tree. Noted for silvery foliage, contorted trunk and silvery gnarled bark, Handroanthus caraiba, is a little frost sensitive, so plant it in protected area. The huge yellow blossoms of each type are over 3-inches long and about 1-inch wide. These flowers are funnel-like in shape and are arranged in clusters for maximum showiness.Trumpet trees are deciduous to semi-deciduous trees in nature making the late winter/early spring flower show a pleasant surprise on an otherwise bare woody plant. The yellow flowers are followed by long seed pods which also have some ornamental interest. The attractive leaves on all of these trees are palmate in shape with multiple leaflets.Locate trumpet trees in a full sun to part-shade area with well-drained, but moderately moist soil. All the trumpet trees tend to develop brittle wood as they age. As such, wind damage can be an issue. Proper pruning may help train a tree to be more wind-resistant over its lifetime. Use the trumpet tree as a specimen tree in a lawn area where it will best be seen and admired in season.Trumpet trees are not just on Cochran Boulevard, but are found throughout Southwest Florida. Remember the trumpet tree as you plan out your landscape – they are Florida-Friendly Landscaping recommended plants and real show-offs.

Apr 4, 2021

After taking most of 2020 season off, Flower Fields set to bloom again - The San Diego Union-Tribune

In 2019, the attraction drew nearly 300,000.The long sloping hillside, which stretches for one mile along Armada Drive from Cannon Road south to Palomar Airport Road, has been home to flowering plants since 1923, when Paul Ecke Sr. moved his family’s poinsettia-growing operation south from Los Angeles.When the Eckes transitioned from cut poinsettia flowers to potted poinsettia plants and moved their growing operations inside greenhouses, the Carlsbad fields were leased in 1965 to another local grower, Edwin Frazee. His family began farming ranunculus flowers in the 1930s and over time developed them into hardier plants with stronger stems and bigger flowers with more petals. When Frazee retired in 1993, the Eckes brought in a new grower, Mellano & Co., which has farmed the property ever since. Fred Clarke, general manager of The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, demonstrates a new selfie station in the artist gardens. The Flower Fields will reopen on March 1. (Eduardo Contreras/The San Diego Union-Tribune) To ensure multiple acres of flowers are always in bloom during the spring season, the fields are planted in sequence, four to five weeks apart, starting with the fields farthest north in early September. Those northern fields are just now coming into bloom. By Mother’s Day, the southernmost acres will be awash in color. Usually each spring, the Flower Fields hosts a busy calendar of events with multiple classes, festivals, art fairs and concerts. Many of those won’t be held this year, and all of the school field trips — which usually bring 7,000 children to the property — have been canceled.Almost all of the regular points of interest will be open to visitors, though some may be monitored to avoid overcrowding. Attractions include the Paul Ecke historic poinsettia display, the sweet pea maze, greenhouses, a playground and the gardens maintained by the San Diego County Master Gardeners. There are also plans for live outdoor music, though the auditorium-style seating has been replaced this year with widely spaced benches to allow family groups to sit together but away from other guests. This year, visitors will be able to visit a new pick-your-own blueberry patch, also located at the north end of the fields. Planted five years ago, the 1.5-acre patch opened for the first time last March. But when the fields closed, Clarke brought in a gleaning company to pick the blueberry crop and give the fruit away to the needy. There are five varieties of high-bush blueberries growing inside the patch, which is netted to keep out hungry birds. A basket is $5. Clarke said the patch should produce 20,000 pounds of berries this year.div class="enhance...

Apr 4, 2021

Wildflowers are starting to bloom. Here’s where to see them in the Bay Area and California - San Francisco Chronicle

Though Daffodil Hill near Sutter Creek (Amador County) remains on the radar for many, the owners closed it, likely permanently, two years ago after a crush of visitors and illegally parked vehicles blocked access roads for emergency vehicles. Wildflowers are always a wild card, dependent on timing, soil moisture, temperature, wind velocity and direct sun. Those factors form a matrix that can ignite or stifle blooms. “Please add a note to stay on trails and do not trample on or pick the flowers,” advised Passantino at Marin County Parks and Open Space. That said, here are the best prospects in the Bay Area. San Francisco Peninsula and coast San Bruno Mountain State and County Park just south of the San Francisco County line has provided excellent diversity in a year where explosive blooms are less common, said Carla Schoof at San Mateo County Parks. At San Bruno Mountain, more than 15 species were identified last week, she said, including California poppy, lupine, blue dicks, fiddleneck, Douglas iris and Indian paintbrush, but also wallflower, yellow rocket, sun cups and footsteps of spring. Edgewood County Park in Redwood City has also provided a good sprinkling of color, Schoof said. In the past week, rangers identified Henderson’s shooting star, California manroot, California poppy, Fremont’s death camas, Pacific hounds’ tongue, warrior’s plume and tomcat clover. Marin County In northwest Marin, the Douglas iris blooms can be a showstopper, and the best bets are around Limantour Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay State Park. “We’re currently enjoying the purple pops of Douglas iris,” State Park Ranger Nick Turner said. At Point Reyes, the Chimney Rock Headland can be legendary — 90 species of wildflowers can provide a coronation of spring. But winds out of the northwest and warm temperatures faded the bloom. Chimney Rock and the nearby Point Reyes Lighthouse are still enough of a draw that the Park Service is enforcing a visitor quota on weekends past the turnoff at Drakes Beach Road. At Marin County Parks, the best prospects are at Loma Alta, Baltimore Canyon, Ring Mountain and Mount Burdell, Passantino said. Ring Mountain Preserve, off Paradise Drive in Corte Madera overlooking the Tiburon shore, can be spectacular, she said. “Expanses of goldfields, tidy tips and other early bloomers make for a spring classic,” Passantino said. “The multicolored flowers provide a foreground for spectacular views of the bay.” East Bay hills Hikers at Mount Diablo State Park have been sharing their wildflower sightings through the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association. Pockets of California poppies are often sighted along North Gate Road and Summit Road. The vicinity of Murchio Gap, accessed from Eagle Peak Trail or Bald Ridge Trail, often has the widest variety. Blooms include poppies, silver lupine, Pacific pea, periwinkle and larkspur. Across the 75 parks in the East Bay Regional Park District, the best for wildflowers are Black Diamond, Anthony Chabot, Sunol and the Brio...