Sanhedrin Nursery – Garden Blog

• Garlic cloves can be planted now. Keep them watered and weeded through the winter and you will harvest healthy large bulbs next June.

• Chrysanthemums are the brightest flowers for the fall garden. Plant some now.

• Crimson clover, fava beans and rye grass will fortify your garden soil over the winter. Seed these crops as you compost your summer vegetables.

• Plant lawns now to have them ready for next summer’s enjoyment. Ask at your nursery for the best grass seed for your situation.

• Fall is for Planting! Trees, shrubs, lawns, ground covers and bulbs get a jump on spring if you plant them now.

Paint your garden with tulips

There’s magic in tulips. Their sleek brown bulbs hide a rainbow of beautiful flowers which are yours for the planting. Whether it’s bright reds and yellows that you love, or pretty pastel pinks and purples, you can design a palette of their gorgeous colors by planting the bulbs this fall.

Tulips require three or four months of cold during the winter before they will bloom. In Willits, this is no problem: just plant the bulbs in the fall and they will be ready to bloom next April and May. In milder climates, and to force into bloom indoors, you have to refrigerate them for 14 to 17 weeks before they will be ready to bloom.

Plant a succession of tulip varieties and colors for six weeks of spring flowers. Begin with Fosteriana tulips, commonly known as Emperor tulips. They have large, velvety flowers on 16-inch stems. Brighten your border with ‘White Emperor,’ a perfect white tulip.

Single Early tulips come in bright colors with egg-shaped blooms. ‘Yokahama’ has golden, sunshine-yellow petals that bloom over a long season.

Next come the Triumph tulips with their traditional tulip shape and strong stems. ‘Negrita’ has dark burgundy, upright flower cups on 18-inch stems and ‘Orange Cassini’ has delicate red-orange blooms that give off a gentle fragrance.

Darwin Hybrids flower in mid-season with long-lasting flowers on strong stems that make them perfect for bedding and for cutting. Look for the bright ‘Oxford,’ with scarlet red flowers blushed with purple, and ‘Van Eijk,’ with vibrant, dark pink blossoms.

End the season with the Double Late tulip, ‘Upstar.’ With its soft, rose pink, ruffled, peony-like flowers, it will bring an elegant close to the tulip season.

Tulips need sunshine when they are in bloom. If they are in a shady area, they will lean toward the light on elongated stems. It’s fine to plant bulbs under deciduous trees if the trees won’t leaf out until after the blooming season ends.

Plant tulip bulbs 6 to 8 inches deep, putting some bone meal at the bottom of the hole. As soon as the flowers have faded, cut them off so that the bulb will store up energy for next season rather that putting that energy into producing a seed pod. Leave the foliage and stems until they die down naturally.

Tulips can easily be grown in containers. Use potting soil and add bone meal or bulb fertilizer. Set the bulbs close together and barely cover them with soil. Set the containers in a cool place out of direct sunshine. Sun will warm the soil and make the bulbs bloom before they have developed an adequate root system. Keep them in a cool place for 3 or 4 months then, when the shoots appear, move pots to a place with light shade. When buds appear, move pots where you can enjoy their beautiful blooms to the fullest.

Fall is the time to plant tulips and other spring-flowering bulbs for a splendid show next spring.

• Cover crops should be planted in the garden as soon as you pull out summer crops. They will feed the soil and prevent erosion over the winter.

• When blackberry vines are done fruiting, prune back the canes which bore fruit this summer. Twine young canes around the fence or trellis.

• Pansies, snapdragons, stock, calendulas and primroses can be planted now to replace summer annuals.

• Fertilize lawns now to build up root systems for a healthy lawn.

• Fall is for planting! Trees, shrubs and perennials planted now will grow twice as much next year as those planted next spring.

Ceanothus – A true blue Californian

One of the most popular groups of western natives is Ceanothus, or California Wild Lilac. California Lilacs are some of our most fragrant and colorful native shrubs. They are also evergreen and very drought tolerant, and some make excellent hedges! Many wild lilacs prefer coastal slopes and protected locations where they have some relief from the blazing summer heat. So it is important to choose the correct variety for your landscape needs.

In general, Ceanothus prefer coarse, well-draining soil, and most of them do not tolerate summer watering and may succumb to root rot if the soil is too wet. Most are fast-growing, particularly when planted from small container sizes, and develop into good flowering plants quickly. Once established, summer watering should be carefully controlled for best health and long-life. Whenever possible, locate Ceanothus on slopes and banks when clay soil conditions are present.

There are a wide range of choices among the wild lilacs to suit a variety of garden and natural landscaping needs. Flower colors include white, pale blue, deep blue, and purple. Once established they require little care and are relatively pest free. Most species respond well to pruning, not shearing, which should be done after the blooming period. Avoid cutting off branches that are more than an inch in diameter. Their fast growth rate makes them useful for quick effects and coverage.

Not all varieties of Ceanothus are deer-resistant. In fact, many native plants are natural forage for deer, so in unprotected areas it is important to choose varieties that are less appealing to the furry creatures.

Ceanothus ‘Dark Star’ is one of the best in inland areas where deer are present. Growing 6 feet tall and wide, it has small, dark green leaves and electric, cobalt blue flower clusters that cover the shrub in spring. It needs full sun to retain its form and to produce the most flowers. This tough shrub tolerates heavy soil and summer drought. It makes a good informal hedge, screen or windbreak.

Ceanothus ‘Concha’ is a spectacular flowering variety growing 6 feet tall and as wide. It has beautiful deep blue flowers that cover the arching branches from March through May, obscuring the dense, dark green foliage. It is very adaptable to different soil and climate conditions. More tolerant of heavy soils and summer watering than most ceanothus.

Ceanothus ‘Skylark’ is a compact dome-shaped shrub to 5 feet tall and wide. It has abundant blue flower clusters in spring for a longer period and later than most Ceanothus. It takes more shade and water than most Ceanothus, and is also fairly tolerant of heavy soil.

Ceanothus ‘Yankee Point’ is a drought-tolerant shrub that grows 2-3 feet tall by 6-8 feet wide. It has arching branches and large, dark green leaves with large, sky-blue flowers that are very showy. It does best in areas with some coastal influence, but can also do well in hotter climates with some afternoon shade, and it will tolerate some irrigation. Unfortunately, this plant is not deer resistant.

An attractive, mid-sized variety is Ceanothus maritimus. Growing to 3 feet high and 6 feet across, it develops into a dense shrub with small, dark green leaves. In spring it is covered with clusters of light blue flowers. It is best suited to coastal conditions but adapts well to inland areas.

The myth of Ceanothus being short lived is primarily spread by gardeners that insist on drip irrigation, summer water and soil amending. Native plants hate all three. Expect a 20-25 year life in most gardens if you treat Ceanothus as the drought tolerant plants they are.

Ceanothus provide seeds eaten by bushtits, mockingbirds, quail and finches, as well as cover for birds.

There are hundreds of apple varieties grown in the United States, offering differences in flavor and texture that span the gamut from sweet to sour, and hard to soft. Because of these differences, some apples are better for cooking and some for fresh use. Here are some guidelines for choosing apples that suit your uses.

For fresh eating and crisp apple salads, it’s hard to beat Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Gala, Liberty, Jonagold and Honeycrisp apples. Red Delicious is probably the best known apple in the country. Its dark red skin is classic and its creamy aromatic flesh is sweet, crisp and flavorful. Golden Delicious is a long time favorite for its sweetness and flavor. The flesh is firm, crisp and juicy. Delicious apples live up to their name when home-grown!

Fuji apples are sweet, very crisp and flavorful. Gala apples have a nice blend of sweetness and tartness with a rich flavor, and an attractive yellow skin airbrushed with red. Liberty has a well-balanced sweet-tart flavor with an attractive red skin, and is disease-resistant.

Jonagold has “superb flavor” according to connoisseurs. It is a cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious, yellow with a red-orange blush, and is crisp and juicy with a sweet-tart flavor. Honeycrisp is a delicious new apple that some say is “explosively crisp” and honey sweet with a touch of tartness. It is excellent for fresh eating and salads. Fuji, Liberty and Red Delicious have the added advantage of not browning easily.

When it comes to apple pie, we look for an apple with quite a bit of tartness that will hold up during baking and not turn to mush. Some good choices are Empire, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Rome Beauty and Jonagold.

Granny Smith is a pie favorite. It is quite tart but makes an apple pie reminiscent of Colonial days, and retains some tartness even with added sugar. Empire has crisp white flesh and a sprightly flavor that is slightly tart and becomes sweeter as the days get colder.

Pink Lady is very crisp with a good sweet-tart combination. A little cinnamon, lemon, and brown sugar is all you need to enhance their naturally good flavor. Jonagold is a sweeter apple that makes a very flavorful pie.

Cox’s Orange Pippin, Britain’s most popular apple, has a rich, complex flavor that is not as sharp as Newton Pippin and makes excellent pies. Rome Beauty tastes somewhat bland when eaten raw, however when cooked its flavor is enhanced. It makes a good pie or cobbler because it holds its texture and shape when baked. Remember, you can always mix two or more varieties together to make a delicious and unique apple pie.

Softer apples are best for applesauce, and it’s hard to beat Gravenstein. This late summer apple has a rich flavor that makes delicious sauce. It is juicy and sweet with enough tartness to make it interesting. It is not a keeper but this is a wonderful way to preserve the bushels of fruit that the large tree produces. Golden Delicious is used to make unsweetened applesauce, because its sweet flavor doesn’t need sweetening.

Granny Smith is a rather tart apple but it makes very good sauce. Braeburn makes a great, “sweet-tart” sauce with no added sweetening. Empire, Fuji and Jonagold also make good applesauce.

Baking apples are those that are baked whole, as in dumplings. These apples have some tartness so that the flavor doesn’t get lost and they hold their shape well. Rome Beauty is probably the best for baking, but Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Granny Smith and Jonagold are also very good.

Apple juice or cider can be made from many apples but some particularly good varieties are Empire, Golden Delicious, Gravenstein, Jonagold, Waltana and Hudson’s Golden Gem. Golden Delicious and Jonagold are probably the most used for commercial juice, but you can find your own favorites by trying some other varieties.

Waltana is a late apple that is crisp, firm and juicy. It makes a fine cider. Hudson’s Golden Gem is a russeted apple. It has crisp, sugary, juicy flesh with flavor described as nutty by some, pear-like by others. It makes excellent cider.

Apple trees can be planted now or during bare-root season beginning in January. It may be good idea to order unusual varieties ahead for bare-root planting.

Enliven your taste buds with a variety of apples for every use in the kitchen.