Sanhedrin Nursery – Garden Blog

• Choose living Christmas trees now. Most will be able to be kept in their containers and used for one or two more years as a Christmas tree.

• Clean up rose bushes by removing spent flowers and raking up old leaves, but wait until February for heavy pruning.

• Primroses and pansies will add color to your flower beds and containers all winter.

• Don’t overwater your houseplants in the winter. Empty saucers after watering.

• Feed the birds this winter and enjoy the pleasure of their company. Bird feeders come in many styles and make wonderful gifts.

B&B Trees have arrived from Oregon Nurseries

When the leaves have fallen from the trees and the garden seems to be asleep for the winter, many new plants are arriving at the nurseries in a form called B&B, or “balled and burlapped.” Trees and shrubs, which are not generally grown in California, arrive at this time of year from Oregon nurseries in B&B.

These plants are grown in field rows in the rich soil of the Willamette Valley in Oregon for two or more years. Some kinds of plants develop faster when field grown and make bushier and somewhat more sturdy specimens than container grown stock of the same age.

B&B plants are dug up with soil intact, wrapped with burlap, and tied with twine. Most of these plants are large, evergreen or deciduous trees. They transplant best during late fall and early winter.
Dogwoods, Japanese maples and tulip magnolias are the most popular along with hemlocks, cedars, ginkgo trees, redbuds, beech trees and, of course, Christmas trees.

These include Colorado blue spruce, Douglas firs, Alberta spruce, Grand firs, White firs and Noble firs. There are many fine specimens available now.

Dogwood trees have either white, pink or red flowers and some varieties have variegated leaves as well. They grow to about 20 feet tall with spreading branches that cover themselves with flowers in the spring.

Tulip magnolias range from the smaller star magnolias, with their many-petaled white flowers, to the larger multi-trunked trees with pink or purple flowers that look like giant tulips on bare branches.

Japanese maples have been developed over the centuries until today there are over 250 cultivars grown. During the B&B season, a number of varieties are available, ranging from lace-leafed dwarfs to tall, graceful trees.

Specialty trees include Gingko “Saratoga”, with its beautiful, apple-green fan-shaped leaves that drop in the fall in a blanket of gold; Tricolor beech trees, which have an attractive layered look to their branches and striking leaves of green, white and pink; and Japanese snowbell with its delicate pink bell flowers that hang down from the branches in clusters in June.

When selecting a B&B plant, be sure the rootball is sound and hasn’t been broken. Avoid plants that feel loose in the rootball, as it may indicate that some of the small roots are damaged. Always pick the plant up by the rootball, not by the trunk or stem.

To plant, dig a hole only as deep as the rootball so that it will be sitting on firm soil. Leave the burlap on the rootball as it is placed in the hole. Fill the hole up half way with native soil, then cut the strings and lay the burlap down into the hole. Fill up the hole and water the tree.

Don’t miss out on the fine selection of beautiful specimen trees and shrubs now on display at local nurseries.

• Primroses and pansies will add instant color to pots and flower beds. Combine them with bulbs for an extended season of bloom

• Sasanqua camellias have lovely, delicate flowers that bloom through the winter months. Find a place for one of these hardy shrubs in the landscape.

• There’s still time to plant bulbs. Consider putting some in containers so you can enjoy the flowers on your patio or by the front door.

• Rake and destroy leaves from fruit trees that were diseased this year.

• Dress up your interior landscape with some new houseplants for the holidays ahead.

Holiday Stars: Giant Amaryllis

One of the most spectacular bulb flowers that can be grown indoors is the majestic Dutch amaryllis. Standing as high as two feet, with bright green foliage at its base, the trumpet-shaped, brilliantly colored, six-inch blooms come in clusters and are truly magnificent. Usually a second flower stalk appears after the first is through blooming, extending the blooming season.

The amaryllis is not forced indoors as other bulbs are, but flowers naturally in the winter as they do in their own tropical environment. It has become associated with the holiday season because many varieties are bright red and its blooming cycle begins in December.

Amaryllis also come in pink, white, salmon and striped red on white. ‘Red Lion’ is a deep, rich, velvet red that is a holiday classic, and ‘Vera’ is a lovely warm salmon-pink with a white throat. ‘Appleblossom’ has a white flower brushed with soft pink, ‘Minerva’ is red with a white star center and ‘White Christmas’ is pure white.

Dutch amaryllis can bloom anytime from December to April and they are planted between November and February. Each bulb will produce 2-3 stems and 4-6 flowers per stem and grows to an average of 20 inches in height. They will flower in 6-8 weeks after planting.

Amaryllis grow best in soil. The gift boxes come with a pot and “growing medium”, which is a coir disk made from coconut fibers. The coir disk is first placed in four cups of warm water until it completely absorbs the water. Then it can be loosened and the bulb nestled into the soil.

Set the bulb so that its widest part is at the soil line. Firm the soil around the bulb and water with lukewarm water. Water just enough to keep the soil barely moist until growth begins, then water more frequently as the leaves and flower stalk grow. The bulb will rot if kept too wet. Place the pot in a warm, sunny spot with good air circulation. Turn the pot a little each day to keep the stalk growing straight. When buds begin to open, move the plant out of direct sun to a cooler but bright location. They will bloom longer away from direct sunlight.

As the flowers begin to open, the plant will become top heavy. If it is in a light, plastic pot, you can place the plastic pot inside a ceramic pot to keep it steady.

After blooms fade, cut off the flower stalk and give the amaryllis plant the same care you do your other house plants, but avoid heavy watering. You can move the pots outdoors for the summer but bring them in before frost. Unlike many forced bulbs, amaryllis can be brought back to bloom for years and years.

To do this, feed it with houseplant fertilizer monthly through the summer. In the fall, usually around the middle of October, cut back all the foliage. For about a month to six weeks, put it in the dark and withhold water. On Thanksgiving, put it back in a sunny window and resume watering to initiate another wonderful season of bloom.

• Japanese maples and snowball bushes are some of the most colorful shrubs in the fall. Plant them now and give them a head start on spring.

• Check houseplants for insects. Spray leaves with insecticidal soap and wipe them off to leave them clean and insect-free.

• Empty birdbaths and fountains and cover them for the winter, to prevent water freezing and cracking the bowls.

• Transplant shrubs that need to be moved this month. It’s also a good time to transplant natives.

• ‘Tete a Tete’ Narcissus are the cute little yellow daffodils that are popular in pots. Plant some now for fragrant blooms next spring.

Wood Ashes in the Garden

Cool fall mornings call for building a fire in many homes. And at some point that means there will be a bucket of wood ashes to dispose of. Should these ashes be dug into the garden or the compost pile? That’s a question with a complex answer.

Wood ashes contain nutrients, specifically calcium, potassium, magnesium and other trace elements. Hardwoods produce three times as much ash per cord as do softwoods and five times as many nutrients, although the amount of major nutrients is small in either case. Wood ash has a very fine particle size, so it reacts rapidly in the soil.

But more importantly, wood ashes are very alkaline. They contain about 25 percent calcium carbonate, a common liming material, and have a pH of 10.4. So a little goes a long way, and adding large amounts can do more harm than good.

The pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of soil measured on a scale of 1 (acid) through 7 (neutral) to 14 (alkaline). Nutrients are most readily available to plants when the soil is slightly acidic, with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. As soil alkalinity increases and the pH rises above 7.0, nutrients such as phosphorus, iron, boron, manganese, copper, zinc and potassium become chemically tied to the soil and less available for plant use.

The majority of food crops prefer a neutral or slightly acidic soil. Some plants, like potatoes, blueberries and strawberries, prefer more acidic soil and plants in the broccoli and cabbage family prefer alkaline conditions. Wood ash should never be used on acid-loving plants, or in areas where potatoes will be planted since wood ash can promote potato scab.

Specific recommendations for the use of wood ash in the garden are difficult to make because soil composition varies from garden to garden. Acidic soils (pH less than 5.5) will likely be improved by wood ash addition, and soils that are slightly acidic (pH 5.8 to 6.5) should not be harmed by them. You can apply up to 20 pounds per 1000 square feet annually, working it into the top 6 inches of soil.

However, if your soil is neutral or alkaline (pH 7.0 or greater), find another way to dispose of wood ash. If you don’t know your soil’s acidity or alkalinity level, you can test it or have it tested for pH.

The best time to apply wood ash is in the spring when the soil is dry and before tilling. Wood ash that has been exposed to the weather, particularly rainfall, has lost a lot of its potency, including nutrients.

In compost piles wood ash can be used to maintain a neutral condition, ideal for microorganisms activity. Sprinkle ash on each layer as you build the compost pile. This is especially good if you have oak leaves or pine needles in your compost heap.

Use wood ashes with care, or bury them where you don’t plan to grow anything.