Cultivating My Inner Tree

And what does your food really cost? I found a nice video online that shares some of the stats and points around why eating locally is a growing concern in our oil-dependent economy. You could read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Delimma or his other books. Or, just watch this quick video slideshow to understand some of the basic points.

This winter I’m acutely aware of plants that are providing winter interest through berries, blooms, fragrance, colorful foliage and interesting texture. Many clients keep talking about how boring their gardens are when everything is “dead”. I remind them that most isn’t truly dead but instead is growing actively underground. This provides them some relief that they didn’t kill their garden. But, what provides the biggest thrill to them (and to me) is pointing out the opportunities to make sure their garden is interesting even when other gardens appear dead.

Today I woke up to a light blanket of snow in my garden. Before the melt began, I got out and snapped a couple of photos illustrating the beautiful plants that offer spectacular winter visual interest even on a snowy late January day. (Not to mention the great fragrance put out by the Witch Hazel!)

Enjoy!

As I walked from my driveway into my back door, I received a two-fold reward for my efforts in building winter interest into my garden.

First, I heard the distinctive chirp of a hummingbird. I couldn’t find him with my eyes, but was in my garden. I have lured him with my plantings and my lack of pesticides. You see, he seeks nectar and small insects in his diet.

Second, his lures caught both my eye and my nose. My witchhazel is in full bloom, and he knows it. Even on cold, grey winter days, you can’t miss this plant in the garden. Its yellow blooms brighten the day and its fragrance perfumes the back garden. I wish you could scratch and sniff right now!

When the witchhazel fades, my friend the hummingbird will not be without food in my garden. Warmer days later in winter will bring gnat hatches offering him tiny bits of protein. Small flowered hardy fuchsia still bloom on my front porch. (And yes, I have seen him that close to the front door. Hummingbirds are daredevils!) Flowering winter currants are starting to shed their outer bud cases, getting ready to open in just a few short weeks. After that, the garden becomes a free-for-all of spectacular blooms, promising hummingbirds who didn’t stick around through winter will be jealously trying to take away my chirping winter friend’s hard-earned territory.

Over the last year I’ve noticed a significant number of Douglas Fir trees (Pseudotsuga menziesii) declining rapidly in my neighborhood. They are showing signs of apical dieback, which rapidly progresses from the tip of the tree downward. All of the trees that I am noticing are

1. On private property so I can’t easily access the roots, soil and trunk too look for more clues
2. Are in on a straight north - south line, between the same two neighborhood streets, running along about 4 blocks

Since I cannot gather complete information, I really cannot diagnose or ask any others to give a complete diagnosis of what is happening. However, I did poll a few very credibly arborists based on the information I know about the trees. Some of the thoughts that came back include:

• No complete diagnosis can be made with just photos and observation (of course!)
• 2001-2005 included the longest and driest drought in Western Washington recorded history. Trees can take years to use up their stored reserved. So, trees with a low survival margin are most suceptible to drought problems. And, trees stressed from drought and then exposed to prolonged rains are more suceptible to root infections.
  • These trees are living, I believe, in rapid draining sandy urban soils. And, at least one of them is surrounded closely by asphalt and houses.
• Root problems often show up first in the crown (tippy-top/apical growth) of a tree
  • Root rots often show up first in the crown of the tree
  • Construction can cause root problems from compaction and other damage.
    • At least two of these trees are near recent townhouse construction
• In areas east of here porcupines bite and strip bark from trees causing these sorts of declines.

So what can be done?

• One professional has found that correct applications of mulcing , mycorrhizae and other benefical materials has brought back over 400 trees exhibiting similar problems.
  • Please keep in mind that these 400+ trees were fully analyzed and diagnosed before treatment began. (Always fully diagnose before treatment, please!)  

If you have a Douglas Fir (or other tree) that is showing signs of decline, I suggest having them evaluated by a certified arborist as soon as possible. When trees begin showing signs of decline, they may be significantly compromised in their interior wood and/or in their root systems. Strong winds, ice, heavy rains, drought, snow, insect or other pest infestations, and a host of other factors can cause these trees to decline beyond saving. And, sometimes, it means they are a hazard.

If you would like help determining how to manage a tree issue of your own, please contact me for additional assistance.

In the meantime, I will continue to monitor the trees in my neighborhood. If an opportunity arises to speak with the property owners, I may be able to gather more information to help save the trees. It is very sad to watch these large beauties, which are infrequent in this neighborhood, die.

Okay, I’m going to do it. I’ve hemmed & hawed about shamelessly self-promoting myself/tooting my own horn here, but with Kim’s encouragement and recalling a few questions here & there from some of you about “what is garden coaching?”, I’ve decided to write this post…

I’ve already written a similar post on my gardenhelp.org blog, but its time I share the good news with all of my Sweat365 friends as well….

The Pacific Northwest edition of Sunset magazine has a special “Inside Seattle” section in their September 2007 issue. (Unfortunately, this section isn’t in all printings outside the Seattle area.) Within this section, writer Jenny Cunningham details her first person experience working with her garden mentor — me! Photographer John Granen illustrated our adventures — even including Shiloh in one shot– through his beautiful photography. (If you know the Herb Farm cookbooks, you’re familiar with his work already.)

Obviously, this is terrific press coverage for me. Additionally, I’m thrilled that the press is getting the word out there that people should consider hiring a garden coach, explaining the services I offer & how fun and rewarding it is to work with a garden mentor. What I’ve learned from all the calls & emails responding to this article is that people are thrilled to find I offer this service. As I suspected when I began doing this work, it really bridges a gap in the industry. Since the article’s publication, I’ve even gotten calls & emails from people interested in giving a garden mentoring session as wedding and birthday gifts.

If you’re outside the Seattle area and are interested in reading this article, please contact Sunset Magazine by emailing readerletters@sunset.com or by calling 650-324-5778. If I find it linked online at some point, I’ll let you know.

I managed to get a ton of work done this morning, so I had time to really spend some great time with Mom this afternoon. I packed up a picnic lunch, threw in several garden design magazines, the camera, and the dog leash. Then we headed over to the arboretum. Finally we had a sunny, warm day in August. Geez! I thought summer had left already before today.

First I drove mom through arboretum drive to give her a feel for the space & see if anything popped out at her as a spot she wanted to visit. She had brought her sketch book, so I was ready to accomodate any need to sketch that came to her. As we drove, she pointed out a raccoon trolling thru the trees near the road. We ended up returning to the Graham Visitor center to park & then mosied up Azalea way looking for a nice spot in dappled shade.

At one point I suddenly had the urge to go up hill. I suggested we go that way to try to get off the main trail & find a secluded spot. When the hill ended, I looked forward & dead ahead was an owl on the ground. I assume it was fairly young, and I hope it wasn’t injured. I didn’t want to get too close & really disturb it. I did snap some photos from afar, which I’ll share later.

After the owl photos, we detoured off the route i just had to take and ended up back on Azalea way. We found a lovely meadow-like spot under a cherry tree. Where we spread out sarongs, unpacked lunch & magazines. We sat, munched, flipped through magazines & chatted for a couple of hours. Then we meandered back toward the car. On the way through the Japanese Maple garden, a Blue Heron lifted off right beside us (yes, a surprise treat) and flew away. It was beautiful.

Now we’re off to change for yoga! (And yes, I’m guessing how many miles we walked & how long it took.)

Workout:

• Type: Walk
• Date: 08/13/2007
• Time: 14:00:00
• Total Time: 1:00:00.00
• Distance: 2 miles
• Average Pace: 30:00/mile

Littleliz asked for some herb gardening info. Here’s some starting detail: http://www.gardenhelp.org/uncategorized/herbs-in-the-garden-some-thoughts/

I’ve started writing my gardening blogging on gardenhelp.org. If there’s interest among the Sweat365ers, I’ll continue to add information here.

 Today’s subject: Watering, Peach Brown Rot, Garden Phlox, and Squash Viruses - my daily journal.

The sun is shining again in Seattle after an odd week of summer rain. My garden loved the rain & grew rapidly while it was warm & wet. There’s something about rain out of the sky that is so much better than processed tap water from our hoses & irrigation system. Plants just love the natural rainfall. The ground gets better coverage & saturation & the water hasn’t been processed.

Last night I was able to harvest a crookneck squash from the vegie patch. We put it into a Tava Stir Fry — yum! I think one of my crookneck squashes has a virus. I’m pretty sure its squash mosaic virus. I think I’m going to need to pull it so my other crookneck, cucumbers & winter squash don’t get it. Bummer!

Today I got out and noticed that the bush beans I planted are showing climbing tendencies. I put some stakes out, so we’ll see if they decide to climb or do more bushing out. I really hope they do the bushing ’cause where I planted them doesn’t make sense for climbers. I also put out trellises for my cucumbers, which are sending out climbing tendrils. And, I pinched out some tomato flower clusters. I want the tomatoes to have a little stress and begin to put their energy into the fruit already on the vines. This will ensure they start turning red. The one tomato plant in the front beds is pretty stressed & is already producing red fruit. I picked our first tomato from it last night. Yesterday morning, I put some black garbanzo seeds into the front beds. Those beds are seriously depleted, so I want some nitrogen fixers in the soil, mostly to begin enriching it. Any garbanzos will just be a bonus. The plants are beautiful, and the nitrogen fixing properties are wonderful!

Workout:

• Type: Other
• Date: 07/25/2007
• Time: 10:30:00
• Total Time: 00:30:00.00

Took Shiloh for her walk. Noticed the neighborhood Mulberry Tree is full of ripe fruit. I can’t imagine an instance where I would spec any fruiting tree, let alone a Black Mulberry, as a street tree. However, someone planted one in a parking strip in our neighborhood. Everyone from toddlers, to crows to the elderly stop & munch the sour-sweet berries in the summer. This weekend, the first truly ripe ones were ready. What a treat!

Workout:

• Type: Walk
• Date: 07/21/2007
• Time: 12:00:00
• Total Time: 00:00:00.50
• Distance: 1.3 miles
• Average Pace: 0:00.38/mile