I Finally Reported the World's Ugliest Tree

Today I finally made the call I've been intending to make for a couple years. I called the City of Alameda to ask them to evaluate the world's ugliest tree, which just happens to be in front of my house.

I really began to pay attention to this tree a couple years ago when I was taking an arboriculture class and had to do a tree report. For convenience sake, I did the report on this tree and believe me, there was plenty to report on. Poor branch structure, included bark, some old damage to the trunk (probably from a car clipping it), and to be brutally frank, just a general state of ugliness. The pictures here are from that report I did in late 2006. Time has not improved the situation. If anything, it's worse because there are now a couple obviously dead branches.

It'll be interesting to see how the city decides to handle this problem. I realize budgets are beyond tight and removing the tree and replacing it may not be affordable. But I would so love to see this thing gone and some tree with real potential put in its place. The city has recently updated its master tree plan and when I checked it, I found the report made the following recommendations for new/replacement tree plantings on my street:

• Silver linden
• Various American and hybrid elms
• New Zealand Christmas tree
• Chinese pistache 'Keith Davey'
• Scarlet oak

Any of those would be a vast improvement over the current tree, but the last three options on the list would really give some great fall color.

But I shouldn't get my hopes up. If the city decides that removal isn't a priority or in the budget, then the world's ugliest tree and I may still have a long future together.

My Garden Has Me Down

If anyone's wondering why I haven't been posting lately, the reason is simple: I'm a depressed gardener. While my garden would usually be a source of comfort and relaxation, it's been more of a stressor lately, just another thing that's not working out well and it shows. When friends have asked me how my garden is doing, I've answered honestly, "It looks like shit." That pretty much covers it.

The reasons it looks like shit are not uncommon and fall into three categories of varying degrees of severity at various times: 1) lack of time and energy for proper maintenance, 2) lack of money for supplies and more plants, and 3) aphids and their evil partners in crime, ants.

The time and money issues are, I think, slowly working themselves out. And in the past few days, I've decided to throw my budget to the wind, accept the fact that I'll never get caught up on my own, and hire some one-time help to clear weeds in the front yard and prune a neglected and overgrown camellia at the side of my house. I feel a bit better having made that decision, and will, I'm sure, feel much better when it's finally done.

The aphid problem on the other hand is a tougher fix. My plan earlier in the year to do absolutely nothing about the aphid problem in the hopes that the beneficial insects would really go on the attack resulted in my cherry tree being decimated, my plum being later hit so hard that it looks like it has peach curl, and several other plants getting the life slowly sucked out of them. The ladybugs have shown up and in greater numbers than I've seen here before, but clearly they're not up to the task. I'm still refusing to spray chemicals, although I have tried a few home remedy mixes that don't seem to have done much. I'm also hitting the plants with jets of water, which I honestly think just provides the aphids with a temporary Slip'N'Slide more than it kills or discourages them.

And their good buddies, the ants, are everywhere! Alameda's sandy soil must be ant heaven for them--fast draining and oh so easy to tunnel through. I finally realized that I'd never get the aphids under control without controlling the ants, so I've put Grants ant stakes all over the place. It seems to have decreased their numbers slightly, but I know this is an ongoing battle.

All this being said, there have been a few high spots in the garden this year, for which I am grateful. It's been the best year for roses that I've had so far, possibly because I finally have them situated in the best spots in the garden. The salvias (Mexican Limelights, Hot Lips, and Argentine Skies), bless them, have bloomed like mad and (with the exception of the aggressively sharp elbows of the Mexican Limelights) been maintenance-free. The kangaroo paw I put in last year has bloomed non-stop most of the year as well. The Bright Lights swiss chard has added a lot of color and produced enough greens to fortify at least a squadron, if not an army. And the green beans (Roma and haricot vert) have been delicious (in spite of the feeble bamboo teepees I built them).

So my goal now is to do what one should always do when depressed:

1. Take a breath. It's probably not as bad as I think it is.
2. Get some professional help. No gardener is an island (even if my garden's on an island) and there's no reason why I have to go it alone.
3. Face my enemies head-on with the proper defenses. I'm off to buy a bottle of Neem this afternoon.
4. Count my blessings. At least I have a garden to be depressed about!
   

Sale at Flora Grubb

There's a great sale tomorrow (Friday, 7/3) at Flora Grubb Nursery in San Francisco. All plants and pots are 20% off! Flora Grubb has a great selection of plants, especially succulents, so this is a great chance to stock up. Treat yourself to a cappuccino at the cafe there while you're at it--their coffee is as good as their plants.

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Forget the Gorgeous Young Man, What I Really Want Is the Garden

Went to see the movie Cheri tonight. It is a gorgeous thing to watch, a truly stunning representation of the Belle Epoque in all its art nouveau glory. It's the story of an aging courtesan (Michelle Pfeiffer) who falls in love with a beautiful young man (Rupert Friend). And he is indeed beautiful, but what I was really lusting after was the garden of the beautiful young man's mother (played by a very wonderful Kathy Bates). Lush, rose-laden, romantic--it was everything you could want a garden to be. But like all good things, it was fleeting--just glimpses here and there and before you can fully appreciate it, everyone has moved indoors. Ah, well. It was nice while it lasted.

CHERI: Movie Trailer - Click here for another funny movie.

What to Do This Weekend: Carnivorous Plant Show

The Bay Area Carnivorous Plant Society is hosting it's annual plant show and sale this Saturday (June 20th) at the Garden Center at Oakland's Lakeside Park (by Lake Merritt). Pitcher plants, sundews, venus fly traps, terrariums, and more will be on display in this juried show and there will be plants for sale as well. Shows like these are a great opportunity to get growing advice from the experts on the very particular needs of these amazing plants. The show runs from noon to 4 p.m., but I'd suggest getting there early before all the plants have pigged out and fallen asleep in front of the TV.

Dates Set for SF Flower & Garden Show 2010

After narrowly escaping a complete shutdown, the recently rescued SF Flower & Garden Show now has dates set for next year's show. Mark your calendars: March 24-28, 2010. Once again, the show will be taking place at the San Mateo Event Center rather than in San Francisco proper. Show organizers promise that the show is committed to focusing on the topics relevant to bay area gardeners, including the organic and show food movements.

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Propagation Demystified

Ever wondered why those little black seeds you've planted never sprout? (Tip: Most black seeds require some form of scarification.) Or how you can successfully root cuttings from your grandmother's favorite rose bush? Or how to cross-pollinate two flowers to breed an entirely new variety? Plant propagation doesn't have to be so mysterious--you can get these questions and a lot more answered in the Advanced Propagation class at Merritt College in Oakland.

Like so many other places, Merritt College is having massive budget cuts and this class is in danger of being cut from the Fall schedule if at least 25 people don't enroll by Wednesday (6/10). This 2-unit class requires no text, has no tests, and costs just $40. What it does offer is lots of hands-on lab experience with a wide variety of propagation techniques, the opportunity to try your own propagation experiments with some guidance and supervision and a greenhouse, and many informative field trips to propagation nurseries around the bay area for a behind-the-scenes look. The instructor, Susan Ashley, is knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I took this course a few semesters ago and learned so much that I've been able to try out in my own garden. And it was really fun.

Click here to start the registration process. The class is LH52 and the class number is 44469 lecture, 44470 lab. Classes are on Tuesdays from 1-5 pm starting on Aug. 25. If you have more questions, you can contact Susan at susanwashley at gmail dot com.