Santa Cruz Gets Sprayed

There's an interesting article in the L.A. Times today about aerial spraying being done a little bit south of here in Santa Cruz County in an attempt to eradicate the light brown apple moth that has the entire state's agricultural industry chewing their nails. This moth has proved to be hugely destructive when it's taken hold in other countries, so their fears are understandable. The spraying, however, is controversial to say the least. I haven't heard any talk of spraying here in Alameda County, but it could come to that. The disturbing thing is that the opinions of the public and local governments appear to have no influence in the debate over the spraying. The Department of Agriculture supports the spraying plan and apparently doesn't recognize the fact that government agencies have lied about and endorsed the use of dangerous pesticides so many times in the past that they have absolutely no credibility now when they say that this spray is perfectly safe. Here's hoping that this time, they actually know what they're talking about.

The Worms of Alameda

Alameda Magazine has an article written by Wanda Hennig about a cool little vermiculture operation here in town called Bay Worms. The article introduces Miki Jurcan, who runs Bay Worms and has big plans for its growth. Herbert Hoover may have promised a chicken in every pot, but Jurcan dreams of a worm bin in every household, which seems to me a much more practical aspiration.

While Hennig was researching her article a few months ago, she came across my blog posting on my own worm bin and contacted me with a few questions about vericomposting at home. I'm happy to report that the worms are still happily digesting away. I haven't harvested any castings yet, but I don't mind being patient. They are the most well-behaved pets I've ever had.

Weedy Eyesores Blossom into Community Gardens

There's a great little article in the San Francisco Chronicle today about how the City of SF is teaming up with volunteer gardeners to turn weed- and garbage-filled abandoned lots into beautiful community gardens. Curiously, it's the gardeners who seem to be the instigators of the effort, now called the Street Parks Program, rather than the city. There's even a bit about how one intrepid gardener in his 70s rappelled down the side of a hill to clear away the weeds and wears cleats to work on the steep slope of the lot that he gardens. Take a look.

Ladybugs to the Rescue

All summer long I've been watching my Snail vine suffer from a full-on assault by aphids. Every time I watered I blasted them with the hose, but they kept coming back and bringing their friends. It's been so frustrating to think that this vine could be so beautiful but between the frosts last winter and the aphids this summer, it's looking really pathetic. It was time to bring in the troops.

I ordered some Sta-Home Lady Beetles from Gardens Alive and tonight I released them in the garden. The complaint that I've always heard about using ladybugs for aphid control is that you can release hundreds of them and they'll quickly disappear from your garden. But these ladybugs supposedly arrive ready to lay eggs. The eggs hatch within a week, producing an entire crop of very hungry larvae that can't fly away and that are capable of consuming even more aphids than the mature ladybugs. Within a month the original order of 900 ladybugs will produce 10,000 larvae. Now that's a surge!

A friend has also told me that a heavy aphid infestation is an indication that the soil is lacking in phosphorus. I guess the next step is adding regular doses of bone meal to the soil. Any other suggestions? I'm in a take-no-prisoners sort of mood.

What Color Is Your Tree Trunk?

The LA Times has an interesting article about landscape designer Ted Weiant and his penchant for painting the trunks of his trees in assorted colors. Weiant says it began a few years ago when he felt that he needed to do something with some unhealthy-looking camellias in his backyard. He decided that instead of pulling them out, he'd paint them with blue outdoor latex paint. He figured either the paint would protect them and they'd get healthier, or it would kill them and then he'd take them out. Nothing to lose, really. The camellias did improve and Weiant went on to paint more of his trees, including a now all-green fig tree.

The article made me laugh a little, remembering some of the comments that were getting batted around a few months ago at Garden Rant regarding painting garden furniture. If some people have strong feelings about painting furniture, how would they react to the idea of painting trees? Personally, I find the idea a bit intriguing. I'm not sure there's a place in my garden for a blue or pink or yellow tree, but god knows, the camellia at the side of my house has been annoying me for a while now. Someday, well, me ... a paintbrush ... a spare quart of paint ... and a tree that can't run away .... It could happen.

A Bit of Alameda in Sunset Magazine

While clicking through the latest offerings on Sunset.com, I came across an article on patios in the round and one particular patio caught my eye. It was comprised of irregular pieces of black slate interspersed with aluminum letters of varying sizes. Being a bit of a text-junkie, I love to see designs incorporating letters and words and entire chunks of text. I was even more impressed and surprised to see that the design is from an Alameda garden and was designed by Alameda landscape designer, Shirley Alexandra Watts.

Clicking through to Watts' web site, I found even more exciting designs. It appears Watts also has a love of incorporating text into her garden designs and she does it extremely well. Check out the Frankenstein lamps (the bottom photo on the Lights page) and the fountain at the Sicilian Garden at American Soils. I also really liked the images from the Park Street Residence. Park Street is the main drag in Alameda, mostly commercial with only a few blocks of older houses at the south end. I love the idea that tucked away on one of the busiest streets in town is this little garden hideway.

It's also worth noting that Watts was trained in the Merritt College Landscape Horticulture program. This is not the first time I've been very impressed by one of Merritt's former design students.

Happy Accidents

I wish I could claim I planned this, but I honestly didn't. Just one of those times when serendipity in the garden does its thing particularly well. I suppose the names should have tipped me off that they'd go great together: Stargazer lily and Heavenly Blue morning glory.

Call it kismet.