Grass Roots

ummer is nearly upon us. The days are mellow, rich in fragrance and bounteous in produce. The offerings of this season are rich and varied; we only have to open our eyes each morning to savor and enjoy the possibilities. Where I live the May Gray gives way to June Gloom, normally. This year both months have been copious with sunshine, a little early morning overcast, but then warmth and loveliness. It is rare indeed. But, like all changes this has its
upturn. Vegetable patches are bearing early and plentifully. Fruit trees are ripening and berries are juicy. I have already canned Raspberry, Strawberry and Apricot jams. I found a quick and easy recipe for about 2 pounds of fruit and I can whip out a batch in no time without a marathon of effort. You will find the recipe at the end of this letter. Each batch turns out about 4-5 half pints of luscious jam, well worth anyone’s effort and soooooo good on toast. Have a little left in a jar? Add some pepper, garlic, some soy sauce and a shave or two of fresh Ginger and you have instant barbeque sauce. Yum. Just ladle over some chicken, pork or fruit kabobs; or just before the finish of your baking cycle.

une begins our summer get-aways. The economics of the country being what it is, many people are looking closer to home for a holiday. The gardener looks to his backyard for R&R and maybe inviting some close friends in for a grill. Others fancy a trip to the local park or a bit of sand at the beach. All of these areas will see extra duty this year, I am sure. No matter where you spend some of your leisure time remember your hats and sunscreen. Your local museums are a good alternative to a day in the sun; a stroll through a new nursery is always a joy. When was the last time you had a picnic? Almost anywhere will do and they are good homey fun. My neighbors like to ask each other in for a tour of the garden; some sharing of produce and ideas. All of which are diversions to any day but somehow more special in the late hot afternoon with a glass of something cold.

ater conservation is a hot button issue in today’s news, especially with the state officially in a drought. We gardeners are pretty clued in on water management, especially if we use drip irrigation. Some suggest that we cut our timers back by a few minutes for each cycle. The savings does mount up. If your system is over well established plantings, you might consider cutting back by a whole day. So, instead of watering every other day, you do so every third day. Most established plantings can survive nicely if you wean them early before the ugly heat arrives. summer sun
Watering early is the thinking, while it is relatively cool or the alternative is after sunset. The evaporation is less intense than in the middle of high noon. Of course, if rationing comes in we are all going to have to forfeit some of our plantings and it might be a good mental exercise to think about this now before you go on a buying spree. Think about those plants that you really do not want to lose and how you can help them survive the heat and the water shortage. To me, edibles are my priority; shade would be second. But, I am wont to change my mind if given better parameters. Perhaps it will not come to that drastic a measure, but if we conserve daily now, it might just help a lot. Think about it.

rought tolerant plantings may be the way to go for some gardeners. Succulents are becoming very popular once again --- and with good reason. They are so varied, so hearty and so easy to grow. Our local Master Gardener program gave a wonderful day-long seminar geared around this very topic. So, if you see a class being offered on Native gardening or design ideas using succulents and Mediterranean gardens --- sign up. The knowledge is very useful and eye-opening. Mulching and composting are allied helpers in this quest to save water. Using bulbs is also a consideration as well as container gardening. Lots of options to go creative. I fashioned a succulent ‘fountain’ with three tiers of various sized terra cotta pots. The largest at the bottom was filled partially with gravel and a big cement block, which made the next tier sit even with the top of the bottom pot. Soil filled up the rest of the space. The next pot above has a wider flanged opening and took some gravel as well and an inverted cement pier. (The gravel lifted both cement items up to the top and evened all the top layers). The topmost pot is an urn shape. In this I placed some Mexican Feather Grass. It catches the breeze and looks like it is flowing. The middle tier has some non-blooming succulents. The very bottom layer has some small varied succulents with cascading flowering stems that droop over the lip. With time it’ll fill and give me the visual impact that I envision. (Hopefully . . .)? Succulents do not have to always look like the middle of the desert or a forgotten section of the garden. Lift then up off the ground; place them on top of a tree stump, a shelf or try them in a hanging basket. They are so very adaptable and offer delightful sprays of flowers or simple, sweet petite ones. (Read on, Mary Crowell loves succulents too).

onservation is on everyone’s mind these days and conservation of our own physical resources as we enter our hottest season is one we often forget. Sunscreen, hats, long sleeves and good sunglasses are some of the items we need to remember. Drink plenty of fluids. Sun tea is a favorite and so easy to make. I like using some of the fruited herbal teas. Lemonade is another beauty of summer refreshment. Utilize those lemon trees and refresh the ‘owner of the house’ with a tall chilled glassful. Do your major chores early in the morning before the heat really sets in and if you need to be out in the middle of the day --- move slower and keep in the shade as much as you can. Remember your pets as well. When it is THAT hot they need to be cooled down too. A wet cloth under their tummies and on the pads of their feet or the inside of their ear flaps really cools them down rapidly. Plenty of fresh water --- just like us and shade. If I am on a trip with my pups, I carry a spray bottle and mist under their tummies to keep their heat tolerance bearable. Invest in some new fans; many have removable filters that can be cleaned to extend the life of your fan.

Of all the wonderful things in the wonderful universe of God, nothing seems to me more surprising that the planting of a seed in the blank earth and the result thereof. Take a Poppy seed, for instance: it lies in your palm, the merest atom of matter, hardly visible, a speck, a pin’s point in bulk, but within it is imprisoned a spirit of beauty ineffable, which will break its bonds and emerge from the dark ground and blossom in a splendor so dazzling as to baffle all powers of description.

Celia Thaxter

Now for some news from Northern California:

Mary, Mary, How Does Your Garden Grow? by Mary Crowell

June is the month that one notices how well and showy the roses are with the great weather we have been having. Mine bloomed like crazy and just now have been deadheaded so that new growth can occur. Contrary to popular myth, roses are not as fussy as some would lead you to believe. Following are some easy steps for the care of roses: Make sure they have good air circulation and lots of sun by pruning out the inner branches and removing lower leaves at the bottom foot of the plant. If you deadhead (remove the spent blooms) regularly, water on a regular basis, and feed every 4 weeks with a balanced rose food, you will see marvelous blooms all summer long. To prevent powdery mildew and hit a few aphids, it might be necessary to spray every few weeks with a mix of 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp hort oil, 2 tsp of dishwashing soap in a gallon of water. A few spoonfuls of Epsom salts at the base of the plant seems to help along with a product called Pay Dirt.

Now is the time to feed camellias, feed and water summer flowering bulbs, and water citrus well, as it is essential for great tasting and juicy fruit. Pinch your mums back to have many more blooms in the fall. Cut grass longer than usual, water more often, deeply and fertilize every 6 weeks. Finish pruning late blooming shrubs such as weigelia, spirea, forsythia, philadelphus and cut back vines such as wisteria, honeysuckle and passion vine. Trim hedges. Lift and divide iris after blooming. Stake tall plants and order fall bulbs. This is also a good time to take cuttings of geraniums, plant herbs and summer perennials, such as coreopsis, scabiosa, feverfew, lantana, verbena and my personal favorite salvia. Last year I planted new salvia for me, called “hot lips”, a red and white one, very cute and it is doing well. This is also the last month I usually repot and split cymbidiums, usually every 3 years, so that the new root growth is in place before the winter. Correct watering year round is so very important but especially critical in the summer, especially if it is hot! Remember to give your lawn, trees, shrubs and flowers, deep watering rather than sprinkling the top. Don’t over water natives and remember to check container plants for moisture. as they dry out much more quickly than plants in the ground. Use water saving devices such as soaker hoses, drip irrigation, and mulches to cut down on evaporation.

It is not too late to plant June veggies such as beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, parsley, peppers, squash and tomatoes. Get seedlings rather than seeds at this stage of the game. Plant some herbs in baskets and containers right outside your kitchen door to make for easy access. I have those five chimney flues planted with tomatoes, basil, lots of other herbs and a “pink lemonade” lemon tree in one of them.

As most of you know, who know me personally, my real passion is epiphytic cacti, epiphyllum if you want to goggle the plant, the “Oh WoW” flower and I am just beginning to come into season. With about 400 different plants who are currently in bud, I should have a great showing this month and next. The other exciting thing going on in my yard is my blue agave in the front yard is going to bloom, the flower stalk is about 12 inches in diameter and 12 ft high visibly growing inches daily. It is something to behold, unfortunately the plant will die after blooming but then there will be more space to plant something else. As I am limited in gardening ground, I am looking forward to making some choices of what to fill in the space, probably something to use in floral design, proteas maybe?

Q? macro6096@yahoo.com or the San Mateo Garden Center 650-574-1506

. . . Thanks so much Mary.

It’s the Frosting on the cake,

And we’ll throw in the cake!

This just in: National Garden Clubs is having a membership campaign contest. The state organization with the highest percent of increase (June 1 to May 31, 2009) wins the right to name an, as yet unnamed, canna. To help the celebration of winning the NGC contest, CGCI President Robin Pokorski and your Membership Chairman George Speer will travel to the club and district with the highest percent of increase and to the club and district with the highest number of new members. The Frosting on the cake (and we’ll throw in the cake) will be provided and served to you by your CGCI President and your Membership Chairman. You might even get them to do a program for you.

At California Garden Clubs, Inc., 77th Annual Convention in Woodland Hills, the 3^rd Vice-President suggested that it would take a 50 to 75 percent increase in Garden Club and Associate Plant Society members to win. Our National Garden Clubs President, Barbara May, looked surprised that we would even entertain such an increase as possible. Your membership chairman feels it is not only possible but very doable. Remember, it is not only new members for clubs and APS; it is also new Garden Clubs and new Associate Plant Societies joining CGCI.

Appoint a Membership Chairman, set a goal in writing and report monthly on your progress to those who can make it happen (club members or district clubs).

What part and how big a part will you be?

Be Alert - Be Ready - Be Proactive!

George Speer

Mixed Berry Jam

Bon Appetit, June 2008

(Molly Wizenberg the Orangette)

6 (5-6 oz containers) Raspberries 2c Sugar

2T Lemon Juice

Combine fruit, sugar, and lemon juice in large bowl. Let macerate for two hours. Stir prn. Cover with towel.

Put a saucer in the freezer.

Transfer fruit mix to a lg pan and bring to boil over med-high heat, stir occasionally. Mash to thick puree with potato masher. reduce heat to med and boil gently until mixture begins to thicken, stirring often, about 18 mins.

Remove saucepan from heat to test jam for gelling point. Drop 1t jam on the chilled saucer and return to freezer 1min. remove saucer and push edge of jam with fingertip. if jam has properly gelled, surface will gently wrinkle. if not, return saucepan to heat and cook jam as few mins longer; retest.

Water bath for 10 minutes, freeze or keep in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Use 2lbs of fruit (apricot, peach, blue/black/strawberry), 2c sugar and 2T lemon juice. Rinse, dry and rub any fuzz off peaches. Halve, pit and cut into ¼ “ pieces. Follow above directions.

Enjoy your Summer . . !