Gardening Tips

drought resistant plants

Soquel, CA area is a great location to get started on planting drought resistant plants because of the water situation locally.

Bergenia Cordifolia

Bergenia Cordifolia is a wonderful shade garden plant, because of its low height (2 feet max) it makes a wonderful boarder. Bergenia likes filtered sun and will flower through out the season. This perennial is an excellent addition to any garden. Bergenia Cordifolia is also know as Elephant’s ear and Pigsqueak the leaf is large about 7-8 inches across and 12-17 inches long. Bergenias are native to Siberia and can be grown in many different environments.
Growing Tips 

Bergenia is an evergreen that produces a lot of tubers for division. When one area fills up with the plants dig them up separate the tubers and spread them out.  It will grow quickly if it is well watered and if it is kept dry it will grow slowly . I like to keep them well watered (not over watered) so that I can divide it and spread it around my yard. The blossom is a dark pink to light pink and will bloom in late winter through summer. I can get mine to bloom most of the year, but I have found that they take a break through part of the winter. Its USDA zones are 4-7 and will thrive in a variety of soils. Bergenia prefers alkaline soils and will tolerate some acidic soil. It also likes heavy clay soil and can be divided in the Autumn.
Regional Tips 

Here in Santa Cruz, CA they will produce an abundance of flowers. My mom grows them in a heavy shade garden and they rarely produce flowers. When she comes to my garden she always wonders how I get mine to flower. We enjoy reminding her about the wonders of the sun. My bergenia is in a part shade garden, which is the best. Bergenia don’t like full sun and intense heat. I like to separate the tubers and use them to fill the bare spots in my yard.

Pictures of Sunflowers

Every year we grow lots of Sunflowers and one of my favorite things to do is to wonder how they have changed over the centuries. The Sunflower has many varieties ranging in colors of white, pale yellow, golden yellow, burnt amber, and red. It can grow from15 inches to 12 feet high and can be eaten, pressed for oil. or used as bird feed. I love to grow a variety of colors together to get the most showy of Sunflower beds. They are easy to grow and will tolerate different types of soil but need full sun.

Depending on your zone get sunflower seeds in the early spring. After the last frost sow the seeds either directly in the ground or in the starter pots. Use starter pots because you can put them in different spots in your yard. Once the plant is about 8-12 inches you can transplant the sunflower into the sunny spot in your yard. Always water your soil before you plant. If the soil is dry it will take the water from the plant. Water the container before you plant it in the ground. Water wells around the base of the plant will help keep moister in the soil. Mulch the ground to finish the look and as a great last step. Sunflowers can brighten your day and are as great cut flowers. Some varieties will produce many stocks of flowers and last through out the summer and fall.

Japanese Anemones (x hybrida)

This is the season for the wonderful perennial known as Japanese Anemones to flower. The long stocks of the flower shoot up to 4 feet tall. They do range in height from 2-4 feet with an incredible flower. They are not a cut flower, but make a wonderful back drop to any partial shade garden. They are one of the best plants for late summer and fall color with their brilliant flowers in colors of dark pinks, pale pinks, and white.

The Japanese Anemones x hybrida originated in China and was found in Japan in the 17th Century giving it its name. Three popular varieties were developed in the 19th Century: Honorine Jobert, Whirlwind, and Konigin Charlotte. These varieties produce the best of the colors and new varieties are gaining notoriety for their even richer color of dark pink and lilac. They are easy to grow and can be slightly evasive in your yard if you let them.
Japanese Anemones grow in sun/partial shade gardens. Grow them in the USDA zones 4 through 8. They work great under trees and as backdrops in the yard. They like to be protected by larger vegetation or by built structures. The leaf of the plant is around all year and is about 1 foot from the ground. It is a large soft petal from 2-5 inches wide. A stem grows from the ground and is tipped with a leaf. In the late summer the stocks of the flower grows from 2 to 5 feet tall. They are topped with multiple flowers and small leafs. The flowers petals are small 1 inch in diameter and there are 5 petals that are fanned out.

Growing Tips

• Sun/Partial shade
• Protected from sun and wind
• Well drained soil
• Keep watered but don’t over do it
• Acidic Soil ranging from 4.6-6.0
• Lime in the soil is recomended
• After two years the plant will produce and spread
• You can divide in the Winter and the Spring

University of Washington Goes Green

Reposted from the Organic Bytes newsletter:
Looking for a little good news about the future of our planet? Schools across the U.S. are back in session, and a number of colleges are moving away from business as usual toward sustainability and health. The University of Washington in Seattle is just one of many examples of how educational institutions can set an example for how to do things the right way:

• UW students are exploring how to use cooking oil from campus eateries to fuel university cars.
• The student body agreed to pay up to $10.50 a quarter to buy renewable electricity — becoming one of the first in the state to go 100 percent green on the main campus.
• Food compost from the cafeterias fertilizes the flowers instead of going into the garbage.
• Due to pressure from students, campus eateries serve locally grown foods, organic fruits and vegetables and fair-trade coffee.
• Students helped the University build the new Urban Horticulture building in an ecologically friendly manner. The building features a garden roof, second-growth Washington wood and recycled concrete.

Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_1797.cfm