Thursday, October 23, 2014
Spooky Aloe Trail in the Light of a Partial Eclipse
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Floss Silk Tree (Ceiba speciosa and friends) Tour
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| One of my favorite Ceiba pix |
Tour Related Links:
- Flowering Plant Families, UH Botany
- All the fascinating genera of the family Bombacaceae
- Bombacaceae (Bombax family) - 114 images at PlantSystematics.org images, phylogeny, nomenclature for (Bombacaceae)
- Bombacaceae (Bombax family) - 114 images at PlantSystematics.org images, phylogeny, nomenclature for (Bombacaceae)
- Use the above links to Bombacaceae on the Plantsystacatics.org site to see its relation to other families in its order (Malvales).
- Bombacaceae (plant family) -- Encyclopedia Britannica
- The EB's treatment of this economically important plant family.
- Friday Flower – “Palo Borracho” | Beetles In The Bush
- Find out how an entomologist feels about Ceibas.
- The Ceiba Foundation
- A conservation organization dedicated to both preserving the tree and its environment.
- Ochroma pyramidale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- A Ceiba relative that is the source of balsa wood.
- Rare exotic tropical plants and seeds
- A possible source of Adensonia seeds and plants.
- B and T World Seeds
- A French firm that sells thousands of types of seeds.
Seed and Plant Sources
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| Ceiba speciosa and its' shadow of fallen petals -this one is located on Tallac knoll up above the Herb Garden. |
Video:
How To Tell the Difference Between the Four Arboretum Ceiba speciosa (was Chorisia speciosa) Introductions.More Pretty Pictures
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| Seedling Ceiba speciosa |
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| Seedling Ceiba speciosa |
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| Ceiba speciosa 'Los Angeles Beautiful' |
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Monthly Plant Information Class Highlights
Fall is Coming, and Here's a Preview from Falls Past
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| The Tule pond last year. |
LED Garden Lighting Links:
LED and Fiber Optic Lighting by Wiedamark - Madrix Lighting SoftwareField of Light: Bruce Munro’s Stunning LED Forest Springs Up in Bath Bruce Munro Field of Light LED Art Installation – Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green BuildingLED Landscape Lighting by VOLT®LED Ribbon Flex : Flexible LED Light Strip : LED Tape Light - Ledliquidatorsinc.comLED - Outdoor Lighting - Lighting & Ceiling Fans at The Home DepotComplete Kits Landscape Lighting By LampsPlus.comYardBright Landscape Lighting | Garden, Path and Outdoor LightingOutdoor LightingLED Landscape Lighting | Super Bright LEDs | Super Bright LEDsLandscape Light Kits at Lowes.com
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Cape Grape
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| The Grape Ape would probably eat the Cape Grape. |
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| Cape grape (Rhoicissus tomentosa) sample brought in by a local gardener. |
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Puppy Pits
I received a phone call from a gentleman who had been walking his puppy outdoors when the puppy ingested some type of plant material. The dog then regurgitated a fibrous pod (or pit). The caller asked what he should do and if I knew what the plant material could be (see illustrations below). The first thing I did was urge him to go to a veterinarian. About a half hour later he called me from the vets and said that he sent some pictures of the regurgitated object for me to inspect. I took a look at the pods and did several Google image searches using terms related to the incident. Using the term "Dog vomit fibrous fruit" I came upon a blog page where the blogger was writing about his puppy eating a similar fruit. Doing some more research and talking again to the owner it appears that dogs like Queen palm fruit and indeed the gentleman who called had passed by an area where these fruit were on the ground and he did recall his puppy eating the fruit. Puzzle solved, dog not in danger, and now I know that Queen palms (Arecastrum romanzoffianum) are not only not harmful to dogs (unless the dog eats too many and get an intestinal blockage from the fiber) they are edible and quite good. Although there are no terribly toxic palms there are some bad actors (as this article in the 'Dave's Garden' gardening bulletin board points out) and some terribly toxic palm look-alikes such as sago palms.
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| Fibrous fruit of Aracastrum romanzoffianum after it's been through a puppy's digestive track. |
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Links from Today's Plant Information Class
South African Bulb Links: Suppliers and Clubs
- September In Your Garden : Start Planting With South African Bulbs - Los Angeles Times
South African Bulbs at Desirable Plants - Stocklist A-Z
www.southafricanbulbs.com/article_growing_south_african_bulbs.pdf
The Bulb Maven: South African bulbs
Bulbs for Fall Planting
Growing Amaryllis - Growing Amaryllis Bulbs, How To Grow Amaryllis Bulbs, Amaryllis Bulb Growing Guide - White Flower Farm
Colorful, spring-blooming bulbs from South Africa - SFGate
Telos Rare Bulbs, South African Bulbs, California Native Bulbs, South American Bulbs, Mediterranean Bulbs
Pacific Bulb Society | Where to Obtain Species Bulbs
Pacific Bulb Society | Lachenalia Species One
Water Saving and Simple: Examples of Minimalist Landscaping for Dry Areas
Saturday, August 30, 2014
The Most Drought Tolerant Bamboo
Frank,
I'm again tapping your expertise. This time it's about
bamboo. We're thinking of planting some bamboo to provide a kind of
natural wall for privacy in a strip that's surrounded by a low concrete wall
with driveway on one side and a concrete patio on the other. Thus, the
bamboo would seem to be sufficiently contained. Ideally, its a type that
tops off at 8-10 feet tall.
Thanks, Vince
Hi Vince,
Is water use a concern for you?
Cheers, Frank
Frank,
This is probably a 20 foot
run of bamboo, so I'm guessing that wouldn't be too much of a water demand, and
the area gets sun all day.
Thanks, Vince
Hi Vince,
Most bamboos are big water users, so keep
that in mind. That being said I would recommend Phyllostachys
aurea planted in a rhizome barrier. P. aurea is the most drought tolerant
of the bamboos. You’ll want to wait till spring or late winter to start it.
Cheers, Frank
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| Phyllostachys aurea |
Friday, August 22, 2014
Back from Vacation, Ate some Shrooms!
I just got married (to a wonderful woman who is, coincidentally, a master gardener) and I'm back from the honeymoon. We spent all last week in Mammoth Lakes, a beautiful mountain town and ski resort located in the eastern Sierra mountains. We were lucky as it rained the night we got there, providing some relief from the drought and bringing up some very tasty mushrooms. The first one below is Pine Bolete, the one below that and the cut mushroom ready for sauteing is Boletus edulis, also known as the Porcini in Italy and the Cepe in France. Boletus edulis is very tasty and its texture is one of the finest of any mushroom; slightly crunchy and meaty at the same time.
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| Pine bolete |
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| Boletus edulis |
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| Boletus edulis ready for sauteing. |
Thursday, August 7, 2014
I Fought The Lawn and the Lawn Won: Drought Related Links
Turf Colorant
If you don’t want
to give up your turf you can keep it looking good –even if it’s dormant and
brown by using a suitable lawn dye.
Michigan State
University articles:
North Carolina State
article on seeding vs. turf colorant:
Other Turf Colorant Articles and
Product Links:
Drought Related Government Links:
Drought and Water
Conservation Related Videos:
There are a bunch of things you can do to fine tune your irrigation system that not only save water but help prevent over-watering related diseases and insects -these videos touch on several of these methods.
Greening the Desert revisited - YouTube (Quite Fascinating)
Water Smart Tips - Understanding ET Rates - YouTube (Using ET rates can save you water AND make your landscape healthier)
Friday, July 11, 2014
Perfumery Tour Links
Here are links to subjects covered by
this Saturday's perfume tour:
Scientific Articles on Scemt
- University of North Carolina Perfume Class Syllabus
- Why Certain Smells Trigger Positive Memories | Psychology Today
- The Science of Scent | Psychology Today
- Luca Turin
- Luca Turin is an accomplished perfumer and a maverick biologists whose theories on scent and scent perception were at first rejected and are now being embraced by the scientific community.
- Luca Turin: The science of scent | Talk Video | TED.com
- BBC Documentary on the Perfume Industry
- Part 1 The history of perfumes.
- Part 2 The current state of the perfume industry (go to 20:20 for a very interesting vignette on perfume design and memory).
- Part 3 The future of the perfume industry.
- Perfume Notes
- Fragranica.com notes page
- Do It Yourself Perfume
- Perfumers Apprentice Perfume Kits for Learning the Basics
- Essential Oils (K-L) - Essential Oils & Extracts - Our Products
- A to K Certified Pure Essential Oils - Wholesale Supplies Plus
- Perfume General
- Basenotes - independent online guide to 20,000+ fragrances, with articles, fragrance news, fragrance reviews and more...
- Allergies and Perfume
- Allergic reactions trigger blow to perfume industry | euronews, reporter
- BoDD (Botanical Dermatology Database) Home Page; for looking up plant allergies.
- Perfumers Who Took the Tour
- Roxana Illuminated Perfume: We were privileged to have Roxana, a natural perfumer, on the tour with us. Roxana detailed the fascinating creative process she goes through in designing a perfume.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Machete Time
Q. I live in Senior Mobile Home Park in Orange County. I have three exceedingly large agaves which the park owners want me to remove. They are spiny and intimidating. What's the best way to get rid of them?
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| Danny Trejo in 'Machete Kills' courtesy of IMBD.com |
To answer this question I took some inspiration from a movie hero who is also spiny and intimidating: Danny Trejo's 'Machete'.
After you've cut all the leaves (which at certain times of the year can be roasted and eaten) off you are left with a pineapple-shaped agave heart. You can do one of two things:
- Dig out the 'pineapple', and throw it in the trash, or if not small enough to fit in the barrels, take the whole mess to a landfill; composting the fibrous leaves and heart can be impossible unless you have a chipper that can deal with palm leaves.
- Dig out the 'pineapple' and roast it in an appropriate sized fire (please check local fire regulations first) until it is heated through and through. Chop open the 'pineapple', scoop out the wet pulp (see the 'Cooking with a Broad' blog entry detailing this), strain it, ferment it, and enjoy the mexican alcoholic drink 'pulque'. After you've had your fill of pulque take your machete, raise it in the air and yell "MACHETE!" Make sure your machete is stashed away and your hands are out in the open when the police arrive.
Links:
Saturday, July 5, 2014
How Do I Tame a Pushy Mushroom?
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| Mushroom, probably a Pisolithus sp., cracking through solid asphalt. |
Q. Once every year or two, this guy devised to push
up, right through the asphalt in our parking lot. In the past we have dug out
what we could and patched the asphalt.
Any suggestions? Is there an anti-fungal or something we could spray to knock it back before it pushes up more asphalt?
A. The mushroom is probably a Pisolithus species (commonly known as the 'Dog Turd Fungus' for its passing resemblance to canine excreta). The fungus
that produces the mushroom lives in and on tree roots and is a ‘mycorrhizal’
mushroom that benefits the tree by helping it to absorb nutrients and fight off
infestation of disease causing fungi. You have three options as there is no
known fungicide that will kill it -and some fungicides, like Benomyl, actually make it stronger:
- 1. Remove the tree that provides the root for the mycorrhizal mushroom to grow on. This could be a problem if there are more than one candidates or the tree provides much needed shade.
- 2. Replace your asphalt with concrete. I have yet to see one penetrate through more than 3" of reinforced concrete.
- 3. Keep replacing the asphalt and consider the mushroom’s appearance evidence of the tenacity of nature.
Spot treatment with bleach, creosote or some other grossly toxic
agent? Since the fungus is present on and in most of the roots of the host tree you might be playing ‘Whack-a-mole' with it until you've killed off enough of your trees roots to cause some serious damage -to your trees.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Thursday, June 12, 2014
New Smartphone App Could Help Bring Tours to Your Smartphone
Voyzee is an smartphone app that lets you create voice over narrated slide shows using pictures and videos from your smart phone. I did a beta trial here: Voyzee narrated slide show. Let me know what you think, and what you'ld like to see in the way of these types of slide shows.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
A Great Primer on Tree Law and Tree Bureaucracy
While looking up details on the County of Los Angeles' oak ordinance I came across a great article on trees and litigation. It also contains some great tips for dealing with governmental agencies when it comes to trees and tree trimming issues.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
The Thrilla from Attila
Succulent expert and Australian garden designer Attila Kapitany gave a talk last Thursday night at the San Gabriel Valley Cactus and Succulent Society meeting. It was fascinating and it embraced what is sure to become a trend here: using succulent plants not as museum pieces but as design elements for a new paradigm of water conserving art that until now has been called 'landscaping'.
Using the textures, colors, shapes and emotional impact of succulent plants he toured us through a plethora of different outdoor design elements that are becoming popular in Australia and, in my opinion, are the key to the future of landscaping here in Southern California. Here is a video of Attila talking about these different design elements (FYI video has wind/audio problems):
Using the textures, colors, shapes and emotional impact of succulent plants he toured us through a plethora of different outdoor design elements that are becoming popular in Australia and, in my opinion, are the key to the future of landscaping here in Southern California. Here is a video of Attila talking about these different design elements (FYI video has wind/audio problems):
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Links for Fruit Tree Tour
Fruit & Rare Fruit
- California Rare Fruit Growers is a horticultural society that meets here at the Arboretum; if you have over 5 fruit trees it pays to be a member: California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.
- There website has an extensive list of growers of rare fruit: CRFG Member Nurseries and Fruit Sources
- Here's an example of a grower in San Diego who carries both rare fruit and palm trees: J.D. Andersen Nursery
- University of California Riverside has an extensive avocado web site that has descriptions of many avocado varietes: UCR Avocado Page
- L.E. Cooke is not the only game in town when it comes to wholesale fruit trees; but there web site is chock full of information:
- L.E. Cooke Company - Welcome to L.E. Cooke Co
- L.E. Cooke Full Catalog
- And here are two links you'll find very useful:
- Chill Calculators - Fruit & Nut Research and Information Center
- U.C. Davis - Fruit & Nut Research and Information Center
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Links for May 1st CAPCA Talk
PSHB Links
10.Mycologia Article about PSHB Associated
Fusarium: Sign In
16.Review of Bark and Ambrosia Beetles in
California: essig.berkeley.edu/documents/cis/cis16.pdf
17.Review on Effects of Climate Change on Ambrosia Beetle
Populations: Review - Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology - Tom 14, Numer
2 (2011) - Biblioteka Nauki - Yadda
18.Winter 2013 PSHB Update: www.californiaavocadogrowers.com/sites/default/files/documents/2013
Winter PSHB Update.pdf
19.Update on PSHB Vietnamese Connection: PSHB Exploration in Vietnam | California Avocado Commission
20.CAC Research Update: Research | California Avocado Commission
24.Article on Huntington Botanic Garden
Participation in PSHB Research: huntingtonblogs.org
25.Thermal Imaging and Pest Control: IR Thermography for the Pest Management Professional
Red Haired Pine Bark Beetle Links
27.Red Haired Pine Bark Beetle Handout: https://fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5332562.pdf
29.US Forest Service Handout on Red Haired Bark
Beetle: www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/pest_al/redhaired/red_haired_bark_beetle.pdf
32.IPM for Home Gardeners Handout on Bark Beetles: ucanr.edu/sites/sjcoeh/files/77067.pdf
Global Warming Ambrosia Beetle Link Paper
Global Warming Ambrosia Beetle Link Paper
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