Wildflower: Phacelia campanularia (California Bluebell)

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Plant Name: Phacelia campanularia
Common names:  California-bluebell,
Desertbells, Desert bluebells,
Desert Scorpionweed, and Desert
Canterbury Bells
Plant type: Hardy Annual
Family: Member of the borage family
Height: 12 inches
Flower Color:  Blue
Exposure: Full sun
Blooms:  February – June
Soil: Sharply drained (sandy or granitic soil) , can tolerate other soils but needs good drainage
Water: Low – (arid climate plant)
Note: Grows in very arid environments; Adapts easily to gardens; not winter hardy but can reseed.
Attributes: Heart-shaped leaves, Vibrant Blue Color, Showy bell-shaped flowers, blooms in clusters
Uses: Wildflower gardens, Natural Gardens, Containers, Rock Gardens, Water-wise Gardens, Mass Plantings
Native to: Western USA
USDA Zone: 3-10

Report by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Random Gardening Tips

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Sweet Williams

To Attract Butterflies:  Plant these in your garden – Asters, Buddleja, Sweet William, Mexican Sunflower ((Tithonia rotundifolia), Milkweed, & Pipevine.

 

Tomato Tip: Help tomatoes pollinate by flicking each bloom with a fingernail during the driest part of the day, two or three times per week.  Shake big plants to spread their sticky pollen.

SALVIA guaranitica

Deer Problems: Are critters causing trouble in your garden?  Try deer-and rabbit-resistant perennial flowers including, agastache, artemisia, lavender, monarda, ornamental oregano, Russian sage, salvia, & yarrow.

 

 Iris Care: In the spring when tulips are blooming in your    neighborhood apply a light application of low-nitrogen fertilizers (6-10-10). Apply a second light application about a month after bloom; this will reward you with good growth and bloom. Avoid using anything high in nitrogen. After tall-bearded irises stop blooming, cut off spent flower stalks to promote new rhizome growth.

Rhododendrons: Immediately after bloom, prune rhododendrons to control size and shape.  Cut each stem back to just above a rosette of leaves.  Most varieties of garden-scale rhododendrons aren’t harmed by hard pruning.

Forget-me-not

Annual Flowers: If you like color & can embrace a little chaos, sow reseeding flowers including:  Blue Honeywort, Forget-me-not, Golden Feverfew, Love-in-a-mist, Sunflower & Sweet Alyssum.  These unfussy, drought-tolerant annuals will cheerily pop up for years to come.

Mulch: Maintaining a 3” layer of organic mulch throughout the garden prevents crusting & cracking of the soil surface, holds in moisture, encourages earthworms, moderates ground temperature, & prevents weeds from germinating.

Potted Plants: Feed potted specimens at least monthly with liquid fertilizer; They need it because increased summer watering washes nutrients out before plants can use them.

Pieris Japonica

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This is a Pieris Japonica I bought at the Jackson County Master Garden Fair in a one gallon container about 7 or 8 years ago. The new growth is always this stunning pink color. At first, when I saw it I thought it was a cross between a Pieris and an Azalea. ~ Jeanne Arago, AGC Member

Pieris Japonica

Horticulture Report: 
 
Plant Name: Pieris Japonica, Japanese Andromeda, Japanese Pieris 
Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Height: 4 -8 feet
Spread: 3 to 6 feet
Bloom Time: April
Bloom Color: White
Exposure: Full sun (in northern climates)  Part to Full Shade (elsewhere)
Water: Medium
Attributes: Showy Flowers, Colorful Foliage, Evergreen, Winter Interest
Tolerates: Deer, Heavy Shade
USDA Zone: 5 to 8
 
Best grown in organically rich, slightly acidic, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun (see above) to part or full shade. Weakened plants due to hot summer stress may cause to to succumb to a harsh winter. It grows best in locations sheltered from wind with some afternoon shade. Remove spent flowers immediately after bloom.

Douglas Asters

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Botanical Name: Aster Symphyotrichum subspicatum
Common Name: Douglas Aster
Plant Type:Perennial
Height: Up to 4 ft
Spread: 3-4 ft
Flower Color: Yellow, Violet
Blooms: Summer into late Fall
Exposure: Full Sun – Part Shade
Soil: Moist &Rich, but will tolerate a variety of soils.
Water Needs: Medium
Wildlife: Host for 7 Butterfly & Moths species!
Habitat: Moist lowlands
Uses:Attracts Butterflies, Pollinator Gardens, Perennial Gardens, Native Gardens, and along Stream banks.
Native: Northwest USA
USDA Zones: 6a-9b

Photo from: https://klamathsiskiyouseeds.com/product/symphyotrichum-subspicatum-douglas-aster/

April: Vegetable Gardening

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Vegetables you can plant in April  (NOTE: May 15th is the last average frost date in Ashland, of course this depends on your elevation)

Beets: Plant in two week intervals through June

Broccoli: Early varieties plant April to mid-May.

Brussels sprout: April through May. In late June start seeds for August transplanting. 

Cabbage: April through May 15th

Bush beans: April 15th through July  

Pole Beans: Wait until May! Plant through June

Carrots: Direct seed until June 15th

Cauliflower: Direct seed until May 31.

Chard: Direct seed until May 30th, then again in August/September for winter harvest

Chives: All month

Collards & Kale: All month, then again mid-July through September for October and winter harvest.

Leeks: Plant through May for winter harvest

Lettuce & Endive: Starts can be planted all month.

Onions: Plant by April 30th

Peas:  Plant enation-resistant varieties up until May 15th

Radishes: Direct seed by April 15th

Rhubarb: All month 

Spinach: Slow bolting varieties ( New Zealand Spinach) April 15 to 30th 

Wildflower Seed balls For Butterflies

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What are seed balls?
Introduced in the 70s, seed balls are a form of “guerilla gardening” whereby seeds, soil and clay are mixed together into tidy germination bombs that are said to have an 80% higher success rate than simply broadcasting seeds onto soil.  Adding red potters’ clay to the mix protects the seeds from being blown away by wind or consumed by insects or birds.   Generally, seedballs don’t require watering and you should NOT bury or plant them.  Simply toss them in a vacant lot, your front yard, or a wildscape situation like a ranch or roadside.  Wait for the rain to melt away the clay casing, and nature will do the rest.

Texas Butterfly Ranch Seed ball Recipe

3 parts local soil or potting soil
1 – 2 parts red potter’s clay powder, also known as “terracotta powder” at pottery supply stores
1 part native wildflower seeds
Water, as needed.

Newspaper and cookie sheets for drying seedballs, and  Stainless steel bowls or pots for mixing

Assemble ingredients.

  • Mix soil, clay and wildflower seeds together in bowl.  Mix well.
  • Add water to attain dough-like consistency, much like tart or pie dough
  • Pinch off or use spoon to grab gumball-sized amounts of the mix.  Roll between your palms to get round form.  Drop onto newspaper covered cookie sheet to dry.
  • Sprinkle generously with red chile pepper.  Let set for 24 hours.
  • Once the seedballs set up, usually after 24 hours, store them in paper bags for later use or toss them right away.  Remember to use only native seeds for wildscaping situations.

SOURCE

http://texasbutterflyranch.com/2011/12/20/happy-winter-solstice-celebrate-with-

seedballs-a-recipe-and-step-by-step-directions-on-how-to-make-them/

Photo: Herder3 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)