The Price of Beauty

A well-trimmed tree is a work of art. My neighbor has hers pruned every couple of years by her gardener.  This weekend, the crew showed up and did their magic.

The Japanese elm looks magnificent. Feathery, open, airy, without looking chopped.

The next morning, however, I go out to my patio and see this.  Seems like my walkway bore a bit of the brunt of their work.

No worries...when the gardener showed up for his regular Wednesday mow and trim, I pointed it out. He was over with a leaf blower immediately afterward.

Darryl
Copyright 2015 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Citrus

Fall weather has finally arrived here in Southern California which means there's just a hint of cool in the very dry air. The leaves are turning brown (no color here) and they'll soon drop.

Winter's arrival means that citrus season is here. At the top of this post is a little bit of our harvest from last year, cara cara navel oranges and Meyer lemons.

This is our "citrus grove," consisting of three dwarf citrus trees...

...the Meyer lemon...

...the cara cara navel...

...and this rescue of a tangelo that was near death when I got it last year and nursed it back to health.

I get a few fruit each year but nothing like friends and family that have old trees in their yards that they don't even pay attention to and, yet, get hundreds of fruit that end up rotting on the ground.

 

I try to ignore mine and get even less fruit. The leaves shrivel and get mottled, so I treat 'em well, they look better, and I get a few fruit but not much.

Still trying to figure this citrus thing out. I fertilize every two weeks, water regularly, and treat with ironite once a year and the harvest doesn't change much.

Hmm...one of these days.

Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

The Mother of All Oranges

The Cheapskate and his family are on the road this weekend but found something interesting for us and all you other gardeners out there.

 

  This is the Parent Navel Orange Tree in Riverside, California.

Brought to the city in 1870 from Bahia, Brazil, this is the original seedless wonder. All navel orange trees in California are clones from this original tree.

Propagated by cuttings and grafting, it started a big industry here in the state. One of two original trees, this is the one left standing, the other was transplanted by Teddy Roosevelt at the Mission Inn Hotel but it soon died and was cut up and sold as souvenirs.

Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

Plants That Will Never Be In My Garden...Figs

Sometimes it might seem that my garden evolves in a haphazard way...just put something in the ground and see what happens. Actually, I do try to at least pick the proper plant for the proper area. I'm continually telling my wife when we're at the garden center to figure out where a plant will go in our limited space before she puts it in the cart.

Some plants I just won't allow. King among those is the ficus, the family of fig trees.

Oh, they can be pretty trees. Few cast more cool shade than a common fig but watch out...it can have ghastly consequences when put in the wrong place.

The city of Los Angeles is currently facing a $1.5 billion dollar bill for fixing sidewalks throughout the city that have been destroyed by figs.  They are also trying to figure out a way to get homeowners to pay for it and get the city off of the hook.

You see, figs have very strong, vigorous, and just slightly sub-surface roots. Strong enough to destroy a sidewalk...strong enough to destroy a house (which I've seen happen too).

They're also messy and, since they're so shady, can stop anything else from growing underneath it.

The Federal Building in L.A. has figured that Jacarandas work better with their sidewalks

I would not plant a ficus anywhere that I didn't have at least 50 feet of open space in all directions from the tree.

So, for this cheapskate, no figgin' ficus trees in my tiny little garden.

Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved