December 12, 2008 in Important to Us, Plants | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I don't know about you all, but I am loving this rain. It is simply satisfying. My newly planted veggies, Meyer lemon and Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snow Queen' (as well as all the others) are so happy. Their eager thirst is being quenched and I can see that they are relishing in the steady, drops of drink. Being that we are in a drought, I know that this rain is in dire need. Our aquifers, crops, gardens, groundwater can begin to replenish. Our air can get refreshed and we can start to retreat indoors for the wet, cold, replenishing weather.
November 03, 2008 in Important to Us | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Gladys and her husband, Marv, moved from the Central Valley to Santa Cruz over fifty years ago. After building a house along a forested bank of Branciforte creek they commissioned local landscape architect, Roy Rydell, to design a garden around their house. Gladys said that they had requested a low-maintenance garden since Marv was concentrating his attention on establishing his medical practice and Gladys’ was directing all her energy on raising their children. The garden that Roy Rydell designed was all that they had asked for. There was plenty of paving and lawn for the children to play on and a large cantilevered deck overhanging the slope going down to the creek.
Roy had used a basic palette of easy, undemanding plants including a few Japanese maples. Gladys was so impressed by the elegance and grace of the maples that she asked Roy if she could plant a few more. He told her that it would be fine with him. Gladys said that after that her passion for maples snowballed. She now cares for what is probably the largest collection of Japanese maple cultivars in the Monterey Bay area if not the entire Central Coast.
Besides the Japanese maples she has filled the woods around her house with dogwoods, Chinese pistache, crape myrtles, redbuds, smoke trees, Parrotia and persimmons along with several other species of Acer. Beneath all these trees are azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias and ferns. The native redwood sorrel and wild gingers are part of the groundcover.
Gladys says that the big show is in the spring. This time of year there is plenty of fall color overhead and underfoot as the deciduous trees go out in a blaze of glory.
October 28, 2008 in Important to Us, Plants | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
We are in a drought, which means serious lack of water and very dry land, so we need to be hyper aware of fire safety. The following is an excerpt from the California Native Plant Society Newsletter.
"'Wildfires In California'
Over one thousand wildfires have started in the California this fire season. Santa Cruz County has already seen three significant fires in forests and the wildland-urban interface, causing the loss of homes, pets, and livestock. As we mourn these losses, please pause to consider: since future fires are a certainty, take another look at the fire safety of your own residence and neighborhood, especially if you live near a naturally wooded, shrubby, or grassy area. The local Resource Conservation District has several publications written specifically for Santa Cruz county, including a recent tip sheet “Post Summit Fire Restoration: Do's and Don'ts About Post Fire Restoration” as well as the brochure “Living with Fire in Santa Cruz County.” The other sources below also contain useful information from a wider perspective.
Please click here for the Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation website.
Click here for information on a Fire Toolkit.
Click here for an NPR story of fireproof homes.
Click here for information on firewise communities.
Photo courtesy of our wonderful resident photographer, Danielle Marquis 2008.
July 07, 2008 in Important to Us | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
There are many things that we can around our homes to ensure that we are not using more water than we need to. The following lists a number of Water Waste Prevention tips.
1. Check for hidden leaks. A faucet that is dripping slowly yet steadily can waste 100s to 1000s of gallons per month. Try replacing worn washers to fix the leak.
2. While you are waiting for the water warm up so you can wash your face or do your dishes, put a gallon jug under the faucet and then use that water for around the house. Your houseplants may be thirsty or maybe even you are.
3. When you brush your teeth, always turn off the tap. When you need to rinse your mouth out use a cup and only use the tap to rinse the brush.
4. While you are in the shower, turn the water off while you soap up or shampoo your hair and then only turn the water back on to rinse.
5. If you, like myself, do not have the luxury of a low water use dishwasher, when washing your dishes by hand, fill the sink and dip dishes to rinse, instead of running the water.
6. Fill a bowl with water to wash any fruits or vegetables.
7. Only use your garbage disposal when necessary. Instead, compost your food waste. Many city's trash collection companies now take compost. For more information please click here.
The above information is brought to you by the wonderful East Bay Municipal Utility District aka EBMUD (the great organization that came out with the book Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates of the San Francisco Bay Region. To visit EBMUD's website please click here.
June 24, 2008 in Important to Us | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The first tip in creating a drought tolerant garden is to choose the right plants. Most people want their garden to be beautiful and healthy all year long and you can do that with ease by choosing drought tolerant plants. Unfortunately drought tolerants have gotten a bad rap in the past. There has been a misconception that they are brown and woody and unattractive, which is of course, false. So when planning your garden be sure to choose sun worshipers such as plants that are accustomed to a Mediterranean climate. These plants are accustomed to little water and still create a gorgeous and oftentimes dramatic look. In general, plants that have silvery or grey leaves are drought tolerant.
The following list will help you create a wonderful water saving garden.
June 20, 2008 in Important to Us, Plants | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
So as you all know, we are officially in a drought state. Drought raises many crucial issues, such as raising awareness in us all to be wary of our own personal water usage. Lack of water creates so many problems like a rise in extreme fire danger, possible loss of crops, loss of lush gardens, rationed drinking water and all around water crises. Many water districts have mandated water rationing and to help do your part, we will be doing a series of entries on Drought proofing your garden and your life. We will cover topics such as choosing drought tolerant plants, creating shade,
irrigation advice, water saving tips for the home and So stay tuned!
June 16, 2008 in Important to Us | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

A garden group that I frequent went on recent garden tour in the Anderson Valley. It was a great tour and flaunted a wonderful group of gardens. Please continue reading for an account of my garden adventure.
We started at the Anderson Valley Nursery and it has a beautiful Italian olive cultivars and the best
looking Aristolochia californica I've ever seen. We then went to the weekend (or summer) house belonging to a couple from the Peninsula. They (must) have a caretaker or local gardener that takes care of the place for them. There was nothing particularly spectacular about it, but it was comfortable and well kept. It was planted mostly with the usual sturdy, low maintenance, drought-tolerant plants, except for the roses. I can see it being a very nice spot to escape to. Actually all of the Anderson Valley is a
nice place to escape to. It is amazingly quiet. And I can't blame the locals for wanting to keep it that way.
The plants got more interesting at Walden and Ginger Valens garden in Boonville. Walden explained that it was a plant collectors garden. It was pretty much one of this and one of that. Some of the plants were
pretty neat and there was an attempt at thematic coherence. Ginger has a heavy addiction to garden decoration. Next we went wine tasting at Golden Eye Winery. It has a pleasantly landscaped terrace that doesn't compete with the view over the vineyard to the forested hills beyond.
May 29, 2008 in Important to Us | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
PLANT SALE!
April 12th and 13th
8am-5pm
Silver Tree Designs is pleased to announce the opening of our new nursery, Silver Leaf Nursery. This weekend, April 12th and 13th, is our grand opening to the public. We offer a wonderful assortment of unusual and beautiful plants for your landscape. Silver Leaf Nursery is a private nursery, however, we will continue to be open to the public for occasional weekend and weekday sales. Just look for the large yellow 'Plant Sale' sign at the corner of Mt. Hermon Rd. and La Madrona Dr. in Scotts Valley and follow the arrows. If you have any questions or inquiries, please call Cathy at 831.419.5359. or visit the Nursery website at www.silverleafplants.com. You will find our current inventory list, plant descriptions as well as plant images on the website.
April 08, 2008 in Gardens to Visit/Travel, Important to Us, Plants | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
At the January meeting of the California Horticultural Society Jennifer Hernandez PhD student and Dr. Gordon Frankie PhD, Division of Insect Biology in College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley gave a presentation on the various bees that are native to California and their potential to be the pollinators for the various commercial crops that feed us both directly and indirectly. The traditional pollinator has been the introduced European honey bee, but honey bee populations have suddenly and dramatically declined due to the mysterious CCD or Colony Collapse Disorder.
The consequences of CCD have not been lost on California’s enormous agricultural industry which has been dependent on the services of the honey bee to produce the fruit and vegetables that eventually make their way to our tables. The industry, grant money in hand, went to Dr. Frankie’s team of researchers for help.
Native bees have not been affected by CCD and Dr. Frankie’s team of researchers have been studying the many native species to find the ones that can be coaxed out of the wild and put to work in commercial orchards and fields.
Jennifer and Dr. Frankie emphasized that if wild bees are provided with a suitable habitat they can also thrive in urban areas where they will pollinate fruit trees and vegetable gardens. For more information on making a garden more inviting to native bees please click here.
More information about CCD is available at the USDA Agricultural Resource Service site please click here.
Pictured above: The native bee, Agopostemon texanus pollinating in our state flower Eschscholzia californica.
January 28, 2008 in Important to Us | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)