New tree to the South of South House

Dear House,

There is currently a large Australian Cherry (does not actually produce cherries) tree to the south of south house.  This tree is in competition with the house foundation and consequently must go.  There are a few options for what to do with the space post tree removal and I am looking for feedback from the house.  The purpose of this blog post is to create a forum for discussion so please comment if you have an opinion.

The options as I see them are:

1- to plant another large tree in place of the one being taken out, but further away from the house
2- to plant a smaller tree
3- to not plant a tree, which will increase the amount of sunlight to that area making it easier to grow other ornamental plants.

My recommendation is option 1.  Here are some trees that might suit the space.

Liriodendron tulipifera- Tulip Tree

This tree, even with a full canopy, would let in a fair amount of light. 

Magnolia graniflora- Magnolia

A Magnolia graniflora would compliment the row of magnolias that the people across the street have.

Melaleuca styphelioides- Black Tea Tree

this tree gets pretty tall.  its all about the peeling bark

Aesculus californica- California Buckeye

A CA native.  This tree doesn't get that tall really, but I have to include it because its my favorite.  Its shape is also unpredictable.

Alnus rhombifolia- White Alder

I also really like this one, a CA native.  It has cool catkins and white bark.  This tree is normally found in riparian habitats so it might require more water.

Quarcus suber- Cork Oak

Yes, this is the tree that cork comes from.   They are all over the UC Davis campus and look beautiful there.  I've seen multiple specimens around Berkeley that look very healthy as well.

 

 

Braided Garlic

While our adventures in braiding our garlic harvest did not always yield the most aesthetically perfect products, our garlic braids provided an effective way to store and dry our garlic in preparation for use. When the garlic heads were very small, we combined 2 or 3 into each strand. We braided the strands together while they were still damp. We hung our strands in a cool, dry place (the co-op storage closet) before use.

Gardening in the winter months: Lessons Learned

To Bay Area Gardeners: Beware of planting during the winter months (especially late November thru early January). The cold soil temperatures and lack of sunlight does not bode well for direct seeding into the soil. Whether it be a hardy winter veggie or cover crop, we had a hard time getting things established when planted mid-season. Add in the bountiful rain season due to the strong hit of La Nina's jet stream.

Click HERE for more info on the effects of La Nina across the country, and click HERE to find out what it means for NorCal. Basically, it's a crap shoot of whether our winter will be wet or dry during La Nina. This year, it was strong enough to pummel NorCal with heavy rains, in weaker years the bay area will take on the drier qualities of the Southwest.

Western Sword Fern

I just bought nine Polystichum munitum, commonly known as the Western Sword Fern.  This fern is a typical understory element in a redwood forest or woodland and is native to California.  They will be planted below the plum tree to the North of South House.  The leaves are evergreen, leathery and finely serrated.  I love the look of the mature plants spores on the underside of the leaves, which you can see in the image below.  The Western Sword Fern looks similar to the Southern Sword Fern, the Nephrolepis cordifolia, as both are in the Polypodiaceae family.  However, the Western Sword Fern can be distinguished by these full circle spores.


Image originally uploaded by June Beetle

Yellow Flag Iris

One member of our house gifted a water dwelling plant from Santa Cruz's Antonelli Pond recently.  He says "thank you for setting up the Yellow Flag Iris in the water feature: I'm sure the fish love it, especially little White-nose who is my favorite."

Don't be fooled by its humble appearance, the Yellow Flag Iris is actually illegal in several states due to its invasive nature.  Since there is little risk of the plant "spreading downstream" in our little fish pond I see no reason why we shouldn't keep it, especially if it does well since its so hard to grow plants in that pond.  Besides the fish really do need protection from the wildlife and Eleanor the cat.

Images taken from http://www.chicagobotanic.org/research/conservation/invasive/iris_pseudacorus.php

Midterm Votes of Confidence

Thank you everyone who responded. Thank you for the compliments and I'll try to address all of your concerns. I really appreciate feedback, including constructive criticism! This is your garden, after all.  

# votes	rating
11	Outstanding
15	Exceeds Expectations
2	Acceptable
0	Poor
0	Dreadful

Comments:

the garden is beautiful

great gardens

bok choy!

teaching us how to pick things in the garden and recognize delicious herbs

can we get a pomegranate tree?

Labels! Announcements at Council about what to harvest and how to do it.

More Labels!

great great job in the front yard. looks fantastic.

still having trouble navigating around the garden. How can I find out more about what's growing where?

Yummy freshly picked gardens foodstuffs inside. Labeling stuff in the garden.

Keep reminding us what we have in the garden ot pick ourselves.

gardened, death triangle looks good

more garden parties Considered aesthetics and tastiness simultaneously. Fewer tomatoes... the tomatoes we get from the garden are mostly not that tasty and mostly go to waste. More biodiversity at hip! Garden looks lovely! She's also helped a great deal to make the front of SoHo look better. Let's install some point-leaf plants around SoHo! :)

Image of Asarum Caudatum in the Triangle of Death

Fall Harvest