Guadalupe Gardens springs into bloom
By Tony Tomeo
The various demonstration gardens in Guadalupe Gardens are always of horticultural interest. On Saturday, April 29, the annual Spring in Guadalupe Gardens festival will be an excellent opportunity to not only tour these interesting gardens, but also enjoy many other exhibits which only come to the gardens once a year.
The Heritage Rose Garden will be at the height of its bloom, which is an event of its own. The new Recycled Water Demonstration Garden is now open to visitors. Walking tours of the Historic Orchard and the Guadalupe River Park north of Coleman Avenue will be offered throughout the day, as well as children's gardening activities. There also will be plants to purchase from a variety of specialty growers.
Gardening experts, myself included, will be available to answer specific gardening questions. (I hope to meet many of you there.) Representatives of South Bay Water Recycling will answer questions about the effects of recycled water on a variety of plants. The Santa Clara Valley Water District will offer waterwise gardening tips; and the City of San Jose's Environmental Services Department will provide information on integrated pest management. There will even be live blue grass (Festuca ovina glauca) music by the Grass Menagerie.
Spring in Guadalupe Gardens will take place in Columbus Park, at Spring and Taylor Streets in San Jose, between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Admission is free and parking is plentiful. A free shuttle bus will be available throughout the day to transport people to and from San Jose Beautiful's EarthDay celebration at Arena Green. More information, a list of vendors and other activities may be found at www.grpg.org.
Hopefully, spring is quite eventful in our home gardens. Unfortunately, profuse blooms that many of us strive for also brings pollen. The worst of allergy season is over; but people react differently to various pollen. Therefore, allergies may be a problem any time of year. If allergies are a concern, it is helpful to know which plant species are more likely to cause problems. Of course there is no way to rate all plant species for allergy potential, but mode of pollination is very relevant to how pollen gets from flowers to us to cause problems.
Flowers do not produce pollen to bother people, but to survive. Various modes of distribution are employed by flowers to accomplish this. Generally, plants which produce small, profuse flowers rely on wind to carry their pollen. Because such pollen is designed to be easily carried, it is very fine and light, the worst kind for allergies. The various species of ceanothus and acacias are classic examples of wind pollinated plant species which produce very penetrating pollen.
Many large conifers, such as firs are actually gravity pollinated, meaning that male flowers are produced high in the canopy so that pollen may fall onto female flowers lower in canopies of surrounding trees.
Plants which produce fewer large flowers or very fragrant flowers are generally not as much of a problem. These flowers are designed to attract specific vectors to deliver heavier pollen that is designed to adhere to the vector and not be lost to the wind. Of course, many species, such as apples, attract vectors and use wind pollination, and some species use various pollinators. Everyone knows how effective bees are, but flowers may also attract hummingbirds, ants, bats or even flies, which explains the foul stench of the voodoo lily. If allergies are a problem, serious consideration should be given to how each species in bloom at the time behaves, before blaming the most obvious flowers.
Flower of the Week: Impatiens
Impatiens, Impatiens wallerana a.k.a. buzy lizzie (I didn't name them!) is a classic, very showy spring and summer perennial usually grown as an annual. In this area, they may be planted as soon as they become available in the nurseries, and thrive in warm weather as long as they are not permitted to dry out.
Although they may be grown from seed or cutting, they are inexpensive and perform best when planted from small cell packs. Because they grow so fast, extra expense should not be wasted on "jumbo" packs, which may look larger, but are only a few days older than cell packs. Individual 4" (potted) plants cost as much as six plants in a cell pack, but are very useful for landscape maintenance companies which want to easily increase their profits.
Plants are somewhat tender and do not tolerate rough treatment. (You can ask Brent about the L.A. Times that missed the porch.) Full sun is tolerated part of the day if surroundings absorb glare, but part shade is preferred. They also appreciate rich soil with good moisture retention and good drainage. They are useful in pots, planter boxes or mass plantings.
Double flowered varieties are interesting, but not as profuse. Individual flowers are actually only about 1 to 2 inches wide, but almost cover the plants. Colors include red, scarlet, pink, rose, lavender, purple, orange and white. Some varieties produce striped or variegated flowers. Flats or cell packs of single colors may be found, but mixed colors are most common. Some modern varieties are limited to 12 inches tall, but most will get as high as two feet if grown in shade and not cut back.
Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at 408.358.2574.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
