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Not just for English gardens, English daisies are popular small perennials with simple but attractive flowers.
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The Internet's a good place to do research on arborists
By Tony Tomeo
I still am not quite accustomed to using the Internet. Horticultural concerns are so regional that one must be very selective about information that may come from anywhere in the world. What may be relevant in one climate zone may be completely irrelevant in the Santa Clara Valley. In fact, I was recently informed that an article about diseases associated with coast live oaks was copied in a newspaper in Portland, Ore., even though the natural range of the species does not extend north of Sonoma County.
Occasionally, I find something interesting on the Net. The website www.californiaoaks.org, for example, is an interesting one that may be of interest to oak enthusiasts. I have also used the Net to access catalogues of other wholesale nurseries in order to find various North American maples that are somewhat rare here. Some mail-order retail catalogues may also be accessed. Most recently, I found the website for the International Society of Arboriculture, www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com.
For those of us involved in the arboricultural industries, this website is useful for informing us of the various functions of the ISA. However, the site may also be useful to garden enthusiasts who require the services of qualified arborists. A list of local ISA-certified arborists may be obtained simply by providing a ZIP code. Contact information usually pertains to the tree service establishment with which each arborist is associated. (My listing may seem elusive, because I am listed as Jerald A. Tomeo.)
I was pleased to find this site because there are so many more certified arborists than I was aware of, so I can always locate qualified professionals for clients who require tree maintenance. Those in need of tree work may also access the list to select an arborist directly. It is important to know that there is a wide range of tree maintenance businesses. Some are better equipped for larger jobs involving many trees, but a few specialize in smaller jobs.
Only contact information is listed, so it may be helpful to discuss each situation with a few arborists. For example, tree service establishments that specialize primarily in efficient electrical line clearance, often called "hackers," may employ certified arborists. However, their staff may not be the most qualified for very specialized work.
I cannot adequately stress the importance of proper tree maintenance procedures. Many of the mature trees I inspect have been severely damaged or completely destroyed by individuals who were employed to correct tree problems. It appalls me to think that these people were paid well only to damage the investment they were hired to protect.
More than in any other horticultural industry, anyone can acquire a pickup truck and a chainsaw and call themselves an arborist. This is why certified arborists are the most desirable. Although there are a few qualified arborists who are not certified, those who are certified have at least expressed interest in excelling at their profession.
Most trees are dormant through autumn and winter, so this is the best time of year to have tree work done. However, some arborists prefer to work on deciduous trees in mid-summer because the foliage indicates which parts of the trees are stressed. In early spring, newly emerging buds of deciduous trees are very delicate, so pruning should either be done earlier in winter or in summer after the new branches have matured.
Perennial of the Week: English daisy
Many years ago, an eccentric gardener at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park "plugged" English daisy, Bellis perennis, into many of the lawns throughout the park like dichondra. It proliferated and became an integral part of the landscape. Application of selective broadleaf herbicides through the years have been unsuccessful at eradicating it. Although some consider it a weed, others appreciate the ornamental quality, reminiscent of Golden Gate Park in the 1960s and 70s.
Modern varieties are not as invasive, and more practical for garden use. The perennial foliar rosettes are composed of dark green leaves about two inches long. Mature clumps are only a few inches tall. Most of the contemporary varieties produce white, pink, rose or red double flowers with yellow centers, held above the foliage on 3- to 6-inch stems.
Single flowering varieties are rarely available, but are usually limited to white; they may also be more invasive. Flowers appear in spring and early summer, but many may be seen in nurseries now through winter. English daisies prefer good soil and regular irrigation. They are useful planted in areas where bulbs are grown so that they may fill in as the bulbs finish their bloom cycles.
Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at 408.358.2574.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
