Willow Glen, California Since 1992
Gardening
The San Jose Heritage Rose Garden needs help. Regularly scheduled volunteer workdays are normally sufficient to maintain the garden, but recent weather patterns have motivated most of the roses to bloom profusely at the same time. Consequently, deadheading all these roses is now quite overwhelming. Anyone interested in helping is encouraged to attend the next volunteer work day on Aug. 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Experienced volunteers will be available to instruct those not formerly acquainted with rose culture on how to properly deadhead to promote continued bloom until autumn. Participants should bring their own shears (clippers) if available. On this special workday, ice cream sundaes will be served at the Garden Center after deadheading. The San Jose Heritage Rose Garden is located on Taylor Street at Spring Street, just east of Coleman Avenue. For more information, or to register, contact volunteer coordinator Lucy Perez at 408.298.7657 or at lperez@grpg.org. Deadheading, the removal of fading flowers, is important for many species to conserve resources that would otherwise be utilized by developing fruit structures. For example, maturing rose hips (the fruiting structures of roses) require so many nutrients that there is not enough left for continued bloom, which is therefore inhibited if rose hips are not removed. African iris, daylily, marigold, petunia and even ivy geranium are just a few species that respond well to deadheading. Species that bloom only once annually may divert resources conserved by deadheading to vegetative growth. Deadheading of gladiolus and bearded iris maximizes storage of nutrients for blooms of the next season. Deadheading may also be employed to control reseeding. African iris, for example, may become a weed if permitted to produce as much seed as it would like to. Freesia hybrids may produce seed of feral freesias, which are not nearly as colorful or fragrant. Because the feral freesias are more profuse and can reproduce their own kind, they can eventually overwhelm the desired hybrids. Fading flowers that are sterile or that only rarely produce fruit, such as those of rhododendrons, are not very consumptive, but may be removed because they can be unsightly. Conversely, many garden enthusiasts prefer to leave fruit structures of some species intact to provide seed for future sowing, or for naturalization. California poppies and lupines, for example, can perpetuate themselves from their copious seed if competitive species are controlled. Culling, the removal of superfluous fruit, is similar to deadheading, but diverts resources to remaining fruit rather than to floral or vegetative parts. Many fruit trees benefit from selective culling while fruit is beginning to develop during more productive seasons. More fruit would otherwise be produced, but it would be of inferior quality. Larger fruit that is crowded, such as apples, pears and peaches, generally requires more culling. Citrus and small fruit, such as cherries, generally do not require culling. Monster pumpkins epitomize culling because the vines that would normally produce several fruits are compelled to concentrate all their resources into one pumpkin that would please Cinderella's chauffeur. My grandfather typically produced zucchini that looked and tasted lik e baseball bats—not by culling, but by simply not harvesting the primary fruit when it was juvenile. Fruit that is produced progressively through the season should not be culled, but should be harvested as early as practical to promote development of more fruit. Many young and tender zucchini are better than one baseball bat. Flower of the Week: Gardenia My grandmother grew a large gardenia, Gardenia augusta or G. jasminoides, near the front porch of her home in Santa Clara despite the density and alkalinity of the endemic soil. Organic soil amendments, such as peat moss or ground bark, are essential to improve drainage and moisture retention. Mulching without soil cultivation will help insulate delicate fibrous surface roots. Although extreme exposure can cause foliar scorch, heat and humidity are preferred. Monthly application of fish emulsion or acidifying fertilizer is appreciated. Foliage should be very glossy and bright green. The intensely fragrant flowers are single or double and about two or three inches wide. Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at 408-358-2574 or at LGHORTICULTURE@aol.com. |
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