Jungle Jim Sez November 04

Have you been by the fountain at the beginning of Scenic this summer? The plantings are making some progress. I have especially enjoyed the landscape roses Starry Night. This single white rose has been in bloom all summer long. The trick is regular fertilizer. The tree, Arbutus Marina, is starting to grow and in a few years it will start to become an impressive addition to the trees of Modesto.
We also planted some Cotoneaster lactea there. This is the arching grey foliaged plant near the fountain. I used it here to contrast what a natural growing Cotoneaster looks like against the poor butchered ones on the Briggsmore canal. It seems as soon as they start to look OK someone comes by to butcher them again.
One of the primary missions of THE GARDEN CREW, our garden maintenance service, is giving people the option of natural pruning. This is the technique of allowing plants to look the way they looked as they were developing. It does requires hand pruning and thinning and an eye to what the plant is supposed to look like.
At home I planted some Iceland Poppies for winter color and they are already starting to bloom. My pansies were planted 3 weeks later and are now just starting to develop. I have already fertilized the poppies lightly three times and boy have they responded. Use Masters Rose and Flower Food lightly every 1 to 2 weeks.
In addition my Sasanqua Camellias are in bloom and my landscape roses and climbing roses are just ready for their last bloom. I have lots of color this fall. Do I enjoy gardening in California. Pity the poor people in Boston. I saw them bundled up during the World Series. Way to go Red Sox