I was at the Blue Mill Cafe on 9th Street the other day and I saw a Photinea hedge in the parking lot. I suspect it belonged to the business next door, however I saw some problems that I see all over Modesto.

The foliage was silvered mottled. It looks like spider mite damage but not quite. With spider damage as bad as this, is you see a lot of very fine webbing surrounding the foliage and branching. Not typical spider webbing that is intended to catch other insects but webbing that surround the foliage and branch like cotton candy on a stick.

Here you see the silvering with small black specks on the leaf that scrape off. It is caused by Lace Bug.

From Minn. Extension service

By looking at Photinea, Indian Hawthorn and related members of the rose family it is obvious that they can survive substantial damage. Chemical control needs to be started in late spring or early summer and we recommend Orthene. You can get some control using Pyrethryns or synthetic pyrethryn like cyflutheryn. In some cases insecticidal soap can help.

This is again off topic for a gardening blog but Donna and I spent an hour a few weeks ago to insulate our metal garage door. What a difference! Even with the 110 plus temps the garage is at least 20 degrees cooler.

We have a west facing garage with a bedroom over the garage. We can't tell the difference inside but we think that the A/C is working less.

For less than $100 and an hour of time it was a great investment. We found ours at American Lumber and it took 2 sets to do a double door.

I realize one hot spell doesn't prove Global warming but..... Wow!

Recently Donna and I went to see the movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” If you have ANY environmental leanings, this is a must see movie.

Generally I have tried to keep politics out of the Scenic Nursery Blog But this is so important it broke down my resistance.

As a nurseryman I have always had environmental leanings. During the pesticide fights I tended to support the environmental movement. During the clean air and clean water fights I supported the environmental movement. Now during the Global Warming Fight I have to again support the environmental movement.

I sometimes wonder if the corporate spokesmen think they won’t have to live in the world we as a civilization create. Businessmen tend to be against regulation and in the nursery industry anti-environmentalism is a common reaction to the various regulations we have had to accept.

My position has always been that a market economy has to include ALL the costs involved with products and services. In my opinion that includes the costs of keeping the environment clean and livable.

As gardeners there aren’t a lot of things that we can do but every little bit helps.

By reducing the energy requirements in your garden we reduce Carbon dioxide emissions. What uses the most energy? Probably lawns. Reducing unneeded lawn can help. A mixed planting can give a more interesting garden and reduce mowing, watering and edging at the same time

Watering just enough will help also. With the use of automatic irrigation timers almost everyone waters too much. Reduce the frequency of irrigation to what you absolutely need. Check your irrigation system to make sure it is working at the best efficiency.

A layered garden is a way to create a more interesting garden and allows for the use of multiple small trees which sequesters carbon dioxide. This a technique I have advocated over the last few years for the aesthetics and the microclimate it allows us to create. This is a real win-win for us.

Again as gardeners, there isn’t much we can do as individuals, but as a group even small changes can help.

This may be a subject I bring up again

Jim

What are the most important things you can do to help your plants, especially new and young plants, survive the summer heat? Not so sound like a broken record but it is mulch and CORRECT WATERING. Note the caps on the “correct watering.”

First and foremost is correct watering. What that means is not too much and not too little. Sounds like we are in “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” doesn’t it. Obviously too little makes plants dry out. Too little can mean not often enough or not long enough to get the water down to the roots.

With automatic irrigation systems not frequently enough is not often the case; too frequent is more common. Young plantings of shrubs and trees will usually get by with two times a week. Newly planted plants need heavy soaking for three – four days and then back off to two – three times a week. Older established plantings often can get by with once a week if it is done thoroughly. You do have to monitor your garden to be sure there isn’t something that needs more water and water those plants extra.

The problem with too frequent watering is that it does not allow the water to drain and let oxygen back into the soil. Roots need oxygen to grow. When you water you need to water long enough to allow the water to cover the entire root zone. This allows oxygen to go back into the soil and also allows roots to move deeper.

When plants don’t get enough water, it is most often caused by a problem with the irrigation system. Heads can get blocked, heads can get clogged, valves can quit working or the timer can be misbehaving. A moisture meter can help you determine what is going on and help you know when the problem is solved.

Most problems with new plantings are caused by water problems.

Now, why did I put mulching together with watering as one of the most important things you can do to help cope with the summer heat? Well, what mulching does is cool the ground and hold more moisture in the soil. Both of these help with watering problems. In addition, the cool soil allows the roots to develop better. If you remember back to your barefoot days, you might remember the difference walking on bare dirt and on a lawn. The lawn is obviously cooler. Mulch does much the same thing to the soil underneath it. The soil is cooler. Cool (not cold) soil allows roots to develop. Better roots means more and better growth. More roots means the plants is better able to reach out for water and nutrients. This means a better garden.

I am a heavy mulcher almost everywhere I have young plants. My plants thank me for it by growing better!

We have been waiting for our shipment of pottery from Malaysia since March. It finally came in! We are stocked with pots. Lots of pots! Pots from all over the world! Brown pots, green pots, blue pots plain pots, fancy pots, we have them all!

Come in to see the best selection of attractive glazed and red clay pots you have ever seen.