G ardening S uggestions

July ~ August 2013

California garden
styles have been
greatly influenced
by Spanish elements of design.
The roots of these
elements can be
traced back to
between the seventh and fifteenth centuries A.D., when that land was inhabited
by an amazing diversity of peoples; Arabs,
Moriscos (converted Muslims), Moors and
Saracens. As garden writer Helen M. Fox
said, The Hispano-Moresque customs and
art became the true expression of Spanish
people of the period, and left an indelible
impression for all time.
Inspiration came from Italy as the Renaissance began. Spanish explorers came
into contact with the wild extravagances
of Peruvian and Mexican art, and were exposed to Chinese art. All these new ideas
stimulated them to indulge in the orgy of
architectural forms known as Baroque.
Ironically, it was these ornate, if not garish
themes which were chosen by the fervent
priests when building their missions and
churches in Southwestern North America,
Mexico and South America.

Walled courtyards with wooden doors

and shutters, iron window grills, flowerpots
and tiles were all common elements in design. The patio became an oasis; a respite
from the hot, dry, dusty and harsh environment outside its walls, as were the original
patios in Ronda or Cordoba. Frequently,
running water would be included as a cooling, relaxing feature. In these gardens, mimicking nature was not the goal. Simplicity
was the key. A few pots of geranium strategically placed, a bougainvillea clambering up
one wall, and perhaps a few rushes set in a
pond were all that would be needed to create the right atmosphere.
Whatever the plant choices, they must
have been tough, real survivors. Not far
from Seville, hidden from the unsuspecting tourist by blank plaster walls, I recall
discovering a deserted huerta, a garden
where fruits, vegetables and flowers are
grown together. A few fig trees still spread
their branches over purplish green cabbages
that, like impoverished noblemen, were surrounded by the tattered remains of the box
hedges of their former splendor. Ever since
knowing about this place I look with interest
at all high walls and wonder whether they
too, are hiding some secret gardens. Paul

Come on in the waters fine!

W

ater gardens have been a part of civilization for thousands of years; from
the hanging gardens of Babylon to ancient
Japanese koi ponds, they have provided people with an outlet for artistic expression, and
a sanctuary for thought and reflection. Today
the term Water Gardening can mean many
different things, from a small water feature
that provides relaxing sound to a full sized
pond with both fish and plants.
By answering some commonly asked
questions I hope to make water gardens less
intimidating. Having knowledge and awareness of the basic principles will allow you to
create and maintain your own water garden.
How do aquatic plants differ from
terrestrial plants?
The main difference between aquatic and
terrestrial plants is the way they respire
(breathe) in their separate environments.
Plants that grow in wet soils or under water,
have structural differences that allow them to
absorb and move oxygen and carbon dioxide
in ways that terrestrial plants dont.

What is aquatic soil and why do I need it?

Made mostly of clay, sand, and rock, aquatic
soil contains very little organic matter. Too
much organic matter in your pond will result
in an increase of nutrients, and if the nutrient
level is higher than your filter and or plants
can consume, you will find yourself stuck
with algae blooms and an environment poisonous to fish and other beneficial life.
Why cant I keep my aquatic plant in the
pot I bought it in?
We highly recommend aquatic planting baskets. Many aquatic plants are sold in pots
which do not have drain holes; a condition
with poor oxygen or carbon dioxide that can
cause their roots to rot. Allowing the plants

roots to have physical contact with the water

will increase their ability to act as a filter for
your pond. And, aquatic planting baskets are
important for plant and pond maintenance.
Since many of these plants are fast growers, dividing and pruning is necessary for
maintaining their health. This is much easier
when you are able to lift the plant out of your
pond, and it simplifies pond cleaning.
How deep can this plant be planted?
We offer five classes of aquatic plants here at
the Nursery; bog, marginal, emergent, submerged, and floating. Floaters can be placed
into the water and left to float freely wherever the current or wind may take them. Bog
plants like wet feet. For this reason they are
best planted in either the splash zone of your
ponds waterfall, or at the lowest and soggiest point in your yard. Some bog plants can
tolerate sitting in water, but most like to have
their crown above the waters surface. Marginal plants can be planted in 1-8 of water,
calculated from the crown of the plant to the
surface of the water. Emergent plants leaves
and flowers actually break the surface of the
water and are planted at a depth of 12-24
below the water surface. Submerged plants
prefer to be planted in 18-36 deep water.
How do I keep my ponds water clear?
Planting a variety of plants that tolerate different water depths is one of best ways to
maintain a healthy, balanced pond. This is
because your pond water is similar to your
gardens soil, in that there are different bacteria, fungi, gasses and nutrients at different
depths. Providing your ponds water with
a variety of plants insures that bacteria are
fed, gasses are exchanged and nutrients are
absorbed at various depths of your pond. If
fish are added to the equation additional fil-

tration will be needed. Which kind of fish,

and how many of them will dictate the type
of filter you will need.
How do I get my water lilies to bloom?
Warm days and sun will help. Then, feed,
and prune, feed, and prune. Water lilies are
hungry plants during the growing season.
A heavy feeding once a month is crucial for

these plants to perform the way they should.

The other trick is to remove BOTH leaves
and flowers as they near the end of their
life cycle. Take note of when your water lilies leaves start to turn yellow and they stop
blooming. Removing tired leaves and flowers
will trigger your water lily to produce more
blooms.
Noah

New Arrivals
Hemerocallis hybrids
Summertime is time for daylilies. Appropriately our selection peaks during these
months. As The Sunset Western Garden Book
says, few plants are tougher, more persistent, or more trouble free. Daylilies adapt to
almost any kind of soil. Over 20 varieties in
stock at press time. From delicate pastels to
intense and vibrant reds or oranges you are
sure to find something to your liking.
#1 size cans
$10.95 to $12.95

Mimulus aurantiacus hybrids

The CA Native Sticky Monkeyflower is a
classic dryland shrub that will thrive with
minimal water and good drainage. Over the
past two decades many showy colors have
been selected, ranging from white or cream
to yellow, orange, copper, salmon, red and
maroon. They can be pruned during the
summer to rebloom. Full sun is best but
theyll tolerate part shade.
4 inch pots
$5.95
#1 size cans
$12.95

Fuchsia
hybrids
We recall the hordes of customers and enthusiasts coming to the nursery
in the 50s and 60s during the late summer
and fall every year to see the thousands of
Fuchsia plants and displays. Hanging baskets in full bloom as far as the eye could
see, and new varieties being introduced every yearthose were exciting times. Then,
in the 1980s a microscopic mite wiped out
virtually all of our stock plants, and we were
in mourning. Now, with a decline in the
mite population and new resistant forms
theyre back.
4 inch pots
$5.95

Wee k e n d
Specials
Radishes: The Reliable Year-Round Crop

W
July Checklist
Mulch the soil around vegetable
plants for water conservation.
Check your water garden to see that
it is clear and free of mosquito larvae.
Tropical plants will benefit from extra
feeding during these warm months.
Feed acid loving plants with
Cottonseed Meal.
Deadhead and feed early flowering
perennials for a second bloom.

August Checklist
Dig and divide Bearded Irises
now (also check our selection).
Last chance for Summer
Pruning of fruit trees.
Remove canes from Berry
Plants that have already
fruited (raspberries, etc.)
Include your garden
when making vacation
plans. What happens
when you are away?
Deep water winter/spring
flowering shrubs, as now is
when the buds are initiating.

ant to grow a zesty snack that can

be directly sown in the garden at
any time of the year? Radishes are a perfect
choice. They thrive in the Bay Areas mild
climate. Most radishes reach maturity in
less than two months time. These peppery
root veggies make a great addition to salads,
soups and sandwiches and theyre delicious
straight from the garden!
Native to Asia and Europe, radishes
have long been cultivated on both continents. Selective breeding of radishes has
resulted in an abundance of varieties. These
root veggies can be long or short, thick or
thin, and have either a mild or spicy flavor.
They may be black, purple, red, pink, or
white. Many of these varieties can be found
at your local grocery
store, many more
can be grown from
seed. The following are a few
interesting varieties that can
be found in the
BHN seed section.

4 Watermelon

(aka Beauty Heart or

Red Meat) ~ Probably the most spectacular looking of all radish varieties has
a light green outside and a hot pink heart.
It adds the perfect bit of flair and peppery
sweet flavor to green salads.

4 Everest

~ A fourteen inch long variety

popular in China. Roots are entirely
white and have a mildly sweet, peppery
taste. Everest radishes prefer a warmer
soil, making them an excellent option for
your summer and fall vegetable beds.

4 Crimson Giant

~ A beautiful raspberryred variety that is resistant to becoming

pithy and hollow. This radish enjoys cool
weather and will reach maturity in as
little as 30 days.

4 Iwai

Daikon ~ This petite white radish

only reaches one inch in length and diameter. It has a refreshingly crisp texture
and mildly peppery flavor. They have
long been used in the celebration of the
Japanese New Year and are perfect for
use in Namasu (pickled radish), and Ozoni (shrimp and veggie soup).

Like most root vegetables, radishes can only

be purchased to start from seed. Six
pack starter cells are not very
accommodating to the bulky
roots of these plants. With
many radish varieties available, these warm peppery roots are
worth a second look.
Happy planting to all,
Ivy

July 5-7
E.B. Stone Fish Emulsion
$7.49 reg. 9.99 ~ quart bottle
July 12-14
Ground Covers
$3.49 reg. 4.95 ~ cell packs
July 19-21
Terra Cotta Pottery
25% OFF ~ all sizes
July 26-28
Magnolias
30% OFF ~ all sizes
August 2-4
Aquatic Plants
30% OFF ~ all varieties
August 9-11
Salvias (flowering sages)
30% OFF ~ all sizes
August 16-18
MaxSea Plant Food
$11.50 reg. 14.99 ~ 1.5 lb canisters
August 23-25
Japanese Maples (Acer)
30% OFF ~ all varieties
LIMITED TO STOCK ON HAND.
NO DELIVERIES ON SALE MERCHANDISE.

Its all about Food

D

o you sell Early Girl tomatoes?

A rather innocuous question to
be sure, particularly in a plant nursery like
Berkeley Hort. Unfortunately, we were not
able to respond with a simple answer during the Spring planting season. It has come
to our attention that seeds for the Early
Girl cultivar of tomato are now owned by
Monsanto. There is not enough space in
this newsletter to go into the details of the
Monsanto business practices that we take
exception to. Instead, weve provided a list
of selected readings that do a wonderful job
of detailing the reprehensible business practices that have motivated us to stop knowingly selling their products.
This leads to the question: if we are
no longer carrying the reliable, amazingly
productive Early Girl, then what is a replacement or substitute? There are many
cultivars that perform well in the Bay Area.
Bloody Butcher, Stupice, Oregon Spring,
Visitacion Valley, Sashas Altai, Siberia,
St. Pierre, Cosmonaut Volkov, Costoluto
Genovese are just a few that may actually
outperform the Early Girl variety. In the
interest of time and space, I will only focus
on one. St. Pierre is an indeterminate variety with medium-sized, round red fruits.
It is a prolific producer of excellent tasting
tomatoes. Critical to our customers is the
fact that it grows well in cool-summer areas like the S.F. Bay Area. The plant grows
vigorously to a height of 4-6 tall so you will
definitely want a cage or supporting structure for it.
Admittedly, this is the July/August issue and we are giving this advice after most
peoples tomato plants have already flowered, if not set fruit. It might be too late to
plant many tomatoes, but one of the ben-

efits of living in the Bay Area is that, you can

have something growing in your vegetable
garden all year long. Theres the rub. The list
of varieties that Monsanto acquired when
it purchased the seed company Seminis,
goes far beyond tomatoes. Cultivars of bean,
broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, hot pepper, lettuce, melon, onion, pumpkin, spinach, squash, sweet
corn, sweet pepper, & watermelon were
among the vegetable seeds that Monsanto
bought rights to in the deal. If you are not
aware, then you certainly wont know if the
plants youre growing are lining the pockets
of a company that is bent on cornering the
market for the food crops on this planet.
You are what you eat. If you truly believe that, and it would seem that you do or
else you wouldnt be growing some of your
own food, its a good idea that you know
where the food comes from as well.
Doug
A list of Monsanto-owned vegetable seeds
often used in backyard gardens:
www.agardenforthehouwse.com/2012/02/
forewarned-is-forearmed-veggie-varietiesowned-by-monsanto
Some pertinent reading:
Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of
Food and Farming in America
by Wenonah Hauter
Monsanto vs. the World: The Monsanto
Protection Act, GMOs and Our Genetically
Modified Future by Jason Louv
The World According to Monsanto: Pollution,
Corruption, and the Control of the Worlds Food
Supply by Marie-Monique Robin

4 Meet the Staff 4

In past issues of Gardening Suggestions I have introduced some of our long-term
workers. This time Id like to change things up a little, and profile two of our newer
employees; both hired in 2013. Ones on our yard crew, one has a newly-created position at BHN. Come meet them.

Darren Fisher

Laura Brunsvold

Some of you may remember a tall, quiet,

and conscientious worker at the nursery
many years ago; well this is sort of dj vu
for many of us around here. Darren came
onboard to augment our yard staff at the
beginning of March. His recent work experiences include two years working with developmentally disabled children and young
adults. Long before that he worked as a
caretaker in a So. California nursery, so fitting in around here was easy-as-pie.
Things that we love about Darren are
his easy-going vibe, his caring attitude, his
calm demeanor, his diligence, and his ability
to reach those items on the top shelf. A careful truck driver, he will make sure that your
plant purchases arrive safely at your home
address.
Our yard staff works hard to keep our
premises clean and neat. Darren is a great addition. Please make him welcome.

Last winter we realized we would be struggling through our busy months if we didnt
get help labeling all the living merchandise
that we receive every week. After many team
meetings and brainstorming we decided to
create a new position, merchandise labeling
clerk. Laura was one of many applicants, and
now we cant imagine business without her.
Her academic experiences include a
BA in Integral Studies from Saint Marys
College, a PreMed Certificate from Mills
College (and a Teaching Assistant in Biology), and helping with research in the UC
Davis Plant Sciences Dept. These in combination with real-world experiences have
enabled her to forge ahead and define this
new position. She divides her time between
the office side of reviewing purchase orders
and organizing labels, and the nursery side
of moving trays of plants and getting everything clearly labeled for our sales clerks.

 2013 Berkeley Horticultural Nursery

www.berkeleyhort.com

510-526-4704
Closed Thursdays

1310 McGee Ave, Berkeley CA 94703