Gardening with Kids

Kids in the garden are all different: some will like the bugs, some will ooh and aah over the flowers, some want to run the paths. (All would probably like to ride on a tractor!!!)

 

My mom was a dance teacher, my dad was a backyard farmer. Guess what a couple of my favorite activities are??? When you love something, you want to pass that interest on to your kids. It doesn't always happen immediately, sometimes, never, and that's ok, too. Maybe that seed (groan) will germinate at a later date.

Last month I got the opportunity to hang out with Guy and Jodie  from Channel 10's, Sac and Co. From their website: "Garden designer and owner of Geno's Garden Design and Coaching, Jeannie Hanson, shares some tips with hosts Guy and Jodie on how to create beautiful flowers and memories with your kids:"

Here's the link: http://www.news10.net/video/default.aspx?bctid=971373257001

Remember: keep it simple, be relaxed and expect surprises!

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help!
Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com.

Happy Father's Day

I was born on my dad's birthday. So, that made it mine, too. The night before I was born my parents had dinner with friends. The hostess served a birthday cake. They only ate the part that had "day" on it, leaving "Happy Birth..." intact. The next morning I was born. It was our birthday. It was our cake.

Last year I wrote a bit about my dad the gardener,  Remembering Dad. This year I wanted to include a silly story. My dad could be grumpy. But I could charm him out of it. I was his twin. One of my ways of doing this was to play the piano ... especially, Rockabye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody, made popular by Al Jolson in the days of the black-face and the talkies. My dad would arise out of his bad mood, come over by the piano and go down on one knee... "...rockabye your baby with a Dixie melody, when you croon, croon a tune, from the heart of Dixie..." Love you dad, this is for you!

Happy Father's Day Everyone!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help! Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com.

Have you killed a plant lately? Join the club!

Oftentimes people say things like, "I don't have a green thumb", and then describe how they have trouble keeping plants alive. Well ... every gardener I know has killed many a plant. So, get over it. So, you killed a plant. That's one of the ways you learn about plants! Here's a real example:

Dead!

I have been fascinated with Heteromeles arbutifolia, aka Toyon, ever since I found out it was the inspiration for the name of the place we know as "Hollywood" (Toyons are native to the Hollywood area, and have holly-like berries in the winter). I determined to have one, but, to date I have killed 2, neither of which ever got in the ground. They died in their can. Both were purchased at Windmill Nursery. Was I watering too often, too little, were they finicky? I asked Windmill how they keep their toyons alive. "No big deal, we water them daily." Above is the one I bought in early May. Dead.

Alive!

This one is it's replacement. They're probably the same age. Difference? Probably more consistent watering. Label says that "once acclimated, toyon is quite drought tolerant." I think I ignored that "once acclimated" part. So, I'm trying again. Also the owner of Windmill advises customers to only buy what they can plant now, because the sooner the plant gets into the ground, the better its chances of making it. I sometimes have a problem with this, because I love the promise that a new plant holds, and am willing to overbuy and pretend that I have a little nursery of my own. Or pretend that I'm doing research trials: which plant can take the most neglect! I end up having really rugged plants that survive and a graveyard for the rest. My kill rate is rather embarrassing.

Another example:

Still alive!

This is another I've had trouble with, Salvia guaranitica, Black and Blue Salvia. I saw it in full-blown glory in the WPA Rock Garden (William Land Park) several years ago. And, wanted it! Well, seems like every year I purchase one, mistreat it, and again, it dies in the can. I still want it, and so far, this one is still looking good. Salvias tend to be low water requiring plants, but until it's established in the garden it does need to be watered regularly. A few times I've neglected it and it starts drooping, but I've caught it before I caused permanent damage to its leaves (leaves dry up, no more energy production = dead). I also have it in a partially shady area, which it will prefer once I get it planted as well.


So... rather than quit when you kill a plant and label yourself a "Black Thumb", find out what you did wrong and keep at it. And, realize, you've "Joined the Club"



Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help!
Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com.

Inside the Garden Designer's "Brain"

I quote the word "brain" because I don't really believe it's taking place in there ... how 'bout you? Do you create in that meaty space? Ha! Ah well, I digress...let's get on with it. Back to business! I recently turned in my last project for my C.A.D. (computer-aided design) landscape design class at American River College. We putzed along for awhile this semester doing little tutorials, and then, Bang! A big job... designing a big space on campus for the president of the college.

We met our "client" over by the music/theater buildings and took a look at the space he wanted us to transform. It's at the back of the music building. Approximately 8,000 square feet of nothing, except 2 walkways and a large back-flow prevention device. While he talked, my concept started to take shape. My daughter received her AA degree in theater at AR, my sister and I sang in the Jazz Vocal group. I know the hallways, the teachers, the students. I knew what they wanted .... to perform!!!

The next class meeting consisted of site measurements. We buzzed around with our measuring tapes. That was a drag. Four million measurements, what the heck? But my friend, Darlene, and I bonded over the hectic confusion, and met again to re-take them in a calmer moment. Eventually I realized I didn't need most of the measurements ... I wasn't keeping those walkways, or much of anything else.

25 students with tape measures and notebooks

we all contribute to the measurements on the board

Eventually my vision arrived on paper ... an amphitheater where students could rehearse, children's theater productions could be staged, impromtu performances could spring to life. Also, a place to hang out and do homework, a classy place for theater patrons to wait for showtime and spend intermission ... a place that would celebrate the arts, and the artist. That's the beauty of design ... the imagination of what's the very best that might happen here.

I added a feature I saw in a demonstration garden at Green Acres in Sacramento ... a raised bed with beautiful stonework and a rill at the base, fed by copper tubes. I think everyone should have one of these!

The rill was my favorite part of this garden, the three rivers stone was also gorgeous, and, the raised bed - it created a lovely enclosed space. Kudos to the designer!!!

another picture of this demonstration garden from Green Acres

The deadline was approaching and I wasn't ready! I had been busy creating a display garden for the CA state Flower, Food and Garden Show, and missed a few classes (ahem). But was able to finally get my design done, and the color rendering figured out, albeit a bit late (ahem), and turned in to the president before spring break. I'm proud of my design and think it perfect for the setting ... functional and polished enough to do credit to the college, but with the exhuberance of a renaissance faire, to match the spirit of these arts students.

I learned how to do CAD design. Not perfectly, but that was never the expectation. The expectation was that we'd achieve a professional-level competency that could then be improved upon. I feel like we're all off to a great start! Thanks as always to Paul MacGowan, head of the Hort program, for his humor and guidance.

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help!
Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com.

Folsom Garden Club ... Going Strong for over 67 Years!

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) on Mount Diablo Donner Canyon Road, a photo by MiguelVieira on Flickr.

I just finished off a series of spring garden club talks a couple of weeks ago with a presentation at  the Folsom Garden Club. It's a lively club. Lots of active members, goooooood snacks, a lending library ... and me! This club was started in 1934 and at my table was one of the original  members. I was there to talk about curb appeal in the 21st century. Had a slick PowerPoint presentation. But, in this learn-as-you-go-world, found the presentation fell a bit flat, due to the many windows letting light stream with no window coverings ... well, you can imagine. Luckily, they were good sports, and so was I (... it  helped that I had brought some great show and tell Ca natives, loaned for the occasion by Windmill Nursery in Carmichael.) Here's the info that would-a been seen on the screen if it could-a been seen:

Garrya elliptica “James Roof”

Coast Silktassle

 I first spied this tree at the WPA Rock Garden in William Land Park. It had these amazing drooping things that looked like they'd been macramed. Daisy Mah told me it was a Coast Silktassle and the decorative things were male catkins! Oh, my ...

• Evergreen shrub to small tree with 10” yellowish male catkins in the spring
• Best with moderate water and part shade until established
• Can become drought tolerant, but do best with water every 2 weeks or on the edge of a garden. Generally not the choice of deer.
• Grows multi-stemmed from base arching to 8 – 12’ tall and wide, or can be pruned to resemble a tree as in picture below.

(Suggestion: don't stand in parking lot taking pictures while ignoring the cars or you, too, may get a little surprise bump from a car backing out!)

Calliandra californica
Baja Fairy Duster

Isn't this the sweetest? Who would guess this could become a 4' tall, drought tolerant plant?

• Open, architectural evergreen shrub grown for its gray foliage, wonderful red fairy duster flowers, and zigzag patterned stems.
• Can become a rounded shrub to 4’ tall and wide in hot locations.
• Zones 10 - 24

 (a nylon stocking catches fairy duster seed at the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sunland, CA)

Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita B.O.P.’
Foothill Penstemon

The color on this penstemon is truly lovely.

• Evergreen, grows to 1.5 - 2’ x 2’
• Garden tolerant and resistive to disease
• No summer water, disease resistant, cold hardy, deer resistant.
• Hummingbirds and butterflies
• UCD All-Star

Escholtzia Californica ‘Mission Bells’

this is our regular CA poppy with Blue Pimpernell

• Attracts birds, deer resistant, needs little water.
• Self-seeds and flowers again, year after year, withstanding drought.
• Full sun, thrives where warm and dry.
• Grows 1’ tall

Heteromeles arbutifolia
Toyon

Hollywood sign, a photo by Mr. Littlehand on Flickr.

• 8’ evergreen shrub
• Large dark green leaves, red berries in winter (food for birds)
• Sun/light shade, most soils, drought tolerant
• Hardy to 20 degrees
• Hoo-ray for Hollywood! Why Hollywood? Because this native was there in abundance in the early naming days, It has berries. They called it, "Hollywood"! The rest is history.

Malacothamnus palmeri ‘Hanging Basket’

• Evergreen shrub to 6’
• Full sun, well-drained soil, hardy to 15 degrees, drought tolerant
• Use on banks, in dry borders or for naturalizing.

Ribes speciosum

Fuchsia Flowering Gooseberry

(picture courtesy of Windmill Nursery)
• Bush Mallow from Monterey County with gray leaves and congested heads of pink flowers in summer.
• 4’ nearly evergreen shrub, fuchsia-like flowers Jan. – May
• Spiny stems and fruits with glossy green leaves
• Morning sun, high shade, good drainage, tolerates clay
• Hummingbird plant

Heterotheca villosa ‘San Bruno Mountain”

California Golden Aster

(picture courtesy of Windmill Nursery)

• This low growing perennial of the aster family makes a dense mat of trailing stems.
• Begins to bloom in the late spring, and if occasionally irrigated and sheared, will continue to the fall.
• Sun or light shade, moderate to occasional water, cold hardy
• Leave old flower seed heads for the birds

Heuchera ‘Canyon Delight’
Alum Root/Coral Bells

• Non-invasive, “half- native” result from crossing CA mountain coral bells and the vivid red coral bells of Arizona.
• Needs part shade here and moderately drought tolerant.
• Lovely massed around native oaks.
• Foot long sprays of flowers above a tight mound of green foliage

Salvia microphylla ‘Berzerkeley’

• Clouds of deep rose pink flowers
• Dense compact 2’ tall by 6’wide
• Sun to mostly shade
• Blooms spring to late fall
• hummingbirds

The Folsom Garden Club just finished its annual spring tour. I've been invited for a private tour of two of these gardens, so I'll be posting more pictures from this great group soon. Stay tuned. And, if you have a hankering to hang out with other garden loving people, perhaps meet some new friends with whom you can swap seeds and go to gardening events with, consider joining a neighborhood club.


Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help!
Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com.

Mama's Garden Advice: "Eat Your Vegetables"

Mother's Day - 2011

Mother's Day is coming up! Yea ... favorite holiday. I usually designate this day as one of my 2 annual "Slave Days", where my husband does my bidding ... usually in the garden. I also find it a nice time to reflect on my mom and her many unique and charming characteristics. Last year I blogged about her ability to find the sunny spot in the garden (A Mother's Day Garden). This year I've got vegetable gardens on my mind. I'm going to have a BIG garden, and have lots of plants and seeds ready to go in - on Slave Day! So, what's the vegetable - mom connection here?

Well, while she did tell my siblings and I to, "eat our vegetables", she didn't grow them. My dad was all that. My mom, however, would assist others in their endeavors ... my sister had a travel agency, my mom arm-twisted all her friends to go on cruises ... my dad was a backyard farmer, my mom was his chief weeder and canner ... I home schooled my daughter, my mom figured we'd want to do crafts, and saved us a zillion toilet paper rolls! Go figure.

Mom wasn't much of a cook. I have her old recipe box, with titles like, "Cabbage Chop Suey", "Dinner Pancakes (with meat)", "Mystery Pudding", "Phoney [sic] Abalone", and, "Ritz Cracker Pie". She and her housewife contemporaries seemed to treasure recipes using cake mix, canned soup or frozen vegetables. My husband still marvels at the olive sandwich she made up for him when we first moved back to California from Portland (canned sliced olives with a bit of mayonnaise!) Yum! But, I grew up loving to cook and she was thrilled to have me take over the kitchen, and would even do the dishes for me!


Here's mom's recipe for Lemon Cake and Custard, and another from Recipes From a Kitchen Garden by Renee Shepherd and Fran Raboff (available at Renee's Garden).

Mom's Lemon Cake and Custard

a flickr photo by James Bowe

I grew up in Southern California, and my dad always had fruit and citrus trees in the backyard. My mom made good pies, but, this cake was actually one of my favorites. Oh, and tapioca! (btw, I've actually never made this, so I don't want to hear any complaints if it turns out a mess!)

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 lemon rind and juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 beaten egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sifted flour
• 1 cup canned milk
• 1 cup water
• 2 egg whites, whipped to stiff peaks
• Optional : 1/4 cup grape nuts.

Cream butter and sugar, add lemon juice, rind and salt plus the 2 egg yolks, mix with sifted flour. Add canned milk and water. Fold in the egg whites. Pour into cake pan and bake in 375 degree oven for 45 min (Put baking pan in hot water so the cake doesn't burn.).

Janice's Pickled Basil Beans

Renee's Garden is a  leading seed source for vegetable gardeners, Renee researches, trials, sells her own seeds, and is, now, a source of practical, site-tested, cookbooks as well. (Twice a week, Renee and her cookbook partner, Fran Raboff, get together with the available harvest to try out recipes. Lucky the friends and family who get to sit at that table!)

These crispy, basil-scented beans are a fine appetizer or satisfying between-mean nibble. One of our favorite ways to utilize a bean harvest. - Renee Sheppard

• 3 - 4 pounds fresh green snap beans, rinsed
• 5 cups mild white vinegar
• 5 cups water (not softened water)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup pickling salt

For each jar:

• 4 peppercorns
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 - 6 large fresh basil leaves

Wash 8 pint or 4 quart canning jars with hot soapy water and rinse, or run them through the dishwasher.

Trim the ends of the beans. Bring to a boil the vinegar, water, sugar and salt.

In the bottom of each jar, put the peppercorns, garlic cloves and basil leaves, then pack them with beans, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Fill the jars with the hot brine, leaving 1/2 inch. Wipe the jar rims and seal. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath (20 minutes for quarts). Wait about 4 weeks before opening to let the flavors blend and deepen.

Makes 4 quarts.



Well, that's it for this year's Mother's Day Tribute to my own sweet mom.

Happy Mother's Day, Everyone!

Ohhhhh...if you have the urge to grow some veggies but aren't that sure how or where to start, give me a call. We now offer Vegetable Garden Coaching by Jenn. It's a special art and Jenn's going to be helping me out with my mammoth endeavor this year, and can help you, too!!!

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help!

Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com.

Summer's Coming: Time for Some Sacramento Vegetable Gardening

It's that time again, time to experience the miracle of life!!!

There's something fundamentally satisfying about growing veggies (actually, anything) from seed! Like many gardeners, I have hoards of them ... and collect them, buy them, trade them, and sigh over them. They're little treasures that are an essential part of life. You may have noticed during ... (sneeze) pollen season or while watching dandelions floating on the wind, however, that Mother Nature really produces in abundance to ensure the continuation of the genus and species. Lots of seeds! Lots of pollen! A-Choo! Why so many? Mother Nature has to depend on accident and chance, and compensates with waste!  As gardeners, we can play the game to provide all the elements that little seed needs. Cool, huh?!? Sometimes, the growers give us a head start and we get to take that 6-pack of chard or 1 gallon tomato home from the nursery, dig a hole and Voila! Instant garden, no waiting! Still satisfying ...

Getting Started

My suggestion is to start small ... plant just a few things, gain some experience and confidence and keep it simple. I say this from experience. Sacramento gets really hot come July/August, and you may be happy to only have to care for 1 tomato plant and some basil. If you live in an apartment and don't have your own bit of earth, you can try balcony gardening if you have a south or western exposure (most veg need 6 hours of sunlight). EarthBoxes can help overcome the watering problem inherent in living on the 5th floor.

Vocabulary

 Part of learning any subject is getting familiar with it’s basic concepts and it’s own special vocabulary. Much of this information is on the seed packet itself.

Warm Season Crops - summer vegetables that can be planted now are warm season crops. The general rule is wait until the nights are consistently above 50 degrees, or you can sit on the ground comfortably.

• Tomatoes, tomatilloes
• Beans - pole beans, bush beans of every sort!
• Squash, melons, cucumbers, zucchini
• Peppers, hot and mild
• Eggplant

Cool Season Crops: in the fall or early spring one can grow cool season crops. 

• Lettuce and other greens (spinach, micro greens, arugula)
• Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, brussels sprouts
• Onions, garlic, leeks
• Potatoes, carrots, turnips, radishes, beets, peas

Germination Time: how long before that little seed wakes up and starts pushing out its first root, stem and leaves.

Maturation Time: how long it takes before that young plant matures and can be harvested. Some examples:

• Cool season snap peas need about 65 days,
• fast-growing radishes, about 3 weeks,
• Micro greens (great on pizza with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes) can be grown indoors or outdoors, and take just 25 days!
• In the case of that artichoke up above, it can take up to 8 months to produce a crop, but will then continue producing year after year … and be a lovely ornamental plant in the garden as well!

Average First and Last Frost: this is the historical average for a particular area, and it's frequently the growing window, because few veggies grow when the temps plummet!  In the Sacramento Valley, this gives means on average, a growing season from mid-March to mid-November, which is why California produces more than half of the country's fruits, nuts and vegetables! My husband’s Swedish ancestors, who lived in Minnesota, at best, had from May to September. No dawdling for them! Dedicated gardeners in the colder ranges are more likely to have greenhouses and start vegetables from seeds so they can jump start the season. I’d love a greenhouse, but don’t really need one…sigh. To find out what your growing window is, click here for average first and last frosts by state.

Gardening Zones, a term you’ll run into rather quickly in garden books or discussions. (There are actually two zonal systems … the U.S. Department of Agriculture system, which charts the average annual minimum temperatures across the U.S., and the AHS (American Horticultural Society) system, which classifies regions based upon the severity of summer heat. Both of these are valuable, and are used to determine what sorts of plants are most likely to thrive in an area, but most gardening books refer to the USDA zones.) I live in USDA Zone 9, which is like Italy and the Napa Valley. I can, and do, grow grapes! Garden magazines usually speak to a large audience with different zones ... enjoy the pictures, but know your zone!

Pollinators, Beneficial Insects, Companion Plants and Planting by the Light of the Moon ... So many things to be curious about, so many places on the Internet to lurk and learn. I leave you to your own devices with a few suggestions to get you started ...

•  Companion Plants for Your Vegetable Garden
•  Attracting more bees and pollinators to your garden
• Botanical Interest's "Save the Bees" Seed Mix
• Companion Planting Improves Gardening Efforts
• Renee's Garden - Kitchen Garden Design for long Sacramento summers

This summer, why not start your own Victory Garden? Come harvest time, don’t forget the victory cry, “I GREW IT MYSELF!”

Cal State Flower, Food and Garden Show

Well ... the gardens are ready, vendors setting up, show opens tomorrow! Here's a peek at my garden, La Casa Verde...

 
Come join us, I think it's going to be a great show. The speaker line-up is fantastic! Check it out on the show website. I've worked long, hard hours putting this together and have had some marvelous help, including Bobby Alvarez of Granite Valley Landscaping, Jorge Lozano of Jorge Lozano Art, Victor Herrera of Custom Concrete Designs by Victor, my fellow blogging buddy and vegetable gardener (this is her corner of the display!), Jennifer Hammer, of Jenn's Cooking Garden and especially my husband, Wayne, who showed off his true farm boy roots ... lug'n and shovel'n and haul'n stuff around. Hard work, but somebody has to do it!!!! Thanks, honey.

Getting Ready for the Cal State Garden Show; La Casa Verde

Much time spent looking at color swatches and books...

 but now the s... hits the fan. here's the empty hall at Cal Expo. It's depressing, certainly not encouraging. ("Why did I chose such a large space!?!")

 ...so that's what a sheetrock wall looks like on the inside ...(doesn't Steve have nice legs?).

 6 pallets of these babies.

 Victor takes a break from paving.

 Rory on the eve of his 30th birthday, taking a break from mudding my walls.

 Yikes! That's too much yellow!

 Say hello to Jenn. She's been such a help! She's also going to run a ticket give-away on her blog, Jenn's Cooking Garden (where she blogs about her veg garden).

More pictures tomorrow. Come to the show!!!!!

Catching up with Geno's Garden

I haven't posted in awhile, but I haven't been idle! Not me! I've got several projects in the works, including my upcoming garden display at the California State Flower, Food and Garden Show (April 7-10).
Here are pictures from last weekend's adventures:

(detail of Tunisian window from Riley's Antiques at the Antique Trove in Rocklin)

wonderful recycled material sculpture at Pottery World in Loomis. This guy is about 5' tall. His partner was equally guapo (handsome) as he played his bass.

well... To tell the truth, I'm doing this from my iPhone in the car, so don't know which pictures will show up. But, there should be the window, the sculpture, a red Farmall Cub from High Hand Nursery, and a marvelous display patio from Green Acres (Jackson Highway &  Power Inn). (two pictures, note the wonderful water feature!) Like much of life, this a learning experience!

Wordless Wednesday: It's A Daffodilly Day!

Flickr photo credit: PresleyJesus

Thanks little bag o' bulbs!

You may be interested in a related post from the back of the stack: Plant Now for Spring Daffodils.

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help!
Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com.