Planting Small Seeds

I find it useful to cover the planted area with clear plastic sheets (such as saran wrap) to conserve the heat in the soil and prevent loss of moisture...

Covered with plastic sheets after planting - April 29, 2010

Less than a month ago I sowed seeds of the following small-seeded vegetables in my garden:

1.  Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

2.  Bok choy or Pechay ((Brassica rapa)

3.  French Breakfast Radishes (Raphanus sativus)

4.  Corn salad (Valerianella locusta)

Sometimes starting seeds directly in the ground can be a little bit tricky depending on the weather conditions.  Some of the factors that can affect germination outdoors are temperature, soil moisture, and pests (birds, snails and insects).  Low temperatures and insufficient soil moisture can delay germination.  Delayed germination consequently result in lower germination rate as some of the seeds loose viability as the conditions shift from favorable to stressful.  Sown seed can also be eaten by birds depending on the depth of soil cover.  The week that I sowed the seeds was warm and I thought that it would stay that way.  On the contrary, the weather got cold the following week; I had to do some remedial tricks to save my seeds.  I find it useful to cover the planted area with clear plastic sheet (such as saran wrap) to conserve the heat in the soil and prevent loss of moisture while the seeds are still in the process of germination.  Seeds need to imbibe sufficient moisture for the germination process to begin that's why it is important to maintain moisture.  Another advantage of putting this covering on the soil is protection from birds and even snails that can eat the emerging seeds.


When the seeds have emerged, I removed the plastic covering. At this point maintained soil moisture is still necessary although the roots have now grown to penetrate further into the soil for water.

Emerging radish-seedlings - May 4, 2010

Radishes - May 19, 2010

Bok choy - May 19, 2010

Basil - May 17, 2010

Of the four types of seed planted, the radishes emerged first, followed by bok choy, then basil.  The last one that emerged was the corn salad plant. 

Weed Eating Tree...

This sign caught my attention as I was walking to Starbucks one day.   I know what's being advertized here...but doesn't it sounds like there is a tree and a yard that eat weeds?  What do you think?

Hort Art - Garden Accents

This statue appropriately blends in with the rest of the garden and yet it invites your eyes to look.  The ivy has found its way to become part of the lady's outfit.  This combination gives a sense of connection between the accent statue and its surroundings.  There exists an impression that "she" has been there when the garden began.  The color and scale of the accent piece add to the overall success of this design.

I took this picture from one of the gardens featured in the El Dorado Hills Garden Tour (May 15, 2010).

Repotting Cymbidium

I transferred the cymbidiums from their original one-gallon pots to three-gallon ones.  Orchid mixes are very expensive so I am experimenting on cheaper alternatives.  In the forests where these orchids (not the hybrids) originate, they are growing under and on trees or in between dead plant materials.  They don't require a specified formula of potting mix.   I used ordinary semi-composted bark mulch and added some Perlite and a handful of potting soil.  Some experts might question the ingredients but this is my experiment.  It is hard to convince myself into using imported materials like coconut parts and pay huge amounts of money.  I'd like to train my orchids to go local.  :)

Evelyn Rose

We have been enjoying a lot of flowers in the garden this year.  When the kids go out to feed their pets in the morning they often make comments about how fragrant the air is.  The strongest fragrance is coming from the orange blossoms but there are several roses that are really sweet-smelling.  One of them is the rose 'Evelyn'. 

'Evelyn' rose has beautiful flowers.  The pictures give a very accurate representation of the typical spring bloom.  The color is what I would call peachy-pink.  There's a color gradient that goes more intense towards the center of the flower, the outer petals being light pink.    In the spring the color slowly fades into very light pink.  During hotter months, the color is quite different.  They do not have the exciting color gradient.  I think that although Evelyn has a very desirable appearance and fragrance, its beauty is not consistent in all growing conditions.  In my yard I have two of them.  I transferred the one which used to be in my vegetable garden to a different location where it would get some shade during the later time of the day.    We'll see how they do when our temperatures rise to 100-115º F come July-August. 

Based on my own observations, 'Evelyn' does not have a beautiful form as a plant.  The canes and stems are long with a very heavy cluster of flowers on the ends.  As a result they tend to bend down.  (I had to prop up the flowers whe I took these pictures.)

This year I will try to limit fertilizer application to help shorten the canes and branches.  We'll see if it works.  So far I have not applied fertilizer to my roses this year.  After the first blooms are spent I will fertilize some.

'Evelyn' is one of the David Austin English roses.  It resulted from a cross between Tamara (pink rose)and Graham Thomas (yellow rose).  I believe it was bred and selected to be(become) the basis of  Crabtree & Evelyn's signature fragrance.

Pomegranate No More

The excitement I had about my pomegranate died with the tree.  All the anticipation for the first leaf bud to come out slowly faded as I watched the leafless branches tuned brittle.   Whatever went wrong, it's ironic that the pear branch that I used to stake it is now growing.  The "staked" is now the "stake". :)

Just so you know that was not the last pomegranate tree.  I will plant another one again.  A better plant material will increase my chance of success. 

Eden Rose

Eden Rose Climber

One of the first roses I planted in my El Dorado Hills garden is the Eden Rose Climber. It is very easy to grow. When given enough water and regular pruning to contain it where it should be, the plant grows vigorously and resists most of the diseases that are common to roses. I cloned the one I have and now there are three of them in my yard. 

Eden rose produces large clear pink flowers with the outer petals being greenish white.  They look beautiful in my garden now.  In some years when the spring temperatures drop after an early warm weather the early flowers fail to open.  This rose is not big on fragrance.  If you are planning to have a reason to "stop and smell" in your garden, Eden Rose is not it!  On the other hand, I would say that this is the rose of choice for exclusive bridal bouquets and wedding arrangements.  

Eden Rose (Pierre De Ronsard)

Although it is called 'Eden Rose Climber' here in the America, in Europe it is simply called 'Eden Rose'.  In France where it was bred by Marie Louise Meilland, it is known as the 'Pierre De Ronsard'.  Appropriately named after a great French poet this rose is very regal and romantic-looking; it belongs to a class of roses known as 'Romantica' that reflects a period of intense emotional artistic creation (music, sculpture, art, opera, etc.) in French history.