Page 14 - April 2012 ~ Lafayette Today
Tree of the Season Japanese Maples By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb Japanese maples have an elegance and sculptural quality that resembles dance. Careful study of their form, in any season, can call the viewer back to the natural world. In winter, the falling leaves raise the curtain on the form of the trunks and put the dance on center stage. Winter rain intensifies the show by adding a sensuality to the movement of stem and bough, one that beckons to even the unpracticed eye. In spring, certain varieties of Japanese maples send out new leaves so bright a green they appear lit from within. In summer, upright cultivars that are well pruned have spaces between the branches, giving the canopy the appearance of being composed of many floating islands. And in fall, Japanese maples mark the change of season by turning colors ranging from yellow to scarlet, depending on the variety of maple; there are many varieties. Luckily, Japanese maples are relatively easy to grow and relatively tough. In their long evolutionary dance–fossilized maple leaves date back over 60 million years–Japanese maples have developed the genetic information necessary to protect them against most common garden afflictions. They are, however, subject to verticillium wilt, a soil-borne fungal disease that can cause dieback, and sometimes death. There is no known cure for verticillium, but you can decrease the likelihood of your new maple getting the disease if you 1) don’t plant it in ground known to have verticillium, 2) make sure the soil around the tree is well drained so that the roots don’t remain soggy throughout the winter, and 3) protect the tree against environmental stresses by giving it summer water and keeping it well mulched. Maples can grow and remain healthy in gardens with a history of verticillium. If they are not stressed by soils too damp, too dry, or too compacted, some individual maples can thrive even though a near neighbor may die. It depends on the genetics of the individual. If your mature maple shows significant dieback, it may be fighting a case of verticillium. It is not necessarily a death sentence. Some trees succeed in fighting off the disease.
Gardening with Kate By Kathleen Guillaume My garden is buzzing with bees. When I walk by my flowering crab apple there is a sweet “zzzzzz” noise. I have no idea where they live, however hundreds are hovering above the blossoms very preoccupied with their task. I think sometimes that they might live in the attic of my garage which may collapse someday with the weight of honey. I love my bees, even though they are not mine. They guarantee that I will have bountiful crops and a great fruit harvest. If you plant things in your garden to attract bees, they will stay close throughout the year. In my garden I entice them with my Winter Daphne. If it is not a freezing February, the Daphnes’ scent draws bees that gather for these sweet blooms. Next, my crab apples start blooming almost in conjunction with my pears, followed by my peaches, cherries, citrus, salvias, and tomatoes. I know the crabapple is the big draw, so it anchors my long season of bees. Remember, if you have peaches and cherries that they are rapid growers. The spring and early summer growth is too weak to support fruit. It is best to trim 1/3 to 1/2 off each branch as it sends out new growth. Keeping these varieties pruned and shaped throughout this period keeps their size manageable and evens out fruit production so you don’t have a heavy bearing year and next to nothing the following year. Cherries grow so fast that if you bought a miniature tree and did not prune it for five years, your miniature would be 18 feet high. Dwarf and miniature trees are grafted on slower growing root stalk than the standard trees, but they will still carry the habit of their standard size parent trees. The dwarf varieties are more easily kept in an orderly manner...unfortunately that means you actually have to do something. Drats, because we all want a self-tending garden that provides food, blooms, wonderful foliage, and looks beautiful year round. However, such dreams are for heaven, and back here on earth it requires some toil. I find when I am working in my garden, that it is like a spa day or a quiet meditation. The chores such as weeding are rather mindless tasks and very soothing. Dead-heading spent blooms to encourage more blossoms is also quieting. Gathering fruit and vegetables is wonderfully satisfying. Yes, it is
www.yourmonthlypaper.com You can help them recover by pruning out the deadwood and improving the soil environment by mulching and aerating. Though some varieties can withstand full sun, Japanese maples do best in part shade. They do not thrive when exposed to the drying effect of constant wind. If you live on an exposed hillside, it is best to plant them in the lee of a larger tree. Dieback in Japanese maple crowns often is the result of too much sun, too much wind, or the even more deadly combination of the two. Maples need water. Keeping them moist throughout the summer and fall, and into the early winter in dry years, will make them happier and more disease resistant. Pruning, besides benefiting the mental health of the pruner, can enhance the grace of the plant. If your pruner is an artist, removing deadwood and teasing apart the plant’s natural layering opens little windows that reveal and accentuate the tree’s natural form. A well-pruned tree looks as if it hasn’t been pruned. Paradoxically, it looks more natural after pruning than before. Though it is sometimes necessary to lower the crown of a maple, as when it is beginning to block a treasured view, lowering should be done only when necessary, and the lowering should not be so drastic as to involve topping cuts (see the article on topping). Lowering a maple to gain a view is not something that you can do just once. Pruning down the crown stimulates new growth, and maintaining the view or the size reduction, will require yearly pruning. No matter how good the artist, you can’t make a topped maple look as good as a natural tree. Much pruning, and therefore expense, can be avoided by planting the right variety in the right place. When planting a new tree, plant a cultivar that won’t exceed the desired height when it matures. This is almost always preferable to containing a variety that will grow beyond the desired size. It is our hope at Brende & Lamb that the pleasure our clients derive from their well-pruned trees exceeds the considerable pleasure we get from revealing the beauty inherent in their trees. If your trees need a little TLC, please call 510-486-TREE (8733) or email us at bl@brendelamb.com for a free estimate. Additionally, go to our website www.brendelamb.com to see before and after pictures, client testimonials, and work in your neighborhood. Advertorial work, but the rewards are fantastic. If you have turned some of your garden to edible crops, you might think of trying to do some canning. Canning equipment is reasonably priced, and this is the time to order it as in-season supplies often run low. Go to www. freshpreserving.com, the Ball Company site. I trust the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, which is my canning bible. I like the consistent results of their recipes. I just made a small batch of lemon marmalade, which makes wonderful gifts for friends. You don’t have to can in the quantities of a farm family in the ‘40s that had no access to out-of-season fruit and vegetables. Canning is a fun evening or Saturday morning project. If you can stand and stir for 15 to 20 minutes, then you can can. Remember, though, when making jams or jellies you need a very tall pot, because when you add the sugar it boils and foams up a good 6 to 8 inches. Not only will it make a mess, but you risk getting burned. My favorite pot is an enameled tall 16 qt stockpot. WalMart online is a great place to shop for canning supplies. When selecting jars, I favor the wide mouth jars even for jams. There are some darling small jars that are perfect for gift giving. Buy the canning book first, and then you will have enough information to select the right equipment. Spring is the time to feed just about everything. Please think of slow release organic fertilizers, or sterile steer manure which you can add to water to make “cow tea” if you want a liquid to pour on your potted plants. If the liquid is the color of a weak tea, then you know it is safe for your plants. Happy Gardening!
Weekly Dance Social Dance for joy at our weekly Social, or just come to chat; all are welcome. Twirl, chat, and tap your feet to the beat. The Social is for all-level and all-style dancers, music lovers, and observers. The Social is held Wednesdays from 12:30 to 2:50PM at the Lafayette Community Center located at 500 St. Mary’s Road. The longtime event, with continuous, professionally recorded music, is held in the big, bright Live Oak Room. Tables are set up for friendly conversation, and friends, visitors, and newcomers are especially invited to chat and watch, or dance, or both. The Social specializes in ballroom, but any style dance adds to the charm. Fees for the event are $2 for members of Lafayette Senior Center, and $4 for nonmembers. For more information visit sites.google.com/site/lafayetteteadance.