The Mature Gardener
The reality for most older gardeners is that our bones do hurt, our bodies do slow down. We cannot do what we did 30 years ago. So what are we to do? If gardening makes you happy and you do not wish to give it up, plan for your 'older' gardening days.

We no longer have the energy to clean out flower beds and prepare the lawn in the fall or spring. I hired someone to do that once when Tim was very ill. It was wonderful to have some-one clean up and weed our flower beds and mow the lawns. How pleasant it was to walk in my garden and see neat beds; my husband appreciated it also. Plan your garden so that there is nothing that needs to be coddled. All winter long you can leisurely putter around, snip here and there and enjoy yourself. Place garden benches or chairs in your garden to enjoy everything. I love being outside, watching our cat Elvis play in the bushes, smell the perfumed air. This week I snipped pieces of fragrant, blue-flowered rosemary, and sweet Candytuft, full and white. I brought cuttings of Flowering Quince inside to enjoy the blooms opening close up; Forsythia has budded, pansies are blooming, camellia's have fat buds, cyclamen is still jaunty and bright colored, and the white narcissus smells divine. Spring is almost here! Do not garden for only three seasons of beauty; make an interesting winter garden to warm your heart and delight your senses.

When it comes to flowering shrubs, gardeners should be careful about cutting back. Spring bloomers like azaleas and lilacs have already set their buds; butterfly bush, and coneflowers provide shape as well as seeds for the birds in your winter garden. Leave them standing til spring.

Evergreens look wonderful for four seasons of the year, marvelous as backdrops for annuals and perennials and providing structure in the garden. We all know the beauty and magic of Perennials; the huge variety of color, form, and scent. There are plants for every location, every soil type and water needs. Lilies, daylilies, all spring bulbs, daisies, rudbeckia, goats beard, peonies, abutalons, hostas, hydrangeas, etc. Visit your local nursery to see an amazing assortment of perennials that make garden work easy for you.

Cut down on hard jobs such as dividing or removing overgrown plants- round up young, willing and able budding gardeners and encourage them to help themselves to your hostas or naked ladies, or whatever plant is taking over your beds. You can minimize weeding by planting thickly and using filler plants like hostas, ajuga, or bergenia. Mulching cuts down on weeding, but it is a lot of back-breaking work. You can always hire someone to mulch your beds, or ask a friend; better still, make a honey-do list!

Trees not only give you flowers and dappled shade in the summer but also add interest in fall and winter. Flowering shrubs are hard workers in the garden and a delight. Always leave enough time in your life to do something that makes you happy, satisfied, even joyous. That is the best thing for your well being and your health.

The Older Gardener
I began serious gardening at the age of 46; I was strong and impassioned. I had grown up watching my grandmother, my aunt, and my mother enjoy gardening. Sun-lit roses on weekends in my grandmother's gardens provided landing pads for darting dragonflies in shimmering blues and greens. On weekends in West Point, I could garden for 10 to 12 hours on Saturdays and Sundays with nary a sore muscle or aching joint, gardening til after the sun went down and Tim called me in for the night. After my day job, I would put in 2 or 3 hours of gardening, creating more beds, paths or planting my new finds.

Once I reached the age of 56, my joints began to creak, moan and pain me, especially after the several falls I had before being diagnosed with diabetes-related neuropathy. When the dust settled after years of immobility, after having to sell our wonderful 5 acres, it dawned on me, "Since I am not that strong woman, how will I ever be able to garden again?" I in no way wanted to give up my passion. I am now way over 50 (older than dirt I have been told) but still have a young spirit, although some days I feel like 101. I do not want to be one of those older gardeners I often overhear saying, "I cannot work in my garden any more. It is too much for me. I can't bend, dig, weed, trim or plant like I did years ago. I do not have the stamina and energy and my knee pain and back pain are terrible! My garden looks a mess. I must have most of the plants taken out, and go back to just grass. Annuals are too much work! Perennials need too much cutting back. Are my gardening days over?" And, finally, "...should I sell my property and move?"

If gardening makes you happy and you do not wish to give it up, plan for your 'sunset' gardening days. You do this by planning and planting a garden that looks beautiful in three seasons, remembering that also means in the winter. This calls for flowering shrubs, conifers, evergreen trees and deciduous trees that look especially good in the winter. It might be their bark, shape or color.

Your winter garden should invite you to want to be in it even though the weather is cold or snowy. You must have enough interest and structure in your garden that it beckons to you to want to sit, walk around, and even putter in it even though the garden is dormant. You will be amazed at the variety of plants and foliage that will bring new life and beauty to winter gardens. The best part is that it will not require maintenance on your part. The shrubs, flowers, and trees will unfold with the seasons, bringing color and beauty to your gardens while you watch in joy.

Planter boxes or round planting saucers placed on your porch with perennials such as mums, pansies, geraniums and alyssum will delight you all year long and only need a drink of water now and then. Don't give up something you love like gardening; continue the beauty and magic of it. But build in a little wisdom.   Back to Top

Winter Blooming Plants are a surprise in the garden, a refreshing spot of color amidst the many grays of winter. Another world of opportunities for the gardener, these plants are cold hardy and even bloom through the snow. The important thing is to provide good drain-age so their roots don't rot.

A favorite is Cyclamen, in many shades of pink, rose, red, and snow white. This plant has green mottled leaves in a pleasing tuft surrounding the perky, 6-inch tall blooms, very neat and tidy. Tuck them in among plants in the front of your garden that die back in winter, or put them next to rock gardens or that stacked stone wall. They will look terrific wherever you plant them. They can even be brought inside to give you a cheery lift; keep them cool and well watered. They love bright, winter light.

Now a plant every garden should have! Osmanthus Fragrans or Sweet Olive Shrub. In late fall, or early winter, this evergreen shrub, or small tree, has tiny white, clustered flowers that give off the most heavenly fragrance; it will fill the air. Sweet, light, yet heady. Camellia like leaves, this plant does not need a lot of water and is marvelous for home gardens. I first saw one in my Aunt Glorya's garden in Fresno where she got some snow during the year. This shrub thrived, and grew to a small tree size, with this magnificent scent. It is the same heavenly fragrance with which Daphne delights us.

Another cold hardy plant, many of you may have noticed it at Daffodil Hill blooming among the daffodils in early spring, Daphne is a delight in the garden. It is easy to take care of, and is one of those plants to embrace the coldness of winter. Evergreen, it is a slow grower, but will become a full rounded shrub whose blooms you will look forward to each year. You can also keep them in pots on your porch or near a doorway outside to delight you.

Things you should be doing now in your gardens: Move frost tender plants to a sheltered location like against the house, on a porch, under a breezeway. Protect others in the garden with old sheets, newspaper, cardboard, stakes, plastic, old blankets, frost covers. Use sticks or stakes to support a tent over the plant. For small plants, use milk jugs, pieces of newspaper, or card-board. Remove them in the morning after the frost has thawed. Don't let the plastic touch the leaves; never leave plants covered with plastic when it's sunny.

Don't prune damaged limbs til spring as they continue to protect the plant. Move citrus containers to a protected location. We string white Christmas lights on ours and it gives them enough protection through the winter so they don't die; besides making the garden look romantic at night!

Roses are dormant right now, and it's almost time to prune. The cold and the winter winds can dry them out terribly. Check them frequently and water them when dry. If they are under snow, forget about them; their roots are insulated. Browse through your garden catalogues for new roses to add to your 2008 gardens. Dream wonderful dreams of multi-colored, fragrant gardens that include roses, Sweet Olive, and Daphne.  Back to Top
 

Sunny California
Oh, the rain, the delicious rain! The cleansed earth, moist and dark, sends up the most amazing scent after a rain. Everything in the garden seems refreshed, bathed in pure waters. Huge droplets sit on the soft, grey leaves of Lamb's Ears, and cling to the drooping wands of my blooming Lavender. The sun peeks through briefly, and I spy an iridescent Hummingbird, searching for nectar, flitting among the Rosemary blossoms.

What a treat for my eyes as I work on this month's column. Snug and warm inside, with such a wondrous nature show right outside my window. The variegated ivy is fat and plump from the summer sun and will remain green through the winter, snuggled up around the barren Redbud tree and Butterfly bushes.

This is great downtime from the garden work; actually my husband, Tim, does all the hard work. I revel in seeing what's blooming and snapping close-ups of the garden beauties. The only thing that rivals the beauty of flower photographs for me are the splendid photos of garden produce, close-ups that make your eyes smile. Winter is a good time to design your garden, or redesign, or perhaps just decide what new varieties to add next year. It is fascinating and such fun once you start looking through the enticing garden catalogs. They are free for the asking, mailed directly to you. Several have simple, savory recipes to use the 2008 garden harvest; many to make now with produce from your local grocery store.

The second week in December my lawn was covered in white ice, looking almost like snow. It was so still and cold; my petite red roses frozen overnight with perfect petals. The third week was sunny and very cold. Now I sit here finishing this column, and the rain has started again. Be sure to have tough plants in your gardens; they have to be flexible for our changeable weather patterns here in sunny California! Back to Top
 

Winter Wonderland
Each winter in West Point, the snow piled up outside, the fire logs glowed in the fireplace, scenting the cold, winter air and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous! Now that we live in Sutter Creek we only expect snow in March! Last year we had lovely drifts and it was so romantic...maybe because it melted by the next day!

I remember using the garden downtime to check out seed and plant catalogs; many had recipes using their herbs and it was a really fun time for me. I would look outside at the trees' branches, covered in shimmering layers of pure white snow, festooned with sparkling ice crystals that caught the light and glinted brilliantly in the afternoon light.

My fireplace danced merrily and it made for cozy, Saturdays. This is November in Sutter Creek and I am still enjoying blooms on the roses, lavender, pansies, and jaunty Gaura. For extra color on these winter days, bring Amaryllis into your home, it is a cheery addition to keep you company while you enjoy your magazines.

There are some lovely, hardy plants that are happy in West Point or Sutter Creek. Carnations are truly carefree flowers. Once planted, they bloom all the way through summer. Fragrant, with a clean, clove-spice scent, they have double flowers and blue-green, spiky leaves, and grow to about 12 inches in height. They over- winter very well. Anemones, in shades of violet, pink, and white, are charming 'windflowers', with softly ruffled blooms, and come in various heights. Sarah Bernhardt is a beautiful, herbaceous peony that is cold hardy and so spectacular. Candytuft, Dogwood trees, St. John's Wort, Ajuga, fragrant wild violets, Blue Fescue, Aaron's Beard --great choices. Gardens are a part of our lives, a living tapestry. I look forward to each winter as eagerly as I look forward to spring, summer and fall. Gardening is good for your heart's health. Happy gardening!  Back to Top

Photo left: The Editor behind a stand of daisies in her yard

This is a wonderful time of year in the gardens. Things have slowed down, the colors are muted, golden and rosy, and the plants seem to have come together in a cohesive picture, complementing each other. The grasses are a nice addition in our garden; they glow in the light of the setting sun and they are always treats for the many birds looking for a meal this time of year.

Rain has already fallen and oh, didn't it smell good! The plants are happy, refreshed, shimmering with droplets. Gaura, with tall, willowy stems, is not as happy. They have fallen over and now kiss the earth. But tomorrow will come, they will dry and once more lift their white blooms towards the sun. Now is the time to plant Mums (lovely yellow, russet, gold and white), some ruffly leaved primrose, and fragrant stock. I am looking forward to the seasonal changes. The trees are beginning their colors, and are quite spectacular. The aspens on the way to Sorensen's Resort in Hope Valley on Highway 88 are absolutely gorgeous this time of year!

It is snowing at the higher elevations now, and mornings are becoming quite nippy. Not much time left to put the gardens to bed and tidy up. It's time also to plant spring bulbs. But once that is done, we can take off on a day trip up to Markleeville to the hot springs. It is amazing to sit in mineral hot springs soaking tired joints while surrounded by white, snowy mountains, and meadows with a blue sky overhead. This is so good for the body and soul. A cool swimming pool is just on the other side to dive in and cool off afterwards. What a lovely afternoon trip this will be; we will take a lunch and enjoy it after the hot springs.

I still have color in my gardens; zinnias are happy and blooming wildly; deep violet morning glories still reaching out and embracing the nearby tomato plant we sunk in a wooden half barrel so it would be closer to the back door (see photo below). My pink and white Four O'clock will bloom until frost and this morning I saw the Kaleidoscope Rose; it had changed from a tannish pink to a rosy pink! Perhaps the influence of the nippy weather we are having lately. Zucchini plants are still forming flowers, but no fruit, which is ok...the flowers are good to eat. Torn into salads for color and flavor, or battered and sautéed. Choose those that look fresh, with closed buds. Squash blossoms are sometimes stuffed with soft cheese before being batter-dipped and fried. They have vitamins A, C, and calcium.

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Have you noticed the cooler evenings, the shorter days? Autumn has arrived! It's pleasant spending time in the garden, taking out the spent summer flowers, seeing the Four O'clock, Snap Dragons, and pansies happy and bright. It's time to plant for fall! The best months to plant most California native plants. Warm soil and cooler nights promote good root growth, and lessens transplant stress. Fall planting gives plants that needed cool time to dig deep so they can survive hot, dry summers.

Lovely flowers to plant now are mums, stock, poppies, sweet peas (get the fragrant ones), verbena, cyclamen, and ferns are always nice to plant. Winter veggies are now available; spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, Brussels sprouts, onions, chard, Romaine lettuce, beets, radishes, carrots. It is also a good time for weeds, so keep an eye out and keep pulling. Our tomatoes are doing one last fling, red and bright in the sunshine, their taste deliciously fragrant...nothing like a tomato fresh from the garden! Marigolds and petunias are still busy pumping out the color and I am still getting some strawberries.

Vegetable seedlings are in great supply at your local nurseries. The fall bulbs are in--Alliums, anemone, crocus, daffodil, freesia (so fragrant!). Our Crape Myrtle is putting on her show now, since the end of August. Frilly flowers in rose wine grace the branches and entice honey bees. I am still enjoying alyssum, white and fragrant. This is time for Asters, lovely lavender colors that come back each year and are a strong presence in the perennial bed.

I have beautiful, yellow fox gloves which are just starting their second bloom! The nights have definitely gotten cooler. One even begins to think about turning on the heater in the house! But then, the next day comes and it is hot and still, the cool, crisp evenings a mere memory. This has quite an effect on my gardens! My Pansies bloom and stop, the cannas gets taller and taller but show no flowers, and my Impatiens become very thirsty. A real trooper in the garden is Gaura, always delicate and lovely, blooming still.

The Pyracantha has berries that are slowly turning from green to orange, and by December, will be bright red and will give the birds great delight. Beneath her, the Blue Fescue is a wonderful counterpart in ice blue. Pyracantha makes a nice centerpiece for the holiday table, bright red berries, glossy green leaves look like Christmas. Oh my, can you believe the blooming season is almost gone?

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These plants can endure the elements this season. Check out local nurseries for more drought-tolerant plants such as Zinnias, Verbena, Cana (photo left), Petunias, Butterfly Bush, Lantana, Hollyhocks, Vinca and Geraniums; Google 'hot summer plants' for endless suggestions online. Strive for an all season garden, and don't forget the color for the hot, August dog days of summer.
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Plant flowers at your feet, strewn alongside the pathways in your garden. Treat yourself with something special. Try Scaevola, it blooms profusely on every branch and petals are on one side of the flower; or Johnny Jump-Ups. Have Lemon Verbena share space with other plants in your beds, right where you walk past and touch them. The light lemony scent is delightful. You can use the leaves in tea, scones, or even baked in bread.

Purple coneflower is a favorite of butterflies as is the Butterfly bush that attracts dozens of butterflies to its fragrant, lilac-like blossoms. Plan for a continuous show of flowers in your garden; prolong their blooming season by dead-heading faded flowers. It is important for butterflies to have nectar well into fall; an especially important time for migrating monarchs and hummingbirds, too, in need of energy for the long flights south.
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A good garden takes time to develop, and then can be made and remade, over the course of a lifetime and even into succeeding generations. The late May Sarton, whose intimate journals are full of wisdom about life in the garden, wrote: "Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow cycles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace."

There is a rich relationship between the gardener and the garden. It is ironic that when the garden we dreamed of creating finally seems finished, the picture keeps changing. Therein lies the fun. Gardens are memories, experience, and knowledge that we gleaned from it, all of which we carry with us in our hearts and souls. Join us at one of our garden sites soon. Visit www.dunnfarm.com and www.ovrthegardengate.com.
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Blue skies, warm temperatures, narcissus blooming everywhere -- is it spring already? The green hills were a refreshing sight after all those dry weeks in January. Then snow in lower elevations blanketed blooms on fruit trees, and we snuggled in for more of winter. Snow covered every-thing again in Sutter Hill in Feb for one day, blanketing the blooming rosemary, daffodils, pansies, candytuft and the budding lilacs. We all know the tenacity of the pansy so no worry. My peach tree was just budding too; last year we had no fruit after the March snow. We will wait and see this year.

It is a perfect time to finish your summer garden plans by visiting local nurseries; so many plants are in bloom and are great visuals for color and form of the plants you have only seen in your garden catalogs. Because most people shop only in the spring and buy only what is in bloom, many gardens lack the glorious colors and textures of the late bloomers. Plants such as Monkshood--not used in gardens enough, a close cousin to Delphiniums with the same lovely deep blue. Japanese Anemone has single and double white and pink flower varieties; planted along with summer bloomers, they look like swans in the garden.

Plant in protected areas, or beneath large shrubs; plant in pots and urns on your deck or porch, or by doorways, to be able to use less hardy plants. Push the limits. Tired of stepping through mud in springtime and after watering in our West Point garden, especially our straw-berry patch, we laid down a brick path of 4 brick across, and decided on a design. We scraped a level path, free of grass, stones and twigs, with a flat spade and laid the bricks down, spacing a 1/2 inch in-between. We then laid a bed of sand and smoothed it, checking it with a level.

Then we swept sand in-between the bricks, followed by mortar mix, hosing it down for a few days until it set. Then another sweeping of sand on top and we had a brick pathway that wound past daisies, daylilies, strawberries, Jasmine, Peonies, and roses. This created a carefree, cottage garden feel. We set a blue garden bench just off the walkway, right under fragrant white roses and next to beautiful, glistening purple Boysenberries for tasty treats during the summer. Put some-thing to enchant your nose everywhere you walk and where you stop and sit. Use dianthus, heliotrope, or scented geraniums. For moonlight dazzle, use moonflower or nicotiana. Then relax and enjoy the fragrance on a summer night.

The evergreens that surrounded our property stood like billowy green privacy walls, forming a framework for our garden. By experimenting, we found out that many blooming plants actually thrive in part shade, such as Foxgloves, astilbes, yarrow and peonies. Snapdragons, Delphiniums, butterfly bush, and alyssum, usually known as full sun bloomers, also love part shade and perk up those shadowy corners with their beautiful form and colors. For special evening fragrance, plant Sweet Olive-- evergreen with tiny white flowers that smell divine at dusk. Asiatic Lilies' fragrance is heavenly. Daylilies, iris, daisies, carnations, peonies, and like varying amounts of shade.

Mix up your plants; develop a lovely jumble that highlight their neighbors' colors, or contrast and complement. Plant with an artist's eye. Try chocolate cosmos; it actually smells like chocolate! Use it close by in pots on your porch or deck. Plant with a cook's nose--plant chocolate dahlia, chocolate sunflower and Calla lily. Mmm! Enjoy gardening!
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Violets, a Fragrant Veil

Violets have a beguiling aroma, haunting, so wonderful you want to linger there. Replicated scents in cologne, creams, and soaps are just not the same, although Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries do a fair job. That's why I love when they come into bloom, like now. My West Point home's lawn was swathed in wild violets, almost replacing the grass in several areas. The scent that carried to the front door on warm mornings was incredible. At our Sutter Hills home, we have just a few areas where they now grow, transplanted years ago. I have searched for these intensely fragrant flowers with no luck; I have found some mildly aromatic, but none like these. They had been planted decades ago at our West Point home by Mrs. Dan Farmer who gardened on the site as the previous owner. Wherever I go, I shall take some of these with me to replant.

She also planted a lovely lavender Bearded Iris that smelled exactly like grape cool-aid. Honest! No one believed it until they smelled it for them-selves. I also cannot find this variety anywhere, so have brought 2 plants with me to Sutter Hill and I look forward to her blooms every spring. Delightful planted next to these beauties is Cleome, a seldom- used perennial. She looks regal, spidery, and very interesting, raising the elegance bar.
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Frost damaged plants

Recent freezing temperatures in many parts of California have injured some citrus trees and other frost-sensitive subtropical plants. But since the full extent of injury won’t be known for a couple of months, horticulture advisor Ed Perry suggests gardeners wait until spring before pruning and removing damaged trees and plants.

The frost injury to plants depends upon a number of factors, including species, age, health, soil moisture and location. Frost injures plants by causing ice crystals to form in plant cells, making water unavailable to plant tissues and disrupting the movement of fluids. Frost-damaged leaves appear water-soaked, wither, and turn dark brown or black. Unprotected, sensitive young trees may be killed, but frost rarely kills mature trees in California.

"While you may be tempted to prune out damaged branches right away, it’s best to wait until spring when new growth will show you the extent of the injury," said Perry of Stanislaus County. "Always allow plenty of time for new growth to take place, so that the damage is clearly defined.
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On weekend mornings, coffee cup in hand, I have a 'walk-about' through the gardens. The air is fresh and cool, the heavenly smell of the new day lingers in the air. A breeze stirs up the fragrant wild violets, deep purple spurs looking so dainty against the deep green of its leaves. Their scent is just delicious!

The morning light gently awakens the gardens, peering around the Sweet Olive tree, its warmth piercing the dew drops, shades of green reflected in their orbs. Now that winter is on the way, the gardens are turning colors, the foliage becoming luscious shades of russet, burgundy, and yellow. Each turn of the path reveals new wonders. Light plays among the trees, highlighting a singular beauty. Autumn arrived in a blaze of glory-- gold, russet, burgundy and brilliant reds charging the fall air, electrifying! Winter will soon slip in, freezing autumn's glory in a strong, icy grasp, blanketing all, quietly, with her soft, white shawl at higher elevations. And so the seasons will play out, each one bringing its own delights and struggles.

Fall nights are nippy, the clear, night skies studded with a zillion stars and you can smell winter coming! Pansies of all colors bloom again with the cooler temperatures, their faces sporting various, colorful markings. Few perennials bloom this late, but make up for that with their brilliant fall colors. The mums have burst out in their fall dress, yellows, gold's, orange, and some lovely little white ones. They will bloom until frost. In my planter on the front porch, they snuggle up to purple Asters, another fall beauty. Along the edge of the Garden are the daylilies, still blooming. November rains have not daunted their perky blooms, bright yellow against grey skies. These hardy, tough plants come in a vast array of colors. Calendula, its orange spheres brilliant in the sun, bloom well into winter and are care-free.

Purple Petunias seem to never stop blooming, white and purple Alyssum, so fragrant and dainty, revel in the coolness of the days and continue to add color to the gardens. Many of our potted plants spend the winter indoors; Bird of Paradise, Umbrella plant, Jade plant, Spider plants, Fichus, lemon tree, and my Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow plant, with lovely lavender blooms. The Christmas Cactus will be amazing with its crimson flowers very soon. Keep these indoor plants moist, as heated winter homes can dry plants out quickly. Mist frequently, and group them together. You can even force bulbs after January, for wonderful indoor color.

The soul is a garden enclosed, our own perpetual paradise where we can be refreshed and restored. - Thomas Moore

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The Gold Country Times
P.O. Box 897
Sutter Creek, CA 95685
(209) 267-9886
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