Fall Photo's of Some fabu plants at South Seattle Community College

A student sent in these fab foto's taken in the Fall Plant ID Class. Here at SSCC. LHO Programs. Gorgeous right? Credit and thanks to T e r r i e   S h a t t u c k.

A. palmatum 'Bloodgood'

Ginko biloba

Stewartia psuedocamillia Japanese Camillia

IPM WORKSHOP REPORT and A BIG THANKS TO ALL YOU COHORT VOLUNTEERS!

 *Out Damn 'Weasel Snout' Out!

Lamiastrum galeobdolon Weasel Snout:
 Photo from King County Noxious Weed Board Web Site.

Last week SSCC hosted an IMP  workshop. What is IPM? Integrated Pest Management.  Nowadays we like to refer to it as Plant Health Care. Here in Seattle it is sponsored by Seattle Public Utilities and funded by the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County with support from South Seattle Community College and Seattle University. Below is a great description that I found at the University of Georgia.

IPM

An IPM mindset demands that all options---chemical and non-chemical---be considered when developing a pest management action plan." 1

 IPM workshops are, of course there to help those of us in the field who are getting our credits for pesticide licenses,or our educational goals.  IPM is used all over the country.This is how my friend lets call him Mr. B, likes to describe me. "A Tree Hugger". OK, I am a Tree Hugger from way back.  Mr. B, who lives in Georgia has a home in the North Georgia Mountains. He loves his trees too. Over yonder, in states from Maine to Georgia, they are experiencing  problems with the Woolly Adelgid 2. in the Tsuga canadensis Eastern Hemlock.  Mr B a very intelligent and proactive person attended workshops to learn how to help save the beloved Eastern Hemlock. It was recommended to use an injectable pesticide in the base of the trunks and that is supposed to save them. I hope that it does. In the case of the Wooly Adelgid an IPM approach of injections seem to be the best possible solution.

Wooly Adelgid; Photo: National Park Service

  

 This year at the Seattle IPM workshop I had the privilege of co- presenting a talk along with our principal volunteer Ellen Wanless, of Brooke Wanless Gardens,LLC. Our presentation was about the Lamiastrum galeobdolon removal project in the Arboretum. We began the work of removing this weed  in Nov 2008. There was a lot of it, and when we began we felt like we were bailing out the Ship With a Spoon. But it is beginning to show promise now.

So, for a tree hugger like me who wants to do good for the planet, I am happy to report to you that the presentation at the workshop appeared to be successful. We  wanted to organize a presentation that would be meaningful to people. We also felt it was important to be as strictly scientific as we could possibly be. We presented the project in a time-line that showed our research, progress and where we are planning to take it now, with thanks and credits too.

Here is a little synopsis of our presentation. This will give you and idea as to what all we have been doing with this project.

Begin

At the outset of the project back in '08, Ellen met with Van for a discussion on what area in the Arboretum that she could assist volunteering in. Van suggested the removal of  Lamiastrum  galeobdolon Yellow Archangel or Weasel Snout as he is concerned with our proximity to the West Duwamish Green Belt.

  Research
 Ellen did a major amount of research with folks like Linda Chalker-Scott of WSU and Dr. Sarah Reichard  from the University of Washington. She also used her notes from Arthur Lee Jacobson's talks on mechanical management. We were lucky to know Wendy DesCamps, a woman who is working on her masters with this very plant! Wendy shared with us a lot of valuable assistance and information. Other valuable information was provided by Tracy Osborn, formerly of the Rhododendron Species Garden.

 While Ellen was getting started with this, I was busy organizing the Volunteer Cohort. A volunteer group for maintenance in the Arboretum had never before been implemented and we felt that it was a great time to start. We had lost our head gardener in 2006 and for a while the college grounds crew assisted in the Arboretum, but they gradually have reduced their time spent in the Arboretum due to the demands on their own operations.Van and the college gave the go-ahead for this project in late August of 2008.
 About this time the students were pushing the college to 'go green' and stop using pesticides in the Arboretum. You can imagine that the place began to look a little shabby on the edges.

I started with research also. I was able to interview Bellevue Botanical Gardens, Washington Park Arboretum and used resources from the United Way of King County.   Slowly I began to knit together a small group of volunteers and most of them were students in the LHO program!

Documentation 

REGENERATION OR 'THINGS WANT TO LIVE'!
Long Fine Roots make for difficult removal.
 Plant can regenerate from these fine roots left behind.
Plant can regenerate from any part of the stem with a node.
 Plant can reseed too.

We had plenty of  documentation and photo's galore.  I took a lot of pictures. I kept records of each work party, where we worked, who was there and how long we worked.

  Lamiastrum galeobdolon Project Begins Nov 2008

 People like to work on weed removal by hand, grubbing away. Or some like to spray it up with herbicides. Then, thinking that they have done this fabulous job clearing up the weeds,we go off and  forget about it. Months later the weed is back. Next up is something that many of us are guilty of. We fall into the, "this method doesn't work" trap. With this in mind we began to look ahead at the Weasel Snout; and how long the project would take. We thought," oh, we'll be finished with this maybe by next year. Not.

The 3 Year Plan

Arthur Lee recommends 3 years for a mechanical method of removal. We may not be able to completely eradicate any one weed, but we do want control.

(I only want control of the TV remote, but that will never happen with 4 children)

  Tell me something good. We have had successes. One success is under the Myrica california between the Entry and Sensory Gardens. This area about 600 SF, was processed in May 2009 with 5 people. It was choked with the Weasel Snout and it is now very clean. But there are 'pop ups'. These are easily managed by hand weeding. As long as you remember to be in the long range plan mode.

Myrica california at the Entry/Sensory Garden.

 The L. galeobdolon project has not been with out its problems. We have had a couple of  failures. One in particular is over on the Dry Creek Bed Hillside. 

 We failed there, due to some on-site decision making that did not work for us. The Fushia were important for us to try and save so, we sheared everything back and mulched. The Fushia came back big time and guess what? Yep, so did the the L.galeobdolon. Weasel Snout won that day but we learned a valuable lesson. Do
your research, have a plan, work the plan.

 Tools and Cardboard

Don't you love your tools? We love our tools. We use shears, hori hori's, diggers, tarps, fan rakes, brooms, wheel barrows, clean processed cardboard. Oh, and I always have my camera. Even if it is just the cell phone. Tool time tip: Remember when you are shearing get right down onto the surface of the soil, if you chomp into a rock or hard bit ease up and try not to nick the shears. This is the most effective shearing method. Also, take the shears at the end of the day, clean em up, rasp, file and oil your tools. Love your tools.

Key tip: overlap the cardboard generously.
Starve the plant of light.

Methods 

 Hand removal is possible, but be careful in where you are working and at what time of year. During the growing season the surrounding plant roots may be damaged by hand weeding. Especially be careful with the Rhododendron  roots. 

Hand weeding therefore, is not recommended for the grow season around the Rhodies roots, chose instead our method of  shearing to the roots. Then, sheet mulch with the mulch at 4 to 6 inches.

  

 Where Do We Go From Here?

 OK, fine.What are we doing now? Here is the plan, chosen in part due to the scale of the Arboretum and lack of time and limited assistance. We chose the following method. Shear the plant, Sheet mulch, Monitor for Pop ups ( new growth) and remove the pop ups.

Trials

 Van, Ellen and I have met and decided to follow up with trials of our different methods.

 There is always concerns about the cardboard gas to air exchange. One wants to know what works best where.

Three methods.

1. Choose to use sheet mulch with the mulch level at 4" to 6".  

2. Use mulch only, up to 12"

3. Lastly go in and shear weekly, starving the plant.

Make a Plan - Work Your Plan

 As of now the L. galeobdolon is being placed in the Arboretum's long range maintenance plans. Yes. We feel good about this and hope that you do too.

  Let me just say a huge thanks to all of you, the Cohort Volunteers and everyone who has supported this project.  It is you  who made the Lamiatrum galeobdolon Project as successful as it has been. You all have been so great for showing up and for helping out on Second Saturdays. It has made  a tremendous difference in the Arboretum. Thanks again.

CoHorts and Docents.

  Tools We Love.

Lunch for CoHorts in the Garden Center.

1. http://www.caes.uga.edu/departments/ent/upmp/ipm.html
2.The National Park Service (NPS) is cooperating with the US Forest Service (USFS) to suppress the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an aphid-like insect that is killing eastern hemlock trees.

*Yellow Archangel is just too beautiful a phrase for our pesty L. galeobdolon. Ellen found a reference to this plant, calling it 'weasel snout'. We love it.

Mr. and Mrs. Fincham, Claire Hendrickson, Dr. Laura Dorsey

Gardens for Peace

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pikachuplur

This is a place to find solace, rest, joy. Meditate or just breath the air.  Look around at the beauty. Texture, color, shapes and sizes are all different but occupied by one main component. Conifers. Dwarf conifers to be exact. There are some odd ones, deciduous trees.
All are in the Coenoisum Rock Garden a Garden for Peace. Just living together in  harmony. Completely.
 As so should we.

Volunteers Volunteers Volunteers!!!

This month October the 9th we had 7 Cohorts in  the Arboretum. We are tackling the Lamiastrum galiobdolen  a plant from Northern Europe, now considered to be invasive in our region. We did a great job today clearing an area of this fast growing plant.
We began with our special tools. Hori hori, widger,shears, two pronged reef fork, fan rakes, buckets, tarps, wheel barrels, cardboard, and clean wood chip mulch.  I like to wear garden chaps and last but not least, rain gear. (this is Seattle).
 It took us about 2.5 hours to clear an area approximately 20 by 20 feet of the target 'weed'.
 It feels good to get this work done. Afterwards we shared sandwiches, chips and cookies that the Culinary School provides for us free, on our work party days.
 We are making friends and I am learning the art of maintenance. Tricks, tips and even nomenclature of tools.

Gardens for Peace and Ciscoe Morris on the Radio

I love calling Ciscoe on Saturday mornings. Usually I have a question but sometimes I want him to help me pitch the Arboretum at South Seattle Community College. He is always ready to help and he has this amazing sense of humor, which is one of the reasons he is so special to all  of us gardeners out here in the great Pacific Northwest.
 This morning he had me on for about a minute. We talked about the Arboretum and the gorgeous Coenosium Rock Garden.
 The big news this week and why I needed his help was to get the word out about our latest honor.
The Coenosium Rock Garden will be inducted into the Gardens for Peace this week. The dedication takes place next Friday. October 08th from 3PM to 5PM.
 "All ya'll" are invited!  Please make some time to join us at this special event. Get a chance to see how lovely our Arboretum is here at South Seattle Community College.

Gardens for Peace
Gardens for Peace links gardens world wide,fostering respect for the environment  and a climate of peace among  all peoples.

Day of Caring.jpg

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

United Way Day of Caring 10,500 Volunteers!

More than 10,500 volunteers from 120companies  tackled 411 service projects Friday across King County as part of United Way of King County's annual Day of Caring. United Way's Day of Caring is Washington state's largest single day mobilization of volunteers and also serves as the official kick-off of United Way of King County's fundraising campaign.

Last Friday  the United Way of King County sent us 25 volunteers in the Arboretum. My ad on their site was titled 'Swing from the Trees in the Arboretum"  Hey, if you wanted to volunteer and have fun too, this was the spot! Now we didn't actually let our volunteers swing from trees, but it sounded so fun. Its the spin that counts, right? The ad primed my group and  we laughed all day. Best way to work if you ask me.

It was amazing to have so many willing and happy volunteers to help us rid ourselves of the nasty weeds.  We are operating organically and need all the helping hands we can get. The thugs of the arboretum include: Himalayan Blackberry, St. Johns' Wort, Yellow Flag Iris, and Buttercup. Ugh to all of them and good bye. We got to see a big garter snake. He was all black with yellow stripes. One of the volunteers swore he came so close they were practically kissing! He did not hear the end of that believe me. The first thing to ask? Was it a French kiss? Ugh. Ok sorry, but  silly was the order of the day. 

Meanwhile the volunteers, amidst all the outrageous comments worked hard to help us and we are grateful and we told them so (but no kissing). Yeah King County Day of Caring!

Docent Dirt

The Arboretum at South Seattle Community College has begun their very first docent program. We welcome them. The 10 new docents at your service during the year. Garden tours will be held once a month on Second Saturdays. Other private group tours are scheduled randomly throughout the year. We hope this begins a really great new avenue for students, alumni and the community.

 

Water Bottle for Gardeners BPA free

The Platypus. I have had one for a while now, and it is my bottle of choice.I am an X Flight Attendant. So I know about great gadgets that can go anywhere and not take up room in your bag. This bottle is good for gardeners.
 You can fill 'er up. Freeze her. Boil her. She can be a hot water bottle on very cold nights or even carry frozen Martguerita's. I have not tried that out myself but it sounds great.
 I fill her up at night put in the fridge and she's all nice and cold in the AM for my day. I have two. That way I get my total daily H2O! Freeze one for your lunch later.
If you travel, it lies flat in your bag. When you get on the other side of security, you can go to the fountain, fill her up presto! You have water for your flight. Sweet.

West Seattle Garden Tour at South Seattle Community College

Ya'll come  on over to the Arbi and rock the trees tomorrow with the West Seattle Garden Tour. If you have a ticket you can get free wine and cheese and chocolate from 1PM to 2:30 in the Sensory Garden. Don't miss the Arbie. Its the bomb.

Evergreen Dogwood Cornus capitata

SSCC We are on the West Seattle Garden Tour!!!

Don't miss this tour. A peak into some of the coolest gardens of West Seattle. July 18th from 9AM to 5PM.  Come to the college at noon, you can purchase a delicious  boxed lunch and enjoy it while you listen to the speaker, or just sit a spell in the Arboretum.  Later, at 1PM there is free wine, cheese and chocolate to the ticket holders.

 These gardens are all way beyond the 'yard of the month' quality. When I was young, I just wanted to win the 'Yard of the Month'. I knew it was doomed. I had designed a lovely corner planting near the street. But then my neighbor came by and inquired as to  why I was 'saving' the crabgrass. I was saving the grass in the wheel barrel to place in another 'bare spot'.  Sigh. Embarrassing moment # 4399. Well I have never been a big fan of lawns.   The good thing is that the plantings lasted. I went by the old place last year. I had planted Shore Juniper and a Japanese Maple and some other stuff. They are still doing beautifully. And look how out of fashion grass is now?
 I like to think I was ahead of myself. Uh yeah.
All that was before my Master Gardener classes and my Horticulture Degree. I am still learning. Life long learning at South Seattle Community College. Ya'll come on over here.

Waiting for Summer

We moved to our 'new' old home in West Seattle last November. I have been waiting for summer ever since. Is it just me? I wonder what has taken summer so long. Arriving last week, it up and left on vacation. The nerve. It was 55 this morning. I stubbornly went out in my sandals. I'll be darned if I am going to wait for summer any more.

The garden here was once a stunning cottage garden. I see the remnants. There were beautiful Huecheras in deep red to match the Forest Pansy. The Huecheras have all disappeared, and whats' left of them is a broken tag I found buried there.

I can't complain, there are still quite a lot that has survived.

Here is a list:

Rosemary, Lavender, Mint and Lily of the Valley, Tea Roses. A Dogwood, a Maple, a cranky old weeping Cherry with twig die back. Some California Lilac, a few Maidenhair Ferns, one lovely Hosta, a some Hellebors. On a fence is Akebia quinata, and a shrub honey suckle It is called Himalayan Honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa), a bunch of Sedum 'Autumn Joy'. Creeping Jenny

But it is all overgrown and surrounded by Ivy and Stinky Bob galore. Decayed, it feels decayed. Somehow there are tons of old nails and boards and cement stepping stones strewn around. Any moment I am going to see Boo Radley. I'll have to post some photo's for you to peruse.

This is my dream. I am going to renovate this garden. I want it to last longer than a decade. That is the dream.

I have a lot to do. I'm gonna think about it tomorrow.

Chupacabra's Spotted in West Seattle

Lately, rumors have been swirling on the West Seattle Blog about these strange and unusual pests.The dreaded Chupacabra has been spotted in Texas, and as far northwest as Portland, Oregon.

I thought that the coyote was bad. The Chupy doesn't eat the plants, but apparently likes to rub on the bark and enjoys sleeping near the pond in the sensory garden. I think that he has been going through the trash though. We can't always be serious.

Arboretum on Tour

Monday was Arboretum tour day with my boss. We combed through the place and wrote everything down that needed attention. Now, do I hear any volunteers charging through the gates? Hmm, it's pretty quiet out there. I don't hear any charging.

Hopefully I will see some few kind souls with tools coming through.

July 18 is the date we are targeting.

That is our West Seattle Garden Tour day. Please do join us on that day. The Garden Center will be open and there will be a lot of great plants to pick!

Tours:The Association of Professional Garden Designers Visit Us

APGD of WA visited us here at South Seattle Community College. We toured the Arboretum and then commenced a Brown Bag Lunch. Informational lunching with the designers revealed new infromation. Students can join for free. Mentor-ships are available. The designers were a friendly and fun bunch.