Robert's and Jasmin's Garden Paradise

[Robert]

Hi Jeff,

There have been some very dramatic climatic shifts here in California over the last 50 years. I remember hearing reports of snow falling in Los Angeles during the 1960's. This was rare; however, it would occur during a cold air outbreak during the wintertime. During the 1970's it would still snow at times here in Sacramento. I remember walking across the snow-covered lawn on the college campus between classes sometime around 1975. These weather phenomena never occur now.

Climate change is now impacting some of the fruit growing regions in the southern San Juaquin Valley. Some winters do not provide adequate chilling hours for commercial pistachio and apricot orchards. During these seasons there is no fruit set/crop. There are so many other dramatic climatic changes taking place here in California; they are too numerous to mention.

What is most alarming is that the rate of change appears to be accelerating. A simple histogram of high temperatures extremes can illustrate this point well. Doing the math is interesting. Some of the recent high temperature extremes work out to be a once every 6,000-year event. It was only a few years ago that a high temperature extreme was only a once every 100-year event. Also, analyzing the average annual temperature on calendar year basis vs. July through June basis (the old precipitation season method) highlights either the summer or winter season. The 2014-15 season was the warmest to date at all altitudes in our region using the July through June method. This was a major drought year too. Vapor pressure deficit values in all areas were extreme. This is the same climate change driven process that has vastly intensified the recent Los Angeles fires. Needless-to-say the data indicates that climate change is having a major impact on our region including gardening.

Hellebores seem to be very popular. They are even sold in great numbers at our local nurseries. We do not grow any in our Sacramento garden, we cannot grow everything, however I did grow a few up at our El Dorado County farm many years ago. They seemed very drought tolerant and grew well.

Your project with Galanthus is interesting. I will be very curious to see how this progresses for you. As I have already written, we grow only a few Galanthus in our Sacramento garden. I enjoy them; however, I need to stay focused on other creative gardening projects. I might be growing other plant species however I am interested in what other gardeners a doing or growing. It appears you are making good progress.

[Robert]

Stormy weather returned to our part of Northern California at the beginning of February. There have been a few pauses in the precipitation. This provided an opportunity to finish most of the winter pruning in the garden. The pruning might be finished, however the garden is a mess with most of the prunings still scattered under the fruit trees and maples. The soil is too soggy to deal with the weeds. For us, a messy late winter/early spring garden is just part of the yearly rhythm/cycle. With warmer and drier weather the garden will get cleaned up and put in order.



I have been training our Acer rubescens ‘Silver Cardinal’ in a niwaki-type style. I can’t say that I know what I am doing, however it is slowly taking shape and I am pleased with the results.



When our mature walnut tree was removed in early July 2024, the west side of our Acer rubescens became severely burned. At first I thought that this might be ugly, however now I have second thoughts and believe the burn scar could be turned into an asset. I hope the scar will eventually give the tree character, something like an ancient tree that has survived a lighting strike and other adversities. It will be interesting to see what develops over the years. Over the next few years I will grow pole beans, sunflowers, or Tithonia on the west side of the tree so the burning does not kill the remaining part of the tree trunk. This is a good excuse to grow some common plant species that I enjoy a great deal.

[Jasmin]:  Actually, we planted a couple of fruit trees to buffer the plants we did not move to the front.  The fruit trees we will espalier, to maximize our space and the shade screen they form.  Around each tree, we created water basins of the soil, to maximize water for the plants we desire, and to diminish weeds.  Seasonally within these basins we will plant various annuals, either early spring and spring-blooming California natives, and perhaps some sweet common violas.  Interspersed between the fruit trees, we will set the containers of pole beans, sunflowers, and Tithonia in alternating cycles for shade until the fruit trees grow a bit more.  I need no excuses.  The satisfaction of gardening isn’t all about challenging, difficult, and rare.  It is inclusion, for what does well, and what we enjoy.  Ultimately, if it does not bring us joy, if we do not deem it beautiful, then what is the point?



Our Aristolochia californica is in full bloom now. It is an early late winter bloomer.



Carex multicaulis is one of my favorite California native Carex species. This species remains reasonably small and has showy white flowers. It is a clumping species so I do not have to worry about it running all over the garden.  [Jasmin]: Grass skippers apparently enjoy it, as they do Tithonia.

[Robert]

I had a clump of Crocus biflorus ssp. isauricus that was hidden behind taller growing species. I moved them this winter to a site where they can be seen and appreciated.



This is another stand of Crocus biflorus ssp. isauricus in our cinder block garden. I enjoy the color pattern on the petals when the flowers are closed. I bought the corms at one of our local garden centers a number of years ago. In our region, Crocuses are generally sold as generic blue, yellow, and occasionally white. I feel fortunate that I found these for sale. I have never seen them for sale locally since then.



Our Ranunculus occidentalis hybrids seed freely around our garden and produced stems with many small bright yellow flowers in the spring. I let the plants cross freely with each other and now we have a variety of plants with a whole range of different characteristics.



Our early Deer Valley form of Erythronium multiscapideum is showing flower buds. This selection consistently blooms much earlier than our other forms of this species. Superficially this species appears fairly uniform, however we have found this species very diverse, possessing many desirable horticultural characteristics.



Primula hendersonii is establishing in the open garden. I have planted fertile seed lines in the garden and hope that they will begin to seed freely in our garden. Our breeding stock in containers are well budded and will bloom soon. Each season has a crop of new hybrids to evaluate for desirable horticultural characteristics.

[Jasmin]:  So far it seems we relocated everything we could find that had been under the walnut tree; yet we suspect there are still treasures to unearth—It was an area we had densely planted.  There are still some plants to relocate, things we had put in containers and such.  Today the rain is a welcome pause, and there are some puddles that will recharge the soil with much needed moisture.

[Robert]

Our earliest blooming Hoop-petticoat Narcissus are nearly finished blooming. The next batch is now in full bloom. Our late blooming Hoop petticoats are budded and will be blooming in about 3-4 weeks depending on the weather.

This year many of my next generation miniature Narcissus hybrids will be blooming. There should be a new crop of hybrids each season now as I have been crossing and sowing new hybrids each year now. I am looking forward to the results as the flower buds begin to open.

[Jasmin]:  It makes the garden cheery to have at least a couple containers that are easily moved about for display.  Each season, the latest blooms are situated in prominent positions along our main paths, spreading the color about.

[Robert]

Primula hendersonii RMB 820 has started blooming at our Sacramento home. They are the earliest blooming Primula hendersonii in our breeding stock. I obtained this accession during an outing in 2017 from the foothills of the Inner Coast Range in Colusa County, California at an elevation of 1,634 feet (498 meters).



Primula hendersonii RMB 820 and other accessions of this species from Colusa County are fertile and have been used extensively in our breeding work with this species.



Pictured are F2 Primula hendersonii hybrids. The scape on the left has extremely deep magenta flower buds. Yes, it is difficult to determine from the photograph! We are hoping the deep pigmentation continues to express itself as the flowers open. F3 generation hybrids with interesting characteristics are also coming along. Some of our breeding goals are to create strong plants that perform well in the open garden, an extended blooming season, and a range of attractive flower color forms.



Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’ is an early blooming species in our garden. It is the only reticulata type Iris that has persisted in our garden without a great deal of effort.



After growing for many years in our garden, Crocus tommasinianus is now setting seed consistently and has started to seed around our garden. Thanks to the kindness of a Forum member we now have a genetically diverse batch of seedlings coming along that can eventually be incorporated into our breeding work with this species. Without this infusion of diverse genes breeding would be very problematic.

[Robert]

Narcissus cyclamineus grows well in our garden. We have incorporated this species in a number of our breeding lines with satisfactory results. Pictured with the Narcissus is Drymocallis lactea var. austiniae. Drymocallis lactea is a high elevation species from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. There are a number of subspecies, all of which have all done well in our summertime hot, dry garden.



Nacissus cantabricus is another species that has proven useful in our breeding work. Here they are blooming with Eschscholzia caespitosa and Epilobium ciliatum seedlings. I always let Eschscholzia caespitosa and Epilobium ciliatum seed around in many of my pots of early blooming spring bulbs. I enjoy the second wave of flowers when the early bulbs have finished blooming. As long as I keep the annuals thinned this seems like an agreeable arrangement.

[Jasmin]:  As the season progresses, we are indeed finding more bulbs surfacing, which await relocation.  There is quite the thick carpet of seedling Erythroniums.  This is exactly what we envisioned when the parents were first set into the ground.  However, without the walnut tree, they will need placement to more agreeable filtered light conditions.  The ones that were relocated earlier are already robust and growing strong.  The garden will be even more delightful with these other groups spread around to establish in other locations and catch the eye.  Some Liliums are also peeking out from their dormancy. 
     This week the weather will be a bit unsettled and the soil remains too soppy, but after that there will be a dry period, ideal enough for transplanting.  Our only concern is the prediction of possible extremely high temperatures for this time of year, in the 20º C ranges. 
     It is one of those ironies, that while I may be ready for the heat and some sun, I know this type of weather will hasten the plants to break dormancy.  The last few years this has happened, the fruit trees were in full bloom, only to be decimated by killing frosts shocking them.  While most of the trees survived, some lost limbs, and others the fruit crops were completely destroyed.  Such are the vagaries and challenges we all must face with increasingly erratic weather.

[Robert]

Much of our garden is still in a state of chaos. We are still adjusting to the loss of our large walnut tree in our back yard. This portion of the garden (pictured) was largely unaffected by the removal of the walnut tree.

The few snowdrops, Galanthus, we grow have already finished blooming. Eranthus hyemalis has not grown well in our garden. They have not bloomed now for two years, however the plants persist and new seedlings continue to appear each year. It will be interesting to see if this species can adjust to life in our garden.



Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’ is the most prominent species blooming in this part of the garden at this time.



Over the years I have divided the clumps of our Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’. Now nice blooming clumps can be found scattered around the garden. Here they are blooming with Geranium macrorrhizum in the background.



Pictured is another clump of Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’. Cyclamen coum also blooms during this time period, however this is another species that has not performed to expectation. We get a few flowers each winter and some seedlings have very attractive foliage, however in general they have not grown well. Pseudotrillium rivale also blooms during this time period and grows extremely well in our garden. They all needed to be moved to new locations. They are settling into their new locations and will likely be well adjusted to their new locations next year.



As much of the backyard garden is much sunnier now, I have been moving Crocus species into some of the sunnier locations. I recently moved most of them when they were in or near flowering. They too need to adjust. Pictured is Crocus angustifolius. This has been an easy species to please. Unfortunately, I have only one seedling. It increases extremely slowly and has never set seed. It might be nice to have more, however this also forces me to be creative and come up with other plant choices.

[Robert]

I enjoy and breed many Narcissus x susannae type hybrids. There are many ways to approach this cross (Narcissus cantabricus or other Hoop Petticoat types x triandrus). This early blooming selection (pictured) is tiny. I separate the individual clones and grow them on for further evaluation. All of our miniature Narcissus hybrids are grown outside with little or no protection from the weather. The weaklings do not survive. The survivors are tough well-adjusted plants that thrive in our garden.



I use this Hoop Petticoat hybrid as a parent for many of my hybrids. This hybrid blooms profusely and can impart ruffled and widely flared flowers to second-generation progeny.

[Robert]

I spent the last week of February moving the last of the shade loving plants from the garden beds that were once shaded by our walnut tree that was removed in July of 2024. Pictured above are all the plants of the Sweetwater Creek form of Erythronium multiscapideum that I missed from the first round of transplanting back in January. Both the Sweetwater Creek and Kanaka Valley forms of Erythronium multiscapideum run and multiply rapidly relative to our other forms of this species. With time the new bulbs will reach blooming size and the colony will begin to produce a fair number of flowers each year. We have other forms of this species that are very floriferous. Hybrids between the two types have been made and preliminary evaluations can start as these new hybrids begin to bloom over the next few years.



We moved most of the Sweetwater Creek forms of Eythronium multiscapideum to our front yard. Plants from both the January and February transplant periods have grown well and will be blooming shortly. Pictured are the Erythroniums (right) and Heuchera rubescens (left).



Earlier, I complained that Cyclamen coum performed poorly in our garden. Our Cyclamen coum in our front yard grow well, despite less than ideal conditions. I will have to experiment with the plants in the back yard and see if I can help them grow better. Vigorous, well blooming plants would certainly be an asset to our late winter back yard garden.



Cyclamen coum blooming in our front yard.



Pictured are more Cyclamen coum blooming in our front yard. Our Cyclamen coum in our front yard bloom satisfactorily, and also seem to seed about.

[Robert]

The remaining parts of our ornamental garden in our back yard are looking fairly good.



I am pleased with the composition and evolution of the remaining portion of our back yard ornamental garden.



Many of the plants need to be appreciated close up. Pictured is one of our Deer Valley forms of Erythronium multiscapideum. These forms form tight clumps and spread slowly.



Our Buckeye Flat forms of Erythronium multiscapideum clump tightly, spread slowly, and bloom profusely. During periods of cold weather the flowers frequently blush pink, unlike any of our other selections of this species to date. The Buckeye Flat forms of this species grow near the high elevation limit of this species in our area. In addition, Erythronium purpurascens can be found growing a fairly short distance, at a higher elevation, from the Buckeye Flat and Pilot Creek colonies of Erythronium multiscapideum. Understanding the evolutionary history of these forms of Erythronium multiscapideum would be an interesting study. A not so distant relationship between the two species may be possible.



I needed to move all of our selection of Pseudotrillium rivale in February after they emerged from the soil. They have all taken well in their new locations. While digging the plants I noticed many seeds germinating. They do seed about in our garden and new forms that thrive in our garden are being selected over time.

[Robert]

We grow our breeding stock of Primula hendersonii in containers. Pictured is Primula hendersonii RMB 820 from Colusa County, California. One of our primary breeding goals is to create a race of plants that thrives in our open garden. Maybe this photograph is a preview of the future for this species in the open garden. Progress is being made in this regard, however it is a slow process with a number of obstacles that need to be overcome. Breeding plants that are tolerant of summertime moisture when dormant is the primary obstacle.



Many of our California native annuals are beginning to bloom in our garden. A few species were planted out late and may not develop fully. Pictured is Nemophila menziesii var. menziesii.



Our Diplacus douglasii were planted out early and are just starting to bloom now, 2 March.



Diplacus douglasii is an annual species. It is also a tiny plant. Currently we always plant them in containers however there might be situations where they might look good in the open garden. Despite their tiny size they are extremely showy plants when in bloom.

[Jasmin]:  With the warmer weather (20ºC range), growth and color seem to be exploding throughout the garden.  As I suspected, more plants have surfaced, and may continue to surface in the back garden that now is in full sun.  We had intended the area to be thickly planted, and for many plants to naturalize.  In that sense, it has been a rousing success.  On the other hand, we had not anticipated that the walnut would need to be removed for quite a number of years. 
     In the end, the timing has been perfect:  We know what our physical capabilities are now, but tomorrow is always unknown.  Tomorrows are never known or guaranteed.  While I am much more capable than I was a year ago, I still have challenges, and there is nothing like health issues to humble the spirit.  I have been humbled by my health, and take even less for granted.  I think I feel more deeply grateful.  I certainly thank all of you who have wished me well, and prayed for me.  I hold you in my heart as well.  I am more in awe, and appreciative each day.  The garden—both front and back—are evolving into areas more gorgeous than before.  I stepped out this morning, uplifted by the beauty of the world and life.  The news is terrible, an embarrassment to me as a human being.  The beauty and wonder of the sky, the clouds floating, the numerous songbirds flittering and announcing their domains, the emerging growth, buds, and blooms—these are life, and joy, the reality we can embrace.  I know those choices are mine; I decide what to fill my mind with.  Gardening teaches us to persist and persist in hope and joy.