Autumn Flame Red Maple

 Autumn Flame Red Maple

One of the best aspects of the Autumn Flame Red Maple (Acer rubrum "Autumn Flame") is that, as a native to North America, it thrives in most continental climate zones. This means that just about everyone in the United States and Canada can enjoy this maple's amazing autumn leaves. The star-shaped leaves of the Autumn Flame maple burst into a yellowish red hue in the fall, and have a way of seemingly lighting the area around them.

Even once they've fallen, the leaves of the Autumn Flame maple manage to color the ground for several days. Since some varieties of the tree can grow to heights of 60 feet (18.3 meters) and spread as wide as 50 feet (15.2 meters), this beautiful carpet of leaves can be substantial. Even better, this type of red maple tends to hang onto its leaves longer than other maples, so you'll have more time to watch them fall [source: University of Florida]. Be sure to plant the Autumn Flame maple in a part of your yard that gets lots of rain, as these trees love water. They're worth any extra irrigation you may have to undertake.

Want to see more ideas for planting in the flall and winter, click HERE for Cascadegardens.com

Autumnalis Cherry Blossoms for Winter

Autumnalis cherry blossoms. How can you be depressed with these stunners in your yard?

4. Autumnalis Cherry Tree

The Autumnalis cherry tree (Prunus subhirtella "Autumnalis") has a lot going for it. (For one thing, it's immune to the Asian ambrosia beetle -- a parasitic bug that's usually lethal to other cherry varieties.)

The Autumnalis also has the added benefit of blooming during both the spring and fall. During moderate winter temperatures in the Southern United States, these cherry trees may bloom several times [source: Wilson Bros. Nursery]. Because of the late fall and early winter, the fragile, light pink flowers of Autumnalis provide an elegant contrast against the tree's leafless limbs. Even on the gloomiest days, Autumnalis flowers pop.

Be selective where you plant an Autumnalis, as these trees can get fairly large. They grow 25 to 35 feet (7.6 to 10.7 meters) tall, with a canopy spread of the same width [source: University of Florida]. Giving an Autumnalis enough room to grow will keep you from having to prune it -- yet another check in this tree's favor

Want more information on what to plan in winter, click HERE for Cascade Gardens

The Top Fall Plants for your Landscape

Top Fall Plants for your landscape
­Fall can be depressing. The leaves are falling, leaving behind bare-limbed and dead-looking trees for the winter to come. Dismal, steel-gray skies create a dreary cast over everything. Some­ types of grass actually turn brown. It's cold and monochromatic.
­The landscape doesn't stay that way, thank goodness. The spring and summer months burst with color and wonderful scents that remind you that you're alive. With some smart selection and good placement you can create a new palate of color in your yard after season's end. Some plants show their stuff in the fall and can help lighten your spirits. While your neighbors shuffle sadly and aimlessly about their homes with nothing to look at but dead leaves, you'll be feeling fine.
Follow the next five blogs to see the  top five picks of plants that bring renewed vigor to a fall landscape, in no particular order.

First is the Blue Rug Juniper.

­Blue rug juniper (Juniperus horizontalis "Wiltoni") is a nice, low-growing evergreen shrub. Its foliage is thick and hugs the ground, achieving a maximum height of 6 to 8 inches (15.2 to 20.3 centimeters). During the warmer months, blue rug juniper foliage is silvery blue-green; during the autumn and winter, the evergreen becomes purplish blue. It brings an unexpected splash of color to any fading landscape.
Blue rug junipers make a great, hardy addition to embankments (they hold soil and prevent erosion well) or to any sunny area. They're also highly adaptable to different s­oil and water conditions [source: Nature Hills Nursery]. Installing some around a tall plant or shrub like a gardenia or dwarf crape myrtle will provide colorful contrast all year [source: Wilson Bros. Nursery]. In the fall, the purple juniper will pop against dark green evergreen leaves of broadleaf plants.

Want to see the rest, check next weeks blog for #2?  Click HERE to see more that Cascade Gardens has to offer.

Winterize your waterfalls!

It is a misconception that running water during the winter months somehow hurts your fish. After all they are cold blooded creatures and adapt to whatever the water temperature is at any given time. Secondly running water freezes slower than still water. Therefore with some precautions you can continue to run your waterfall well into winter. Mainly you just have to be sure that the waterfall or filter outlet flow does not freeze to the point that water gets diverted out of the pond therefore draining it.

FISH:
Help them in early Fall to survive by doing the following: Add a vitamin and mineral supplement to their diet to help them build up their immune systems and add the needed stored fat to get through the hibernation cycle. Once the water temperature drops to 55 or lower only feed them when they are actively up and roaming around. If they are hanging around at the bottom do not feed. Only feed them what they will eat in a few minutes and remove as much of the uneaten food as possible. When the water temperature is below 45 do not feed at all, even on warm days where the nighttime water temperature will return to 45 or less. Ammonia is the number one fish killer. During the winter your fish will not die from the cold they actually might suffocate due to the water becoming toxic. Ammonia builds up at the bottom of the pond, the very place your fish want to spend the winter, while carbon dioxide builds up near the surface under the ice. A pond deicer (heater) may helps some with the carbon dioxide problem, but does nothing to prevent ammonia build up. Ammonia forms because of several reasons. It is part of the natural biological process, when organic matter is in the pond, dead plant life, fish waste etc., ammonia is the first thing given off during the decaying process. The bodily functions of the fish also greatly contribute to ammonia in the pond. Yes their waste is part of it, but actually some 70% or more is coming from their gill function. As they breathe they give off ammonia and carbon dioxide. During their winter hibernation their whole system slows down, but they still breathe and produce waste matter. It is very important to allow dissolved oxygen into the pond and do something to prevent the ammonia and carbon dioxide build up. A deicer (heater) just does not do the best job possible. The answer is an Aerator/Circulator Decontaminator Unit. Using one of these units and a deicer as a back up is the best solution. Use the Aerator/Circulator Decontaminator all year round as it greatly enhances the overall biological process helping to prevent algae and such, but it is very important in the winter and should be added to the pond in early Fall to provide a clean, clear and healthy environment for your fish. The explosion of bubbles will constantly add dissolved oxygen to the depths of the pond, while helping to keep a hole open in the ice. Even if your pond froze completely over the unit would continue to work bringing a fresh supply of oxygen, while absorbing toxicants. Again a deicer (heater) will only add a little surface oxygen and does nothing to prevent ammonia.

Plants:
Tropical plants are not going to make it through the winter, if left in the pond (if you live where you have a 'real' winter). They should be removed as soon as the water temperature drops below 60. Depending on the variety use them as house plants. Water hyacinth and lettuce take a lot of work and money to keep alive all winter so it is best to consider them annuals and just replace each spring. Your hardy plants need to be cut down to about an inch above the root stem and sink them a little deeper if you like. However, remember your fish, they need a place to hibernate so give the fish the top priority as far as room is concerned. Best time to cut the hardy plants back is long before there is a chance of frost. While removing the hardy plants to cut them back remove any debris and string algae from the pots and stems.

Maintenance:In you have an out of the pond biological filter, you can let it continue to run until there is the chance that the outlet water flow might freeze to the point that water could get diverted from the pond. If you shut it down let the water drain from it either via siphon effect or from the drain plug. Do not clean it other than to remove any dead plant life, leaves etc. An in the pond filter should be removed for winter. Check your pump manufacturer's instructions (yup -- you should have kept them). Remove as much debris as you can from the pond. Net out dead plant material, leaves, waste, sludge etc., but do not over do it. Try not to murk up the water too much. During the winter, check on your pond often to make sure all is going well. If the pond has completely frozen over NEVER break it, by pounding on it etc. Sometimes during the very coldest of winters the recommended Aerator/Circulator Decontaminator may not keep a hole open in the ice all the time. Do not panic, remember the unit is still working bringing in oxygen and absorbing toxicants. If this happens, now is the time to plug in the deicer, but just until the ice opens. Another thing to do is pour hot water until the hole opens again.

Need more help, call Cascade Gardens,  http://www.thisismytownusa.com/cascade-gardens.php, Marc will help you with all your questions.

Deer Resistant Plants in the Sierra Foothills?

When food sources dwindle for deer in late summer and Fall, they will eat to survive, but, these plants have deterred deer a“test garden” in Oakhurst-Yosemite area for the last five years.  New mountain area gardeners may become discouraged when their neighbors shake their heads and say, “Oh, I can’t grow anything, but the deer eat it!” Don’t be discouraged, just try these:
(Acer palmatum, Japanese maple
Acer negundo, Box Elder
Achillea, Yarrow
Agastache, Anise hyssop, Hummingbird mint
Ajuga, Carpet bugle
Allium, Wild onion
Aquilegia formosa, Western Columbine
 Artemisia
Asclepias, Butterfly weed
Asters
Berberis thunbergii, Barberry
Berlandiera lyrata, Chocolate Scented Daisy
Brachycome multifida, Rock Daisy
Buddleia, Butterfly bush
Campanula, Bellflower
Carpenteria, California anemone
Ceanothus, Wild lilac
Cerastium tomentosa, Snow-in-Summer
Centranthus ruber, Jupiter’s beard
Chamaecyparis, False Cypress
 Chrysanthemum parthenium, Golden feverfew
Cercis occidentalis, California Redbud
Cistus, Rockrose
Chrysanthemum maximum, Shasta Daisy
Chrysanthemum paludosum, Ox-eye Daisy
Coreopsis, Tickseed
Cotoneaster
Dahlia
Delphinium
Diascia, Twinspur
Dicentra formosa, Western bleeding heart
Digitalis, Foxglove
Dudleya cymosa Hen & Chicks
Echinacea, Cone flower
 Epilobium, California fuschia
Erigeron karvinskianus, Mexican daisy
Erysimum,  Wallflower
Eschscholzia californica California Poppy
Euphorbia,  Spurge
Ferns
Gaillardia grandiflora, Indian Blanket
Grass and grass-like plants
Helichrysum
Helleborus, Hellebores
Hemerocallis, Day lily
Heuchera, Coral Bells
Hypericum, St. Johnswort
Hyssopus, Hyssop
Iris
Laurentia fluviatilis, Blue Star Creeper
Lavandula, Lavender
Lilium, Asiatic Lily
Lonicera, Honeysuckle
Lupinus albifrons, Silver bush lupine
Lysimachia nummularia, Creeping Jenny
 Mahonia, Oregon grape
Mentha, Mint
Miscanthus sinensis, Maiden Grass
Monarda didyma, Bee Balm
Monardella, Coyote mint
Myrtus, Myrtle
Narcissus, Daffodils
Nepeta, Catmint
Nigella damascena, Love in a Mist
Nicotiana, Flowering tobacco
Origanum, Oregano
Oxalis oregana, Redwood sorrel
Papaver, Poppy
Peony
Perovskia, Russian sage
Phlomis, Jerusalem sage
Phlox subulata, Creeping Phlox
Picea glauca, Alberta Spruce
Potentilla, Cinquefoil
Pyracantha, Firethorn
Rhododendron
Romneya coulteri, Matilija poppy
Rosmarinus, Rosemary
Rudbeckia hirta, Gloriosa Daisy
 Sage
Salvia apiana, White sage
Salvia ‘Bee’s Bliss’
Salvia clevelandii, Cleveland sage
Salvia leucophylla, Gray sage
Salvia mellifera, Black sage
Salvia sonomensis, Sonoma sage
Salvia spathacea, Hummingbird sage
Santolina, Lavender cotton
Sedum
Senecio, Dusty miller
Sisyrinchium bellum, Blue-eyed grass
Solanum, Potato vine
Spiraea, Spirea
Stachys, Lamb’s ears
Syringa vulgaris, Common Lilac
Tagetes lemmonii, Mexican bush marigold
Teucrium, Germander
Thymus, Common thyme
Umbellularia californica, California bay
Want more information click here: http://www.thisismytownusa.com/cascade-gardens.php
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Landscaping Design with Ornamental Grasses

Throughout the year, your garden can offer wonderful changing patterns and colors. You can see changes as you watch your garden move through the seasons, month to month. A dynamic plant to include in your landscape design are Ornamental Grasses which  offer movement, quick growth and long extending plumes or flowers.

Ornamental grasses can play an important role in your garden design, providing an anchor with which to pull all the formal and informal elements of your garden into a well planned design. Their beauty lies in their linear clusters and extending blossoms with a variety of colors that reach their peak just as the rest of your garden is slipping into dormancy.

Grasses have not only beauty and variety but also ease of cultivation. Given ordinary earth and a place in the sun, most are extraordinarily drought tolerant and need little care beyond an annual grooming.
In short, ornamental grasses would seem to be a perfect addition to your landscape design, because of their ease of care, their drought tolerance, their winter beauty and the way they augment our gardens with their color patterns.

Qualities of Grasses
Ornamental grasses can range in height from 1 foot to 14 or more feet and can be used for ground covers, erosion control, architectural features and screens. They make excellent companion plants due to the contrast they provide with traditional herbaceous perennials. Since grasses come in a variety of design forms—from tufted to upright to arching—you can certainly find a grass that will provide just the contrast you need to make your garden design come together.

It is important to recognize the different qualities of various grasses before planting them in your garden. Some grasses are rhizomatous, or “running” grasses, meaning they spread by underground stems. These grasses make excellent ground covers, provide erosion control and, due to the nature of their spreading, are naturally resistant to the invasion of weeds. But if they are heading where you don’t want them to go, rhizomatous grasses give you the added hassle of vigilant spading.

Keep in mind that not all rhizomatous grasses spread at the same rate—some advance as much as twelve feet a year in ideal circumstances. If you must have a grass with pernicious runners, you can plant it within an underground barrier, much the same way you keep varmints in check. Other types of grasses form clumps that increase in circumference every year and require division every two to three years. Distinguishing between these two types of grasses will enable you to place them in an appropriate location in your garden and help to prevent headaches in future years.

Another variance in ornamental grasses is the distinction between warm and cool season grasses. Warm season grasses will grow and thrive during warmer times of the year and remain good looking even when temperatures are high and moisture is limited. These grasses do not begin to show growth until the weather becomes stable and the soils warm, and they usually do not require as frequent division as cool season grasses. Some warm season grasses include Japanese Silver Grass (Miscanthus sp..), Hardy Pampas Grass (Erianthus) and Switch Grass (Panicum).

Cool season grass will start to grow early in the spring and may even remain semi-evergreen over the winter. These grasses also seem to do better and have better foliage quality when temperatures are cool or if they are given sufficient water during drought periods. If they are not watered during drought, they tend to go dormant resulting in brown foliage. These grasses may require more frequent division to keep them healthy-looking and vigorous. If not, they tend to die out in the center of their clumping form. Some of the more popular cool season grasses include Fescues, Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon), Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampia), and Autumn Moor Grass (Sesleria).

Caring for Your Grasses All ornamental grasses must be trimmed at some point during the year. How and when you trim depends on the weather and the type of grasses they are. The best time to groom grasses is just after the winter, which will allow you to enjoy their beauty through those colder months. The warm season grasses will need to be cut back to within six inches of the ground, while the semi-evergreen grasses will need a trim in the spring-just snipping off the frayed ends and winter damage.

Use sharp shears to trim if you only have a few plants. A hard blade attachment on a weed whacker makes shorter work of more extensive plantings.

As a rule of thumb, grasses should be fed lightly or not at all. Over-fed grasses tend to grow out of character, falling down when they should be standing upright. Generally, 1/4 the amount of fertilizer you feed your flowering plants is adequate, with the exception of bamboos which require a much richer soil and standard fertilizing practice. It is especially important to keep nitrogen levels low so that you don’t have to be out staking your grasses when you want to be enjoying them for the low-maintenance beauties that they are. In fact, fertilizers high in nitrogen causes excess growth and weak stems so the usual neat habit is lost as the plants become floppy and unsightly.

In most gardens the biggest problem with ornamental grasses is that weed grasses may seed themselves into the crowns of desirable species. It is important to keep on top of this and not allow the weed species to become established.

Edible Landscapes: Add Leafy Garden Greens to Your Yard this Summer

Some people tend to have trouble growing leafy greens throughout the hot steamy days of summer. If you're an expert or beginning gardener you can select the specific leafy greens that can stand the heat and combine them with your landscape giving your a colorful and edible garden.

Sure, most greens are more comfortable during the cool days of early spring or fall, but there are many varieties that are comfortable growing during hotter times. Here is a list of leafy summer greens that great for growing during the warmer seasons and they will keep producing nutritious leaves that can be harvested on a daily basis.

Kale

Leafy Greens for Summer Garden Production

Collards – One of the hardiest of all greens, collards can grow through the summer just as easily as it survives cold winter conditions out in the garden.
Kale – Not quite as tolerant as collard greens, kale is capable of providing summer greens from the garden. Tuscan Black Palm Kale is an especially good variety for summer production. These can expand to produce a nice light to vibrant green low growing ground plant.


Giant Red Mustard

 Mustard – Not everyone’s favorite because of its spicy flavor, mustard greens will grow well during summer. Try Red Giant and pick the leaves young to add color and some kick to salads. This is a great example picture of how leafy greens can add a unique touch to your landscape.
Amaranth – These plants are very ornamental and will grow over five feet tall. In addition to the edible leaves the plant also produces a seed cluster that can be used as a grain.

Amaranth

Orach – Another attractive leafy green that is seldom seen in the vegetable garden. This beautiful plant is offered in a number of strains and is usually reddish or green in color. These are beautiful and unique even for deck potted plants.
Lambs Quarters – This one is an “edible weed” that tastes better than many of the greens cultivated in the garden. You may be trashing this wild plant without realizing it is edible.
Dandelion – Another edible weed with cultivated strains and close relatives that can all be grown for food. Dandelions won’t struggle a bit under the summer’s growing conditions.

Lambs Quarters

Malabar Spinach – This unusual leafy vegetable even thrives in the tropics and once established it can be cut to the ground and it will resprout and continue to grow.
Swiss Chard – Take care of those despicable leaf miners and your Swiss Chard will have no trouble at all in withstanding all that the summer season can throw at it. These plants have beautifully colorful stalks that can also add to the aestetic of your landscape.

Swiss Chard

Beet Greens – Don’t overlook vegetables like red beets that are typically grown for their roots or fruits, but also produce leaves that make excellent greens!

That’s just a partial list of heat tolerant summer greens but that’s enough to give you a feel for the options available to raise greens during even the hottest days of of the year. Obviously you will have to be aware of wildlife that might enjoy your edible landscape but these are also great options for those with fenced yards, deck pots and front yards that tend to be frequented less by animals.

Drainage Problems: Keeping Your Yard & Garden Above Water

What can cause poor drainage in your garden?

There are several factors that can contribute to poor garden drainage. On new housing estates, it is often caused by compacted soil as a result of builders' trucks repeatedly driving and sitting on the ground. This combined with the mixing of sub-soil and topsoil when all the trenches and foundations were excavated often leads to a heavy, wet plot.

Of course, drainage problems are not always caused by human activity, the soil may, by its nature (e.g. clay soils) be water retentive or, if it is low lying, be affected by the natural water table of the area. This is often the case in our area in Northern California especially Meadow Vista with it's red clay and low water table. On clay and other water retentive soils, the flow of water though the soil is very slow, this can be exacerbated if the contours of the land form depressions in which the surface water can collect. On land which has a very shallow water table, not much can be done to avoid water logging after heavy rain as the water table can rise to the surface of the land or actually above it, in this latter case a pond will naturally form.

How to know if a garden needs better drainage?

Wet weather in the winter or spring will show how good or bad the natural drainage is. Patches of water on the surface are the most common signs of problems. To check how well the land drains, dig a hole about 24 inches deep and 12 inches square, then fill it half full with water. Leave it for 24 hours in which time it should empty on well-drained soil. On very wet land, the hole may actually fill.

What sort of drainage system should be used?

If the top-soil is very poor, it may be worth stripping off the top 6 inch and importing new topsoil. Where the topsoil is just very water retentive, the problems may be reduced by double-digging and incorporating large amounts of bulky organic materials, but where the soil is inherently heavy and waterlogged, some form of drainage will be necessary.

The type of drainage used depends largely on the extent of the problem. If the water logging is not severe and there is only excess surface water, it may be possible to overcome the problem by shaping the garden surfaces so that the water flows off into ditches. These ditches should be 3 to 4 feet deep, with sloping sides.

More extensive issues may need items such as perforated plastic pipe which is crush-resistant and the holes allow the entry of water from the surrounding soil. The pipes can be supplied in lengths of up to 50 ft which can just be laid into a trench and surrounded by gravel. With a large area to drain, the most efficient way is to lay a number of pipes in a "herring-bone" pattern.

Underground pipes should always be laid above the local water table otherwise the pipes will just be moving the groundwater instead of draining the topsoil On level ground, the pipes should be sloped underground to encourage water to drain away quickly and on sloping land, the main drain should run down the slope. Drained water obviously needs somewhere to go so all pipes should terminate in a soakaway or ditch.

It is always best to seek professional advice before attempting to extensively re-direct the drainage issues in your garden or yard to best save you time and money. Most landscape experts offer a free consultation to help assess the severity of your issue.