Monthly Tips

May - Plant of the Month

Acer palmatum

I saw a tree wearing a sweater today, up on Phinney Ridge. Just a small orange sweater around one trunk. According to a little tag, it was public art. I'm not sure about that but it was eye-catching and thought-provoking. How does one go about getting a sweater on a tree? So to stick with the rather odd idea of plants and clothes, I give you Acer palmatum, the little black dress of the plant world.

Acer palmatum is unassuming but always elegant. It doesn't shout for attention with loud, blowsy flowers. Acer palmatum flowerers are small and charming, if I happen to notice them. The new leaves begin as pleated perfection, unfolding to dance daintily on the stems. The gray barked branches never seem to go the wrong way. A Japanese maple complements whatever it is planted with. It will fit in most urban yards, grows in sun or shade and doesn't have greedy roots. Acer palmatum doesn't have a bad season. As I said, always elegant.

[Acer palmatum]

Photo from OSU website, www.oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants

Note there is no cultivar name associated with Acer palmatum. When shopping you will find 100s of A. palmatum's offspring, often wearing exotic Japanese cultivar names like 'Shishigashira' or 'Kagiri nishiki'. Many are great plants and well worth adding to the garden but so is the straight species. Expect your Japanese maple to reach 15-25' in height and width. If will appreciate some supplemental summer water, particularly if planted in the sun.

If you are looking for a tree that will set off all your floral beauties to perfection, regardless of the season, consider adding a Japanese maple to your garden, you can never go wrong with a classic.




May - Tip of the Month

Basil, banditry and timing

Every year I plant basil and every year it sulks, scarcely grows and runs immediately to flower. Every year but one. Back in the mid-90s I had 3 glorious basil plants out by the sidewalk. One day I went out and something was clearly wrong with the garden, but it took me a minute to figure out what. One of my basil plants was missing. Someone had literally uprooted one and made off with it. Basil bandits.

[Basil bandits]

Ever since, I've wished my basil was of the ilk that someone would want to steal it but no luck. Why? Basil likes hot days, warm nights and adequate water. Not something in ready supply here in the Pacific Northwest so we have to do everything right for basil to thrive.

Error number one - Planting basil too early - like now. Some tropical plants like basil or eggplant will become stunted if they are shocked by cold temperatures. So even though the plants are out there - grocery stores, all the nurseries - begging to be bought, don't plant them in the yard. You're supposed to wait until the night temperatures are routinely above 55¼F. (Ho ho ho)

If you buy them, keep them damp but not soggy or they will likely come down with a wilt as there are several to which they are susceptible.

A number of people recommend finding a nice hot spot in the garden and putting your basil there in a pot. That way if a chillier than usual night threatens, and you have been diligently checking the forecast and know this ahead of time, you can bring them in. In addition to not following the forecast, the problem with pots, for people like me, is being consistent with watering which leads to -

Error number two - inconsistent watering. Basil likes water but it doesn't like to be soggy. Sogginess often leads to fungal diseases, wilt and death. Conversely, inadequate water can send the poor things into shock thus stunting their growth.

If basil weren't so delicious, and pricey, I'd give it up. Instead, this year, as part of my quest to grow basil worthy of stealing, I will perform an experiment. I'll plant out basil at various times, pots, ground, with cloche, without, and will report the results toward the end of summer. Hopefully, I'll be awash in knee high plants of deliciously scented green that have gone unmolested by passing bandits.