It’s courtship time in the Gardens at Heather Farm, and the usual suspects have arrived.

The resident Red-Tailed Hawks are scoping out where they will nest this year as Bushtits hop about gathering spider webs for nesting. But it’s the hummingbirds that catch the attention of visitors as the birds begin their lively courtship. The female perches in the flowering cherries in the Anne Ward Garden, while the male begins his acrobatic show to win her and to claim his territory.

It is fascinating to watch the male hummingbird’s ritual of courtship that includes a looping U-shaped dive starting from as high as 50 feet above the female. If the female perches, the male shifts to making fast side-to-side flights while facing her.

According to a study at Yale University, the chirping sound one hears as he moves quickly up and down is caused by tail feather vibrations.

While the hummingbird’s dance is visual, other senses are on display in the Sensory Garden.

Although many of the plants growing here still sleep despite the springlike temperatures, this hands-on garden is designed to stimulate the senses with the soothing, gentle trickle of water in the small pond and the silvery, silky leaves of lamb’s ear that encourage a visitor’s touch.

Strongest of all is the sense of smell, with the aromas of the plants stimulating memories and conversations.

The Sensory Garden is predominately planted with herbs. The word herb derives from the Latin word “herba,” meaning grassy or green plants. Herbaceous plants such as basil or dill are soft and fleshy, and after flowering, they either die entirely or fade back to the base at the root. Other plants, including lavender, are considered herbs, even though they have woody stems. Their inclusion in the herb family is not because of the stem structure, but because of the essence of the aromatic parts.

Lavandula dentata, an early bloomer commonly known as French lavender, has been flowering since late fall. If deadheaded, the pale lavender flowers will continue throughout the summer.

Lavandula dentata can reach a size of 3 feet by 4 feet, and the silvery-green leaves are textured and serrated.

Like all lavenders, the leaves have fine hairs that give it the soft, silvery appearance. The leaves and flowers can be harvested any time in the growing season and are excellent as a cut flower.

Lavandula angustifolia, or English lavender, is known for its culinary and medicinal properties; French lavender is grown for its abundance of flowers and its long blooming time.

Growing lavender is easy, but it is not always happy in heavy clay soil. One of the biggest killers of lavenders are root-rotting diseases, humidity and wet soils.

There are ways to avoid this; mounding or planting in a raised bed, incorporating gravel or crushed volcanic rock into the top portion of the soil, or adding crushed rock in place of mulch will help with drainage.

Most importantly, do not overwater in the summer.

Pruning is essential to keeping lavender looking vigorous.

It is important not to prune too severely into the older, woody part of the plant, or it will die.

At the Gardens, we prune lightly in the spring to stimulate new growth at the base; in the fall, we take off the spent flowers and prune lightly to shape.

– Patrice Hanlon

Garden Manager

As a gardener, I admit to having plant biases, and Camellia japonica is one of the plants I misunderstood.

Many gardening guides portray the camellia as needing a lot of water and care, but I have found them to be the opposite. They are quite resilient and easy to care for at the Gardens at Heather Farm.

A white Camellia japonica was planted in the front gardens under Quercus lobata (valley oak) in 1985 when the garden was developed.

In 2000, summer irrigation in this area was turned off to maintain the health of the oak. The established camellia adjusted to its newly dry conditions and is happy with infrequent hand watering.

Best known for its elegance and grace, Camellia japonica is one of those shrubs or specimen plants associated with 1950s birth of the suburbs. They often were used in the landscape tucked beneath the eaves or planted on the north side of a house in a new development.

Camellias are native to areas in northern India, the Himalayas, China and Japan, where they grow in moist, humus-rich soils in woodland areas. They are loved for their deep red or creamy pink flowers with unusually large yellow stamens that remind us that even though it is February, spring is slowly unfolding.

There are more than 250 species of camellia. These evergreen shrubs or trees have beautiful glossy hunter-green leaves offset by the showy flowers that come in a variety of colors and forms including single, semidouble, peony or rose-shaped. They are solitary and rarely have a fragrance. The single varieties are my favorite because the flowers have a crepe paper appearance and the center is filled with long lemony-yellow stamens.

Caring for camellias is quite easy. While we do not fertilize them at the Gardens, the best time to do so is when new growth appears in the spring. Cottonseed meal is a good alternative to chemical fertilizers, and it can be applied throughout the spring through fall.

Camellias need little pruning. I once read that “A camellia should be pruned so that a bird can fly through it.” When the plant has finished blooming, remove any dead or nonproductive twigs and then cut enough in the center to allow light and air to circulate through.

Good air circulation helps reduce the chance of the plant getting sooty mold, which is caused by aphids.

Camellias can be fussy at times. A fungus, Ciborinia camelliae, spreads by the wind and causes the flowers to get brown spots on them. If the fungus is really bad, the entire flower will turn brown and fall off.

According to UC Davis Integrated Pest Management, apply 4 inches of organic mulch beneath plants to reduce spore survival. Do not add camellia petals or leaves to any compost that will be used around camellias.

Each year after the blossoming season, place a fresh layer of organic mulch on top of existing mulch.

Avoid moving or disturbing existing mulch beneath plants where fungal spores may have settled. Pick and dispose of all blighted blossoms. Avoid overhead irrigation.

To learn more, go to UC Davis’ website, www.ipm.ucdavis.edu.

The camellias growing in our gardens are healthy and free of pests.

We water deeply and infrequently, add fresh mulch each winter and do very little pruning.

– Patrice Hanlon, Garden Manager

Elizabeth Murray completely captivated the large and enthusiastic crowd at the inaugural event of the new Speaker Series at The Gardens at Heather Farm on January 26^th, 2012. Painter, photographer, gardener, teacher, Elizabeth wove her personal journey into the work she’s done at Claude Monet’s extraordinary garden at Giverny over the past 25 years. Elizabeth abandoned a successful landscaping business in California, unable to resist the call to go to France as a volunteer gardener with only a verbal promise of room and board. The volunteer post was no gift – she had to prove herself and her skills – but the hard work deepened her understanding of the remarkable nature of Giverny and of herself as well.

Beautiful archival photographs of the original home and surrounding land along with the great artist himself brought Monet’s vision and passion to life, and the story of his years there was riveting.

Over the years, Elizabeth combined a love of nature and fine gardening skills with her artistic gifts to produce Monet’s Passion, a chronicle of Giverny. Her photographic record of the garden provides not only the familiar sights of Water Lilies, Wisteria, Iris and Poppies but a view of a world very few see – Giverny in the off season. How the gardeners in the audience loved seeing behind-the-scenes shots of workers involved in the clearing and preparation of beds for the next year’s visitors. Elizabeth was also deeply affected by the spirit and work of Monet himself. Woven into the scenes of the garden were breathtaking examples of Elizabeth’s art – paintings, photography and “Painterly Photography”, manipulated Polaroid photographs.

Elizabeth spoke movingly of the effect all gardens and the act of gardening itself has on the human spirit.  She has a deep commitment to healthy gardening practices and acknowledged the work done by the staff and volunteers of The Gardens to be a completely sustainable public garden.

Guests enjoyed refreshments after the presentation and were able to view a number of Elizabeth’s paintings. Elizabeth’s books were also for sale, and a number of people brought their own copies of Monet’s Vision to be autographed.

– Susan Handjian

I am a very lucky guy. My “commute” to The Gardens is a 30 minute bike ride, on my very comfortable recumbent bike. And best of all, 90% of the ride is on the wonderful bike trails we are so lucky to have here in central Contra Costa. On a bike, you’re moving at a slower pace, and you feel the air, smell the smells, and really notice what is going on. For my occasional blog posts, I plan to share some of these observations, which remind me of the rich collection of flora and fauna we have, even here in the suburbs.

The subtitle of this post is not meant to cause annoyance in anyone reading this back east, although it probably will. I am trying to make a point that became extra clear to me on the ride in this morning. It is this: No matter how many more heavy rains or hard frosts we have (and both can occur quite regularly in February), we cannot go back to the barren, wintery days of January. It is technically not spring yet. But everything has changed. The grasses which began to sprout with the first November rains have now thickly greened up. The Acacia trees are covered in a carpet of deep yellow blooms ; Magnolias are just about to explode into pink and white brilliance; almonds, cherry plums and other early blooming trees are full of flowers. And the birds have definitely figured it out. At certain points along the trail, the varieties of birdsong are as copious as on any April morning. Without a doubt, the richness and intensity of spring life is pushing its way through. It cannot be stopped. And that’s a glorious thing.

– Tyler Snortum-Phelps

GHF Operations Manager

Our Board member Michael Day and Eve St. Pierre teach a ballroom dancing class on Wednesday nights. Here is a bulletin from him:

Wednesday Night Dance Class – There are a few changes to our schedule. First, Eve and I are now arriving at 7pm in order to get in some practice time before class starts. Anyone else who would like to practice during this time is welcome. From 7:30-8:00 we will continue with the basics of whatever dance we are currently teaching. We will transition from the basics to intermediate levels from 8-9pm. The cost is $20 per couple and $10 per individual (Members of the Gardens at Heather Farm receive 10% off). Write to me at mhdayconst[at]gmail.com if you know someone who would like to join us.*The class will continue on Wednesday evenings until June 13^th and will resume Sept. 5^th.

February

In February we were going to teach Night Club Two-Step and Tango, however I would like to continue with Rhumba since the patterns translate well to Night Club Two-Step anyway. Our second dance for the evening will be Foxtrot. Basic Foxtrot and Waltz also share many of the same patterns.

March

In March, our class will focus on Triple Swing and basic West Coast Swing. On March 30^th the Junius Courtney Big Band and Denise Perrier will be playing the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley. Put it on your schedules!

Private Lessons

The Lake Merritt Dance Center in Oakland has a place available for lessons on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1-4 pm. The floor fee is $4 per person. My charge per couple is $50 and $60 for two couples.

If anyone would like to have a private lesson at his or her home, we could find a time that fits into your schedule.

Practice

Try and find time to practice for 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times per week. It will help reinforce our group class.

Thank you to all for encouraging your friends to join our class! Write to me at mhdayconst[at]gmail.com if you would like to join us.

Michael H. Day

In 1967, a dedicated group of gardeners planted the seed to develop an open space, which is now the Gardens at Heather Farm, home to 21 demonstration gardens. The once open hillside has gone through many changes in 45 years, however there are still glimpses of what was once a natural habitat, in particular the lone oak at the top of the hill behind the garden and the pond that still provides a winter place for migrating birds.

Beginning gardeners quickly learn what zone they live in in order to grow successful plants, and while gardening brings you closer to the land, there is a difference between living on the land and understanding where you live because your tiny space is entwined within a larger space.

It could be referred to as your ecological address, and understanding what bioregion you are part of includes participating in the care of the watershed, soils, climate, plants, animals and history.

The Bay Area is known for its Mediterranean climate of dry summers and cool, wet winters, but there are many different microclimates within the area. The Bay Area/Delta Bioregion stretches from San Francisco to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which supplies two-thirds of California’s drinking water, irrigates the farmland that sustains us and is a source of life for fish and other wildlife. California is home to more than 135 species of birds that are either completely dependent on streamside woodlands or in need of them at one stage in their life cycle.

Twelve counties, including Marin, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Alameda, Solano and San Mateo, are part of the Bay Area/Delta Bioregion, and each one has its own bioregion. The coast is known for its cold, often foggy summers, warm autumns and chilly, rainy winters. Inland areas are hot and dry during the summer and fall, and are known for foggy, cool winters. The bioregion where the gardens is located is mostly hilly with low coastal mountains and a few peaks that are above 3,000 feet, including Mount Diablo.

Watersheds are the arteries of our bioregion. A watershed is the area where all the water that is on or under the land drains to the same place. In other words, it is where the water from the higher elevations settles in lower elevations. Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. They cross county, state and national boundaries. No matter where you are, you’re in a watershed.

High-quality water is described as cool, clear, clean, colorless, odorless, tasteless, oxygenated, free of floated and suspended materials, and carrying only a limited amount of dissolved materials. One of the biggest problems affecting the health of our watersheds and bioregion is non-point source pollution. This pollution is hard to detect and is caused by urban runoff of fertilizers, sediments, animal waste and toxic materials that seep into our waterways and are a direct result of land use.

It doesn’t matter whether you garden by the coast or inland or whether you are an urban dweller or someone living in the country.

Creating a map of your unique bioregion will help develop an intimacy for the place you call home. To start, try answering these questions and completing these tasks taken from the Bioregional Quiz “Where You At?” to develop a better understanding of you area.

• Trace water you drink from precipitation to tap.
• What were the primary subsistence techniques of the culture that lived in your area before you?
• Where does your garbage go?
• From what direction do storms generally come?
• Name five resident and five migratory birds in your area.
• From where you’re reading this, point north.

The city of Walnut Creek and the Gardens at Heather Farm are co-sponsoring a free workshop called “Discover Your Sense of Place” on March 17, at the gardens, 1540 Marchbanks Drive, Walnut Creek. Registration is open to Walnut Creek residents until Feb. 17.

Open registration for nonresidents is Feb. 17 through March 10. The day long workshop will feature a number of speakers and authors. Visit the gardens’ website for more information and to register, www.gardenshf.org.

– Patrice Hanlon

GHF Garden Manager

I like collecting things that I “could use one day”.  My husband thinks it’s a bad habit, but he is an enabler, as he had a room built for me to contain the habit. Let me tell you, the room is not big enough. Truthfully, I’m not organized enough.  I’ve spread out into other rooms in our house. My current interest is in paper. I’ve collected colored shiny ads that come mostly around sale days and certain holidays. I enjoy useful origami and must use recycled paper. One of my friends at the Gardens at Heather Farm is encouraging me to use past calendars because of the colors and the weight of the paper. (sigh) I still have gift wrap from my neighbor’s trash when her daughter got married more than 10 years ago. (I shouldn’t tell my secrets).

Here are some photos of things I’ve made. You can come to the Gardens main office to see some of these.

–Arlene, Gardens at Heather Farm education office

Garrya elliptica is one of the highlights blooming in the Diablo Ascent garden in the winter.

–Patrice Hanlon

It may feel like spring, but the garden still is sleeping.

Spring brings about a lot of activity in the garden as insects emerge and the days lengthen. Despite the warm days we’ve had, birds and insects know in these darker, shorter days that it is not yet time to emerge.

The Gardens at Heather Farm still has that slow, quiet winter feel. Growing among the fallen leaves of Quercus lobata, the bright green leaves of Cymbopogon citratus, or lemon grass, provide a refreshing splash of bright color at a time when most grasses are dormant.

Cymbopogon is a genus of about 55 species of grasses. This perennial grass is native to India and Sri Lanka, and it is known for its culinary uses because of its refreshing lemon flavor.

Growing 2 to 3 feet tall, it is one of those plants that needs little care.

Lemon grass is used in teas, soups and curries as a culinary and medicinal herb.

The essential oils from lemon grass, which contain citral, are used to treat flu, fevers, headaches and upset stomachs.

Citral from lemon grass also is used to produce an oil for food flavoring.

When lemon grass is dried, it can be made into a tea that helps with digestive problems.

Lemon grass is probably best known for its use as fresh herb in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. The base of the young bulbous stem is similar to a leek and has an intense flavor. It is chopped and added to dishes right before serving to add a great lemony flavor.

As a garden specimen, lemon grass does not offer pretty flowers or foliage that change with the seasons. What it does add to the garden is its hardiness and its graceful light green foliage.

Under prime conditions, lemon grass may get as tall as 5 feet.

It needs regular watering and should be divided every other year to keep it from getting too large.

___

Patrice Hanlon is Garden Manager at The Gardens at Heather Farm in Walnut Creek.

I am a very lucky guy. My “commute” to The Gardens is a 30 minute bike ride, on my very comfortable recumbent bike. And best of all, 90% of the ride is on the wonderful bike trails we are so lucky to have here in central Contra Costa. On a bike, you’re moving at a slower pace, and you feel the air, smell the smells, and really notice what is going on. For my occasional blog posts, I plan to share some of these observations, which remind me of the rich collection of flora and fauna we have, even here in the suburbs.

One of my favorite “friends” these days is found in the canal that runs alongside the bike path as it circles the larger, and wilder, of the two lakes in Heather Farm Park. A Snowy Egret has found a wonderful niche that no other birds of its type seems to want. It wades through this canal, which is quite shallow, and fishes away undisturbed most every morning. These beautiful white birds are usually pretty shy and fly away when humans get too close. This one seems to have gotten over that fear, and consequently, gets a great fishing spot all to itself. I have seen walkers, bikers and dogs go by this calm creature and it just continues hunting for the small fish and other water creatures that form its diet. I hope it is not becoming too accustomed to people, but I do feel grateful for such a close view of a lovely animal.

-Tyler Snortum-Phelps

Gardens at Heather Farm Operations Manager