“And because the breath of
flowers is far sweeter in
the air (where it comes
and goes
like the warbling of music)
than in the hand,
therefore nothing is more fit
for that delight
than to know what be the
flowers and plants that
do best perfume the air.”
Francis Bacon 1561-1626

Although they are not exactly on top of a drought tolerant plant list , I have seen lilacs blooming out in the middle of nowhere- where they have received no summer water, no care, no nothing. The books say they need moderate water in our zone, but again, I beg to differ. And since they are an old-time favorite of so many, because of their incredible and unmistakable fragrance, I thought I’d just say a word about them.

New residents moving from much colder climates remember lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) effortlessly blooming in early summer and are likely to ask you to plant some. Go ahead! Just be careful about where you put them. Although lilacs grow and perform well in our area, they are often planted in southwest or west exposures, where they can struggle and/or burn in our scorching, “broil setting” afternoon sun. An east or northeast exposure will provide these beautiful shrubs with all the sun they need to bloom. Remind your customers that lilacs do not like acidic soil. Dig in some dolomite lime when planting and re-apply yearly by working into the top 6″ of soil.

Since most lilacs bloom on year-old wood, prune them right after flowering, removing spent flower heads back to a pair of leaves. Growth for next year’s blooms starts here. Be patient! Heavy blooming can take 3-5 years after planting, but it’s worth the wait. Just remember to plant them with other later-blooming shrubs-they are pretty plain when not in flower.

Finally, I’d like to address the “old wives’ tale” about getting more blooms by putting ice on the plants in winter: Prune correctly, correct acidic soil, and leave the ice cubes in the freezer. Don’t forget a nice mulch layer to keep roots happy.
And one final thought about the lovely, fragrant lilacs: I think they bloom around tax-time just to make people feel better…ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

The Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) - AB1881 became effective January 1, 2010. WELO, (pronounced wee-low) essentially makes it illegal to waste water in the state of California. Its purpose is:

• To establish a structure for designing, installing, maintaining, and managing water efficient landscapes in new and rehabilitated projects.
• To use water efficiently without waste by setting a Maximum Applied Water Allowance (MAWA) as an upper limit for water use and reduce water use to the lowest practical amount.
• To establish provisions for water management practices and water waste prevention for existing landscapes.
• To promote the value and benefit of landscapes while recognizing the need to use water and other resources efficiently. Read the rest of this entry »
  

Think of a tree. When you think of a tree, you tend to think of a distinctly defined object; and on a certain level, it is. But when you look more closely at the tree, you will see that ultimately it has no independent existence. When you contemplate it, you will find that it dissolves into an extremely subtle net of relationships that stretches across the universe. The rain that falls on its leaves, the wind that sways it, the soil that nourishes and sustains it, all the seasons and the weather, moonlight and starlight and sunlight - all form part of this tree. As you begin to think about the tree more and more, you will discover that everything in the universe helps to make the tree what it is, that it cannot at any moment be isolated from anything else, and that at every moment its nature is subtly changing.
– Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

A couple years ago we lost a  twenty year old, 50 ft cedar–it just tipped over softly, landing in the arms of a redwood neighbor. Sad. Standing by the root ball was humbling–about 12 feet across but shallow as a saucer and that is why it went down–no root establishment to speak of –even at 60 feet–and planted for all those years! Plants are so adaptable but they will only take abusive treatment for so long. They can grow with a little more (water,sun,nutrients,etc.) than they need and often much less than they need, but sooner or later they tell you that their tolerance for the situation has reached an end. Read the rest of this entry »