Tree of Life Visit

Very rarely does my day job and my interest in nature cross paths. I'm working on the installation of a garden that took me to the magical place that is Tree of Life. The nursery is known for California natives, specifically Orange County natives.

It is located at one of the most southern points of Orange County, inland, and is at the foot of the Cleveland National Forest is San Juan Capistrano. It is a few miles away from a suburban sprawl but the staff still say they have to go into town like it's a rural area. When you turn in off the winding two lane road you are met with a dirt road.

Walking up to the first building called Casa La Paz, or house of peace, you truly enter a sanctuary. A large tree and canopy provides shade in front of Casa La Paz where there is a display of various plants on wood tables or in the ground. Inside Casa La Paz are books on plants, landscapes, birds, nature and hiking.

The true beauty is found on the shelves and shelves of outdoor plants. Many people believe that to have a drought tolerant and native garden in Southern California it means desert plants. They are far from the truth. Southern California's climate is actually Mediterranean, which means beautiful flowering plants in purples, yellows and pinks, wispy grasses and some succulents. All which I found at Tree of Life.

The pollinator and butterfly garden area was my absolute favorite. Besides the various types of bees flying around, I saw at least 6 varieties of butterflies all of different sizes and colors. There were these quarter sized yellow flowers that looked like they were made of tissue paper. Their petals were crinkled, but were the brightest yellow I've ever seen in nature. The bees loved them.

I fell in love with the yarrow. It looks so much like wild carrots with long leaves and the tiniest white flowers. It is also known as plumajillo which means little feather in Spanish, which is absolutely true. There is a variety called Paprika that is red and yellow, though I find the white feather plant to be more beautiful and true to nature. It can be used to make tea, tinctures and salves for healing cuts. It is also edible and can be eaten as a leafy vegetable. I regret not bringing home a few with me.

Being shown plants that can replace turf and can even sometimes be mowed was amazing. The Melica imperfecta was a beautiful grass that is actually native to Anaheim, and it was gorgeous.

On the way out I got to see Queen Anne's lace for the first time. I always expected it to be white, but it had this reddish brown tint to it. Almost like it was vintage lace. Next to it was a Bay Tree. I plucked a leaf and gave it a rub and the smell reminded me of Italian food. The canopy was huge. There were  two Manzanita trees next to it, and the difference between the red and green of the two trees was so stark.

I cannot wait to return to Casa de Paz and its colorful garden. Next time it might be a leisure trip since I heard there is great hiking in the area and a small roadside cafe with a 360 degree view. I am thankful to be working on a project that led me to this magical place. 

The Vintage Patio

My favorite place to read is in the shade of our crape myrtle. To be honest, it is my favorite place to paint, sand wood, really do anything in the afternoon shade of the canopy. While flipping through a 1961 issue of Better Homes and Gardens I noticed my favorite backyard spot was one of their ’50 Improvements Under $50’.

Years ago my dad put the patio together using locking bricks around the crape myrtle. Because of California’s perpetual drought, having a draining patio in place of lawn helps eliminate run off and of course there’s less lawn to water. In 1961 they recommended cement finishing to accompany the patio bricks, but I've listened to Jeremy talk about the importance of proper drainage to know that gravel helps water drain through the patio, instead of around it.

The wrought iron patio furniture in the magazine is very similar to ours and made me wonder about its history. I found an article in Country Living Magazine that explained how American blacksmiths “popularized wrought iron during the 1920s, and it remained in vogue until the Eisenhower era [1952 – 1961], when lighter, cheaper, rust-proof aluminum caught on.” We brought our patio set from Mexico, so I was surprised to find that wrought iron furniture had deep roots in America.

Do you have summer patio plans of your own? If you do, remember, “material costs, wise buying, and the way you adapt the idea will make the difference.”

Livin’ the Real Life at the OC Fair

It’s been quiet here on the blog because we’ve been spending lots of time at the OC Fair. Earlier this summer we were asked to be part of the Orange County Fair’s Culinary Art exhibit. Remember last year when I raved about the “There’s No Place Like Home” exhibit building? That’s where we were invited to display our designs! This year’s theme was “Get Real” which included DIY as it relates to food. Since expanding The Sunshine Grove to include Sustainable Sam’s wood planters and gardening consultation it was a perfect event for us to join.

We were given our own corner of the OC Promenade with a rustic corrugated metal background and the freedom to build our own display. We’d never built a permanent display, let alone one with so much room. We loved how our wood designs popped off the metal background and we added splashes of color by displaying vintage linens and house ware items from the shop. The biggest challenge was getting  visitors to come into our booth which we solved by pulling our display table out of the booth while we were there to greet fair goers.

After having read Palisades Park I was excited to experience the behind the scene and building of the fair. Nothing was more exciting than to see how the fair came to life so quickly. During the 3 days it took us to set our display up, we saw so much more arriving and being built. Many of the food concessionaires arrived first and then the rides and games were built up around them.

Our first day was a whirlwind because the first hour is free admission on opening day. Last year we were fair goers and took advantage of the free entrance. It was a totally different experience being an exhibitor. Arriving early, making sure everything was in its place and then waiting for the wave of people was exciting. We loved getting to talk to people about gardening, especially those who are already passionate about growing edible gardens. The big conversation piece in our booth was actually a patty pan squash plant that we grew in a grain bag. Since we needed a way to grow, transport and then display the squash for 5 weeks, the grain bag was a wonderful solution, but it also amazed many people that it could be used as a container for gardening.  

The Culinary Arts building had a stage for presentations and culinary judging as well as a Make Shop and Show and Tell area. Jeremy braved the stage opening weekend with his DIY Pallet to Planter demo, and hosted a plant your own string beans workshop at the Make Shop. Our friends from TheMakery and Creative Outlet Studio had fun crafts at the Make Shop as well. Since the Show and Tell area was just across from our display I had the opportunity to learn preserving and canning techniques from Master Food Preservers ChefRenee Fontes and Chef Earnest Miller. I even got to take home some grape jelly from Chef Renee which was delicious. 

Did we mention our ribbons?

Don’t worry; I made time to visit the Alaskan Pig Races, as well as the newborn piglets at Centennial Farms. As always visiting the animals was high on my to-do list, especially the angora goats – my personal favorite! We also made sure to participate in Anaheim Day by wearing shirts showing off our city pride. I should also add that we were on our best behavior when it came to the notorious food, though we did enjoy petite funnel cakes during the one of the Friday “Taste of the Fair” events and giant corn dogs on the final day.

As fast as it was set up, the fair was torn down. Three days after the final day the grounds are almost empty again, as if nothing happened. As we drove away with the last pieces of our display yesterday we said goodbye to the fair and can only cross our fingers that we are invited to participate again next year. A big thank you goes out to Chef Renee Fontes along with the rest of the Culinary Arts staff, all of whom were amazing and helpful.

Introducing Sustainable Sam

The Sunshine Grove is pleased to introduce Sustainable Sam. You’ve all known Jeremy as the other half of The Sunshine Grove, the woodworker and gardener of our duo. He is now offering those services to you too. “Sam” will be offering garden and irrigation consultations and edible garden designs for gardeners of all levels of expertise. Got the knowledge but not the place for your garden? Sam can help with custom planters and wood working designs for any space; inside or out.

We will be offering wood pallet to planter demonstrations at 3 different events this summer so grab your gardening hat and gloves and come join us. Join Sustainable Sam on Facebook and visit Sam's website for more details on services.

Check out our upcoming events below.

Farmer's Park

Farm Folk Festival
Pallet Planter Demo
June 29, 2013
2:30 PM
Visit our booth
1 to 7 PM
400 S. Anaheim Blvd
Anaheim, CA

 

Habitat for Humanity Restore - Santa Ana
Pallet Planter Demo
July 7, 2013
1 to 3 PM
1400 S Village Way
Santa Ana, CA

Orange County Fair
Pallet Planter Demo
July 13, 2013
5 PM
Visit our booth
July 12 to August 11
OC Fair Grounds
Culinary Building

Seeing Purple

 

Jacarandas in brilliant purple bloom are a sign of spring. In Southern California, where we tend to warm up a little quicker than other parts of the country, Jacarandas in bloom mean summer is around the corner. For the past few weeks every time I look down a street all I see are full purple blooms. The horn shaped flowers are a bright lavender color, sometimes with blue hues, which arrive in May and last into June.

 

 

There’s nothing like looking down a side street and seeing most of the neighborhood shaded by purple blooms. Many stand in parks provide shade up from above and flowers for play down below. Driving the overpasses of the 5 freeway looking down onto Santa Ana, Orange and Anaheim, Jacarandas are bright spots of purple between the green of other trees and grey of concrete buildings. 

 

I love seeing the purple blooms every year, breaking up the monotony of green and grey that is so common in cities and suburbs. I may also like them so much because I don’t actually have a Jacaranda at home, or even on my street. The purple flowers, while beautiful up in the branches of the Jacaranda eventually fall. The blooms create a mess at the base of the tree, which may include parked cars seeking shade, that can be slippery as well as smelly.

 

 

The mess must not have bothered Kate Session, a botanist and horticulturist from San Diego who is said to have brought the blooms to Southern California in the late 1800s. They quickly became popular there and can now be found further North along the coast into Orange and LA Counties. Stanton, Anaheim’s neighboring city to the South, named the Jacaranda its city tree in1956 at the recommendation of the Women’s Civic Club. Huell Howser even talked about the Jacarandas on California’s Gold earlier this year.

 

Soon the purple blooms will fade back as new green leaves take their places. Though we will get a second bloom in the fall, it won't be nearly as brilliant a display, or as optimistic as spring.

 

If you are an Anaheimer and can’t get enough of the Jacarandas in bloom and don't mind the mess, they are one of the TreePower Program selections.

The Recycled Garden

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or so we are told. Many traditional gardeners scoff at the idea of using everyday trash for container gardening, but it doesn't look so bad once you have flowers growing in it.



Source: Shelterness

Take old tires. They can sit in a landfill for hundreds of years or be turned into an awesome planter. They can be painted to add color to the green scenery and if they have a rim inside, they can be cut to look like a flower too. Canisters from 3 feet in height to coffee cans make fantastic containers for plants and herbs. Those can be painted as well, and smaller cans can be attached to walls for a great vertical display. Plastic bottles are versatile in the garden too. They can be hung upside down, right side up or even on their sides for a neat planter. Clear soda bottles are also excellent covers for protecting small seedlings by acting as mini greenhouses.

 

Remember our tutorial on using buckets for container gardening? Buckets are a very easy way to spruce up the garden and add some color. Don't forget about rain gutters; those make fantastic planters for herbs and lettuces, and take up little space. Combining rain gutters and buckets to make watering systems are also getting popular because they save time and space for small backyards or patios.

The versatility of recycling and reusing in the garden is amazing. Have a garden? Have an old broken piano? Perfect! Plant inside of the piano. Tell me that isn't a conversation piece.

Our succulent garden is a perfect example of recycling in the garden. Most of our succulents are planted in plastic containers that soup or other food came in. We have some planted in cement planters we made ourselves. They sit on top of a red vintage serving cart, 1990s VHS rack and a Mid Century linoleum top table. They are against the garage wall and help add color to an otherwise bland wall without too much effort. We've also added some art with the very clever saying of "lettuce turnip the beet"! We have plans to add a pallet herb garden as well.

Our Anaheim neighbors decided not to have a lawn, so instead they created an herb garden using rocks and stones. They added citrus fruit trees to the mix and have a perfect garden blend for cooking right outside their back door.

Some of the benches along Center Street in Downtown Anaheim were being removed and heading for the city dump. It’s a good things our neighbors were there to save the beautiful planks of wood. They hauled them to their house with the help of a friend and put together gardening boxes that now sit in their backyard. The best part about saving the wood isn’t the low cost of putting together gardening boxes, but the history the wood tells. Who knows the stories of each person that sat on the benches at one time? The marks of age on the wood really do tell the city’s story in this case and get to be part of the future with each seedling.

 

What unconventional containers do you use for gardening?

It's Spring! Let's plant.

First things first, we need somewhere to plant in. The definition of soil isn't too specific. That's the great thing about soil, it can contain just about whatever you want. Almost.

Many gardeners that swear by square foot gardening use Mel's mix: 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 compost. This mix is incredibly nutrient rich and allows for very intensive planting. Depending on what you want to do, 3 part soil can also include sand, perlite, garden soil, mulch and any number of fertilizers. Since we don't swear by anything other than trial and error, we've made adjustments to our mix in our garden almost every planting season. How do we measure our success? The success of the plants, by the amount of worms in the soil, and giving it the good ol' squeeze and poke test.

We started out with native dirt. Ours is mostly clay and sand, which technically make up loam, but devoid of nutrients as much of the fill dirt is in a developed area, we needed to add amendments. Early on we added organic potting soil, various composts and mulch mixes and had decent results. More recently we've added rabbit manure, compost and a bit more native dirt to round out the tilth, or consistency.

We do let our soil rest a week or two between removing the last harvest and sowing the new seeds. I'm convinced this helps the soil replenish some of the lost nutrients and because we still water it every day, it keeps the moisture in the soil and worms happy. Jeremy says it gives the natural (and beneficial) bacteria in the soil time to multiply after we get done tearing up their home too. Crop rotation can have many benefits in the garden, but it will  not restore nutrients to the soil unless you grow plants called nitrogen fixers. What crop rotation does do is reduce the risk of using up specific nutrients from repeated planting. Essentially don't plant the same plants in the same place. This is a method used to help eliminate pests as well. We've dismissed the practive of crop rotation due to space constraints, sun limitations and because we turn our soil and add amendments every season before we plant. For someone with more space and less time, crop rotation may be a good idea.

Before you start growing, it is always a good idea to test what type of soil you have. There are several ways of doing this in addition to sending a sample to a lab for examination. We recommend the Soil Squeeze and Poke Test or the Ribbon Test for 2 reasons: both require you to get your hands in the dirt and are easy to do.

The Soil Squeeze and Poke Test: Take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it. Open your hand and immediately poke it with one finger. The soil should crumble for a great consistency. Not there yet? Don't worry, it takes time! If it falls apart as soon as your hand opens your soil is too sandy. If it sticks together and you have a finger indentation, you have clay soil. With both of these deficiencies, adding amendments such as compost and other organic matter like peat moss or coconut coir will improve the soil and nutrient levels. Dependng on your preference, vermiculite, perlite or ground pumice are also options for improving sandy soil and clay soil into more desirable loam when added with compost and organic matter.

The Ribbon Test: Grab a handful of moist soil and squeeze it out of your hand using your thumb and forefinger. If it falls off as it leaves your hand, the soil is too sandy. If it hangs from your hand after an inch, it has too much clay. Any place between that and you have a loam mixture which is what you want.
While these two tests are good for identifyiing the soil type you have, they will do nothing to show nutrient content or pH, both of which are just as important.  Soil tests sold at nurseries and gardening stores are what you will need for more in depth results. There are also laboratories that test soil samples and are able to give you a report on the quality and nutrient content.

Most plants like a slightly acidic soil pH because it assists with the absorption of nutrients. We have found that the more variety amendments you can add, the better the soil will be able to maintain a healthy pH. Keeping a good balance of materials in your compost is also key because what you put into your compost will invariably end up in the soil if you use it.

Very few plants prefer an alkaline environment. Here in California not only do we have to combat the natural alkaline soil, but our water is usually filled with calcium, magnesium and chlorine, and often flouride as well. Calcium and magnesium are both required nutrient elements for plants, but in smaller amounts. Chlorine and flouride are basically poisons so imagine how your plants might feel if they have to combat that as well as alkaline soil. An easy way to avoid giving your plants too much of these chemicals is to set out the water the day before and let them evaporate out of the water. I want to mention again that gardening centers and nurseries should have soil testing kits so you can check your soil yourself and make adjustments. We have never actually tested our soil, but we follow the rule of keeping plenty of variety in our amendments which has worked for us so far.

Pay attention to your zone. In Southern California sometimes we are zone 10, sometimes 9B. While the 14 zone maps are useful, they don't take into account micro-climates due to topography which can have a big impact on temperatures. Sunset offers even more in depth 24 zone information on their website, but even the map is still a generalization of your climate. Check your own yard for hot and cold areas that you can use for different plants.

We don't have a go-to seed company, or specific plant varieties that we grow. We might have a conversation about what we'd like to grow and then purchase seeds at our local farm supply store or order them online. We do buy organic seeds when we can, and of course ones that grow well in our area. Be mindful of what seeds grow well in your area by choosing plants by season and noting the type of soil they grow well in. Keep a log of your garden so you know what works and what doesn't. Always be sure to experiment as well. Sometimes a plant may just need to be moved to a different part of your yard for less or more sunlight. The bottom line when choosing seeds is grow what you want to eat.

Download our garden planner to keep track of your soil, seeds, planting schedule and garden layout!

Lovely Linkups: Clever Chicks, Homestead Barn Hop, HomeAcre Hop,Under the Table and Dreaming, DIY Home Sweet Home, Not Just a Housewife, Lil Luna, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Clean and Sentsible, Craftberry Bush, Bloom Designs, Two Yellow Birds, The Busy Bees

Caring for Gardening Tools

There is a reason that any quality gardening book has a section on gardeing tools. Tools help get gardening work done more efficiently and if taken care of, more safely. It is important to take care of any tools used, but gardening tools get used in special situations that normal hand and power tools generally avoid. Tools in the garden are regularly used in wet situations, in abrasive soils and outside in the sun and rain. All of these things can wreak havoc on a tool if not taken care of. While plastic is used more and more with small hand tools, those looking for more durability still rely on wood and metal, and there is no replacement for metal when it comes to cutting blades.

The most important thing to remember is to keep blades sharp, be it the pruning shears in your back pocket or the shovel head hanging in the tool shed. A sharp blade works better and is actually safer because it doesn't require extra force to accomplish the cut which may lead to injury. Before using a blade, check it for damage or dullness. Running a file over the cutting edge a few times can make a big difference in how pruning shears will cut. Feel free to sharpen during use too if it seems you are having to use more effort than you'd like.

Preventing rust can go a long way when protecting the edge of a blade and can be accomplished wth washing it and letting it dry before putting it away. Removing soil, plant material and moisture from a blade can make it last longer and wiping it with a thin layer of a tool oil or WD-40 between uses will also protect it from rust while in storage.

Special consideration should be taken when using blades to prune suspected or confirmed diseased plants in order to avoid spreading anything to healthy branches or plants. The best solution is a bleach and water mixture which may bary depending on what you are dealing with alcohol wipes or Lysol disinfecting spray are also good options, though a little less effective than bleach. Disinfecting the blades between every cut may be required when working on a diseased plant.

Remember, be careful and respect your tools and they will serve you for a long time to come.