Naomi's Garden: 2015

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Quick Look At Naomi's Garden -Summer 2015

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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Grafted Fruit Trees in my backyard

Stella Cherry

I started my first tree grafting project, and have yet to actually label the newly grafted branches. I know, major mistake. So before I forget, I grafted two other types of cherry onto my sweet Van Cherry Tree, the two grafts are Stella Cherry and Sam Sweet Cherry. Sam Sweet Cherry is a good pollinator for Rainer cherry. Stella cherry does not need a pollinator. I know that growing cherry trees as espalier, and expecting fruit, is harder than apple trees. They have to be grown as a fan instead of cordon style. Right now, I have two four cherry branches growing on the cords, this should keep their growth slow. This will give me time to figure out how many other types of cherry I will graft onto the tree.

Cherries are divided into groups: Sweet and Pie (pie are also called tart cherries). My two grafted cherries are SWEET. I think the main

Van Cherries

dark cherry tree is also SWEET. This means, next year I should graft some tart and pie cherries onto the trees. Tart cherries bloom too late in the season to pollinate the others, this is okay because if I graft them, then I can get early and late season cherries.

Sam Cherries

Training cherry branches to grow along a cordon is more difficult than training apples. The branches are less pliable, so it is a good thing I am doing it now instead of later. Cherries grow on new growth wood only, which is why they must be grown as a fan. I am still training the bottom four branches to grow in a straight line on the fence, but later on I will have to allow the branches to grow into more of a fan. The important thing is that grafting different kinds of cherry allows for efficient pollination, and a good crop year after year. So next year, I need to graft two tart cherry branches onto the tree. This way, I will have a total of five different varieties of cherries growing on two trees.

I have two apple trees, one is a Red Delicious Apple and the other is a semi dwarf Gala Apple. The Gala Apple tree has nothing grafted onto it.

Gala Apples

On the Red Delicious apple tree I grafted a golden delicious apple branch. (lets hope it takes) If the graft survives, then next year I will try to grow a Granny Smith Graft on the same branch. Then I will grow all three (yellow) (red) and (green) apples as cordons up the fence. If it works, it will look pretty cool!

In the Raintree Nursery Catalog I read about a man, Sam Van Aken who grafted varieties of plums,peaches, nectarines, cherries and almonds onto one tree. He starts with a hardy root stalk, with a Shiro Japanese plum tree. Plums are grafted on the bottom of the tree, then apricots, while peaches are up on top. I would love to take on a project like that, but I am working only with espalier trees.

Rainer Cherry Tree
Wine Grapes
Peach Tree (order November - April)

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Find Seeds

Catalogs and Online Seed Stores

Seed Potato Suppliers
Irish Eyes Seed Potato
The Potato Garden
Ebay Heirloom Seed Potato
Organic Seed Potatoes
Stark Brothers

Heirloom Vegetables
smart seed

Tomato Suppliers
Totally Tomato
Tomato Growers
Tomato Seed Savers
Cool Climate Tomato Seeds
Remier Seeds

Bean Seed Suppliers
Johnny Bean Seeds

Shallot Seed Suppliers
Territorial Seed Company
Johnny's Shallot

Sweet Pea Varieties
Sweet Pea
Sweet pea variety

Vines
variety climbing vines

Cucumbers
Yellow cucumbers
Rare Cucumbers

Pumpkin
Rare Pumpkin Seeds
Pink Pumpkin
Cinderella
Pumpkin Seed Collection

Fruit Trees
Adams County Nursery
Bay Laurel Nursery

Tulips
Dutch Village
Heirloom Tulips
White Flower Farm
American Medow

Berry Bushes
Tayberry
Burpee Tayberry

Hosta Plants
nhostas
easytogrowhostas

Friday, April 10, 2015

Calla Lily Aethiopica Large White

I learned about this flower from watching Around the World in 80 gardens, with Monte Don. While in South Africa, he found some beautiful white lilies growing on the side of the road. Don said that people in the UK pay an arm and a leg for these flowers. Upon further research, I found that they are also a common wedding flower. I think the would look beautiful in my front yard.

My gardening philosophy very French - start with the right structure. This means decided how to hedge the garden, and how big will the hedges be. I am going to have a simple straight small boxwood hedge along the property. I like hedges to the simple, full and perfectly straight.

After hedging is laid out, then one plants the ornamental which brings me to my second rule - less is more. Flowering plants are meant to be seen in groups, not as individuals. When people put more than 5 varieties of flowers in their front yard, it will end up looking cluttered.

I plan on starting my new front yard with a hedge, and the South African white lily (which isn't cheap, but will come back year after year.)

Links:

http://www.callalilyshop.pacificcallas.com/callalilywhitelarge.htm

http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/g-41-gloriosa-lily-planting-guide.aspx

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/calla.html

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Nut Tree

Hello Everyone, it has been a long time since I posted on my gardening blog. A lot has changed, my husband and me purchased a new house, which means there will be many more gardening blogs coming up.

I am planting some espalier fruit trees in my backyard (and planted the apple tree just last this week), but what I would really like to do is plant some nut trees.

Nature Hills Nursery Hazel Nut Tree http://www.naturehills.com/hazelnut
Nature Hills Nursery Pecan Tree http://www.naturehills.com/hardy-pecan
Arbor Day Chinese Chestnut Tree https://shop.arborday.org/product.aspx?zpid=818
Arbor Day American Hazel Nut https://shop.arborday.org/product.aspx?zpid=847
Starks Bro Lemon Tree http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/citrus-trees/meyer-lemon
Starks Bro Olive Tree http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/olive-trees/arbequina-olive
Starks Bro Plumb Daddy Assortment http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/plum-trees/plum-dandy-assortment

Naomi's Garden