First bloom on the Candytuft, Ibertis sempervirens and Pin Oak, Quercus palustris, leaves.
A close, close-up of the tiny flowers of Sarcoccoa, Sweet Bay. Wish I could send you the fabulous odor! Almost as good as Daphne odora!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
What's Blooming this Week
First bloom on the Candytuft, Ibertis sempervirens and Pin Oak, Quercus palustris, leaves.
A close, close-up of the tiny flowers of Sarcoccoa, Sweet Bay. Wish I could send you the fabulous odor! Almost as good as Daphne odora!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Pronounced wil LAM et
We have been watching the History Channel’s How the Earth was Made this season. We really enjoyed the first show that was a 90 minute documentary about how the Earth was formed and how old it is. We have not been disappointed in the series that was spun-off that documentary.
Last week was Glaciers in North America which led me to a line of thinking. Back when I was in high school, we were taught that the great glaciers came down into the Willamette Valley. This was evidenced by the ‘erratic rocks’ found throughout the valley. Then, we would see pictures of Yosemite and the European Alps showing u-shaped and hanging valleys. Of course, I would mention that I had never seen a u-shaped or hanging valley in or around the Willamette Valley. The teacher would reply that erosion had changed the valley floor; which I never believed!
In the late ‘70’s and into the ‘80’s documentaries started showing up about plate tectonics, glaciations, and the Missoula floods and I was hooked. All of a sudden I was seeing explanations for the Cascade volcanoes, the earthquake-volcano connection, how glaciers form and move, and best of all --- where those erratic rocks came from!
Turns out during the last ice age the glaciers did not come south far enough to enter the Willamette Valley. The Willamette River flows north, like the Nile, so if a glacier came far enough south to plug up the Willamette there would have been evidence of a lake or a new river bed flowing towards the east or west. And there is no such evidence.
The cause for the erratic rocks ---- The floods from Lake Missoula! Lake Missoula formed, during the last ice age, behind an ice dam in present day Montana. The lake was so big it reached up into Canada. When this massive amount of water broke the ice dam it flowed over the ‘Scablands’ of Eastern Washington, scouring the soil down to the bed rock; over ‘Dry Falls’ a waterfall that out did Niagara Falls by a lot; following the current Columbia River course to the Columbia River Gorge, where it forged through the narrow canyon; on to the wide mouth of the Willamette River and on to the Pacific Ocean.
When the water, full of the soils it had just lifted off as well as chucks of ice from the ice fields, reached the Willamette River it flowed up river; such was the force. As the back water sat in the valley the suspended solids began to fall out. In the Portland area the soils are sandy and some areas are downright rocky. Heaviest solids fall out first. The area down to about Salem has wonderful silty soil. South of Salem to Cottage Grove has increasingly clay soils.
The erratic rocks were carried on the ice chunks. They are found on a shelf around the edge of the valley. If you ever want to see one of the rocks, try Erratic Rock State Park off Hwy 18 between McMinnville and Sheridan. There is another on Brownlee Road, between East Ellendale Road and Orrs Corner Road, just outside Dallas.
(Dallas was named for the VP of President James Polk. It is the county seat of Polk County. You are welcome.)
Last week was Glaciers in North America which led me to a line of thinking. Back when I was in high school, we were taught that the great glaciers came down into the Willamette Valley. This was evidenced by the ‘erratic rocks’ found throughout the valley. Then, we would see pictures of Yosemite and the European Alps showing u-shaped and hanging valleys. Of course, I would mention that I had never seen a u-shaped or hanging valley in or around the Willamette Valley. The teacher would reply that erosion had changed the valley floor; which I never believed!
In the late ‘70’s and into the ‘80’s documentaries started showing up about plate tectonics, glaciations, and the Missoula floods and I was hooked. All of a sudden I was seeing explanations for the Cascade volcanoes, the earthquake-volcano connection, how glaciers form and move, and best of all --- where those erratic rocks came from!
Turns out during the last ice age the glaciers did not come south far enough to enter the Willamette Valley. The Willamette River flows north, like the Nile, so if a glacier came far enough south to plug up the Willamette there would have been evidence of a lake or a new river bed flowing towards the east or west. And there is no such evidence.
 |
| Erratic Rock State Park |
The cause for the erratic rocks ---- The floods from Lake Missoula! Lake Missoula formed, during the last ice age, behind an ice dam in present day Montana. The lake was so big it reached up into Canada. When this massive amount of water broke the ice dam it flowed over the ‘Scablands’ of Eastern Washington, scouring the soil down to the bed rock; over ‘Dry Falls’ a waterfall that out did Niagara Falls by a lot; following the current Columbia River course to the Columbia River Gorge, where it forged through the narrow canyon; on to the wide mouth of the Willamette River and on to the Pacific Ocean.
When the water, full of the soils it had just lifted off as well as chucks of ice from the ice fields, reached the Willamette River it flowed up river; such was the force. As the back water sat in the valley the suspended solids began to fall out. In the Portland area the soils are sandy and some areas are downright rocky. Heaviest solids fall out first. The area down to about Salem has wonderful silty soil. South of Salem to Cottage Grove has increasingly clay soils.
The erratic rocks were carried on the ice chunks. They are found on a shelf around the edge of the valley. If you ever want to see one of the rocks, try Erratic Rock State Park off Hwy 18 between McMinnville and Sheridan. There is another on Brownlee Road, between East Ellendale Road and Orrs Corner Road, just outside Dallas.
(Dallas was named for the VP of President James Polk. It is the county seat of Polk County. You are welcome.)
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Invasive, Noxious, Uninvited
In case you haven’t heard; Butterfly Bush, Summer Lilac; Buddleia davidii is now considered an Invasive Species in Oregon. Just like Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, a popular water garden plant; butterfly plants have escaped into the wild and are crowding out our native plants in the wild.
I am beyond overjoyed that English Ivy, Hedera helix, is also on the Invasive Species list and as soon as stocks are sold out will no longer be available. One look at Deepwood Park in Salem or Forest Park in Portland is enough to sour you on how it can take over and crowd out native plants our native animals depend on to live. (I am saddened because I love Ivy as an indoor plant.)
What the new classification means to home gardener is this: These plants are no longer for sale in Oregon and they may not be shipped or brought into the state. Gardeners are also requested not to share plants, cuttings, or seeds.
Back 15 years ago, when I was going to school, we discussed the use of a great many plants. I think all my professors were saying that some plants were so aggressive that their use in the garden should be banned and most of us students agreed. It makes no sense to use plants that escape and endanger our native flora and fauna.
Having said that, I absolutely love my Buddies. I have one that was a present from my mom and another that was bred just for me. This wonderful grad student bred a bunch of Buddleias and named them for a group of us ‘older’ women getting their degrees. Since I love yellow, he named his best yellow for me and gave me a start. I love my ‘Suzie’ plant to bits.
Buddleias can produce thousands and thousands of seeds; or just a very few. If you find seedlings around your yard, you have one of the aggressive varieties. Just dig and throw the seedlings into the garbage. Be sure to keep your plants deadheaded (removing flower heads before they go to seed.) Pick up the clippings when you trim the plant. Either burn them or send to your local composting service if you cannot put them in the garbage. DO NOT dump your clippings. Buddleias regenerate from clippings and that is the most common way of releasing the plant into the wild.
There are plenty of other garden plants that have escaped to the wild. Some from tasty fruit that the birds eat and poop out the seeds along with a fresh fertilizer packet; English Holly, Ilex aquifolium; European Hawthorne, Crataegus monogyna; Himalayan & Armenian Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus, R. discolor, R. procerus By wind sown seeds; Bachelor’s Button (I thought it was a native), Centaurea cyanus; Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare; Salt Cedar, Tamarix ramosissima; Tree of Heaven (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (P.S.)
one of my all-time favorite books), Ailanthus altissimo. Tomato seedlings are found where ever sewage sludge is spread.
It is up to us gardeners to keep up on what is escaping from our gardens and go the extra mile to keep that from happening. To that end I would like to recommend some books and websites where you can get more information about being a thoughtful gardener.
I read Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards
when it first came out 15 years ago. It is still relevant today. The second book is Planting Noah's Garden: Further Adventures in Backyard Ecology
as good as the first.
I would direct you to your Land-grant College or University and your state Department of Agriculture for more information on Noxious and Invasive Plants and Weeds. The USDA Plants website is a plant nerds heaven with links for Invasive and Noxious Plants as well as links for Natives, Endangered, and Recommended Plants for your area. Here in Oregon, you can go to the following sites: ODA Plant Division Noxious Weeds, OPB Silent Invasion Special, Garden Smart flyer, or Oregon State Extension.
I am beyond overjoyed that English Ivy, Hedera helix, is also on the Invasive Species list and as soon as stocks are sold out will no longer be available. One look at Deepwood Park in Salem or Forest Park in Portland is enough to sour you on how it can take over and crowd out native plants our native animals depend on to live. (I am saddened because I love Ivy as an indoor plant.)
What the new classification means to home gardener is this: These plants are no longer for sale in Oregon and they may not be shipped or brought into the state. Gardeners are also requested not to share plants, cuttings, or seeds.
Back 15 years ago, when I was going to school, we discussed the use of a great many plants. I think all my professors were saying that some plants were so aggressive that their use in the garden should be banned and most of us students agreed. It makes no sense to use plants that escape and endanger our native flora and fauna.
Having said that, I absolutely love my Buddies. I have one that was a present from my mom and another that was bred just for me. This wonderful grad student bred a bunch of Buddleias and named them for a group of us ‘older’ women getting their degrees. Since I love yellow, he named his best yellow for me and gave me a start. I love my ‘Suzie’ plant to bits.
Buddleias can produce thousands and thousands of seeds; or just a very few. If you find seedlings around your yard, you have one of the aggressive varieties. Just dig and throw the seedlings into the garbage. Be sure to keep your plants deadheaded (removing flower heads before they go to seed.) Pick up the clippings when you trim the plant. Either burn them or send to your local composting service if you cannot put them in the garbage. DO NOT dump your clippings. Buddleias regenerate from clippings and that is the most common way of releasing the plant into the wild.
There are plenty of other garden plants that have escaped to the wild. Some from tasty fruit that the birds eat and poop out the seeds along with a fresh fertilizer packet; English Holly, Ilex aquifolium; European Hawthorne, Crataegus monogyna; Himalayan & Armenian Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus, R. discolor, R. procerus By wind sown seeds; Bachelor’s Button (I thought it was a native), Centaurea cyanus; Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare; Salt Cedar, Tamarix ramosissima; Tree of Heaven (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (P.S.)
one of my all-time favorite books), Ailanthus altissimo. Tomato seedlings are found where ever sewage sludge is spread.It is up to us gardeners to keep up on what is escaping from our gardens and go the extra mile to keep that from happening. To that end I would like to recommend some books and websites where you can get more information about being a thoughtful gardener.
I read Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards
when it first came out 15 years ago. It is still relevant today. The second book is Planting Noah's Garden: Further Adventures in Backyard Ecology as good as the first.I would direct you to your Land-grant College or University and your state Department of Agriculture for more information on Noxious and Invasive Plants and Weeds. The USDA Plants website is a plant nerds heaven with links for Invasive and Noxious Plants as well as links for Natives, Endangered, and Recommended Plants for your area. Here in Oregon, you can go to the following sites: ODA Plant Division Noxious Weeds, OPB Silent Invasion Special, Garden Smart flyer, or Oregon State Extension.
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