NOT ACTUAL SIZE (it’s only about an inch and a half, but exciting nonetheless!)
Will report back later with a flavor assessment…
Ok… it’s later and I can now offer a taste evaluation. My January tomato was tasty, with that fresh, gardeny tomato fragrance and sweet yet somewhat zingy flavor. My only complaint is that some of the typical ‘Caspian Pink’ juiciness was replaced with meatiness, perhaps because of the longer ripening time.
It was bound to happen. Still, I was rather shocked to see this when I drove down Kenneth Avenue in Carmichael yesterday:
The property on which the tree sits, er, uh, sat is right across the street from a school. I’ve watched parents and their little ones parking under this tree for years. I’ve also watched the tree being systematically and publicly abused for years.
In the past, I’ve called the Sacramento County Tree Coordinator whenever I happened upon a tree assault in progress. Our Tree Coordinator is currently a man… a nice man facing the difficult task of enforcing a native oak ordinance that is given very little weight in populated areas. He does what he can, but the bottom line is that most of Carmichael’s oaks are on private property… and in private backyards where nobody can see ya whip out the chainsaw (wink, wink).
My interpretation of the County’s take on the ordinance (in other words, I’m paraphrasing) is that, because of the potential for trees to fall on people, houses, and cars, enforcement of the ordinance is futile except in areas with intact woodlands and no peeps… woodlands like those being plundered in the controversial Bickford Ranch development.
Here’s the upshot– if a protected tree bites the dust here in Carmichael, the County might plant an oak seedling replacement… well, wherever there’s any open space left in the county. Ha ha.
Still, isn’t it worth preserving existing oaks as best we can? Can’t we do better as homeowners? These magnificent and gorgeous trees are part of our natural and cultural heritage and can live for 300+ years! If treated properly, they ain’t gonna fall on your house. Or your minivan. Or you.
Let’s just say I am not surprised to see the above oak’s demise and the crashing results of such an end.
Things done to the above tree that should never have been done:
1. large heading cuts (last year)
2. landscaping within 8 feet of the crown
3. installation of paving and irrigation within 8 feet of the tree’s crown
4. thirsty plant selections such as: roses, azaleas and Japanese maples
To learn how to care for native oaks like the Valley oak, Interior live oak, and blue oaks, visit The California Oak Foundation website.
Got sidelined by the holidays and a Christmas head cold (Thank you, Santa!)… Still sniffling a bit, but functional.
My timing was a bit off for harvesting ripe tomatoes at Christmas. I do have some seedlings growing right now and we dragged one of my giant half-barrels into the greenhouse when the weather turned un-tomatoey. Here’s what my ‘Caspian Pink’ tomatoes look like today, January 4th:
In the yard, some of my bulbs are coming up… Dutch iris and hyacinth, mostly. The puppies have all my plants looking a little battered. What are ya gonna do? They’re puppies. They run, they dig, they rip things out of the ground with their bare teeth. They’re adorable!
Emily the outdoor cat doesn’t seem too bothered by them. They bark at her and she just sits there, unlike our indoor cat that has been in self-imposed seclusion since the puppies came home. Here’s Emily with her thick winter coat:
My latest garden project, completed just before Christmas, is this teacup birdfeeder. Drilling was harder than I imagined, but I love the way it turned out. I still need to drill a couple drainage holes so for now it’s purely decorative. No, wait, it’s a tiny bird bath!
It’s COLD outside, especially if you’re a little rat terrier/chihuahua (i.e. “rathuahua”) with super short hair and you’ve already outgrown your adoption-day sweater. No problem staying warm inside the house, though!
After the freeze and frosts, my veggies all perked up and so did many other plants, but my 3 newly-planted princess flower shrubs (Tibouchina) and 3 Mexican bush sages (S. leucantha, pictured below) really suffered.
Compare backyard-planted ones with an unprotected southwestern exposure…
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…to the east-facing ones planted out front, right up against the house (reflected heat):
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They were all planted from the same batch of plants at the same time. Just goes to show you… Microclimate really does matter!
I think all plants will survive, but it’s a drag that some got nipped back.
After a week of frosts and a freeze, all plants are faring better than I thought. Well, my newly planted Mexican Bush Sage is looking a little limp. That’s not surprising since it’s a bit marginal for our area (hardy in Zone 14, but not 8 or 9). Its blooming tips wilted and leaves shriveled about a third of the way down. Several other plants looked dull, dark and limp during the frost, but all perked up considerably when the sun came out.
Looks like rain is returning in a few days, so that should give us a break from freezing temps. I don’t dabble in tropicals much since Sacto’s climate is subtropical (i.e. too hot and sunny in the summer and too cold in the winter for tropicals). Tropicals tend to have big, fleshy leaves that turn to mush after a freeze. Hmmm… what’s the fleshiest plant in my yard? Bird-of-Paradise. Since it’s next to the house (stucco) and under an overhang, I didn’t bother covering it last week.
