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I was alerted by a fellow hortie today is National Seed Swap Day! What a great way to make some new friends and start some tried-and-true plants! Also, today two chapters of the California Rare Fruit Growers Society are hosting scion exchanges. What is a scion you ask? Why simply a cutting from a tree you want to graft onto root stock! Why are we doing this? Maybe we want to make a standard tree a dwarf size..maybe we want a rare cultivar that is not sold at my local nursery…maybe we want to save some money (always)!..or maybe just try something new! It is also a great way to extend the life of your trees. Lots of reasons to try grafting.

Here is how it’s done:

1. Find last years growth on a dormant plant. Shoots should be the thickness of a pencil and of course be clean, disease-free wood

2. Use clean, sharp pruners to cut the scion at an angle. 

3. Wrap the scion in a damp paper towel or moss. 

4. Keep the scion in a cool place, like a refrigerator, until you're ready to graft. 

I am ready to graft! What do I do next? (A few local nurseries that sell rootstock: Cummins Nursery, Briggs Tree Company, Mehrabyan Nursery, Raintree Nursery, Burnt Ridge Nursery, and Roots to Fruits Nursery)

1. Insert the cut end of the scion into a corresponding cut made on the rootstock, ensuring good contact, and securely bind the graft with tape or grafting wax to hold it in place. There are various techniques on how to to bind the two (whip and tongue, cleft graft, bark graft, or bud grafting) which will be used depending on the size of your scion and rootstock. You want those puppies secure and to grow into a nice shape.

2. A new plant with the desired characteristics of the scion will hopefully begin to grow! Congrats! You are a grafter!

This Nagami kumquat was grafted onto a dwarf tree rootstock to make it teensy and adorable. Peek-a-boo Giant Swallowtail trying to lay eggs on my tree! Not today!

Visit to "the Nat!"

Today we are visiting the San Diego Natural History Museum, affectionately known at the “Nat”! The Nat has a wonderful collection of Southern California and Baja flora and fauna, including many fossil replicas of prehistoric mammals and reptiles, including an Allosaurus and my and my kid’s personal favorite a Megalodon! Turning towards botanical highlights, the Nat features a permanent exhibit Extraordinary Ideas from Ordinary People: A History of Citizen Science, highlighting the achievements from folks other than scientists, like naturalists, artists and architects who have made great contributions to science. “The overarching theme of Extraordinary Ideas is a simple one: you do not need to be a scientist to participate in science.” How great and inspiring is that!? The botanical art and copy of John James Audubon’s famous book Birds of America was a real highlight.

The Nat is also featuring green spaces on the perimeter of the building featuring native plants. I enjoyed the dragon trees and yarrow, because of their almost prehistoric-looking shapes. And of course you can’t miss (literally, can’t miss, it is gigantic) the Moreton Bay Fig Tree, the tallest in the state. The way this species is pollinated by wasps is the best example of mutualism, whereby two organisms benefit each other. Amazing!

If you like the look of dragon trees they are lovely, care-free house plants. Just water when the top half is dry. The plant is poisonous though, so avoid if you have pets or kids, and maybe wash hands after handling leaves!

The museum is free for the residents the first Tuesday of the month, but you may not bring a stroller on those days. Enjoy!

Dragon Trees

Beautiful yarrow gives blooms for months! Peek-a-boo, ladybug!

Roses, roses, roses!

It’s that time of year and bare root roses are available at your local nursery! It’s time to prune your own precious petals! I do a hard prune followed by a good dose of neem oil, because my roses get very fungus-forward this time of year. Now for my climbers, remove all the dead, diseased and crossing canes, and most anything smaller than a pencil . I pick those horizontal main canes as my anchors (no more than six) and prune side shoots (laterals) by 1/3 or half. Some gardeners untie and sort of retrain the canes, I just make sure they are running nice and horizontal and retie and train if they are not. If you have lots of old, woodsy branches they can be cut to the ground; climbers are remarkably resilient.

I adore my Golden Opportunity climber, she had a slow start but she picked up speed! The burst of color and strong, fruity scent are a really boon the garden! Are you a rose superfan like me?

Dreaming of spring!