Our "never lovlier" clay soils!
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Our "never lovlier" clay soils!
- From: M* B*
- Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 17:51:49 -0700
>Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 17:41:35 -0700
>To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
>From: Michael Barclay <opga@wenet.net>
>Subject: Our "never lovlier" clay soils!
>Cc:
>Bcc:
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>
> Dear Medit-Planters, 12/13/99
>
> Although the largest part of my garden is strictly a drought
>slope---south/west to the SF Bay watered 3 x per annum, I am by no means
>fascinated or convinced by Sean's concept of Hortulus Aptus, especially
>since urban woodland gardens and succulent slopes represent two of my favorite
>kinds of gardens to own and design.
>
> I think it would be of interest in the light of Sean's very recent
>post to share the following with you:
>
>1) I did not dare disturb the clay on my drought slope lest it lose
>its integrity, so all the xerophytes planted therein went into large holes
>with amended soils using chipped granite, expanded shale, crushed lava
>and Am Soil's Organic Clodbreaker which I insisted Lou Truesdell create 18
>years ago because I wanted no heavy metals anywhere in my garden. Contrary to
>all the warnings I received the planting holes did not turn into sinks and
>nothing drowned. It is after all a 58 percent grade---miserable to maintain
>and gorgeous to see and in spite of its clay structure now well archored
>with roots of Cheiranthadendron and Xanthoxolon plus numerous acacias.
>
>2) My urban woodland is shaded by two huge parking strip Plane Trees
>to the west and now a gorgeous Crytomeria japonica 'Elegans' to the south.
>As it runs north 126' it gets darker and darker. Like most members of the
>Cal Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society I use a modified version
>of the late Jack Evan's approach to planting rhodos in gardens made of East
>Bay Clay. I do not plant in, I PLANT ON THE NATIVE SOIL. An outline of
>a planting hole is established and an inch or two of mulch and soil removed.
>The rhododendron in placed on top and a huge mound of acid oak leaf mold,
>red wood soil products, shale, lava and mosses are built up around the
>elevated root system leaving a two inch clearance of the main stem. This is
>the mulched over with oakleaf mold and 1/4 fir bark clean. My woodland is
>watered 7 times each fortnight, twice a day for 5-11 minutes depending on
>the season with heavy overhead spray. The floor is carpeted with species
>bulbs that precede the rhodies, Tiarella cordifolia, Geranium x
>cantabridgiense
>'Biokovo', some California ferns and many small tropical and subtropical
>ferns >and two huge colonies of Primula vulgaris (fragant pale yellow) and
>Primula >moupinensis (pale lilac and vigorously stoloniferous).
>Lilium regale and superbum follow the main rhodie bloom; using the
>rhodies for support they require no staking! The 138' parking strip
>across the sidewalk from the woodland has species camellias,
>magnolias, 'London Pride' saxifrage and four spp. of rubus
>blueberries so we pick from late May to mid-September. The birds
>can't find them for as Don Rose once quipped,
>"It's the 'Where's Waldo' of gardens!". There are also plantings of white
>Alpine Strawberries and Fragaria californica (YUM!!)
>
>I suppose in someway I am compromising with the Mediterranean Climate
>in that the drought slope is three times as large as the woodland
>and gets watered June 1, July 1 and Sept. 1 for many hours while the wood
>land is maintained consistently moist. Now if only it didn't freeze up
>here!
>
> Yours as always,
>
> Michael D. Barclay
>
>
>
Michael Barclay, D.Lett. opga@wenet.net
Opera Education International/OEI
400 Yale Ave, Berkeley, CA 94708-1109
http://www.operalover.net Please visit
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