99 replies to this topic

[Flowerlady1]

stevethedad,  in the future when shopping for "mentha" mint, just ask for mint.  Mint has to be replanted about every 3 years.  Mint that grows in the Folsom area is Golden Apple Mint, Peppermint, Pennyroyal, Jewel mint of Corsica, Spearment, and Apple mint.  All are tough and unfussy plants.

It is quite understandable to me if you asked a young employee at Home Depot or Lowes if they have any Pennyroyal they would not know what you were talking about.  All of these are named mint. 

Also a quick note--many of the true mints are extremely invasive. They love part sun, and damper conditions and will spread by root and stem touching the ground. They will also go under fences and all over. If you want to grow real mint, the master gardeners recommend planting in a large pot. It keeps it out of where you don't want it.

[Flowerlady1]

Farley,

We have a good size pot on our front porch that we plant flowers in during the spring and summer. Normally during the fall we empty the dirt and store the pot in the garage. I would prefer to just leave it this fall/winter; do you have any plant recommendations? The pot is about 30 inches high and probably about 15"x15" around the top.

Another idea, if the pot gets about 6 hours of sun, would be to use an upright rosemary or two, fill in the spaces with chives and parsley and fill in the edges with thyme and oregano which trail over the side. You would have an herb pot at your door, and it would smell wonderful when you touch the leaves.

Also, scented geraniums if it's sunny. There are spice and flower scented ones and several trail over edges. There is also one that can be used to repel mosquitos called citronella--it's a cross of scented geranium and lemon grass and smells like lemon. The geraniums come with little flowers and pretty foliage and they can be mixed with other shrubby types and trailers for a very pretty pot.

[MSgt]

AWSOME!

I hate yard work but I just put in these paverstones for a suprise for my wife last weekend.

[MSgt]

Also, we have this palm (like in your back yard) that has grown so tall it it above the patio cover and we can't enjoy it. It is so tall it is getting direct sun and is getting fried. If we hack it down 5 feet will it grow new palm leaves?

[Farley]

Also, we have this palm (like in your back yard) that has grown so tall it it above the patio cover and we can't enjoy it.  It is so tall it is getting direct sun and is getting fried. If we hack it down 5 feet will it grow new palm leaves?

As far as I know, palms cannot be topped. Palms grow out of the center and continuously shed the lower brances which should be cut off. If it must be topped, I would remove the tree and plant a new one in a more suitable location.

[MSgt]

I was afraid you were going to say that. Do they transplant very well? We have the ugliest tree in the world in our front yard. Maybe I could transplant it there?

[Farley]

I was afraid you were going to say that.  Do they transplant very well?  We have the ugliest tree in the world in our front yard.  Maybe I could transplant it there?

It really depends on the size, but if it is big, I doubt you could transplant it. I wonder what kind of tree you have in your front yard. Do you know? Maybe I could identify it.

[MSgt]

It really depends on the size, but if it is big, I doubt you could transplant it.  I wonder what kind of tree you have in your front yard.  Do you know?  Maybe I could identify it.

Here is the ugly tree in the front. It stays green in the fall and the leaves turn brown and brittle and stay on the tree until early spring, then they drop - slowly. It looks ok now but in the spring it is a tree of dead leaves.

[MSgt]

Here is the palm - actually my wife says it is some kind of tree fern. Looks like a palm tree to me.

[petro]

I think you have a Pin Oak "Quercus palustris" They planted lots of those type of trees around Folsom, espically in the new neighborhoods and in common areas. They keep the brown leaves all winter and only loose them when new ones begin to bud out. Fast grower and very hardy but I don't like them holding the deal leaves all winter. I have seen some people cut them down thinking they are dead!

I'm not sure but the other one looks like a type of tree ferm. I am pretty sure you can't top them, that is unless there death is the result you are lookin for.

[Farley]

Here is the ugly tree in the front.  It stays green in the fall and the leaves turn brown and brittle and stay on the tree until early spring, then they drop - slowly.  It looks ok now but in the spring it is a tree of dead leaves.

You are 100 % correct. It is the tree I hate most in the world and Folsom has a lot of them. I would not have one in my yard. They are particularly horrible because they are so susceptible to dripping sticky messes.

You have a Q. palustris. PIN OAK, SWAMP OAK. I hate the dead brown leaves that stay on much of the year. I guess the only reason builders use them so much is that they do better in lawns than most types of oaks.

[Farley]

Here is the palm - actually my wife says it is some kind of tree fern.  Looks like a palm tree to me.

Yes that is a tree fern. I can't tell if it is a New Zealand tree fern or an Australian tree fern, but in either case it is mostly a shade plant. I have never seen one quite so tall. Usually they are shorter and very full of nice green fronds.

The New Zealand type is more frost resistent than the Australian. But my New Zealand finally got too big for the space it was in, so I had to get rid of it. A landscaper took it, but I never heard if he got it to stay alive or not. The roots were pretty shallow and all over the place.

[MSgt]

thanks - might as well yell "T I M B E R"!

[Farley]

thanks - might as well yell "T I M B E R"!

Might as well

[MSgt]

Think it will fit in my brand new "Green Waste" container?