Garden Notes

Ellen Zagory was Director of Horticulture of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Gardens, fondly referred to as the Arb, when the Arboretum All-Stars plant list came to be created in the early 2000s.

As summer arrives in full swing, gardens burst into life with a dazzling array of vibrant, sun-loving plants. From bold blooms to lush foliage, the summer season offers an abundance of botanical beauty perfect for creating a stunning, thriving garden. PERENNIAL FLOWER: Herbaceous peony.

Being out and about in the cool, morning summer air can be a great source of joy and surprise as we encounter sudden beauty in our gardens. The slow-to-ripen strawberries and cherries suddenly are ripe all at once. Landscape flowers seemingly out of nowhere are in full bloom.

Question: A few of my rose bloom stems have curled downward and I wonder what causes this? This is not an uncommon phenomenon to see in the rose garden and is usually caused by a pest, the raspberry horntail, Hartigia cressoni. Rose cane tips wilt, droop, discolor and die back.

The plant family Asteraceae contains over 32,000 distinct species of flowering plants that sport the traits known best as herbal: edible (or toxic) parts, aromatic leaves and flowers, and historical culinary, medicinal, and ornamental use with economic value derived from its uses.