Darkest Night of the Year

Due to the lunar eclipse lying on one of the longest night of the year, we just experienced the longest, darkest night in 500 years last night. The sky was still dark during the 8 am tee time this morning.

This natural phenomenon makes me reflect on what our ancestors were feeling 500 years ago in 1513 when their sky also unraveled into darkness for an unthinkable amount of time with no t.v. or artificial light to distract them. At a time when King Henry VIII ruled England and was still married to Catherine of Aragon. I'm sure they would have been bewitched by the magnitude of the blackened sky. Planting, harvesting and storing crops was very much dictated by the moon in those times. Early humans noted the effect that the moon's gravitational pull had on water flow of moisture to the soil and how the moonlight effected seed germination. There are early examples of tracking the moon cycle for agricultural purposes as far back as 8000 years ago.  

The Old Farmer's Almanac has been a publication for farmers and homeowners since 1792. This valuable resource contains tide charts, planting information and weather forecasts.  This pubication gets it's weather predictions using a mathametical equation derived from sunspots, tidal activity and moon phases.  A person living in the USA that goes by the name of Caleb Weatherbee is the only person currently alive to have access to this formula (I didn't make that up).  Every year they print out an up-to-date copy to advise people of agricultural and animal husbandry needs according to Weatherbee's calculations.  Here is an example taken directly from their publication regarding some gardening practices in reference to the moon cycle. Maybe you can use some of this advise for your home garden.  Happy Moon gardening!

The Moon's phases guided many a farmer and gardener in the past, and still do today:

• Moonrise occurring in the evening brings fair weather, says one proverb, harking back to the belief that the waning Moon (full and last quarter, which rise in the evening) is dry.
• The New Moon and first quarter, or waxing phases, are considered fertile and wet.
• The new and first-quarter phases, known as the light of the Moon, are considered good for planting above-ground crops, putting down sod, grafting trees, and transplanting.
• From full Moon through the last quarter, or the dark of the Moon, is the best time for killing weeds, thinning, pruning, mowing, cutting timber, and planting below-ground crops.
• The time just before the full Moon is considered particularly wet, and is best for planting during drought conditions.

A Few of My Favourite Things

Christmas is just around the corner.  With all these raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens and brown paper packages tied up with string, I thought I'd come up with a few of my favourite things....gardening video wise anyway.  I've added three videos; a 30 Year Old Food Forest in Australia, a 300 Year Old Food Forest in Vietnam, and a 2000 Year Old Food Forest in Morocco.

A food forest is a agricultural system that is based on a woodland ecosystem.  A food forest has herbs, perennial vegetables, shrubs and fruit and nut trees growing along side each other in a self sustainable manner. It's an edible forest, hence 'food forest'.  These systems are incredibly low maintenance.  The trees lose their leaves and mulch the plants to replenish the soil.  Edible vines climb up the trees reaching for light and increasing their yield. Livestock run freely through the system and fertilize the forest floor. Food forests provide so much back considering the labour required to maintain them.  I went to a Food Forest workshop in Vancouver a few years back from BC expert Richard Walker.  He is the founder of Dragon's Eye Nursery in Grand Forks.  He hosts Food Forest Workshops in the Lower Mainland regularly, I urge you to sign up if you're interested.  They tend to sell out quickly though because of his 25 years of expertise and wealth of knowledge. His nursery is chock full of edible plants that are winter hardy to Northern BC conditions.  There is also a local nursery in South Delta called Tropic to Tropic Plants owned by Ray Mattei that has an inventory of tropical and winter hardy edible plants and trees.  One day I hope to own a piece of land to create my own food forest.  I hope you can watch these videos and be inspired by the possibilities with your own yard.

Inspired by Claude Monet

I have images imprinted in my brain of Claude Monet's paintings in watery blues and vibrant greens from the years of flipping through my Mom's art books as a child.  The movement and romance of the scenes were  recreated through Monet's impressionist strokes.  My bucket list is growing with all the beautiful gardens around the world that I plan on visiting but top of my list is definitely Monet's garden in France. Residing 50 km's North West of Paris in a village called Giverny, sits the homestead of Claude Monet. The gardens on Monet's property inspired his paintings, but his painting also inspired his gardens.  After researching this topic, I've learned that Monet was an innovative garden designer. After travelling to the South of France with Renoir he experienced an inspiration to design his gardens on his own property in Northern France to be the muse of his paintings.  Structures were installed to cast a diffused light on the surface of his ponds to capture the shape of the water lilies on the surface. Lighting and composition was integral to his art, so Monet organized the landscape on his Giverny property to create the ideal painting.

The Giverny estate is divided into two gardens; The Clos Normand and The Water Garden. The Clos Normand is about a hectare of land leading from the front door to the road.  Large rot iron arches are anchored through the center of this garden and are covered with, brambling, blooming climbing roses. The groundcover carpeting the center of the archway is a mass planting of nasturtiums. On either side of the archway a planting of orchards and ornamental trees interplanted with brightly coloured annuals and perennials illuminate the space.  Monet, the master of colour and composition, organized the plantings according to shape, colour and size of plants.  His garden design creates a very breezy balance comprising common flowers of daisies, delphiniums, lupins, peonies, holyhock and poppies with rare varieties of more unique flowers. Take a moment to imagine yourself drifting through the warm paths of rose scented Clos Normand on a Summer's day with a glass of chilled white wine in your hand.  It's enough to make you want to grab a paintbrush and canvas and recreate it, isnt' it? 



As beautiful as Clos Normand likely is, The Water Garden may be the setting of the more iconic memories of my favourite Monet paintings. Monet was deeply inspired with the gardens and art from Japan at the time.  He collected Japanese clay tiles which he used as accents around his house, as well as Asian plants often found in Japanese water gardens that he had seen in photographs and paintings. His water garden really captures the meditative principles of Japanese gardens combined with the romanticism of the French. A very uncomplicated, yet expressive design.  Monet's water gardens featured a passenger bridge, often depicted in his paintings, abundant with wisteria blooms.  Bamboo, azalea, solomon's seal, weeping willow, iris's and of course water lilies are also planted in Monet's water garden.

Yellow Blooming Magnolia

Final Episode Bearded Iris

At pond #18, I've created my own Monet inspired garden. As I was planning it out, I couldn't ignore the sensibility and simple beauty of mass plantings of water lilies and iris's igniting the landscape in the Spring then mellowing throughout the Summer months. A quiet balance of colour and reflection. Iris's are the foundation planting around the marginal garden. Native Western Blue Iris (Iris missouriensis), Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana) and Wild Flag Iris (Iris setosa) are the mass of the selection.  Additionally, larger hybrids like 'Final Episode', 'Speeding Again' and 'Tour de France' are planted throughout.  A really generous member donated a yellow beared iris variety to the mix as well.  So Thank you!  Additional bulbs used in the planting are Indian Hyacinth (Camassia esculenta),  Hounds Tooth Violet (Erythronium 'Pagoda'), Calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica ) and assorted tulips and daffodils. Three yellow blooming Magnolia trees are bordering the West side of the pond and a dwarf Japanese maple on the South.  I can't wait.  In the future we plan on planting the South naturalized side with wild flowers and soft ornamental grasses on the West side to screen the pumphouse.  It should be a great show in Spring!

Wild Flag Iris

Beauty Berry

Have you ever sat through a movie that was ho-hum but temporarily captivated you with beautiful cinematography, brilliant acting from a secondary character or an unexpected plot twist?  Otherwise the movie was nap-tastic. Well, if this movie could be a plant, it would be the Beauty Berry (Callicarpa bodiniera). For the majority of the year, this insignificant plant sidles beside other plants quietly taking up room and just listening.  It may just be the kind of plant that one might not even know exists in their garden...until Winter arrives that is. As the weather cools down and plants start to lose their leaves, so does Beauty Berry. That's when this plant really shines.  As the leaves drop, all that is left are unthinkably beautiful purple berries on the bare stems of this deciduous shrub.  Basically this dowdy plants undresses to expose the most exquisitely constructed French lingerie.

You can spot two Beauty Berry shrubs at the #12 hole garden and another one at the entrance to of the Turf Care Centre. There is over 140 species of the genus Callicarpa from North America, Asia and Australia, but the most common ornamental species is bodiniera which originates from West-Central China. This medium sized shrub has a loose habit with fine leaves and small clusters of tiny flowers in white and pink. Beauty berry is from the Lamiaceae family (same family as many common herbs) and is used for jelly, wine and...insect repellent.  Fortunately, the berries of this plant are one of the last food sources for birds over the Winter, that means plenty of time to enjoy them!

Bufflehead Duck

It's a balmy minus 3 outside. The golf course is under frost delay. The air is still and the ground is frosty and stiff.  Ice rinks are developing out of the irrigation ponds and the morning sunrise has stained the sky for the last hour. It's a gorgeous Winter morning and a terrific day to spend inside writing blogs and staring out onto the frozen landscape. Last week, two friendly female members inside the kiosk inquired about the "ducks or birds" at the #3 irrigation pond. Unfortunately, I didn't know what "duck bird" they were speaking of. I was armed with the knowledge they were black and white and had short necks.  I've been piecing it together over the last week.  Fortunately, Superintendent Jason had snapped a photograph of them and uncovered the mystery for me.

It seems the Bufflehead Duck or Spirit Duck (Bucephala albeola) was paying Quilchena a visit over the last week.  These small migratory American sea ducks range in size from 13-16" long and 9.5-19 oz. The male ducks, or drakes, are larger than the female ducks with an average size of 14" long and a weight of 13 oz.  The attractive drakes have shiny green and purple feathers with white patches as contrast on the head and the body. From a distance these male ducks look black and white. The female duck is a more dowdy grey-brown with an oval white patch on the cheek. The name Bufflehead, breaking down into "buffalo" "head", refers to the oddly large balloon-shaped heads of these ducks, .

Bufflehead Ducks forage for submerged vegetation in shallow, open waters, which may be why they are so attracted to the irrigation ponds throughout the golf course.  These ducks have vigorous appetites though. They dive for aquatic crustaceans, mollusks and invertebrates. In freshwater, they eat flies, larvae, zooplankton, clams and snails. In saltwater, they consume shrimp, crabs, snails, mussels, herring eggs, ratfishes, etc. Hungry little guys!

The interesting fact about this species of duck is they live in tandem with the Northern Flicker bird. They migrate in close proximity to these woodpeckers because they nest in the tree cavities that have been carved out by them. In fact, their bodies have evolved their small size to fit into the small nesting cavities of these birds. This relationship of dependency is referred to as metabiotic. The last few weeks I have been noticing small flocks of the Northern Flicker birds foraging for insects on the ground around the golf course and it has seemed to be perfectly timed to the appearance of the Bufflehead Duck.

Bufflehead ducks may not have roamed the Earth as long as Buffalo. But, there is recorded history that they have been around for at least 500,000 years.  And, there was a fossil found in California that resembles a bufflehead that dates back to two million years ago.  That's one  huge Family tree!  Sadly though, these birds are at risk due to hunting and forestry.  In order to preserve their legacy, Naturalist suggest installing Northern Flicker sized bird boxes for them to nest in. Not only are these ducks ancient, beautiful, buoyant, hungry and resourceful. They also adorn the Coat of Arms for the coastal town of Syney, B.C. Many reasons to protect these precious ducks.

A Quick Season

It's been a while since I've written anything on this blog...eight months to be exact.  I thought I would take the time to reflect on this year so far.  First things first - what a great Summer!!! I feel like everyone's Vitamin D has been replenished and they may be emotionally prepared to say goodbye to Summer soon. I can feel the season coming to a close when the school supply flyers make an appearance on my doorstep and the days grow shorter.  It's been a short season. I came back to work in May after a brief hiatus. My previous work was visibly undone from the year before. The gardens were lush with weeds and the shrubs were looking pretty shaggy. But, it was a quick fix with the appearance of  an Assistant Gardener.  Natasha has gone back to school now, but she worked by my side up until last week. And of course, Sharon helped out when she wasn't needed in the Turf department. We made short work of weeding, pruning, planting and watering the gardens to bring them back to a presentable state. There was a few more plant enhancements at the number 18 bed, iris's surrounding the pond, and lavender near the gazebo.  But for the most part it was a time of general maintenance and a new application of soil throughout.  I haven't had much of an opportunity to come into the office and dream up new designs this year until now. There are a few exciting ideas running through my head.  I'll post information as soon as I finalize the designs and get the go-ahead. Fall clean up should be starting any day now (depending on what the weather wants to do..!?).  It's almost time to harvest those pumpkins, make a batch of pipping hot apple cider and start putting those plants to bed for the year.

A Serengeti Sunrise Subzero Style

Here is the gorgeous view from the South East corner of the golf course this morning.  The sun started peaking out of the horizon in subtle shades of pink and blue. A few minutes later the horizon started to erupt into vibrant shades of orange and yellow.  The sky became so intense at one moment that it started to resemble the Serengeti expanse.  This is about the moment that Josh started to belt out the chorus of The Lion King and resembling Simba running to the top of Pride Rock, Josh ran onto the berm near the Turf Care Centre to snap this shot.   Perhaps, we're all a little sun deprived here but this seemed like a moment worth encapsulating.  I hope you were all able to enjoy this sunsrise from a window near you.  

Haggard Hedge Be Gone

Yesterday, was a banner day for the Horticulture department.  The hedge bordering the 18th hole was removed with the help from Dan, Kevin and Jason.  I couldn't be more happy with the results.  It's open, clean and has allowed room to reinvent that space.  I know, I know....the west side of the parking lot is starting to look like my personal playpen these days but these tasks will be completed for Spring and I'm optimistic everyone will be pleased with the results.  Design aesthetics aside, the hedge had unfortunately become overgrown and anemic over the years and had also received injury from passing carts so the removal was imminent. I'm working on some strategies to make that area more attractive right now.

As for the progress of the other visible projects, we are experiencing some logistical weather issues. The river rock bed has been put on hold because the ground is frozen and it's making it pretty difficult for excavation.  When the weather warms up we can return to that project.   As for the pond, the temporary plan is quite simple at the moment. It will be turf right up to the edge of the pond until the budget expands for that area in the future.  I've also purchased some Iris and ornamental grass plugs to border the pond once they mature in size.   Unfortunately, the current situation is the ground has become wet, soft and frosty surrounding the pond making it senseless to cart the turf soil there until the weather changes to avoid any potential damage to the turf.  (Side note: Jason checked the weather forecast today and it is currently freezing fog.  I don't think I've ever heard that description before but we've decided that Freezing Fog would make an excellent band name).  I've also purchased three juvenile creamy yellow blooming magnolia trees to berm and plant strategically around the pond.  The future goal is inspired by the French impressionist painter Monet.  Magnolia trees reflecting on the water's edge with mass plantings of purple blooming iris's and flowering water lilies throughout the pond.  Currently, the swan and her mallard friends seem to be enjoying wading in the flooded pools.

Snow Geese

Okay, I recognize Snow Geese can be a bit of a hot topic in Richmond.  These infamous birds travel in large groups for long distances and inevitably arrive hungry.  Richmond is one of their layovers along the way. The flocks land on large areas of green space and even people's lawns to feed on grains and seed.  As you can imagine Snow Geese are especially detrimental to golf course's because the entire economy of a golf course is dependent on having beautiful pastural green space.  Some of the biggest opponents to these feathery pests are Superintendents, Jason and Josh. You very well may have been startled by the sound of Jason or Josh shooting off starter pistols to detract the snow geese from landing on the turf. They are very vigilant at protecting the course. Not the most calming noise though when you're attempting a particularly tricky golf shot but necessary in keeping the greens pristine.

Since no story is one sided, I wanted to learn a bit more about the Snow Geese.  I don't think anyone can argue how impressive the visual of a massive flock of brilliant white birds flying harmoniously through the grey Lower Mainland sky's can be.  The contrast of colours is beautiful and the the sound and scale of birds is outrageous.  It's truly a natural phenomenon at it's grandest and I can't help but stop what I'm doing and stare into the sky when they pass. Okay, you got my attention geese....now what do you have to say for yourself?

It seems that Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) say a lot and loudly.  There calls can be heard as far as a mile away, sometimes further. The snow geese that travel through Richmond are a flock of Lesser Snow Geese.  The Lesser Snow Geese stand 25-31" high and weigh between 4-6 pounds.   They are the smallest of the two subspecies of Snow Geese.  The specific flock that fly's over Quilchena is called Fraser-Skagit and has numbers of 50,000-100,000.

This flock starts its journey at it's nesting place in Wrangel Island, which is an island just below Helsinki, Finland and above Estonia. I suppose this massive commute across some of the most expansive pieces of land is a true testimony to the quality of the grass here (insert joke here). They arrive in October and populate areas around the Fraser River and the Skagit River Estuary in Washington state, hence the name the Fraser-Skagit flock.  Fortunately for Richmond land owners, they do depart to their Northern home in April.

Much like other birds, Snow Geese seem to be quite loyal.  They return to the place they were hatched to breed and they have the same partner for life.  Each year, the populations of these Snow Geese keep increasing.  So, it's safe to say, you'll be seeing more of these white feathery friends.

Mulching

Over the last month I've been applying a thin layer of bark mulch to the majority of the garden beds.  I'm a huge fan of regularly mulching your beds throughout the season.  It doesn't have to be bark mulch.  It can be any loose material placed on top of your growing medium.  The benefits of this practice are immense.  Here is a list that I grabbed directly off of www.gardenstew.com,  because I honestly could not word it better myself.

Benefits of Mulching

Let us explore some benefits of mulching: 

Prevents soil erosion - Soil erosion happens when winds or water slowly wear away the surface of soil and remove it. Mulching your soil will prevent this as there is now a protective, replaceable layer.that comes between the surface of the soil and the forces of nature above it. 

Insulates the soil in winter - The harsh temperatures of winter can be unkind. Mulching the soil in winter will insulate the soil preventing it from repeated patterns of freezing and thawing and will insulate plant roots. It prevents heaving (buckling upward) of soil in spring. Mulch should be applied to the soil when it has frozen and removed in spring only when there is no danger of further frosts. Winter-mulched soil thaws out more quickly in the spring. 

Cools down soil in summer - A layer of mulch in summer protects the soil beneath from the extreme heats of summer and reduces the need for constant watering i.e. water retention is improved. 

Helps against soil compaction - The layer of mulch acts as a buffer or extra layer between entities that can cause compaction on the soil below e.g. people, equipment, heavy rains. 

Improves appearance - A mulch applied to your bed can make it look more complete and attractive. This varies from mulch to mulch as some are more attractive and natural looking than others. 

Prevents weed growth - One of the more useful benefits of mulching is in weed prevention. While the mulch itself will not stop weeds from germinating it serves to act as a barrier between the weeds and the outside world above. When a weed reaches the mulch layer it will not be able to break above it and it will eventually die back. Some mulches perform this weed prevention feature better than others. Depth of mulch is also a contributing factor. Care should be taken however when selecting mulches as some mulches like grass clippings and straw may actually contain weed seeds.