UC Blogs
UC Cooperative Extension Welcomes a New Nutrition Advisor
Drusilla Rosales has joined UCCE as the new nutrition, family and consumer science advisor. Although she is based at the UCCE office in Alhambra, she manages programs in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Rosales has more than 10 years of experience delivering services in nutrition therapy and education, personal training and community development. Before joining UCCE, she worked as a registered dietitian at a residential eating disorder treatment center for adolescent boys and girls. She also worked as a nutrition services consultant for the Covina Valley Unified School District, a staff research associate for UCLA, and as an adjunct faculty member for the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension investigating nutrition, exercise, eating disorders, body disturbances and childhood obesity.
Rosales earned her bachelor's degree in kinesiology from USC and a master's degree in nutritional science from Cal State LA.
"I look forward to working with Drusilla. She understands the critical nutrition issues facing our local communities, and I believe she will contribute much to Cooperative Extension," said Keith Nathaniel, UCCE county director for Los Angeles County.
Rosales enjoys spending time with her husband, 1 1/2 year-old daughter and boxer. In her spare time, she watches USC football and Dodger baseball and practices yoga. She can be reached at (626) 586-1948, dmrosales@ucanr.edu.
New environmental chamber to help researchers find cures for vegetable diseases
Steven Koike, UCCE advisor in Monterey County, said the chamber "will allow us to ramp up research.” The new acquisition is something like a large refrigerator in which researchers can control temperature and humidity.
“Industry in the Salinas Valley is progressive in funding research,” Koike said. “It’s not afraid to invest in solutions.”
My Holy Grails
We all have a plant that we’re willing to sell the kids for (or at least rent them out). Does this sound familiar to you? I sometimes feel that ya can’t be a dedicated gardener without one “gotta have” plant. Well, my plants are 2 roses. I know, everybody on the block seems to sell roses. BUT I don’t desire any old rose; no sir, I have my heart set on 2 roses that are somewhere in the world, but where?
My quest, on and off for 30 years, started when a dear friend of my mother’s gave her a cutting of ‘McGredy’s Yellow’. This particular rose was introduced in 1934 the father of the present Sam McGrady and was advertised at the time as a “buttercup” yellow. Unfortunately, the writer of captions in The Ultimate Rose Book by Stirling Macoboy disputes this description and claims, “Light lemon yellow would be more accurate in cool climates; in hot, the color could be very pale indeed.” He then continues on about “the rose has deteriorated with age and it takes real skill to grow it to perfection.”
Not will to take the experts on head first, I can tell you that in Santa Rosa, CA, that cutting grew into a magnificent rose bush with butter colored, large blooms. Maybe the bush never read the “expert” review!
Forward on to twenty years plus- years ago. I started to live in Vallejo in a house with a totally non-descript yard. Green foliage plants sparsely planted – no color and no interest. I got a cutting from my mother’s rose bush and as it grew, planted in the front yard next to the porch. I received lots of compliments from the neighbors when it bloomed. By the way, this is considered to large flowered tea rose. In fact, the rose bush was a major selling point when we sold the house. Just one proviso from the buyer: DON’T TOUCH THE ROSE BUSHES, ESPECIALLY THE YELLOW ONE! Okey dokey, will do!
I figured I could always get another rose. WRONG! I have looked all over the internet: finally found two sources! Yea, the looking is almost over –NOT! Both sources: Beales in England and Vintage Gardens in Sebastopol, ca, appear to be gone! Beales never answered by emails (Peter has died) and Vintage Gardens is holding its going-out-of-business sale this month, limited to stock on hand.
Lucky for all of us that Darrell Schramm is a Master Gardener; he also belongs to the Heritage Rose Group. One of the members is running my plea to anyone for cuttings. My fingers are crossed.
Of course, I can go back to the old homestead and see if “my” rose bush is still there. But I don’t to be the crazy old lady having the hissy fit if it isn’t.
The other rose that I had to leave behind over 30 years ago is the ‘Sunset Jubilee’, another rose that is not in production anymore. Jackson & Perkins introduced it in the mid 60’s to honor Sunset Magazine. After a couple of years they renamed it and now positively state they never had such a rose with such a name even when confronted with an old copy of Sunset’s Rose Care Book with the rose on the cover. That search I’m saving for later!
A Passion for Passion Flowers
Honey bees are passionate about passion flowers (Passiflora). The intricate tropical flower is their private merry-go-round, their favorite hide 'n...
Honey bees foraging on a passion flower blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
So many bees, so little time. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
From the top, the passion flower blossom looks like an intricate merry-go-round. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Century Plant
Sometimes interesting plants are right under you nose. Being a horticulturalist, I always have my eyes scanning people's landscapes looking over plants in hopes of seeing something new and interesting. In my own neighborhood, I have spied a plant that is unfamiliar to me. I am waiting to see it bloom again this year. Maybe by then I will have the courage to stop and ask my neighbor what the plant is. I hope they don't think I am some psycho. Not the case-just a complete plant nerd!
About two streets to the East of where I live, at the corner of Pitt School Road and H Street, is there is this eclectically landscaped yard. There was this older woman who would be out in the yard tending to it. She would water, weed or prune this or that. It has been a while since I have seen her out there. I assume she is either ill or passed away. I figured that whoever was living there now might change the landscape, but fortunately, they haven't and they have kept up on its maintenance!
The plants in the yard are a crazy mix from the regular geranium, to the exotic, succulent fig to the two fabulously gigantic agaves which are the specimens of this yard. I am sure anyone from Dixon knows the location of these two plant wonders. Many might think of the yard as a jumble, but to a plant lover like me, it is indeed interesting.
The agaves (Agave americana) always catch my eye. They are especially stunning when they put off a flower. Unfortunately, they are semelparious in nature, which means they flower once and then die. The plant can put off seed, and endeavors to live on by putting off suckers or adventitious shoots.
The reason the agave is so interesting to me is the massive amount of plant there is. It takes a lot of energy to produce such a behemoth. Maybe that is why by the time it flowers, it just doesn't have enough steam to carry on. This also disproves the misnomer of Century Plant, as this agave lives only about 10-30 years versus 100.
If you ever get a gander of these agave, check out their leaves. They are about 6 feet in length tipped with a dagger of a point at the end, which can cut to the bone if you had the misfortune to encounter it. One variety of the agave is a grey-green and the other is the variegated yellow (Agave americana 'Marginata') and grey. Both have the towering flower spike and are putting on their show now.
The Century Plant sends up the flower spikes. (photos by Jennifer Baumbach)
Head-turning flowers are beginning to unfurl.
Interesting, yellow flowers adorn the large spikes.
A shot of the entire landscape. Note they are taller than the street light.