Posts Tagged: Mendocino

Don't Miss the Rhododendrons

If you’re craving cooler weather and spring color, now is the time to tour the rhododendron collection at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg.  Over 125 species and more than 190 cultivars are waiting to catch your eye and take your breath away.

Last weekend our family walked not only the grounds but through the tent displays of individual contributions from the annual rhododendron judging. Even my six-year-old grandson couldn’t decide which bloom he liked best. Meanwhile, I pictured the pathetic-looking plant struggling to survive in my flower bed. Few leaves. Brown-tipped dull leaves. Sparse blooms. Some years, no blooms.

Frankly speaking, I have to admit that Vacaville’s arid climate and alkaline water, especially in the summer, can’t compare to the coastal conditions at MCBG, where rhododendrons thrive. My garden simply doesn’t offer the soil, water, humidity, shade, and temperature these plants need. But this gardener tries—mulching the soil, misting the plant in the mornings and evenings, and sheltering from the heat with a small umbrella. I refuse to give up on the Ericaceae family, whose delicate flowers delight my eye and inspire my soul. A bloom now and then is all I need.

For more information on why rhododendrons do so well in Fort Bragg and growing rhododendrons in hot weather, visit www.gardenbythesea.org   You’ll learn about the exotic big leaf rhododendrons and the fragrant trumpet-flowered plants and the origin of the Fort Bragg collection.

Rhodendron nutalliix lindleyi-sourceMCBG (photos by Launa Herrmann)

Rhododendron 'Cynthia'-sourceMCBG

Rhododendrum Forest by MarilynBoosinger (MCBG)

A 'spectacular' year for Mendocino County winegrape growers

Glenn McGourty, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Mendocino County, predicted 2012 will be a wonderful vintage in the North Coast wine region, reported the Ukiah Daily Journal.

"We kind of wish every year could be like that. There was enough water, practically no frost protection needed, and no mold, mildew or rot on the fruit," he said. McGourty told reporter Justine Frederickson he usually finds growers to be pessimistic when they begin harvest, but that wasn't the case in 2012. "I even saw one of them break into a smile," he said.

This winter, the grapevines have been enjoying a much-deserved slumber, particularly with the recent cold snap.

"They like it," McGourty said of the frigid temperatures, adding that the prolonged cold weather in the Ukiah Valley the first half of January is not likely to cause damage.

"The vines are pretty tough," McGourty said. "They can take a lot of cold, and they can go underwater for weeks (without problems), unless there's any foliage."

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Borage! Borage! Borage!

A recent trip to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Fort Bragg, yielded spectacular views of the ocean, but something else also proved...

Honey bee foraging on borage. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee foraging on borage. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Yellow-face bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) takes a liking to borage. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii) takes a liking to borage. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

European grapevine moth found in Mendocino

As authorities collaborate on a battle plan to combat European grapevine moth, the pest has been detected in a new area.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported last week that 13 moths were found in a North Ukiah chardonnay vineyard, the first evidence the pest has reached Mendocino County. The discovery of the moths means that a quarantine with a three-mile radius around the vineyard will be established.

Mendocino County Ag Commissioner Tony Linegar believes the moth was transported on winegrapes from Napa County, where infestations are high, the story said. European grapevine moth, a native of the Mediterranean region, was first detected in California's wine country last September.

Meanwhile, the Napa Valley Register reported today that USDA is forming a technical team with experts from Italy, Chile and the University of California to determine the next steps in an effort to eradicate the new pest.

Napa County Ag Commissioner Dave Whitmer, speaking to the Napa County Board of Supervisors last week, outlined a control strategy that includes additional trapping, working with growers where the pest has been found, maintaining quarantine standards and doing educational outreach, according to the article, written by Mike Treleven.

Grape industry leader Jon Ruel applauded the the efforts of the ag commissioner and UC Cooperative Extension for jumping on the issue early, Treleven reported.

“Dave (Whitmer) has done a good job to get state and federal agencies involved ... for getting money and a Technical Task Force, which drew the best scientists in the world,” Ruel was quoted.

Earlier stages of EGM larvae are tan to yellow-brown (top). Later stages are brown.

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