In the middle of last month’s atmospheric river I found myself up the orchard ladder at a corner of the house, trying to re-attach a downspout to its gutter outlet. A torrential waterfall was gushing from the outlet, boring a hole in the ground below. The project, in wind and driving rain, was an adventure, successfully completed.
A far more comical venture with the ladder followed soon after the drainpipe caper as I embarked upon the removal of the taller of two trunks on an overgrown Fremontia next to the front fence.
It was a challenge. The trunk was around six metres high and bore broadly spreading branches. And I remembered a previous encounter with the Fremontia, pruning back and shoring up the weighty plant after it had toppled over in a winter storm. Luckily, my son was on hand to help, but the plant’s fine hairs coating young stems and leaf undersides tormented us. The hairs irritate skin, throat and eyes. Some people remove Fremontia plants from their gardens for this reason.
Ordinarily I would have sought help for this big pruning job, but the person I usually call on for such projects has a newborn baby at home. I did not want to risk his bringing any of the fine plant hairs into his home.
Before climbing the ladder and starting the project, I armed myself with heavy canvas work pants, a sturdy, broad-brimmed hat with a long rain jacket hood pulled over it, face obscured behind big safety goggles and a puffed out, pleated, industrial particle barrier mask.
The humour of the spectacle did not escape me as I perched high up on the ladder, looking ridiculously eccentric. Still, I got the job done.
Fremontia is a fast-growing evergreen shrub or multi-trunked tree that is a glorious sight during its May and June display of large, canary yellow flowers. The lobed, olive green leaves are thick. Once well established, the shrub is drought tolerant and thrives best with very little summer watering.
Regular post-bloom pruning helps to keep a Fremontia to a manageable size, but for safety and comfort it is best to prune after either a heavy rainfall or a thorough hosing down of the plant. Wear goggles, face mask, a broad-brimmed hat, and a slick, long, lightweight jacket or coat with a hood to prevent the fine hairs from sifting into clothing.
The great leaf hunt. Early every autumn, I begin tracking down sources of leaves in the neighbourhood. As more gardeners catch on to the importance and great value of mulching with leaves for the winter, freshly fallen leaves can be at a premium.
A neighbour just two doors down has a huge large-leaved maple tree that sheds masses of leaves. Between myself and another neighbour, we raked them all up. A friend helped me gather, bag, and trundle them to a storage area behind the garden shed. We filled eight large bags of leaves, which I have begun distributing over cleared vegetable plots and around winter vegetables.
Now another neighbour, just over the back fence, has offered more leaves. That bounty has added three more bags to my collection, with more to come as other trees shed foliage. I’m in leafy bliss.
Gathering and mulching with leaves is a perfect win-win situation that allows homeowners to pass along leaves in excess of their own needs — leaves that will protect and improve the quality of the soil in recipients’ gardens.
GARDEN EVENTS
Peninsula meeting. The Peninsula Garden Club will meet on Monday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Mary Winspear Centre. Carlos Moniz, director of horticulture at Buchart Gardens, will share “A Behind the Scenes look at Creating the Butchart Gardens Amazing Container Displays.” Carlos will discuss how the greenhouse operations work throughout the year preparing plants. He will also present a small tour through the gardens that will include some of his top plant and bulb picks for the coming year. Guest fee $5.
Dinter open house. Dinter Nursery, 2205 Phipps Rd. in Duncan, is holding its annual pre-Christmas Open House and Local Makers Market on Saturday, Nov. 23, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Featured will be Christmas plants, swags and wreaths, a cafe with warm drinks and lunches, and vendors selling candles, baking, cards, pottery, soaps, birdhouses and more. Some vendors accept cash only.
