Wordless Wednesday: A Berry This Isn't

How Do You Think This Trash Got into the Madrone Shrub?

Please make your best guess in the comments. 

Umbrage is Abundant in the North County

What is Umbrage?

Umbrage is abundant in the North County. You probably see it everywhere you go. Umbrage is simply the foliage of our many trees and shrubs which produce shade. We depend upon it most in the summer when we seek shelter from the hot sun. The people in the photo below, taken at Leffingwell Landing in Cambria, are taking advantage of it.

Large Shade Tree at Leffingwell Landing, © B. Radisavljevic

You Need to Choose and Place Shade Trees Carefully

Sometimes umbrage helps cool a home in summer when you have trees near your house. These trees are helping to shade a mobile home on our Templeton property, or were. One of those large pines fell since I took this photo and we are lucky it didn't fall on the mobile home. You have to be careful about choosing and maintaining trees that provide shade on your property.

Shade Trees Threatening Mobile Home, © B. Radisavljevic

Sometimes umbrage is a nuisance. When my mother planted this tree behind her new rose garden, she thought it was an apricot tree. Maybe it is, but it has never produced so much as a blossom. What it does produce is umbrage -- lots of it. The shade makes it much harder for the roses near and under it to get the sun they need. Can you even see that small pink rose near the middle of the photo that the shade makes barely visible?

Shade Tree Covering Rose Garden, © B. Radisavljevic

Even our flowering shrubs, such as these Cecile Brunner rosebushes produce umbrage that makes shade.

 Rose Garden Umbrage, © B. Radisavljevic

 Planting the Dry Shade Garden: The Best Plants for the Toughest Spot in Your Garden
Whether you have a problem in your yard with too much umbrage or too little, one of these books should help you. When you have too much shade, you have to choose your plants more carefully and get plants that will thrive in shade.

If you have the opposite problem and need to plant shade trees on your property to help cool your home or patio, one of these books will help you make the right choices -- trees that won't clog your plumbing or be prone to falling on your home.

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 Making the Most of Shade: How to Plan, Plant, and Grow a Fabulous Garden that Lightens up the Shadows The New Shade Garden: Creating a Lush Oasis in the Age of Climate Change Shade Tree Wilt Diseases: Wilt Diseases Taylor's Guide to Shade Gardening: More Than 350 Trees, Shrubs, and Flowers That Thrive Under Difficult Conditions, Illustrated with Color Photographs and Detailed Drawings (Taylor's Guides)

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If you enjoyed this post, please share it. The sharing buttons are just above the comment box at the end of this post. The photo below is especially designed for pinning. 

This is my twenty-first post for the 2016 AtoZchallenge, a Blogging Challenge for the month of April, 2016. My theme is Things You Can See or Experience in North San Luis Obispo County. Here are links to the other posts if you missed them.

A is for Acorn
B is for Barney Schwartz Park
C is for Cattle in Wine Country
D is for Dark Star Cellars
E is for Electric Wires
F is for Family Farms
G is for Graveyard Vineyards
H is for Horses
Insects in My Neighborhood in April
J's Burgers in Paso Robles: A Review
Kosta is God's Gift to Me from Across the Ocean
Laguna Lake is Full Again
Mission San Miguel Photos
Niner Estates Decorated Heart Hill with Vineyards
Ocean Photos from the California Central Coast
Paso Robles Police Vehicles
Quiet Places Near Paso Robles
Red Soles Winery at Dusk
Shale Oak Winery at Dusk

Trader Joe's In Templeton is my Favorite Grocery Store

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How Well Does a Rock Mulch Work?

Weeds Growing through Rock Mulch

As I was walking around my neighborhood Tuesday, I happened to pass the yard of a neighbor who had replaced his lawn with rocks. I noticed, though, that nature still abhors a vacuum, and it appears his drought resistant plants that will replace the lawn will be weeds. Were they the right weeds, they might actually be pretty until they died in the heat of summer, but these don't have such dramatic flowers as milk thistle and poison hemlock. It appears the only way to remove these would be to spray or to pull.

If one has to pull weeds from a rocky surface, it is very useful to have something to save one's knees. Here's what I chose: I Love My Garden Kneeler. The article will show me using it.

Maybe you would prefer one of these cheaper options. I have tried some of the pads available at Walmart and they just did not offer much knee protection on hard or rocky surfaces. They only lasted a season. If you opt for only a pad, be sure you get a thick one that will protect your knees.

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This Butterfly Bush Shows How Nature Adapts

Many years ago I planted this butterfly bush from a four-inch pot. It grew to be taller than I am. Then last year the wind blew it down. At the time I was recovering from surgery and I could not do anything about it. It was still alive, but part of the plant's roots were exposed on the ground's surface. About all I could do was try to keep the exposed roots watered for a while. But the plant remained on its side.

Butterfly Bush on its Side

Now, this year, those formerly exposed roots have dug deeply into the soil and you can see that new branches (from center to right) are growing upright again. If you look closely toward the right side, you can still see the part of the plant that fell growing sideways. During the dormant season  I will probably trim the fallen part away and have an interesting upright plant again. Nature knows how to fix plants that have problems.

Exposed Roots and Some New Growth

For comparison, this photo shows how the plant looked in January, shortly after it blew to the ground. You can see its exposed roots on the right. This is the same view of the plant as the one above, except for the seasonal flower and leaves. The bare branches on the ground in the middle are what you see the blooming branches growing upright from above.

See more of this story at The Fall and Recovery of a Butterfly Bush.

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