plant sources for natural reeds

I know that synthetic reeds are used in making some woodwind instruments like oboe and bassoon, but what plants are the source for the natural reeds? Is there a difference in sound quality between synthetic and natural reeds? Can the plants be grown in the Pacific Northwest?

There is an article entitled “Wind driven: A bassoonist nurtures reeds from rhizome to riff,” by Diana K. Colvin, published July 21, 2005 in The Oregonian. Oregon Symphony bassoonist Mark Eubanks grows Arundo donax in the Portland area. He says that the plants grow best in areas where the temperature does not drop below 10 degrees. They are also sensitive to drying winds and ground freezes. They perform well in areas where grapevines would thrive. His reed-making business, Arundo Reeds and Cane (now archived), has since been sold, but the company website offers a history of how Eubanks started it.

Another musician in New Jersey, Lawrence J. Stewart, has also made reeds from the plant. Musicians’ opinions on the sound quality of natural vs. synthetic reeds may differ but, in his experience, the sound seemed “very resilient and vibrant.” Unlike synthetic materials, the structure and therefore the sound of the reeds made from plants can vary widely. An article [“Anatomical characteristics affecting the musical performance of clarinet reeds made from Arundo donax L. (Gramineae)”] from Annals of Botany, vol. 81, Issue 1, found that “good musical performance was associated with reeds with a high proportion of vascular bundles with continuous fibre rings, and bundles with a high proportion of fibre and a low proportion of xylem and phloem. Significant differences in these anatomical characteristics were also found between reeds originating from cultivated plantation plants when compared to reeds produced from agricultural windbreak plants.”

This plant has been used for woodwind reeds for quite some time. According to “Arundo donax: Source of musical reeds and industrial cellulose” by Robert Perdue Jr. (Economic Botany, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 368-404), it may have been used in making flutes shortly after the late Stone Age.

The invasiveness of Arundo donax is essential to take into consideration. It is on Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board’s quarantine list. It is also considered invasive in many other parts of the country, including California. If you can salvage reeds that are being removed from a natural area and put them to musical use, so much the better. But I cannot recommend cultivating a stand of Arundo donax for any purpose.

on cauliflory

I’ve noticed a tree in my neighborhood that has rosy-red blossoms that seem to be sprouting right out of the tree trunk. Is this normal?

I can’t be sure about what tree you saw without more information, but it sounds as if you may have seen a redbud, or Cercis. This tree does produce flowers that may grow from the tree’s trunk. (It also flowers in the more expected way on branches.) This phenomenon is called “cauliflory,” well-illustrated by the website of Wayne’s Word. Carob and cacao trees also have this attribute.

Wisconsin Master Gardener Program website also has an article by Susan Mahr (posted December 17, 2007) about this trait. Contrary to what one might think, cauliflower is not cauliflorous. The article explores possible advantages of cauliflory, such as the ability to bear heavy fruit (on a stout trunk instead of weak new growth), and enhanced cross-pollination potential.

growing Murraya koenigii

I need step-by-step detailed instructions on how to grow Murraya koenigii, a tropical Southeast Asian herbal plant.

Murraya koenigii now goes by the name Bergera koenigii, but older resources still refer to it as Murraya.

According to an article by Jekka McVicar in Gardens Illustrated, no. 132(2007), p. 17, Murraya koenigii is a tender shrub or small tree best grown in a container (unless you are in a tropical or subtropical climate). “Use a soil-based potting compost mixed in equal parts with horticultural grit. Place the container in partial shade. Water daily and weekly throughout the growing season. As the plant grows, keep trimming it regularly to maintain a supply of young leaves for cooking. Protect during winter and water sparingly. Reintroduce water and feed as soon as the light levels and temperatures increase in the spring and move the plant to a warm light place.”

If you wish to propagate it from seed, “sow fresh ripe seed in autumn into modules using a seed compost mixed in equal parts with perlite. Cover seeds with perlite and pit in a warm place or propagator at 20 degrees Celsius [68 Fahrenheit]. Germination is erratic but usually takes two to four months.”

If you plan to cook with curry leaf, you can use Murraya leaves fresh, toasted, dried, powdered, or frozen. Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages will provide additional information.

For more about the food, medicinal, and ornamental uses of this plant, see Susanna Lyle’s Discovering Vegetables, Herbs & Spices (Csiro Publishing, 2009). As with the article cited above, she suggests growing Murraya in a container which can be protected over the winter in colder climates. It can be trimmed to size (and is occasionally used as a hedge in warmer climates), has fragrant flowers, and attractive edible fruit.

using rice straw as compost or mulch

Can rice straw be composted or used as mulch, or is there a risk of it sprouting? I have rice straw wattles that were used for an erosion and stormwater runoff control project which is now complete, and I’d like to use the straw in them.

I checked a couple of our books on grain growing, Homegrown Whole Grains by Sara Pitzer (Storey, 2009) and Small-Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon (Rodale Press, 1977). Both of them refer to using rice straw as a mulch, Logsdon saying it makes an excellent mulch and Pitzer saying it can be left in the field to enrich the soil after the grain is harvested. In general, composting books don’t make any distinction between different types of straw, but caution against the use of hay because it may contain more seeds.

I don’t know which rice wattle product you used in your project, but some of them claim to be weed-free. You would certainly need to liberate the straw from the binding material (plastic netting or geotextile) which gives it its wattle shape before composting or mulching it. Another consideration is the source of the rice straw: if you are gardening organically, you will want to be sure that the rice was not treated with pesticides.

If you are curious about the nutrient balance in rice straw, University of California, Davis’s publication, “Rice Producers’ Guide to Marketing Straw,” October 2010, includes discussion of this issue.

on the legality of planting Papaver somniferum

After reading an essay on opium poppy (now archived) by Michael Pollan, I’m worried and confused about the legality of planting Papaver somniferum in my parking strip garden. Is this permitted in Seattle?

While our library cannot offer legal advice, I will say that my understanding of Pollan’s essay is that knowingly growing the poppies with the intent of manufacturing narcotics would certainly be prohibited. However, the poppy is a ubiquitous plant in our area, and the overwhelming majority of gardeners are growing it solely for its beauty.

There is information about laws concerning controlled substances in the Revised Code of Washington(RCW 69.50.401), which describes prohibited acts as follows:
“[…] to manufacture, deliver, or possess with intent to manufacture or deliver, a controlled substance.” In the section which defines terms, poppy seeds are excluded:
“‘Opium poppy’ means the plant of the species Papaver somniferum L., except its seeds.”

Washington State University also addresses this issue:
“It is legal to grow Papaver somniferum in the United States for garden and seed production purposes; it is illegal to manufacture opium from the poppies.”

If you are concerned, I suggest contacting the King County Law Library for greater detail and professional expertise in legal matters.

Amelanchier species and their growth habit

I am a landscape designer, and I want to use Amelanchier in my design. Which species are most readily available in the trade? I have seen some which have a single trunk, and others which are multiple. Is the growth habit specific to the species or cultivar?

From what I can tell by searching Plant Information Online, there are quite a few cultivated varieties and species of Amelanchier which are widely available from both retail and wholesale sources.

As far as which species and cultivars are more likely to have single or multiple trunks, I found a few descriptions in Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs by Michael Dirr (Timber Press, 1997.

Amelanchier arborea is described as “a small tree or a large multistemmed shrub of rounded outline.”
Amelanchier canadensis “is hopelessly confused in the landscape trade. In general, it is an upright, suckering, tightly multistemmed shrub with a dome-shaped crown.”
Amelanchier x grandiflora is “a naturally occurring hybrid between Amelanchier arborea and A. laevis. It exhibits characteristics intermediate between those of the parent species […] The best of the [cultivars] include: ‘Autumn Brilliance,’ with red fall color, ‘Ballerina,’ with brick-red fall color, and ‘Princess Diana,’ with red fall color. ‘Robin Hill’ and ‘Rubescens’ have pink buds that fade upon opening.”
Amelanchier laevis is “not too different from the other species, especially Amelanchier arborea, in flower, fruit, bark, and growth habit. The principal differences are the purplish to bronze color of the emerging leaves and lack (almost) of hairs on the leaves and flower stalks.”

Here at the Center for Urban Horticulture, we have a grove of Amelanchier x grandiflora, all of which are multi-stemmed. Arthur Lee Jacobson lists several additional species in his North American Landscape Trees (Ten Speed Press, 1996), including the Northwest native Amelanchier alnifolia, which he says is “little planted, especially as a tree.” Its leaves are rounder, with coarser teeth. It flowers later, and its fall color is inferior. Its berries are larger.

You might also explore the Oregon State University Landscape Plants database to see comparative images and descriptions.

If you want to intervene and shape the growth habit of Amelanchier, the American Horticultural Society’s Pruning & Training (edited by Christopher Brickell; DK Publishing, 1996) says that this “upright, multi-stemmed shrub can be allowed to develop naturally with minimal pruning. It may also be trained with a short trunk to form a small, branched-headed tree.” The time to prune would be when dormant in the winter, or after flowering in late spring.

when to plant peas

It’s already the middle of March and I’m worried that our soil is still too cold to plant peas (both edible and sweet). When is the correct time to plant them in the Seattle area?

Since weather patterns vary from year to year, it may make more sense to plant based on something other than the calendar date. An old adage says that it is time to plant peas when the lilac leaves are the size of a mouse’s ear. This may sound quaint, but it turns out that the growth cycle of the lilac (Syringa) is an excellent indicator of temperature. Phenology is the science concerned with the timing of specific biological events, and lilac is among the plants often studied. Project BudBurst has additional information about phenology and climate change. The U.S. National Phenology Network is also a good resource.

If you don’t have a lilac in your garden (or a mouse’s ear, for that matter), Washington State University Extension (link no longer available) says that a safe time for planting peas is usually mid-March, not so much because of soil temperature, but because in February the soil is often oversaturated, and your peas would rot in the ground.

dwarf crape myrtle trees for Seattle’s climate

Is there dwarf crape myrtle tree/shrub (no more than 12 feet high) suitable for Seattle’s climate?

I know there are dwarf or smaller varieties of Lagerstroemia, and they would all be suitable for our climate, depending on what your expectations are. Often, crape myrtle does not flower in our sometimes cool and unsunny summers. The Center for Urban Horticulture is a test garden for the U.S. National Arboretum’s crape myrtle varieties. You might want to visit (especially in late summer) to see what they look like. See this article by Valerie Easton.

Meanwhile, the National Arboretum has a poster of different varieties. There are several cultivars which typically do not exceed 12 feet in height.

This information (no longer available online) from Rainyside Gardeners may be of interest:

“Paul Bonine of Xera Plants, a local wholesale grower, has done quite a bit of research on how these grow in our region. He shared his research with me a few years ago. For those in Sunset zones 4-5 (or USDA zone 8b), he recommends going for varieties that bloom early. Here are some to look for; * marks Paul’s top picks:

‘Pink Velour’ – early bloomer
‘Acoma’
‘Arapaho’
‘Biloxi’
*’Hopi’- early bloomer
*’Natchez’
*’Tuscarora’ – I have this one and love it.
*’Zuni’

“Plant it in the hottest, sunniest spot in well-drained soil in your garden; give them reflected heat if possible. Contrary to their reputation as drought-tolerant in other parts of the country, you need to water (deeply, infrequently) during our long, dry summers for best performance. Avoid heavy fertilizing and watering late in the season; it can significantly reduce hardiness. Paul also told me that crape myrtles are one of the last deciduous plants to break dormancy in our area so patience is a good thing.”

Once you have found a few varieties that appeal to you, you can contact your favorite local nurseries to see if they carry them. A couple of years ago, I noticed that Molbak’s in Woodinville had a fairly good selection. There are also mail order sources. You can search Plant Information Online (try searching under Scientific name, Lagerstroemia) for mail order nurseries and additional information.

Grevillea and cold damage

I have a Grevillea victoriae that I bought 2 years ago. It’s about 2 ft tall and is in a pot with bagged soil and sand added for better drainage. It hasn’t bloomed much, but it was trying. This year it has a lot of frost damage, and I’m not even sure it’s alive.

When can I expect to see new growth? Should I prune off the damaged areas and cross my fingers?

The usual rule of thumb about winter-damaged plants is to scratch the surface of a branch or stem with your fingernail to see if there is green underneath. If there is, that is a good sign. Then, you should give the plant until late June or early July to show signs of resurgence from the damage. I will include below an entire newsletter item on this topic from Plant Amnesty’s Cass Turnbull:

January 2009 e-mail newsletter: Is Your Frozen Shrub Dead? by Cass Turnbull

“After an extraordinarily cold winter in Western Washington, many garden owners will want to know what to do about the damage to many of our not-completely-hardy shrubs. With many of our broadleaf evergreens, it’s common for their leaves to turn brown or black and eventually fall off. The plants themselves are probably still alive. To check, use a hand-pruner blade to peel back a little bit of the “skin” to see if the cambium layer just beneath is alive (green) and not dead (brown). If alive, it’ll probably flush out with a new set of leaves. So don’t panic if you shrub looks dead. Wait and see. How long? By June you will have an answer.

“By then, those that can put on a new set of leaves will have done so. If you can’t stand the sight of the stricken brown shrub until June, try running your hands along the branches to knock the brown leaves off. Then, the plant might seem to be deciduous, not dead. By the end of August, the final report will be in. Freezing weather sometimes does internal damage that doesn’t show up until after the stress of the summer “drought”. A shrub may look okay through June and July, but then, while it is pumping H2O like crazy trying to keep up with the heat demand in August, some portions can collapse, and you will see die-back. (The non-scientific explanation is my own and may be a little, well, anthropomorphic.)

“Many evergreen shrubs, such as escallonia, that suffer freeze damage, will die from the tip back. These shrubs respond well to radical size reduction which in this case means big ugly cuts to the point of green wood. The plants will “break bud” just below your cuts and many new green-leafed shoots will rather quickly grow out to hide the cuts and provide you with a “new” plant by the end of the growing season.

“Often, (for example, in the case of choisya), branches will split, break or splay flat to the ground due to snow loading. Get your loppers out and whack everything back to 4″ to 6″ off the ground. Yes, it’s really Okay. I promise. I have done this thing many times. As soon as the growing season begins, the majority of cut plants will spring into action. As the renovated shrubs grow up, it is advisable to pinch them back every so often, to encourage branching and thicken them up. ‘Pinching’ means a very light heading, just nipping the end bud of each branch with your fingernails or hand-pruners.”

You may find this link to a Northwest grower of Grevilleas of interest, too.

On another topic, I’m curious about the mixture of potting soil and sand you are using for your Grevillea victoriae. If you were to add sand to most Seattle-area garden soil (which tends to be clayey), you would end up with poorly draining concrete-like soil. I would assume that potting soil which already has perlite or something similar in it for drainage and would not need an addition of sand. Are you planning to move the shrub into the garden at some point? This is a substantial shrub–the mature ones I’ve seen are at least 6 feet tall by the same width. If you can find a place in the garden for it, it might fare better. As you probably know, plants in pots tend to be more vulnerable to extreme cold.

on selecting Cladrastis

I am trying to help my neighbors select trees for their front garden. The trees will be in a parking strip that doesn’t have any structures near it or any overhead lines and it is on the north side of a fairly large 2-story house. We live in an old neighborhood with very large, grand trees. One tree I thought might be a contender, which is approved by the city (Portland, OR), is Cladastris kentukea. My only concern is that the seed pods might be messy. The neighbors themselves were thinking of aspen (nostalgic for them, as Coloradoans), but I didn’t think this was a good idea. What do you think?

I checked in a few places, and the main thing that might be disappointing is that in the Pacific Northwest, Cladrastis kentukea doesn’t flower reliably (although that solves the small trouble of seedpods, I guess!). Local tree expert Arthur Lee Jacobson says the following, in his book Trees of Seattle (2006):
“In nature this is an uncommon, even endangered species. It has been recorded to 87′ x 23′ x 96′ wide, and has reliable bright yellow or even yellow-orange fall color. Its heartwood is also deep yellow. Uncommon in Seattle, Yellowwoods are unreliable as flowering trees: their white flowers appear full force in some Junes, but are absent or weak in most years. They have no other faults except a branching habit prone to breaking up; careful pruning can help with this.”
(The Seattle-dwelling specimens of this tree which Jacobson lists are between 23-60 feet tall by 4 to 8 feet wide)

Below are links to information and images, from Oregon State University. This tree looks glorious when it flowers! Provided the spot is well-drained, and has no history of verticillium, to which Cladrastis is susceptible (see the link from SelecTree below for details), it seems like a great choice.

OSU

SelecTree

As an argument against aspen (Populus species, usually P. tremuloides in our area), Arthur Lee Jacobson mentions that they tend to sucker from the roots. The SelecTree site mentions twig and dry fruit litter, high allergen count, and numerous pest and disease problems.