It all started back in 2005 when my first column was published in the newly combined San Lorenzo Valley Press and the Scotts Valley Banner, which was re-named the Press Banner. This is how it all began.
My father wanted me to be a writer and researcher for National Geographic, encouraging me to take writing and science classes. My interest in nature and photography was the easy part. It was the ’60s, though, and if you grew up then you know that one didn’t always do what was expected of you. I did study science at Humboldt State and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and aced the plant taxonomy and science classes.
After I moved here, I started working at a local nursery, which really wasn’t work at all. Then one day I had an idea. I typed up a sample column and marched into the editor’s office for the Press Banner. Little did I know that he had taken horticulture classes himself and so had a soft spot for my idea to write a weekly gardening column. Next thing I know he’s saying he wants five columns, 400 words each, excluding prepositions, on his desk by Friday and the column would be called “The Mountain Gardener” and not “Ask Jan,” which I had suggested. I knew my father would be proud. I was a newspaper columnist.
I don’t consider myself a horticultural expert, but If I don’t know something I’ll surely find out. I know a little bit about a whole lot of subjects, and if I could remember everything I’ve researched I’d be one happy camper. But when I reflect on the prior column over the years, it’s the funny stories I remember the most, and I’ve got a lot of ‘em.
File this under “I should have known better.” After a large shade tree had to be cut down near my place, I saw an opportunity to stage some pots of perennials on the cut stump. Well, nature had ideas of its own. Fungal decomposition of dead trees is a crucial process in our ecosystem and is driven by fungi that break down the wood’s cellulose and lignin. What I forgot was that the potting soil in the pots also has a woody component and the white fungus infiltrated the entire pot, killing the plant in the process. Bottom line: you can’t fool Mother Nature.
I’ve written about my friend Robby’s exploits in his garden in 10 different columns going back to 2011. I’ve affectionately called him “The Serial Mole Killer” and he recently told me that this year the moles are the worst he’s had in several years. He’s also very good at trapping and relocating critters, so it’s not always light out for everybody. Robby’s garden was featured in the Valley Churches Scotts Valley Garden Tour in 2022, where he shared his irrigation, erosion, dry creek bed and succulent expertise. I’m lucky to have a knowledgeable friend like Robby who always keeps me laughing when I visit him and his garden.
Funny stories I can’t forget include the trip I took to Guatemala, Honduras and Utila, an island off the coast of Honduras. It was on Utila that I saw plants growing in washing machine baskets. I thought it was a clever way to re-use old appliances but wondered why there were so many old washing machines on a tiny island. A local laughed at me for asking about them and told me the baskets protect their plants from the big blue crabs that come out at night. Seems they’ll sever the stems right at ground level and drag the whole plant into their hole. Also the baskets protect the plants from iguanas who will eat anything within two feet of the ground. And you thought deer and bunnies were a problem?
And don’t get me started on the time my dog Sherman licked all the moss/buttermilk concoction I was painting on a retaining wall to disguise it. Nor the client who dug up all the “dead” plants in his garden not realizing they were deciduous.
So that’s all folks. Thanks for reading.
Jan Nelson, a landscape designer and California-certified nursery professional, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Email her at ja******@*ol.com, or visit jannelsonlandscapedesign.com.
