A bare-root apricot ready to be taken home. Photo courtesy of Dave Wilson Nursery

Probably not.

“Bare root” refers to what you see in the store, a little spindly fruit tree wrapped up in a colorful plastic bag, seemingly ready to plant.  At independent nurseries and garden centers, who know what they are doing, bare root trees are kept outdoors in cool, moist conditions and watered constantly to keep the roots moist.  The idea is, that while the tree is dormant, there is no need to pot it up.  Just grab the tree out of the bin, take it home right away and plant it immediately.  As the weather warms the roots will wake up, a Viola! You have a happy, healthy new fruit tree growing like gangbusters.

Not so at the big box.  The poor tree may or may not have been handled or cared for properly.  That means that instead of a happy new fruit tree, you end up with a dead stick.  The tree is probably being stored improperly, kept indoors in the dry warm environment of the retailer where it quickly dehydrates.  That bag around the roots? Well the saw dust shavings inside quickly dry out and dry roots mean dead roots.  A Saturday afternoon a few months from now will show several customers clutching their bare root trees asking for their money back.

Before you just grab a tree out of the bin, look it over carefully.  Do the stems seem brown and dry instead of plump and green?  Are any of the roots sticking out of the bag and dried up?  Can you feel the sawdust inside and does it seem damp to the touch?  Damp sawdust is the biggest clue.  If it is, then give it a try, if not, pass it by and go find a strong healthy bareroot tree at your local independent garden center instead.  There you will KNOW you are getting the promise of fresh fruit for years to come.

For more fruit planting info please visit Dave Wilson Nursery

http://www.davewilson.com/homegrown/advice/plant_trees.html

Is it a succulent? What can I plant to help protect my home?

There is an easy answer: forget the plant lists and think about how a fire safe plant grows and what it contributes to your overall sustainable garden.

Here a few examples we will explore today: Gaillardia ‘Goblin’, Penstemon heterophyllus, Pacific Coast Iris, Malus ‘Pink Pearl’,Quercus agrifolia.

Some of the attributes of a fire-safe plant include a lack of woody material accumulating, active growth in summer, or thick  leathery foliage and heavy bark that resists fire.

Gaillardia 'Goblin' offers multicolored blooms for the fire safe border

To start the list off with an explosion of color is Gaillardia ‘Goblin’ ,an easy to grow colorful perennial for full sun. Drought tolerant and deer resistant, it is fire safe because if it’s lack of woody volume and active growth in summer.  This self seeding perennial is ideal mixed with salvia, verbena and teacrium in the dry border.  

Penstemon heterophyllus is native to the foothills of California where it shows off masses blue tubular flowers on 1 ft spikes in early summer.

Penstemon 'Margarita BOP' is a popular cultivar for the dry garden

 The display is noticed by hummingbirds and butterflies alike.  It does best in garden spots where it can go dormant in late summer, making it a perfect companion to ceanothus and low manzanita. Again, low fuel volume and drought tolerance make it penstemon and ideal fire safe choice.  The best known variety is ‘Margarita BOP’ discovered by Las Pilitas Nursery in Santa Margarita growing at the back of their porch , hence “BOP”.

Pacific Coast Iris are hybrids between our fine native Douglas Iris and other species to give them a wide range of colors and large ruffled blooms. PC Irises come in many colors including yellow, blue, maroon, and white.  They are ideal under high branched trees like Monterey Pines or live oaks in dappled shade where they can be used to create a colorful groundcover.  Keeping the landscape low and open under trees eleminates fuel ladders to take flames into the crown.

Blue and White Pacific Coast Iris are ideal under trees

Of course, that brings up the Coast Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia, the most iconic tree in the Western landscape.  While it is often seen burned after a fire, live oaks have thick leathery leaves that resist flames  and strong heavy bark that protects buds that can sprout quickly after a fire.  Native trees like Coast Live Oaks evolved with fire. Properly pruned and kept clear of dry brush, this tree adds beauty, shade, and wildlife shelter to any landscape, urban or rural.

One last tree for the fire safe garden illustrates many points at once. ‘Pink Pearl’ is a low chill apple from Australia.

'Pink Pearl' apples offer pink fragrant blooms in Spring

 It adds organic, nutritious food to the sustainable fire safe garden as well as nectar for pollinators, shade for the home, and attractive year round interest from flowers, fruit and fall color for the garden.  Apples don’t sustain fire with leaves that wilt in heat and an open canopy with little dry wood.

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