Larkspur community garden
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List of our Trees:

Persimmon               
Cherry-(replaced with Red Plum)
Pluot                                 
Honey Babe Peach             
Spire Colonnade Apples 
Liberty Apples            
Golden Delicious Apple (now "Fuzzy" Peach - grown from seed)
Mandarin Orange              
Sugar Prune Plum
"Georgia" Peach (grown from seed)

"Sweetie" Peach (grown from seed)
"No Name" Peach (grown from seed)              
Dwarf Elberta Peach

Nectarine "Double Delight"         
Seckle Pear

Comice Pear                                          
SantaPlum (now Pound Sweet Apple)                 
Dwarf Navel Orange

Curl free Peach          
Bearss Lime                                   
Meyer Lemon                      
Mott Apple                          

Outside the gate:along West Fence
Pineapple Quava
Green Fig

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​Fuyu (jiro) Persimmon

Medium sized, non-astringent persimmon. Reddish yellow with flat shape, still hard when ripe. Hardy, attractive tree, practically pest free. Fall harvest, Harvest in late autumn late Oct. early Nov. Self-fruitful.

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​Red Plum
The fruit is truly ‘all-red’, because both the skin and the flesh are rich, dark red. The crop is ready in late July to August. The flavor is sweet and tangy and delicious.



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​"Plum-Par-Fait" Pluot

 The plum/apricot crosses have a higher sugar content than either plums or apricots, without the tartness of some plums, which gives them an incredible sweetness  The fruit has pinkish orange skin with crimson and amber marbled flesh. freestone, Compact semi dwarf tree. Self fruitful. Harvest mid August.




​Honey Babe Miniature Peach

Yellow freestone with sweet, rich peach flavor. Heavy bearing 5 foot tree. Excellent choice for home orchards. Ripens early to mid July. Self-fruitful. 


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​Spire Colonade Apples- "Emerald, Ultra and Crimson Spire

Attractive, distinctive apple trees grow about 8'-10' tall with upright, columnar growth habit that is ideal for small space or container growing. Fruit grows up column. Has dense clusters of pink or white blossoms in spring. Very large and attractive greenish, yellow or red fruit is crisp and tangy with pure white flesh. Ripen in mid August to early October. Very productive and disease resistant. Require little maintenance.


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​Liberty Apple- Semi-dwarf

Very productive, cold hardy, disease resistant apple; resists scab, rust, mildew, fireblight. Has crisp, rich, sprightly flavor. Skin solid red even in hot climates. Use fresh or cooked.Requires early thinning to achieve good size.  Ripens in late August.


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​Fuzzy" Peach similar to Elberta, blight resistant.


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Mandarin Orange
A small citrus tree with fruit resembling other oranges. Mandarin are usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Harvest late summer.

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Sugar Prune/Plum    
Reddish purple skin, greening yellow flesh, very sweet. Used fresh and for canning. Harvest mid to late August. Freestone.  Self-fruitful.


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Peaches 
The selection of peach varieties is immense. We are growing three store varieties from seed and named them "Georgia", "Sweetie", and "Fuzzy". The newest developments in peaches enable growers to spread out their production from May to August!

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​Dwarf Elberta Peach 

Famous yellow freestone with classic, rich peach flavor; high scoring in taste tests. Use fresh, canned, cooked. Ripens late July / early August.  Self-fruitful.


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​Double Delight Nectarine

(fuzz-less peach)  Superb, dark red skinned fruit is sweet, with unusually rich flavor; consistently the best flavored yellow flesh nectarine-freestone, -a must for home orchards. Ripens early to mid July. Self-fruitful. 


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​Seckel Pear

Connoisseur's favorite. Sweet, flavorful, aromatic, spicy pear, perhaps the best. Russetted greenish yellow with red blush skin. Resists fireblight. Ripens in late August early September. Self-fruitful. 

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​Comice Pear

The gift pack pear. Sweet, aromatic, with fine texture, superb flavor and quality - one of the best. Short neck, greenish yellow skin with red blush. Semi-dwarf. Harvest late Oct./ early Nov.


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​Pound Sweet Apple.
Large and delightfully sweet. Productive tree bears fruit that has a yellow-green skin with a darker flush where it meets the sun. Slight russeting is not uncommon. Flesh is crisp and sweet, excellent for cooking and desserts. Antique variety, originates from Connecticut, circa 1834. Cold-hardy. Ripens in late Septembe
r.
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​Dwarf Washington Navel Orange

 It has the quintessential orange, smooth but pebbled and easy-to-peel skin with a trademark "belly button" at its stem end. It is a delicious,seedless fruit with sweet juices produced on a dwarf-sized tree. Fragrant flowers in spring and handsome foliage, year round. Bears Dec-Feb.
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​Valencia Orange

Great fresh or for juice. Oranges mature in summer and store on tree for months improving sweetness. Fragrant small white flowers in spring. Keeps well. Harvest late summer- early fall.

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Bearss Lime

Best lime for C.A. gardens. Almost size of lemon. Juicy, seedless. Main crop winter to early spring. Some fruit all year.  Bearss Lime tree is an evergreen, dwarf variety growing about 10 feet tall. The fruit has a long shelf life. It has fragrant flowers, and has Green and Yellow Highlights when fruit matures.


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​Lemon Meyer Dwarf

A Meyer Lemon Tree produces fruit that is actually a cross between a lemon and Mandarin orange. These lemons have the typical lemony flavor, but are more naturally sweet. Self pollinating. Different from commercial lemons, rounder, thin skinned, more orange in color. Tangy aroma, very juicy but less acidic than standard lemon. Bears fruit all year.The bright yellow large number of fruit and sweet fragrance will catch everyone's attention.


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​Mott Apple

Local California grafted tree by William Penn Mott, (head of C.A. parks and head of National Parks under Pres. Reagan.) Cross between Golden Delicious and Crab Apple. Green skin with hint of pink blush; white flesh and pink marbling. Tart. Fresh eating, pies and sauce. Late July early August.
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Figs are indigenous to Asia Minor and are one of the first fruits to be brought under cultivation. They have been a part of the Mediterranean diet for centuries. Long-lived, vigorous tree can be pruned to any shape. 


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   Roses in Orchard     Rose Committee:
​                   Jill Hutchinson-coordinator
Ysabel Eyman, Margaret Walsh, Mari Paden,
Chantal Saperstein
, Sandra Adams, Sharon Cadiou,
Debbie Cegelnik, Paula Asterlind.
Rose Pruning Instructions.
Don't be intimidated- -you are simply cutting back a plant. 
Roses are very forgiving and want to be cut back.  Whether you cut too high or too low, it won't make a lot of difference….
Pruning is an important aspect of forcing the plant to renew itself with new strong stems and many flowers. If you don't remove the old thatch and small branches, it won't be forced to send out new large canes.
--Get rid of the three  D's  -the dead, damaged and diseased portions of the plant - pruning allows you to shape a rose.

Dress for the occasion. Cover you arms with long sleeves and wear strong, durable, flexible gloves.
Use sharp, Bypass type shears and loppers to make a clean cut without bruising canes. 
A small pruning saw, preferably with fine teeth, will cut large canes and get into places that can't be reached with shears and loppers.

Early February:  
  • Weed all around the rose bush and take leaves away from the center and around the plant. 
  • Prune roses down to approximately 1 foot , keeping ONLY 4-6 stalks.  The shorter you prune the stronger the plant will be. ​Focus on the main cane and cut fairly short. Leave three to five buds on each.
  • Find the outer facing bud at the angle directly away from the center. Clip at a 30-45 degree angle, low to high.  You are outside of the rose bush with your clipper blade angled down.
  • Keep branches about 6” apart, vertically and horizontally.
  • Open up the center of rose. It should be as clean and empty as possible. Allow air and light in. Remove branches that are crossing each other and any with holes on them .Decide which branch should stay. Remove any suckers and any stems thinner than a pencil. Cut out older non productive canes . 
  • Remove any remaining leaves from the pruned bush AND buds that may be forming.  You want the bush to be dormant during this time - and dispose of them and the canes in the dumpster. 
    Don't compost them because they carry pests and disease and thorns.
  • Remember, roses are very forgiving. Pruning won't hurt the rose. It will grow back.
* Apply Neem oil, spray all over branches and on the underside to prevent rust and other diseases and also helps to smother any overwintering pests or disease.
Feeding:
  • Using a spade fork with rounded forks outward, poke holes in ground 8” from the base of the plant, all the way around.
  • Use 1-1/2 cups of bone meal and sprinkle in the holes.
  • Used 1-1/2 cups of Alfalfa Meal applied in the same way.
  • You do not have to water right away.  If it doesn’t rain within the next week then water one week later from application.
Feeding Schedule:
  • About every 4-6 weeks apply 1-1/2 cups of E.B. Stones Rose and Flower food.  Apply where the drip line (outer leaves) end.  Work in with a garden fork 2-4”
*For the first and/or second feed, i.e.
 March or later April/May add 1/2 -1 cup of SulPoMag (sulphur potassium Magnesium) to create new large stalks.  These new stalks will eventually render the older, woody stalks obsolete.  Remember to continue to keep the center of the rose as clean as possible.
* October/November - Use only a blooming agent, 0-10-10 as nitrogen is no longer absorbed.  Remove leaves on the bottom half of the rose, especially inner ones.
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Color Gardens
The Color Gardens were established to be a part of the
orchard perimeter to bring pollinators and beneficial 
insects to our orchard and gardens. Color gardens both compliment each other and are also meant to showcase our orchard.

The Color Gardens include: 

-single color  -- 1 color only in flower.
-designer theme -- i.e. butterfly attraction.
-rose garden --along the orchard perimeter

These gardens are not available for other gardeners to share or pick flowers.


Their plant height and garden width are predetermined and regular maintenance is needed.
Color Gardens require a commitment of time, talent and treasure and are available for adoption.  If interested ask any garden coordinator.  


Duties include:
-Planting only the designated color plants for your color garden.

-Weeding in and around the edges of your 
color garden as needed.  
-Show up regularly to water and 
keep the plants looking good.
-Keep the garden border edges five feet away from a tree trunk.
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We always encourage all of our gardeners to join us and come help care for our orchard on orchard work days.


Color/Designer Garden caretakers:
Pink                Jay Shirley
Orange           Roger Rose
Butterfly        Nancy Pfaff
Red                 Margaret Conner
White             Stephen Conner
Blue                Katherine Jones
Yellow            Stacy Kitchin
Purple            Bridget Lane



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