Published July 21, 2005

Remember when I mentioned the large terra cotta pot saucer I had put on top of an outdoor Mexican stove pipe for a poor-woman’s bird bath had fallen off and then kept leaking? At the time I suggested that an animal slightly larger than a bird must have gone for the water, and eventually we discovered last week that the saucer was, indeed, cracked and leaking.

We found a replacement saucer at Sonoma Mission Gardens for about $8.95, and this one is larger and better than the last.

It also has a black non-porous seal on the inside, which discourages algae and other growths. Every other day I empty it, let the sun bake it dry, and then refill it, all to eliminate mosquito growth. Having water around encourages birds to stop off at our house, which we like to do.

With a big surprise and some heart-stopping shock, yesterday I discovered the guilt-ridden munchkins hiding in a corner of our vegetable garden.

I was blithely and blissfully talking to the tomatoes and I heard some rather forceful rustling under the bushes in the corner of the garden against the corner fence. Thinking it was Jerry or a neighbor I called everyone’s names, with no answer. Rustle, rustle, bam, funny noise, rustle.

Apparently I had walked in on two raccoons renting a garden-facing room and “in the act,” so to speak, and am not sure who was more embarrassed!

One of them (for some reason I assume it was the male) ran up the fence and sat there looking back at me, while the female peeked out from behind a bush looking rather sheepish, or should I say racoonish.

So what do we do about raccoons in our yards? Our first move is to stop throwing kitchen scraps loosely into the vegetable gardens for a while. Theoretically, if we cut off the food supply, they will look elsewhere.

Some people advise raccoon traps. Sonoma Mission Gardens agrees with cutting out the feeding, which I didn’t realize I was doing. I thought I had been informally mulching the garden, which has worked for 20 years.

SMG’s terrific manager and plant buyer, Lydia Constantini recommends Havahart Get Away, which simply smells so badly that it repels raccoons and squirrels. Havahart Get Away is made of oil of mustard, peppers, vegetable oil, and lemons.

But I like squirrels so I’ll try putting the raccoons on a diet chez Hill.
Another idea I’m going to try to get the veggie scraps into the soil is grinding them up in a blender and possibly adding water, creating a sort of scrap tea and pouring it into the soil. Coffee grounds probably are still safe among the hydrangeas.

Jolly Green Goddess garden tips: Coffee grounds and barbecue ashes: save them for use in the garden after the weather cools.

What should we do for our plants in this summer heat? Jolly Green Goddess and SMG: Water early in the morning. Don’t transplant anything in this heat, meaning don’t plant any plants you have purchased or cultivated in a greenhouse or in front of a window until the weather cools off. Water more. Stay inside and drink cool beverages.
Is there anything we can still plant in our vegetable garden this late? Jolly Green Goddess and SMG: You can still plant corn and green beans, but don’t even think about planting anything else. In about three weeks we can all think about and plan planting fall crops such as lettuce and peas, with root crops following later. Fertilize everything lightly when the weather cools off. Even veggies need a little zap in the arm, but not an overwhelming elbow crusher. Do not fertilize in the heat of the day or during a hot spell, and not on a dry plant. Be sure to water plants before you fertilizing them.

If you have yellow jacket traps, replace the bait or attractant. New traps start at $4.95.
Rose Trimming Tip: For decades the aforementioned Frank Wedekind was the valley’s fountain of knowledge on all things gardenish. At his rose clinics he stressed that we must primp roses daily, always remembering to trim away from the center so that the “ball” of the rose gets air and sunlight. Our late friend and landscape designer Bob Earnest, in whose honor the rose garden at Sonoma Valley High School was planted, said we should remove flowers as soon as they start to develop the floppies and begin to discolor.

Bob also said the best time to snip them is in the early evening.
Water in the early morning and don’t spray rose leaves with hose water in the heat. The rampant rust attacking many Sonoma Valley roses these days is mostly unavoidable, given our heavy rains last winter.

According to Lydia Constantini, of Sonoma Mission Gardens, the best organic solution is to clean up junk around the base of the rose plant, because “fungal spores fly onto the leaves from water and even air, and some insects spread fungal spores carried on their legs.

If you must do something more aggressive to feel better, you can use Rose Pride to control disease, and Orthenex which attacks insects and controls disease.

Now is the time to chase away olive fruit flies, which growers should do if you want The Olive Press to accept your olives for their collective olive pressing. According to SMG, the only two treatments accepted for food spraying are Monterey Garden Insect Spray and Greenlight’s Spinsad, which is the key ingredient in both sprays.
A wonderful new store has opened in Berkeley.

Mrs. Dalloway’s Literary & Garden Arts at 2904 College Avenue at Russell Street is named for Virginia Woolf’s famous character, who is mentioned in the book’s first line, “Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.”

The shop features good books, books about gardening, which are not necessarily all good, prints of flowers, and potted plants, ranging from $12 to $42.
Owners Marion Abbott and Ann Leyhe are old friends who met in 1975 at a Radcliffe publishing course. They both worked for substantial book publishers before settling in Berkeley in the early ‘80s. Call (510) 704-8222 or visit www.mrs.dalloways.com.
Garden Events and places to visit:

Saturday will be a busy day at Sonoma Garden Park: It will host a workshop on “Summer Herbs in Sonoma’s Organic Garden: Uses and Cultivation,” Saturday, July 23 on 19990 Seventh Street East between East MacArthur and Denmark streets. $20 or $50 for three workshops. Call Mollyanne Meyn at (707) 996-0712, ext. 120 or email her:
mollyanne@vom.com for more info.

Also on Saturday, Sonoma Garden Park will welcomes volunteers to work in the garden from 10 a.m. to noon. Bring your own water and lunch to keep your body going. Saturday evening, you can watch a movie under the stars.

Medicinal Plant Walk hosted by the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center Saturday, July 23. $25 with advance registration. Call 874-1557, ext. 201 for more info.
Check out the new Children’s Garden at Cornerstone Gardens, 23570 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, which just opened last weekend. Cornerstone offers a different and fascinating experience for kids of all ages, and an excellent café for a cold drink and refreshment.

—Kathleen Hill is co-author of Sonoma Valley-The Secret Wine Country and Napa Valley-Land of Golden Vines. Kathleen and Gerald Hill host two shows at 5 p.m. on KSVY- 91.3 FM Mondays and Thursdays.