THE COASTAL GARDENER:Celebrities of the garden

Gardening in America doesn’t have celebrities. Quick — name a famous gardener. I’ll bet you couldn’t. Gardening is still the most popular outdoor activity in the country, and yet their aren’t any well-known gardeners.

Nonetheless, two fine ladies of horticulture have had more influence on local gardening than anyone else. If, like the Academy Awards, there were lifetime-achievement awards for gardeners, statuettes would surely be presented to Kathleen Norris Brenzel and Pat Welsh.

One evening some time ago, I had the privilege of presenting a small token of gratitude on behalf of local gardeners to Kathleen Brenzel, editor of the past three editions of the “Sunset Western Garden Book.” Our small gift was a lapel pin inscribed with the words “Friends Through Horticulture.” Hardly enough of a reward for providing countless gardeners with a nearly endless resource of gardening information.

Fifteen years later I am a now a consultant to the latest edition of the “Sunset Western Garden Book.” In Brenzel’s preface in the newest edition of “the gardener’s bible,” she recalled that evening, writing, “Over a supper of fried chicken, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, warm muffins and tangy sweet boysenberry preserves, our spirited conversations bounced from the search for a true blue rose, to new shrubs headed our way from Australia, to the hot color bowls flying off nursery shelves on weekends. We learned a lot from each other, and we wrapped up the evening energized.”

During Brenzel’s 26 years as the senior garden editor for Sunset Publishing, we have learned a lot. It is Brenzel who has left us energized.

Under Brenzel’s guidance, the newest edition includes 500 new plant listings, larger illustrations and expanded information on organic methods and native plants. Personally, I was privileged to add content and clarity to several plant listings and was able to add several plants to the current edition. Some of these you may know: acacia iteaphylla, agapanthus Summer Gold, agave geminiflora, agonis After Dark, ajuga Black Scallop, albizzia Summer Chocolate, aloe Johnson’s Hybrid, ammi majus, angelonia angustifolia, astelia nervosa and avocado Don Gillogly. And that’s just the A’s.

Pat Welsh was born 5,000 miles away in Yorkshire, England. She literally grew up in a garden. At age 3 she had her hands in the soil. Her refined and sophisticated roots are evident today, for it was in England that she initially cultivated her passion for gardens and gardeners — an obsession that continues today. In a fortuitous decision for the rest of us, Welsh moved to Southern California in 1945.

Once under the influence of our warm, Mediterranean-climate skies, Welsh went to work learning our plants, our soils and our seasons. Welsh, first and foremost, is a great gardener. I have had the privilege of knowing Pat for several years and have visited her amazing Del Mar garden. Her knowledge of gardening is real, not imagined. It is the result of experiences in her own gardens, as well as those of the hundreds of others she visits.

There are other examples of great gardeners, but Welsh is special. Her gift is her ability to communicate her enthusiasm and knowledge of gardening to the rest of us. In 1992, Welsh wrote the most significant book yet on local gardening: “Pat Welsh’s Southern California Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide.” Recently, Welsh completely revised and updated the landmark book. If you ever have the opportunity to be around Welsh or to hear her speak, you will be treated to a gardening experience like none other.

Welsh is as close to a gardening celebrity as can be. She has hosted gardening segments on network television and HGTV, worked as a magazine garden editor, created how-to gardening videotapes, written dozens of magazine articles on gardening, and taught college gardening courses.

She is a master writer and has received four Quill and Trowel Awards from the Garden Writers Assn. of America as well as an Emmy for her “Resident Gardener” television series. Pat is the recipient of Press Club awards, horticulturist of the year awards and a lifetime achievement award in horticulture.

Great gardeners often have a penchant for art. Welsh is an accomplished artist and a student of art. She received her bachelor’s degree from Scripps College, where she studied painting, ceramics and design. Her Del Mar home is designed by John Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Says Welsh, “To me a garden is more than a collection of plants. It’s a place with romantic atmosphere, a place where one can entertain friends and where plein-air painters can gather to paint. It’s a sort of paradise to delight in and to share.”

Kathleen Norris Brenzel and Pat Welsh are certainly garden celebrities. We applaud you and thank you.

Special note: Welsh will speak at Roger’s Gardens at 9 a.m. March 31. Also the eighth edition of “The Sunset Western Garden Book” has just been published.

ASK RON

I have a tall cylindrical cactus with arms, similar to a saguaro cactus. It has grown well, and one arm is now growing under the eave of my house. Can I cut this arm off? How?

DARRELL

Laguna Beach

Yours is what is sometimes called a Mexican fencepost cactus or stenocereus stellatus.

This is a true cactus. The arm that is under the eave of the house will need to be removed at the joint, where it attaches to the main trunk. Wrap the arm in several layers of newspaper and hold it in place while you cut it off with a small saw or serrated knife. Do not use any pruning paint or tar on the cut. It will heal naturally.

The arm can then be rooted rather easily. First, let it dry for about 10 to 14 days by laying it in a shady area. Then, select a pot and fill it part way with a sandy cactus mix. Put about 30% of the arm under the soil and fill the rest of the pot with the soil. You may have to stake it for a while to hold it upright. Keep the pot in a semi-shady area for a few months and keep it fairly dry. That’s it, but it may take a year until it is fully rooted.

your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail stumpthegardener@ rogersgardens.com, or send to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.