tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42426230186096731632024-03-05T02:27:15.620-08:00CA Native GardenTerry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-85506630937067525732019-04-04T22:25:00.003-07:002019-04-04T22:25:19.928-07:00Flowers in FogHello readers! I am back after a long break, with a virtual tour of Regional Parks Botanic Garden at Tilden Park, near Berkeley California. Enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Coast Fawn Lily, <i><a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Erythronium+revolutum">Erythonium revolutum</a>,</i> a woodland plant. The name comes from the charming mottled leaves, not shown.</span></td></tr>
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Tilden is always in the fog belt, but with this year's rains, it is practically boggy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8s5tRcOchyimJjs7bgIGvWDG3lfXtyQNxudCV3Oh0MNhc3sDDm36vljB8g-cfKt67VtoUsT-zAOgOVbBoP3hM_WM4t8Yxojy1dMbpHDxxA3ct6VYDYqTgrX5pBvzOeDR6L-T64V7wsCw/s1600/Miner%2527s+lettuce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8s5tRcOchyimJjs7bgIGvWDG3lfXtyQNxudCV3Oh0MNhc3sDDm36vljB8g-cfKt67VtoUsT-zAOgOVbBoP3hM_WM4t8Yxojy1dMbpHDxxA3ct6VYDYqTgrX5pBvzOeDR6L-T64V7wsCw/s400/Miner%2527s+lettuce.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Miner's lettuce, <i><a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=2244" target="_blank">Claytonia perfoliata</a>, </i>loves wet weather. It is a common short-lived annual with a sweet mild crunch that really works as a salad green. It was growing inside the garden and in abundance around the parking lot and creek bed outside. Why haven't I planted Miner's Lettuce?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">This mature garden offers lots of shade too, so coastal and woodland plants prosper. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oBKjZEz_LfN2_jZY9-edQZ3VBrwwckThDaF-D3iSpg8mPFl_GlZitr57ie4L1skLoaad5FDAXJkSal007ZTd3j1qz4qraH-DOCtgCAWO5Um166WB9ZepLlEix4G1mb5rvztm5qLIjK8/s1600/Munzs+Iris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oBKjZEz_LfN2_jZY9-edQZ3VBrwwckThDaF-D3iSpg8mPFl_GlZitr57ie4L1skLoaad5FDAXJkSal007ZTd3j1qz4qraH-DOCtgCAWO5Um166WB9ZepLlEix4G1mb5rvztm5qLIjK8/s400/Munzs+Iris.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=4357" target="_blank">Iris munzii </a></i>is found only in southern Sierra foothill woodlands east of Visalia.</span></td></tr>
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This garden is well-labeled, and the labels list the site and county from which the particular plant has been collected. Oh raptures! (Yes, I am a plant nerd.) A plant that grows all over California may have significant regional variations– so interesting! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4242623018609673163#editor/target=post;postID=8550663093706752573" target="_blank">Dodecatheon clevelandii</a>,</i> Padre's Shooting Star. Found widely around California, this cultivar comes from Santa Cruz Island. So many blooms on the same plant!</span></td></tr>
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Then there are those California endemics that won't grow in our garden, unless we have wicked bad soil: serpentine soil.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlSGLQUstz58aalRxVC5IjKHzpp1wYjLtdsU29wP1j6ophxLNZC1XVY38nKb6Tqgiem8J9S0OZGgbPgQroGP_hkjbxRBkvQZGYJ_HX19d9oFmYQhvJI3KZkdDtck86ewnp9JKaUoLM3A/s1600/Mouse+Ears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlSGLQUstz58aalRxVC5IjKHzpp1wYjLtdsU29wP1j6ophxLNZC1XVY38nKb6Tqgiem8J9S0OZGgbPgQroGP_hkjbxRBkvQZGYJ_HX19d9oFmYQhvJI3KZkdDtck86ewnp9JKaUoLM3A/s400/Mouse+Ears.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tiny Mouse Ears, <i><a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=13428" target="_blank">Diplacus douglasii,</a> </i>was either prospering or planted in abundance in its own special bed– since it grows in <a href="https://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Newsletter-1993-2.pdf" target="_blank">serpentine soil</a>. It is a <a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?where-genus=Diplacus" target="_blank">monkeyflower</a>.</span></td></tr>
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I love visiting a garden at different times: I catch plants in bloom that I've never seem properly before. Like Mule's Ears.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0cWPygvlBCB0pC9GBszuFmDnd9IYQCZWad1ev0UB2i6VFOGelZkvBx6pVBBIE_T5daoi776amdPMubM2887SPMhBP9QrsP4BP1_rdrHtCmkoTdoLHm9gnDBT4rPG08W2n_-1_Q-m9bM/s1600/Mule+Ears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0cWPygvlBCB0pC9GBszuFmDnd9IYQCZWad1ev0UB2i6VFOGelZkvBx6pVBBIE_T5daoi776amdPMubM2887SPMhBP9QrsP4BP1_rdrHtCmkoTdoLHm9gnDBT4rPG08W2n_-1_Q-m9bM/s400/Mule+Ears.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?where-genus=Diplacus" target="_blank"><i>Wyethia helenoides</i></a>, Mule Ears, was in fine flower. Its leaves are fuzzy grey and ornamental too. Claimed to be an allergy remedy. Timely.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">The staple shrubs of California just keep growing year after year. Some can become trees in established gardens. None have finer trunks than Manzanitas. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqHwV_t_u4QBSpLUtpXQj7W-3uLj_TQvWDKhzeqhYiUUegYq1dX1Omr5-Fe0ZTl5Tjw_JS1s_fuUvxTPtzL5sKbA4YxLv3-gKbH2qchGWnTR3PeAxYDaUpgjIkBra5j0mfNAyOStUbtc/s1600/Oso+Manzanita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqHwV_t_u4QBSpLUtpXQj7W-3uLj_TQvWDKhzeqhYiUUegYq1dX1Omr5-Fe0ZTl5Tjw_JS1s_fuUvxTPtzL5sKbA4YxLv3-gKbH2qchGWnTR3PeAxYDaUpgjIkBra5j0mfNAyOStUbtc/s400/Oso+Manzanita.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of dozens of species and hybrids of Manzanitas that reveal spectacular trunks with age, <i><a href="https://www.calflora.org//cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=591" target="_blank">Arctostaphylos osoensis</a></i> is found in the wild only on one ridge near Morro Bay. My manzanitas aspire to this look.</span></td></tr>
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When a variety of a California native shrub is very low growing, you can bet it was found growing at the seashore. This applies to Sages, Manzanitas, California Lilacs, and even Coyote Bushes. Being in the fog belt, this garden allows all those ground cover shrubs to shine. (Hint: Don't bother planting Manzanita or Lilac ground cover variants in Southern California unless you are very close to the coast, or will mist them every evening.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgct7oRI63pGtZjdV23MEZERXj9iHW_hX1mwlTsZyJBVFVQksNC0iOkt8UC4cbFgQGnibyM8h6HKFDhvPhkG1Cv9JGgMjJxTJ-RdhRMcUv133yUJwxMnrjp30LSmJfQdgl6fqhLmEjaoGs/s1600/Bearberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgct7oRI63pGtZjdV23MEZERXj9iHW_hX1mwlTsZyJBVFVQksNC0iOkt8UC4cbFgQGnibyM8h6HKFDhvPhkG1Cv9JGgMjJxTJ-RdhRMcUv133yUJwxMnrjp30LSmJfQdgl6fqhLmEjaoGs/s400/Bearberry.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bearberry Manzanita, <a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=624" target="_blank"><i>Arctostaphylos uva-ursi</i></a>, and its hybrids, carpeted much of the garden. This plant never looks happy in Southern California, if it survives at all.</span></td></tr>
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Most of the garden's California Lilacs were not in peak bloom.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAit5f5FBvp77nlwGG5H9p_YuS10Q5-DDZhUwau-fdf5VnW7OX4JP0r-9azkJdaYGnxFEREpZB8R0HJ4Y9x5mDbFYtrwpMfKjaJxAR5AemG1GjG9KU28rs93jNQYgQvtiMSC04Fgywp5o/s1600/Ceanothus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAit5f5FBvp77nlwGG5H9p_YuS10Q5-DDZhUwau-fdf5VnW7OX4JP0r-9azkJdaYGnxFEREpZB8R0HJ4Y9x5mDbFYtrwpMfKjaJxAR5AemG1GjG9KU28rs93jNQYgQvtiMSC04Fgywp5o/s400/Ceanothus.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This California Lilac was in peak bloom. Mystery <a href="https://www.calflora.org//cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?where-genus=ceanothus" target="_blank">Ceanothus</a>...I couldn't find the label. There are 83 species and subspecies listed on Calflora, and countless hybrids. </span></td></tr>
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The garden has some unusual buckwheats.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj785TxtS7xyM3Ix-x4bI1ecTZhEPns4YOrb_44ryDIbQY13IZ4QFtuTVI9KtXpuF66Ivt5_LNytCdFsWfZKGxDaUDVPhi-HCi36HAfXmQHFIVnRtOGFiM5lxkdEbyIqa0HnAQ4SyV7z5s/s1600/Buckwheat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj785TxtS7xyM3Ix-x4bI1ecTZhEPns4YOrb_44ryDIbQY13IZ4QFtuTVI9KtXpuF66Ivt5_LNytCdFsWfZKGxDaUDVPhi-HCi36HAfXmQHFIVnRtOGFiM5lxkdEbyIqa0HnAQ4SyV7z5s/s400/Buckwheat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A red-leafed buckwheat! <i><a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Eriogonum+umbellatum+var.+torreyanum" target="_blank">Eriogonum umbellatum var. torreyanum</a> </i>does not appear red in the wild -growing photos I've found. <i> </i>The tiny silvery leaves at bottom are an alpine buckwheat, Wright's buckwheat, <i><a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Eriogonum+wrightii+var.+subscaposum" target="_blank">Eriogonum wrightii var. subscaposum</a></i>. </span></td></tr>
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Some Southern California endemics looked very sad in this wet foggy garden, or were altogether deceased, engraved plastic labels serving as headstones for their final rest. But some notoriously 'difficult' natives were thriving, including Woolly Blue Curls (not yet in flower) and Flannelbush. I suspect the secret is to give them fog but entirely dry soil in summer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDasd_PJrK0CIV8unKfFB8aTynBX95DV1NAWHoD-g2a0gQAY4ddLavLmF2LLTvq-ARwhb0RkWBmyMZ2zTi16j4Q8HNEMke-F6sPa4ts02WCV1wmDR1M0Il5ZNN3Q_97RWA805UcUbvOE/s1600/Flannelbush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDasd_PJrK0CIV8unKfFB8aTynBX95DV1NAWHoD-g2a0gQAY4ddLavLmF2LLTvq-ARwhb0RkWBmyMZ2zTi16j4Q8HNEMke-F6sPa4ts02WCV1wmDR1M0Il5ZNN3Q_97RWA805UcUbvOE/s400/Flannelbush.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I love Flannelbushes! This one was just starting to flower, and was a manageable size– they're often enormous. <a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=3618" target="_blank"><i>Fremontodendrum californium</i></a> 'Margo.' I want one!</span></td></tr>
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Some plants just thrive in a given garden. And not in mine. Maybe Pink Flowering Currant needs fog to really shine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_LXak5aKin6-A7I8vUNCw0j6vsWibxeQfeIjyqdyC2UA6pF1pUUc6q-aXd7bka36Y5AAYlLvwRUw41zrOjC5MKvCgKFLe-hb2nDVFU9liq2FRfjzV3DspLfrG2DsjeqwrxlBQRS7lxo/s1600/Pink+currant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_LXak5aKin6-A7I8vUNCw0j6vsWibxeQfeIjyqdyC2UA6pF1pUUc6q-aXd7bka36Y5AAYlLvwRUw41zrOjC5MKvCgKFLe-hb2nDVFU9liq2FRfjzV3DspLfrG2DsjeqwrxlBQRS7lxo/s400/Pink+currant.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The lacy structure of Pink Flowering Currant, <i><a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7141" target="_blank">Ribes sanguineum</a></i>, is hard to capture in a photo. So just enjoy the flower sprays.</span></td></tr>
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Some plants I don't even want in my garden. So it's nice of other people to grow them for us.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02X7ZHbzL-5swXuCCTKi9UTcrfnRzcJxNmkZglHtRRTcmKWRkX2kG4-Cii2i4AGTR5VhPqqJTWoTPB7iDMcs3j77zk1pobyBNMOBBbU4FWYzR4P-ExNs1-EgmNhgX5joWerHKzcELXPA/s1600/Zygadine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="853" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02X7ZHbzL-5swXuCCTKi9UTcrfnRzcJxNmkZglHtRRTcmKWRkX2kG4-Cii2i4AGTR5VhPqqJTWoTPB7iDMcs3j77zk1pobyBNMOBBbU4FWYzR4P-ExNs1-EgmNhgX5joWerHKzcELXPA/s400/Zygadine.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A particularly lovely <i><a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=11103" target="_blank">Toxicoscordion fremontii</a></i>, Fremont's Death Camas (!) Or call it Star Lily, but don't eat it.</span></td></tr>
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On my third visit to Regional Parks Botanic Garden, I am in awe at the diversity of California flora, and the dedication of the volunteers who weed all those beds! Now is the time to visit native gardens, whether at your local botanic garden or taking a garden tour. Orange County's "California In My Garden" tour of 11 home gardens (plus a church, a business and a school) is April 13 (2019) and you must <a href="https://www.occnps.org/gardening-with-natives/garden-tour.html" target="_blank">register in advance to</a> be mailed the tour guide with addresses. Happy garden tours!</div>
Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-6573714394440087672018-01-05T22:54:00.001-08:002018-01-05T22:54:17.726-08:00Manzanita FlowersWinter is the Southern California native garden Spring. After two monthly sprinkles from the hose (and no noticeable precipitation), the sagebrushes are lush and leafy, the Seaside daisies are blooming (OK, they always bloom), the Laguna Bur Marigold got its leaves back, and tiny, delicate Manzanita flowers are appearing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSaj7W97jdHozEllh6dXVvp2di8uWV1h5L4_BAqqAfKbde7HrggoVyFagK94_HJcCOKQeQgPP10_Aco18mGxWWa-I0HWSne5K5aptuL_w4Ynkg3OVCRKx442jPYMniy6Oyat7INhHhT0/s1600/IMG_2274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSaj7W97jdHozEllh6dXVvp2di8uWV1h5L4_BAqqAfKbde7HrggoVyFagK94_HJcCOKQeQgPP10_Aco18mGxWWa-I0HWSne5K5aptuL_w4Ynkg3OVCRKx442jPYMniy6Oyat7INhHhT0/s400/IMG_2274.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Paradise Manzanita has pink blooms. </span></td></tr>
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In my coastal hilltop microclimate, plants are frequently confused as to when exactly they should bloom. Howard McMinn manzanitas in the sunny backyard bloom a month later than in the shady front yard. Half of the Paradise Manzanita bloomed in mid-December; the other half is blooming now. Go figure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jUEXqGX7Fusu-ALlPutkVDDx20ZWq8S-XXZGMnL_29OG_75di3-2RomqyXWpIf3H6NKKbqckB6HbYWmkxqhIk1LJM4xhLwnXi_ETCFgIyLncYGPOCcQSbwnTy6cUgtJcinpa2IPmzIY/s1600/IMG_2277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4jUEXqGX7Fusu-ALlPutkVDDx20ZWq8S-XXZGMnL_29OG_75di3-2RomqyXWpIf3H6NKKbqckB6HbYWmkxqhIk1LJM4xhLwnXi_ETCFgIyLncYGPOCcQSbwnTy6cUgtJcinpa2IPmzIY/s400/IMG_2277.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Howard McMinn, the most well-behaved cultivar of the Manzanitas, has white flowers, often in profusion</span>.</td></tr>
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Manzanita blooms only last a few weeks, but they are so darn cute! I especially like watching hummingbirds hovering vertically to drink their nectar. (Sorry, my photography skills are not up to capturing that treat.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpmyKOQfjU_pMW8wpcUOC6UJmrLFuMrDQPMVh5MPPyldaiYZbZtocZodG7ClqAKVtJPFlMP8t85e7Jo_kdL8GOF47ZglQb34QLV-paeRP9rWxTCfkYBxqLsCeTW5Sdn5vj3EF2hXL8Zs/s1600/IMG_2272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpmyKOQfjU_pMW8wpcUOC6UJmrLFuMrDQPMVh5MPPyldaiYZbZtocZodG7ClqAKVtJPFlMP8t85e7Jo_kdL8GOF47ZglQb34QLV-paeRP9rWxTCfkYBxqLsCeTW5Sdn5vj3EF2hXL8Zs/s400/IMG_2272.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Lester Rowntree cultivar flowers look just like Paradise. Bloom very spotty in my yard– at least it stretches out the bloom period.</span></td></tr>
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Manzanitas are elegant workhorses of the native garden. But you must not overwater them! They'll die. They grow slowly, most of the year patiently standing with truly evergreen leaves, and eventually as they get tall, sculptural dark red branches. But in winter they get whimsical, and put on a fairy flower show for people and hummingbirds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tP4Dbk00zWMYFF8knnH3R1dMz2_leCOora5wjkYlr4ZzD6ylrNgT2w4o_XCJxihBeUKR_xzTMrHHtaUYcW8hANSlRIanRaUNL_U5mt_QcFT8CwBb19S3OvG7dlkD8GkhtKaKr-4C9-Q/s1600/IMG_2279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tP4Dbk00zWMYFF8knnH3R1dMz2_leCOora5wjkYlr4ZzD6ylrNgT2w4o_XCJxihBeUKR_xzTMrHHtaUYcW8hANSlRIanRaUNL_U5mt_QcFT8CwBb19S3OvG7dlkD8GkhtKaKr-4C9-Q/s400/IMG_2279.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Howard McMinn, blooming profusely in mostly shade.</span></td></tr>
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Plant Manzanitas. You won't regret it!<br />
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Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-38816055412115476432017-10-29T22:03:00.004-07:002017-10-30T08:09:04.810-07:00Dead-footing<div style="font-family: Cochin; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 18px;">
I’m home, so now I can fuss over my native garden. Yippee! </div>
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Diligent gardeners “dead-head” roses and other repeat-flowering ornamentals— removing spent flowers before plants use energy setting seed instead of making more flowers, and making the garden look more manicured. I do deadhead, but usually only the empty seedpods that have already fed the birds. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhse0i4wCr1ygTr7eTXhX2C1CfbGr8mphM0SXXVnKTEiWQKJzxxswlh2l7jWvY455RSyaAD0VBrVzP7BjyS7saGD_aPmjA087_wOAqraXy4hkVyzi8kxug0V71yKj48ph-afUp3XdeD0C8/s1600/IMG_2169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhse0i4wCr1ygTr7eTXhX2C1CfbGr8mphM0SXXVnKTEiWQKJzxxswlh2l7jWvY455RSyaAD0VBrVzP7BjyS7saGD_aPmjA087_wOAqraXy4hkVyzi8kxug0V71yKj48ph-afUp3XdeD0C8/s400/IMG_2169.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: start;">Woe to my poor gardener friend who promptly deadheaded his Cleveland Sage (</span><i style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Salvia+clevelandii" target="_blank">Salvia clevelandii</a></i></span><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">) in May, leaving a sparse, homely bush for six months instead of these cool flying saucers…</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;">In early fall I “dead-foot” some of my shrubby native plants. I just made up that term, “dead-foot.” Maybe you prefer “pedicure.” I simply run a gloved hand down the stems to remove dead and dried leaves that give the bush in question a shaggy appearance. This is an approved, though unnamed, technique in the wonderful </span><i style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Maintenance-Southern-California-Mantenimiento-Jardines/dp/0960580840/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508951462&sr=8-1&keywords=care+and+maintenance+of+southern+california+native+plant+gardens" target="_blank">Care and Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens</a></i><span style="font-size: small; text-align: center;"> by Bart O'Brien, Betsey Landis, and Ellen Mackey, regretfully out of print.</span><br />
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Plants from sage scrub and chaparral habitats can lose most or all of their leaves each summer. Watering them to try to keep them in full leaf can lead to untimely death due to root rot. Repeat after me: no summer soaking. Ever. Sparingly watered, stress-deciduous native shrubs are no more sickly than Eastern deciduous plants that lose their leaves in cold weather. But we non-natives don’t expect to see dead leaves in August; we think the gardener has killed the poor dears. And they can look, well, motley. Wind and winter rains may eventually knock off most of these leaves, but I am not willing to wait. </div>
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California sagebrush (<i>Artemisia californica</i>) is amusingly stress-deciduous. No water and full sun for a month or two and it looks dead. Sprinkle it just a bit, and a week later it's covered with fine new leaves. It can be cut back hard occasionally, or left shaggy. But since I can’t resist putting it in the front of the garden, I find dead-footing particularly effective for the species and ‘Montara’ cultivar. The ground-hugging ‘Canyon Grey’ cultivar looks quite ropy when dead-footed, and should just be cut hard every couple of years. A little water and Sagebrush grows back, usually even from a very hard cutting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJlcUbaEjMVwzH9al07fQ55bj0WPD6Mhrk4C1D7h4Lgl3cRay8JhPj2G5CLWDwLCv099tkqpY4yUEOJt_6fPkopP63ig1uBjp_o9zMWWslLseyBoS0B4_WlNLyuP2GD2QjoFx1ADKC6c/s1600/IMG_2149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJlcUbaEjMVwzH9al07fQ55bj0WPD6Mhrk4C1D7h4Lgl3cRay8JhPj2G5CLWDwLCv099tkqpY4yUEOJt_6fPkopP63ig1uBjp_o9zMWWslLseyBoS0B4_WlNLyuP2GD2QjoFx1ADKC6c/s400/IMG_2149.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The rare Island Sagebrush, <i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=716" target="_blank">Artemisia nesiotica</a></i>, has long lacy foliage on twisted stems that want to be revealed by dead-footing. It's a personal favorite.</span><br />
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While stunning in spring bloom, California anemone (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Carpenteria+californica" target="_blank">Carpenteria californica)</a></i> insists on looking unkempt the rest of the year by hanging tightly onto old brown leaves. Force is required to part those unsightly leaves from their stem! Or just whack off the whole stem. It will grow back soon enough.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HOeBmq_PMuatwUY3OwIV4CzFDV2KzAjwKxQKmv0u9aKjCGXnt-CcyGW5xIOhPM3obJc0ZQMQv0NI2vEJr1_uY4UL3Zsg-1-napqZXnqQ48AysJrynLjA3xTDz5R8_BZbWIaew2HOJp8/s1600/IMG_2173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HOeBmq_PMuatwUY3OwIV4CzFDV2KzAjwKxQKmv0u9aKjCGXnt-CcyGW5xIOhPM3obJc0ZQMQv0NI2vEJr1_uY4UL3Zsg-1-napqZXnqQ48AysJrynLjA3xTDz5R8_BZbWIaew2HOJp8/s400/IMG_2173.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This Catalina silverlace has been in a pot for four years and needs an occasional dead-footing.</span></td></tr>
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The rare and elegant Catalina Silverlace (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Constancea+nevinii" target="_blank">Constancea nevinii</a></i>), after a bout of drought, can look truly hideous, with fat mats of dried rosettes evoking the thick cobwebs of a horror movie. Wait till they’re good and dry, then they will strip off to present an elegant stem from which the growing tip can bush out again.<br />
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Dead-footing doesn’t work well on most California Buckwheats. Their stems look as motley as their dead leaves, only more bare and spindly. The exception is St. Catherine's Lace (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Eriogonum+giganteum+var.+giganteum" target="_blank">Eriogonum giganteum</a></i>.) Its sparse stems look smooth and elegant when stripped of dried leaves.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlMDERcqU3skFdmfLkQT7UVse-KlQvIstID8Xtr8WwJnRorMnsfAEJt-GDGNG6aB3jWbVQV22GwqtmNGfHpxOWmOutL-kwlgNASeMB9fFC-6iNJKdrKy1WHYk3kfiZhC1WRFYU7RKl5o/s1600/IMG_2162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlMDERcqU3skFdmfLkQT7UVse-KlQvIstID8Xtr8WwJnRorMnsfAEJt-GDGNG6aB3jWbVQV22GwqtmNGfHpxOWmOutL-kwlgNASeMB9fFC-6iNJKdrKy1WHYk3kfiZhC1WRFYU7RKl5o/s400/IMG_2162.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I keep my St. Catherine's Lace in a pot so it doesn't take over my whole pocket garden. And I dead-foot it of course.</span></td></tr>
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Coyote bush (the tall species, not the stubby dwarf cultivars) can be dead-footed, and totally bare branches can be removed. Do this cautiously, though; you may go from a well-filled out bush to something pretty spare or asymmetric. Like Sagebrush, Coyotes can be trimmed almost to the ground, and they will usually regenerate, sometimes a better option. Coyote is an opportunistic filler-in of bare spots in the wild and for the gardener; I planted one to quickly screen the kitchen window from the house. Too deep in shade, it may be ready to yield its place to a Coffeeberry.<br />
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Dead-footing is part of the pruning regimen of a native garden that is more manicured rather than wild. Early fall is the time for pruning most natives. Sterilize your shears: I prefer using rubbing alcohol; it's easier on clothes than bleach. Consider the effect before embarking on wholesale fall pruning of a native garden. (And avoid pruning bushes that want to display blooms or berries in winter-- toyon, ceanothus, manzanita.) You want to prune back bushes and perennials that will otherwise overgrow paths and other plants in their winter-to-spring growing season. But removing every dead stem or leaf may leave your garden unnaturally bare; proceed cautiously. Whatever you do, don't invite your garden-variety gardener to prune. He will butcher your natives, trimming them bare up to three feet so the nonexistent sprinklers can work well. Or pull them up altogether, thinking stress-deciduous means dead. If you know of a gardener for hire who trims natives right, regard that person as a living treasure. While I'm able, I'd rather fuss over my natives myself.<br />
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Gotta go deadhead the sage now! </div>
Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-77987117152773984142017-10-03T16:19:00.005-07:002017-10-03T16:19:44.607-07:00Plants for Summer HummersThanks to <b><a href="http://nativesnowsocal.blogspot.com/2015/11/california-fairy-duster-one-of-my.html" target="_blank">Baja Fairy Duster</a> </b><i>(Calliandra californica</i>), hummingbirds are a daily delight in my California native garden. They entertain me outside my kitchen window during breakfast. Alas, I have not managed to photograph them, just the Fairy Duster. Those little suckers are fast!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqjSWMt3OogiMB_Ii2lS_UPzrZxpTOpgXwEAt8H08zw8J0umbeCS2usxBCX-Q1OdxLyUTMBg60WNjOswnKXRPUFVRvMMzL1bM90hWraaex4qthyphenhyphen7UhrbCVY-BcwOcWx7OYWKsJO9O7jQ/s1600/IMG_2133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqjSWMt3OogiMB_Ii2lS_UPzrZxpTOpgXwEAt8H08zw8J0umbeCS2usxBCX-Q1OdxLyUTMBg60WNjOswnKXRPUFVRvMMzL1bM90hWraaex4qthyphenhyphen7UhrbCVY-BcwOcWx7OYWKsJO9O7jQ/s400/IMG_2133.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">While hummingbirds will visit almost any blooming native plant, they prefer red flowers like the Fairy Duster. </span></td></tr>
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Summer and early fall are the dormant time for most California natives, but Baja Fairy Duster, a native of central to southern Baja, blooms almost all year round without supplemental water. It is a wonderful addition to a dryer spot in a traditional garden, as it will tolerate a little summer water better than many natives. It's hard to kill. So what are you waiting for? Plant one! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdChqoD8KKSHMdITHsMN2vTwL_whQcOTha9Z_UoZZ0xCe-lUjZM4bjKwFhSUXkua56JCnAYFg9wdkuTV-a7rGjTRV_FeSVtcolACpj-8OSL1_bBy3J0yt16p_13Pdlf1zUxrIiAxxqMQM/s1600/IMG_2134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdChqoD8KKSHMdITHsMN2vTwL_whQcOTha9Z_UoZZ0xCe-lUjZM4bjKwFhSUXkua56JCnAYFg9wdkuTV-a7rGjTRV_FeSVtcolACpj-8OSL1_bBy3J0yt16p_13Pdlf1zUxrIiAxxqMQM/s400/IMG_2134.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">After many trimmings, my Fairy Duster is as wide as it is tall.</span></td></tr>
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Baja Fairy Duster has lacy grey-green leaves, like mimosa. It can be easily trimmed and trained to a more dense and round hedge. Yours will probably come from the nursery with three upright stems and nothing else. Lop those long vertical stems short, repeatedly if necessary, till you convince it not to shoot for the sky. No special precautions required. It would like at least a half day of full sun. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00Aja6nJrSsmusgno5HJUcRd3JKgdqC4ZdAZ-ptN02wi51ufd0mRepwMoZqIfYzehJpKyGNz_fMQnqec5xfz3g1nRPjALyJQHy-hX8mUPfZCzW4Bk7QuRtRd2MWSLTJWdEDgaFjVHSSI/s1600/IMG_2143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00Aja6nJrSsmusgno5HJUcRd3JKgdqC4ZdAZ-ptN02wi51ufd0mRepwMoZqIfYzehJpKyGNz_fMQnqec5xfz3g1nRPjALyJQHy-hX8mUPfZCzW4Bk7QuRtRd2MWSLTJWdEDgaFjVHSSI/s400/IMG_2143.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">For small gardens, the upright shape is handy, but can look gawky.</span></td></tr>
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Its relative <i>Calliandra eriophylla</i> is found north to San Diego. <i>Eriophylla</i> has abundant but pale pink flowers, a shorter bloom season, and, sorry to say, just doesn't make the same statement.<br />
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Another summer/fall-flowering hummingbird treat is <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/groups/california-fuchsia.html" target="_blank">California Fuchsia</a> (<a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=2984" target="_blank"><i>Epilobium </i><i>canum</i></a>). This little gem (not a true fuchsia) grows <a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=2984" target="_blank">all over California</a>. It presents a variety of sizes and shapes (formerly listed as several different species), but virtually all have the long-necked red flower hummers prefer. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUHXio-gArgQk_DwDLDIk7XRZKpwnmt0i_1Vuwus5fOZq6pk253T9XuBLJuOhUmoNnaE2hM2mkflHqbf5wafhYKMpVL5-fSnlmgV7dT9rl1gcukREz06WEwMl0cPpOetQqkP-PVY0jDM/s1600/IMG_3678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUHXio-gArgQk_DwDLDIk7XRZKpwnmt0i_1Vuwus5fOZq6pk253T9XuBLJuOhUmoNnaE2hM2mkflHqbf5wafhYKMpVL5-fSnlmgV7dT9rl1gcukREz06WEwMl0cPpOetQqkP-PVY0jDM/s400/IMG_3678.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">California Fuchsia was in full bloom at UC Santa Cruz Botanic Garden at the end of September. </span></td></tr>
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These are unpredictable in their growing habit; their silver foliage is often sparse, and not evergreen. So, not a centerpiece. I have taken to planting them among evergreen natives. Their foliage is almost invisible, but even a few blooms peeking out make a vivid impression. And if they fail to thrive, they don't leave a hole. For a few months in summer or early fall, their accent catches the eye in the grey-green of a summer-dormant native garden.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzvE5GxXo1tptuybLQQFtN4QYk4Sz-I_7duUdvPMqAFPW9u_2CW16JCiEjWrdvhsgy78kN3FPwtf3NtMWhzpp-7w3s4eirRWOPShMjMG5PFMv37nUbCtGFagRecPCP7b8qOgh0PkMtQg/s1600/IMG_2120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzvE5GxXo1tptuybLQQFtN4QYk4Sz-I_7duUdvPMqAFPW9u_2CW16JCiEjWrdvhsgy78kN3FPwtf3NtMWhzpp-7w3s4eirRWOPShMjMG5PFMv37nUbCtGFagRecPCP7b8qOgh0PkMtQg/s400/IMG_2120.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">California Fuchsia (a tall <i>Epilobium </i>'Catalina', or a hybrid thereof) grows through California Sagebrush (<i>Artemisia californica</i>) in my front yard.</span><br />
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Hummingbirds also love <i>Lobelia laxiflora, a</i> Mexico/Arizona native compatible with the California native summer-dry garden. This Lobelia is another good transition plant for the low-water garden in progress, as it tolerates moderate water or zero summer water. Mine received no supplemental water this year, no problem (though fewer blooms). Its floppy habit fills in under a Lemonadeberry.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7azcD1bLSLYEH2JHYtvkSpWdLsuzQM5ncwwjyJnp6Ddn1b8kG2WWbE-viWnn_chirJLxktCRA46TD7cvyIXGtefJmvJH5iqd0Z2ugCNzR2tw0Cr7Vp9IaJxKI-YWiOMdKxD09TTB-bAg/s1600/DSC_8785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7azcD1bLSLYEH2JHYtvkSpWdLsuzQM5ncwwjyJnp6Ddn1b8kG2WWbE-viWnn_chirJLxktCRA46TD7cvyIXGtefJmvJH5iqd0Z2ugCNzR2tw0Cr7Vp9IaJxKI-YWiOMdKxD09TTB-bAg/s400/DSC_8785.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=sandrine%20biziaux%20scherson%20-%20photography" target="_blank">Sandrine Biziaux Scherson</a> for catching this little hummer drinking up the Lobelia nectar, head covered with pollen. </span></td></tr>
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You can have hummers in your garden all summer, without the hassle or nutritional issues of hummingbird feeders, with the crowd-pleasing Baja Fairy Duster. The more finicky California Fuchsia and the indestructible Lobelia <i>laxiflora </i>could round out your collection<i>, </i>and a tree(toyon in my case) for high perches will allow very territorial hummers to guard their ruby treasures.</div>
Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-50020109257050506372017-08-10T04:00:00.000-07:002017-09-20T07:45:04.286-07:00Monkeyflower Puzzles<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/groups/Monkey_flower/California_monkey_flower.html" target="_blank">Sticky Monkey Flower</a> (<i><a href="https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=5489" target="_blank">Mimulus aurianticus</a></i>) and its hybrids/variants (formerly <i>Diplacus</i>) are widespread bloomers through California. That odd name always charmed me as a budding teen naturalist, as did the cheerful little orange flowers I saw peeking out of the brush on Montebello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Hills.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA62qWCBnoHFJd6GKgSwApYJblW5JzMyC0UW8mJviB3wKi6epl8Pp8PAblNAvtyn5UMRuVZGBFK0ctN4sbroWUaiPCmDOOhzS1HYi3kwSLP7PWMQWoZH4J1mpPqCpGZVuX4zKNn-txNNs/s1600/monkey+intro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA62qWCBnoHFJd6GKgSwApYJblW5JzMyC0UW8mJviB3wKi6epl8Pp8PAblNAvtyn5UMRuVZGBFK0ctN4sbroWUaiPCmDOOhzS1HYi3kwSLP7PWMQWoZH4J1mpPqCpGZVuX4zKNn-txNNs/s400/monkey+intro.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Does the flower look like a monkey face? That's what I was told. This is the color of my childhood Sticky Monkey Flowers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Sticky Monkey Flowers are abundant in Crystal Cove a few miles from my house too. They are one of our longer-blooming perennials. You will see them in sun and shade, hilltop and streamside, from Baja to Oregon.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDsbi1i755XAm3dlF9520CUq2IAL00MGzewLhreLd1VvoTj78fWnwFBbzbC7vYyZSOsqXPq1ydOZrnonrYuprs48i68HGEiDWHqIWvNB9jXF3LTItAl5_l-DOz2eBOsEb_7DTf6_YV70/s1600/monkey+hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDsbi1i755XAm3dlF9520CUq2IAL00MGzewLhreLd1VvoTj78fWnwFBbzbC7vYyZSOsqXPq1ydOZrnonrYuprs48i68HGEiDWHqIWvNB9jXF3LTItAl5_l-DOz2eBOsEb_7DTf6_YV70/s400/monkey+hill.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enthusiastic Monkey Flower bush on a high plain in Crystal Cove State Park. Tolerating a wide range of soils and sunlight, they are also found intergrowing with the usual Coastal Sage Scrub suspects </span><span style="font-size: small;">in shadier spots</span><span style="font-size: small;">, and blooming at various times.</span></td></tr>
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The leaves really are sticky, as you'll experience if you run your finger across the underside. Water-loving Scarlet Monkeyflowers and Seep (yellow) Monkey Flowers have similar shaped flowers, but wider leaves that are not sticky. In my garden, perennial Sticky Monkey Flowers have put on a good show for a season, then often expired, despite being perennials in theory. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFecimUbSONajB7kKFe6p4d93lUM1Pu99kOISkPq6piFrG2zJL8bSmuLycJyt22MoWDhB1dBgrjmfsVfSVwHa21G4H9mgTnbr05QohlvOrZRTiSStxiYrGGP_3OaMzwtKllOZnawSwLVM/s1600/monkey+roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFecimUbSONajB7kKFe6p4d93lUM1Pu99kOISkPq6piFrG2zJL8bSmuLycJyt22MoWDhB1dBgrjmfsVfSVwHa21G4H9mgTnbr05QohlvOrZRTiSStxiYrGGP_3OaMzwtKllOZnawSwLVM/s400/monkey+roses.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">This San Diego area Monkey Flower from Moosa Creek Nursery looks like the pale orange sherbet blooms of Monkey Flowers of my childhood. I planted it in a clayish dry spot among the roses, where it bloomed well, but died in the fall.</span></td></tr>
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What are they missing that would help them survive? That is puzzle number one. I suspect they need a finicky balance of enough water to establish a good root system but not too much to promote rot. (Do you know the secret to long-lived garden Monkey Flowers? Feel free to enlighten me in the comment section.) Until I figure out how to keep them longer, I'm willing to replant them each year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUzduhcd64v1ipyKVXjliahiC9TRahSjoNDYfZK5-YD2fzP1ei-e9-_yULsa2iV9e3Qs9Xi-cnH5NKrGixPCK3Ud72VlObSPR9w-iPZmWeUANh0HOxg3w7YFnpX5P_fNy2M2HssrmYiw/s1600/monkey+tucked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUzduhcd64v1ipyKVXjliahiC9TRahSjoNDYfZK5-YD2fzP1ei-e9-_yULsa2iV9e3Qs9Xi-cnH5NKrGixPCK3Ud72VlObSPR9w-iPZmWeUANh0HOxg3w7YFnpX5P_fNy2M2HssrmYiw/s400/monkey+tucked.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">Monkey Flowers that do survive through the fall get long in the tooth. I am trying the strategy of tucking Monkey Flowers under other plants, as they are often found in the wild. This 'Jelly Bean Orange' bloomed well with only morning sun and some of that filtered. And survived at least one summer and fall! The other plant here is California Fuchsia, which blooms later in the summer.</span></span></td></tr>
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The only color Monkey Flowers I ever saw in the Santa Cruz Hills were a pale sherbet orange color. Here in Orange County they vary from that color to brick red and everything in between. On the Orange Coast, red flowers tend to be found at the tops of ridges, light orange in shady canyons... but there are frequent exceptions. In San Diego County, according to <a href="http://labs.biology.ucsd.edu/kohn/resources/Kohn-Lab-Papers/Streisfeld-and-Kohn-2005-copy.pdf" target="_blank">this source</a>, the reds are close to the coast and the yellows inland.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0RPZeaXHlV-oMqKalAUFQRWR9kVoZndidNaIQtFC_vDPqrBxhGl3E9Mae-_F3wibjGiDQS9l82C-LVGeAHHvuDNLtICymG5FrPBpcfB1P0aMKd4Bocq2bTCECltknnK_PFofXo1ACrI/s1600/monkey+two-tone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0RPZeaXHlV-oMqKalAUFQRWR9kVoZndidNaIQtFC_vDPqrBxhGl3E9Mae-_F3wibjGiDQS9l82C-LVGeAHHvuDNLtICymG5FrPBpcfB1P0aMKd4Bocq2bTCECltknnK_PFofXo1ACrI/s400/monkey+two-tone.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sometimes red and orange are found on the same plant! Usually if I see different shades of Monkey Flowers growing together I can make out the separate plants. This plant at Crystal Cove State Park clearly had blooms that changed color as they got older (the dark orange blooms are further down but on the same stem as the pale blooms).</span></span></td></tr>
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How many species of Monkey Flowers are there? That is puzzle number two. Sticky Monkey Flower is one of those plants that keeps getting its Latin name changed. Our local experts (Fred Roberts and Robert Allen, who published the wonderful <i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4242623018609673163#editor/target=post;postID=4626698283595937849;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=39;src=postname" target="_blank">Wildflowers of Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains</a></i>) call the red ones '<i>puniceus</i>' and the yellow ones '<i>auranticus</i>' and claim they hybridize freely. Personally, I suspect they are as different as red and yellow tomatoes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYiPPhMXV8XugNJhHp3fd2I52CrAAUVZggQxyAAt76Zmw64S9uIKLHzrfjk3ODISkhXfuFTtgDSb9-iwiDlcwGX3AGP6KvmVZ-QpRtNz5cpkm5ZpKWzcZhndGyGYTVJApizXip1Bxgbg/s1600/monkey+elsinore+red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYiPPhMXV8XugNJhHp3fd2I52CrAAUVZggQxyAAt76Zmw64S9uIKLHzrfjk3ODISkhXfuFTtgDSb9-iwiDlcwGX3AGP6KvmVZ-QpRtNz5cpkm5ZpKWzcZhndGyGYTVJApizXip1Bxgbg/s400/monkey+elsinore+red.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Here is the reddest Monkey Flower I've found in the wild, overlooking Lake Elsinore in the Santa Ana Mountains. (With thanks to an <a href="https://www.occnps.org/" target="_blank">OCCNPS</a> field trip led by Ron Vanderhoff for leading me to them.)</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/" target="_blank">Jepson Herbarium</a>, the authority in these matters, ducks the issue by naming <i>puniceus</i> a variation of <i>auranticus</i> or alternatively a species. Huh? A DNA study claims... well, that they really are different populations at least, that have intermixed. A study of pollinators suggests hummingbirds prefer red and hawk moths prefer yellow, but not by a lot. (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphingidae" target="_blank">Hawk moths</a> are moths that act like hummingbirds!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIDmDFQXvtsQ49OwtqjStxKBxRWCtPuEls5nYlU9KXAZqCWjH0feOTEfSMaERs9DV2NzHGNClt5my62eIIUisCl963cFWmP7wZNcsBCWm7GPb7Obh-QUuxqPXpJa9XBgzjO-GksCIGNI/s1600/monkey+lemon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIDmDFQXvtsQ49OwtqjStxKBxRWCtPuEls5nYlU9KXAZqCWjH0feOTEfSMaERs9DV2NzHGNClt5my62eIIUisCl963cFWmP7wZNcsBCWm7GPb7Obh-QUuxqPXpJa9XBgzjO-GksCIGNI/s400/monkey+lemon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some Monkey Flowers are in-between shades of orange that you could call muddy. Not 'Jelly Bean Lemon'!</span></td></tr>
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Then there are the plethora of hybrids or cultivars for sale. Hybrids of what, when the species identities are not really clear? The term comes from the time when there were eight species, since downgraded to subspecies or populations (depending on who you talk to.) Anyway, there are lots of named varieties to choose from; <a href="http://www.smgrowers.com/info/mimulus.asp" target="_blank">read more at San Marcos Growers</a>. I have not found reliable information on different growing requirements; I use them all interchangeably. Despite the puzzles, Monkey Flowers are beautiful additions to the native garden. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicR7Wgf-XqKyB64pYET-5s-mtEGIEOEc0cZOIhZDMJW-hJqOETbN59myrdpdsLfWb5vlxF2NMGnJszdO4qtzqgp7sdtwifn72oxS7gSL398iGeS7Xww3UnGXrQogV0e8b4PpGRoS24fNM/s1600/monkey+tilden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicR7Wgf-XqKyB64pYET-5s-mtEGIEOEc0cZOIhZDMJW-hJqOETbN59myrdpdsLfWb5vlxF2NMGnJszdO4qtzqgp7sdtwifn72oxS7gSL398iGeS7Xww3UnGXrQogV0e8b4PpGRoS24fNM/s400/monkey+tilden.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">While I don't usually like the white Monkey Flowers, I fell for these beauties (from the far north of California) at <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/07/tilden-eden-regional-parks-botanical.html" target="_blank">Tilden Park's native garden</a>. </span></td></tr>
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Be sure to disclose all your secrets for getting Sticky Monkey Flowers to survive the summer and fall in the comments section... But plant them even as annuals!Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-80066403417190325182017-06-22T22:49:00.000-07:002017-06-26T08:28:46.631-07:00No Place Like Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My California native garden is almost four years old. For the past two years, Scott and I have lived in Arlington Virginia, a few miles outside of Washington D.C., 80% of the time. My garden has been patiently waiting for my return... thriving, for the most part, though it has a few bare spots. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The effect I wanted: of coastal sage scrub and chaparral. Smells so good!<br />
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Occasional pruning is required, at least if I want to see out of my windows. The garden has gone up to six or eight weeks at a time with no water. I looked into automated watering, but decided to stick with an occasional application of Israeli mini-sprinklers to supplement the rainy season (unnecessary this year!) and <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/03/confessions-of-hand-waterer.html" target="_blank">Beer Watering</a> in the summer and fall. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darwinian gardening. The manzanitas, 'Howard McMinn' (left) and 'Lester Rowntree' (right) are duking it out in front of our bedroom, while the part-wild hybrid grape 'Roger's Red' threatens to cover all. <br />
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The front required a fair amount of weeding in this very wet spring. Students were hired for one bout. I could have mulched. The backyard resists most weeds, while still managing to germinate abundant almost-native Suncups (<i>Calylophus hartwegii, </i>below.) I am guessing overspray from the overwatered Association lawn germinates the weed seeds.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backyard: sage rules! Two different Cleveland sage cultivars at left add their hummingbird-pleasing purple balls, while white sage sends ten-foot flower stalks up and around the drought-dwarfed citrus.<br />
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Mixing fruits and sages in the backyard was not a great success. White sage goes nuts with even a little extra water. Pineapple guava and Satsuma mandarin are barely hanging on, though Meyer lemon is doing OK. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toyon doing its job, hiding utility doors and screening the kitchen from the street. Dwarf coyote bush 'Pozo Surf' takes to trimming in a ball shape just fine. The air conditioner is new. Shall we build a screen for it?<br />
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Some of the trees and tall shrubs are starting to show their stuff. The successes: Lemonade berry (finally hiding the compost bin), Toyon, and California Bay Laurel. My Catalina Ironwood just stays a shrub. And a few bare walls remain. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDez0168S04qzNRxC0CQWjOmnLu_KIIl23wBd7jxtefHNvhNvG4NV2PzXKKR4fFglCuwf-BumZTSyItvVcxLR4F6hSdccPZizAoNYVsSuHuxgaZKwln8ORrokbfs3KrORv5KHXlWo8e9Y/s1600/IMG_2114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDez0168S04qzNRxC0CQWjOmnLu_KIIl23wBd7jxtefHNvhNvG4NV2PzXKKR4fFglCuwf-BumZTSyItvVcxLR4F6hSdccPZizAoNYVsSuHuxgaZKwln8ORrokbfs3KrORv5KHXlWo8e9Y/s400/IMG_2114.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In addition to being a yummy dark green, California Bay Laurel (behind the birdbath) smells amazing. Don't put more than half a leaf into your soup or it's overpowering.<br />
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Out our kitchen window we are treated to hummingbirds on the Baja Fairy Duster, as well as a screen of lacy shades of green, hiding our pajamas from street view. A few untimely and mysterious deaths have left bare spots, including the death of a rather widespread dwarf sage in the front of the mound above. The culprit may be fungus, but who knows. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hodgepodge of natives, borrowing some water from the lawn, creates a lush border.<br />
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Tomaz, the next door neighbor who got me started with natives, moved to New Jersey. My new neighbor Seema is still adjusting to natives, but does like this border between our yards. We will have fun together filling the holes in our yards this fall. Native plant nursery, here we come!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't have a lot of blooms right now, but pink buckwheat is a nice accent.<br />
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I have grown to appreciate Virginia forests and wildflowers during my sojourn there. After all, I've been living across the street from a Nature Conservancy garden. But when it comes to gardens, there's no place like home.</div>
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Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-52332566454292934632017-06-07T16:12:00.000-07:002017-06-07T16:48:22.602-07:00Contemplating a Native Garden?<div class="MsoNormal">
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**Note: This is my first blog post in... um... a long time. The garden is doing fine, and I will soon be moving back to California. More to come...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIci2duYTGA5hhcbdCKBh_UX3lFrch3LNSP6pz3vciOtpDESzQyDru8gqXW06U6REF-Wmr1qizjfud0ybrEaDb6pyjz5CMCMWHMCRBiywwME_NRkwfP3x8tcawE1-gPa1Qmf8FHkqAlqk/s1600/uci-goldfields+%25E2%2580%2593+Version+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="1280" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIci2duYTGA5hhcbdCKBh_UX3lFrch3LNSP6pz3vciOtpDESzQyDru8gqXW06U6REF-Wmr1qizjfud0ybrEaDb6pyjz5CMCMWHMCRBiywwME_NRkwfP3x8tcawE1-gPa1Qmf8FHkqAlqk/s400/uci-goldfields+%25E2%2580%2593+Version+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my garden... goldfields in the UCI preserve.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">It rained this year! But drought will come again. </span><span style="text-indent: 48px;">If you are thinking about going native, now is a good time to plan, and to learn about the unique requirements and habits of California native plants. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">You have missed the low-water planting
season, so you have time (till October...) to catch your breath and learn.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> You might want to visit native gardens in the summer to see how they hold up during summer dormancy. Some California natives are evergreen, some disappear in the dry season, and some get a bit scruffy. Best to know in advance what you can put up with. </span><br />
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<b style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Natives are different.</b><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">They
don’t want soil amendments; in fact most will happily grow on a </span><a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/01/indian-burial-mounds.html" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">mound
of decomposed granite</a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">They don’t
want fertilizer.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">They never need
pesticides.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">They don’t want watering
more than once or twice a month, but they do want deep watering.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Most of all, </span><a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/10/you-must-remember-this-summer-dry.html" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">THEY
DON’T WANT SUMMER WATER</a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Natives evolved
in a climate where it almost never rains six months of the year, and they have
no protection from root rot in warm damp soil. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">If you must water in summer, just hose off the
foliage every week or two. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/12/planting-natives.html" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Planting
natives is different too</a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">And no
practical native ‘lawn’ exists; we have to </span><a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/06/turf-terminators-beware.html" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">think
outside that lawn box</a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> to avoid not only the water use, but the pesticide
and fertilizer runoff that pollutes our bays and oceans. (lush weed-free lawns are one of our biggest sources of water waste and pollution!)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWty393zCRiziqxPD1tTYXSufOmm3wmY7HgsSOqdDen65nzlnu_D2bh8CBdnZDUlUyc1enCwb38ItLscpcvTIrJwcXHIYbhT31_IzN2OWTH1bllYb4bEgHNZizkgruCYBATwHBUeF7aTk/s1600/Contemplating+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="1280" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWty393zCRiziqxPD1tTYXSufOmm3wmY7HgsSOqdDen65nzlnu_D2bh8CBdnZDUlUyc1enCwb38ItLscpcvTIrJwcXHIYbhT31_IzN2OWTH1bllYb4bEgHNZizkgruCYBATwHBUeF7aTk/s400/Contemplating+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My garden, back in the drought years, at the end of summer. With just a little beer watering!</td></tr>
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<b style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Buyer Beware. </b><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Know what you are planting and what it requires to
thrive. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Few staff of regular nurseries understand
how to grow natives.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Some even think
‘native’ is the same as ‘low water.’ </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/06/turf-terminators-beware.html" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Turf
Terminators</a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> don’t have a clue.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Sadly,
neither do most commercial landscapers or gardeners.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">If you are shelling out for professional help (design or upkeep),
make sure you see a 3-5 year old native garden that person has created and/or
maintained.</span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Get to know the natives.</b><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/plants.htm" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Las Pilitas Nursery’s
extensive website</a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> will tell you more about these eco-friendy plants, as
will my blog, </span><a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">canativegarden.blogspot.com</a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">.
</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Orange County residents can visit <a href="http://californianativeplants.com/" target="_blank">Tree of Life Nursery</a>, or the friendly volunteers at </span><a href="http://www.goldenwestcollege.edu/garden/visiting.html" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Golden West
College’s Native Garden</a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">. Here are some of my favorite natives for coastal Southern California.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hedges
and Shrubs:</i> Coffeeberry, Manzanita <span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">‘</span><a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/04/everyone-loves-howard.html" style="text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Howard McMinn</a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">’</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">, Ceanothus ‘Concha’</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perennials:</i>
(all great for butterflies and hummingbirds!) Cleveland Sage, Baja Fairy
Duster, Island Bush Snapdragon, <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/02/lilac-verbena.html" target="_blank">Lilac Verbena</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ground
covers for sun:</i> Dwarf <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/02/wheres-coyote.html" target="_blank">Coyote Bush</a>, Dwarf Sages (Dara’s Choice, Bees’ Bliss)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ground
covers for shade:</i> Hummingbird Sage, Catalina Perfume.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Trees:</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>California Bay Laurel, Toyon, Catalina
Cherry, ‘Mexican’ Elderberry.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2rc5RvHhDz2y_mSKWU4KQkWjC1Y7VPkCBBtpR3biVCrXPt0IswL4decmvq14oYoLXuJ093fF3XmE0IyP2b5ngwmn4kbw1KCu8ZWBuzaT290ZJWHT09KLOAZEGKCihhkhssQX_qhx04E/s1600/Dudleya+farinosa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2rc5RvHhDz2y_mSKWU4KQkWjC1Y7VPkCBBtpR3biVCrXPt0IswL4decmvq14oYoLXuJ093fF3XmE0IyP2b5ngwmn4kbw1KCu8ZWBuzaT290ZJWHT09KLOAZEGKCihhkhssQX_qhx04E/s400/Dudleya+farinosa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And don't forget California's cutest succulents: Dudleyas! <br />
(These are Dudley Farinosa, at Tilden Native Garden in Berkeley.)</td></tr>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"></span><b style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Be patient.</b><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Natives root
deep, and take a while to express their potential.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">They go dormant in the summer.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> They feed native birds and animals. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">On a minimum of water and no fertilizer or pesticide, their subtle beauty offers a deep connection with
the rhythms of nature that feed the soul.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>
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Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-69730567371542446682015-12-03T19:12:00.000-08:002015-12-03T19:28:01.824-08:00Planting NativesI had an excuse to visit Tree of Life Nursery the end of November. I needed a few reliables to fill in the bare spots. A <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/02/lilac-verbena.html" target="_blank">Lilac Verbena</a>, two Santa Cruz Island Buckwheats, and two Coral Bells 'Old la Rochette'. The latter I treat as an annual if it doesn't thrive in a given spot. It has such gorgeous flowers. The buckwheats are particularly tidy low shrubs that stay elegant in dry areas. Lilac Verbena is a favorite for filling in any hole; this is my eighth.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUS-gOveTuSG8FkRXvLj7Pf1vsz4hxnIs_qlN7DYgM1dSFNOOa-Q8ZXdQ8H-rTsScnxQntIy_acnOo8lSg-vLoozMNsMNOEqrw399uUVeAvdZ1Nj4bw2jOf7voPpWM3m7ev-_C8SUAPnA/s1600/planting+coral+and+LV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUS-gOveTuSG8FkRXvLj7Pf1vsz4hxnIs_qlN7DYgM1dSFNOOa-Q8ZXdQ8H-rTsScnxQntIy_acnOo8lSg-vLoozMNsMNOEqrw399uUVeAvdZ1Nj4bw2jOf7voPpWM3m7ev-_C8SUAPnA/s400/planting+coral+and+LV.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lilac Verbena on the left, stalks of Coral Bells 'Old la Rochelle' on the right. Can't have too many of these!</span></td></tr>
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How to plant a native plant? Planting natives, like many other aspects of gardening, is an art and not a science. If you follow the guide from Tree of Life Nursery (<a href="http://www.californianativeplants.com/index.php/plants/planning_tools/planting_guide" target="_blank">download here</a>), there's little difference between planting a native and a typical garden plant. Las Pilitas has a very different take on planting (<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/classes/native_planting_guide.html" target="_blank">read here</a>). OCCNPS gardeners weighed in with some good ideas (<a href="https://www.occnps.org/gardening-with-natives/gardening-with-natives/372-native-gardeners-corner-sepoct2015.html" target="_blank">in this recent newsletter</a>.) Don't bother planting in late spring or summer; the plant will be dormant and only with much fussing will even survive till fall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIxmL1B-GuP-fKpDPXzzy8KpUuPKeBDSbGV0PbmXnTaYy4emwIf2GUs1ss6Ey5VJvoOxCWLPg7SFvz7ozr_z2SGz_FM_Zuxl0p8qR6zqWH24rcDyqqtjo-EG7nwGK9XG4tS8nj5qUOls/s1600/planting+rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIxmL1B-GuP-fKpDPXzzy8KpUuPKeBDSbGV0PbmXnTaYy4emwIf2GUs1ss6Ey5VJvoOxCWLPg7SFvz7ozr_z2SGz_FM_Zuxl0p8qR6zqWH24rcDyqqtjo-EG7nwGK9XG4tS8nj5qUOls/s400/planting+rock.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">One bare spot was covered all summer with a very large rock.</span></td></tr>
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A typical garden plant would like a deep wide hole, and lots of amended soil rich in organic plant matter and nutrients to put in that hole. Don't do that to natives! DO NOT AMEND! At all. Do not add some special mix in the bottom of the hole either (despite what the Tree of Life guide says.) With the exception of riparian (waterside) and forest plants, natives actually prefer soil that is poor in organic matter. That's what they get in our coastal hills. Organic material in the soil just encourages root rot, leading to sudden plant death in warm weather. The gardeners at Golden West College's native garden will give you an earful about nurseries these days using too much organic material in their native pots, and Dan Songster suggests actually stripping most of the potting material off the roots before planting. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTPVxhFTE9CzqPCiAtD57MqHPdm8m6ieRG5rZnFXy_M6mOD-m2gQGWwleq-gTvLfn6TOjbHbIfBc4tJv_aGD1yodkcgJKw_rXUDr72nZVaWuuG0F3E2uNM-Nj9rQDmneRGAk4k8nkrfg/s1600/planting+buckwheat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTPVxhFTE9CzqPCiAtD57MqHPdm8m6ieRG5rZnFXy_M6mOD-m2gQGWwleq-gTvLfn6TOjbHbIfBc4tJv_aGD1yodkcgJKw_rXUDr72nZVaWuuG0F3E2uNM-Nj9rQDmneRGAk4k8nkrfg/s400/planting+buckwheat.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The little Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat is half-planted.</span></td></tr>
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Don't double-dig. If your soil is not hopelessly compacted, native roots will work their way down through it. If it is compacted and you gouge a nice deep basin for your plant, you have made a water-gathering trough to rot the roots of your plant. If you have clay– as many of us do– the easiest way to assure good drainage is to place very well draining material–pure decomposed granite works– on top of your existing soil in mounds (<a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/01/indian-burial-mounds.html" target="_blank">see how I did it here</a>). Otherwise throw a bunch of 3/8" gravel in when you plant. (Not sand or DG. Sand plus clay equals cement!) You can plant natives that tolerate clay– those include most annual wildflowers and many hardy shrubs. (Various lists are online, including <a href="http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com/claytolerant.php" target="_blank">this one from Yerba Buena Nursery</a>.) Then only <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/03/confessions-of-hand-waterer.html" target="_blank">beer water them</a> in summer!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijETFlEAGsjIyzAZ4hvv6IVZ63gv66CBZE7vU9jOqoBYbtg783PJ10gqu_Kds5AIDLTw5uAhJeWqJWFTwWx01hyGZTCHe6RsV3nmRhiCE6Mdon_CBZ1M68CB0fJV-Jh8p-eIe0k7MCYBs/s1600/planting+verbena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijETFlEAGsjIyzAZ4hvv6IVZ63gv66CBZE7vU9jOqoBYbtg783PJ10gqu_Kds5AIDLTw5uAhJeWqJWFTwWx01hyGZTCHe6RsV3nmRhiCE6Mdon_CBZ1M68CB0fJV-Jh8p-eIe0k7MCYBs/s400/planting+verbena.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/02/lilac-verbena.html" target="_blank">Lilac Verbena</a> #8 has been watered, watered, watered. It's up on a too-high mound and will have to grow deep roots to get reliable water. Or maybe the <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/advanced/advroots.htm" target="_blank">mycorrhizae</a> will take care of it. In either case, I expect to see copious flowers, hummingbirds, and butterflies this spring.<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">And now for the most crucial step in planting natives. WATER. WATER. WATER. This is the most important time you'll ever water your native plant. Make sure the plant is well watered before you take it out of the pot. (Just be sure the soil isn't so heavy it falls off the roots when you unpot.) Water the hole you dig. CNPS folks say: do this three times. If the hole doesn't drain, do it anyway and plant the plant tomorrow. This is even after you (ideally) have soaked the whole area well recently. Then water the plant after you've replace half the dirt in the hole, and again when you've replaced all of it. The aims are two: first to settle the earth around the plant (gentle tapping with the foot or firm tapping with trowel or fist also helps- don't leave voids or fluffed soil that's half air) so the roots make contact with the new soil, and second, to invite the plant to send roots down deep into this nice moist soil as the surface soil dries, so they don't need lots of surface water that leads to rot. And some plants don't waste time!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mmmyGy2tBzNWifZoqeLNJY8h4je59obgDhSDUtoqb2dKByww9oi2M6JA2BTKWGfj8a3WjkKkE-0wxODIi_QTbBj4RdMHSxRFBCOlAuKxMOh_M22ViY2BpvrrWFaJvjt521zEhFZKNQw/s1600/planting+coyote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mmmyGy2tBzNWifZoqeLNJY8h4je59obgDhSDUtoqb2dKByww9oi2M6JA2BTKWGfj8a3WjkKkE-0wxODIi_QTbBj4RdMHSxRFBCOlAuKxMOh_M22ViY2BpvrrWFaJvjt521zEhFZKNQw/s400/planting+coyote.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This dwarf coyote bush was moved from a four-inch pot to a gallon pot two weeks before this photo, producing two-week-old roots circling the gallon pot.</span></td></tr>
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Add the appropriate kind of mulch <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/advanced/advamendments.htm" target="_blank">(instructions here</a>) and you're good to go. Happy planting!<br />
<br />Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-14000869554773145702015-11-27T14:48:00.000-08:002015-11-27T14:48:04.598-08:00Hack and Slash<br />
It's pruning time in the coastal native garden. After summer/fall dormancy, it's time to prepare for a flush of winter growth. In other areas of my life I strive for calm gentleness, but I relish wading into the thickets for some satisfying hacking and slashing. In a measured way, for a cause. I appreciate a well-pruned garden. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJj7XUKhb52wMuXTFn_3KrlsWGNyqAfK_eKmzFGHT4kYSNW8WF5-yPv5KtiQ_k947gnTMY5cgT0L1SnCo0w60Pksp6oBhxNCt7hg-cFMb3Qyi6i4DUZLsPM2qNu4LL9x9-wwznmRiRPk/s1600/prune+marigold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJj7XUKhb52wMuXTFn_3KrlsWGNyqAfK_eKmzFGHT4kYSNW8WF5-yPv5KtiQ_k947gnTMY5cgT0L1SnCo0w60Pksp6oBhxNCt7hg-cFMb3Qyi6i4DUZLsPM2qNu4LL9x9-wwznmRiRPk/s400/prune+marigold.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This Bush Marigold (<i><a href="http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=1530" target="_blank">Tagetes lemmonii</a></i>, adaptable non-CA southwest native) is off the schedule. It got hacked to the ground in August, and provides needed November color. Bush Marigold needs regular hard pruning or it gets leggy and ugly.</span></td></tr>
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I have had my <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/05/trim-me.html" target="_blank">rant about bad pruning (or lack thereof) in a previous post</a>. I like to snip on a regular basis, but I was away from the garden for nine weeks, so could not snip. Not much grew in the hot early fall anyway: most of the plants were dormant or near. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFgCw_6RL1WxdqhxQyWZTeGgoeoKXYOa4gbY1C773PXZULsxqZkgz7F7hhVVYMCsXNTHR1mfGlVH03323pQOTsry3vp1ZwAOGQhyCP3ljgvTnzS6Wcacltxca8irFYzaS-fQDRIYz4x0/s1600/prune+kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFgCw_6RL1WxdqhxQyWZTeGgoeoKXYOa4gbY1C773PXZULsxqZkgz7F7hhVVYMCsXNTHR1mfGlVH03323pQOTsry3vp1ZwAOGQhyCP3ljgvTnzS6Wcacltxca8irFYzaS-fQDRIYz4x0/s400/prune+kitchen.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Toyon, Coyote Bush and Bay Laurel screen the kitchen nook from the street. (Yes! Took almost three years.) They need no pruning now, not having been overwatered in summer. (Photo from kitchen.)</span></td></tr>
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In the backyard where the garden has received only the odd rain and a few brief brief <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/03/confessions-of-hand-waterer.html">beer waterings </a>since May, pruning is little work. First, deadhead the sages. Their dried flower stalks are austerely beautiful to the lover of natives, if not to the HOA vigilantes. But these stalks are weathered and grey by fall, and the bushes need to be trimmed back to allow new growth to be shapely and well supported. For White Sage this can look pretty extreme: eight-foot flower stalks lopped almost to the ground; all that remain are little florets of silver leaves at the base of the former tower.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLbukpwiNG8kBjvVxjQBf8MQdqi-IHElN5Lc_0B4uFq4D_l85IJb_f6Oe_ts0ibtA0AFaKMt2AxIdLqsNi4j6YM0sF7MxpKWhjgM4lgYrtxN5-hAEbLCzKqngXMHr9ja5QlZZn4xQlBA/s1600/prune+white+sage+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLbukpwiNG8kBjvVxjQBf8MQdqi-IHElN5Lc_0B4uFq4D_l85IJb_f6Oe_ts0ibtA0AFaKMt2AxIdLqsNi4j6YM0sF7MxpKWhjgM4lgYrtxN5-hAEbLCzKqngXMHr9ja5QlZZn4xQlBA/s400/prune+white+sage+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This pruned White Sage looks scraggly. It will fill in.</span></td></tr>
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A few judicious snips for the Manzanitas: <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/04/everyone-loves-howard.html" target="_blank">'Howard McMinn' </a>can take random chopping but a 'Paradise' Manzanita dropped dead last winter after I trimmed a wayward stem. For these delicate fellows, I am careful to sanitize my clippers by dipping them in a jar of rubbing alcohol. I also apologize, and pray. Can't hurt, right? Yes, I planted things too close. And I want them to be shapely. Don't prune (also delicate) California Lilacs (<i>Ceanothus</i>) now; you'll lose blooms.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeuZruNPukMShza-AcWjZ0-jjhfBUsRwyu8FT2aEinmdva-Fl8Y1BbJXwQtAArd45aTUFea2__Ulq_eR8M8-54JYkcvM86xAsvo25qBLPr5MOhgH0Pmn9jXAHqYbOjITjg9VLgac_Wk8/s1600/prune+paradise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeuZruNPukMShza-AcWjZ0-jjhfBUsRwyu8FT2aEinmdva-Fl8Y1BbJXwQtAArd45aTUFea2__Ulq_eR8M8-54JYkcvM86xAsvo25qBLPr5MOhgH0Pmn9jXAHqYbOjITjg9VLgac_Wk8/s400/prune+paradise.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/67--arctostaphylos-pajaroensis-paradise-manzanita" target="_blank">'Paradise' Manzanita</a> is worth fussing over. These flower-like leaf rosettes will show up after the winter rains.</span></td></tr>
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The <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/114--baccharis-pilularis-pilularis-pigeon-point" target="_blank">dwarf Coyote Bush ('Pigeon Point')</a> needs trimming about twice a year despite the lack of water; I planted these bulletproof pools of green more densely than needed. But a pair of shears makes quick work. Likewise the non-native variegated Mockorange (<i>Pittosporum tobira</i>), a great low-water background plant. Lemonadeberry gets a light clipping. Southwest native Bush Marigolds got coppiced (trimmed down to a few inches from the ground) in summer and are ready to bloom now. I've coppiced one twice a year for almost twenty years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-kMxdNh51r9uTgsl39WNZWlTRTpD_akuDuac26ni250aGh7Ya4mx6DNqPazmLaZbeBswIkjvcT7M7kw24vrGm1K52_cKoyx00t6m6yMV3ql2VFvZZceFPZzx_mKBjjaAJ2mP6m3-DU0/s1600/prune+bushy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-kMxdNh51r9uTgsl39WNZWlTRTpD_akuDuac26ni250aGh7Ya4mx6DNqPazmLaZbeBswIkjvcT7M7kw24vrGm1K52_cKoyx00t6m6yMV3ql2VFvZZceFPZzx_mKBjjaAJ2mP6m3-DU0/s400/prune+bushy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The overgrown section.</span></td></tr>
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In front, I deadhead the buckwheats, trim the coyote, and get ready for the Great Hacking. Part of the front garden gets considerable overspray, seepage, and probably underground flow, from the overwatered Association lawn just across the sidewalk. California Sagebrush, Southwest native Baby Sage (<i>Salvia microphylla</i>) and <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/02/lilac-verbena.html" target="_blank">Lilac Verbena</a> grow like crazy, and have to be cut way back at least semiannually or they'd block the windows. For this I pull out the power hedge cutter. Looks naked, but within a month it will appear dignified. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkzlDNBu_c0SKJYrMfItci4D8WSeIQ0cPWNVSpBxRINlDTe5lN6scPPpKOMD9boxn-qF-M1RaAERQUsJVWMiCOKD9RIKPvQr7fDcVHb2ZIkbfQX14-L9tTEXszStyEkzrH5YdvGRsyiE/s1600/prune+after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkzlDNBu_c0SKJYrMfItci4D8WSeIQ0cPWNVSpBxRINlDTe5lN6scPPpKOMD9boxn-qF-M1RaAERQUsJVWMiCOKD9RIKPvQr7fDcVHb2ZIkbfQX14-L9tTEXszStyEkzrH5YdvGRsyiE/s400/prune+after.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">After the hedge trimmers.</span></td></tr>
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I find it much easier to prune a rampant grower than to try to revive an invalid plant. Many plants have no middle ground. <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/02/wheres-coyote.html" target="_blank">Coyote</a>, <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/01/best-scent-ever.html" target="_blank">Sagebrush</a>, Coffeeberry, and <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/02/lilac-verbena.html" target="_blank">Lilac Verbena</a> can be pruned to your heart's content, and at almost any time of year. Frequent need for trimming suggests you are overwatering... How much pruning will I do in the spring? It depends on how much rain we get. Stay tuned.<br />
<br />
Want to know about pruning individual plants? Here are some guides.<br />
<br />
From Las Pilitas: <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/garden/howto/pruning.htm" target="_blank">http://www.laspilitas.com/garden/howto/pruning.htm</a> Short version: trim everything in late summer, with a few exceptions.<br />
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<i>Care and Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens</i> by Bart O'Brien, Betsey Landis, and Ellen Mackey is the most detailed guide. This book is out of print, and very pricey on Amazon, but can still be found at some gardens and bookstores.<br />
<br />Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-87539743768956889722015-11-17T13:14:00.000-08:002015-11-17T13:14:07.904-08:00This is a garden (San Joachin Wildlife Sanctuary)If you want to take out-of-town visitors on a tame yet spectacular wildlife walk, bring them to <a href="http://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/SJWS/sjws.htm">San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary (SJWS)</a> in Irvine. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy9cYRFwtAUt4y3QCTr3bW4a3cPp-9WXL_R41lzg8ykshzGvd5u_1qaJ7fZC1BpONw1CJSzRs1J0axa9CP14t_E_AIWjQAtvo9yOQ-dsf-8qX6JHyd06CDaI7NRvUgiLDSBylpR8YfB4/s1600/sjws+buildings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy9cYRFwtAUt4y3QCTr3bW4a3cPp-9WXL_R41lzg8ykshzGvd5u_1qaJ7fZC1BpONw1CJSzRs1J0axa9CP14t_E_AIWjQAtvo9yOQ-dsf-8qX6JHyd06CDaI7NRvUgiLDSBylpR8YfB4/s400/sjws+buildings.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">SJWS contrast: verdant native plant and bird life set against artificial waterways and high rises.</span></td></tr>
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Wide, level trails are accessible to old, young, even wheelchairs, and the Sea and Sage Audubon House and comfy restrooms make SJWS inviting for less-than-outdoorsy folks. SJWS is a spectacular birding area, as well as an <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2000/nov/28/local/me-58263">award-winning</a> water purifier for the urban runoff from San Diego Creek. It is also an easy place to see native plants in a nearly wild setting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaZzZaTdH2_kBxGl8-XC59UWtR0A6fLBMhs0wQVA6hgkf_XdIttglh9EfMlaMSypTbXoI236ZYe3O7uNexeASYCpfBPdyQB1lYGsC9XsYZPLTf96ZFTa8AlPSbI5AI8JtpZSOVEVOEOs/s1600/sjws+mallow2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaZzZaTdH2_kBxGl8-XC59UWtR0A6fLBMhs0wQVA6hgkf_XdIttglh9EfMlaMSypTbXoI236ZYe3O7uNexeASYCpfBPdyQB1lYGsC9XsYZPLTf96ZFTa8AlPSbI5AI8JtpZSOVEVOEOs/s400/sjws+mallow2.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">While Coastal Sage Scrub endures with no nearby water source, it seems to love to be within sipping distance of ponds. This is <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/425--malacothamnus-fasciculatus">Chapparal Mallow</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=5310">Malacothamnus fasciculatus</a>).</i></span></td></tr>
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Ornamental native gardens surround some of the buildings. The rest of the natives look wild. But make no mistake: SJWS is not wild. It is a garden. Five full time gardeners maintain the plant life here. Non-native (i.e. weed) removal is a never-ending job. You will see fewer weeds at SJWS than in any truly wild area in the county (sadly.)<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmYTw9WijngD7Td1LQsQVFyIMavSktffdE-FoXvx9vQ1wOqsyKO4bLdGqZb6YOUerjQnXlUoaw25jRKSzpKumIq-ODk65BdgW5D6y9m0YoZT7jt4I3HII7SMdTeT9Cr_7TvTa96zpk8k/s1600/sjws+mule+fat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmYTw9WijngD7Td1LQsQVFyIMavSktffdE-FoXvx9vQ1wOqsyKO4bLdGqZb6YOUerjQnXlUoaw25jRKSzpKumIq-ODk65BdgW5D6y9m0YoZT7jt4I3HII7SMdTeT9Cr_7TvTa96zpk8k/s400/sjws+mule+fat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mule Fat, a relative of my favorite Coyote Plant, in bloom.</span></td></tr>
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The dominant plant at SJWS seems to be Mule Fat (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=1035">Baccharis salicifolia</a></i>.) Its favorite habitat, the edge of a pond, is in great abundance here. Mule Fat is a great wildlife plant, feeding everything from insects to deer. Water-loving and rather shaggy, it is not first choice on my garden list. Its curious name apparently arose when Spaniards' mules who ate it got bloated.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJebS5oMWXdv8AruRsOWuWwlW523OZBwUa4S5TtsNKFaoNUyi8ALCo3cqAOhE6koHr6drU-7SPRz8hNHNYCGz16HBlkrzGnDeG_Ym734WyjbfGxLrTXz7img1jQhb-uZQYnB40KAwvfDU/s1600/sjws+border.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJebS5oMWXdv8AruRsOWuWwlW523OZBwUa4S5TtsNKFaoNUyi8ALCo3cqAOhE6koHr6drU-7SPRz8hNHNYCGz16HBlkrzGnDeG_Ym734WyjbfGxLrTXz7img1jQhb-uZQYnB40KAwvfDU/s400/sjws+border.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A silvery Coastal Sage Scrub border: Elderberry in the background, blooming Bladderpod, and California Sagebrush up front. The density and verticality say "garden, not wild."</span></td></tr>
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Aside from riparian (waterside) plants, Coastal Sage Scrub is the dominant habitat at SJWS. Stands of wild roses (<a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7179"><i>Rosa californica</i></a>) are a particular delight.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GbLJPKPl4Ojc3hPIhmNIuQGuaV5bI4Vrjgx_BvDS6y6pXscVJi1gdZY0m9HJc2ZIkP9MzI281m8TrH0z7sbWYCk4zfvJalb9ZYEnWuy1y1ykAS5wN0pRkMoQus0GcHdzcdSrAla3_I4/s1600/sjws+roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GbLJPKPl4Ojc3hPIhmNIuQGuaV5bI4Vrjgx_BvDS6y6pXscVJi1gdZY0m9HJc2ZIkP9MzI281m8TrH0z7sbWYCk4zfvJalb9ZYEnWuy1y1ykAS5wN0pRkMoQus0GcHdzcdSrAla3_I4/s400/sjws+roses.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Roses don't grow this thick and happy in the wild. Enjoy!</span></td></tr>
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SJWS is part of a <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jul/08/local/me-49644">"mitigation project" by the Irvine Company.</a> In my best understanding, the legal term "mitigation" means restoring an area to a passable resemblance of wild habitat in compensation for destroying a comparably-sized existing wild habitat by commercial development (i.e. subdivisions.) This project cost over 12 million dollars, was <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1992-07-17/local/me-3715_1_san-joaquin-marsh">a wonder of intergroup cooperation</a> and, I suspect, has kept some wildlife biologists and native plant nurseries solvent. <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/simple.htm">They know what they're doing,</a> or else they keep redoing it till it works. One wonders what could happen if the big bucks were a little more evenly distributed among native restoration efforts.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9Um0GsiXpodvPldRD5HXUNvbCULdnPMhu4kXJ7v6XQtgHi7fNLzDaRx9zrQNobTAjUxSXkQDn1-0uwENwrtsBiifFP2UlBx116xEBdQJlJb99okV6VhVR-LURNapP_qAsnJV-dtcslE/s1600/sjws+audubon+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9Um0GsiXpodvPldRD5HXUNvbCULdnPMhu4kXJ7v6XQtgHi7fNLzDaRx9zrQNobTAjUxSXkQDn1-0uwENwrtsBiifFP2UlBx116xEBdQJlJb99okV6VhVR-LURNapP_qAsnJV-dtcslE/s400/sjws+audubon+house.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Sea and Sage Audubon House contains friendly staff, a great bookstore, news of classes and events, and a photo guide to native plants in the SJWS.</span></td></tr>
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The Sea and Sage Audubon Society, quartered in the SJWS, offers a visitor center and variety of nature programs for children and adults. <a href="http://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/">Check here for more information</a>, including classes and schedules.<br />
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Are you curious about native area restoration? Check out <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/simple.htm">this guide from Las Pilitas Nursery</a>.<br />
<br />Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-35964583308991227612015-11-12T11:54:00.002-08:002015-11-30T20:06:27.330-08:00Coastkeeper: A Demonstration Garden, and an Enthusiastic Gardener I took advantage of some cool weather way back in early July to visit the <a href="http://www.coastkeeper.org/coastkeeper-garden" target="_blank">Coastkeeper Garden </a>at Santiago Canyon College in the Orange foothills. To my delight, garden director Austin Brown and his dog Nala were in residence, as they often are.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nala greets vistors to the Coastkeeper Garden.</span></td></tr>
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Coastkeeper Garden showcases different styles of low-water, ecologically sound gardens. It features California natives and desert and Mediterranean-climate favorites. The five different areas are each designed and hardscaped like a classy suburban yard, all surrounded by a border of less manicured (mostly native) garden. I focus on the native plants, of course.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkGa4q-Iqga6hU23-SPRt6uLrOcdvmgLtXSGcyoc1CDd_Ip29F54FP3zJo3lfceErpvqpj0jsr7laFUpFj9AQUptj-tCSl_A0fvwNiyBKYMQuQomUG37PZfLjtEh_F8qoJlI7fZk8xhE/s1600/coastkeeper+mixed+border.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkGa4q-Iqga6hU23-SPRt6uLrOcdvmgLtXSGcyoc1CDd_Ip29F54FP3zJo3lfceErpvqpj0jsr7laFUpFj9AQUptj-tCSl_A0fvwNiyBKYMQuQomUG37PZfLjtEh_F8qoJlI7fZk8xhE/s400/coastkeeper+mixed+border.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This mixed border features Deergrass, a favorite of Austin's, and Sticky Monkeyflower, one of our bloomingest natives.</span></td></tr>
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The Garden had an ambitious start in 2008. The Great Recession set back development considerably. Austin got the call in 2010 to turn it around, and discovered a 2.5 acre plot of six-foot-tall weeds. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6viw6fgRhS5yagH_e0eluMVQgCKy-7jMn7J4juTDMqZkQgh8diG6_Z5_d9LKp6fcPCrvpscJjbSM5TGa_VL50TPNHYNOtYWfsET-JaqnDgM5_55Zu6pa0NYcWMU5XScwIB9KfTKy-Y04/s1600/Coastkeeper+Pittosporum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6viw6fgRhS5yagH_e0eluMVQgCKy-7jMn7J4juTDMqZkQgh8diG6_Z5_d9LKp6fcPCrvpscJjbSM5TGa_VL50TPNHYNOtYWfsET-JaqnDgM5_55Zu6pa0NYcWMU5XScwIB9KfTKy-Y04/s400/Coastkeeper+Pittosporum.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now a tour of the garden shows pleasing combinations of natives and low-water ornamentals. A non-native favorite of mine, variegated Mockorange (<i>Pittosporum tobira</i>, the light colored plant), grows happily alongside <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/566--rhamnus-californica">Coffeeberry</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=10902">Frangula californica</a>, </i>far right) and <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/586--ribes-viburnifolium">Catalina Perfume</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7149">Ribes viburnifolium</a> </i>top and near right), all with once-a-week watering.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Austin is the kind of gardener you want to consult when planning your low water garden. He was an unlikely candidate to become a low-water gardening expert: in 2010 he was all about ocean sports and hadn't a clue about gardening. But he was game to try, and after five years of hard work and experimentation he has made Coastkeeper Garden shine. He has also gained some knowledge through plant death. He is straight up about explaining what worked and what didn't, and he has been both flexible and determined about finding ecological ways to craft gorgeous gardens. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSK3TlBaZC3uDeiM70Mg0m8TNFjHUp1KClJzKzl9b08b0kNH5y_q_KyETnAE0vTji7W3YefvGxxGY68xPKDmewDe1-Ic5WGjpA5MkurJ3lFJpaaBUyZEeKIaWkI_Iiq6NJGqasoW_8lM/s1600/coastk+emitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSK3TlBaZC3uDeiM70Mg0m8TNFjHUp1KClJzKzl9b08b0kNH5y_q_KyETnAE0vTji7W3YefvGxxGY68xPKDmewDe1-Ic5WGjpA5MkurJ3lFJpaaBUyZEeKIaWkI_Iiq6NJGqasoW_8lM/s400/coastk+emitter.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A microspray emitter– preferable to drip irrigation for most natives.</span></td></tr>
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Although the Garden was initially designed with all drip irrigation, this has not held up well. Austin prefers microspray emitters on drip hose (which distribute the water more evenly, and you can tell if they are not working) or better yet, <a href="https://www.hunterindustries.com/product-line/mp-rotator" target="_blank">rotator sprinkler heads</a> on 12-inch risers. (Each emitter covers a very small area, and can clog easily.) Nobody told him that natives don't like summer water; about the time he figured that out, runoff from the adjacent over-irrigated soccer field was finishing off the last of his Flannelbushes. He now has a section of mixed Buckwheats that are not watered at all, because they were on the same sprinkler zone as plants needing significant summer water: design fail! Once again, sprinkler capping saves the natives.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_i8FgqDXFfoq4bN45rOKi_5cG2-tdFY3QQwf-OT50gsDiuO2bBP22qsNTRKIWV5tMZ27OuZMOzCpvibdYSaf9J9ca74TSuePm2sbwF64rOkUmTzmoB58IQyozYCEA7E_yN0tGWFDNJI/s1600/coastkeeper+buckwheat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_i8FgqDXFfoq4bN45rOKi_5cG2-tdFY3QQwf-OT50gsDiuO2bBP22qsNTRKIWV5tMZ27OuZMOzCpvibdYSaf9J9ca74TSuePm2sbwF64rOkUmTzmoB58IQyozYCEA7E_yN0tGWFDNJI/s400/coastkeeper+buckwheat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Look Ma, no water! A hillside of <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/283--eriogonum-fasciculatum-foliolosum">California Buckwheat</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=3243">Eriogonum fasciculatum</a></i>) with <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/287--eriogonum-giganteum">St Catherine's Lace</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=3249">Eriogonum giganteum</a></i>, past its peak) in back. </span></td></tr>
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The purpose of the Coastkeeper Garden is to empower people to create ecologically sound gardens in their own yards. To this end, Austin loves giving tours and answering questions about the garden. The organization provides a contact number to aid anyone wishing to convert to a low-water landscape. I'm still waiting to hear back; talking with Austin is the way to go.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4A0eAITa0nPtV-LjEUoXc6cmaSNuaBOH39i07ZJb7umjU9SriPr_BeeY1_0F7aHAmwHYYMa1kKcxDdN0-lNn_Jg2fNF-AqYuhPQVQIoZrqwp19MaqER2jSoB7ds3vsUEspmNe0Q4yYlU/s1600/coastkeeper+austin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4A0eAITa0nPtV-LjEUoXc6cmaSNuaBOH39i07ZJb7umjU9SriPr_BeeY1_0F7aHAmwHYYMa1kKcxDdN0-lNn_Jg2fNF-AqYuhPQVQIoZrqwp19MaqER2jSoB7ds3vsUEspmNe0Q4yYlU/s400/coastkeeper+austin.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Austin explaining "How to Kill Your Lawn." </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Coastkeeper/">(From Coastkeeper's Facebook page)</a></span></td></tr>
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In addition to sparing water, the Coastkeeper Garden uses no pesticides and little or no fertilizer, and has abundant strategies for collecting rainwater and allowing it to percolate into the earth. These practices reduce urban runoff that pollutes bays and beaches. It's all connected!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9MREBNCN4oLveyeicWINvuS22veisaeal_hK13ulutCqH9bDRiK5yPbz_l-_QnM_XhIjQAnu7K64QoA_IQRTBnisp_N9qMnJ57woljbBmrm04AzNAoSTVN83iM6Id4c-iFPEjSMWMbU/s1600/coastk+deergrass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9MREBNCN4oLveyeicWINvuS22veisaeal_hK13ulutCqH9bDRiK5yPbz_l-_QnM_XhIjQAnu7K64QoA_IQRTBnisp_N9qMnJ57woljbBmrm04AzNAoSTVN83iM6Id4c-iFPEjSMWMbU/s400/coastk+deergrass.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Deergrass is Austin's favorite lawn substitute. Large swaths of it decorate the garden, providing a wild meadow vibe. Nala loves to roll in Deergrass, which doesn't hurt it at all. Austin has horror stories about some of the other lawn substitutes routinely recommended by "low water gardening experts."</span></td></tr>
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Coastkeeper Garden is inland enough to get serious heat in the summer, and the occasional frost as well. Austin gave up on coastal staples like Seaside Daisy and native Artemisias. Instead, Buckwheats and Deergrass predominate. As trees grow, the garden will evolve. Austin has expansion plans too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNap49DW1kPNy83gcK_u2Tvlo3fRxwJoGbByXROPyGnh0b5B6BDiCxw5BJyAWp2NXXiRyrBnYMqUSfabAzmjCqd3rpjRKUi_arWDcOhrmXzw8Uc4Lt2ruVTY2M49nJSM-hq0cyAHlp9A/s1600/coastkeeper+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNap49DW1kPNy83gcK_u2Tvlo3fRxwJoGbByXROPyGnh0b5B6BDiCxw5BJyAWp2NXXiRyrBnYMqUSfabAzmjCqd3rpjRKUi_arWDcOhrmXzw8Uc4Lt2ruVTY2M49nJSM-hq0cyAHlp9A/s400/coastkeeper+sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Professional signage and hardscape help make the Garden a class act. But Austin's dedication is the most important factor.</span></td></tr>
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The most delightful part of the Garden is the Natural Play Garden. Natives there are allowed to come and go as they please, not an arrangement that your neighbors would thank you for reproducing in your front yard. Free Range Kids (well almost– the area is fenced in) can get dirty and modify the landscape, a no-no in most of suburbia. Boulders and logs to clamber over and under, brush to bushwhack, sticks and stones to glean and pile... <a href="http://funorangecountyparks.com/2013/05/coastkeeper-natural-play-garden.html" target="_blank">This review </a>will give you more details. If you don't have kids to take with you to Coastkeeper, borrow some!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNb5v9z_1uAgPbBT4Xda-3yGZ-L6NanKkqD8Xu5ay-c-YgJ2OMX36TBEuS6DSsHrsD08Jne_Ml3cFpXDQZYGA0T7j54tSkbhLdmg3Fa20Kbh0dh0inNCqwNjf2ETzVV_7WP7b5GUp9YA/s1600/coastk+kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNb5v9z_1uAgPbBT4Xda-3yGZ-L6NanKkqD8Xu5ay-c-YgJ2OMX36TBEuS6DSsHrsD08Jne_Ml3cFpXDQZYGA0T7j54tSkbhLdmg3Fa20Kbh0dh0inNCqwNjf2ETzVV_7WP7b5GUp9YA/s400/coastk+kids.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nala is waiting for us to play.</span></td></tr>
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The Garden hosts classes every first Saturday and family events every third Saturday. <a href="http://www.coastkeeper.org/coastkeeper-garden" target="_blank">Check the website</a> or call for details. If you are contemplating creating a low water garden in Southern California, Coastkeeper Garden is worth a trip. If you visit between 8 and 4, Tuesday through Saturday, you can likely quiz Austin in person about his gardening strategies, and find Nala frisking in the Deergrass.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXkFkSvLtxKe-aivwnP8ttROqW0urCHejMp-10x8t-GK0YaFM-Y37FusjjNGSLIOgA0VMWNLd95m2UWwGVwbgLpojZAToir4W0ig4zFnMm-BpAzs_Qq3zTLfpLLR5ujULZBzkyi4NJE8/s1600/oastkeeper+nala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXkFkSvLtxKe-aivwnP8ttROqW0urCHejMp-10x8t-GK0YaFM-Y37FusjjNGSLIOgA0VMWNLd95m2UWwGVwbgLpojZAToir4W0ig4zFnMm-BpAzs_Qq3zTLfpLLR5ujULZBzkyi4NJE8/s400/oastkeeper+nala.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nala approves of Deergrass.</span></td></tr>
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Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-56335087012639704742015-11-06T09:43:00.000-08:002015-11-06T09:43:36.608-08:00Suburban Redwoods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://ucanr.edu/datastoreFiles/268-209.pdf">Coast Redwoods</a> make the San Francisco Bay Area landscape unique. If you have never seen them <a href="https://sempervirens.org/discover-redwoods/facts-history/">in the wild</a>, check out <a href="http://www.redwoodhikes.com/BayArea.html">preserves</a> like <a href="http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm">Muir Woods National Monument</a> or<a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=540"> Big Basin State Park</a>. But you need not find a preserve to enjoy lacy arching branches reaching to the heavens. Just look up. Way up. Redwoods decorate highways, shopping centers, and suburban yards all over the Bay Area.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcSwvbnMr01qaaDBnPA6nGbajhlLKHs7rUUMoMmD1WdIO1ULStF_3BXFWEBKysDMJP_daeUTUQRPC4cCFYzEFbBTrmDCNLYDXoG5Muc7ci1ShiaVx16Z0MPxzVF8TuAAWYv_dbwAVIEE/s1600/redwoods+campanile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcSwvbnMr01qaaDBnPA6nGbajhlLKHs7rUUMoMmD1WdIO1ULStF_3BXFWEBKysDMJP_daeUTUQRPC4cCFYzEFbBTrmDCNLYDXoG5Muc7ci1ShiaVx16Z0MPxzVF8TuAAWYv_dbwAVIEE/s400/redwoods+campanile.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">These Redwoods at UC Berkeley are not taller than the Campanile, but they're tall.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xsSKb2lxXy4BU6zwGuFlmwce9LTDG9ZjAWRmwJOzVAi0S-veC0E76VAE85niAYSQZvuTeOfR0O1g6wTEx3wOjgEuf9dCYvdQCSKyNZbpgos0a_bkzt_5msMeEeAcBwIgp0eJCUSfIEU/s1600/redwood+parking+lot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xsSKb2lxXy4BU6zwGuFlmwce9LTDG9ZjAWRmwJOzVAi0S-veC0E76VAE85niAYSQZvuTeOfR0O1g6wTEx3wOjgEuf9dCYvdQCSKyNZbpgos0a_bkzt_5msMeEeAcBwIgp0eJCUSfIEU/s400/redwood+parking+lot.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Redwoods (not very old!) adorn a parking lot in Los Gatos.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/633--sequoia-sempervirens">Coast Redwoods</a> (<i>Sequoia sempervirens</i>) are the <a href="http://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/trees/coastredwood/coastredwood/">tallest trees on earth</a>, so scale is an issue in suburban plantings. Very upright, Redwoods are a great choice for screening parking lots and high rises. My dad insisted on planting them in our suburban front yard, a sketchier choice. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP5uZfB7oQQmaSX5KOkfq-tG4ZAbprgohPKFL-8iOsQ6vgOpjwIKbKhH39MaL2SivE8P7NqXjXUKPV4b04eEkfNdUyyLlzFKuyENtzJuLy0PMURRV5IWQ5u0plFlxWnizXBHj0XMCQ30/s1600/redwoods+home+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP5uZfB7oQQmaSX5KOkfq-tG4ZAbprgohPKFL-8iOsQ6vgOpjwIKbKhH39MaL2SivE8P7NqXjXUKPV4b04eEkfNdUyyLlzFKuyENtzJuLy0PMURRV5IWQ5u0plFlxWnizXBHj0XMCQ30/s400/redwoods+home+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Forty-five year old redwoods in front of the Sunnyvale house where I grew up. For perspective: a 2400 square foot house with 2.5 car garage is hiding behind those two giants. That's one way to handle a western exposure.</span></td></tr>
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Their <a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7531">natural range</a> extends along the fog belt of the west coast from Oregon to a few canyons in Big Sur. While they thrive in the north coastal rain forest, they are also adept at harvesting moisture from fog in areas with low rainfall. With some supplemental water, they can survive in coastal Southern California (though they don't like salt.) Given their scale, I won't be planting any in my yard. They might do well in low spots in our neighborhood common area though. Wouldn't that be nice?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7QQb8MVUZmEl-zSQMoGI6T_FDW98-LIpzR9M_y6TlSIjCix4waVYwknDcRx9RIvqjNbinUXAL1kC3Piefwuqb4V9jPNmY-w1ABvJ0xH3lqrcAKe1jwTJb5kExESv1V18EhN5V-G47Ig/s1600/redwoods+fog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7QQb8MVUZmEl-zSQMoGI6T_FDW98-LIpzR9M_y6TlSIjCix4waVYwknDcRx9RIvqjNbinUXAL1kC3Piefwuqb4V9jPNmY-w1ABvJ0xH3lqrcAKe1jwTJb5kExESv1V18EhN5V-G47Ig/s400/redwoods+fog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Redwoods, ocean, and fog can make driving in the Santa Cruz Mountains a visionary experience. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(From </span><a href="http://www.redwoodhikes.com/BayArea.html">www.redwoodhikes.com</a>)</td></tr>
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Driving in the Santa Cruz mountains only miles from Silicon Valley, the Redwood canopy draped in fog creates a fairyland forest, where it seems your car could be sucked into an alternate reality. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcoO1LKO66icqdf9dBs0HjCnWp173L0uuDN5ajk9dM6dhdv_gMDaB9f8p1xPXrbPc_vDuZrGc4TSeIMr_mfx-dNmMh6BTTL7tdxUBGYOYzCPXsYO7gSwSvYjmoRRpoKwjuWosHipDO20/s1600/redwoods+road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcoO1LKO66icqdf9dBs0HjCnWp173L0uuDN5ajk9dM6dhdv_gMDaB9f8p1xPXrbPc_vDuZrGc4TSeIMr_mfx-dNmMh6BTTL7tdxUBGYOYzCPXsYO7gSwSvYjmoRRpoKwjuWosHipDO20/s400/redwoods+road.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Expect the elves to appear any moment.</span> (From <a href="http://www.totalescape.com/active/campstuff/SP/bigbas.html#.Vjzlp85DsdI">total escape.com</a>.)</td></tr>
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In Southern California, you will have to find small groves in gardens like the <a href="http://www.goldenwestcollege.edu/garden/">Golden West College native garden</a> and my favorite southern grove at <a href="http://www.rsabg.org/visit">Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden</a>. RSABG has named cultivars showing different growth habits– all gorgeous. But Bay Area Redwoods around every bend say "home" to me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFp-QOro_txLe5QkdVDMd4DFfbw2P6f69gqDO5SON6l_pCzEZegs5h5cnDAzyxBTDd3hQF1fbgTdCwRzeK4Lzr3A4lB1tB4_PMAzGtIlu114O9d5LlN2s2Y5UDGuR_aX9SW7XMWDOhFPQ/s1600/redwoods+280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFp-QOro_txLe5QkdVDMd4DFfbw2P6f69gqDO5SON6l_pCzEZegs5h5cnDAzyxBTDd3hQF1fbgTdCwRzeK4Lzr3A4lB1tB4_PMAzGtIlu114O9d5LlN2s2Y5UDGuR_aX9SW7XMWDOhFPQ/s400/redwoods+280.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Redwoods lining Highway 280 in San Jose. Receiving no special care, they are uneven but have hung on for decades.<br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nvPAVyOuzgz2p3MUFvk9I3UF9GtbY-lIyxQvMTUzdy5L0VQxlFHpp3AVVF3gsUGdAohifYQl9KFG6rqGDSmPxk9ntjQGsCRrtJwIRhHivq9dWi6izxWDljcmvbAD321jMHjnhzgcooY/s1600/redwood+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8nvPAVyOuzgz2p3MUFvk9I3UF9GtbY-lIyxQvMTUzdy5L0VQxlFHpp3AVVF3gsUGdAohifYQl9KFG6rqGDSmPxk9ntjQGsCRrtJwIRhHivq9dWi6izxWDljcmvbAD321jMHjnhzgcooY/s400/redwood+up.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Look up! </span> (From <a href="https://wilderness150.wordpress.com/tag/santa-cruz-mountains/">wilderness150.wordpress.com</a>)<br /></td></tr>
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Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-80149316011579423372015-10-27T07:31:00.000-07:002015-10-27T07:31:33.397-07:00Native Plant Guides<div style="font-family: Cochin; margin-bottom: 10px;">
What to plant? In days gone by, I daydreamed with the Sunset Western Garden Book in hand. Many editions later, it no longer meets my needs. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPxrPPWJJTmPqDuoK7I2Kl4hQzFG6zhctY4Mhh2ds5Z38ayv9BuZRtlZ-VDZGEpoRIKdLpy3FLJ14F8oFKxkkHeNBtdOVAjeZ__ZIZsgTLrSAB-mae_g7KgzsjRk110yMpOjX2ps1MHA/s1600/guide+sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPxrPPWJJTmPqDuoK7I2Kl4hQzFG6zhctY4Mhh2ds5Z38ayv9BuZRtlZ-VDZGEpoRIKdLpy3FLJ14F8oFKxkkHeNBtdOVAjeZ__ZIZsgTLrSAB-mae_g7KgzsjRk110yMpOjX2ps1MHA/s400/guide+sunset.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">In addition to setting the standard for California gardens in the last century, Sunset defined "midcentury modern." I thought it was just "new." </span></td></tr>
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Guides in book form are available for California natives, but the Web may be your easiest source. Here are some of my favorite web guides.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.californianativeplants.com/">Tree of Life Nursery</a> </b>has created a 48-page <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CCsQFjACahUKEwiOi76LoOHIAhVKKyYKHQs5Dvo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.californianativeplants.com%2Findex.php%2Fresources%2Fsage-advice%2Fdoc_download%2F186-tree-of-life-nursery-plant-catalog&usg=AFQjCNGkudOKpgUXDkhB76-TBb54XCQbQQ&sig2=1loTx-qPVjdWwqRILBEs4w"><b>PDF Plant Catalog</b></a> with invaluable information like water and sun requirements, height and width (we'll take that with a grain of salt), frost hardiness, native habitat, bloom color and time, and more. This is a great reality check for any plant list you acquire elsewhere. I printed it out and brought it with me to nurseries to rein in my impulse purchases. TOLN's <b> <a href="http://www.californianativeplants.com/index.php/plants">"Plant Information"</a></b> section contains lots of helpful short articles too.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5MSSk50r2TW6ip1urHmncqgPidZWP1kijPrfp_6yKpJJCYHRb5MQuQChtgmG7sfXNJ6FXffodGgcJca3ayJOe-fsy97WpnYhi0-sW9yTKEKlCAqj2HpOiethumT489FRFsD6PJnL5A4/s1600/guide+TOLN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5MSSk50r2TW6ip1urHmncqgPidZWP1kijPrfp_6yKpJJCYHRb5MQuQChtgmG7sfXNJ6FXffodGgcJca3ayJOe-fsy97WpnYhi0-sW9yTKEKlCAqj2HpOiethumT489FRFsD6PJnL5A4/s400/guide+TOLN.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: small;">The cover of TOLN's huge </span><b style="font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CCsQFjACahUKEwiOi76LoOHIAhVKKyYKHQs5Dvo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.californianativeplants.com%2Findex.php%2Fresources%2Fsage-advice%2Fdoc_download%2F186-tree-of-life-nursery-plant-catalog&usg=AFQjCNGkudOKpgUXDkhB76-TBb54XCQbQQ&sig2=1loTx-qPVjdWwqRILBEs4w">PDF Plant Catalog</a>.</b><span style="font-size: small;"> The garden has grown since this painting was made. </span></td></tr>
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<b><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/">Las Pilitas Nursery</a></b> has a wealth of information. <b><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/plants.htm"> Search their website</a></b> for a particular plant entry, and for articles on <b><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plant-articles">native gardens</a></b>, including<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/easy/easydesign.htm"> </a><b><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/easy/easydesign.htm">garden design</a></b>, and some of the best information available on<b> </b><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/garden/Drought_resistant_plants_for_a_California_garden.html">gardening with zero supplemental water</a>.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXGL5SGf1ZL8bkqlrprTkRFl92SMkpbhz5LfpIgRNhYIH10zgBwXrwfuqL4mLLdaL1YY2IhFfNoH7fYLuVA2G8GMtnhgAmGPpNCUDJ40tBMFrn-uQ35NCIUd2aKsI-dHTsXpxXtVkpmA/s1600/guide+las+pilitas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXGL5SGf1ZL8bkqlrprTkRFl92SMkpbhz5LfpIgRNhYIH10zgBwXrwfuqL4mLLdaL1YY2IhFfNoH7fYLuVA2G8GMtnhgAmGPpNCUDJ40tBMFrn-uQ35NCIUd2aKsI-dHTsXpxXtVkpmA/s400/guide+las+pilitas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: small;">A little rock garden at Las Pilitas. Photo courtesy of the nursery.</span></td></tr>
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<b><a href="http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/region_list.asp?region_id=19">San Marcos Growers</a></b> is the best web source I know for cultivar history. Who named it? Is it a selection from a certain region? Or a hybrid? They also have helpful growing tips (usually advising too much water.) </div>
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How about <b>consulting your local nursery</b>? Well. If it specializes in native plants, have at it. Botanical Garden nursery staff will admit what they don't know. At a general purpose nursery, you may get an earful but your odds of getting useful information are very slim. (<a href="http://rogersgardens.com/">Roger's Gardens</a> is an exception to this rule.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBbtPxVoKy0oUY9O0MhigRt5cJA7YvYOfEYb7AtPoNoU3bPMC6CV0BZZZn8JnOkJf0gkuYk2gzkmUtqm6tvwYgWbvvhmvmWtuIn6MMYJdJ1mrQuV9BibD3P3hhanaYYqbCUtL6AO0kFg/s1600/guide-ron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBbtPxVoKy0oUY9O0MhigRt5cJA7YvYOfEYb7AtPoNoU3bPMC6CV0BZZZn8JnOkJf0gkuYk2gzkmUtqm6tvwYgWbvvhmvmWtuIn6MMYJdJ1mrQuV9BibD3P3hhanaYYqbCUtL6AO0kFg/s400/guide-ron.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you hang out at California Native Plant Society events you can ask people with a wealth of experience like Ron Vanderhoff, who is also General Manager at Roger's Gardens. (Photo from Roger's Gardens website.)</span></td></tr>
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Water districts and local governments have websites listing drought-tolerant or "California friendly" plants. While some of these guides are useful, they seldom have detailed information on more than a half dozen natives. And that's a shame. <a href="http://www.bewaterwise.com/gardenspot.html"><b>Be Water Wise</b></a> is one of the best of this class.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErpQo3PnmPHh1bggzlxZ29Rs6JbwbKA3GP5rbBG6tgty4sr3yz2S-sNgdUkVKPbOiB4jqo2MMzoyu73z_6ijp9Q8KsHde5Sq3jQC-hR0Qw7qfl7lTuKIT79zxP2Qd76FsWyIx2qimHw8/s1600/guide+nonnative.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErpQo3PnmPHh1bggzlxZ29Rs6JbwbKA3GP5rbBG6tgty4sr3yz2S-sNgdUkVKPbOiB4jqo2MMzoyu73z_6ijp9Q8KsHde5Sq3jQC-hR0Qw7qfl7lTuKIT79zxP2Qd76FsWyIx2qimHw8/s400/guide+nonnative.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My neighbor's garden is not native, but it is low water. I am not a purist.</span></td></tr>
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Want to know <b>which plant species are native to your particular locality</b>? <a href="http://calscape.cnps.org/"><b>Calscape.cnps.org</b></a> will tell you, to within ten miles or less, including elevation. Calscape is the brainchild of Dennis Mudd, whose north San Diego County hillside garden has evolved to feature local natives that receive no supplemental water. Dennis wants folks to succeed at native gardening, and in his experience plants native locally stand a better chance of thriving than imports from across the state. Makes sense! But... is it big or small? Evergreen or ephemeral? Sand or clay loving? Streamside, or chaparral, or oak forest? A garden stalwart, or a homely little sprout only a botanist could love? More information is required.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-GndMwXL1q7DggWxSH16ahjmk9sIYwfMaWVykD4XifKE6CARmpSFBrN_3AY3AY1Z7jDWSGQG5f5tW-Y2JR7RqhtTk0WRcDfMR8G3Fm3JvBM3caqP1TIqQqkRZtZ4kSCO9xZjeah_ocQ/s1600/guide+dennis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-GndMwXL1q7DggWxSH16ahjmk9sIYwfMaWVykD4XifKE6CARmpSFBrN_3AY3AY1Z7jDWSGQG5f5tW-Y2JR7RqhtTk0WRcDfMR8G3Fm3JvBM3caqP1TIqQqkRZtZ4kSCO9xZjeah_ocQ/s400/guide+dennis.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sit back and enjoy Dennis's unwatered native garden. Acreage helps.</span></td></tr>
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I'm not a geographical purist, but I do like to know where and how a plant grows wild. So I check out <b><a href="http://www.calflora.org/">Calflora</a></b>. I like plants that have very wide ranges– I figure they have a better chance of surviving wherever they end up. Calflora also shows photos of plants in the wild contributed by users (quality varies.) If you click on one photo, you'll usually pull up a bunch more. I love to browse all the different species of a beloved genus like <b><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?where-genus=Dudleya">Dudleya</a>. </b>And learn to respect botanists for telling them apart. If the Latin name you search shows no occurrences on the map, you have found an obsolete name. Check the top right for the current name and click on that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LxYAP24prjgACkZEwE2LDWrlhjgjsh1WmwHWuslDe_ynoNdD3-G48LDZScU9xH6PlqdXikFhX8G1QBZGFAYXFycd-kdH3Xlh4ZvqEQ1BNm4R_li6k_r5AL3lixdduSSTd0QuMgU40c0/s1600/guide-calflora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LxYAP24prjgACkZEwE2LDWrlhjgjsh1WmwHWuslDe_ynoNdD3-G48LDZScU9xH6PlqdXikFhX8G1QBZGFAYXFycd-kdH3Xlh4ZvqEQ1BNm4R_li6k_r5AL3lixdduSSTd0QuMgU40c0/s400/guide-calflora.jpg" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Calflora illustrates that California anemone (Carpenteria californica) grows naturally only on one slope in the Sierra foothills. The other two blue dots? Planted, or mistaken identity. </span></td></tr>
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<b> </b><b>Search tip:</b> For most of these websites, I do a Google search of the plant name and the website name. One of the first couple Google results will take me to the right page in one hop. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlRp1uQD-KmRtqPCY72nVLO8mVoOjN72VilUyziYHOy8Tjyhek4TkolhIo2lULPQtb5b_OeJ93ws0BMYVmfH84I74bDAao7fXdNvBNoXHJfzJ2SZyfmurcF08uuOBX2mK06mH9oEmWaU/s1600/guide+dudleya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlRp1uQD-KmRtqPCY72nVLO8mVoOjN72VilUyziYHOy8Tjyhek4TkolhIo2lULPQtb5b_OeJ93ws0BMYVmfH84I74bDAao7fXdNvBNoXHJfzJ2SZyfmurcF08uuOBX2mK06mH9oEmWaU/s400/guide+dudleya.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The charming little flowers of succulent <i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Dudleya+pulverulenta">Dudleya pulverulent</a>a. </i>The Baja species <i>brittoni</i> has yellow flowers; otherwise I can't tell them apart. (I searched on Google images...because sadly Calflora doesn't include Baja.)</span></td></tr>
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If you are a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek">geek</a> like me, you can't have too much data. So which native plant websites ( or print references) do you like? Do tell, in the comments section below. (You can post as 'Anonymous' if you don't want to hassle about login, or you can <a href="mailto:tjinirvine@gmail.com">email me</a>.) </div>
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Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-59146678738277260352015-10-26T06:18:00.000-07:002015-10-31T20:25:58.364-07:00Three Berry Green NativesEvergreens are a necessity in the native garden, and a treat for Southern California hikers in late summer and fall. Let me introduce you to three of my favorites, elegant and very prunable shrubs that provide a backdrop of reliable green for the ever-changing native garden, and interesting berries too. They are Toyon, Lemonadeberry, and Coffeeberry.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XDze4mlb9Kax2suKhTorVvKdgaNWUtbefdikrymx-3X-kPY4ezWIkTBobLbpZGew0dVuliRC3o4VEO6DD5PASBzSPtNupKWhYVIsVTatAOuqnxZYuf120E0HRBgSvQzcgrkWc2-rbH4/s1600/berries+toyon-berries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XDze4mlb9Kax2suKhTorVvKdgaNWUtbefdikrymx-3X-kPY4ezWIkTBobLbpZGew0dVuliRC3o4VEO6DD5PASBzSPtNupKWhYVIsVTatAOuqnxZYuf120E0HRBgSvQzcgrkWc2-rbH4/s400/berries+toyon-berries.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Toyon around Christmas can hold its own with any exotic ornamental.</span></td></tr>
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The native garden needs a backdrop of reliable green, and sometimes a "living wall" to hide fences, compost piles, or the neighbor's windows. Many of our natives have gotten a scruffy in summer, and won't get their groove on till a month or more after the first fall rain. (Though who knows what will happen this year with all the heat <i>and</i> rain...) Some native annuals and perennials have disappeared entirely, hopefully to pop up again in winter. But these three evergreens keep shining though summer and fall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyggOEKWMSq5AkVD2luJu6EFZp1nfzMWO52GWpU8aZaiShrQwGIwnN-o5Mrb5Q2pAC2vHRzyustbawMNgDYCgzrg8dT_FfP_8-M0nCHai0Dk8h2Tf6bJIyKcucx1-kdMB_6CQLtObsQ44/s1600/berries+toyon+sd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyggOEKWMSq5AkVD2luJu6EFZp1nfzMWO52GWpU8aZaiShrQwGIwnN-o5Mrb5Q2pAC2vHRzyustbawMNgDYCgzrg8dT_FfP_8-M0nCHai0Dk8h2Tf6bJIyKcucx1-kdMB_6CQLtObsQ44/s400/berries+toyon+sd.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Toyon provides filtered shade and a backdrop for native shrubs in this Old Town San Diego garden.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/339--heteromeles-arbutifolia">Toyon, or Christmasberry</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=4140">Heteromeles arbutifolia</a></i>) is the tallest-growing of these three green staples. The vivid serrated leaves and red berries fooled Easterners into thinking holly decorated the hills north of L.A., giving the town of Hollywood its name. Toyon is one of our most versatile natives. It grows in most soil types, in full sun or full shade. It is one of few California natives that is widely used in the nursery trade, probably because it often puts up with regular summer watering. Yet it will prosper with no supplemental water when established. While it sometimes can be persuaded to be a single-trunked tree, it usually produces several trunks growing at interesting angles and a variety of heights. Prune it all you like for size, but don't pin your hopes on a given plant ever providing an elegant sillhouette. Its bright red berries dress up your yard just in time for Christmas. Use Toyon as a supporting actor: the gawky guy in the back who dresses up nice for Christmas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFk8R1AjJwvGQjEJvqX_pB7bOK2dvsS4qjKGe5y4lxt24w7ng8su90GSjSjXo4-vKtt1yrYwIHSsyLN91ko_1xNrSk-fX-k6LbSZN590zTeIwvfedhH-jlO2QaanEUcijD4NfEtTKOfQ/s1600/berries+lemonade+bladder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFk8R1AjJwvGQjEJvqX_pB7bOK2dvsS4qjKGe5y4lxt24w7ng8su90GSjSjXo4-vKtt1yrYwIHSsyLN91ko_1xNrSk-fX-k6LbSZN590zTeIwvfedhH-jlO2QaanEUcijD4NfEtTKOfQ/s400/berries+lemonade+bladder.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A lemonadeberry hedge is a great backdrop for silver-leafed natives like this bladderpod (photo taken at UCI in February)</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/570--rhus-integrifolia">Lemonadeberry </a>(<i><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/570--rhus-integrifolia">Rhus integrifolia</a></i>) is almost the sole evergreen on the native bluffs in <a href="http://www.crystalcovestatepark.org/">Crystal Cove State Park</a>. Not the holly green of Toyon, a little more olive in tone. Still, against the brown hills in summer it looks lush. Not quite as versatile as Toyon, Lemonadeberry likes sun but will put up with a good deal of shade, likes summer dry but puts up with weekly water if well drained. Lemonadeberry grows only near the Southern California coast, because it dies back in hard frosts. If you live north or inland (or if you prefer a more sculptural form) choose its sister, <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/572--rhus-ovata">Sugarbush</a> (<a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7091"><i>Rhus ovata</i></a>), instead.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjX-ts9CFkPhyphenhyphenOt4kqjMf2M5HxE9SHWWj-F9weAobZCsl5gs0y8CaG9CgZ_E1Q9wXK5cXphSoLlaQSJ1fpth14koYYhhxjR8C1NdfPQyMTod8aMGPoIjWr6m51nT12Ui5ul9_hTTwoRU/s1600/berries+lemonadeberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjX-ts9CFkPhyphenhyphenOt4kqjMf2M5HxE9SHWWj-F9weAobZCsl5gs0y8CaG9CgZ_E1Q9wXK5cXphSoLlaQSJ1fpth14koYYhhxjR8C1NdfPQyMTod8aMGPoIjWr6m51nT12Ui5ul9_hTTwoRU/s400/berries+lemonadeberries.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">These curious reddish "berries" come naturally coated with the tart gel that gives Lemonadeberry its name. </span></td></tr>
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Lemonadeberry is long-lived and eminently prunable. (And if you overwater it, or with copious rain, you may be pruning a lot!) It can be very lanky and tall if not pruned, but makes a great 4-6 foot hedge, or a larger backdrop. Trim it to fit the space. You can amuse children by letting them suck on the "inside-out" fuzzy red-grey berries– actually seeds coated with a tart gel. Its berries and flowers are rarely showy, but Lemonadeberry is a class act 365 days a year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2BFlF2xo6Mmzi3dVIDJoI20rYadzMVwO-gf4im8RpAmJPwQtHsdJsvCfHGG0m3LhAmqyDdpo1TFypfrfWenAyZVryuJcx14wOdzErv-RaYJuFWlY_rlkn7G5pqK3MQZzT7pWvxHc8sI/s1600/berries+coffee+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2BFlF2xo6Mmzi3dVIDJoI20rYadzMVwO-gf4im8RpAmJPwQtHsdJsvCfHGG0m3LhAmqyDdpo1TFypfrfWenAyZVryuJcx14wOdzErv-RaYJuFWlY_rlkn7G5pqK3MQZzT7pWvxHc8sI/s400/berries+coffee+door.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Coffeeberry 'Mound San Bruno' looking lush outside my Dining Room window. It happily bursts forth with new shoots after every good rain, but takes repeated pruning well.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/04/plant-of-month-april-california.html">Coffeeberry</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=10902">Frangula californica</a></i>) can be the essence of native elegance. It comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, leaf form and color, and preferred growing conditions. Know your cultivars! That is, find a grownup of the named variety you like before committing yourself. My favorite is '<a href="http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=1850">Mound San Bruno</a>.' Its dense forest-green foliage and ability to tolerate either summer dry or weekly water (well drained) make it a great backdrop for any garden, but especially the coastal native flower border. Coffeeberry tolerates sun to shade and heavy pruning, but some varieties will not tolerate summer water at all. Its flowers are almost invisible, but its shiny red-to-black berries offer a subtle, and occasionally striking, accent.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVMMMbEiv1oX_nzu3Btqd0El-CO56MRhaGHwI2YyoumgM75hUFbUnDAce_v9c0nOpeFtTDc8JCHSUazxMvnxjW3EW199ye8x3k0FU_TbkOyWzjt0hxmZEIs9iwtKCUTfNYHBnfDb9Re0/s1600/berries-laspiltas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVMMMbEiv1oX_nzu3Btqd0El-CO56MRhaGHwI2YyoumgM75hUFbUnDAce_v9c0nOpeFtTDc8JCHSUazxMvnxjW3EW199ye8x3k0FU_TbkOyWzjt0hxmZEIs9iwtKCUTfNYHBnfDb9Re0/s400/berries-laspiltas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Coffee berries are classy: dark and glossy-- some are reddish in tone. (Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/566--rhamnus-californica">Las Pilitas</a> Nursery.)</span></td></tr>
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Want berries for food? Sorry, these are not your berries. Toyon berries can be cooked to make them edible, but I haven't heard them described as a taste sensation. Why not save them for the birds? You can make "lemonade" out of lemonadeberries easily enough– a great project for curious kids. And adventurous souls have <a href="http://honest-food.net/2014/08/13/california-coffeeberry-edible/">made "coffee" out of coffeeberries</a>. They are said to be laxatives... so I'll save those for the birds too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWUOWc12Wb0B_6WGBUo_3IMswD7dNRwg714kpj0alBZP-9nzXEncrYGsaAx9OIu_jxBzqHvJmlMPtFy_r2c_wdYqHv1MvY9s5WU6_CsG41BruY8t2YJzQCgxvl3ITKyLmm-YAHfd1l2M/s1600/berries+large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWUOWc12Wb0B_6WGBUo_3IMswD7dNRwg714kpj0alBZP-9nzXEncrYGsaAx9OIu_jxBzqHvJmlMPtFy_r2c_wdYqHv1MvY9s5WU6_CsG41BruY8t2YJzQCgxvl3ITKyLmm-YAHfd1l2M/s400/berries+large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A happy Toyon can grow large. This one is in our HOA common area. Scott is at right for scale.</span></td></tr>
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Want to plant these paragons? Don't wait. Get them in by January so they can get established. Don't bother buying pots larger than five gallons, because roots in a big pot don't do natives much good. They need to spread their roots out in the soil to be ready for dry summer. The fifteen gallons of organic fluff that comes with a larger plant, aside from making a very expensive potted plant, is eventual death by root rot to most natives anyway. Plant now, then be patient. Toyon may bolt the first year, but the other berries may take two or three years before you add them to your "needs pruning yet again!" list.<br />
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Stay tuned for planting directions, more on individual species, and more.<br />
<br />Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-38019826388148998062015-10-07T06:04:00.000-07:002015-10-07T06:04:33.008-07:00You Must Remember This: Summer Dry Natives"I had a native plant. It died." <br />
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I can't tell you the number of times I've heard this. The conversation continues: "How often did you water it?" Usually the answer is three times a week. Rarely, once a week. "But more in summer."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ErWnYa0UgEXFWDF4qxk3azc96KeLjPC66jmDoxYRKcYBFVsDeA4MTSYB_GFHE5brUI_YTTXWcOMtUdbvFFTVPeExFmWB81hAfLaOThsmYSXwGD0X_eFUys_iPQbqBd7vRNBWMJvwulI/s1600/remember+august.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ErWnYa0UgEXFWDF4qxk3azc96KeLjPC66jmDoxYRKcYBFVsDeA4MTSYB_GFHE5brUI_YTTXWcOMtUdbvFFTVPeExFmWB81hAfLaOThsmYSXwGD0X_eFUys_iPQbqBd7vRNBWMJvwulI/s400/remember+august.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My garden back in August. Having been hosed once every two or three weeks since April. (Except the lawn in the background, watered incessantly by the homeowners association.)</span></td></tr>
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Dear reader, you must remember this. Plants native to the coastal and foothill regions of California typically get no rain between May and September. Zero. Nada. Zilch. NO RAIN FOR FIVE MONTHS. In pictorial form:</div>
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Average Rainfall in Irvine (El Toro, 1981-2010) - from <a href="http://www.usclimatedata.com/">www.usclimatedata.com</a></div>
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"But these natives are from Northern California. It rains there." In the winter. Even San Francisco usually gets no summer rain. (It gets significant moisture from fog– but roots remain dry.)<br />
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This year (2015) in Irvine it rained significantly in May, July, and September. This was abnormal. Though with global warming, abnormal may be the new normal. Still, a heavy rain every other month allows well-drained soils to dry completely between rains. And most of my garden remained stoically dormant through those rains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWNcgWsL7wlPkeSlUfVnvlYi1ifVtr6hXxD9zPxgFYuIbQC4U9Ks0TrIRv7HlEgneH0jBSL9kSE3xtTgfPXHGFZFT_tRlhu9ZZYp_VZLDAb06TdFUpMjHlbVtXfjkqu4nMwcTijg_Opw/s1600/remember+coreopsis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWNcgWsL7wlPkeSlUfVnvlYi1ifVtr6hXxD9zPxgFYuIbQC4U9Ks0TrIRv7HlEgneH0jBSL9kSE3xtTgfPXHGFZFT_tRlhu9ZZYp_VZLDAb06TdFUpMjHlbVtXfjkqu4nMwcTijg_Opw/s400/remember+coreopsis.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=3887">Giant Coreopsis</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/giantcoreopsis.html">Leptosyne gigantea</a></i>) is a lush shrub daisy for four months of the year. The rest of the year it drops not only leaves but branches. Stalks only. Looks dead. Doesn't matter how much rain it gets.</span></span></td></tr>
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We are told to adjust our garden watering seasonally, upping it in summer. New sprinkler controllers even do so automatically. This works for lawns and East Coast garden plants. For plants native to coastal California foothills this is exactly backwards, and usually the kiss of death. We are tempted to "throw a little extra" (water, fertilizer) to keep the garden happy, or to revive a fading plant. It may grow fast – until it dies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino0uJ0FZhCp2XjuAoIZ73c2W2F2_kaRXkE0q7d4yWxUZ8C4e6fV_OaZHRT3E7Mpb-VM90-IqL6wLJBniryQ6Oc_em7RRsQFcH_oiO2cmPCIsuObGEolyfgAfG1iov34hXkVjfiei6Qwg/s1600/remember-irwdwaterreqs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino0uJ0FZhCp2XjuAoIZ73c2W2F2_kaRXkE0q7d4yWxUZ8C4e6fV_OaZHRT3E7Mpb-VM90-IqL6wLJBniryQ6Oc_em7RRsQFcH_oiO2cmPCIsuObGEolyfgAfG1iov34hXkVjfiei6Qwg/s400/remember-irwdwaterreqs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">What is wrong with this picture? (from <a href="http://www.irwd.com/">IRWD</a>'s "<a href="https://www.irwd.com/images/pdf/save-water/RightScape_-_The_Right_Plants.pdf">Rightscape- The Right Plants</a>" educational presentation) It's inverted! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately <a href="http://ucanr.edu/sites/WUCOLS/">WUCOLS</a>, the landscape professionals' guide to water requirements of plant species in California, uses the defective classification system in the above graph to classify plant watering needs. Summer dry? You'd never know such a thing existed from WUCOLS. This leaves most professional landscapers with a very poor track record growing natives. Sadly, many of them don't even know why.</span></div>
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The cause of death is simple. Natives are completely defenseless against <b>soil fungi and molds</b> that grow in <b>warm damp soil</b>. They evolved over millennia never once facing that challenge. One warm summer day (maybe right away, or maybe they will make it a couple of years) they start browning. It looks like they need water; they do. But they can never get water again, because their roots are dead. In a week or two, they'll be all-over dead, no matter how you try to resuscitate them. When you pull them out, you may discover the roots rotted away entirely. Fussy? That's not what you'd say if you had a half acre of slope to landscape and no interest in irrigating.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOZlC8VenLkEU8wZVRAIOlXigPZh0A5y8scR-rU-7Sa3kH_mQJaEP66yzjUs7WfmCzG_tjzuL6bum8ftHvXQEkS4p16_l-4TSGv6EPbWfUR0cHy1wHTatG2tNRmIGN1LK6edtPBch1lo/s1600/remember+davids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOZlC8VenLkEU8wZVRAIOlXigPZh0A5y8scR-rU-7Sa3kH_mQJaEP66yzjUs7WfmCzG_tjzuL6bum8ftHvXQEkS4p16_l-4TSGv6EPbWfUR0cHy1wHTatG2tNRmIGN1LK6edtPBch1lo/s400/remember+davids.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">This Artemesia 'David's Choice', may it rest in peace (foreground, silvery spikes), was adjacent to overwatered lawn.</span></td></tr>
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What's the answer? <br />
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1. <b>Know your plants.</b> Some natives are at home in stream beds and swamps. They will put up with (and may need) lots of water. Ans they may still go dormant in summer. Others are notoriously touchy about ANY summer water, including that which seeps over from neighboring beds, and they want good drainage even in winter. These include Flannelbush, Coffeeberry, Wooly Blue Curls, and some of the many varieties of Buckwheats, Ceanothus and Manzanitas. These are some of our most spectacular natives. Ironically, desert plants often do better in coastal gardens than the plants that used to grow wild in those very spots, because desert plants are prepared to deal with occasional summer water (originally in the form of desert monsoons.)<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqPiIGRvVDjUZSiAplQCm3Ap_aMbuIB-AxfJSfS7MqSOgkFOd7mYjbG8YDYoVf9kAkutsNDccKIglCktIAW2LsNp1g6hUKgKE3iyDSfWr2K2SzhCP4R3JVdWPAYbPaNz80EojG7Y1mQw/s1600/remember+flannelbush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqPiIGRvVDjUZSiAplQCm3Ap_aMbuIB-AxfJSfS7MqSOgkFOd7mYjbG8YDYoVf9kAkutsNDccKIglCktIAW2LsNp1g6hUKgKE3iyDSfWr2K2SzhCP4R3JVdWPAYbPaNz80EojG7Y1mQw/s400/remember+flannelbush.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">From <a href="http://arboretum.bio.uci.edu/">UCI's Arboretum</a>, this <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/551--fremontodendron-california-glory">Flannelbush</a> (<i>Fremontodendron</i>) wants no water in summer, thank you.</span></td></tr>
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A few natives will put up with variable water (up to weekly) if they can drain decently, including Seaside Daisy, Toyon, 'Howard McMinn' Manzanita, and 'Firecracker' Bush Snapdragon.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaxqty_dob0QKqjMe4_nFw3FI7YBlPi7v-HrJfuhPG2QLfk1S42EkyrY7D4sACtN3zQUt4kgzuA58x16wz5v-YHB0trzxSqCrifQu7zYOBTFi4MPmxm3TfbJBuSxDkE6P5xb_QA48nqE/s1600/IMG_8934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaxqty_dob0QKqjMe4_nFw3FI7YBlPi7v-HrJfuhPG2QLfk1S42EkyrY7D4sACtN3zQUt4kgzuA58x16wz5v-YHB0trzxSqCrifQu7zYOBTFi4MPmxm3TfbJBuSxDkE6P5xb_QA48nqE/s400/IMG_8934.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/01/bloomingest-native.html">Seaside Daisy</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=3140">Erigeron glaucus</a></i>) can be slow to establish, but usually tolerates some garden water. It can grow among roses (sparingly watered) or in transition zones that get a bit of overspray and/or seep from lawns.</span></td></tr>
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Where can you get information about watering needs? Stay tuned! I will shortly be publishing best sources for information about watering needs of specific plants. <br />
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2. <b>Hydrozone.</b> Put plants with similar water needs together, in the same sprinkler controller zone. Then in summer, turn native zones off. Or maybe leave them off all the time, especially if your controller runs weekly and not less often. If you're feeling lucky, you can try a native in the spot the sprinklers miss, but make sure it gets enough water to get established its first year. If you can't bear the thought of withholding water, put your natives in well-drained pots and water them weekly.<br />
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3. <b>Don't be greedy.</b> Adopt a conservation aesthetic that allows natives to go dormant in summer. A weekly or semi-weekly "dusting off" with "<a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/03/confessions-of-hand-waterer.html">Dave's Beer Watering</a>" is all coastal natives need to stay happy. Sparse watering (and no soil enrichment please!) may result in a slower growing plant. But hopefully one that will endure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh849SHfaCvNZlnkSSlCMGWEyNWZvJZILetyALKlydnkvHwSnju2E_gzCRFhLvZnLNZ7VyDRyNWJjQ1DLm4XKIDm6xqShJGrD2ZERg7bzMFsjumdcGidu_7Qilpt-Rdtjd_7gwHNcDoNgc/s1600/IMG_0104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh849SHfaCvNZlnkSSlCMGWEyNWZvJZILetyALKlydnkvHwSnju2E_gzCRFhLvZnLNZ7VyDRyNWJjQ1DLm4XKIDm6xqShJGrD2ZERg7bzMFsjumdcGidu_7Qilpt-Rdtjd_7gwHNcDoNgc/s400/IMG_0104.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.smgrowers.com/info/mimulus.asp">Sticky Monkeyflower</a> 'Jelly Bean Orange'. Yes, Sticky Monkeyflowers bloom longer when you water them into the summer. Then they die. (You can treat them as annuals...) This one is tucked in between the never-water Coffeeberry in back and relatively thirsty Wood Strawberries in front so we'll see.</span></td></tr>
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4. <b>Share knowledge. </b> Find other gardeners in your neighborhood who are growing natives successfully. Do what they do. And learn from their personal plant postmortems– everybody's got 'em. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfspt77QrZKNJ7rDW2wQeZ-oqbjYA-nnp-Km7g7sEFwXg6tTgDOTFkmRRDjjI757T9pMD9fuHuYz4SsW3GlAgZapGxW9Y7XhJIexv64g5rj3Ek410mWp-NaR1h33XoImIkqPl1NJ4mC9g/s1600/remember+tomaz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfspt77QrZKNJ7rDW2wQeZ-oqbjYA-nnp-Km7g7sEFwXg6tTgDOTFkmRRDjjI757T9pMD9fuHuYz4SsW3GlAgZapGxW9Y7XhJIexv64g5rj3Ek410mWp-NaR1h33XoImIkqPl1NJ4mC9g/s400/remember+tomaz.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tomaz planted his garden next door five years before I got up the nerve. His success gave me the courage to take the plunge.</span></td></tr>
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4. <b>Accept imperfection.</b> If you are cultivating native plants properly, they may be slow to fill in the bare spots, lose a few leaves in summer (or go bare entirely), and bloom for a shorter season than the roses and annuals that your homeowners association waters and fertilizes wastefully. And you may lose a few plants regardless. That's OK– it's fun to have a few holes to fill come November. Otherwise what excuse would we have to buy more native plants?<br />
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<br />Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-23884307207535293852015-09-29T17:26:00.000-07:002015-10-01T04:35:41.127-07:00Plants Are Not FurnitureAs I watch people plotting the gardens that will replace their water-guzzling lawns (and the authorities who advise them) I do wonder sometimes... do they realize that plants are not furniture?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHSECeGPCWtVYBtSVKdA_s0YR_WnMJG4NnfWbdldeoLohmxDcNiiZmra3CMWlP7Q2GQGiBu1ZARxXL0R13cF3y-mKYIPSmm9yjX87D1ZLREAdac2vT6RJvZDWMBX_o8-LcUr6eLjqGxk/s1600/furniture-scgarden.jpg"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHSECeGPCWtVYBtSVKdA_s0YR_WnMJG4NnfWbdldeoLohmxDcNiiZmra3CMWlP7Q2GQGiBu1ZARxXL0R13cF3y-mKYIPSmm9yjX87D1ZLREAdac2vT6RJvZDWMBX_o8-LcUr6eLjqGxk/s400/furniture-scgarden.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Spring Garden Show at South Coast Plaza was a furniture show this year. Home decor was more prominent that landscape design in the demonstration "gardens." Many gardeners were sad about this. This is the Room and Board/Back to Natives display. (Photo used by permission from <a href="http://www.peaceloveandgardening.com/?p=2185">www.peaceloveandgardening.com</a>) </div>
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It may be possible, in my experience, to execute your carefully crafted landscape design for the first season or two. Then, living things doing what they do, the improvisation inevitably starts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFBbQ4ZcWFa5FDD17perARgnNKl3zT0Spt5_o8YrSbynezoxnV82APKuJT-1DPOTS14cGN9xbOEPgZ7RUx2nobIqOi7n6VeFTOc-OTOTGSFpS01BAhz-GRpebKIt0YSVFjN_mhSyguKc/s1600/furniture-grasses.jpg"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFBbQ4ZcWFa5FDD17perARgnNKl3zT0Spt5_o8YrSbynezoxnV82APKuJT-1DPOTS14cGN9xbOEPgZ7RUx2nobIqOi7n6VeFTOc-OTOTGSFpS01BAhz-GRpebKIt0YSVFjN_mhSyguKc/s400/furniture-grasses.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The grasses in this <a href="http://gardennative.org/tour.html">San Diego CNPS Garden Tour</a> yard are so symmetrical! They were obviously installed and watered very evenly. And they're only two years old. I wonder what they'll look like in another year or two. Left: '<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/964--elymus-condensatus-canyon-prince">Canyon Prince' Giant Wild Rye</a> (<a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Elymus+condensatus"><i>Elymus condensatus</i></a>) Right: <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/446--muhlenbergia-rigens">Deer Grass</a> (<i><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/446--muhlenbergia-rigens">Muhlenbergia </a><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/446--muhlenbergia-rigens">rigens</a></i>.) In my experience, Deer Grass, while a wonderful native, is very unpredictable in its growth habits. </div>
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The non-native plants in common use by commercial landscapers are about as close to furniture as you can find. With no genetic diversity, these <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/04/clone-invasion.html">cultivars (clones, actually</a>) behave one like another. Most of them have been selected for their predictable growth and durability in a wide variety of conditions (except dry California summers without copious supplemental water).<br />
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Most native plants can't pretend to be furniture. They do not do well planted full size. They take a while to get established. They grow slowly, or in fits and starts as water is available. And their size is variable with water and growing conditions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WQ4GIhX8QgHDSWZjEoiqzFygojRomfC928TE-DmemFWlueg4b9HDL731xUMGVJYhwOx5RDsKq9okgigvkKDw9Pv_7WuL97Jt3TjM8LklVDgSt5p2WM3p3VokU-jmhlSg5NToBrjMGcM/s1600/furn-tree.jpg"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WQ4GIhX8QgHDSWZjEoiqzFygojRomfC928TE-DmemFWlueg4b9HDL731xUMGVJYhwOx5RDsKq9okgigvkKDw9Pv_7WuL97Jt3TjM8LklVDgSt5p2WM3p3VokU-jmhlSg5NToBrjMGcM/s400/furn-tree.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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The darker ferny plant on the left is supposed to be a tree: <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/418--lyonothamnus-floribundus-ssp-asplenifolius">Fernleaf Catalina Ironwood</a> (<a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=8961"><i>Lyonothamnus floribundus</i> ssp. <i>asplenifolius</i></a>). The tall bush on the right was trying to be a tree: <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/321--galvezia-speciosa">Island Bush Snapdragon </a><i>(<a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Gambelia+speciosa">Gambelia speciosa</a></i>). </div>
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Some of the most interesting natives are perennials. Like most perennials, they may look radically different at different times of year, and they may grow large, or small, or drop dead. I have yet to figure out why one grows large, and another drops dead. Or grows large and then drops dead, as in the case of the Snapdragon above.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTj7Yqu12GAAlSFTaDP5uLrGXYFA3dQnyX2yik9hIW8MYxgtThd5MgqgJu2IflUP1T_SOE46T5e218TbkKYxuLqk_234cK1Wm-UCOORbH61YhKsCP_zzs0n2NpP0_NLzS1KdOgZN270E/s1600/furniture+small+sage.jpg"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTj7Yqu12GAAlSFTaDP5uLrGXYFA3dQnyX2yik9hIW8MYxgtThd5MgqgJu2IflUP1T_SOE46T5e218TbkKYxuLqk_234cK1Wm-UCOORbH61YhKsCP_zzs0n2NpP0_NLzS1KdOgZN270E/s400/furniture+small+sage.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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This pint-size <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/604--salvia-apiana">White Sage</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7298">Salvia apiana</a></i>) in Tomaz' garden looks like a ground cover, overshadowed by the succulent Dudleya above it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfUNUlMsrJ7ueXjUw18mgaegBc7zXos-A0wlcbuI_EzX73gupstnKhW6rEddAksyzhL-DKMyg0rdodcBkg4z-hClhZJuRgnvTJowqY0x0sePtXF5ScY5SUADJ9ltsC2WPuyFtGvVFqxA/s1600/furniture+big+sage.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfUNUlMsrJ7ueXjUw18mgaegBc7zXos-A0wlcbuI_EzX73gupstnKhW6rEddAksyzhL-DKMyg0rdodcBkg4z-hClhZJuRgnvTJowqY0x0sePtXF5ScY5SUADJ9ltsC2WPuyFtGvVFqxA/s400/furniture+big+sage.jpg" /></a></div>
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While this White Sage 50 feet away sent up flower stalks that towered over the garden. </div>
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All this is part of working with living entities. They will surprise you. They may allow the plan to be executed, or they may subvert the plan. They may take things in an entirely different direction. They may demand your care at certain times of the year. They may glory for a few weeks or months, then fade away. Living things do that. They are far more interesting than a yard full of furniture.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKwTjscYkWMO-WJ1409CG8MFcH87urk-f1W28a2l5Gatsw9L4UWYubylFMpiqB5v_3InuTu_FWCzQnbigZI3rw384rx8QHe9PTnWHBR6_-098Yi01Abv-D394aHrY8hDlbaSHFbxu44s/s1600/IMG_5311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKwTjscYkWMO-WJ1409CG8MFcH87urk-f1W28a2l5Gatsw9L4UWYubylFMpiqB5v_3InuTu_FWCzQnbigZI3rw384rx8QHe9PTnWHBR6_-098Yi01Abv-D394aHrY8hDlbaSHFbxu44s/s400/IMG_5311.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/134--carpenteria-californica">Bush Anemone</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Carpenteria+californica">Carpenteria californica</a></i>) can be an awkward and scruffy evergreen shrub, so best not to put it in the front of the yard. But oh, when it blooms... </span></td></tr>
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Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-8250523896093092015-09-11T17:50:00.000-07:002015-09-11T17:50:32.401-07:00Parking Strip Makeovers<div style="font-family: Arial;">
What do you call that strip of ground between the sidewalk and the street? <span style="color: #252525;"> "</span>Parkway" is the official title in the western U.S., though that could mean a street instead. Also,<span style="color: #252525;"> verge (the British designation), boulevard, city grass, hellstrip, berm, planting strip, sidewalk buffer, besidewalk, tree belt, skirt, <a href="https://www.oldhousegardens.com/TreeLawnEtc">and more</a>. </span>“Hellstrip” seems a fitting term when the diligent gardener is trying to keep it presentable. I’ll call it “parking strip” because Californians seem to understand that term best.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOs3afGFru_ssT9DEp2xJmt7CbrHy4XmP7qPDOf-YlqdQVjn6Lv0dvoIL-IozKIto-NzC7LHsxpkE2FQhyesPxcqkAKA_9YAgtJXiCmMQ18iy6V30MnGnajdTADZQxCi02miMKPosbGYA/s1600/parking+dori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOs3afGFru_ssT9DEp2xJmt7CbrHy4XmP7qPDOf-YlqdQVjn6Lv0dvoIL-IozKIto-NzC7LHsxpkE2FQhyesPxcqkAKA_9YAgtJXiCmMQ18iy6V30MnGnajdTADZQxCi02miMKPosbGYA/s400/parking+dori.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of the few native parking strips I've seen, a favorite is Dori's in Huntington Beach. The feathery grass is <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/3396--aristida-purpurea">Purple Three-Awn</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=665">Aristida purpurea</a></i>), a somewhat aggressive reseeder. You've been warned. The front ground cover is a creeping native Sage. Lovely, and unpredictable in its growth habits.</span></span></td></tr>
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Parking strips can be big water wasters. They are surrounded by hot hardscape and are almost impossible to water without runoff. Many folks in Southern California are letting the grass in their parking strips die, and replacing it with low water landscaping. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50Lh319YIPIooLjLuJUVx2xGjEwomMOB85jnvBuydaDYy2HUEN9-cTAI_NIdAii-mayfFlHru6E0jHCoI4flPLtdmQ-3ugQSWz9sWQB5Y2L3wAGUO_iDS2WOwuaK9N8j1hIolF8hRRk8/s1600/parking+HOA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50Lh319YIPIooLjLuJUVx2xGjEwomMOB85jnvBuydaDYy2HUEN9-cTAI_NIdAii-mayfFlHru6E0jHCoI4flPLtdmQ-3ugQSWz9sWQB5Y2L3wAGUO_iDS2WOwuaK9N8j1hIolF8hRRk8/s400/parking+HOA.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
All the parking strips in my neighborhood are planted and maintained by the homeowners' association. They seldom venture beyond grass. Here is one exception that has proven durable, using Daylilies (right) and Purple Fountain Grass (left). (Never plant regular Fountain Grass– it seeds freely and destroys native habitats.)<br />
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I hope folks are planning carefully, because plenty of the parking strip "afters" I've seen are uglier than the "before." See the post "<a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/06/turf-terminators-beware.html">Turf Terminators Beware</a>" for some important cautions. This is a tough location for any plant. Weed suppression is key. Those of you whose lawns contains Bermuda or St. Augustine grasses will want to do your homework. Your grass can re-sprout from roots up to six feet deep. <a href="http://rogersgardens.com/ca-friendly-gardening-solutions-kill-your-lawn/">Ron Vanderhoff at Rogers Gardens tells you how.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6EbPERPD89mThJv8HoiUtmDowjLH1ClkEHwZsqu6_Nv8qQtfla-0xyBA9nIRdxqsGInBryvgMP0dsmkB3Lj2SfQxGL7rj5-a4EwT5ZwXXztuMsZ3v2gn8UTWAqgG_G6KzCP6JOPCfqY/s1600/parking+dymondia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6EbPERPD89mThJv8HoiUtmDowjLH1ClkEHwZsqu6_Nv8qQtfla-0xyBA9nIRdxqsGInBryvgMP0dsmkB3Lj2SfQxGL7rj5-a4EwT5ZwXXztuMsZ3v2gn8UTWAqgG_G6KzCP6JOPCfqY/s400/parking+dymondia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dymondia is a trending lawn replacement. While it can be hardy, it does not play well with others. Shown here smothering native <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/446--muhlenbergia-rigens">Deergrass</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Muhlenbergia+rigens">Muhlenbergia rigens</a>.</i>) And it is watered the same amount as the remaining (bright green) Bermuda Grass section of this Costa Mesa parking strip: once a week after getting established.</span></span></td></tr>
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Many of the strips I see require as much or MORE water than grass to look good (including plants on "water wise" websites !?!) Do your homework– stay tuned for links to online water-use info.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIw92PKP9beny3G2ODY2pHurUN4TH6yyKk4yy3Y2iSDuA3J7-AkRm1b58JjPVJr1RwE2GS188UNbTlmhPEmAgK9uAqVU3qFmuHhcjgo0YDwq_qZnRAUWdIGRBiPn1djdinqM2Scoc8JY/s1600/parking+encelia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSIw92PKP9beny3G2ODY2pHurUN4TH6yyKk4yy3Y2iSDuA3J7-AkRm1b58JjPVJr1RwE2GS188UNbTlmhPEmAgK9uAqVU3qFmuHhcjgo0YDwq_qZnRAUWdIGRBiPn1djdinqM2Scoc8JY/s400/parking+encelia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few natives, like buckwheats and this stunning but too-big-for-the-space <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/261--encelia-farinosa">Brittlebush </a>(<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=2964">Encelia farinosa</a>, </i>from<i> </i></span></span><span style="color: #252525; font-size: small; text-align: start;">the 2</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #252525; text-align: start;">015 </span><a href="http://gardennative.org/tour.html" style="text-align: start;">San Diego CNPS garden tour</a><span style="text-align: start;">),</span></span><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> would be happy with no summer water at all. </span></td></tr>
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Parking strips exist to collect snow when clearing the street and sidewalk. So why do we even have them in SoCal? Planners were on autopilot, or consciously copying a style that is pointless and out of place in this land of small lots and limited water. I suppose if they give it any thought, planners want them to add artistry to our yards. So...why not go all the way?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPoYF74_kMOg7r52E8TYOL6QcOf8p2LVnuVKUajhz4twB_6sjMgHuvSLS9SXx878pUeNVBxTrKROGvTkkAim4MVkH8UFxPmIOr7Hys4-7dCvdct2zaC1HAmvaB6fluGNz3slf7FBZrOU/s1600/parking+art1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPoYF74_kMOg7r52E8TYOL6QcOf8p2LVnuVKUajhz4twB_6sjMgHuvSLS9SXx878pUeNVBxTrKROGvTkkAim4MVkH8UFxPmIOr7Hys4-7dCvdct2zaC1HAmvaB6fluGNz3slf7FBZrOU/s400/parking+art1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">If I had a parking strip I'd want it to have some artsy hardscape like this. (Not my photo; I don't have a proper attribution since it was forwarded to me.)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #252525;">Your parking strip may be subject to a variety of city or county regulations as to what size and type of plants and/or hardscape you can use. </span><a href="http://bss.lacity.org/Engineering/pdfs/Residential_Parkway_Landscaping_Guidelines_2015.pdf" target="_blank">L.A.’s regulations </a><span style="color: #252525;">are the most restrictive.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYzBn7qIqfbrkKrdMeZuREUQfuxb-UDbLyE6l4xYpHxstdE_3mB5mZCwnHarzu6wlc3eSVb1OY2MFFUhNvrcIlfL1Km2guDuujkQ-3QfL_LPF88tDqKVN0lxcO9ZymVKgMYldZ99LbaI/s1600/parking+big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYzBn7qIqfbrkKrdMeZuREUQfuxb-UDbLyE6l4xYpHxstdE_3mB5mZCwnHarzu6wlc3eSVb1OY2MFFUhNvrcIlfL1Km2guDuujkQ-3QfL_LPF88tDqKVN0lxcO9ZymVKgMYldZ99LbaI/s640/parking+big.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #252525; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tall plants in a parking strip could be a strategy to prevent neighbors from parking in front of your house. But not in L.A.</span></span></td></tr>
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Whatever regulations you face, common sense suggests choosing rugged plants that can withstand neglect, as well as the application of the occasional foot or car door. Common courtesy requires you avoid overgrown plants, thorns, slippery rocks, and variations in ground level.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HA5jBo-EdsEU3OEMMbQm9_TgOKZ-n4BZiaRjm_-BTNP6gf2gEevZM3VSrWEvhiOhntLKrY5xm8NtJK0sh4PJewdjdBOjRW7Ct48TnnqKE-0x-iZn-dMyjjvH4XFMcQNcdutRn36eLtA/s1600/parking+dudleya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HA5jBo-EdsEU3OEMMbQm9_TgOKZ-n4BZiaRjm_-BTNP6gf2gEevZM3VSrWEvhiOhntLKrY5xm8NtJK0sh4PJewdjdBOjRW7Ct48TnnqKE-0x-iZn-dMyjjvH4XFMcQNcdutRn36eLtA/s400/parking+dudleya.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #252525; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">I love any Dudleya, but this one in a parking strip is too likely to be crushed underfoot. And the ersatz streambed is a trip hazard. From the 2015 <a href="http://gardennative.org/tour.html">San Diego CNPS garden tour</a>.</span></span></td></tr>
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I prefer alternating permeable hardscape (rocks, pebbles, slate or pavers) and patches of green, featuring tough ground covers, dwarf bushes, and succulents, native or not.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oBykrwjvv6FyI1g_A4FLaZVG-IcNB1C_luzo-mr3MujAQVGJ0-m_e0jVJ7wCbfqTBpG2Z3GDPTCLSx6XWYt9U7p-hh13XCiVnVK7NQGI69o5Izjd9rywNpZyh6NYWrgXRmiXqrhUFc4/s1600/IMG_0686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oBykrwjvv6FyI1g_A4FLaZVG-IcNB1C_luzo-mr3MujAQVGJ0-m_e0jVJ7wCbfqTBpG2Z3GDPTCLSx6XWYt9U7p-hh13XCiVnVK7NQGI69o5Izjd9rywNpZyh6NYWrgXRmiXqrhUFc4/s400/IMG_0686.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not native, but pleasant and practical.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKm4e0AsW7z-pK1NEkLAEZnHbyosAhyfc_-Idd8hAZB59zA9bl6miTOoItFA1pbES6xlvNd_dHeIeFIca7U_oszRsZb9Bxj2uo_CdhdSWSr74x2tBgwydiSVwwb2AHdW7Ie8ctDIm5RE/s1600/parking+exuberant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKm4e0AsW7z-pK1NEkLAEZnHbyosAhyfc_-Idd8hAZB59zA9bl6miTOoItFA1pbES6xlvNd_dHeIeFIca7U_oszRsZb9Bxj2uo_CdhdSWSr74x2tBgwydiSVwwb2AHdW7Ie8ctDIm5RE/s400/parking+exuberant.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I don't mind a little whimsey either.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are links to some other parking strip resources. (I have passed on a few whose plant lists I don't recommend!)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525;"><a href="http://www.weho.org/home/showdocument?id=6731">West Hollywood's Parking Design Guide</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-parkways-20150214-story.html">An article from the L.A. Times: "Don't Make These Mistakes When Transforming Your Water-Wasting Parkway</a>"</span></div>
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Thanks to my friend Lynne for getting me going on this topic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpO16Lt7hvo5Iz_05Kj51TT3nWuF7bR3YkB1WPH6V2TcpWhg__MiYg49Pq4SPFP93SA3VltOUwbuD23xngkfVapVEyXktjhUkFz79rfbydWfZtr5lOo7G4qfk37gBm8JG9WXMInpctFE4/s1600/parking+Lynne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpO16Lt7hvo5Iz_05Kj51TT3nWuF7bR3YkB1WPH6V2TcpWhg__MiYg49Pq4SPFP93SA3VltOUwbuD23xngkfVapVEyXktjhUkFz79rfbydWfZtr5lOo7G4qfk37gBm8JG9WXMInpctFE4/s320/parking+Lynne.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lynne gave me a tour of her neighborhood parking strips (I spared you the ugly ones). This is a shady spot in her gardens.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYw9luAMozkQDEprvC3oYIavrvsuJWlK_kGD6PYPaMhdg_b6cSUNr1cjmIMJVnAhtv_JgUooFKDSsHEwmUxY1sR1zEOJNiNJWH4epTipZGGb2yavSAs4zpQyLWkURR-pqwVhSPjwb5H0/s1600/parking+lynne%2527s+garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYw9luAMozkQDEprvC3oYIavrvsuJWlK_kGD6PYPaMhdg_b6cSUNr1cjmIMJVnAhtv_JgUooFKDSsHEwmUxY1sR1zEOJNiNJWH4epTipZGGb2yavSAs4zpQyLWkURR-pqwVhSPjwb5H0/s400/parking+lynne%2527s+garden.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here is her front garden. She <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/09/dial-it-down.html">dialed it down,</a> and it still looks lush. </span><span style="font-size: small;">I can't wait to see her parking strip makeover. </span></td></tr>
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Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-28020514395553760222015-09-06T14:31:00.001-07:002015-09-06T22:02:51.547-07:00Dial it Down<span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you one of possibly 1.8 million Southern Californians considering</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> redoing your yard with low-water landscaping? If so, do your homework! Begin with <b><a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/06/turf-terminators-beware.html" target="_blank">this much-cited article on pitfalls to avoid</a>.</b> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTV8IeAKJHzeSKUF3Q2R_RqIO3kFwDAbl70wzAq4nxZHNIYs4gPOzCi5NFCBfb3y1w70CKGu4Y99Qs-ZzXKgfSW4It63m8LT0E-_vWSvtPivkRSr5LnKNvgnX2Q42_oUTPAPx8zItI-Vk/s1600/IMG_9698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTV8IeAKJHzeSKUF3Q2R_RqIO3kFwDAbl70wzAq4nxZHNIYs4gPOzCi5NFCBfb3y1w70CKGu4Y99Qs-ZzXKgfSW4It63m8LT0E-_vWSvtPivkRSr5LnKNvgnX2Q42_oUTPAPx8zItI-Vk/s400/IMG_9698.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">No gravel or cactus in this low-water native garden!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And then take your time. A quality low water garden is an undertaking to install, and usually takes some real attention the first year or two while it's getting established. Better to study up and wait till next year than to do it badly this year. So will it be another year of watering the lawn three times a week (or more) in SoCal? Or you could do (and invite your friends and neighbors to do) something real simple, today, to reduce water use?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03mzx140iu1z2pGtob_fpJt0vyYsOw5jaaN3Q143Bbw1d6Dxjup84kvwcry-Z7TKptfelwdBPbox3iFQSNoWH0zg8Nt2BTL-OGbbqFh7f88aCNuu7YN17xFwfoxUxkmXzAo4CUWkPKAg/s1600/dial-cheery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03mzx140iu1z2pGtob_fpJt0vyYsOw5jaaN3Q143Bbw1d6Dxjup84kvwcry-Z7TKptfelwdBPbox3iFQSNoWH0zg8Nt2BTL-OGbbqFh7f88aCNuu7YN17xFwfoxUxkmXzAo4CUWkPKAg/s400/dial-cheery.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">This cheery evergreen ground cover used to be lawn. Dwarf Coyote Bush (<i><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/114--baccharis-pilularis-pilularis-pigeon-point" target="_blank"><b>Baccharis </b></a></i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/114--baccharis-pilularis-pilularis-pigeon-point" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank"><b><i>pilulari</i>s</b></a><span style="text-align: start;"><b><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/114--baccharis-pilularis-pilularis-pigeon-point" target="_blank"> 'Pigeon Point.'</a> </b>) My association planted the same plant. Then killed it (apparently by overwatering.)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Watering three times a week. (Except our association lawn, which is watered six times a week.) This is so weird to me. I have lived in Minnesota and in Connecticut. It did not rain three times a week in those places. Often once a week, sometimes not. Nobody watered their lawn. It got a bit brown in the middle of the summer. No big deal. Minnesota's summer climate is not so different from coastal California-- a bit more humid, not much, warmer at night, no dew (which does hydrate plants.)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiPkVPV7gbqtxQPuYvHN0P7TAsWUjYJj1uP1JZyCYlD-TC46e0loyhg71H5l4N-2dQQLdRlXJxAcJfeMGW-jebj1vVGChUt-0m89jD_X9bjcA42YTfrRrXZ5zIzXs7BpXx5hoVGLEceM/s1600/dial+never+watered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiPkVPV7gbqtxQPuYvHN0P7TAsWUjYJj1uP1JZyCYlD-TC46e0loyhg71H5l4N-2dQQLdRlXJxAcJfeMGW-jebj1vVGChUt-0m89jD_X9bjcA42YTfrRrXZ5zIzXs7BpXx5hoVGLEceM/s400/dial+never+watered.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">This section of the garden is basically never watered.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So here's an idea. Dial it down. Wean your lawn down to being watered twice a week, or even every four or five days, and see how it goes. If it gets a few brown spots, who has a right to complain? To help the lawn cope with less water, dial down the fertilizer. Then you get to dial down the mowing too! </span>The technical aspects of how long to run each zone depend on your setup– but in general reduce number of watering days before reducing time of watering, unless you're obviously getting runoff. And while night watering conserves water, it seems wise to water at a time you will notice if you are getting excess runoff or a sprinkler has broken! (Note for those who engage paid gardeners: expect your gardener will reset the sprinklers back to their previous settings. Repeatedly.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGq2zmJzinTS8C-2gWmkBnIJ3RIabHGQsj4z21BhpZtvCclIQIIeB54ylRbyI_AVe5ZUWWQvEjnaHIQhlrx3_iViiniyeVJIDyBa3cTbLfDJDDcp6OOAZoLSXbWtmCBAs8CP6IxWT3ME/s1600/IMG_9716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGq2zmJzinTS8C-2gWmkBnIJ3RIabHGQsj4z21BhpZtvCclIQIIeB54ylRbyI_AVe5ZUWWQvEjnaHIQhlrx3_iViiniyeVJIDyBa3cTbLfDJDDcp6OOAZoLSXbWtmCBAs8CP6IxWT3ME/s400/IMG_9716.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: start;">Most native wildflowers want to be summer dormant. They can sometimes be coaxed to bloom longer with copious water, only to drop dead before the next year. Even this relatively late-blooming <i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=5613" target="_blank">Monardella antonina</a></i> (photographed at the end of June) is now dormant.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you watering your shrubs and roses as frequently as your </span>lawn? Most established foundation plants can get by with (and many prefer) less frequent water than lawns. I dialed down my non-native garden section to once every four days through these hot summers. The Pomegranate loved less water; the Gardenias were a little out of sorts. The Roses have less disease. And I see far fewer snails!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76RTcAjS4mS8N5rD3B-H1eKay0T63HbX_Xe87djWnlcPb6HzueK5zgpjTLpVayCCfljkX0s8RvMBiUJ7ugunPeBcXxZWR8uJtHkoa4ZZbZf_DyKXqGoYWfjc6NJgyN29f1wWOlnNNNkE/s1600/tour-rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76RTcAjS4mS8N5rD3B-H1eKay0T63HbX_Xe87djWnlcPb6HzueK5zgpjTLpVayCCfljkX0s8RvMBiUJ7ugunPeBcXxZWR8uJtHkoa4ZZbZf_DyKXqGoYWfjc6NJgyN29f1wWOlnNNNkE/s320/tour-rock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">Variegated Mockorange, </span><i style="text-align: start;">Pittosporum tobira</i><span style="text-align: start;">, </span><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">back left,</span><i style="text-align: start;"> </i><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">comes in dwarf and tall sizes, and takes pruning very well. Also takes full sun, deep shade, swamps, little water... pretty much impossible to kill. Just prune this non-native staple nicely please.</span></span></td></tr>
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Austin Brown, of <a href="http://www.coastkeeper.org/coastkeeper-garden" target="_blank">Coastkeeper Garden</a>, notes that one of my favorite foundation non-natives, variegated Mockorange (<i>Pittosporum tobira</i>) does just fine with once-a-week watering and no fertilizer. In conditions of low water and basically no fertilizer it seldom needs trimming. It could be a staple in a once-a-week watered garden complete with Australian and Mediterranean reliables, and native beauties like <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/566--rhamnus-californica" target="_blank">Coffeeberry</a>, <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/43--arctostaphylos-densiflora-howard-mcminn-manzanita" target="_blank">Howard McMinn Manzanita</a>, and <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/586--ribes-viburnifolium" target="_blank">Catalina Perfume</a>. Did you know established Bird of Paradise requires almost no summer water? (Apparently the distinguished gardeners who compiled <a href="http://ucanr.edu/sites/WUCOLS/" target="_blank">WUCOLS</a> didn't.) <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9NbAxOlL5NkI9B9jPmcjqt12dHRY5mAqPKwyagfGWESALx8ehu7q5mxkB2PtRDDBZ-IkyDSpB6BN5n47KNHWECg1ZNztuRl_0GMwY_RZmQK1fdz28duQC70pupcgG_JB8vcXCV8ZowM/s1600/dial+perfume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9NbAxOlL5NkI9B9jPmcjqt12dHRY5mAqPKwyagfGWESALx8ehu7q5mxkB2PtRDDBZ-IkyDSpB6BN5n47KNHWECg1ZNztuRl_0GMwY_RZmQK1fdz28duQC70pupcgG_JB8vcXCV8ZowM/s400/dial+perfume.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This two-year-old <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/586--ribes-viburnifolium" target="_blank">Catalina Perfume (<i>Ribes vibernifolium</i>) </a>from the <a href="http://gardennative.org/tour.html" target="_blank">San Diego CNPS Garden Tour</a> needs a haircut but fills a shady spot with enthusiasm.</span></td></tr>
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The typical gardening approach in coastal Southern California has been: when in doubt, overwater. This has the advantage of convenience, but is so, so wasteful. Uneven sprinklers are set to run profusely to cover dry spots, the excess running into streets or drains. They are seldom adjusted for even coverage, or, God forbid, allowed a dry spot or two. Plants that die of overwater die quickly and are replaced with swamp-tolerant varieties. This approach has been preferred to allowing a little natural summer browning, or replacing a few droopy water hogs with lower-water plants. Further, overfertilizing will kill plants unless you flush most of the fertilizer away. This is how Newport Beach, with its modest-size yards, uses water at the profligate rate of distant inland town with multi-acre properties, and creates polluting runoff to boot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPbRmYOb8_5tqnkFDI_beajmQTqJmd5mVGewFkY0gz3dFkf4hyphenhyphenUEAayQcR3kp7uktEFSCH-Z0E7gooySVjtuOddNLwlhBaSnHFQ2JBRnhMEIc37xZ4Xr3r6INWkQw_VLXgPiJ78R8JvY/s1600/dial+pomegranate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPbRmYOb8_5tqnkFDI_beajmQTqJmd5mVGewFkY0gz3dFkf4hyphenhyphenUEAayQcR3kp7uktEFSCH-Z0E7gooySVjtuOddNLwlhBaSnHFQ2JBRnhMEIc37xZ4Xr3r6INWkQw_VLXgPiJ78R8JvY/s400/dial+pomegranate.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Happy Pomegranate: In 15 years we never got more than a handful of pithy fruits from this little tree. After I dialed my sprinklers down, it went nuts! </span></td></tr>
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Dialing it down is part of a landscaping approach and aesthetic that is humane, ecological, and ethical. Southern California has been known for a surface "perfection" in its landscaping, that ignores hidden ugliness (fast plant growth, brilliant greens, no tolerance of dormancy or pests or disease...at the cost of draining lakes and aquifers, creating voluminous waste, runoff of fertilizer and pesticide into watersheds, and poisoning and starvation of wildlife.) I admit I love the look, but I can see it at Disneyland if I like. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6s6eVmSudIV1bkGbjr-W6_CjmJSUog_7ROPViOzpfP5AJtWn-xLvgs3_y0O-bgzSmzxkcYbvjR4g65RbKY7cLjZOFYqSDAUrSt7RRaAtCd5T3Lzkb2SKPOQR96yjp9TEFWgWF7UO9FE/s1600/dial+spit+bugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6s6eVmSudIV1bkGbjr-W6_CjmJSUog_7ROPViOzpfP5AJtWn-xLvgs3_y0O-bgzSmzxkcYbvjR4g65RbKY7cLjZOFYqSDAUrSt7RRaAtCd5T3Lzkb2SKPOQR96yjp9TEFWgWF7UO9FE/s400/dial+spit+bugs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">What is acceptable? Take <a href="http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/PESTS/spittlebugs.html" target="_blank">spittle bugs</a>. They are harmless, and they love my <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/93--artemisia-californica" target="_blank">California Sagebrush</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=artemisia+californica" target="_blank">Artemisia californica</a></i>). Their offerings can be hosed off, but often come back the next day. So I have learned to accept their little white decorations. I do hope some clever bird can make dinner out of them.</span></span></td></tr>
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Consider making your garden more real and more beautiful below the surface. Dialing it down allows the imperfection of a brown spot and a nibbled leaf, by allowing natural seasonal dormancy, natural slow growth, natural wildlife use (i.e. eating, digging...), a root-rot-free soil agreeable to natives, and less impact on water sources and waste streams. We can accept imperfection. (I admit the rabbit hole by my kitchen window was hard to accept!) We can share our discoveries: which plants languish and which prosper, and then plant more of the latter. (The rabbits are gone now– probably fed a neighborhood bobcat, and they only mowed down the '<a href="http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=n710" target="_blank">Paprika' Yarrow.</a>)</div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ya8JZ7l62GXwO-7B9DUOGa0j6C_SDuRjI_r0sBHOYbmpgVyaClsb7kzMyBDDYD2x_0Z2Uzi_mxHLll7At5Mx3S1zTUDS7csCEYOY8A7tayilTGdMKB92eWbPA3MZbRnQby-aB1cjiAY/s1600/dial+fuchsia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ya8JZ7l62GXwO-7B9DUOGa0j6C_SDuRjI_r0sBHOYbmpgVyaClsb7kzMyBDDYD2x_0Z2Uzi_mxHLll7At5Mx3S1zTUDS7csCEYOY8A7tayilTGdMKB92eWbPA3MZbRnQby-aB1cjiAY/s320/dial+fuchsia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Native gardeners accept that little blooms in September. So we fuss over a lone bloom. Here is <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/739--zauschneria-californica-catalina" target="_blank">California Fuchsia</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=2984" target="_blank">Epilobium canum</a></i>), which is just flowering in my yard. </span></td></tr>
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</div>
<div>
I finish with this reflection from a commercial organic fruit grower who has dialed it down.</div>
<div style="color: #323333;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, what's the natural use of water? If these peaches are naturally small, I don't need to water them as much. Let me just grow them naturally. I realized, I don't think these peaches want to be big. What's the matter with that? That's my breakthrough: Oh, my god, I may have been over-watering all these years. Why? Because we had access [to water]. It was cheap. It was supposedly free. And it's not now. (<span style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-qa-peach-farmer-20150604-story.html" target="_blank">David Matsumoto, organic fruit grower, LA Times 6/4/2015</a>)</span></span></blockquote>
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Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-38527527201891089032015-07-27T14:40:00.000-07:002015-07-27T14:40:18.440-07:00Tilden Eden (Regional Parks Botanical Garden)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
On my semi-annual circuit to visit relatives in Northern California in mid-July, I discovered the <a href="http://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden/botanic_garden" target="_blank">Regional Parks Botanical Garden</a> in <a href="http://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden.htm" target="_blank">Tilden Park</a>, Berkeley. This natives-only garden put the native section of the <a href="http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/" target="_blank">U.C. Berkeley Botanical Garden</a> (which has terrific world garden sections) to shame. Thought I'd died and gone to heaven. </div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2w2UwCEnnEO7B1rVrCztT7wo5QQSzlQednkrHBXnjAd-FsITd6cv41393uiorfAdQMpNPFRCA8K5228XCA9d4REw_jk3R5kOsxSdkh8jNSb7O_Y7qvY_GigikFRVQkoO76H0P5ilzYg/s1600/tilden+rockgarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2w2UwCEnnEO7B1rVrCztT7wo5QQSzlQednkrHBXnjAd-FsITd6cv41393uiorfAdQMpNPFRCA8K5228XCA9d4REw_jk3R5kOsxSdkh8jNSb7O_Y7qvY_GigikFRVQkoO76H0P5ilzYg/s400/tilden+rockgarden.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nestled in a canyon, the Garden has huge east- and west-facing rock terraces to showcase a vast collection.</span></td></tr>
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In addition to its extensive collections of plants from all over California (including ones from Orange County I'd never seen before), the condition of all the plants at Tilden was top-notch. No scruffy runts, and they are managing to keep some stress-deciduous varieties green in July while still cultivating plenty of summer-dry-loving specimens. They have some very knowledgeable gardeners. (<a href="http://chanceofrain.com/2013/11/in-praise-of-bart-obrien/" target="_blank">Bart O'Brien</a>, director since 2013 and formerly of Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, is one.)<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZoaH7Gw5-otZV8nd-qK74QOSPofbe491kVR7eKJHpozkwcADPYofwzRtB9zXIsdn4CP3Vty72ZSkbKu4IkHs-5oLFjhIHCpCTySVf0FXgUP8xnf_gGQk3w1olUPhY-lygag-z52nQ8I/s1600/tilden+mystery2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZoaH7Gw5-otZV8nd-qK74QOSPofbe491kVR7eKJHpozkwcADPYofwzRtB9zXIsdn4CP3Vty72ZSkbKu4IkHs-5oLFjhIHCpCTySVf0FXgUP8xnf_gGQk3w1olUPhY-lygag-z52nQ8I/s400/tilden+mystery2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Found in a rock planter near the entrance. Happy like all the rest. But no label. Do you know what it is?</span></td></tr>
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Berkeley hills, being further north and shrouded in fog most nights of the year, has a much longer spring season than Southern California before summer dormancy. Still, the variety of plants in bloom at one time (from nine different regions of California) speaks to a deep knowledge of what makes natives happy. A dozen different low-growing Ceanothus and Manzanitas formed emerald mats, as one expects in the Berkeley hills. But I wasn't expecting the profusion of annual wildflowers.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMj_fOpgg2z-JwrRqsSYqm8dPtS-BCV4UA5eK5yurcKqVRBkGTjoz1QpsiWKg8YaU8bkIA9O4EaT5ODlGSlyQkVQ9IVm0UQqtIQpSslcHS0ptzH0ThiDfn40ZR0lPqPlD5YUb50vpTQZo/s1600/tilden+clarkia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMj_fOpgg2z-JwrRqsSYqm8dPtS-BCV4UA5eK5yurcKqVRBkGTjoz1QpsiWKg8YaU8bkIA9O4EaT5ODlGSlyQkVQ9IVm0UQqtIQpSslcHS0ptzH0ThiDfn40ZR0lPqPlD5YUb50vpTQZo/s400/tilden+clarkia.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Various species of Clarkia (Farewell-to-Spring) were in profuse bloom, crowding whole garden beds. Oh, bliss! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyrXrUfszq5WPBmXoH4Qj5-gu6STeMhCwI5RuFAy0mAn_XUjSPb_Ej930vwwYdyyjMbZk0FQ9rmvyOz11maYxo1N-IsWa_id6En_nSThZy5jM5LpWLwjxxfIZeKrZPZN1lNVDAi-Xlho/s1600/tilden+clarkia2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyrXrUfszq5WPBmXoH4Qj5-gu6STeMhCwI5RuFAy0mAn_XUjSPb_Ej930vwwYdyyjMbZk0FQ9rmvyOz11maYxo1N-IsWa_id6En_nSThZy5jM5LpWLwjxxfIZeKrZPZN1lNVDAi-Xlho/s400/tilden+clarkia2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another variety, <i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Clarkia+gracilis+ssp.+albicaulis" target="_blank">Clarkia gracilis ssp. albicaulis</a></i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NMzZNY4RrwMMsxTz6hYj2W9VkFkpBnBe7OnfPSz7NZxiRAcZvG2-rruNjCPybTRwxfTzxHlP0DVN-CAOdoW49zNyrBppPciw9wlfE71jJ5hU-fHfUlMGlQNat2CYPQBmjVQ_q539vbU/s1600/tilden+presidio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NMzZNY4RrwMMsxTz6hYj2W9VkFkpBnBe7OnfPSz7NZxiRAcZvG2-rruNjCPybTRwxfTzxHlP0DVN-CAOdoW49zNyrBppPciw9wlfE71jJ5hU-fHfUlMGlQNat2CYPQBmjVQ_q539vbU/s400/tilden+presidio.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">This ruffled version was labeled Presidio Clarkia, from, you guessed it, the Presidio in San Francisco. But it doesn't match <a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Clarkia+franciscana" target="_blank">the Calflora entry</a>, so who knows. A happy hybrid? Unusual foliage form, and just as prolific here as its relatives.</span></td></tr>
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Tilden runs the gamut from meadow flowers and bulbs to redwoods and sequoias, chaparral plants to riparians (with their own streams and waterfalls), and a bewildering variety of shade lovers. I could camp there!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgdFuhhw2MUeiwVTfqjPPexiChh-6zbMhodbty6Hig1nVUv2I6t8cBLK6RNhbYIhIVqU4nipTKJFqWnVYFg4sc5-A_DkmrTV_Zn2U0SRWSAjQk7_a2gO49K0uZDdB2Jn9Um6PseZGUOE/s1600/tilden+sequoias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgdFuhhw2MUeiwVTfqjPPexiChh-6zbMhodbty6Hig1nVUv2I6t8cBLK6RNhbYIhIVqU4nipTKJFqWnVYFg4sc5-A_DkmrTV_Zn2U0SRWSAjQk7_a2gO49K0uZDdB2Jn9Um6PseZGUOE/s400/tilden+sequoias.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Many native gardens have their own <a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Sequoia+sempervirens" target="_blank">Coast Redwood</a> or five, but Tilden has its own <a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Sequoiadendron+giganteum" target="_blank">Giant Sequoia</a> grove. They are babies compared to the </span><span style="font-size: small;">remnant</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">old growth groves in the Sierras, but it's all relative.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Plants that never looked worth the bother of cultivating other places are in their glory here. And plants I'd never even heard of. Most of the plants appear to be collected or propagated from the wild (locations marked on the pretty good signage) rather than cultivars chosen by propagators, which accounts for the uniqueness of so many specimens. CNPS folks, put this place on your bucket list!</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSW6YRwCrlEOAAttOLZ6OIPNldJApVMbHbDv0FnggpsUu84Q42wAuGd8i_12FMZGVepYeX2XRuqUM4keyRu9v3QhNYtpsA46mQnfi2aEHDWs0Ts-DwgYU-H_peAWL7gVZsTMl_5SQGsw/s1600/tilden+monardella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSW6YRwCrlEOAAttOLZ6OIPNldJApVMbHbDv0FnggpsUu84Q42wAuGd8i_12FMZGVepYeX2XRuqUM4keyRu9v3QhNYtpsA46mQnfi2aEHDWs0Ts-DwgYU-H_peAWL7gVZsTMl_5SQGsw/s400/tilden+monardella.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">After seeing this fine fellow I finally understand why people bother cultivating <a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?where-genus=Monardella" target="_blank">Monardella</a>. Not sure which species it is, though.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Their shade collection is diverse and fascinating, covering a lot of territory both geographically and in plant families.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvevPnCBJ2ydKLL60TitUwer4zUbwoA-7ZNS6WPpttBej0rB7DP6GnaUcFXTMRxVBChErs0KjNztAICvooXbNOiGtLV9OJiOJCde9KN8nCZgfWaa5ElQhtCmGIG1_J8aRVVS4gKz9F7gQ/s1600/tilden+leopard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvevPnCBJ2ydKLL60TitUwer4zUbwoA-7ZNS6WPpttBej0rB7DP6GnaUcFXTMRxVBChErs0KjNztAICvooXbNOiGtLV9OJiOJCde9KN8nCZgfWaa5ElQhtCmGIG1_J8aRVVS4gKz9F7gQ/s400/tilden+leopard.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Leopard lilies (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Lilium+pardalinum" target="_blank">Lilium pardalinum</a></i>) are a specialty of the garden, popping up (and up) under many trees. This specimen was eight feet tall.</span></td></tr>
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Yet their chapparal plants seemed entirely at home too, not stunted or spindly from overwater.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMjbe4ERk9658QK1t_rFkvVZxAhgGQyRHBjpWZz8QRjmRMc7Ksmd-YinxL2sQYDG3ow2I2svqIORCZkZvfJaHjTM6XK4YO-vro4rYT4FHGcKP_6IGNeG6MlV-P1hNRwVa-nDerNH46fM/s1600/tilden+farinosa+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMjbe4ERk9658QK1t_rFkvVZxAhgGQyRHBjpWZz8QRjmRMc7Ksmd-YinxL2sQYDG3ow2I2svqIORCZkZvfJaHjTM6XK4YO-vro4rYT4FHGcKP_6IGNeG6MlV-P1hNRwVa-nDerNH46fM/s400/tilden+farinosa+2.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh-so-happy Dudleyas, these from way up north. And in bloom, below.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHP6Bf1bcMADcHljep4v3fhnaJP4cCpe-lornH8Tm3MSF4VpycazF3NsaCxQHqQItGbhGW9aLoUP0pfIYa4bBDQk7JDvIeviw8l54OUChp_LKA8Be9le6HuXSdBxFdWERr-_MRqirE0zI/s1600/tilden+farinosa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHP6Bf1bcMADcHljep4v3fhnaJP4cCpe-lornH8Tm3MSF4VpycazF3NsaCxQHqQItGbhGW9aLoUP0pfIYa4bBDQk7JDvIeviw8l54OUChp_LKA8Be9le6HuXSdBxFdWERr-_MRqirE0zI/s400/tilden+farinosa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Alas, my visit was too short. Will someone please visit for me, and quiz the gardeners on how they achieve this state of garden nirvana?<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNhRYoMu6KUx0JKhyphenhyphenvvrhxfD56Fdx_2O64NB8e0tvg7V_Vjm0b6PSi9OXCZz4tH9kf-cKpglDjb8H57u5zI4rvimBMTzPMJolR1cg-31RkSF7j07rqkuQOBQqp3e5HkAOtNWr02iWImk/s1600/tilden+mystery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNhRYoMu6KUx0JKhyphenhyphenvvrhxfD56Fdx_2O64NB8e0tvg7V_Vjm0b6PSi9OXCZz4tH9kf-cKpglDjb8H57u5zI4rvimBMTzPMJolR1cg-31RkSF7j07rqkuQOBQqp3e5HkAOtNWr02iWImk/s400/tilden+mystery.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Growing happily on a west-facing slope with no label. Could it be <i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Clarkia+biloba" target="_blank">Clarkia biloba</a></i>?</span></td></tr>
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As we struggle through drought and landscapers with zero native experience tell us how to garden, resources like this seventy-five year old garden and its staff are invaluable. A small greenhouse and growing yard were raising up the next generation of beauty. I met a cadre of volunteers throughout the garden, busily trimming and planting. This does seem to be one of the requirements for a successful botanical garden. I'm adding this garden stop to my annual visit to the relatives!<div>
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Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-38628414967447989302015-07-07T16:46:00.002-07:002015-07-07T16:46:14.196-07:00Wildflowers on the Edge (A Grand Canyon Album)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here are more wildflowers from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. (My first post on the North Rim, <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/07/perspective-north-rim-grand-canyon.html" target="_blank">Perspective, is here.</a>) Identifications (provisional) rely on Nancy Varga's wildflower album at the desk of the North Rim Visitor's Center. Repeated burns have cleared the forest, leaving aspen saplings and vast fields of lupine. What a scent!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyECjHstKCaeqTMBcsLT7aXu2mgLSKyLEiIc4x3wDz_EIcVdQbW5vBQi_huFK-88qTwy-mY7G1Kj0JkphsYlcQ9a7EWtmywxeZ6WorkTbU4UCk_GDrDo0qdq3amCFHdTeR40fGEOQNCU/s1600/GCwild-bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyECjHstKCaeqTMBcsLT7aXu2mgLSKyLEiIc4x3wDz_EIcVdQbW5vBQi_huFK-88qTwy-mY7G1Kj0JkphsYlcQ9a7EWtmywxeZ6WorkTbU4UCk_GDrDo0qdq3amCFHdTeR40fGEOQNCU/s400/GCwild-bee.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I don't remember seeing a single (European) honeybee all week. All kinds of other pollinators were on duty, including this brawny pollen-shouldered fellow. (The lupines are spread out enough that the fields don't impress in a photo.)</span></td></tr>
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Perhaps the next most common wildflower was Beardlip Penstemon, which grew in a variety of habitats. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZteZqbu-HKcaT7w4jVCbLyACw9Ga0XS_TFjstSNY6SzN7IxrbNAcPHrJaaNcwr_ktbZ0alUSJW4q9oLcQ6KE9dF02Uq7QQ6YUXIkuUgLkfu54XObtyDzGztoQslt-xuzfiMaxilbWmdo/s1600/gcwild+penstemon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZteZqbu-HKcaT7w4jVCbLyACw9Ga0XS_TFjstSNY6SzN7IxrbNAcPHrJaaNcwr_ktbZ0alUSJW4q9oLcQ6KE9dF02Uq7QQ6YUXIkuUgLkfu54XObtyDzGztoQslt-xuzfiMaxilbWmdo/s400/gcwild+penstemon.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This patch was on the North Kabob Trail a little down from the rim. Listed as <i><a href="http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PEBA2" target="_blank">Penstemon barbatus</a></i>, it is similar to the California native Firecracker Penstemon <i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=6158" target="_blank">Penstemon eatonii</a>. </i>The leaves are narrower, and the flower has an undercut lower lip.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
DYC's, "Darn Yellow Composites," were present in abundance; here are two that intrigued me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGV06uF_UoNxyVZetfgqQ4DHUcwLta6Cdzh5NZvjNCl7Xq_8RKq55ZlMEWk0voelmLZlln3ZSwtBFXFEAw_Cpp3YlOdidLLvTx5E0hg2M7LnEx7P3YooQjhOQV21VUrybvjuT8vWrmik/s1600/gcwild+dyc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGV06uF_UoNxyVZetfgqQ4DHUcwLta6Cdzh5NZvjNCl7Xq_8RKq55ZlMEWk0voelmLZlln3ZSwtBFXFEAw_Cpp3YlOdidLLvTx5E0hg2M7LnEx7P3YooQjhOQV21VUrybvjuT8vWrmik/s400/gcwild+dyc.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oops. didn't catch this one's name! I like the lacy doily of foliage.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyqK08-D0ekoBqTsbmjqFRM5IFo8_08W5t73ZgrjxwECLpaOdd0WBwYRx1Qj63kVlpQNDVfBrsD0TBMr3WHAqx4vC6Yh30cZXklCsPbxG9UrrAX_ZmyALR5oYTMIJGu1KDPSxvhUW_no/s1600/gcwild+woolywhite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSyqK08-D0ekoBqTsbmjqFRM5IFo8_08W5t73ZgrjxwECLpaOdd0WBwYRx1Qj63kVlpQNDVfBrsD0TBMr3WHAqx4vC6Yh30cZXklCsPbxG9UrrAX_ZmyALR5oYTMIJGu1KDPSxvhUW_no/s400/gcwild+woolywhite.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fineleaf Woolywhite. Doesn't look white to me! Unusual flower structure. (<a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Hymenopappus+filifolius+var.+lugens" target="_blank"><i>Hymenopappus filifolius </i>var. <i>lugens</i></a><i>)</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As is often the case, roadsides were some of the best wildflower sites: disturbed soil, sometimes a ditch to catch the rain, and plenty of sunlight out from under the pines. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIg_CmxDbKduAHAKhhXDaz5_1WxGSzexWkRK8VDM4A_rW5AJ396Cw075C5QQ2J7q5ccenCHx2RBFg0nI0-28a4axQwx9GtoLnS6L89ar8Vv7wkB86lMoFEIZWq6WFifq3tl8LBuI-pgB8/s1600/gcwild+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIg_CmxDbKduAHAKhhXDaz5_1WxGSzexWkRK8VDM4A_rW5AJ396Cw075C5QQ2J7q5ccenCHx2RBFg0nI0-28a4axQwx9GtoLnS6L89ar8Vv7wkB86lMoFEIZWq6WFifq3tl8LBuI-pgB8/s400/gcwild+white.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">This <i>Cryptantha</i> was growing 3 feet tall along the road near Cape Royal. A Popcorn Flower relative, it is not one of the <a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?tmpfile=cf225380&num-matches=88&max=50&prevwhere=&button_flag=&prevselect=&table=nspecies&dump=&backlink=&row-to-start=50&page=previous+50&orderby=taxon&cch=0" target="_blank">88 listed California species</a> (!) Varga says it's <a href="http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=1849" target="_blank"><i>Cryptantha setosissima</i></a>. Whatever you call it, it's the biggest, showiest <i>Cryptantha</i> I've seen.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Grand Canyon Prickly Pear cacti, not common on the rim, are willing to show multiple blooms simultaneously in a way Orange County cacti seem to resist. Maybe it's the shorter growing season.</div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtdcAH7d0z6yu3uUOndBzCVCZsVKx5ZSibzUIQIqyWg73RVbr7bzEu49kqmKrOqLNLVgFhuQu5QPp0auUE7wrc7UmVoaD9A9I5w83YCuuzODL0USbiU5ckKmQ4GyibVA6RhcVdM7wfl0/s1600/gcwild+ycac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtdcAH7d0z6yu3uUOndBzCVCZsVKx5ZSibzUIQIqyWg73RVbr7bzEu49kqmKrOqLNLVgFhuQu5QPp0auUE7wrc7UmVoaD9A9I5w83YCuuzODL0USbiU5ckKmQ4GyibVA6RhcVdM7wfl0/s400/gcwild+ycac.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">I think this is Engelmann's Prickly Pear (<i>Opuntia engelmanii).</i> It comes in a variety of flower colors; this one's a winner. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjQZ8J20W-onB2GIK4LoMO_CpWLCwAHTU9cXEWkFfrzGiF61BYsBtsNKqTn2TEPoX-YKmQyVZz9dq6Ec2z7Q9lpn95uCTcj9d-TCiYkIB8jgKK_l438Kpu9xJX7BCXRd6lO68rkAbqVM/s1600/gcwild+rcac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjQZ8J20W-onB2GIK4LoMO_CpWLCwAHTU9cXEWkFfrzGiF61BYsBtsNKqTn2TEPoX-YKmQyVZz9dq6Ec2z7Q9lpn95uCTcj9d-TCiYkIB8jgKK_l438Kpu9xJX7BCXRd6lO68rkAbqVM/s400/gcwild+rcac.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few feet away, Mojave Prickly Pear, <i>Opuntia erinacaea</i>, refuses to be outdone.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Secrets lurk in the forest. Including an orchid with no chlorophyll in it, which almost went unnoticed as we hiked by.<br />
<div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio9xN55NfkViDkB2yK5sVj4oEmeSSnAD98gnENYyc_zisbKG6PRDLmrWGtps5FZlpZscqpjc-wNEkmHYqnlny4iDmAC9qg6GMw7lj5imeUJL6NqzoyT0ANvWPj_9orb160Sti2mPnutc/s1600/gcwild+orchid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio9xN55NfkViDkB2yK5sVj4oEmeSSnAD98gnENYyc_zisbKG6PRDLmrWGtps5FZlpZscqpjc-wNEkmHYqnlny4iDmAC9qg6GMw7lj5imeUJL6NqzoyT0ANvWPj_9orb160Sti2mPnutc/s400/gcwild+orchid.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Spotted Coralroot, <a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Corallorhiza+maculata" target="_blank"><i>Corallorhiza maculata</i></a>, is widespread in American mountain forests, and is featured in the aptly-named poem <a href="http://genius.com/Robert-frost-on-going-unnoticed-annotated" target="_blank">"On Going Unnoticed" by Robert Frost</a>.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We saw one, and only one, Columbine in the forest.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmVtJU4oRhdyCSEGCd1JIjVv_uDXT6IQiSQKuWjMuV7WvpS8D1d27Ofzg4OMcQVHLtZFXTPubwLmmGr4Jp0of18iKzS6Ar6BIibBYOjeFf5ndDCkkRsIciGrjQ_V-2iHP_Fu_XnBvtS0/s1600/gcwild+columbine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmVtJU4oRhdyCSEGCd1JIjVv_uDXT6IQiSQKuWjMuV7WvpS8D1d27Ofzg4OMcQVHLtZFXTPubwLmmGr4Jp0of18iKzS6Ar6BIibBYOjeFf5ndDCkkRsIciGrjQ_V-2iHP_Fu_XnBvtS0/s400/gcwild+columbine.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Colorado columbine, <i>Aquilegia caerulea</i>, this one all white and very showy.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Out on a scrubby bluff alongside buckbrush and salsify was the local Mariposa Lily.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKq1yJNr3oIGlu6lzf17w0I7usxmXZIz6rTvbnBz2bBxQ6deGww28dF_GbShCM6nBIj_rYmI_4oupUrbHW4J76y6Vbg-nP9OffV091e2zWXuPXf-THHWF2X2nLY_FBaWLlDmf_X3xFnA/s1600/gcwild+mariposa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKq1yJNr3oIGlu6lzf17w0I7usxmXZIz6rTvbnBz2bBxQ6deGww28dF_GbShCM6nBIj_rYmI_4oupUrbHW4J76y6Vbg-nP9OffV091e2zWXuPXf-THHWF2X2nLY_FBaWLlDmf_X3xFnA/s400/gcwild+mariposa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Or Sego lily, as they call it. <i><a href="http://pioneer.utah.gov/research/utah_symbols/flower.html" target="_blank">Calochortus nuttalli</a></i>, the state flower of Utah. It grows from an edible bulb, but don't you dare.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mules travel along the top section of the North Kaibab trail into the canyon, so the wildflowers there have dust issues. Still this one was lovely.<br />
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Rhz9OLAjSWmu3o-CK8nwVnkzglXIRudPEpAEGBQ_uBiBE4x0LquI04GbwvjIx1irID7cAfZzmUGddmytgqs_g9PSfTbJeF0Ex6AnIvzGojt0ijP0sWVw9_9zfdEkeaurrVvb7fx0y8o/s1600/gcwild+red+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Rhz9OLAjSWmu3o-CK8nwVnkzglXIRudPEpAEGBQ_uBiBE4x0LquI04GbwvjIx1irID7cAfZzmUGddmytgqs_g9PSfTbJeF0Ex6AnIvzGojt0ijP0sWVw9_9zfdEkeaurrVvb7fx0y8o/s400/gcwild+red+stars.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Missed the name of these little red stars too. Anybody?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The forest is mixed, and in many areas bare from devastating burns. Ponderosa Pines survive the smaller fires, and are the stars of the North Rim with their thick puzzle-piece bark, bouquet-like bursts of needles, and towering dimensions. Our campground was almost a monoculture of Ponderosa. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyqz4XO4Rxq3n1gVBexyTnicL3k8iRhBksF53jiR_lkfd5HMH7migV93hRLBxcQo3r80p2MTHhhK26ixNkqVIpkt3r3F6e7uZ5y8LDaKfdTJw359IX_52xOfTFY0Pc3hM8jFnwOJmPUw/s1600/gcwild+pine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyqz4XO4Rxq3n1gVBexyTnicL3k8iRhBksF53jiR_lkfd5HMH7migV93hRLBxcQo3r80p2MTHhhK26ixNkqVIpkt3r3F6e7uZ5y8LDaKfdTJw359IX_52xOfTFY0Pc3hM8jFnwOJmPUw/s400/gcwild+pine.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">In this unlikely spot, a Ponderosa Pine is thriving. No competition. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisleC_SU5Avg8rzOGxWf3LpS-BwqeradsP9C3I6PpX7EY2Dsy8VdcIEzqKwMkfoLM1M43FMoqrboFI_V-JX7cyxKhW5tntYoMsjiJZWa-S8sbaDaQDzr1stw9GOb2D4YmgGXwrox6VAtI/s1600/GCWild-butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisleC_SU5Avg8rzOGxWf3LpS-BwqeradsP9C3I6PpX7EY2Dsy8VdcIEzqKwMkfoLM1M43FMoqrboFI_V-JX7cyxKhW5tntYoMsjiJZWa-S8sbaDaQDzr1stw9GOb2D4YmgGXwrox6VAtI/s400/GCWild-butterfly.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This Arizona Sister was one of many butterflies drifting about.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What a treat to be led by <a href="http://www.theagavin.com/pb/wp_38cc804f/wp_38cc804f.html" target="_blank">Thea Gavin</a> on long hikes for the purpose of savoring nature, filling our senses so we would have plenty of material for <a href="https://www.grandcanyon.org/learn/grand-canyon-field-institute/classes-tours/writing-edge" target="_blank">Writing on the Edge</a> through the <a href="https://www.grandcanyon.org/learn/grand-canyon-field-institute" target="_blank">Grand Canyon Field Institute</a>. Want to join us next year? (June 17-19, 2016.) Indulge me as I offer you one more poem.<br />
<br />
<b>On the Way to Tanager Point</b><br />
<br />
I cannot make good time.<br />
I have to check for belly flowers,<br />
regret leaving my camera behind,<br />
smell the pines.<br />
<br />
When I move fast I miss<br />
the savor of the junco's tiny song,<br />
a rat's nest of pussy toes,<br />
clouds gathering themselves<br />
into heroic shapes<br />
in preparation for sunset.<br />
<br />
When I move fast I miss<br />
the wind on my skin, <br />
that sense of dislocation in a barely know place,<br />
my losses:<br />
move quickly or they'll catch up with you.<br />
<br />
I cannot make good time in this place.<br />
I will walk slowly and wait,<br />
and hear the whoosh of the raven's wing,<br />
and watch the raindrops dissolve my thoughts.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECKoo4b8Oa33yboPFQbWDgULp2iDCdgIn4JcOpKaLRToOo1qtwUBXlIm14QGbe60YY5vvlT-Giyw9gkKIsOPWpoiUOJbNhDx8EUo1-CHRS-J548UxFlazvAbvq0PMVRbfVz7VOEDw9Xs/s1600/gcfb+friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECKoo4b8Oa33yboPFQbWDgULp2iDCdgIn4JcOpKaLRToOo1qtwUBXlIm14QGbe60YY5vvlT-Giyw9gkKIsOPWpoiUOJbNhDx8EUo1-CHRS-J548UxFlazvAbvq0PMVRbfVz7VOEDw9Xs/s400/gcfb+friends.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nancy, me and Thea on the edge.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-78369060037199022032015-07-01T09:08:00.000-07:002015-07-01T09:08:44.500-07:00Perspective (North Rim Grand Canyon)Last week I visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, so the plants in this post are Arizona natives. A recent cold snap with late spring rains left the area lush and full of blooms. I couldn't have arranged better timing. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRE-NFEXJdr52MX4A7c0PEQE7fYKfeSLbC10UPLmdB_KHc2LXo6sjBINAc8pIPLHLkXrJ8iJbT32atNwbMT4n4uhRqc6cixKbsAzNodLm098ugU9Z4B-rj9hKHBnEUYrbFUQ-f3ZByQ6o/s1600/gcper+kaibab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRE-NFEXJdr52MX4A7c0PEQE7fYKfeSLbC10UPLmdB_KHc2LXo6sjBINAc8pIPLHLkXrJ8iJbT32atNwbMT4n4uhRqc6cixKbsAzNodLm098ugU9Z4B-rj9hKHBnEUYrbFUQ-f3ZByQ6o/s640/gcper+kaibab.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">North Kaibab Trail. Can you see the bridge at the bottom? It looks like a toothpick.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Perspective matters. The Grand Canyon, and Scott's recent medical crisis, have offered me a vertiginous change in perspective. What is large and what is small? What is important and what is not? Wild or tame? Safe or risky? The answers depend on your perspective.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzw8gMScMc46qQ8-eh4SXCCSMLPB2__thPdyV-eF6CHxNw4tGWUgMAXm5Q64O2XV_nKRBfMdD67T8ane9ORwRaoLRMLeINJnGq80uFIa0ijyCfl2PCk94njtVkmQlrxKnDyA5KQmigEcQ/s1600/gcper+pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzw8gMScMc46qQ8-eh4SXCCSMLPB2__thPdyV-eF6CHxNw4tGWUgMAXm5Q64O2XV_nKRBfMdD67T8ane9ORwRaoLRMLeINJnGq80uFIa0ijyCfl2PCk94njtVkmQlrxKnDyA5KQmigEcQ/s400/gcper+pool.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Muddy spring, or gnarled pine against a cloud-strewn sky? </span></td></tr>
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Some plants at the Rim were familiar, sort of. "Is that a Ceanothus?" California Lilacs are long past blooming in my neighborhood, yet the local Buckbrushes, <i><a href="http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=3513" target="_blank">Ceanothus fendleri</a></i>, were in bud or in copious bloom at different spots around the rim. All grow low to the ground, perhaps so they can nestle under the snow when the weather gets rough. One was covered with tiny bee-like critters, perhaps specialized pollinators. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVDL5-i1an8mAZz9COqZcFZSiCJy0RNuES0RAQXOTqL7Gg7NxoRKtv2yoS1T9Lxv5AA6CSHR6v_hp60w8vQo4mHt-IrqJ_nWJSkVRVbKMxtkOMiyzgQgXKqjIlhn4scx15hzegPzJgvw/s1600/IMG_9800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyVDL5-i1an8mAZz9COqZcFZSiCJy0RNuES0RAQXOTqL7Gg7NxoRKtv2yoS1T9Lxv5AA6CSHR6v_hp60w8vQo4mHt-IrqJ_nWJSkVRVbKMxtkOMiyzgQgXKqjIlhn4scx15hzegPzJgvw/s400/IMG_9800.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pollinators love Ceanothus. </span> </td></tr>
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Manzanitas looked lush compared to ours, but also hugged the ground. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2h0PT4WBQBGHzYUuW91SLO0sWaloRVTJYopXMG_t8URvcANfdUrK_eTi4mZZN2S0Xldtrd5olEeth7jg5CN_IKrZxbwQq4XFStL-Ql8iyYnnBF4UqguecM9IlnW6Yng2PT3K1tNIaZO8/s1600/gcper+snowberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2h0PT4WBQBGHzYUuW91SLO0sWaloRVTJYopXMG_t8URvcANfdUrK_eTi4mZZN2S0Xldtrd5olEeth7jg5CN_IKrZxbwQq4XFStL-Ql8iyYnnBF4UqguecM9IlnW6Yng2PT3K1tNIaZO8/s400/gcper+snowberry.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">Desert Snowberries (</span><i style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=1430" target="_blank">Symphoricarpos longiflorus</a></i><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">) wore tiny pink blooms in abundance.</span></td></tr>
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Other plants were stunningly unique. When I saw this delicate plant hanging in a mossy crevice at the back of an overhang at Hidden Springs I knew it was special. It is the Cave Primrose (<a href="http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=2878" target="_blank"><i>Primula specuicola</i></a>) found only at sheltered springs on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Plateau" target="_blank">Colorado Plateau</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7kzN3Fzes77fwPMrvhMaTFwzmX_WZPS4TG2SOZJV7scSPQtuyQSkZ3XUesG1iXfTeaEnIGRtvuYI_55Q2-SF1ZromxFCEkTWeM6vH-dIdmcFv61ma_Gv6z2VQkGNPrwEIPyQeYVvbjw/s1600/IMG_9887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7kzN3Fzes77fwPMrvhMaTFwzmX_WZPS4TG2SOZJV7scSPQtuyQSkZ3XUesG1iXfTeaEnIGRtvuYI_55Q2-SF1ZromxFCEkTWeM6vH-dIdmcFv61ma_Gv6z2VQkGNPrwEIPyQeYVvbjw/s400/IMG_9887.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cave Primrose tucked under a deep overhang at Hidden Springs. The spring has contained five of these plants for the last 50 years, despite the fact that each plant lives three or four years. A naturalist speculated that seeds fall "up" by getting caught in spiderwebs on the cave walls.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5p3Knk3XRJeDYJx8-nN8c5_V7WdR9t-PSiLbf8cPsRIPyRC33mbw8m4AotHKh2m3nh6XdDC7cj52Idpus0iQ_WZ482CoqYpH2DGBsizPY_2apToR9B2tGCMIk0uAtF7yw4zbwFQETcM/s1600/GCPer-upsidedown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5p3Knk3XRJeDYJx8-nN8c5_V7WdR9t-PSiLbf8cPsRIPyRC33mbw8m4AotHKh2m3nh6XdDC7cj52Idpus0iQ_WZ482CoqYpH2DGBsizPY_2apToR9B2tGCMIk0uAtF7yw4zbwFQETcM/s400/GCPer-upsidedown.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This little herb grew at an interesting angle.</span></td></tr>
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I am grateful to Nancy Varga, a longtime Grand Canyon volunteer who created a wonderful photo guide to the local wildflowers. It resides in the North Rim Visitor Center.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzqHQBnGaGtk_FEJPH4tddPRIwjjGLIXEMJblpZr1BHNlSM-87qgNjcYNStxrFTs829M2AOwFQaC7OHhyCtygB2z32Ku6TO0JTi9jrpgVSL4ndraxHxGt1qAKAnEukKssNOW_Nj5722I/s1600/GCPer-Cliff+Rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzqHQBnGaGtk_FEJPH4tddPRIwjjGLIXEMJblpZr1BHNlSM-87qgNjcYNStxrFTs829M2AOwFQaC7OHhyCtygB2z32Ku6TO0JTi9jrpgVSL4ndraxHxGt1qAKAnEukKssNOW_Nj5722I/s400/GCPer-Cliff+Rose.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cliff Rose (<i>Purshia mexicana</i>) in flower looks like a Rockrose. Up close, aging flowers reveal feathery appendages, like some sea invertebrate at 8000 feet.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><div style="text-align: start;">
What is your perspective on non-native plants in the wild? Salsify is a Eurasian immigrant but it sure is cool. (The wildflower guide reported that Native Americans used it for food and medicine. Recently, I guess.)</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YSxYoNDlUlyWsg02LkCFt75YjJeOIhHyb98LIwefl7qt9oHOFFdAz7KadYU8cI0wsq-3H5Qa2izeFMwRnk_EhBzUld7ZUIP9tcqNchTWu3hoNYmVxtbFMI5NcXM0MF83-D16IMdnV9s/s1600/GCPer-salsify.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YSxYoNDlUlyWsg02LkCFt75YjJeOIhHyb98LIwefl7qt9oHOFFdAz7KadYU8cI0wsq-3H5Qa2izeFMwRnk_EhBzUld7ZUIP9tcqNchTWu3hoNYmVxtbFMI5NcXM0MF83-D16IMdnV9s/s400/GCPer-salsify.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">You might think this Salsify (<i>Tragopogon dubius)</i> was a normal sized puffball if you didn't have my finger for perspective.</span></td></tr>
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The occasion for my visit was a class taught by Thea Gavin (prime mover of Concordia University's <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/05/cultivating-community-concordias.html" target="_blank">Heritage Garden</a>) called "<a href="https://www.grandcanyon.org/learn/grand-canyon-field-institute/classes-tours/writing-edge" target="_blank">Writing on the Edge</a>." It was sponsored by the <a href="https://www.grandcanyon.org/learn/grand-canyon-field-institute" target="_blank">Grand Canyon Field Institute</a>, which has all kinds of amazing classes and adventures. Leisurely hiking, close observation of the wonders around us, and writing to open-ended prompts invited us to see the beauty around us with new perspectives. You can join us June 17-19 of 2016!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlBftiV63xH2c6IcCgR2Nn0awrmfwuvpciCny1eeEAc9xg_GUcQVw_O50Q4zbofu9vMZksIVDxtwB0z836kjtMk1zSBf723nIEJpc0SsW_UQlYoFpDGgipf_GKV-3Zeyq8gSFqtfoaDs/s1600/gc+feet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlBftiV63xH2c6IcCgR2Nn0awrmfwuvpciCny1eeEAc9xg_GUcQVw_O50Q4zbofu9vMZksIVDxtwB0z836kjtMk1zSBf723nIEJpc0SsW_UQlYoFpDGgipf_GKV-3Zeyq8gSFqtfoaDs/s400/gc+feet.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;">What is your perspective on barefoot hiking? Thea, our instructor, has been doing it for years. She provided endless entertainment to other hikers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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Someday the artificial green of our drenched and manicured and chemical-dosed Southern California lawns will be seen for the waste that it is, and the fitting beauty of native plants will be acknowledged. Sometimes it takes the edge of a cliff to change a person's perspective. <br />
<br />
If you'd like to read a poem I wrote that takes a variety of perspectives, read on.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Overlooked</b><br />
(Widforss Trail, June 25, 2015)<br />
<br />
<i>A Pine Cone Husk</i><br />
<br />
I am part of the dance.<br />
I sprouted. I swelled. I ripened.<br />
I popped wide open.<br />
I fed a chipmunk.<br />
And now I cushion the forest floor.<br />
<br />
Why do you continue to believe that you must be busy to be useful?<br />
To be recognized to be useful?<br />
To be something you craft yourself into<br />
instead of<br />
part of the dance,<br />
growing in one season,<br />
feeding others in the next,<br />
spent in dignity of rest in the third?<br />
<br />
<i>A Ponderosa Pine Branch Tip</i><br />
<br />
A fine bouquet, I was. Fifty feet up.<br />
The squirrel got hungry, I suppose.<br />
Plucked me, but did not set me in a vase.<br />
Left me unused in the snow<br />
where I settled slowly<br />
over two seasons<br />
into the forest floor litter.<br />
<br />
See my needles?<br />
They are still a bit golden.<br />
I fell in my prime.<br />
I was spent wastefully.<br />
Take a needle cluster with you,<br />
and remember me.<br />
<br />
<i>A Burned Tree Trunk Remnant</i><br />
<br />
I am a memorial<br />
of the forest that was<br />
not so long ago.<br />
I am honored<br />
to break the canyon winds<br />
for this young sprout.<br />
I am tickled<br />
to have become art<br />
in my dotage.<br />
<br />
Let me tell you a secret.<br />
The fire scars harden the wood.<br />
I endure<br />
where my sisters have vanished.<br />
I do not live<br />
as my young friend lives<br />
yet I endure.<br />
I am a memorial.<br />
<br />
<i>A Bent Stick</i><br />
<br />
Now why, you ask,<br />
Would I grow at such a ridiculous<br />
angle?<br />
It happens.<br />
The cone got heavier than I expected.<br />
The mother tree was preoccupied<br />
with matters of life and death.<br />
And I bent<br />
till I hung straight down<br />
which is handy when it snows buckets.<br />
<br />
But now I lay flat.<br />
No cones, no needles.<br />
Bark cracked, twigs broken off long since.<br />
Though I think<br />
I am starting to grow<br />
a fine patina of lichen.<br />
It suits me, don't you think?<br />
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<br />Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-85094079927179820062015-06-29T17:21:00.002-07:002015-06-29T17:21:59.155-07:00Art and Nature in Turtle Rock (Beverly's Garden)Beverly's garden looks superficially like other manicured yards in the Turtle Rock neighborhood of Irvine. Closer inspection reveals whimsical ceramic art installations all over her yard, and native plants masquerading as suburban staples.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkT37mMTwos5KP2yVBJgPA-wbcZ2n5ekNpowu1F2lhCXUeXlCpXABwMRXNNkP7Ul8XsPYzyB85PyVPqJUgxvGzKM6cETzmbNYWNlMvNoTkPqy4TrpP_HxFsZoXleDfb1nCv13JFl_f7Ig/s1600/beverly+blend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkT37mMTwos5KP2yVBJgPA-wbcZ2n5ekNpowu1F2lhCXUeXlCpXABwMRXNNkP7Ul8XsPYzyB85PyVPqJUgxvGzKM6cETzmbNYWNlMvNoTkPqy4TrpP_HxFsZoXleDfb1nCv13JFl_f7Ig/s400/beverly+blend.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Natives camouflaged against a backdrop of Association run-of-the-mills.</span></td></tr>
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The garden, six years old, was designed by Diane Bonanno, who has since moved to northern California. She and Beverly invested much time debating plant choices. Beverly laughs at it now; native plants have a way of sorting themselves out, coming and going as they please. <br />
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Beverly has a large variety of plants, harmoniously blending in a pattern that has evolved over the years. A gardener weeds and trims under Beverly's close supervision, so she has more time for her ceramic studio. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaZ91XdNiqT6FJddZslrabxLioHZjiz0jXjkEhrbPvIf3CZEvaa74i6SVFsod3VgjE4n3Lx9DSQHX970341TMxKGcSbolG6QJnUIbffBd-1FD-r2eXa51mLxarLHEr6bnfV_yne-dRps/s1600/beverly+damp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYaZ91XdNiqT6FJddZslrabxLioHZjiz0jXjkEhrbPvIf3CZEvaa74i6SVFsod3VgjE4n3Lx9DSQHX970341TMxKGcSbolG6QJnUIbffBd-1FD-r2eXa51mLxarLHEr6bnfV_yne-dRps/s400/beverly+damp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Colorful damp-and shade-loving natives include Scarlet Monkeyflower (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Mimulus+cardinalis" target="_blank">Mimulus cardinalis</a></i>), and Western Columbine (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Aquilegia+formosa" target="_blank">Aquilegia formosa</a>.</i>) Those violets might be native <i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Viola+adunca" target="_blank">Viola adunca</a></i>.</span></td></tr>
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She keeps a firm hand on the sprinkler controller: most zones will be watered once every eleven days. She did not redo the irrigation when she went native, a decision that she now regrets. Areas that were shared with a few higher-water vegetables or ornamentals now get watered once every five days, and contain damp-loving natives only. As many of these are ephemerals that reseed or spread by stolons, the composition of those beds is ever-evolving. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR0b5eg36FcmvCHmyHhXZqmVPvg9nHxOrez_OgteAtueOdtphOvn_wK69juWpgy-xx50HgcAMGXG4b0vnAqVt52pk80yzx-jBDhXphXuPw7Bq0kSigpxloA2q9rQ0VVm_nSVIjnT9yTE/s1600/beverly-label.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR0b5eg36FcmvCHmyHhXZqmVPvg9nHxOrez_OgteAtueOdtphOvn_wK69juWpgy-xx50HgcAMGXG4b0vnAqVt52pk80yzx-jBDhXphXuPw7Bq0kSigpxloA2q9rQ0VVm_nSVIjnT9yTE/s400/beverly-label.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beverly showed me up on plant labeling for the CNPS Garden Tour. Mine are laminated; hers are ceramic. This Artemisia prospers; another ten feet away died. Maybe poor drainage? (It is after all a beach plant.) So it goes with natives. </span></td></tr>
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I was struck by how her natives so closely mimic the tightly trimmed style one sees in her neighborhood. But not closely enough, it seems. A couple of years back she received an ominous letter from her Homeowner's Association architectural committee demanding that she "remove her dead flowers!" (She thinks they were talking about the decorative seed pods of her sages.) God forbid that a seed pod should be allowed to ripen sufficiently to provide food for birds, or to reseed for another season. She did submit to the Neatness Police.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtroqinu3owifrqfZBJ7BnfImh1e9hP6eiyTJ8KgfrB24NqDPpoEsJwnYTL1lNAaFbP7Z23dNFr8Cve8l2Bv32vNk3Upn3Y_xUfje0N02wknKmEMA3XOlBPU8bcc6xXakgTcCpfW4jV8A/s1600/Beverly-howard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtroqinu3owifrqfZBJ7BnfImh1e9hP6eiyTJ8KgfrB24NqDPpoEsJwnYTL1lNAaFbP7Z23dNFr8Cve8l2Bv32vNk3Upn3Y_xUfje0N02wknKmEMA3XOlBPU8bcc6xXakgTcCpfW4jV8A/s400/Beverly-howard.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the tidiest native gardens I've seen. I can't believe the Neatness Police went after it. The center shrub is faithful <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/43--arctostaphylos-densiflora-howard-mcminn-manzanita" target="_blank">'Howard McMinn' Manzanita</a>, the yellow flowers are nearly native Sundrops (<i><a href="http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAHA14" target="_blank">Calyophus hartwegii</a></i>), and the tall bush is <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/649--sphaeralcea-ambigua" target="_blank">Desert Mallow</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Sphaeralcea+ambigua" target="_blank">Sphaeralcea ambigua</a></i>). </span></td></tr>
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Beverly's is the only "native lawn" I have seen that looks much like a lawn. She chronicled her struggles to create a viable lawn that is watered infrequently, and neither seedy nor choking out the rest of the garden (still some weeding required...) <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRqge2YLI2dY63caea2E0IflCCl_gTlwCR731VtrirZX02kGKUF40Hf6YcLdwx9-_EmXM-R3OZM1kTuelVqZw4OdDeGzVdx2Iru-YOVf-xPF6Abqyi2lvRt-wLAc73aHwz5hH40-LXzw/s1600/Beverly+backyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRqge2YLI2dY63caea2E0IflCCl_gTlwCR731VtrirZX02kGKUF40Hf6YcLdwx9-_EmXM-R3OZM1kTuelVqZw4OdDeGzVdx2Iru-YOVf-xPF6Abqyi2lvRt-wLAc73aHwz5hH40-LXzw/s400/Beverly+backyard.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The lawn is far right, low and smooth, but a golden color that would outrage the neighborhood busybodies if it were in the front. The hedge is a great example of <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/570--rhus-integrifolia" target="_blank">Lemonadeberry's</a> potential. The art is ubiquitous.</span></td></tr>
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The moral I take is this: beware of people claiming you can have a "native" or "low water" lawn without far more diligence that I can muster, and it still won't pass inspection with the Neatness Police. This lawn lies low in the backyard. It is currently a mixture of cool-season Red Fescue bunch grass (mowed so the seed doesn't disperse) and warm-season UC Verde Buffalo Grass. Her daughter loves to sunbathe in it, because it is very soft and itch-free.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hroLs4Ntg4qwGEKVW9R-rV3aLNQ4Ijgu4UZ0VXcQRsdjHiF4S2Wzj__WbbYtqlLuKFCffMDHU6_-8Niov6QrpBVshj8lylb38vo-icVgED8N3-akKi1nQZCYDxI-lD1b8SPtQbY2fCg/s1600/beverly-more+art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hroLs4Ntg4qwGEKVW9R-rV3aLNQ4Ijgu4UZ0VXcQRsdjHiF4S2Wzj__WbbYtqlLuKFCffMDHU6_-8Niov6QrpBVshj8lylb38vo-icVgED8N3-akKi1nQZCYDxI-lD1b8SPtQbY2fCg/s400/beverly-more+art.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beverly's not sure which ground covers grow amid the art; they have wandered, disappeared, and reappeared too many times. I covet that pot.</span></td></tr>
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I adore Beverly's ceramic pieces scattered through the garden. They include butterfly stepping stones, incredibly textured urns, richly detailed larger-than-life pomegranates, and totemic poles with evocative abstract shapes and colors. You can visit her website at <a href="http://www.beverlyjacobsart.com/">www.beverlyjacobsart.com</a>. Despite her labors and setbacks, Beverly is glad she went native, and believes that the garden is a fabulous backdrop for her art. I agree on both counts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpSLuhc3_jUJBj4wI_sp4L4nti8D3yBhDII8hgO3mv9IGD6RsSdEhUcUAK8utwqjLJ6_D3RhdOJ8mWdBiJGg55Wf0f7JQ1w8r7kcZmxpw56gy-Te3V-NAZb83loqdmthe70DtlEJ7ldA/s1600/beverly-sculpture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpSLuhc3_jUJBj4wI_sp4L4nti8D3yBhDII8hgO3mv9IGD6RsSdEhUcUAK8utwqjLJ6_D3RhdOJ8mWdBiJGg55Wf0f7JQ1w8r7kcZmxpw56gy-Te3V-NAZb83loqdmthe70DtlEJ7ldA/s400/beverly-sculpture.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the entry, a totem is anchored by (non-native) Pink Evening Primrose and an Island Morning Glory vine (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Calystegia+macrostegia" target="_blank">Calystegia macrostegia</a></i>) on the left, and Maidenhair Fern behind.</span><br />
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Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-44211413893038441352015-06-19T12:14:00.000-07:002015-06-19T12:14:20.757-07:00Turf Terminators Beware Thousands of people in California are considering doing away with their lawns. But what will replace all those lawns? Give this serious thought before installing something you'll regret. I recommend native plants, of course. Here are ten caveats to prevent frustration when replacing turf. <br />
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<b>1. Beware of restrictions that will invalidate your rebate</b> for removing lawn. Typically you must document your existing lawn and get a landscape plan approved BEFORE you kill the turf. Then you have a short time span to re-landscape and document the result. Study the website carefully before starting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUJ4pPm2EnCVoLvKMydfIxq5XBoW5gXktOSQFV6stIGrDNtKxfk6P2ItuzTOZg-Fr0JTkFxrjA4-2JpyTfk7CyTG8rJgU3-BI92skgSKSIfYA9JilgrhgalU_wdNdzrnF0QJn8bda1Ko/s1600/lawn+tomaz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUJ4pPm2EnCVoLvKMydfIxq5XBoW5gXktOSQFV6stIGrDNtKxfk6P2ItuzTOZg-Fr0JTkFxrjA4-2JpyTfk7CyTG8rJgU3-BI92skgSKSIfYA9JilgrhgalU_wdNdzrnF0QJn8bda1Ko/s400/lawn+tomaz.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The association lawn bordering my and Tomaz's front gardens will remain another year. Neither of us has the energy to replace it this year, and it is watered with reclaimed water. Tomaz's riparian (streamside) natives (right) love getting its excess water.</span></td></tr>
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<b>2. Beware of grass reinvasion. </b> While fescue turf is easy to physically remove, cold-dormant St. Augustine grass and Bermuda grass are impossible to remove completely by digging. All lawns are hard to really kill in place. Picture weeding your low-water landscape of grass for the next ten years. Or, be SURE you kill it completely the first time. Here is <a href="http://rogersgardens.com/ca-friendly-gardening-solutions-kill-your-lawn/" target="_blank">advice from Ron Vanderhoff at Roger's Gardens</a>. Expect <i>some</i> weeding will be required in any case.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvy5TvZWa3MuTHmBp8gymlC10G6iFi0TqQsWAH_BtrrL6wJyfuVpyD67eSvF-Ck4qVdZZs07-7mADG3TqbK6lg8BZI-WGHXdZOgTosASDl14iHHjuV2631IXDwLv1N31eJMoKjC4toaM/s1600/lawn+beverly-lawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvy5TvZWa3MuTHmBp8gymlC10G6iFi0TqQsWAH_BtrrL6wJyfuVpyD67eSvF-Ck4qVdZZs07-7mADG3TqbK6lg8BZI-WGHXdZOgTosASDl14iHHjuV2631IXDwLv1N31eJMoKjC4toaM/s400/lawn+beverly-lawn.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beverly in Turtle Rock has a lovely native-ish lawn of prairie Buffalo Grass and Red Fescue (a bunch grass), watered once a week. It was hard to establish, and stays a golden green. She mows it occasionally. The fescue also springs up all over the garden– she regrets that choice. Buffalo Grass is very soft and doesn't itch.</span></td></tr>
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<b>3. Beware of "native turf" and "drought-friendly lawn." </b> There is no such thing in California. Native bunch grasses and midwestern prairie grasses don't look and act like a typical lawn unless they get a whole lot of water, fertilizer, and coddling (installing plugs, waiting, weeding, changing watering regimens, weeding volunteers from the rest of your garden...) Way more work and worry, and not much less water, than regular turf...so why bother? <b>Do your research</b> before installing non-native "lawn substitutes" like Dymondia and Zoysia. They don't look or act like lawn. While eventually low(ish) water, they take time, care, water, and weeding to establish. Consider breaking away from the whole lawn concept by using robust ground covers and shrubs, paths and clearings of porous hardscape, and planting trees– the real climate changers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hpi6gn1T_UKufeyAGRISUkGRlCiTNVvhouHuUG2NTb8lHE-9q1GHf6PrIS1BEnYatzsenGqIvLTFOfoC2Xyt9oXxzyeGW1T26wm2bXEJtG7Dw0-w9K1e0K4zNaGppjloHegyYNii4qg/s1600/lawn-dymondia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hpi6gn1T_UKufeyAGRISUkGRlCiTNVvhouHuUG2NTb8lHE-9q1GHf6PrIS1BEnYatzsenGqIvLTFOfoC2Xyt9oXxzyeGW1T26wm2bXEJtG7Dw0-w9K1e0K4zNaGppjloHegyYNii4qg/s400/lawn-dymondia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dymondia needs edging. It does well with weekly water, and dies back in frost. It takes a little work to establish weed-free.</span></td></tr>
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<b>4. Beware of Turf Terminators</b> and other quick-change artists. You get what you pay for. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/turf-terminators-los-angeles-2?osq=Turf+Removal" target="_blank">A scan of Yelp</a> will alert you to their common shortcomings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTN782X9FNMMkboIz0BQRv9q6SAZloLrXhghQLce59P_OuCLLwHUyZnKCekm6uMvxC6lFicEVasvAlngamwDNx61xV_rQSKlBk7-bTF1sqfAWA2ifSiCrS1kDZuIlMLegsUSDccEuh1s/s1600/lawn-play.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTN782X9FNMMkboIz0BQRv9q6SAZloLrXhghQLce59P_OuCLLwHUyZnKCekm6uMvxC6lFicEVasvAlngamwDNx61xV_rQSKlBk7-bTF1sqfAWA2ifSiCrS1kDZuIlMLegsUSDccEuh1s/s400/lawn-play.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">You think you need a lawn for your kids. But maybe they would rather have a setup like this one seen on the <a href="http://gardennative.org/tour.html" target="_blank">San Diego CNPS Garden Tour</a>. This is a side yard with decomposed granite play space, sand, mulch, tree stumps, and OLD FASHIONED TOYS!</span></td></tr>
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<b>5. Beware of inexpert landscapers </b>who claim knowledge of low-water and native plants. Ask to see gardens (in your same climate) they have installed three or more years ago, and find out how the owners are watering and maintaining those gardens. Sadly, I see a lot of weedy, half dead, or motley attempts at low-water gardens.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSsSPrB4bEaG-rvfQo3whAtZ6vZNZ2T4XxXPwFrkZKME21hppAUZ0gF9Z6wY0WqzHxrfoB28Qa7EakzrKG3o1B9wyq-ltamggz75_hlwNmt8cdIfwPWM9q_XFQqhsEpr-fhjFTRxLeD8/s1600/lawn+old.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSsSPrB4bEaG-rvfQo3whAtZ6vZNZ2T4XxXPwFrkZKME21hppAUZ0gF9Z6wY0WqzHxrfoB28Qa7EakzrKG3o1B9wyq-ltamggz75_hlwNmt8cdIfwPWM9q_XFQqhsEpr-fhjFTRxLeD8/s400/lawn+old.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This spectacular garden from the <a href="http://gardennative.org/tour.html" target="_blank">San Diego CNPS Garden Tour</a> is over 20 years old, and has been maintained by the garden designer the whole time.</span></td></tr>
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<b>6. Beware of inexpert gardeners </b>who do not know how to care for low-water gardens. It's a big paradigm shift! Robert at <a href="http://www.californianativeplants.com/" target="_blank">Tree of Life Nursery</a> reports that his mom's gardener always rips out the natives come midsummer. (Because they're dormant, he thinks they're dying.) My neighbors' gardeners keep resetting the sprinklers to water three times a week.<br />
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<b>7. Beware of inappropriate sprinkler setups.</b> Your lawn sprinklers are probably not going to properly water anything that isn't flat. And make sure all the plants in the same sprinkler zone have the same water needs. Take sun and shade into account. Losing half your lawn and using the same three-times-a-week watering regime on the new plants as the remaining half won't save you a drop of water, but it may kill your new drought-tolerant plants. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7G-3LIUA3Pb9zPuZdVUQBDUEzGXWmqt_9wII80lHpk2YZHitfGgapSiBHsYJrC9FI3RNp2VTgHy1NKCQ_uJeI8Li-1U6XjS3ivHmMWEG0YjYUYF_LgcN_tuxLINsH13NeJ3QMycXKAc/s1600/lawn-back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7G-3LIUA3Pb9zPuZdVUQBDUEzGXWmqt_9wII80lHpk2YZHitfGgapSiBHsYJrC9FI3RNp2VTgHy1NKCQ_uJeI8Li-1U6XjS3ivHmMWEG0YjYUYF_LgcN_tuxLINsH13NeJ3QMycXKAc/s400/lawn-back.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This was lawn just over two years ago. It is hand watered about every other week. Dwarf Coyote Bush 'Pigeon Point' provides cheery green pools all year long, but does not thrive when watered once a week.</span></td></tr>
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<b>8. Beware of drip watering. </b> While it is the lowest-water option, drip watering is an unnatural way for drought-tolerant plants to get their water, that promotes root rot. And drip systems are vulnerable to failure from clogging and from critter damage. Find me a ten-year-old drip system. I dare you.<br />
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<b>9. Beware of shortages. </b> Native plant stocks and quality landscapers will be spread very thin for the next year or so. Don't be disappointed if you can't get yours.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-bwN_O78D6WjqgklFPP2l7QSV98wTZ0ASxgCey37URcI7py5NOGkkpoV-jBI9CnEMPPQF9l4vvUl6c2MQMiIQr3vtPzRqdpCywHAqH6belwgLrs0Gbi61WYyX698ic4dP0fOb4PQ6C8/s1600/lawn-fake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-bwN_O78D6WjqgklFPP2l7QSV98wTZ0ASxgCey37URcI7py5NOGkkpoV-jBI9CnEMPPQF9l4vvUl6c2MQMiIQr3vtPzRqdpCywHAqH6belwgLrs0Gbi61WYyX698ic4dP0fOb4PQ6C8/s400/lawn-fake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">Want a real low maintenance lawn? This lush lawn in the Beer Garden at <a href="http://www.stonebrewing.com/visit/" target="_blank">Stone Brewing Company</a> in Escondido is synthetic. It replaced a mostly dead lawn on high-traffic compacted clay. It works for me; in shade a more pleasant choice than gravel for high-traffic areas. </span></td></tr>
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<b>10. Beware of mindless gardening.</b> Any lawn replacement is going to take at least modest time, money, and attention. If you don't have those things to spare, you might want to just cut back on watering your lawn. It won't die. (But the Homeowner's Association may come after you.)<br />
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Whew! I'm really not trying to talk you out of losing your lawn. I want to support you in doing it right the first time. <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/p/subscribe.html" target="_blank">Stay tuned</a> to get tips for successful lawn replacement, and inspiration to help you invest in a garden that will bring you joy.<br />
<br />Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-56669762897627921502015-06-17T11:11:00.000-07:002015-06-17T11:11:51.222-07:00Solace in the GardenI beg pardon, gentle reader, for so long a gap in my blogging. A family health crisis took up my time, and left me lacking for words. (Not my usual challenge, as those who know me can attest.) <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpaahdA27nQpt0xjpCeNrcCfIprtRrR9iaturwOn08voOdzMk2AYCmhWfaTL2J1LFE8NkpD0Wqxc2kzEMXAe0JItW662oomilvwdRavmQfyNSZTTLe7hSPIs-tdvbWe9ZP_bnz36FfRg/s1600/solace+redb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimpaahdA27nQpt0xjpCeNrcCfIprtRrR9iaturwOn08voOdzMk2AYCmhWfaTL2J1LFE8NkpD0Wqxc2kzEMXAe0JItW662oomilvwdRavmQfyNSZTTLe7hSPIs-tdvbWe9ZP_bnz36FfRg/s400/solace+redb.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A patch of <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/288--eriogonum-grande-rubescens" target="_blank">Red Buckwheat </a>(<a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Eriogonum+grande+var.+rubescens" target="_blank"><i>Eriogonum grande </i>var. <i>rubescens</i></a>) anchored by annual Clarkia cheers the heart.</td></tr>
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Meanwhile the garden has been doing its thing, and giving me solace. A happy <i>Artemesia</i> 'David's Choice' cheers me outside the bedroom where we set up camp close to the oxygen generator. A happily shaggy Deer Grass greets me as I drive to errands and back home again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNZ2QgL1xQSJyXlkB9iHInc-fhuPrQQ3VLMr2oLmHigyZNZFE2dGMcyU_k8oIR3qH0Lphbz_SxPyMXLaf0YRyNWzEzTxH0RuXfybjYFjnvPiAT-Cd0tLFQRVtm6Pi8gI9kT_v8iTUVzY/s1600/solace+davids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNZ2QgL1xQSJyXlkB9iHInc-fhuPrQQ3VLMr2oLmHigyZNZFE2dGMcyU_k8oIR3qH0Lphbz_SxPyMXLaf0YRyNWzEzTxH0RuXfybjYFjnvPiAT-Cd0tLFQRVtm6Pi8gI9kT_v8iTUVzY/s400/solace+davids.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what a happy <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/96--artemisia-pycnocephala-davids-choice" target="_blank"><i>Artemisia</i> 'David's Choice"</a> looks like. Reminds me of Ursula from Disney's Little Mermaid. </td></tr>
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When I need to release a little nervous energy, I can always deadhead the Island Morning Glory or the Lilac Verbena. They don't really need it, but when life defies ordering, it's nice to put <i>something</i> in order.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ4s0JSCUNsPI0nAiYzjwOPKEp3K_My1SwA34V2npEa5HMpkUSawNNCQ0nWgXCQsOsLYmRiDFqhk6_vfHV1uPF-JSIRxqBLGMiaab6x16-K6jCO85N05xHpDYZEMYYkkAmAS3J7mpguE/s1600/solace+morning+glory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJ4s0JSCUNsPI0nAiYzjwOPKEp3K_My1SwA34V2npEa5HMpkUSawNNCQ0nWgXCQsOsLYmRiDFqhk6_vfHV1uPF-JSIRxqBLGMiaab6x16-K6jCO85N05xHpDYZEMYYkkAmAS3J7mpguE/s400/solace+morning+glory.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/1141--calystegia-macrostegia" target="_blank">Island Morning Glory</a> (<i><a href="http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=215138&one=T" target="_blank">Calystegia macrostegia</a></i>) is still blooming, though its big flush is over. I don't know if my deadheading helps or not.</td></tr>
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The garden had its own drama recently. Two favorite plants dropped dead untimely. One was a not-so-happy <i>Artemisia '</i>David's Choice' that had been overwatered– damp soil and rotted roots– in a patch adjacent to lawn that I share with Tomaz. I guess we should talk about who's watering what when. The other casualty, a Catalina Silverlace, is a mystery for Sherlock. (In these cases, we native gardeners say to ourselves, "I guess it got a fungus.") Fortunately the large bare spot it left is not entirely bare due to a sprawling Bush Snapdragon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZURUmMI81h14Vy0nz_tyrbi7YnjaDXojxaxY0HhC9vZEHv9gkQhI9-S3A2__SIq8YTP_acaPYPFPBMEX2v3hMlwScxxBUD9C6XUcElOOIrPWuUgLVvB-xPs4kYOpCHhtldLBfsXAkRRs/s1600/solace+dad+quail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZURUmMI81h14Vy0nz_tyrbi7YnjaDXojxaxY0HhC9vZEHv9gkQhI9-S3A2__SIq8YTP_acaPYPFPBMEX2v3hMlwScxxBUD9C6XUcElOOIrPWuUgLVvB-xPs4kYOpCHhtldLBfsXAkRRs/s400/solace+dad+quail.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Papa Quail was vigilant, but raptors move fast.</td></tr>
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The garden's burgeoning wildlife-in-residence (which currently includes crows, rabbits, lizards, and assorted perching birds) were recently augmented by a family of quail with tiny fuzzball chicks. Unfortunately for them, the first I saw of them was when one chick became dinner.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPKizWRmoC-roz8KSE7nVY7FEM3n9qw2MwRTGVsqLFLR2uD1htua_X3fe1j0wW2mv6qeGNr8HEqv-HyQmCy741SS6c6aW-zPmhyGjjx53-8U2yV6VkhEWaBvViEfo7nu-sN9fCetwQg8/s1600/Solace++chicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPKizWRmoC-roz8KSE7nVY7FEM3n9qw2MwRTGVsqLFLR2uD1htua_X3fe1j0wW2mv6qeGNr8HEqv-HyQmCy741SS6c6aW-zPmhyGjjx53-8U2yV6VkhEWaBvViEfo7nu-sN9fCetwQg8/s400/Solace++chicks.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three of the five (remaining) tiny quail chicks.</td></tr>
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Raptors in the backyard are spectacular, but hard on the other wildlife.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiDfv1ZuoNg70fK1CoJvnzJSdXOnDWvg2I0iQpOaICoS165u9xRB9vcRdG8rXs7SIAapTvQqMrmVAHGzJHtbTL-voE5Ogl4HWi8duuWrYkUwVPfQVnzCYUvqK0mCz9bhW3VCFKGmLTAE/s1600/solace+kestrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiDfv1ZuoNg70fK1CoJvnzJSdXOnDWvg2I0iQpOaICoS165u9xRB9vcRdG8rXs7SIAapTvQqMrmVAHGzJHtbTL-voE5Ogl4HWi8duuWrYkUwVPfQVnzCYUvqK0mCz9bhW3VCFKGmLTAE/s400/solace+kestrel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feathers still ruffled after his snack. A kestrel, I believe. Bird photos are courtesy of Scott.</td></tr>
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Important topics remain to be tackled. Losing your lawn! And what the heck to replace it with! Vetting landscapers! Quizzing gardeners on their tips and tricks with native plants! Rotating sprinkler heads and other water saving measures! How to get Monkeyflowers to persist after the first year! Sigh.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikeHFZ43egkmjW-R1h4q9PiRjkkvPOYLcYpOSEmc3FlbIVDa4ZtilfrahxYakXAwlaMNO6O21ZcqjciGsl5IXbB43UqFWzKHqZu0JMakd9I7d6zw_1bU2hrw1Lz_6Vi_8uRWY0Sibo44/s1600/monkey-roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikeHFZ43egkmjW-R1h4q9PiRjkkvPOYLcYpOSEmc3FlbIVDa4ZtilfrahxYakXAwlaMNO6O21ZcqjciGsl5IXbB43UqFWzKHqZu0JMakd9I7d6zw_1bU2hrw1Lz_6Vi_8uRWY0Sibo44/s400/monkey-roses.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> This species <a href="http://www.smgrowers.com/info/mimulus.asp" target="_blank">Sticky Monkeyflower</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Mimulus+aurantiacus" target="_blank">Mimulus aurianticus</a></i>) from <a href="http://www.moosacreeknursery.com/" target="_blank">Moosa Creek Nursery</a> was an impulse purchase in San Diego in April. I tucked it in a dry spot between the roses. Even if it dies this summer, I'm glad I planted it. </td></tr>
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Alas, dear reader, those topics will wait for another day. Scott has been given the green light for air travel (with portable oxygen)– progress but more preoccupation. For today I will just crank open the umbrella (it's hot!) and take solace in the garden.Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4242623018609673163.post-3466351540672727842015-05-24T20:45:00.003-07:002015-05-24T20:45:42.574-07:00Cultivating Community: Concordia's Heritage GardenAn organic vegetable garden, orchard, and native garden in Irvine? Who knew? It's the <a href="http://www.cui.edu/studentlife/student-leadership/index.aspx?id=24935" target="_blank">Heritage Garden</a> at <a href="http://www.cui.edu/" target="_blank">Concordia University</a>. A group of faculty, spearheaded by English professor Thea Gavin, began it just over a year ago on a weedy hillside on the north end of campus. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-T9VkKpZPAK47py0mk7d0qut0RfSMKg3EQvbLUKVe8MmLXG5iRqBolULTvEYIrw64cVvCgmiLwI6JrdWzVvK0bEFZI1zz-PvVEDukaJ-zgBZuDXYe_zP3nyr7DIKfWZPifWw839LXzE/s1600/heritage+welcome+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-T9VkKpZPAK47py0mk7d0qut0RfSMKg3EQvbLUKVe8MmLXG5iRqBolULTvEYIrw64cVvCgmiLwI6JrdWzVvK0bEFZI1zz-PvVEDukaJ-zgBZuDXYe_zP3nyr7DIKfWZPifWw839LXzE/s320/heritage+welcome+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thea's vision and enthusiasm are contagious. Her husband Steve is all in as the irrigation specialist. She has gotten labor and materials from Concordia students (especially from the dedicated Student Garden Club), colleagues, friends from the <a href="http://occnps.org/" target="_blank">Orange County chapter of the CA Native Plant Society</a>, the <a href="http://irconservancy.org/" target="_blank">Irvine Ranch Conservancy</a>, and more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8uMim7hA9hu7HOqRL3qVr_jMtBbdx1rJjRKKDSwdnZ8aFIwUYJ0awcXPad-wqihfux3yXc93BZHwpTAedFORWJkCH7FjtMvy7k0PNwn_PzSi1nmu5MFNdSI7JIQhZUs0LNjqdNlq8rI/s1600/heritage-view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8uMim7hA9hu7HOqRL3qVr_jMtBbdx1rJjRKKDSwdnZ8aFIwUYJ0awcXPad-wqihfux3yXc93BZHwpTAedFORWJkCH7FjtMvy7k0PNwn_PzSi1nmu5MFNdSI7JIQhZUs0LNjqdNlq8rI/s400/heritage-view.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/604--salvia-apiana" target="_blank">White Sage</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Salvia+apiana" target="_blank">Salvia apiana</a></i>) overlooks Shady Canyon and the hills beyond.</td></tr>
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The garden has a spectacular city view from its hillside perch. Yet it brings to mind the old country gardens I remember from my college days at UC Davis, a.k.a. "the agricultural extension." Organic vegetables and fruit trees are surrounded and interspersed with native plants, and a few ornamental flower patches. The garden has what few homes in Orange County have: space!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjwQxEIUyDY6WMvsdQRQHUNJ1yPsYn3qTs4WIaKiJbUJ0WF-QKknLm3hho2rYSPNSxpwX2YE9iPK8MHKPQy6PbZcOVP8wDhJO8xb6PPbxmdaM5W9jicPZzeJYCHL7miZrlRRcXZj_2AY/s1600/hertage+sweet+peas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjwQxEIUyDY6WMvsdQRQHUNJ1yPsYn3qTs4WIaKiJbUJ0WF-QKknLm3hho2rYSPNSxpwX2YE9iPK8MHKPQy6PbZcOVP8wDhJO8xb6PPbxmdaM5W9jicPZzeJYCHL7miZrlRRcXZj_2AY/s400/hertage+sweet+peas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet Peas, which like our coastal weather.</td></tr>
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As a university venture, <a href="http://www.cui.edu/studentlife/student-leadership/index.aspx?id=24935" target="_blank">many lofty words</a> describe its goals and benefits. I learned a new phrase: "<a href="http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/start" target="_blank">Ecosystem Gardening</a>." Natives are foundational to the garden, and I've never seen natives and vegetables getting on so well. (They get watered separately.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqdbgts7TJzWCcdpacPLtUzlByN2-3ZRg46nrpf4QhkyNbGPJwQUGl-ar4pH5HhR3xu8BV-vYUnfe4zqCIPhxkUKzhHMXgF_21ONt7BcYmZFjWRJThy0rO5-0CqmTne2shmOJWxB6Stc/s1600/heritage-natives2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqdbgts7TJzWCcdpacPLtUzlByN2-3ZRg46nrpf4QhkyNbGPJwQUGl-ar4pH5HhR3xu8BV-vYUnfe4zqCIPhxkUKzhHMXgF_21ONt7BcYmZFjWRJThy0rO5-0CqmTne2shmOJWxB6Stc/s400/heritage-natives2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These native perennials were donated by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy (extra inventory from revegetation projects), planted last July (not ideal!), and have been thriving.</td></tr>
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This synergy was waiting to be revealed. At the base of the garden lies the wild side of Mason Park. Remnant wild patches of native elderberry and sagebrush rim parts of the garden. Most delightfully, when the southern end of the garden was freed of invasive mustard, milkweed and other natives sprang up in its place. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IhMgRXuU1bswpU7l4Hq-k7vpZj4ZBKFDP-GM7BXe4yBCSg3gKfKMd5cgErYT0hxzgzZ6XZoUjpXyseq8cAqm9HY7F_H_S5gH56FlTiDM_AS8LS8d4KZHPzCTXPf22K4Uyvw4n7e3U2A/s1600/heritage+milkweed+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IhMgRXuU1bswpU7l4Hq-k7vpZj4ZBKFDP-GM7BXe4yBCSg3gKfKMd5cgErYT0hxzgzZ6XZoUjpXyseq8cAqm9HY7F_H_S5gH56FlTiDM_AS8LS8d4KZHPzCTXPf22K4Uyvw4n7e3U2A/s400/heritage+milkweed+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a delight when natives appear on their own! The Monarch butterflies have not yet found this <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/100--asclepias-fascicularis" target="_blank">Narrow-Leaf Milkweed </a>(<a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Asclepias+fascicularis" target="_blank"><i>Asclepias fascicularis</i></a>), which I am assured is <a href="http://monarchjointventure.org/images/uploads/documents/Oe_fact_sheet.pdf" target="_blank">much healthier for them</a> than the showy, garden-tolerant South American milkweed you'll find at the nursery.</td></tr>
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At the center of the garden is a circular planting of local natives. A thriving Elderberry was the first item planted, in recognition of the Acjachemen native people who lived here long before westerners. Thea learned that an elderberry was at the center of each of their villages.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8tXe5PAKm3xA3iA3q-p10Yefo5OsmWRB7VKyiE0v-oxLk_AW_XWa0XMEl_TaewGmRDbLi2Q20fmFXY-UecvKsx1gRoRyTmMrgzFXSSmG0o2lj7XHiL72jlkQTvcOWrA3dzeGHN7x028/s1600/heritage-drip+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8tXe5PAKm3xA3iA3q-p10Yefo5OsmWRB7VKyiE0v-oxLk_AW_XWa0XMEl_TaewGmRDbLi2Q20fmFXY-UecvKsx1gRoRyTmMrgzFXSSmG0o2lj7XHiL72jlkQTvcOWrA3dzeGHN7x028/s400/heritage-drip+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/260--encelia-californica" target="_blank">Coast Sunflower</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Encelia+californica" target="_blank">Encelia californica</a></i>) is still in bloom, and <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/776--artemisia-douglasiana" target="_blank">California Mugwort</a> (<i><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Artemisia+douglasiana" target="_blank">Artemisia douglasiana</a></i>) is lush, because of water from the fountain. </td></tr>
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The garden is designed to welcome wildlife. Features include perches made of branches, rock and log piles to shelter lizards, and a bluebird nest box, currently holding some baby birds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhWxFQahk8UzJU_927SP0qKmQ1EdGxQeqN9zk6jmC38lkhyphenhyphenYJuDDFHO4v0VZzeip52rjrBGLWrMO9LRChDVCYPnLcayLrJYNUS5k9cS5g53Pa95fX5pkDuN5eqGv6GwABED5O-4STdG0/s1600/heritage+lizard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhWxFQahk8UzJU_927SP0qKmQ1EdGxQeqN9zk6jmC38lkhyphenhyphenYJuDDFHO4v0VZzeip52rjrBGLWrMO9LRChDVCYPnLcayLrJYNUS5k9cS5g53Pa95fX5pkDuN5eqGv6GwABED5O-4STdG0/s400/heritage+lizard.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Fence Lizard, a.k.a. Blue Belly (our most common lizard), sunning on his very own rock pile.</td></tr>
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Community has been essential to the garden's creation. Many faculty, students, and community hobbyists participate in the huge task of clearing away invasive weeds, planting natives and food plants, and tending the garden. The garden's vision broadens a little as each person adds to it. <a href="http://canativegarden.blogspot.com/2015/05/discovering-nature-doris-garden.html" target="_blank">Dori </a>and her <a href="http://occnps.org/" target="_blank">OCCNPS</a> friends are helping to create a wildflower meadow. Meadows are the rarest native habitats, requiring lots of weeding. When I first visited, a whole family was gardening, or catching bugs, depending on age. Next visit, nine kids from <a href="http://www.rescuemission.org/services/village-of-hope/" target="_blank">Village of Hope</a> were checking up on the corn they had planted six weeks before.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo55po0nzO-9JjDfuC8zglwREc0LDesTWRrOqiqJdUNv3ozSDHZyNEsxbv-sJaRUt81W51QVoBNcDTfhGcIpzI-JsSAP5ZEQzVIKbKw461GRdiQKFnAoCAX8LcT32bdXTJFsLFVRUEVRI/s1600/heritage-helpers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo55po0nzO-9JjDfuC8zglwREc0LDesTWRrOqiqJdUNv3ozSDHZyNEsxbv-sJaRUt81W51QVoBNcDTfhGcIpzI-JsSAP5ZEQzVIKbKw461GRdiQKFnAoCAX8LcT32bdXTJFsLFVRUEVRI/s400/heritage-helpers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids are mulching their corn; next they will plant pumpkins.</td></tr>
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The heritage garden includes Dudleyas, as every Southern California native garden should.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6WTILa5MA5vhIdpAP4tPgEfLJCuXH2aHmqVfwo2Kt9jsPlbZhoVa8jZOOGRP74LpI5cYbV96u3MYv3l3KbGAxO8rdKcyk5k71YxYMbHgQWA_Aaiof7YToEjjq0uyujmHcrf69zEkPNQ/s1600/heritage+dudleya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6WTILa5MA5vhIdpAP4tPgEfLJCuXH2aHmqVfwo2Kt9jsPlbZhoVa8jZOOGRP74LpI5cYbV96u3MYv3l3KbGAxO8rdKcyk5k71YxYMbHgQWA_Aaiof7YToEjjq0uyujmHcrf69zEkPNQ/s400/heritage+dudleya.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">Which Dudleya is this, and why the odd growing habit? I don't know, but Thea gave me one to take home!</span></td></tr>
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If you want to get your hands dirty, or just gawk, and take home a bit of the harvest of the day, all are welcome at the Heritage Garden Wednesdays from 3 to 5 pm during the school year. Check for special events on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Concordia-University-Irvine-The-Heritage-Garden/1504979059781530?fref=ts" target="_blank">Garden's Facebook page</a>. Get directions and a parking permit from the Concordia entrance gatehouse, and join the fun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1dK71Ktrmktaf_VzRIQWNkj2J9V4bUIaqO4U9whmEiRA7lIsyzTJh13vY0AqCuq2d_A2P_IlKXhUQBasWKYPJiVyPxgHrowreJ9-UlvMdWDA-eMrb2rC_7d1A0XVdQRfZg3-NfpBj6o/s1600/heritage+elderberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1dK71Ktrmktaf_VzRIQWNkj2J9V4bUIaqO4U9whmEiRA7lIsyzTJh13vY0AqCuq2d_A2P_IlKXhUQBasWKYPJiVyPxgHrowreJ9-UlvMdWDA-eMrb2rC_7d1A0XVdQRfZg3-NfpBj6o/s400/heritage+elderberry.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Professor Thea Gavin, the force behind the garden, with elderberry tree and young helper. </td></tr>
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<br />Terry LePagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00152774352879806771noreply@blogger.com0