- Author: Harold McDonald
Whenever vacation plans turn to outdoor adventure, southern Utah is always near the top of my list. The dramatic scenery of places like Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon has captivated millions, and I'm no exception! And though those places seem exotic and far away, you can actually get to Zion National Park quicker than Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Hiking in the Southwest, I often feel right at home, because so many of the native plants that I see there are species I grow right here in my own yard. Perhaps not surprising, given the climate similarities, but many of these are not California natives and are not widely available in nurseries here.
The trees that, for me, are
If you've got room for companions for your Gambel oak, you could consider one or more members of the Rhus genus. The sumacs have several representatives that are native to the Southwest. I have written previously in this blog about one of my personal favorites, Rhus ovata. The sugarbush is evergreen, 4-10 feet in height, and covered most of the growing season with very distinctive small red fruits. While this species isn't typical of southern Utah, it is very common around Sedona, Arizona (as well as the interior coast ranges of Southern California).
More typically in southern Utah, you will find two deciduous species, Rhus trilobata and Rhus aromatica. The former has been dubbed skunkbush for the odor of the cut plant, which I think is very unfortunate. Yes, it's not my favorite smell, but it's not that bad, and how often are you really going to cut the bush? R. trilobata is very useful as a totally carefree small bush that will rapidly grow to six feet tall and wide. The quail and other birds love it for its berries and the abundant cover it provides. With its red berries and divided leaves, it looks a bit like one of our local Ribes species. As a bonus, it has tremendous fall color. This is another one you can find locally at Big Trees or online from High Country Gardens.
Rhus aromatica, by contrast, has the common name of fragrant sumac because of its citrus fragrance. Though not found in California, it is common throughout the US, and while xerophytic like most of the genus, in southern Utah fragrant sumac seems to favor moister (mesic) sites than R trilobata. The native plant grows rapidly to five feet, but the most commonly available cultivar, ‘Gro Low,' reaches only two feet, but spreads rapidly to 6-8 feet wide, providing a tough, attractive ground cover with magnificent fall color. I bought mine from Bishop Nursery, but you can also find it online from High Country Gardens.
- Author: Bobbie Stryffeler
Buyer Beware – Is that an Invasive Plant?
Have you ever wondered how many of your garden nursery purchases are potentially invasive? Not ever? Well me too - that is until I took a closer look at invasive species. Amazingly, in the United States 85% of the intentional introductions of non-native plants have been for landscape use and it's from these non-natives that we find our invasive plants. It's also astounding to consider that commercial nurseries propagate some of these invasive species as ornamentals.
California is home to 4,200 native plant species and recognized worldwide as a “biodiverse hot spot.” There are approximately 1,800 non-native plants growing wild in California with 200 of these considered invasive.
The problem is that people don't know they are buying invasive plants. The home gardener's first motive is that they are buying for aesthetic value and there is little information available indicating whether the plants are invasive. Buyer beware!
Here are a few to watch out for:
Invasive - Periwinkle (Vinca major) a tough competitor with an aggressive rooting system off each node on its sprawling stems.
Invasive – English ivy (Hedera helix) is a vigorous, fast-growing vine.
Plant instead Star jasmine (Trachelspermum jasminoides) or Cranesbill geranium (Geranium sp.). (Ed. Note: Star jasmine is not reliable hardy north of Independence. Asiatic jasmine (T. asiaticum) should be fine up to Bishop in all but the worst years. They look very similar.)
Plant instead Needle and thread grass (Hesperostipa comata) or Great Basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus)
Invasive – Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is known as an ornamental shrub with silvery-grey leaves that can grow into a 20-foot or more tree. It out competes with native vegetation and birds easily spread the seed as it provides desirable forage.
Plant instead Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis).
Invasive – Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) – lovely purple blooms that one mature adult plant can produce one to two million seeds each year.
Plant instead Penstemon firecracker (Penstemon eatonii) or Perry's beardtongue penstemon (Penstemon paryii)
To sum this up, do the research and don't buy invasive plants. The benefits are huge. Buying non‑invasive plants protects not only your home landscapes but also your local area's native plants and wildlife. You become part of the solution versus the problem.
You can also help rescue Inyo/Mono counties open space by assisting the local California Native Plant Society, the Eastern Sierra Land Trust, and Friends of the Inyo to manage or eradicate invasive species in our region. By doing this you will help sustain local open spaces or maintain the health of our waterways.
- Author: Alison Collin
Part I: Chartreuse and gold-leaved plants.
Why wait until fall to enjoy spectacular leaf colors? There are plenty of plants that burst forth in spring with leaves of different hues adding interest to the garden while we wait for summer blooms.
The following plants are hardy to USDA Zone 7 and perform reliably in most of the Owens Valley.
I am particularly fond of chartreuse foliage to add a cheerful splash of color to borders. One of the best shrubs is the Ninebark, Physocarpus opulofolius ‘Darts Gold' which has much to offer. Sending out arching branches covered in brilliant citric-green leaves, numerous clusters of pollinator-friendly white flowers clothe it in spring, followed by red berries. The exfoliating bark also adds interest in winter. It will tolerate dry soils but does best with regular water. It is a fast grower, and the branches can be cut and used in flower arrangements.
There are numerous cultivars of Spirea with similarly colored foliage; Golden Elf, Lime glow, or Spiraea x bumalda 'Goldflame' which grows as a compact mound of foliage, topped by clusters of fluffy dark pink flowers, eventually followed by coppery-orange fall foliage.
Berberis thunbergii ‘Golden Rocket' (Barberry) is an upright shrub with bright golden foliage that turns to more orange shades in fall.
Little Honey oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia 'Little Honey') is a yellow leaved sport of the more common variety of this plant. For the best color it requires morning sun, but will not perform well if exposed to afternoon rays.
Sambucus racemosa Lemony Lace™ is an elderberry with bright yellow/green feathery leaves suitable for zones 4-7, so could be grown in the cooler aspects of the Sierra's Eastside.
Another effective bright chartreuse herbaceous plant is Agastache foeniculum 'Golden Jubilee'. This is a perennial which produces mounds of brilliant spring foliage from which develop stems to about 3' during the summer. These are topped with spikes of blue flowers which attract bees and hummingbirds. The foliage has a delightful licorice-odor when brushed or crushed, giving rise to its common name of Anise hyssop. It is said to be deer resistant too.
For a lower growing ground cover in the same color-range it is hard to beat Golden oregano, Oreganum vulgare 'Aureum'. This herb does double duty since it can be used as a culinary flavoring too.
Campanula "Dixon's Gold" can be used as a small scale ground cover, its typical campanula-blue flowers contrasting nicely with the foliage.
Modern plant breeding has resulted in many new varieties ofherbaceous plants and annuals with brilliant gold or lime green foliage: Hosta "Twist of lime", Heuchera "Citronelle" or "Lime Rickey" and Coleus 'Electric Lime' , as well as grasses such as the Japanese forest grass Hakonechloa macra 'All gold'.
If you are looking for a substantial tree 'Chief Joseph' Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia 'Chief Joseph') might be worth considering, although it is dull green during much of the year it becomes a brilliant gold in winter.
These plants form striking contrasts with other foliage colors such as burgundy and dark greens, or with flowers in the purple/blue hues. In a desert environment they make a welcome change from the grays and dull greens of the natural vegetation while in more wooded settings they can liven up a dark corner.
A word of warning: Don't overdo these colors or they will tend to lose their striking impact, or even worse your borders may give the impression that they are seriously deficient in nitrogen!
- Author: Harold McDonald
You'll definitely want to make sure you're on navigation, whether human or digital, because it's not the easiest place to find. Type it in on Google Maps, though, and it's not so bad. Get off I-80 onto CA 113 N and take the first exit to the right. The grove is just across the street from the veterinary school. We found plenty of free one-hour parking right on the street.
Most of the nearly 300 trees planted in the grove came from acorns in the collection of Dr. John Tucker, who was a professor and director of the UC Arboretum. There are more than 500 species of Quercus worldwide, and the Shields Grove features about 100 of those, mostly from California, Texas and Mexico in the New World, with old world species coming mostly from the Middle East. Easily the most impressive as far as size were the Persian oaks (Quercus macranthera) near the grove entrance, 100-foot giants also known as the Caucasian oaks for the mountains they call home.
But the Persian oaks are just the beginning of one of the most delightful strolls I have taken in an arboretum. If I lived in Davis, I'm sure I would spend many summer hours under the shade of the oaks. Shields Grove is really a series of connected groves—a netleaf oak grove, an English oak grove, a white oak grove, and groves of various encinos (live oaks) from Mexico—because the trees are planted in groups rather than single specimens.
One of the highlights is the gorgeous mosaic tree plaques found throughout the grove, created by UC entomology students in partnership with the Art-Science Fusion Program. Thirty-five oak species are identified by these one-of-a-kind signs, each one bringing to life the unique leaves, acorns and animals that share its life. A wall-sized mural near the entrance to the grove shows the oak family tree.
One of the highlights is the gorgeous mosaic tree plaques found throughout the grove, created by UC entomology students in partnership with the Art-Science Fusion Program. Thirty-five oak species are identified by these one-of-a-kind signs, each one bringing to life the unique leaves, acorns and animals that share its life. A wall-sized mural near the entrance to the grove shows the oak family tree.
If you're traveling through Davis, Peter J Shields Oak Grove (named after one of the founders of UC Davis) is a great refuge from the traffic of the interstate, even if you're not a plant nut—or even acorn!
- Author: Harold McDonald
Southwest Connections, part 2
Last time we learned about Gambell oak (Quercus gambellii) and a couple of Rhus species, R trilobata and R aromatica. And last year, I wrote articles here about another couple of foundational plants in my xeriscaped yard: sugarbush (Rhus ovata) and coffeeberry (Frangula californica). Today I'd like to highlight another tough-as-nails shrub. All of these are plants are perfectly suited to our dry land of temperature extremes. Though they thrive in lean, fast-draining soils, you're not likely to kill any of these with regular garden watering. Some native shrubs (the gorgeous flannel bush and our native Ceanothus come to mind) are so intolerant of irrigation that a summer watering is like a death sentence! Not so with the bushes I am profiling. They are all carefree in every way.
Anyone who has driven to the trailheads of Bishop Creek has probably noticed Chamaebatiaria millefolium (now that's a mouthful!), because of the attractive, fern-like foliage that gives the plant its unsurprising common name—fernbush. You'll see lots of it just before you get to Bishop Creek Lodge on the south fork of Bishop Creek or just past Aspendell on the north fork. But don't think fernbush has to sleep the winter away under a blanket of snow. I've seen this highly adaptable bush in rocky, inhospitable sites in the White Mountains, and it does great down here in the wilds of West Chalfant.
Even fernbush's scientific name is appealing! Fernbush is monotypic, meaning it is the only species in its genus. The genus name (Chamaebatiaria) comes from the similarity in appearance (though not at all related) to mountain misery (Chamaebatia), the ubiquitous groundcover of the west slope of the Sierra Nevada (the Wawona area in Yosemite National Park is a great place to see this plant). And the species name—millefolium—is the same as for one of my favorite garden flowers, yarrow (Achillea millefolium). And then we could move on to the interesting scientific name for yarrow…but maybe another time!
Anyway, fernbush is a winner in all ways. Mature plants get to be 4-6' high and wide. They are supposedly very tolerant of pruning and shearing back, though I've never felt a need to prune mine, because they seem to maintain a perfect form all on their own. You can find fernbush online at High Country Gardens and occasionally at Chalfant Big Trees—if I haven't already snatched them up!