- Author: Dustin Blakey
The hardest part of writing an article is finding the inspiration for a topic, but fortunately I can find ideas in the strangest places. This morning while I was putting on some gloves, I noticed that a scar that I got between my fingers as a teenager from a particularly nasty case of poison oak that I scratched too much is now almost over my knuckle. I wondered what other things have moved since then? I know for sure my belly button is farther away from my belt than it used to be.
But since this is a plant story and not a submission for a medical journal, I feel compelled to discuss the gardening aspect of the moving scar story.
My childhood home was covered in thick, coastal scrub brush. Sure we had manzanitas, ceanothus, and some toyons, but I swear the dominant plant around our house was poison oak!* As a result, the Blakeys spent a lot of time scratching (or discussing scratching) poison oak rashes.
I find poison oak a revolting species from its years of antagonizing me, but there are a number of closely related plants that I actually like. One such plant is fragrant sumac. When crushed, leaves of fragrant sumac have a somewhat unpleasant odor. It's certainly not fragrant in the fresh, clean linen sense of the word. I'd call it pungent. It's "real" common name is skunk bush, but since that's not a good name to move plants in a nursery, we call it fragrant sumac instead.
Fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica) is a great plant that is often overlooked by gardeners. At first glance it looks like some wrongdoer blighted a landscape by planting poison oak. If you've ever had a good case of poison oak you'll likely cringe when you see it, but don't worry: it rarely causes itching. Some people who work closely with this plant can develop mild dermatitis, but it is uncommon. This is a case where "leaves of 3, let it be" is misleading.
It's easy to distinguish this plant from poison oak or ivy. If you look at the picture, the middle leaflet connects to the other two leaflets. On poison oak and ivy there is a small stem (petiolule) that connects the middle leaflet instead. The leaves also seem thicker than poison oak's, not that I've made a habit of grabbing either one.
This a plant that is happy with heat and is fully cold hardy almost everywhere in the Eastern Sierra. (Maybe not Bridgeport.) In the Owens Valley, it will be happiest with afternoon shade like everything else. It's a good choice for the east side of a building. I've never seen too many problems with the species. It seems to thrive in parking lots so it must be fairly tough.
Fragrant sumac is an excellent choice in mixed plantings, particularly in commercial settings or large beds. It works well in combination with ornamental grasses and small trees like Acer truncatum or crabapple. If you select one of the improved varieties, then it will be a low growing patch that can be used as a groundcover. Wild types can grow into thickets about 6 feet tall, or 2 meters if you're growing it outside the USA.
The glossy foliage is deciduous and turns red in fall—just like poison oak. Being deciduous, if planted alone it looks boring in winter which is why I recommend planting it with other species with more winter interest. Birds enjoy eating the fruit and I'm told butterflies like it, though I've not really noticed it being anything like a magnet to them.
The Jepson Manual claims it's a California native. I've never seen it in the wild here, but admittedly I've never made a point to look for it. The Internet says there are some in the Panamint Range. Maybe you'll find some there if you explore, but a more accessible place for us to locate this plant is in Reno. It is common in recent commercial developments there.
If you're looking to try something new, this may be a good plant to start with. And as an added bonus, it may scare off unwanted company that doesn't appreciate your 3-leafed shrubbery.
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*Also Baccharis pilularis, whose pollen I'm really allergic to. Atchoo!! It's another underused landscape plant.
- Author: Dustin Blakey
As you no doubt have noticed, many backyard ponds are different in many ways because of the drought. A lack of continual flow may have caused weeds and algae to build up in these ponds. If your pond is just a water feature in the yard then an algal bloom is nothing more than an unsightly mess.
For people who may be keeping fish, there is a risk of a fish kill when too much plant life accumulates in a pond. What happens is this: first, nutrients like fertilizers, fish food, and feces wash into ponds. Our water tends to be clean but if allowed to sit in one place, being the lowest place in your yard, nutrients will accumulate in the pond. If there are excessive nutrients in water then something is going to use them. That usually means algae.
Algae is beneficial to an aquatic ecosystem; however, when levels get too high there can be problems. Some algae can release toxic compounds, but the most common source of fish kills related to algae is oxygen depletion.
If you remember your elementary school science class, you'll recall that plants (including green algae) take carbon dioxide (CO2), water and sunlight to make sugars and oxygen. Oxygen is good! But at night plants respire just like we do: they burn energy sources like sugar and fat with oxygen and release CO2. It is the extraction of oxygen for respiration in water at night that causes most fish kills.
In the short run, the best solution is to aerate the pond at night. A pump that draws water up and splashes it over rocks will create an oxygen-rich zone that can keep fish alive overnight.
We are lucky that we have relatively cool nights all summer. Respiration is temperature driven so it happens more slowly. Remember that it is the water temperature that drives respiration of aquatic plants, not air temperature. If we have a really warm day with cloud cover at night, then the risk would be higher of a fish kill. Smaller ponds are more affected by oxygen depletion.
When should you be worried about oxygen-related fish kills? These are the conditions that all need to be met to be at risk:
- Warm water temperatures at night (summer)
- No flow in pond (stagnation)
- Green water from algae where you can't see more than a couple inches deep, or very thick growth of submersed aquatic plants and filamentous algae
- Fish in pond, obviously
In the long run the solution is to have cool, clear water. When the ditch system is working as it should, the water will be kept this way on its own. Without flow, limit the amount of nutrients that can enter the pond. You can do this by reducing fertilizer applications and if you feed fish, by limiting their feed. Also allowing taller, more aggressive plants to collect these nutrients before they make it into the pond can help. In fact many properties are having problems with bullrushes, tules, and other stream-side plants as the bank, enriched with nutrients, is exposed. Simply allowing your turf to grow a little taller along the edge might help.
If you've been filling your pond with well water to keep it full, it wouldn't hurt to aerate that water while you add it. Let it splash on a rock or hard object above the water and it will dissolve oxygen into it.
In all likelihood, you won't have a fish kill in Owens Valley, but because the drought has affected yard ponds and water features so dramatically, it is definitely more of a possibility than in the past. Keep an eye on your ponds and it should be evident whether you are at risk of a fish kill.
- Author: Jan Rhoades
I don't know about you and your gardening practices, but I just can't bear to give up on a seemingly “lost case” plant. In fact, I will go to just about any length to save it and nurse it back to health. For example, last summer I ordered live tomato plants from a reputable supplier – and yet, one came broken and wizened up and looking like compost. So I soaked its roots and planted it in lovely soil and put a sun shade over it. True to its name, “Legend”, it slowly came back and, of course, became one of my best producers. That kind of success only encourages me.
All that said, here is a story of survival that might be helpful. I have an apple tree in my backyard, not just any apple tree mind you, it is a Cripps Pink, also known as a Pink Lady. I love these apples and was excited to plant a tree that might provide me with some delicious fruit. However, not knowing the pitfalls of planting certain varieties of fruit trees in this region, I came to find out that it is a delicate type and falls victim to many pests and problems, not the least of which is the dreaded fire blight. So, a couple of years ago, when I saw the wilting, black, shriveled leaves, I was, at first, in denial,and then in emergency mode.
Right away, I blamed myself and set about studying up on this problem. I was determined to find out what I was doing wrong and make it right. And, ultimately, save that tree!
It turns out the Fire Blight is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, and is a common destructive disease of pome fruit trees (think apples and pears) and related plants. Pear and quince are extremely susceptible. Apple, crabapple, and Pyracantha also are frequently damaged.
The bacteria enter the plant through previous injury, much like a bacteria enters a scratch and causes an infection. In spring, branch and trunk symptoms can appear as soon as trees begin active growth. The first sign is a watery, light tan ooze that exudes from cankers on branches, twigs, or trunks. The ooze turns dark after exposure to air, leaving streaks on branches or trunks. Pollinators and other insects that come in contact with the ooze can carry the bacteria to blossoms on trees they are pollinating. The kicker is, most oozing cankers are small and inconspicuous so infections might not be noticed until later in spring when flowers, shoots, and/or young fruit shrivel and blacken. Infected blossoms wilt and turn black on pear trees and brown on apple trees. Fire blight infections might be localized, affecting only the flowers or flower clusters, or they might extend into the twigs and branches, causing small shoots to wilt forming a crook at the end of each infected shoot. The name “fire blight” comes from the dead, blackened leaves and fruit that cling to branches throughout the season, giving the tree a scorched appearance. Infections can extend into limbs, trunks, or root systems and can kill highly susceptible hosts.
Fire blight development is influenced primarily by seasonal weather. The perfect storm, so to speak, comes in Spring when temperatures of 75° to 85°F are accompanied by intermittent rain or hail, and conditions are ideal for disease development. Rapidly growing trees are especially vulnerable, so typical springtime gardening practices, such as fertilization and heavy pruning, which promote such growth, should be avoided. Also, trees shouldn't be heavily irrigated during bloom.
Affected trees need to be monitored regularly, and infected branches must be pruned out and destroyed. Pruning cuts should be made at least 8-12 inches below the visible infection. Sterilizing pruning shears with alcohol or household bleach between each cut is always recommended. Good control of insects with piercing and sucking mouth parts (aphids, leafhoppers, pear psylla) can help slow the spread of blight infections,too.
So, the rest of the story – once burned, twice shy. I have become a better student of varieties of fruit trees and plants, and have done my best to make selections that are suited to this region and climate, and that are resistant to pests and problems that might plague our area. Most pear tree varieties, including Asian pears , are very susceptible to fire blight. Varieties of ornamental pear trees that are less susceptible to fire blight are Bradford, Capitol, and Red Spire; Aristocrat is highly susceptible. Among the more susceptible apple varieties are Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Jonathan, Mutsu, Pink Lady, and Yellow Newtown.
Imagine my dismay when my 5 year old Seckel Pear – just full of developing fruit, began showing those tell tale symptoms of, you guessed it, fire blight. Hey, it is supposed to be very resistant!!! Oh well – no denial this time, just emergency surgery and daily vigilance. So far, my quick response has paid off. The tree is looking quite healthy, even though it has gone through quite a bit of emergency surgery. I will continue to monitor and treat, and, I think we are out of the woods for now. What gives me hope (and just a touch of pride) is my Pink Lady Apple – the one that had fire blight last year. This season it is full and healthy, and has set fruit. I know that fire blight can overwinter and that my trees might not make it, but for now I keep a close eye on them and make it a daily practice to tell both trees how much I love them – can't hurt!
- Author: Harold McDonald
Last time, we had an introduction to the Salvia genus, which is a diverse group of close to 1,000 species. One of the most widely planted locally is Salvia farinacea. Fortunately, it's more appealing than its common name, mealycup sage, and while it's not one of my absolute favorites, it gets high marks for nonstop blooming and vigorous self-seeding. Though a native of Texas and New Mexico, it's not particularly xeric. ‘Victoria' is the most common cultivar locally, but many others are more desirable. I planted ‘Blue Bedder,' which is taller, from seed. Also easy from seed is Salvia patens ‘Blue Angel.' This has one of the most enchanting blooms of all salvias. unfortunately, it is one of many salvias rated for zones 8-10 perennials. However, if you're growing them from seed, at least it's not costing you much money! Nearly as beautiful, twice as tall, and easily surviving our winters is Salvia azurea grandiflora. This is another one I grew easily from seed. I'm gonna put in another plug here for my source for these. Diane's Seeds has an interesting selection of small, cheap seed packets, friendly personal service and super fast delivery. As long as we're at it, my other favorite seed source—this one for natives and grasses—is Plants of the Southwest in New Mexico.
While all the above are varying shades of blue—the predominant color in the species—salvias do come in nearly all colors, and the best place to find them is in what is probably the most valuable landscaping salvia species for gardeners in the eastern Sierra—Salvia greggii. True to its common name—autumn sage—these are spectacular in the fall when a lot of other flowers have ended their show, but in our area they are pretty much nonstop bloomers from April through July.
An invaluable plant for the front of my garden is Salvia nemorosa. Nemorosa means “of the woods,” so the common name is woodland sage or Balkan clary. ‘May Night' and ‘East Friesland' are two commonly available purple varieties, while ‘Rose Queen' has been showing up locally the last few years as well. I have not tried Salvia nemorosa from seed, but the plants do self-sow and can be divided after a few years. Like many of the salvias, these bloom profusely in the spring, but if you cut back the blooms you can pretty much get blooms throughout the growing season.
Not nearly as well known, and seldom found locally, is Salvia chamaedryoides. Germander sage is native to the high desert of the Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico (hence, its other common name of Mexican blue sage).
California native plant lovers will notice a glaring omission—Salvia dorrii, our local purple sage. It does have spectacular blooms and is very drought tolerant. I have a few in my yard, but to my mind they just don't give me enough bang for the buck to be worth planting more widely. Salvia chamaedryoides is similar in leaf and flower color, but way more robust. In my yard anyway, for most of the growing season, Salvia dorrii is a bit scraggly and nondescript. I know it may offend the purists, and maybe I just don't know how to handle this species, but it doesn't seem worth the effort when so many other salvias are available.
One of my neighbors has a plant that is pretty close, Salvia pachyphylla. High Country Gardens no longer seems to have it, but I just checked my new favorite website, Flowers by the Sea, and they have it, so perhaps I'll give it a try. Check out this article from the Salvia Guru newsletter about flora of SoCal's Santa Rosa Mountains, featuring spectacular pictures of Salvia pachyphylla.
I almost forgot another spectacular plant, Salvia clevelandii. This 3-foot shrub is native to the chaparral of southern California. This is another one that needs the right location to survive our winters. I have two framing our patio on the south side of the house, and they have flourished there for several years now. They have big, beautiful Salvia dorrii -like blossoms, but the best thing about this plant is its aroma. This is by far the best-smelling plant I know. It would be worth it just for the smell, but like nearly all its cousins in the salvia genus, it has attractive foliage, low water needs and is a haven for wildlife. Every garden has room for at least a few salvias.
- Author: Harold McDonald
Why are they called Jerusalem artichokes if they're not artichokes and they're native to the eastern US? Then again, maybe you're not familiar with Jerusalem artichokes. Maybe you know that plant instead as sunroot, earth apple, sunchoke, lambchoke, French potato, Canada potato or even topinambour. All interesting names, no doubt, but they aren't very helpful for classification purposes. Helianthus tuberosus, on the other hand, tells us immediately that we're talking about a sunflower that produces a tuber. While it's debatable whether Homo sapiens is really “the man who knows,” coming up with an organized system for naming living things was a good idea. Categorizing is just one of those things that comes to us naturally. As a matter of fact, research suggests that such sorting is innate (not learned) behavior. It's how we understand the world around us—sorting, predicting, and testing—in short, the scientific method.
Scientific naming is generally credited to the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus with publication of his Systema Naturae in 1735. Binomial nomenclature gives each organism a two-word name, the first the genus (which is always capitalized), the second the species name (which is never capitalized, even when derived from a proper name).
Though scientific names are sometimes called Latin names, the names can be drawn from many sources, including Greek and other languages, names of people and places, and even anagrams—the flowering plant species Mullia is an anagram of the onion genus Allium! Quite often though, the species name can be descriptive. A few of California's many paintbrush species illustrate some of these sources.
- Castilleja angustifolia a paintbrush with narrow leaves
- Castilleja chromosa a very colorful paintbrush
- Castilleja densiflorus a paintbrush with very dense flowers
- Castilleja gleasoni from Mt. Gleason, in L.A. County
- Castilleja lemonii named for botanist J. G. Lemmon
Next time: start learning the scientific names of plants!