- Author: Alison Collin
Hellebores, with their neat mounds of evergreen foliage and showy flowers in early spring are hard to beat as plants to cheer up shady spots under trees or on the north side of a house. They are members of the Ranunculaceae family and are generally native to southern and eastern Europe. Clumps of handsome leaves about 12 inches high produce many stems of nodding flowers early in the year. These are rather similar in shape to a cupped wild rose, but close inspection shows that what appears to be petals are in fact sepals. As is often the case where sepals are the showy part of the plant, this has the advantage of giving a prolonged blooming season with the “flowers” staying in good shape for several weeks. The mainly green or white colors of the wild plants have been improved by hybridization and now include a vast array of pinks, slate gray, maroon, spotted and picoteed, but they generally revert to green as they age. Double flowered varieties have also been introduced. Although they are poisonous to humans and animals they all have productive nectaries and are beloved by bees which will visit in large numbers on warm days.
Unlike most shade-loving plants, hellebores prefer a slightly alkaline soil in order to thrive. They do require regular irrigation and a mulch of leaf mold to help retain moisture is beneficial although large clumps can tolerate occasional drying out. The clumps are tightly formed, so they do not invade their surroundings but they resent disturbance once established so a mature plant will often take a couple of years to recover if it is moved (that is, presuming it survives). Likewise it is almost impossible to split a mature clump successfully. However, they frequently seed in large numbers around the parent plant, and it is a simple matter to dig up and transplant the seedlings, but of course the hybrids will not be the same as the parent in color or form.
Hellebores are not touched by deer or rodents, and are renowned for being pest-free; however, in my garden H. orienalis has had a quite serious aphid infestation in just the past two years, perhaps due to the mild winters.
Helleborus orientalis and its hybrids (sometimes described as H.x hybridus) need some winter chill and comfortably grow in Zones 6 and up. They have the widest selection of colors and are probably the most commonly grown and, therefore, most likely to be found in local nurseries. This species is often called the “Lenten rose” (although, of course it is not related to roses) and in my Bishop garden it generally produces a generous crop of 2 inch, white, cupped flowers between March and April. It happily grows as a large clump of dark green leaves on the north side of the house which is mostly in the shade, but between the equinoxes it does get a blast of afternoon sun which sometimes burns the leaves.
Helleborus niger or "Christmas rose" is winter hardy to zone 4 and is lower growing and produces glistening white flowers with yellow stamens in mid-winter. Variety 'Potter's Wheel' has larger flowers than the species and is much sought after, but it is hard to propagate. There are also pink and double flowered varieties. This must have alkaline soil, be protected from strong direct sun, and have a reliably moist soil.
Helleborus argutifolius or Corsican Hellebore grows in Zones 6-9, has coarse, blue-green toothed foliage and clusters of green nodding 2” flowers held on 2ft-3ft long stalks which have a tendency to sprawl. It can become almost shrub-like. Although more sun tolerant, it is not as hardy as the previous two species but has grown under heavy shade on a west-facing wall in Bishop for 6 years without mishap.
Helleborus foetidus or the Stinking Hellebore, is often grown more for its foliage than its flowers. Clusters of small, bright green flowers on long stems arise from clumps of handsome, evergreen foliage. Newer hybrids have been bred to produce interesting foliage such as finely divided leaves or bronze coloring. The plant is hardy to Zone 5, although the flowers will be damaged in those temperatures.
To see a sample of the huge variety of flowers available check out some of the specialist nurseries such as:
- Author: Harold McDonald
Gardeners know that the old saying “location, location, location” doesn't just apply to real estate. As the local Farm Advisor, Dustin Blakey always stresses, put the right plant in the right spot. But what if you live in Chalfant. It doesn't really seem to be the right spot for anything! Next time you're driving out Highway 6—maybe for a great burger at The Merc—notice the native vegetation. Not far past Laws the sagebrush disappears. By the time you're coming down the hill toward Chalfant, even the rabbitbrush has deserted you, and aside from the relative lushness of the occasional saltbush you're faced with a lot of things that pretty much look dead, so it's hard to say just what they are.
Last time I wrote about one of my top ten favorite shrubs, California coffeeberry (Frangula californica). When it comes to flowers, there is no contest for the winner in my neighborhood—the entire Salvia genus. If I were going for my yard's top ten flowers, maybe three of them would be salvias. I had two or three species when I lived in town, but I never really appreciated the diversity of the genus until I moved out here, where Salvias seem to succeed where others struggle. When I picture the star performers in Bishop, I'm thinking things like Rudbeckia and Echinacea. Why they thrive there, yet not here, I'm not sure, but salvias don't struggle, even in my yard, and nothing attracts more creatures. From before dawn until after sunset, from April through October, there are always hummingbirds in my yard.
Here in the Owens Valley, most of the salvias we are familiar with require relatively little water, so it is easy for us to forget that salvia is the largest genus of the mint family Lamiaceae—plants that normally like wet conditions. Salvias do vary with their water needs, and some are bog plants, but most are relatively un-thirsty and all require well-drained soil. Of more concern to us is cold tolerance. Nearly any salvia will grow well here in the summer, but many are tender perennials. Salvia leucantha (Mexican bush sage), for example, is one that is big and beautiful in summer, and though I had some success with them overwintering in Big Pine, Chalfant is a bit too rugged for that one. Like another beautiful sage that is widely available in our area, Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue,' it is rated zones 8-10, so if you're in the southern end of the valley, you might be able to count on a return performance next year; the farther north you travel, the more you'll have to be content with buying new plants every year. By the way, the American Horticulture Society has good gardening maps at http://www.ahs.org/gardening-resources/gardening-maps and our own website has great local info at http://ucanr.edu/sites/mginyomono/Resources/Climate/. As long as we're looking at external sources, here's another one of interest: a list of all the known species of Salvia!
Sage has one of the longest histories of any of the useful herbs, and the essential oils of another, clary sage (Salvia sclarea), are widely used in aromatherapy, perfumes and liqueurs. It's interesting and easy to grow from seed, but somewhat rank. Fortunately, there are lots more interesting choices and we'll get to them next time.
- Author: Alison Collin
We all make gardening mistakes, but there is nothing more vexing than creating self- inflicted problems by choosing a plant for some special effect – beautiful flowers or lush foliage - only to discover that it refuses to stay in its allotted space, and takes off across the garden dominating everything in its path. I mention the following selection from my own experiences – perhaps it will help you to avoid the same mistakes!
Maypop. Passiflora incarnata. Lured by the exotic, tropical-looking flowers and edible fruit I purchased this to cover a rather dull wooden fence. I erected some lattice for it to scramble over and carefully planted the contents of a 2” pot at the base. It cheerfully romped away and flowered as promised, but then I found suckers coming up at regular intervals along the irrigation line bursting through the surface wherever there was an emitter - from under a host of herbaceous treasures and even appearing in the rockery. The latest sucker to emerge is 15 feet away from the parent plant and I will only get fruit if I plant a second one for cross pollination!
Mexican Evening Primrose. Oenothera speciosa. This is has pretty flowers and a long blooming season, but it is also an aggressive spreader. It needs little water and is happy in poor soils. It spreads rapidly by rhizomes and also by seeds, and quickly forms an attractive carpet of spring-flowering pink blooms. Although good for quickly covering banks and places where other plants might not do well, when given water and more fertile soil it is very difficult to control. Even little pieces of root take hold. Make sure if you plant this that you will be able to contain it.
Mint. Mentha spp. There is nothing like the first potatoes of the season cooked with a little mint. Aware of mint's invasiveness I followed the universal planting advice of putting it in a pot which had its bottom cut away, and then plunging it into the ground. That failed to contain it after the first season. Perhaps I should have used a larger pot or not planted the pot so deeply. The roots, not unlike Bermuda grass, rampaged in all directions. I pulled huge mats of them out, but even tiny pieces left behind were soon growing vigorously, and new plants appeared a long way from the original planting. I did finally get the better of it by planting it in a hanging pot over a concrete patio. Surely it would not be able to spread from there. It didn't - it died!
For some other rapidly growing or spreading plants which should be planted with caution visit: http://ucanr.edu/sites/EDC_Master_Gardeners/files/154805.pdf
- Author: Harold McDonald
One plant I'm confident has been on the top ten from the beginning is California coffeeberry. Coffeeberry is a member of the Rhamnaceae, or Buckthorn family. I've always known it as Rhamnus californica, but recently it has been reclassified as Frangula californica.
Many of you are probably familiar with coffeeberry, as it is one of the most widespread plants of the California landscape. I normally associate it with the chaparral and oak woodlands, but one or more of its subspecies can be found in nearly every community throughout the state. You can see an interesting map of its distribution here or go to the CalFlora website. Locally, I have encountered coffeeberry only occasionally, most notably in the south fork of Big Pine Creek. Then just yesterday, I saw some tremendous specimens up a little side canyon near the creek crossing on Baker Creek Road.
When I found coffeeberry at a nursery years ago, I knew it only from the Santa Cruz mountains, and I wasn't even aware it occurred on the eastside, so I considered it 50-50 that it would make it through the winter. Though the leaves do look a bit stressed by the end of the winter, it always comes roaring back in the spring. I made my first planting close to the house, thinking it would benefit from the extra protection, but I have planted several more over the past dozen years, and all have thrived (“thrived” being a relative term here in the far western reaches of Chalfant!). The other foundations of my landscape as far as evergreen broadleaved shrubs are mountain mahogany, bitterbrush and sugar bush. While I don't trust coffeeberry to be as cold tolerant as the first two, which are more common local natives, it is hardier than the last, Rhus ovata, a native of the SoCal coast ranges (but which I first noticed in Sedona) that is definitely another of my top ten shrubs.
Depending on the authority you consult, there are between two and six subspecies and several named cultivars. I have one I purchased as a tiny baby from the Bristlecone Native Plant sale (ssp. californica?) maybe eight years ago that is now six feet tall. From Theodore Payne Nursery near San Fernando, I purchased Frangula californica tomentella, which has done less well, but it is in a very challenging location and still looks pretty good. My others are all the widely available ‘Eve Case' cultivar. The descriptions online say that ‘Eve Case' is somewhat smaller than the species, but that has not been the case for me. In my yard, the natives seem to have smaller, less glossy leaves. I have some plants that get water daily during the growing season and others that get a soaking every week or two. All have done well. You can just leave them alone and they look great, but they take kindly to any amount of pruning. I have even cut them back to the ground, and they crown sprout beautifully. In my yard they seem to reach a height and width of about eight feet, but, as I said, they are very amenable to whatever size you want to make them!
This is not the easiest plant to find, but a few individuals do show up each summer in our local nurseries, and they are widely available in native plant nurseries throughout the state. So bypass those boring shrubs at the big box stores, go your local nursery and ask them nicely to order a few coffeeberry plants for you (one gallon is fine if you can get it). You will not be disappointed, and the birds and the bees will definitely thank you.
- Author: Dustin Blakey
There are a number of factors that can set landscapes up for potential disasters and one of these is chronic plant stress. Many trees and shrubs, when exposed to prolonged periods of stresses like drought, are more likely to be attacked by insects or invaded by disease organisms.
As it should be clear by now, we are in a prolonged drought. While many Owens Valley landscapes have been able to maintain consistent soil moisture throughout the drought, others have not been so lucky.
There are two predominant changes common in landscapes that are occurring right now.
- Some yards are being maintained much dryer than in the past
- Some yards are inundated with excess moisture
Drier Yards
In yards that have become more dry, expect issues such as borer infestations and canker diseases. Once either pest has become established, it is very difficult to cure. The best cure in these cases is prevention. Vigorous, growing plants are much less susceptible to pest attacks. By keeping your trees and shrubs in good condition you will avoid most attacks will be able to endure those that do occur.
There is no getting around it: your landscape will continue to need water. It is important if you have less access to water, water what you intend to keep alive deeply. Deep watering will encourage the best possible utilization by roots. Using mulches to moderate soil temperatures and moisture loss is also beneficial.
Local trees we would expect to be most affected by drought-associated pests and diseases will be
- Lelyand cypress
- Arizona cypress
- Poplars, aspens, and cottonwoods
- Pines
- Fruit trees
Wet Yards
Too much of a good thing can also be problematic. Many yards in West Bishop are finding that their soils are inundated with moisture. For plants not acclimated or adapted to those conditions, this can be deadly. Waterlogged soils lack oxygen and the root injury that goes with it can lead to root rots.
If yards continue to be saturated, usually an engineering solution to remove excess sub-surface water, such as French drains, is needed. If this is a temporary condition, perhaps there will be no consequence.
Suggestions
It's hard to make blanket recommendations but here are a few ideas if you find yourself managing a landscape whose moisture level has changed dramatically.
- Water dry plants deeply.
- Use mulch in dry areas near shrubs and trees (but keep an eye open for new pests). Keep mulch off trunks.
- Encourage bare soil on wet yards to increase evaporation. Cool-season grasses will also pull moisture out of the soil, so don't remove lawns in these situations
- Watch plants for signs of change. Catching problems early increases options.
- Start saving for a fund to remove trees. If a tree needs removal, it can be expensive. If you don't ever need it, you'll have a vacation fund instead!
Contact the Master Gardeners for more ideas for dealing with your yard. inyomonomg@ucdavis.edu.
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