By T. Eric Nightingale, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
Fall is a wonderful time to be in the garden. The cooler air is reinvigorating after the long hot days of summer. Fall is also a perfect time to plant many California natives. Many have been dormant during the summer and will soon awaken and stretch their roots within the soil. These plants will grow through the wet days of winter, preparing to bloom brightly and beautifully in spring.
The soil itself seems to approve of fall planting. Once seemingly made of stone, the clay-heavy soils in our gardens will soon become manageable once again.
It is well known that native plants are hardy, often drought-tolerant options for our gardens. When considering California natives, it can be helpful to look at a more refined list of Napa Valley natives. We live in a large and ecologically diverse state, so focusing on local flora can make your gardening more successful. Napa Valley native plants include many hardy and beautiful choices, enough to provide for almost any garden need.
As winter approaches, many gardens lose much of their color. A great plant for color from summer through fall is California fuchsia (Epilobium canum). Its silver-green foliage provides an excellent backdrop for the bright orange-red flowers. It is a low shrub, sometimes prostrate, so it is ideal for bordering a walkway. California fuchsia spreads via seed and rhizomes, so you may end up with a splash of color where you hadn't planned it.
All through the winter we will be treated to the pink and white blooms of Stanford's manzanita (Arctostaphylos stanfordiana). This manzanita can be maintained as a shrub but will reach seven feet tall if allowed. Manzanita will not only add winter color to your garden but can also shade more delicate plants during the hot summer. Manzanita also provides berries and shelter for native wildlife. Look for Stanford's manzanita the next time you are out in the woodlands of Napa Valley and the surrounding area.
If you are looking for a vining plant, look no further than Dutchman's pipe (Aristolochia californica). Its unique blooms are white with red stripes and shaped like curved bells. Dutchman's pipe is a host plant for the larva of the pipevine swallowtail, a vibrantly colored yellow and blue butterfly. Wasps also like the plant, however, and will be drawn to the fruits of the seed pods. To foil them, remove the pods before they open or cover the plant with netting until you can collect the seeds. Due to the odd shape of the flowers, Dutchman's pipewas once thought to be carnivorous. This notion has since been disproven, however.
For a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, worry-free groundcover, try purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra). It is an unassuming yet amazing plant. This perennial grass grows readily in many types of soil, including the clay soils of Napa Valley. The roots can grow 20 feet deep, giving it incredible drought-tolerance. Purple needlegrassworks well with other native plants, but also helps to block and suppress invasive weeds. In 2004 it was designated the official State Grass of California!
My favorite native tree is the California buckeye (Aesculus californica). It grows large and sturdy, with wide, attractive leaves that provide much-needed summer shade. The blooms this tree produces are truly incredible: many small, cream-colored flowers grouped into long, impressive cones. This show will often last through spring and summer, until the tree drops its leaves as part of its summer dormancy. Toward the end of summer, large nut-like fruits will appear. While they somewhat resemble chestnuts, these fruits are inedible.
These are just a few options of the many native plants you can add to your garden. There are many helpful resources available to those new to natives. Calflora (www.calflora.org) is a website that allows you to search for plants based on criteria such as shape, native ecosystem and lifespan. The Napa Chapter of the California Native Plant Society maintains a list of native- plant gardens and nurseries (www.napavalleycnps.org).
I heartily encourage you to investigate the possibilities of native plants. By including them in your garden you not only benefit yourself, but also the many creatures that make up our local ecosystem.
Workshop: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will hold a workshop on “Toxic and Carnivorous Plants” on Saturday, October 27, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Foxglove. Lily-of-the-valley. Wisteria. These common plants and many others are toxiix. Who knew? Sundew. Venus flytrap. Pitcher plant. Carnivorous, or so we've heard. Join the UC Master Gardeners and explore the fascinating properties that plants have to protect themselves and survive in inhospitable places.Online registration (credit card only);Mail-in/Walk-in registration (check only or drop off cash payment).
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.
By Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
About 25 years ago, my next-door neighbor brought home a half-dead tangle of a plant that she called a passionflower (Passiflora). She planted it in a large trough and set to work spraying it lavishly with Miracle-Gro.
It must have been a case of the right plant in the right place because it soon tumbled over the fence and took over my yard. For the last quarter-century birds have scattered the passion fruit seeds, vines the size of boa constrictors have twined up my walnut tree, and the exuberantly beautiful blue passionflowers have provided a backdrop for family portraits.
Most importantly, the plant has provided habitat for the gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), an orange butterfly that was introduced to the Bay Area from the South American tropics around 1908 and has now spread as far north as Sacramento.
There's something so cheering about looking out the window at a cloud of orange butterflies fluttering around the blue passionflowers. It is a delightful way to begin the day.
Butterflies are important pollinators, but most people love them because they are so pretty. The fritillary larvae eat the passionflower leaves, and it's fun to watch the caterpillars creeping on the foliage. (Children find this stage especially fascinating.) The Napa climate is generally hospitable to butterflies, and most plants they like do well here. It is not at all difficult to create a butterfly habitat in your yard.
Butterfly bush (Buddleia) blooms in a variety of colors, including purple, rose, yellow and cream. It likes well-drained soil and full sun, although some varieties thrive in partial shade. It is not unusual to see a buddleia covered with butterflies, enjoying its nectar and pollen while slowly waving their wings. Some Buddleias can easily reach 15 feet. They do spread; seeds travel through a neighborhood and sprout. If you are concerned about that, prune them to a height of 10 inches after they flower but before they set seed.
Many California native plants are irresistible to butterflies, and most natives need little water to thrive. The California wild lilac (Ceanothus) can be a shrub or ground cover, with blooms in an assortment of colors, although blue is the most common. They need almost no water in summer, although some fog-belt varieties appreciate a little moisture then.
The flannel bush (Fremontodendron), which sports butter-yellow flowers, is completely drought tolerant. The foliage can irritate skin (the leaves have a felt-like texture on the underside), so wear gloves when working with it and keep the plant away from paths. It is perfect against a stone wall or on a slope, and pollinators love it.
Another garden showstopper is the Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri). This perennial can grow nine feet tall and makes me think of fried eggs, sunny side up. The flowers have white crepe paper-like petals, with a fluffy yellow center, and greyish green foliage. I had no luck growing them from seed, and no wonder: they propagate by way of rhizomes. Even then, Sunset's Western Garden Book recommends that you burn pine needles on top of a foil-lined flat of sprigs from the spreading roots before planting them.
It's much easier to buy a plant from a nursery that sells natives. However, all the fuss is worth it. Butterflies love Matilija poppy, it is truly spectacular, and it requires next to no care or water once established.
The California marigold (Tagetes lemonii) is another striking native that attracts butterflies. I first noticed this plant growing out of a crack in a Berkeley sidewalk a couple of years ago, and since then I have seen it everywhere. It is a shrub-like perennial, with golden-orange flowers and dark blue-green pointed leaves that smell like a combination of citrus, lavender and mint. It needs low to moderate water and looks wonderful with red poppies and blue salvia.
Mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii) is a native shrub that is covered with sweet-smelling white blossoms that butterflies can't resist. It is drought tolerant.
Many flowers that lure butterflies can be planted from seed. Try native milkweeds if you want Monarch butterflies in your yard. The showy milkweed (Asclepius speciosa) and Mexican whorled milkweed (Asclepius fascicularis) like the sun and, again, need little water. The purple coneflower (Echinacea) and sunflower (Helianthus) are also good choices, as are native yarrows (Achillea multifolium californicum and Achillea multifolium rosea).
Cosmos and zinnias are also easy to grow from seed and are good choices for attracting pollinators. Their flowers are of differing heights, so there is lots of movement from the butterflies as they consume nectar.
To create a true habitat, grow these plants in masses, not in isolated clumps. Make sure to have water nearby, as butterflies get thirsty. While I can't guarantee a visit from Lewis Carroll's bread-and-butterfly (last seen in Through the Looking Glass), many other varieties will enjoy your efforts, and you will love watching butterflies drift around your garden.
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.
If you are looking for attractive and low-maintenance additions to your garden, look no further than California native plants.
Most of California falls within a zone known as the California Floristic Province. Defined by the Sierra Nevada range on the west, this area is considered to be a biodiversity hotspot. Its many types of terrain and climate have given rise to around 8,000 endemic plant species. Consequently, you have many choices for native plants in your garden, whether you are looking for a delicate flower such as the California poppy or a tough survivor like manzanita.
Native plants offer numerous benefits. Many are drought tolerant, a popular attribute in recent years. However, even drought-tolerant plants need some water until they're established. Deep watering the first year will encourage deep root growth so the plant can access the water it needs in the future. This early attention will pay off by saving you time and money for years to come.
While native plants enhance your landscape, they also provide food and shelter for local wildlife. Many birds relish their berries and seeds and use them for perching while hunting insects, hiding from predators and nesting. Development has removed large amounts of native habitat, but as gardeners, we can help by recreating those living spaces in our own yards.
Native bees will also feel at home in a garden filled with California natives. They pollinate plants (especially important if you are growing edibles) and are a food source for birds and lizards. Most native bees do not sting unless provoked, and they do not form large colonies, so there are no nests or swarms to manage.
One iconic Napa Valley native is the majestic oak. We have nine native species here, but the most common are the coast live oak, the scrub oak and the valley oak. "Live" means the tree is evergreen. It is impossible to travel around the valley without noticing their beauty.
Often I have accidentally come upon an oak, approaching it at such an angle that its full shape is suddenly visible. I am awed by its beauty. The thick, continually branching arms stretch to the sky, as if holding it aloft. From a distance, the blanket of waxy leaves appears soft and fluffy. These are unique trees that, as natives, require particular care.
Like many native plants, oaks are drought tolerant, which means that they are sensitive to over watering. They do not want any summer water, so irrigation lines or plants with high water needs should not be placed under them.
While the effects of too much water are not immediately visible, long-term over-watering can kill an oak tree. Mulching around the base is also discouraged. The leaves and other litter that drop from the tree, if left alone, will naturally prevent weeds from sprouting and also return nutrients to the soil.
You can learn more about native plants on the California Native Plant Society web page. There you will find lists of plants native to Napa Valley and nurseries that stock them. The society holds twice-yearly plant sales where you can learn more about California native plants.
Workshop: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will host a workshop on “Oaks and Natives” on Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at Skyline Park, 2201 Imola Avenue, Napa. Enjoy a guided tour around the park to appreciate and learn about oak woodlands and the stresses they face. Then continue with a stroll in the Martha Walker Garden to see oaks and native plants in a garden habitat. Learn about plant care and using native plants under oaks and elsewhere in your own garden. Take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy two of Napa County's woodland gems. Online registration (credit card only)
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County