Ongoing research

Hypericum Red Ignite on 20% ET0 in September 2011. Photo: SK Reid.

A view of Ligustrum Sunshine on a variety of irrigation levels in September 2011. Photo: SK Reid.

Lomandra Seascape on 40% ET0 in September 2011. Photo: SK Reid. Following is a quote from a botanical website in Australia, where this plant is native.

Mimulus Curious Georgie Boy on 20% ET0 in September 2011. Photo: SK Reid. This plant began with great promise with dark green leaves and attractive golden yellow blooms beginning in May, but quickly showed a fickleness that was difficult to understand.

Osmanthus heterophyllus Purpureus in April 2011 showing reddish new growth. Photo: SK Reid. This variety of tea olive, also called purple-leaf false holly and holly olive, is a slow-growing evergreen shrub.

Rosa Pink Grss an Aachen in August on 40% ET0. Photo: SK Reid. The first thing to note is that these plants, which are not commercially available, were sourced from the UC Davis Arboretum nursery in the spring of 2012, and much of the material was in poor condition.

Salvia microphylla Hot Lips in bloom in June 2013 on 40% ET0. Photo: SK Reid. Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' is truly a plant worthy of the All-Stars name. It bloomed from March to December with really heavy bloom for the four months June through September.

Teucrium chamaedrys Prostrata (Nanum) in May 2013 on 60% ET0. Photo: SK Reid. By August, the two lowest irrigation treatments, 20 and 40% ETo, were yielding significantly lower relative growth than the highest irrigation treatment, though not the 60% treatment.

Teucrium fruticans Azureum in February 2013 on 40% ET0. Photo: SK Reid. This is another species useful for landscapes in need of a gray-leaved accent, hedge, or focal point.

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides in June on 40% ET0 in 50% shade. Photo: SK Reid. Since we grew this species in both the full sun and shade, both treatments results will be discussed together for comparison.