What's a garden?

Nine times out of ten, when I talk about my garden, and how much I enjoy it, non-gardeners assume I have a fruit and vegetable garden. In America, the term "yard" is used to refer to non-produce areas surrounding the house.
I'm never quite sure how to react. I do believe that in Britain, the term "garden" still refers to an area around the house where the gardener decides what to plant (and what to rip out). But maybe it's really a garden if there's some involvement. Some folks who have things planted in the areas surrounding their houses completely give up responsibility for the yard work to a crew of workers. They don't really have gardens but yards. But those of use who care have gardens. Tellingly, we call it native plant gardens, not native plant yards.
Of course, the big movement in this country seems towards planting fruit and vegetables in one's garden. And if I didn't live in water-starved California, maybe I'd consider it. But really, my water bill is already pretty high. I love to go to the farmer's market for my fruit and veggies, and get just the amount I can it. And someone has to plant the natives for the birds, bugs, and butterflies.
I do have some fruit trees and enjoy my peaches and plums very much. But what I really care about are the natives, both plants and animals, that make their homes near my home.

Native Plant of the Month: Zauschneria/Epilobium (California Fuchsia)

With the month almost over, I've decided it's time for a plant of the month. And the main thing still blooming is the California Fuchsia, beloved by humming birds, finches, towees, and me.
I have three different California Fuchsias in my garden:

• Epilobium canum canum Salmon Pink is a mid-sized (3-4 ft) fuchsia that blooms August - November in a salmon color. Greenish leaves.
• A second Epilobium canum canum is rather tall (4-6 ft), has grayish leaves, likes to reseed, and blooms read September - December. Don't exactly know what variety, got it from a friend.
  
• Epilobium septentrionalis 'Select Matolle' is a low-growing variety that forms compact mounds and blooms in red July-November.

When friends ask me which natives to try, I usually suggest California Fuchsia and California Poppies. They both grow like weeds for me, don't need extra water, and look pretty much of a year.
Gardening books recommend California Fuchsia for the informal garden, and I must agree. Especially the large one tends to flop over, and then I don't want to cut it and starve the hummers. Select Matolle, on the other hand, could probably hold its own in a more formal setting.
All California Fuchsias like sun though they tolerate part shade. They also can be pruned down to 1 inch when they're done blooming and will come back the next year.

Weeder's Digest

So, in my dream universe, you plant your native perennials and shrubs, and the wind blows in some beautiful native annuals. Or maybe you scatter some seeds you collected and in the spring, the wildflower meadow delights and impresses everyone.
In reality, now that the ground has been disturbed in my front yard, and the rains have started, the weeds are, pun intended, having a field day. The previous owners had an annual geranium and the kind of weedy native eriogonum, and those sprout like mad. I've spread 3-5 inches of wood chip mulch, but these two plants don't find that a problem. An interesting discovery, and an interesting contrast with some natives I've scattered under 1-2 inches of mulch and that never made it.
Now my goal is to pull at least 50 a day. I figure that's 500 in ten days, 1000 in twenty, and maybe I'll be able to stay on top of things this way. I do believe it will be easier next year, and even easier the year after. But for now, I'm trying to enjoy the 15 minutes of deep breathing and being with my plants every day. I listen to the birds, notice progress with the perennials and shrubs, and tell myself it was a smart move to go native while my back and knees don't yet mind those 15 minutes a day too much.
As for the annuals, I've ordered a seeds from http://www.theodorepayne.org/. Right now, I certainly can't scatter them--how would I know what to pull and what to keep? But I will instead plant them in pots and cover them with chicken wire to deter the bird.
I hope that in a few months, I'll post my own photos of these beauties. Meanwhile, let's see how many weeds I can pull tomorrow...

Why California Natives?

Sometimes people ask my why I like to use natives. And I have several reasons.

• They're different. I've always enjoyed things that are a little different. I've sewed my own clothes for a long time. In plants, I look for the subtle and nuanced, the plants that invite closer examination.
  
• Critters love them. Few things are more enjoyable than seeing birds in the birdbath, lizards dash across the path, and the native bees get so excited about the poppies that they fall out. Native wildlife prefers native plants, so it's only logical that I plant them.
  
• They live here. On this point, I must admit that I cheat. I plant all California natives, not just locally native plants. But I'm a townmouse, so there's not a great danger that my plants crossbread with the wildland plants. My friend country mouse has more of a focus on locally native plants for that reason.
  
• They save water. Plants from the chaparral, oak woodland, and desert habitats can get by with very little water. Other plants that are at home in the fog belt need more. My neighbor has nine mature redwoods on our property line, and those trees invite planting of redwood habitat plants. Those plants, like redwood sorrel, ferns, asarum caudatum (native ginger) and so on need moderate water. Altogether, though, using natives has much improved my water efficiency.
  
• They're pretty. I love to look at my garden in the spring and see the poppies and ceanothus (wild lilac), or in the summer and see the different eriogonums (buckwheats), or in the fall and see the zauschneria (California fuchsia).

California Mid-November Garden

This morning, I had a look around at what's blooming. Most amazing the Zauschneria (California Fuchsia), which has been blooming since September and is still going strong. I have three different kinds, with different sun exposure and colors. They're all hummingbird magnets (dessert for hummers, said my friend Carolyn) and other birds eat the seeds. In spring, the California Towees take small branches to use in their nests.

Some of the sysirinchium bellum (blue-eyed grass) is also, amazingly, still blooming. The Epipactis giganteum (stream orchid) on the other hand, is now going dormant and doing so very prettily.

Vitis californica is doing the same. A friend picked up this native grape for me (unlabeled) two years ago. At the time, it had plum colored leaves, quite stunning. Last year, it turned yellow instead of plum. This year I had one plum-colored leaf (which has already disappeared) and all the rest are, again, yellow. Mind you, against the redwood fence the yellow actually looks much better.

On the less native side, my rhododendron is blooming, finally, after a spring without blossoms. The timing is not the best, I wanted to cut it down for better visibility of (and from) the bird bath. But I'll take my color where it comes. And a red Albutilon I picked up at the farmer's market a few years ago is blooming like crazy, the hummers second most favorite food.
Finally, here's Eriogonum fasciculatum (California buckwheat), which has been blooming non-stop all summer on very little water.
Soon, those plants will start to fade but in January the Arctostaphylos (Manzanita) will start to bloom so the hummers always have a place to go.

Hot November weekend

With Temperature in the high 70s, what's a town mouse to do but tackle some of the garden chores. Here's what I did:

• Saturday morning, hand-watered everything that looked needy, which was all the new plants and all the cuttings I'm trying to root.
• Also spent two hours pulling weeds and removing leaves from the dry streambed in my newly planted front yard. I don't mind leaves in the yard itself, but I like to keep the streambed mostly free of debris.
  
• Planted some wild ginger and removed a lot of hummingbird sage (Salvia spatacea) from an area that's too moist and shady so it's moldy all year. Thought of planting more, but decided it would just mean a larger area to drag the hose through.

• Removed some oxalis between some cracks in the driveway.
  
• Edged my new path in the front with flagstone.
• Planted a few native bulbs: Tritelea laxa (Ithuriel's spear) and Dichelostemma ida-maia (Firecracker plant). I'm including photos in this post, in the great hope that I'll get to see these beauties in my own yard in the spring. I did protect with chicken wire to deter the squirrels. We'll see.

And of course I had to go for a hike, with the weather being so beautiful, and went to see a very beautiful California native garden. This visit was an interesting experience, with the gracious host explaining all the plants that were to come (Gilia, Clarkia, Nessela, and so on) and all of use nodding delightedly while looking at a steep expanse of dirt. As they say, it's in the eye of the beholder, and we all could envision the beauty in the spring.

Meanwhile, I'm hoping for rain so I can rest for a weekend. And besides, the plants really prefer the real stuff to the hose...

Temptation

Last weekend, I fell in love with a very attractive-looking ground-level bird bath made of granite. Nicely shaped of beautiful stone, it had a 4-inch polished bowl. Very pretty. It seemed the perfect addition to my newly planted, somewhat bare looking front yard. I knew just the spot. Kind of expensive, though, and my charming husband could not believe how much I was thinking of spending on a rock with a hole in it. But the temptation was great.
Then I did a little more research on bird baths, and what I really already knew (having 3 bird baths in my garden already) made me stop and think. Bird baths should be 2-3 inches deep (not deeper). The surface should be rough (not polished). Mmmm. What were the producers of those bird baths thinking? And why hadn't I realized this right away?
So, freed from temptation, and feeling as if I just saved a lot of money, I went to Annies Annuals for their fabulous fall sale. And fabulous it was. Using their Totally Useful Plant lists and concentrating on California Natives, I purchased 5 native Dudlia, Pt. Reyes Wallflower, an interesting Penstemon, and a Needlegrass. They'll arrive in a few days, beautifully packaged by the nice people at Annie's, and I know just the spot for each of them.

The Landscaping Ideas of Jays

Just finished reading a wonderful book that my friend Countrymouse had given me as a gift: The Landscaping Ideas of Jays: A Natural History of the Backyard Restauration Garden.

Now, I have to admit that at first I was a bit hesitant to tackle this. Living in Suburbia, I don't think of my garden as a restauration garden. When I go for a hike in August and September, the landscape has its own stark beauty but it's not what I'd like in my own garden.

But the book is eloquent about so many things I really care about. The structure already makes so much sense: Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, and The Fifth Season. When it's Mid-November and hitting the high 70s, you know you're in the Fifth Season. Then there are fun stories of some of the early native plant enthusiasts. Some of them sad, remembering the amazing displays of California wildflowers before the imports from Europe took over. And a lot of very solid advice about garden design and maintenance.

It all inspired me to order at least a few wildflower seeds, which I'll try to germinate in pots this year and hope to transplant into my completely revamped front yard this spring.

For anyone who's similarly inspired, the book and seeds, as well as good advice, can be had from Judith Larner Lowry's web page http://www.larnerseeds.com.

And then, the heart leaps...

Yesterday's post probably sounded a bit grumpy. I was frustrated. All my best efforts to use the most efficient irrigation seemed for naught. Seemed ridiculous.

And then I looked out of my window and onto the California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum or Zauschneria, depending on which you prefer), which was still in bloom. Two finches were perched on one of the branches and delicately pecking at the white fluffy fibers that surround the seeds. A third finch arrived, and they did a little dance, each trying to land in the best spot. Very respectful and willing to share, though, not like the hummingbirds.

Seeing this, my heart leapt with delight. The finches were so close, and obviously so happy with this best of bird feeders. And I forgot about being grumpy and was just a bit sorry that I didn't have a camera on hand. But maybe next time. California Fuchsia usually blooms into December, and I expect there will be other opportunities to enjoy the visitors.

Saving water: A cautionary tale

One reason native plants are so popular is that many of them are very drought tolerant, so the assumption is that one would save a lot of water right away if planting natives. Unfortunately, water savings might take a while, and things can go wrong.

• Choose carefully. Many of the more attractive natives are from the redwood or riparian habitats and require at least moderate water in summer. In fact, redwoods do not belong in many places where we find them now. They were planted and the homeowners have to water them to keep them healthy. Oak woodland or chapparal plants, on the other hand, can get by with very little water after they've been established.
  
• Water the babies, let the adults go dry. When you plant natives, most want to stay moist for at least 6 months and get some water weekly or every other week in the first year. In the second year, watering every 3 or 4 weeks probably works. I've been upset to hear from people who stuck some natives into the ground in June, ignored them, and found they died quickly. Those plants are used to getting watered daily in the nursery, they need to adapt to their new home. Planting in the fall is, of course, a great way to give your plants a good start.
  
• Check your irrigation carefully. Here's where the cautionary tale comes in. I've used agricultural drip (techline) for the last three years and have actually been quite happy. It's sturdy, and the plants seem to like it. However, 3 weeks ago or so I had some lines added for my fruit trees, and notices a waterlooged area near the new lines. My irrigation specialist came back, checked that line and two others, listened to them all, and found nothing. Then, last weekend, I put in a few new plants on my mounds near the fruit trees (though on a different irrigation station). I noticed some suspicious wetness near a line and lifted it. It was dripping slowly. I checked some others and they were as well. Turns out there was a problem with one of the valves, and I've been helping to add to the groundwater table for the last 3 weeks at least. Note that the system was off and the valve seemed to be off (no running water sound). But it was just like a dripping faucet, slowly leaking water. I don't even want to think about the water bill.
  

What did I learn from this? I have to check all lines often and carefully. And having the system off doesn't mean there can't be a leak.

Blogging for Natives

For a while, my friend and I have laboured in our California native gardens. I'm town mouse, living in suburbia and trying to put together a front and back yard that's sustainable, attracts critters, and does not annoy the neighbors. She's country mouse, working on a restoration garden in the mountains.

With the elections over and the first rains giving us all a boost, it's time to get started. My hope is that we can collect some useful information, share successes and warn about failures, post photos, and create community. If nothing else, we can chronicle the joys and surprises a native plant garden can bring.