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The Life Cycle of Seeds: Spring

March 28, 2012 by California Native Plant Society

By Meghan Walla-Murphy
(Part one of a four-part series about the physiology and life cycle of seeds)

As vernal equinox approaches and spring begins to take hold, hillsides, meadows, grasslands, and even gardens transform. Tender, bright green shoots overtake the brown dormancy of winter. New growth reaches for the sun as the days lengthen and temperatures rise. Winter and spring storms converge over California and drop precious and necessary moisture. And yet while our eye is drawn to the green above ground, our attention should be directed below, toward the seeds responsible for the freshness of spring. Continue Reading »

Posted in Miscellaneous, Propagation | 1 Comment »

Artemisia in the Garden

March 23, 2012 by California Native Plant Society

Artemisia californica accenting Bush Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus)

Artemisia californica accenting Bush Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus)

When spoken, the word Artemisia rolls off the tongue with ease.  This genus received its mellifluous moniker in honor of Greek Queen Artemisia whose name was in turn inspired by the Greek Goddess Artemis.   But when faced with common names such as sagebrush, mugwort, wormwood and sandwort, gardeners may not be inspired to search these plants out in order to add them to their landscapes.  However, California Artemisia species can make an ornamental and often aromatic addition to native habitat gardens. Continue Reading »

Posted in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment »

And Then There Were Three!

June 10, 2011 by eabl

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE!

Two penstemons met on a SoCal crest

Scarlet and Purple, each knew they were best

A bee sipped one, flew dust to the other

Scarlet as father, Purple as mother

Bred Violet, classy best in the West.

 

Scarlet bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius) and

purple or showy penstemon (Penstemon spectabilis)

are short-lived perennials flaunting exhuberantly flowering

stalks, attracting many pollinators – hummingbirds,

bees (Anthidium illustre is one), Syrphid flies, et al.

Violet is a well-known hybrid (Penstemon x parishii).

These penstemons are great for classrooms and public

events as colorfully clear examples of what happens

when natural hybridization takes place.

The ability of these penstemons to attract pollinators makes

them a beautiful and useful addition to your water-conserving

southern California inland garden.

In the photo: scarlet bugler is on the left, purple or showy

penstemon is at the top, and their violet hybrid,

Penstemon x parishii is center right.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

I Said It Was Not A Bee!

May 2, 2011 by eabl

I SAID IT WAS NOT A BEE!

Hours searching, red-eyed and teary

Scanning late near midnight weary

Endless screens listing fakey bees

None sporting thick gold thighs and knees

I turned away from wasps and flies

To swarms of bees, with many sighs.

California links not far away

Pointed to a Megachilidae

Bug guide dot net had good clear frame

No doubt now I knew insect’s name

Anthidium illustre bee

Sipping penstemon nectar tea.

Now to bed, satisfied to see

My garden has a native bee.

Good night!

Anthidium illustre on Penstemon spectabilis  A. illustre (Megachilidae)

on Penstemon spectabilis.

The length of this bee is

about one centimeter.

 Anthidium illustre 

(Callanthidium illustre)

is a western bee,

found throughout California,

north to Oregon & Idaho,

east to New Mexico & Colorado.

Have you seen A. illustre visiting your garden’s native flowers?


Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Build It and They Will Come

March 30, 2011 by California Native Plant Society

By Tanya Kucak

Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Erigonum Giganteum

Pale Swallowtail butterfly on Eriogonum giganteum

Five years ago, Jim and Meredith Howard bought a 1971 slab house with a flat concrete-paved backyard in the San Francisco Bay area and began transforming it into a habitat garden. They wanted to create an interesting and functional space that attracted native birds and insects, learn the local native plants, improve drainage, and do it all on a budget and without wasting materials or hauling truckloads to the landfill. Continue Reading »

Posted in Habitat Gardening | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments »

The Big Rains of December

March 30, 2011 by California Native Plant Society

By Vince Scheidt

It’s raining!

Why did this Arctostaphylos 'Howard McMinn' tolerate the saturated ground? Probably because it had been planted the year earlier, so had lots of time to develop expansive roots.

Most native plant gardeners in the dry southwest get excited just thinking about it. The purists – those who do not irrigate at all – wait patiently through the spring, summer and fall months for the first winter rains to awaken their dormant and thirsty native plants and begin the cycle of life. Foliage explodes out from withered stems, and flowering and seed production soon follow. For the hard-core native plant gardener, this is what it is all about. Continue Reading »

Posted in Garden Design, Seasonal Gardening | 2 Comments »

Aesthetic Pruning of California Native Plants

March 29, 2011 by lauracamp

Arbutus menziesii by Doreen L. Smith

Allison Levin’s articles about pruning California Native Plants can be found here on our main website:

Article One – Introduction (Why and When)

Article Two – Healthy Cuts: Pruning Basics and Tools

Allison Levin is an aesthetic pruner and native plant consultant living in Sausalito and working in the greater SF Bay region.

Please comment below if you have questions for Allison about pruning your native plants.  We’d love to hear from you!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

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