Silver foliage 2016-notes

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© Project SOUND

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

Gardening with California Native Plants in Western L.A. CountyProject SOUND – 2016 (our 12th year)

© Project SOUND

Silvery Delights: gardening with white, gray

and silver foliage

C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake

CSUDH (emeritus) & Madrona Marsh Preserve

Madrona Marsh PreserveDecember 3 & 8, 2016

Rediscovering Eden: S. California Gardensfor the 21st Century

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Two important contrasts in S. CA (and other Mediterranean)

gardens

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Green vs. non-green

Light vs. dark

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California landscape painters use these contrasts to create lovely paintings

© Project SOUNDhttp://oceanquigley.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-series-of-california-landscape.html

As do the best landscape designers

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https://sissinghurstcastle.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/when-a-wheel-barrow-wont-do/

Our California native gardens succeed best when they take advantage of these contrasts

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Many classic European ‘white gardens’ feature flowers

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https://www.pinterest.com/explore/white-gardens/

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Gardens with white flowers are enchanting by day

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http://wefollowpics.com/moon-garden-all-white-flowers-and-gray-foliage-white-forget-me-nots-tulips-daisies-and-money-plants-combined-with-hostas-and-silvery-astelia-foliage/

…and even better with the fading light

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Another name for white gardens is ‘moon gardens’

While temperate gardens showcase white flowers, Mediterranean gardens excel with light foliage

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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/482307441324344276/http://youreasygarden.com/simple-ways-to-use-white-in-the-garden/

Why do temperate and Mediterranean gardeners achieve their whites in different ways?

Temperate gardens are shadier (and therefore darker)

They have more shade trees and more overcast days

Bright white flowers and foliage really brighten up shadier gardens

White stands out better than the more muted silvery foliage types

Fortunately, temperate climates also have many white flowers – but less silvery foliage - to choose from

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http://blog.theenduringgardener.com/holiday-at-sissinghurst/p1010369_2/

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Why do temperate and Mediterranean gardeners achieve their whites in different ways?

Mediterranean climate gardens are sunnier (and therefore brighter)

They have fewer/less dense trees and fewer overcast days, brighter sunlight

Gardens are already light; whites don’t stand out as well

More muted silvery foliage – with a little color to the mix – looks better than neutral white in a bright garden

Fortunately, mediterranean climates also have many native silvery foliage plants to choose from – temperate gardeners envy us our silvery foliage

© Project SOUND

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/522206519262061613/

Two concepts important for designing with light-colored foliage:

1. How much contrast is there between light and dark (e.g. the degree or range of contrast)?

2. Is the lighter foliage ‘cool’ in tone (blue-green), ‘warm’ (silvery-green; silver/gold) or neutral (bright white; neutral gray)

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warm cool

Dark colors make us feel…

Solid, grounded Heavy Somber Sober Calm, serene

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You probably would not like a garden that was all darks

Dark colors ‘recede’; light colors ‘advance’

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https://www.pinterest.com/explore/white-gardens/

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http://www.freshdesignpedia.com/interior-design-ideas/ready-for-the-summer-furnishing-ideas-for-indoors-and-outdoors.html

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Veranda-Windham-6-ft-H-x-6-ft-W-White-Vinyl-Fence-Panel-73002103/202297437

Large garden or small, background should be dark(unless there’s a really good reason to do otherwise)

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http://www.gardenista.com/posts/trend-alert-black-fences/

Creating a ‘dark’ garden background

Planting dark evergreen shrubs

Painting walls/fences a dark, preferably grayed, color

Creating areas of shade

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http://indulgy.com/post/WYfDcpGxQ1/the-white-garden-sissinghurst

http://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/awesome-accents-17-ways-to-make-any-space-pop-with-color-46922#.WEIU5mcU-Uk

http://www.readingeagle.com/life/article/garden-of-the-week-linda-yeager

Dark colors are usually used for background…but not always

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Light colored foliage can serve as a background for darker accent plants

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Light/pale colors make us feel:

Happy, peppy Light (not heavy) Excited Summery Like they are coming

towards us Near by; close to us

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You probably would not like a garden that was all pastels


© Project SOUNDhttps://www.pinterest.com/pin/259449628502874271/

Light colors make us feel bright & summery

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Ways of creating ‘light’ accents in the garden Flowers with white/pale colors Plants with white/silvery foliage Hardscape

Pots and planters Garden art Walkway materials Mulch, boulders, etc. Lighting

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http://pittsburghoutdoorlighting.com/tag/pittsburgh-landscape-lighting/

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Light/pale colors are usually used as garden accents …

but not always

© Project SOUNDhttp://www.bulldogtools.co.uk/blog/2013/12/winter-garden-tools/


1. How much contrast is there between light and dark?


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warm cool

These two concepts help explain why temperate gardeners are so enchanted by mediterranean gardens

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Let’s look at some actual landscapes

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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02407/Harlowcarr2_2407849b.jpg

Clearly, a very high contrast garden

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What about this temperate white garden?

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High contrast/neutral white

Another high contrast/neutral white design

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This is essentially the classic temperate zone ‘white garden’

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Another moderate contrast/cool silvers

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Bright white is neutral

Warm, light colors : silvery greens and golds

More ‘moderate contrast/warm silvery foliage’

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Where do Mediterranean gardens fit?

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European mediteranean gardens feature many plants native to their region

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More Mediterranean gardens

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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/522206519262061613/https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38632509282381226/

Moderate contrast – fewer darks Mix of warm and cool silvers – but often more warm Use of mulch – usually light colored – and other

hardscape as design elements

Where do S. California native plants fit?

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Which look is most appropriate for S. CA?

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Advantages of designing with white/silver foliage (rather than white flowers)

Many such plants are water-wise

Foliage doesn’t fade (like white flowers do)

Many have best color in sunny places; but some are fine in low-light situations

Many to choose from (both S. CA natives and other mediterranean)

Lots of variability: Size Texture Brightness


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Benefits of designing with silver/light foliage

Color is long-lasting (often year-round), not seasonal; easier to design with stationary contrasts

Easy to produce masses/swaths of color – year-round

Many size/height options: trees to low-growing plants

Colors tend to be soothing –whether you choose warm or cool silvers/lights

Foliage texture adds additional interest

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Let’s discover some design clues by studying Mediterranean gardens

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Start with a good dark background

One common attribute of Mediterranean gardens: trees with silvery foliage

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Some of the best native trees with silvery foliage are the manzanitas

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Several manzanitas have silvery leaves

Bigberry manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca)

‘Lester Rountree’ manzanita

‘John Dourley’ manzanita

Whiteleaf Manzanita (A. viscida ssp. viscida)

Diablo Blush Manzanita (A. auriculata)

Ghostly Manzanita (A. silvicola)

Ian Bush Manzanita (A. densiflora x A. pungens)

Laguna Manzanita (A. glandulosa adamsii).

© Project SOUND© Project SOUND

*Bishop manzanita – Arctostaphylos obispoensis

©1993 David Graber

© Project SOUND

*Bishop manzanita – Arctostaphylos obispoensis

©1993 David Graber

©2011 Chris Winchell

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=13958

Foothills of coastal mountains, Monterrey and San Luis Obispo Counties

Arctostaphylos obispoensis Eastwood [family ERICACEAE], Leafl. W. Bot., 2: 8. 1937

© Project SOUND

Bishop manzanita: silvery foliage

Size: 5-10+ ft tall 5-10 ft wide

Growth form: Woody shrub/small tree Dense, mounded form Attractive, dark red bark

Foliage: Typical simple, rounded to

lanceshaped manzanita leaves – somewhat leathery

Color: blue-green to gray-green – pretty color due to leaf hairs

http://www.worldbotanical.com/arctostaphylos.htm

©2006 Steve Matson

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Pretty flowers & fruits

Blooms: late winter/early spring –Jan-Mar is usual

Flowers: Small, white, urn-shaped

flowers typical for manzanita Attract hummingbirds,

butterflies, large bees

Fruits: Small (1/2 inch or less) ‘apple’

of the manzanitas Edible and tasty – birds will

eat if you don’t use them Ripen in summer

©2016 Susan McDougall

Gerald and Buff Corsi © California Academy of Sciences © Project SOUND

Bishop manzanita: typical of Central Coast species

Soils: Texture: adaptable (even clay) pH: best with neutral to

slightly acidic (pH: 6.0-7.0)

Light: Full sun on coast Part-shade everywhere else;

fine under trees (bright shade)

Water: Winter: need to supplement

most years Summer: occasional (Water

Zone 1-2 to 2)

Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils

Other: use an organic mulch

©2011 Chris Winchell

Most manzanitas have a nice, natural shape and need little pruning. Can be pruned up to small tree.

© Project SOUND

Bishop manzanita Nice evergreen foundation or

background shrub Good under pines & other tall trees Foliage color provides a nice accent

for other green shrubs Fine on dry slopes

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/63--arctostaphylos-obispoensis-san-luis-obispo-manzanitahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctostaphylos_obispoensis

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‘Lester Rountree’ manzanita Hybrid: A. pajaroensis X ? A. obispoensis 8-10 ft tall & wide Open, sculptural growth habit Light blue-green foliage – almost a gray-

blue cast – nice as accent colorhttp://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/category/california-native-plants/page/2/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/84/268090756_f6a54c9577.jpghttps://www.flickr.com/photos/mechanoid_dolly/4943065895

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Use ‘Lester Rountree’ in place of an olive tree

© Project SOUNDhttps://www.pinterest.com/explore/mediterranean-garden/

The size is better suited for a smaller landscape

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A waxy cuticle layer prevents moisture loss.

A common adaptation in plants from dry climates

Often found in combination with succulent (water-storing) foliage

Clues to a plant's surface type can often be found in its species name: argentea denotes silver in

general

glauca defines the moodier cast of waxy blue-greens.

Inspiration from a Spanish garden: Palacio, Palma del Río, Provincia de Córdoba

© Project SOUNDhttp://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/carmona-22.html#1

Manicured shrubs chosen for their foliage color

Light foliage medium-size

shrubs

Lavender – Lavandula spp Lavender Cotton – Santolina chamaecyparissus Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina) Artemisia – Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Silver Queen’

© Project SOUND

Some common choices

Usually dense foliage with small leaves – perfect for either natural or manicured look

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The Artemisias are hard to beat for silvery foliage that ranges from white to gold

© Project SOUND

http://prairie476.rssing.com/chan-7188697/all_p5.html

California sagebrush is known to most gardeners – but other great species merit attention

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Coastal Sagewort - Artemisia pycnocephala

© 2005 George W. Hartwell

‘David’s Choice’ Coastal Sagewort is readily available and well-loved

© Project SOUND

*Silver wormwood – Artemisia ludoviciana

http://redrockcanyonopenspace.org/education/biology/sage/© Project SOUND

*Silver wormwood – Artemisia ludoviciana

©2012 Jean Pawek

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/draw_tiny2.pl?e4e3fcf507

Much of North America, from Canada south to Mexico

Locally – San Gabriel Mountain range Aka ‘Prairie Sage’ in the nursery trade; widely

available (best to get local source type)

http://www.crossconservation.org/encyclopedia/prairie-sage

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© Project SOUND

Silver wormwood: luscious silvery foliage

Size: 1-2 ft tall 3-5 ft wide (species spreads)

Growth form: Upright to mounded perennial or

sub-shrub Many upright stems (somewhat

like Mugwort – bit more shrub-like

Foliage: Lovely silvery to blue-green

foliage – wonderful accent Leaves like cross between

mugwort & chrysanthemum -fragrant

Roots: net-like roots© 2005, Ben Legler

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Flowers are inconsequential

Blooms: in spring – usually Feb-Apr in lowland LA County

Flowers: Composite flowers (ray and

disk flowers) Flower heads are bell-shaped

(like CA Sagebrush) on upright stems

Flowers small, yellow

Seeds: small, sunflower seeds –birds like them, and plants will re-seed

Vegetative reproduction: spreads via rhizomes

2010, Ron Bockelman

© 2009, G. D. Carr

© Project SOUND

Easy-to-grow plant Soils: Texture: just about any – not

particular and grows in many different soils in wilds.

pH: any local

Light: Full sun to part-shade; needs

at least a good 4 hours sun for good color.

Water: Winter: needs adequate water Summer: wide tolerance range,

but best with some summer water (Water Zone 1-2 to 2)


Other: shallow organic mulch fine

http://khkeeler.blogspot.com/2013/02/sages-garden-sage-and-sagebrush.html

To look good, plants should be pruned back to 4-5 inches (or mowed) in fall – treat like Mugwort or Goldenrods

© Project SOUND

Wormwood: lots of potential As a ground cover – alone or mixed

with other natives (prairie planting) As an accent plant in front of

evergreen shrubs In Mediterranean or herb garden As an attractive pot plant

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ARLU

© 2010, Ron Bockelman

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Artemisia_ludoviciana

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Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Silver King’

Most like the species in terms of size, growth habit, appearance

Blue-green foliage Widely available – garden adapted

© Project SOUND

http://www.paintedflowerfarm.com/pages/plants/natives/artemisia,silver-king.htm


Artemisia ludoviciana‘Silver Queen’

A bit more shrub-like and less apt to spread

Very silvery foliage Refined appearance Widely available – garden tested

© Project SOUND

http://www.zelen.cz/detail_galerie_rostlin/Artemisia_ludoviciana_Silver_Queen_pelynek_Ludvikuv

https://www.groeneparadijs.com/producten/tuinplanten/vaste-planten/artemisia-ludoviciana-silver-queen-westerse-bijvoet

https://www.plantes-shopping.fr/articles/artemisia-ludoviciana-silver-queen-1882.html

Artemisia ludoviciana‘Valerie Finnis’

Most refined appearance of cultivars Looks like shrubby perennial Larger leaves Very light, attractive foliage Probably the most widely available

© Project SOUND

http://www.ivydenegardens.co.uk/Mixed%20Border%20Herbaceous/artvaleriefinnis.html

http://www.gardeningimpulse.ie/shop/artemisia-ludoviciana-valerie-finnis/

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1600791/artemesia-ludoviciana-valerie-finnis-photo

© Project SOUND

Why some plants have white/silver foliage

Many silver/gray plants also use their hairs (trichomes) for defense against predation (mostly from insects)

Some hairs are sharp Others secrete unpleasant

chemicals Some probably just present

physical obstacles to smaller insects – or feel ugly to walk on

Protection is very important to plants that have a limited growing season.

Dove Plant - Croton setagerus

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Widely used medicinal plant

Tea from leaves for stomach ache or sore throat

Tea from roots as laxative

Dry, powered leaves as snuff for head colds, headaches, sinus attacks

Strong tea as wash for eczema, deodorant and antiperspirant for underarms and feet

A wash of the leaves applied to itching, rashes, swellings, boils, sores

A poultice of leaves for sores and to relieve muscle pains

© Project SOUND

http://www.cannonvalleynursery.com/output/moreinfo/Artemisia_ludoviciana.asp

http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/artemisia-ludoviciana-valerie-finnis/classid.2000006631/

Atriplex species form dense shrubs that can be pruned to formal or informal shapes

© Project SOUND

http://www.mediterraneangardensociety.org/carmona-22.html

They also provide warm, silvery tones

© Project SOUND

Other interesting explanations for ‘silvery’ foliage

The foliage of Saltbushes (Atriplex species) often has a sparkly silver appearance, providing an interesting foliage contrast in gardens

Silver appearance due to salt crystals secreted by special glands in the leaves

Allows the plants to live in salty soils – they simply excrete the excess salt

They need to be under some form of water stress, either drought, salt, or salt spray

Why are Atriplex prized as pruned shrubs?

Fast growth rate; small or large Evergreen Dense branching pattern Small leaves; densely packed on

branches Lovely pale foliage colors

© Project SOUNDhttp://www.jardinbotanico.uma.es/bbdd/index.php/jb-alm-02/

http://www.riomoros.com/2012/03/la-osagra-atriplex-halimus.html

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We’ve visited several local species

© Project SOUND

Atriplex lentiformis

Atriplex leucophylla

Atrip[lex californica

© Project SOUND

Coast Quailbush: best in larger gardens

On banks and slopes; good for erosion control

As a screen or large hedge

At back of large beds

As an edible plant: All parts are edible: roots,

young shoots & seeds Salty

As a fire-retardant plant

As a great addition to the native habitat garden

http://www.sanjose.watersavingplants.com/eplant.php?plantnum=24532&return=s_aQ

http://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/tips/native_garden_planning-part2.php

© Project SOUND

* Four-wing Saltbush – Atriplex canescens

http://www.perennialfavoritesnursery.com/native_a-f.html© Project SOUND

Saltbushes : Habitat plants par excellance! Foliage

Attract beneficial insects to the garden - lacewings, ladybugs, and hoverflies

Many weird and fun insects – good plants for insect-watching

Attract butterflies (larval food for some sootywing skippers)

Fall/winter/spring browse for deer, elk Dense cover for birds, rabbits, just

about any ground-dweller

Seeds Very nutritious food source – high in

protein Eaten by many creatures (including

humans): don’t fertilize if you plant to eat them – takes up & stores many metals

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/atrlen/plant.jpg

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© Project SOUND

Four-wing Saltbush used extensively in Southwestern As a shrub in commercial plantings

– low maintenance/little water

Excellent water-wise hedge

In plants with a desert plant palette – used like Salvias or Coyote Bush - silvery color

For erosion control

As a fire-retardant plant – with a little summer water

For re-claiming mine tailings & other environmental problems

Also used as dye plant (yellow & ‘Navajo Black’ & medicine (emetic)

http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Atriplex&Species=canescens

http://www.delange.org/FourwingSaltbush/FourwingSaltbush.htm © Project SOUND

*Shadscale saltbush – Atriplex confertifolia

Gary A. Monroe, hosted by the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

W. North America from CA/OR to ND and south to AZ and TX. Greatest concentrations: Great Basin and Colorado Plateau

In CA, widely distributed in salt-desert shrublandsof the Mojave (Lancaster; Barstow) and Great Basin deserts and in pinyon-juniper (Pinus-Juniperus spp.) woodlands, eastern Sierra Nevada

© Project SOUND

*Shadscale saltbush – Atriplex confertifolia

©2009 James M. Andre

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242415596

https://plantsofthesouthwest.com/collections/trees-shrubs© Project SOUND

Shadscale is a silvery medium-size shrub Size:

1-3 ft tall 1-3 ft wide

Growth form: Mounded sub-shrub (part-woody);

usually densely branched Partly drought-deciduous Short-lived (10 years)

Foliage: Leaves simple, rounded Silvery green due to excreted

salt crystals Used as salty seasoning; young

foliage as cooked greens

Roots: deep w/ many fine roots

©2012 Jean Pawek

©2012 Neal Kramer ©2015 Steve Matson

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© Project SOUND

Seeds are showier thanthe flowers

Blooms: in spring - usually Apr-Jun in western LA Co.

Flowers: Plants dioecious – separate

male & female plants Both types of flowers are

small, yellow-green and visited by insect pollinators

Seeds: Developing seeds may be

pink in color – very showy Seeds dry to gold; eaten by

birds and animals Seeds are edible

©2015 Steve Matson

http://www.americansouthwest.net/plants/wildflowers/atriplex-confertifolia.html

© Project SOUND

Water-wise and tough plants

Soils: Texture: best in well-drained;

berm in others pH: any local, including alkali

Light: full sun to part-shade

Water: Winter: needs at least 6

inches – supplement if needed Summer: wide range in wilds;

best with occasional summer water (Water Zones 1-2 to 2)

Don’t over-water in summer; susceptible to soil fungal disease


Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences

Use a desert mulch: gravel or none

© Project SOUND

Adaptable Shadscale As a silvery accent plant in a water-

wise habitat garden As a formal/semi-formal hedge In a desert-themed garden Around the edges of an edibles or

herb garden As an attractive pot plant

http://chelseanursery.com/?page_id=358

https://plantsofthesouthwest.com/collections/trees-shrubs

Human uses for saltbushes

Edible uses Young foliage as cooked greens Fresh or dried leaves as salty

seasoning Seeds for flavoring or as

pinole Medicinal uses

Poultice from foliage used for muscle pains, chest congestion

Decoction of foliage for respiratory illness

Other uses Hard wood used for arrow

points, tools

© Project SOUND

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© Project SOUND

Pruning Saltbushes - easy

In the wild, are eaten back extensively by deer, elk, rabbits

In the garden, you are the browser – with your pruners

Trim back about 1/3 the length of branches in fall for a neat look don’t cut back into old wood –

prune like a Salvia will rejuvenate the plant

Can also hedge-shear

For best habitat value, leave some branches at the base –i.e., leave it pruned as a shrub

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atriplex_canescens_inflor.jpg

http://allergy.peds.arizona.edu/southwest/grass_weeds/wingscale.htm

Important summer/fall contrasts: dark buckwheat flowers with something light

© Project SOUND

High contrast with white-foliage sunflowers

Lower contrast silvery Salvias and golden grasses

S. CA has many light-foliage plants in the sunflower family (Asteraceae)

© Project SOUND

Many also have attractive (and useful) textures

© Project SOUND

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© Project SOUND

Mediterranean plants have other adaptations that make them interesting garden specimens

Further drought-related adaptations that help make silvers hardy in warmer, drier areas include:

Narrow leaves

Ability to roll leaf edges

Finely dissected or lobed leaves

All these adaptations can be used to add textural interest to the garden

© Project SOUND

* Guadalupe Island Rock Daisy – Perityle incana

Nevin’s Wooly Sunflower/Catalina SilverlaceConstancea (Eriophyllum) nevinii

S. Channel Islands (Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, San Clemente Islands).

Recently re-classified as Constancea After Lincoln Constance An expert on plants of the

parsley family 6 decade career in CA botany

and systematics (taxonomy) ‘Lincoln was the patriarch of

botany at UC Berkeley’

Found on rocky coastal bluffs, coastal sage scrub

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Eriophyllum+nevinii

http://www.cnps.org/publications/fremontia/Fremontia_Vol29-No2.pdf

Lincoln Constance

Constancea (Eriophyllum) neviniiCatalina Silverlace

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Catalina Silverlace is satisfyingly simple to grow

Soils: any well-drained Light: full sun to part-shade Nutrients: none needed Water:

low needs; good for water-wise garden

Will take occasional water in summer

Maintenance: Prune back severely in

fall/winter when new growth is beginning to emerge

Uses in the garden

In mixed beds

As a silver-white accent against darker green foliage

In rock gardens – remember, it grows on rocky cliffs

In a ‘silver’ garden

As an informal hedge

In large pots or planters

In a fire-resistant ground cover/shrub

Where ever you would use ‘Dusty Millers’

‘Canyon Silver’ cultivar

Size: slightly more compact

Foliage:

More silver-green; lighter color

Lacier leaves

Flower heads:

larger and held higher above the plant

Slightly flatter

More showy

‘Canyon Silver’

Species

Frost-tender white-foliage plants

When a frost is predicted: Water around the plant the

day before Cover with a loose cover (old

sheet works well)

After frost damage occurs: Resist the urge to prune

immediately: Not all is dead – hard to tell

immediately Dead foliage shields new

growth Prune once new growth is well-

established (takes several months)

© Project SOUND

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© Project SOUND

Leaf hairs or scales reflect the sun’s hot rays, cooling the foliage

Hairy or scaly surfaces also protect leaves from drying winds by helping trap moisture.

Many are desert (or local) species.

Plant names that include tomentosum, pubescens, canescens, villosa, or lanatahave downy leaves

These plants generally fall in the group of brighter, whiter grays.

© Project SOUND

Brittle Bush – Encelia farinosa

© 2008 Scott Millard

© Project SOUND

Desert gardeners love Brittle Bush

Popular in desert landscaping Good choice for mixed dry

borders and rock gardens Does well on dry slopes Good choice for habitat

gardens Good for ‘Evening Garden’

Don’t plant: choose CA Encelia instead Near coast Any area near natural

populations of CA Encelia

http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Encelia_farinosa.html

http://www.elnativogrowers.com/Photographs_page/encfar.htm

California Brickelbush - Brickellia californica

© Project SOUND

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© Project SOUND

*Wooly brickellbush – Brickellia incana

©2010 Lee Dittmann

Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of CA, AZ, NV; locally Riverside and San Bernardino Co.

First collected from Providence Mtns (JG Cooper) 1860-61 – named by A. Gray [1868]

MK Brandegee collected - Daggett, Nipton in 1914-15

© Project SOUND

*Wooly brickellbush – Brickellia incana

©2008 Aaron Schusteff

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_cpn.pl?BRIN

http://www.birdandhike.com/Veg/Species/Shrubs/Bricke_inc/_Bri_inc.htm

© Project SOUND

Wooly brickellbush: silvery desert shrub Size:

1-4 ft tall 2-4 ft wide

Growth form: Mostly evergreen sub-shrub Upright to mounded form Foliage usually dense Attractive with just a little water

Foliage: Silvery to white color due dense

hairs (trichomes) Leaves simple, oval

©2010 Lee Dittmann

© Project SOUND

Flowers: typical Brickellbush

Blooms: Anytime from spring to fall, depending on rains, temperatures

Flowers: On white-hairy stems Distinctive silvery bracts

around the flower heads Disk & ray flowers small,

yellow-gold

Seeds: Fluffy seeds are actually more

showy than the flowers Seed-eating birds will eat

©2010 Lee Dittmann

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© Project SOUND

Drought-tolerant Brickellbush

Soils: Texture: well-drained (or plant

on slope of berm) pH: any local

Light: full sun

Water: Winter: needs good winter

rains – at least 10 inches Summer: best with occasional

deep summer water (Water Zone 1-2)


Other: Shape will likely be better with late fall pruning (as with many drought-tolerant Sunflowers)

© Project SOUND

Shot of silver-white Attractive accent plant in most

local water-wise gardens Looks lovely against evergreen

background plants Good habitat plant Likely candidate for large

containers

©2010 Lee Dittmann

http://www.birdandhike.com/Veg/Species/Shrubs/Bricke_inc/_Bri_inc.htm https://dryheatblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/08/its-111-degrees-garden-visit/

Gardens can be enchanting with airy white plants that naturalize

© Project SOUND © Project SOUND

White Everlasting – Pseudognaphalium canescens

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© Project SOUND

White everlasting is very easy to grow

Soils: Texture: any pH: any local (5.0-8.0)

Light: Full sun (best) Part-shade – will be more

leggy

Water: Winter: can take short

flooding Summer: very drought

tolerant (Zone 1 to 1-2 best)


© Project SOUND

White Everlasting is great for an ‘Evening Garden’

Most people include this species as a butterfly plant – larval food for American Lady

Excellent choice for an ‘Evening Garden’ – looks nice during the day but very striking in low-light situations

Makes an attractive pot plant; place where you can watch the butterflies

Let it naturalize to ‘tie the garden together’ with its white foliage

American Lady larva

http://www.theodorepayne.org/plants/plants_for_butterflies.htm

Very few native white shrubs provide both large white leaves and airy stalks

© Project SOUND

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/243--hazardia-detonsa

J.S. Peterson, hosted by the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

© Project SOUND

Island hazardia – Hazardia detonsa

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Mostly N. Channel Islands; a few specimens from San Clemente Island

Open, rocky hillsides, canyon walls, sea cliffs in coastal scrub, chaparral, pine woodland

First collected by Edward L. Greene, T.S. Brandegee AKA: Island bristleweed Interesting fact: in the Jerusalem Botanic Garden

© Project SOUND

Island hazardia – Hazardia detonsa

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=3184

©2013 James Gonsman

© Project SOUND

Island hazardia: tough, resilient and pretty Size:

3-8 ft tall (usually 3-4) 3-5 ft wide

Growth form: Part-woody sub-shrub; somewhat like

giant buckwheat Fast-growing Upright to mounded; most leaves in

basal rosette, particularly when young

Foliage: Leaves simple, succulent and fairly

large (to 5 ½ inches) White to blue-green color due to

dense trichomes (hairs) Very attractive foliage

©2009 Gary A. Monroe ©2014 Zoya Akulova

© Project SOUND

Flowers typical for Hazardia Blooms: whenever conditions are

right – spring to fall, but more likely summer-fall in garden

Flowers: Small (less than ½ inch) composite

heads – ray & disk flowers Showy white involucral bracts,

flowering stems above the foliage Small flowers golden yellow – may

be tinged with red Attract insect pollinators Hybridizes with other Hazardias

– don’t plant near Preserves

Seeds: small, fluffy seeds – loved by finches

Native sunflowers are easy to grow from seed Collect dry seed when ripe – it will

be blowing or birds eating it.

Plant soon; small seeds lose viability quickly

Any potting soil is fine – may want to add some vermiculite

Surface plant or just barely cover (need light to germinate)

Place in bright shade

Keep medium moist until seedlings are ready to transplant/plant out

© Project SOUND

©2009 Zoya Akulova

http://www.hazmac.biz/080728/080728HazardiaDetonsa.html

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© Project SOUND

Hazardias are not particular Soils:

Texture: most local soils (even clay) but prefers well-drained soils

pH: any local

Light: full sun on coast; part-shade (morning sun) elsewhere.

Water: Winter: needs at least 10

inches Summer: Semi-dry to 1-2 times

per month in summer (Water Zone 1-2 to 2)

Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils; yearly ½ strength dose in containers

Other: remove spent flowering stalks in fall/winter©2014 Steve Matson

© Project SOUND

Silver for the garden Contrast with green foliage associates

like Laurel sumac (Malosma laurina) and Brickellia californica

Important plant for ‘Channel island’ theme Can even be grown in large containers

©2015 Robert Sikora

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5285/5314495162_f70a9bcbd9.jpg

Agaves are popular accent plants

© Project SOUND

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/mediterranean-garden/

http://www.bevbeverly.com/agave-garden-design.shtml

Prized for both their unusual shapes and their silvery color

© Project SOUND

Agave attenuata: a Mexican species available in the U.S.

http://www.geographylists.com/sandiegoplants.html http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2008/09/30/berkeley-succulent-garden-3/

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© Project SOUND

*Coastal Agave – Agave shawii

© 2005 Vince Scheidt

© Project SOUND

Agave ‘Blue Flame’ Combines the features of its

parent species: A. shawii X A. attenuata

http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=2871

http://www.huntington.org/BotanicalDiv/ISI2005/isi/2005-06.html

© Project SOUND

*Desert agave – Agave deserti

©2005 Dee E. Warenycia

Mojave Desert & desert mountains; Imperial, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego Counties

Anza Borrego Desert, Palm desert and on the arroyos below the western slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains. There is also a small concentration at a base level of the Providence Mountains in the Mojave Desert

AKA: Maguey de Desierto; Desert century plant

© Project SOUND

*Desert agave – Agave deserti

Glenn and Martha Vargas © California Academy of Sciences


http://online.sfsu.edu/bholzman/courses/Fall00Projects/3Agavedeserti.html

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Native sub-speciesavailable ssp. deserti - south-central CA, Baja

Offsets prolifically; sometimes large colonies.

Pale silvery (or greenish-silver) leaves Typical rosette 2' high and wide; some

larger & hardier forms from San Jacinto Mountains

Easy to grow

ssp. simplex – AZ, mountains of Mojave Desert, CA Usually solitary or produces few

offsets frequently have very strong horizontal

banding on the leaves, a striking feature.

slow grower and appreciates dry, gritty soil and heat. it ought to do well in the Pacific Northwest also.

© Project SOUND©2007 Charles E. Jones © Project SOUND

Showy native agave Size: 1-2 ft tall 2-3 ft wide

Growth form: Evergreen succulent with

typical agave form Leaves, flower stalks edible,

useful (cordage)

Foliage: Silvery or blue-green, sword-

shaped leaves; armed Leaves from basal rosette

©2005 Richard Zmasek

http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/individual/index.php?occid=3195373

© Project SOUND

Flowers: unbelievable

Blooms: usually late spring (June) in Western LA County

Flowers: Plants bloom only after enough

energy stored – 8-20+ years 20 ft flowering stalk – grows

inches per day Showy yellow flowers attract

hummingbirds – desert bat pollinator

Parent plant dies after seeding

Vegetative reproduction: Most commonly available types either sucker or not

©2005 Richard Zmasek

©2005 Dee E. Warenycia

© Project SOUND

Tough desert plant Soils:

Texture: will grow in most – best in well-drained

pH: any local including alkali

Light: full sun; young plants grow to N. of grass nurse plants in wilds

Water: Winter: needs at least 6-8 inches –

supplement if needed Summer: very drought tolerant

(Zone 1 to 1-2 – occasional water to simulate Aug. ‘monsoon’) ; rapid response to rains;


Other: No mulch or gravel Low maintenance; carefully remove

dead leaves, plants©2006 J. Zylstra, SBNF

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© Project SOUND

Dramatic Desert agave As a dramatic accent plant –

even in containers Tough, easy groundcover – good

for hot, dry slopes In desert-themed gardens,

rock gardens©2009 Thomas Stoughton

©2014 William Flaxington

http://www.desertnorthwest.com/articles/domestic_agaves.html

Hardscape plays a key role in Mediterranean gardens

© Project SOUND


Agaves & other succulents in containers?

Choose the right plant: small-medium, slow-growing species are easiest

Choose the right container – large and deep (most important)

Choose the right planting medium (based on natural conditions for plant)

Locate in an area that gets some summer shade

Give yearly ½ strength fertilizer

Water: Zone 2 to 3© Project SOUND

Next month we’ll return to container gardening

© Project SOUND


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© Project SOUND

*Desert holly – Atriplex hymenelytra

Mojave Desert and Sonoran Deserts (CA, AZ, NV, UT, northern Baja CA)

Alkaline locations such as desert dry wash and creosote bush scrub

Usually on hilly and rocky areas and in canyon washes rather than lower playas

© Project SOUND

*Desert holly – Atriplex hymenelytra

©2010 Neal Kramer


© Project SOUND

Desert holly: dense medium-size shrub Size:

2-3 ft tall 2-3+ ft wide

Growth form: Evergreen shrub/sub-shrub Form: mounded to somewhat

open Slow-growing

Foliage: Silvery white to silver-green Salt excretions produce the

silvery patina Leaves look like holly leaves

Roots: deep if well-established

http://www.werc.usgs.gov/outreach.aspx?RecordID=164

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atriplex_hymenelytra_form.jpg

http://macskamoksha.com/2016/03/ecosystems-risk-4-death-valley© Project SOUND

Seeds are showy

Blooms: winter to early spring: usually Jan-Apr.

Flowers: Plant usually dioecious in wild;

may have both sexes in cultivation

Flowers small, yellow-green, not very visible or remarkable

Seeds: Developing seeds can be

bright pink – attractive Seeds provide food for birds,

small animals. ?Probably high nutrient value.

http://www.werc.usgs.gov/outreach.aspx?RecordID=164

http://www.abdnha.org/pages/03flora/family/amaranthaceae/atriplex_hymenelytra.htm

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© Project SOUND

Harsh desert slopes Soils:

Texture: well-drained; sandy, rocky or gravelly

pH: best with alkali (pH > 7.5); fine with salty soils

Light: full sun

Water: Establishment: needs adequate deep

water for root development Winter: at least 6 inches Summer: best quite dry (give water

in June & August - or just wash off the foliage).

Very drought tolerant once established – needs some stress


Other: gravel or no mulch; not cold tolerant

Margaret Williams, hosted by the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

http://www.calflora.net/recentfieldtrips/deathvalley12C.html © Project SOUND

Try Desert holly in a container

As an attractive pot plant

Grow with its native associates: Sphaeralcea ambigua, Enceliafarinosa

©2012 Jean Pawek

http://www.desertusa.com/flowers/Desert-Holly.html

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21529332@N08/8109508685

Rediscovering Eden: S. California Gardensfor the 21st Century

© Project SOUND

Beautiful gardens rely on planned contrasts

© Project SOUND

https://sissinghurstcastle.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/researching-the-white-garden/the-same-statue-and-pear-tree-later-in-the-20th-century/#main

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© Project SOUND

Classic English ‘White Gardens’ suggest ways to

use white in the garden

White flowers, foliage, even white barked trees can be used as an accent, against darker green foliage

Plants with white flowers/ foliage can be used to ‘unify’ plants with varying flower colors

White/silver plants can be combined in a garden area that features white plants –the ‘white garden’ or ‘evening garden’.

http://www.friendsschoolplantsale.com/page/2/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robroy/977716219/

Some of the easiest contrasts to work with (in S. CA gardens) are those

involving foliage

© Project SOUND



1. How much contrast is there between light and dark?


© Project SOUND

warm cool

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Secrets of Mediterranean gardens

© Project SOUND



Moderate contrast – fewer darks Mix of warm and cool silvers – but often more warm Use of mulch – usually light colored – and other

hardscape as design elements

Where do S. California native plants fit?

© Project SOUND

Fortunately, S. CA native plants give us plenty of silvery foliage to work with

© Project SOUND

2017 Season – Small is Beautiful: Native Habitats in Smaller Gardens

© Project SOUND

Education

Silver foliage 2016-notes