The manzanitas, ceanothus and other natives on the grounds are putting forth some nice blooms right now, despite (or because of?) our meager rains this winter season. December was a bust, and January wasn't much better, although we had some light but steady rain on the 16th. At least the ground got saturated and the overcast skies provided optimal lighting for some outdoor photography. 'Light' rain is forecast for next Wednesday, but I'm not putting much stock into this meteorological prediction until and when it actually happens. I haven't been out to the vernal pools at the Santa Rosa Plateau for a couple months now due to my surgery, but I'm pretty sure they're bone dry. The white popcornish blossoms of Hoary-Leaved Ceanothus (Ceanothus crassifolius) and the scarlet flowers of the bush monkeyflowers (Diplacus aurantiacus) along Clinton Keith Road from the Bear Creek fire station to the La Cresta turnoff are in full bloom right now, so they have obviously not been hindered by the lack of precipitation.
1/16/12 Rainbow Manzanita (Arctostaphylos rainbowensis).
1/16/12 'Mama Bear' Manzanita. Hybrid (Arctostaphylos stanfordiana bakeri 'Louis Edmunds' x A. densiflora 'Sentinel').
1/16/12 Desert Lavender (Hyptis emoryi).
1/16/12 Munro's Globemallow (Sphaeralcea munroana).
1/16/12 Hoffman's Nightshade (Solanum xanti var. hoffmannii). Native to the Gaviota Pass north of Santa Barbara. This one is thriving under one of our Sycamores. Nicely fragrant and spreads by underground runners.
1/16/12 Conejo Monkeyflower (Diplacus longiflorus).
1/16/12 Cedros Island Verbena 'De La Mina' (Verbena lilacina). Selection from Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (selected by Carol Bornstein in the Canyon De La Mina on Cedros Island off Baja California). One of my all-time favs due to its low maintenance, drought tolerance (after established), and almost year-round flower show.
1/16/12 Mexican Marigold (Tagetes lemmonii). This Southwestern native is a real trooper, still blooming this late in the year and with minimal irrigation.
1/16/12 'Lutsko's Pink' Manzanita (Arctostaphylos densiflora hybrid).
1/16/12 'Julia Phelps' Ceanothus.
1/16/12 Wild Cucumber (Marah macrocarpus). Wild cucumber is native to our property and grows in profusion in the chaparral stand near the entry. This one's twining through some California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum).
1/16/12 Wild Cucumber.
1/16/12 Golden Currant (Ribes aureum gracillimum), growing under the shade of a California Sycamore. The berries are edible to both humans and birds (and the birds will probably get to them before we do).
1/16/12 'Ian Bush' Manzanita (Arctostaphylos densiflora hybrid) on the left, Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) on the right.
1/1/12 A non-sequiter, but Hana is enamored of the oranges Gil just harvested (tennis balls, anyone?)
1/16/12 'Blue Springs' Foothill Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus).
1/16/12 Bush Monkeyflower (Diplacus aurantiacus). The red form is native to our site. This plant is from one of several cuttings I made last year from a "mother" plant up the hill.
1/16/12 My new crop of monkeyflower cuttings from the "mother" plant.
1/16/12 'Paradise' Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pajaroensis). This has got to be one of the most floriferous of all the manzanitas (and the blooms last a long time, too).
1/16/12 'Paradise' Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pajaroensis).
2/5/12 Whiteleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos viscida ssp. viscida).
1/16/12 Desert Four O'Clock (Mirabilis bigelovii). I planted this one as a small one-gallon back in 2008, and now it's a sprawling 4' x 8' shrub. Seems to be doing well in our decomposed granite and surviving our occasionally wet & frosty winters. The multitude of little white flowers tend to open when it's cloudy or late afternoon (hence, 'four o'clock').
1/7/12 Big Sur Manzanita (Arctostaphylos edmundsii).
1/21/12 'Sunset' Manzanita (Arctostaphylos hookeri x A. pajaroensis).
1/21/12 Bush Anemone (Carpinteria californica).
1/21/12 Wart-Stemmed Ceanothus (Ceanothus verrucosis).
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| 1/21/12 The parting shot. View from the back patio at sunset, notwithstanding that imposing antenna thing at our neighbor's across the way. ET phone home? |
1/21/12.
You said it, we need rain! Aren't those manzanita blooms the best? I love 'em! Last year my bloom photos were covered in snow,...this year, guess we're skipping right to Spring. You have a Lot blooming! I love the Desert Lavender! I wonder if I can grow that,...and the Hoffman nightshade looks pretty and useful if it doesn't spread wildly. Maybe I'll try monkeyflower cuttings, Arleen...I thought they were so wonderful as a companion to Cleveland sage, I vowed to have one near every sage I have! Oh, btw, my deer grass seeding transplants have survived! Two months without a drop of water.
ReplyDeleteSue, I'm waiting with bated breath for some rain! Manzanitas are awesome, but of all the ones I've planted, I've probably killed as many as have survived. Lots of trial and error, but most seem to do well in our decomposed granite (as long as I don't smother them with love and get overly enthusiastic with the watering regimen). The Desert Lavender is pretty hardy and ok with some summer watering. San Marcos Growers' website indicates that they will survive freezes down to 18F, so maybe you can give it a shot. My Hoffman's nightshade started out as a small 1 gallon and has spread to about 5 feet in width after 2 1/2 years - not too bad, but the runners do and will pop up around the perimeter. Very cool that your deer grass seedlings survived! They are so impressive in the landscape - who needs dastardly invasive pampas grass when you've got these natives?
DeleteWow. Some great pics. Manzanitas and Ceanothus are two of my favorites and especially this time of year. The Ribes aureum and penstemon look great. You've got a lot of great natives native to your site. It's currently raining here in the SF Bay and is supposed to rain all day tomorrow (feb 7th). Then some more rain next week. I'm hoping this will bring in at least a few good storms. We've been drier than an average So Cal winter so far.
ReplyDeleteI'm so envious of the rain you've been getting up in the Bay area! The "storm" down here came and went with barely 1/10" of precip. We've got another shot this Saturday, but I'm not banking on a downpour.
DeleteGlad to see you're blogging again. I hope you're recuperating well. I love your posts, because I feel like I can enjoy SoCal's beauty without actually living down there. Did I ever tell you I once lived in Idyllwild? The wildfires scared me and it was too dry for me (even though we're very dry up here in Monterey, too, this odd winter). We're supposed to get rain today and hopefully it'll continue south.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Katie! I didn't know you had lived in Idyllwild before! I love that town, and have hiked a number of trails in the vicinity in the San Jacintos. You're right though - even though it's in the San Bernardino National Forest, it's not exactly a rain forest and always under the threat of wildfires (pretty scary thought, if there's only one way in and out, and you have to evacuate).
DeleteCatching up. Hope you will soon be back to hiking! I would like a manzanita, with gnarled mahogany trunk please.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diana - manzanitas trunks are pretty awesome! Do you have anything like them growing in South Africa?
DeleteNo ... that is why I covet yours!
DeleteHow long do you think your manzanitas will take before looking like this: http://natureid.blogspot.com/2009/05/manzanita.html
DeleteOMG, Katie - hopefully sometime in my lifetime!!
DeleteRain -- we have rain! (Those last two shots are outstanding. I too hope your recuperation is going well.)
ReplyDeleteKarin, the Tuesday rain event down here was pretty lame. Was it any better in Altadena? I'm kind of giving up for the season and ready to turn the sprinklers back on...
DeleteThank you for sharing all the wonderful photos over the years. It's kind of strange that our taste in native plants seem to be very similar. with that said, just wondering how old is your ian bush and is it continuing to grow in size? planted 2 a year ago only 1 made it so far. still no blooms but time will tell.You seem to have quite a few manzanitas, if you have room for more try Arctostaphylos 'white lanterns' simply my favorite arcto for some reason i can't seem to understand. bought it recently at rancho santa ana botanical gardens plant sale in claremont, the tag said it came from calflora nursery. fyi - 2 years ago i could not care a thing about plants, any plant. now i can't seem to stop myself from tearing up my whole landscape and planting natives. At first, my wife thought i went mad! now she sees the method to my supposed madness. take care my fellow native gardener.
ReplyDeleteWell, thanks Anonymous! I planted the Ian Bush as a 1 gallon about 4 years ago and it now measures about 5' x 5'. It really didn't start to take off until its second year and seems to have stabilized at its current size. So, I think yours is on its way to becoming established. I definitely will put Arcto 'White Lanterns' on my list - I've seen it before at the fall sale at RSABG, but got distracted and forgot to pick one up. The name 'White Lanterns' conjures up an ethereal image of a multitude of delicate white urn-shaped blossoms. And, boy, do I totally get your obsession with planting natives. Once you catch the fever, you can never go back! Happy gardening!
DeleteCeanothus verrucosis is in full bloom down here--I just passed a couple of my favorite plants of it. And then I see it blooming away in your post as well. Very cool. As usual, you've got a great assortment of things blooming. Good luck with the monkeyflower cuttings. My efforts so far have ended up with lots of compost, and I seem to have plenty of plants now with the seedlings from a few plants I installed a few years ago. Not ever in perfectly the right place, but close enough. Our "rain" Tuesday definitely required quote marks around it. I hope this weekend's prediction comes through for something at least a little more substantial...
ReplyDeleteJames, I bought that Ceanothus verrucosis about 3 years ago from Las Pilitas nursery, and this is the first year it's had so many blooms. You're lucky to have them native in your area, as they are really quite lovely in full bloom. I've generally had decent luck with monkeyflower cuttings (about 50-75% of them will survive & root), but it's definitely best to do this during the cooler months and not in, say July or August. Really keeping my fingers crossed for any amount of rain tomorrow or early next week.
DeleteThe one manzanita I planted last year, Dr. Hurd, turned brown and the branches have mostly died. It seemed to resent the heavy rain in early October, followed by warm weather. I might try planting a different variety next time, maybe Arctostaphylos pajaroensis which apparently is better suited here. Your blooms are lovely though, I hoped to see some here this winter, but maybe next year.
ReplyDeleteHana is cute. I've noticed our dogs love the smell of oranges being peeled. They'll come running from across the room as soon as they catch a whiff.
I'm encouraged your Monkeyflower cuttings have taken so well. I'd love to try cuttings from our sticky monkeyflowers here, as I've heard they can be a little cranky starting them from seed. Might be fun to try growing them both ways and see which works better. Did you use a rooting hormone to start your cuttings?
Clare, I've killed a 'few' (ahem) manzanitas in my time and it's really a matter of planting them in the right season, which is generally in the fall, and being downright judicious with the watering regimen. But, we are always at the whim of Mother Nature's vicissitudes, so a wet fall followed by a warmish dry winter (such as what we are currently experiencing and also the apparent cause of the demise of your Dr. Hurd) never bodes well for our newly planted natives!
DeleteYou're right about pooches being attracted to citrusy scents. I've always had dogs since childhood and for some odd reason, every one of them has been enamored of oranges. As for the monkeyflowers, they have occasionally reseeded on their own, but the cuttings are my best bet for propagation, so long as I take & plant them during the cooler months. And, yes, I do use a rooting hormone.
Holy moly, that is beautiful stuff. You know Hiker's favorite thing is Hana, though.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Petrea! Hana's my fav, too :)
DeleteEach of your photos are beautiful! Love specially Manzanita, Desert Lavender and Ponderosa Pine.
ReplyDeleteAnd Hana looks adorable!
Thanks, Sonia - you have some really nice moon & sky shots on your blog! We love our dogs, don't we?
DeleteWe've had too much freakin' rain, and no snow. You can have some of my rain. you don't need to request that snow be sent to me in return.
ReplyDeletePlease send some of that rain over our way, Marjie! And, I promise to hold the snow...
DeleteHow kool. I really miss chaparral country. I planted a Manzanita for my mum in her front yard 6 years ago before I left for Sweden. It was a variety called Arctostaphylos insularis 'Canyon Sparkles'. I picked it up at Tree of Life nursery just west of you on Hwy 74 to San Juan Capistrano.
ReplyDeleteThe plant is huge now and she does nothing to it which is what it wants. she lives in El Cajon. I did however heavily inoculate it witha good Mycorrhizal mix at time of planting with no soil amendment.
Nice photos Arleen.
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Hi Kevin - thanks for following my blog! Canyon Sparkles is a beautiful Manzanita selection from Santa Cruz Island that produces a fantastic display of those trademark urn-shaped blooms around mid-winter - you did great for your mum! You just can't beat manzanitas for their drought tolerance & low maintenance. Tree of Life is an awesome nursery - they supply the plants for the Spring & Fall native plant sales sponsored by the Nature Conservancy at the Santa Rosa Plateau near our home.
DeleteYou're spot on about manzanita culture: keeping the soil lean and giving a boost to the new planting with an inoculation of mycorrhizae will make most varieties thrive - you definitely know your stuff when it comes to Cal native gardening! How long have you been in Sweden? I'm sure it's a world apart from Southern California, but it certainly must have its charms and unique (and equally alluring) flora.
Cheers,
Arleen
I actually wrote an article on improper landclearing which detroys the "Earth's Internet" on my other more indepth technical environmental blog. In it a referenced two of your photos here. Hope that's okay. I gave you a good report - *smile*
ReplyDeleteI research and study mycorrhizal connections and as a Landscape supervisor I eventually moved away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Here's my other blog link.
"Improper Land Clearing Destroys the Internet"
If I can get a picture of my mum's Canyon Sparkes Manzanita then I post it on my blog. Seriously, it gets cooking hot out there and her ground is bare all around this bush. I also established a hedge row of various forms of Manzanitas at my old work place and gave STRICT INSTRUCTIONS that they were NOT to be over watered. They don't water tham at all anymore and they flourish. I'll have to get photos of those as well.
See ya later down the road, Kevin