Talk on native bulbs recommended for S. California gardeners. Includes discussion of bulbs, corms and perennials from rhizomes. Gives information on planting, ordering and maintaining in garden.

1. Colorful Corms, Beautiful Bulbs and
Ravishing Rhizomes
California native bulbs for the home
garden
Long Beach Garden Club – 2017 – Connie Vadheim
© Project SOUND

2. Veteran gardeners understand the
magic of bulbs
© Project SOUND
http://weloveteaching.com/landscape/frntyd/frontyard.htm

3. Why do some perennials produce bulbs?
In a word - survival
 Allow plants to survive
difficult conditions:
 Extreme cold
 Extreme drought
 Gives plants a second means
of reproduction
 Seeds
 Vegetative reproduction
© Project SOUND

4. Bulbs, corms & rhizomes: what’s the
difference? Why important?
 Many gardeners just lump
them all together as ‘flower
bulbs’ or ‘garden bulbs’
 Actually are different
structures
 Look and behave somewhat
differently
 Implications for their
management
© Project SOUND

5. True Bulbs: underground stems that persist
 A short stem w/ fleshy leaves/bases
 Leaf scales (bases) actually store ‘food’
(form rings) during dormancy
 Embryonic shoot in center
 After flowering, the leaves produce
energy which is stored in the bulb; after
that, leaves die back
 Same bulb persists year after year
 Examples: Amaryllis, Narcissus, Alliums,
Lily, Tulips and "Dutch" irises and Oxalis
© Project SOUND
Small new bulbs are called
offsets, bulbils or bulblets

6. Corms: swollen stem base that is replaced each year
 Swollen stem base modified into a
mass of storage tissue.
 No visible storage rings (solid).
 Contains a basal plate (bottom of
corm from which roots develop),thin
tunic and a growing point.
 Each year, brand new corm(s)
replace (on top of) the old corm
 Examples: Gladiolus, Crocus,
Crocosmia, Freesia (‘Autumn bulbs’)
 CA natives: Brodiaea, Dichelostema
© Project SOUND
http://theseedsite.co.uk/bulbs.html

7. Rhizomes: thick, sideways stems
 Also called creeping rootstalks and
rootstocks.
 Stems that grow sideways along the
surface of the soil or just below it.
 Plants that use rhizomes for food
storage have fatter, more bulblike
rhizomes, covered with dried leaves.
 Rhizomes branch out; each new portion
develops roots and a shoot of its own.
 Familiar rhizomes include Bearded Iris,
Lily-of-the-valley, Canna, Peony and
Ginger (Zingiber officinale).
© Project SOUND

8. Why is it important to know the
differences?
© Project SOUND

9. Not all native ‘garden bulbs’ are easy to
grow – and some aren’t available
I’ll focus today on some that I
recommend for the beginning
California native ‘bulb’ gardener
© Project SOUND
A good place to start is
with the native onions

10. © Project SOUND
True Bulbs : The Wild Onions – genus Allium
 Almost fifty CA species; 700 worldwide.
 Some CA natives are edible
 Most are easy to grow & multiply rapidly
from both bulbils and seeds.
 Come from range of natural conditions:
 Most CA onions are from dry, rocky habitats;
need good drainage & summer drought.
 Species native to CA mountains or moist
meadows (N. CA) prefer full sun and regular
watering all season.
 Alliums do well in containers, rock gardens,
along walkways and grouped near the front
of mixed beds/perennial borders.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22744855@N08/fa
vorites/page12/

11. Red-Skinned Onion – Allium haematochiton
© 2001 Steven Thorsted

12. Red-skinned Onion: typical S. CA type
 Soils – clay or rocky
 Drainage – mostly dry slopes
 Sun requirements – usually found in
openings in seasonal grasslands,
fields
 Needs to dry out after blooming;
summer/fall dry
 Easy to grow in a pot; comes back
year after year with the rains

13. Why include Red-skinned onion in your garden?
 Local native
 Long blooming period - may
bloom in Dec-Jan and then
again in spring
 Naturalizes – doubles every
year
 Flowers attract nectar-loving
insects and birds
 Bulbs and leaves are edible
(raw, roasted or for flavoring)

14. © Project SOUND
Peninsula/Mexicali Onion – Allium peninsulare

15.  Foothills: coast & SW CA, Sierra
 Locally: Catalina Isl, San Clemente Isl,
Santa Monica Mtns, San Gabriels
 Summer dry slopes, flats often in clay
soils
 Usually in Valley Grassland, Foothill
Woodland, and Coastal Chaparral
© Project SOUND
Peninsula Onion – Allium peninsulare
var. franciscanum
var. peninsulare
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242102162
©2005 Victoria Marshall

16. © Project SOUND
Flowers are fantastic
 Growth form:
 Perennial from a true bulb
 Summer/fall dormant – dies back
to bulb after setting seed
 Blooms: in spring – usually April-May
in our area; one of the later-blooming
onions
 Flowers:
 Tepals (petals/sepals) fused
 Color: usually brilliant magenta;
sometimes lighter and even white
 In open, rather flat umbel-like
clusters
©2010 Barry Breckling
©2011 Steven Perry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alliumpeninsulare.jpg

17. © Project SOUND
Plant Requirements
 Soils:
 Texture: clay or rocky soils in
nature; most local soils,
except poorly draining
 pH: any local
 Light: full sun to part-shade
 Water:
 Winter: rains will be enough
in many years; supplement if
long dry periods
 Summer: best with none
(Water Zone 1); more
tolerant of a little summer
water than most native bulbs
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: leave dry leaves
attached until fall
©2010 Barry Breckling

18. © Project SOUND
An exotic color spot
 Excellent container plant – as are
all native Alliums and other bulbs
 Fronts of summer-dry beds
 In mixed meadow/prairie
 Tucked into dry places
©2011 Steven Perry
©2011 Steven Perryhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/xerantheu
m/5684109897/ http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/
index.php?title=Allium_peninsulare

19. © Project SOUND
Tricks for maintaining CA native bulbs
 Maintenance tip: In
early summer, remove
the dried stalks for
neatness. Be sure to
collect the seeds for
propagation or for
trading with fellow
gardeners.
 Many native true bulbs do best if you let their leaves drop
off naturally

20. How do California native ‘bulbs’ differ
from common garden types?
 When they bloom:
 Many California natives bloom during
the wet season (winter/spring)
rather than summer.
 This is typical for ‘bulbs’ from
mediterranean climates.
 ‘Bulbs’ from N. CA and mountains
tend to be later bloomers
 Common ‘garden bulbs’ bloom
spring/summer. They come from
places with frigid winters and rainy
summers
© Project SOUND

21. How do California native ‘bulbs’ differ
from common garden types?
 Water requirements
 Do not water native ‘bulb’ beds after
flowering ceases & plants produce
seeds (usually summer/fall). This is
really important.
 Native bulbs need a period of rest, and
will rot with summer water. The ideal
spot is far away from the garden hose,
sprinklers, and emitters.
 S. California species must be
summer/fall dry; those from N. CA and
mountains tolerate a little more
summer water.
© Project SOUND

22. © Project SOUND
Meadow Onion – Allium unifolium
http://www.calfloranursery.com/images/pics/a_b/allium_unifolium.jpg

23. © Project SOUND
Flowers: ooh-la-la!!
 Blooms:
 Spring-summer; usually May-
June but varies with weather
(heat; rains)
 Blooms for ~ 3 weeks
 Flowers:
 Super-showy; pink or lavender,
pastel
 Typical for onions; small star-
shaped flowers in open cluster
 Makes a lovely cut flower –
sweet fragrance
 Seeds:
 Small, black seeds in papery
capsule
 Easy to collect & grow
© 2007 Neal Kramer
http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=6093442

24. © Project SOUND
For garden or bouquet
 As an showy container plant
 With non-native bulbs or natives
that require a little water
 In rain garden, swale or veg.
garden – OK with summer water
 Sunny edges in a woodland garden
 Will naturalize – lovely massedhttp://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2009/04/allium-unifolium/

25. How do California native ‘bulbs’ differ
from common garden types?
 Light requirements:
 Most California natives like either full
sun or part-shade. There are a few
exceptions – plants from woodland
areas.
 Light requirements for common ‘garden
bulbs’ vary, but there are more
‘woodland types’ – those that like/need
a bit of shade
 Fertilizer requirements:
 Most natives have low needs; un-
amended garden soil, or single low dose
for those in containers
© Project SOUND
The best way to succeed
with natives is to mimic
the conditions from
which they came

26. © Project SOUND
The genus Calochortus
 70 species from British Columbia to
Guatemala and east to Nebraska (28
species endemic to CA).
 The genus Calochortus includes:
 Mariposas (or Mariposa lilies) with open
wedge-shaped petals - dry grasslands and
semideserts
 Globe lilies and Fairy lanterns with globe-
shaped flowers - closed forests
 Cat's ears and Star tulips with erect
pointed petals - wet meadows & montane
woodlands
 Calochortus produce one or more flowers
on a stem that arises from the bulb,
generally in the spring or early summer.
 Unlike most other Liliaceae, Calochortus
petals differ in size and color from their
sepals. Flowers can be white, yellow, pink,
purple, bluish, or streaked.
 The insides of the petals are often highly
hairy. These hairs, along with the
nectaries, are often used in distinguishing
species from each other.
The word Calochortus is derived
from Greek and means "beautiful
grass".
C. luteus
C. catalinae

27. © Project SOUND
*Diogenes' lantern (Yellow globelily) –
Calochortus amabilis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Calochortus_amabilis_2.jpg
Calochortus can be difficult to grow – and bloom sporadically

28. © Project SOUND
*Checker lily – Fritillaria affinis
© 2005, Ben Legler
We suggest trying the Fritillaries when you
have more experience with native bulbs

29. © Project SOUND
Common camas lily – Camassa quamash
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/179510735122080411/

30. Common cammas:
important food plant,
then and now
 Camas continues to be one of the most important "root" foods of
western North American indigenous peoples, from southwestern
British Columbia to Montana, and south to California
 It was and is considered to be a delicacy.
 People traveled great distances to harvest the bulbs.
 Thought to have been semi-domesticated by the women to
produce maximum harvest.
© Project SOUND
http://thenorthwestforager.com/2014/04/28/camas-quamash/

31. Cooking with
Camassia quamash
 Traditionally, bulbs were
steamed for pit-cooked slowly
for a least a day, up to three,
then ground up and mixed to
make gravy.
 Today, bulbs are still:
 Roasted/slow-cooked
 Eaten as is or in desserts
 The freshly roasted bulb is
reported to be very sweet and
to taste similar to a baked
pear or pumpkin
© Project SOUND
http://www.malag.aes.oregonstate.edu/wildflowers/species.php/id-837
http://thenorthwestforager.com/2014/04/28/camas-quamash/

32. © Project SOUND
Camas is queen
 Fantastic when massed – but
difficult to do in S. CA
 Very attractive pot plant
 Accent plant in dry garden
beds, around shrubs
© 2005 Steve Matson
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/171488698282426849/
https://www.gardenia.net/guide/a-contemporary-blue-spring-garden

33. Bulbs in containers: an easy way to go
 Know their soil requirements –
craft a custom mix
 Know their water regimen – store
summer dry pots in cool place
 Know how dense to plant
 Camassias: 4-9 bulbs per square
foot
© Project SOUND
http://porch.com/advice/inspiring-containers-for-your-winter-bulbs/

34. Large camas - Camassia leichtlinii
© Project SOUND
 Easy to grow –
large bulb
 Tolerates a little
more summer
water
 Available by mail
from several
traditional bulb
sources

35. Sources of Bulbs and Bulb Seeds
 Teleos Rare Bulbs
 Theodore Payne Foundation –
Sunland
 Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden –
Claremont
 Project SOUND – CSUDH
 Fraser’s Thimble Farms
 John Scheepers Bulbs
© Project SOUND

36. Some rarer natives cost a little more…
 Grow them in pots; you can double your investment with
offsets and seeds
© Project SOUND

37. Wavy-leaf Soap Plant - Chlorogalum pomeridianum

38. Soap Plant
requirements
 Light: full sun to
part-shade
 Soils: any local
(well-drained best)
 Water:
 tolerates average to
low watering
 Requires dry period
in late summer/fall
 Nutrients: benefits
from organic mulch
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Chlorogalum
http://plants.montara.com/ListPages/FamPages/Lilia2.html
Plants naturalize by seed

39. The Amole bulb
 Is a useful organ indeed:
 For the plant
 Storage organ for plant
 Reproductive organ for plant
 Food source for animals
 Many uses for humans:
 Edible: must slow bake to
remove saponins
 Makes good shampoo/ soap
 Hairy covering makes good
brush
http://plants.montara.com/ListPages/FamPages/Lilia2.html
Young shoots and leaves can be eaten
raw or steamed

40. A vase full of lilies…how sublime!
© Project SOUND

41. If you already grow lilies in your garden,
you might want to add some natives
© Project SOUND
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1941351/more-garden-scenes-and-some-lilies-photo-heavy

42. © Project SOUND
Leopard (Tiger) Lily – Lilium pardalinum
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/NorthAmericanLiliumTwo

43. © Project SOUND
Flowers are glorious
 Blooms: in late spring/summer;
usually June & July
 Flowers:
 Drooping ‘Turk’s cap’ type
lily flowers; up to 15 per
stalk
 Nice size: 2-4 in. across
 Lovely colors: mostly reds,
oranges or yellows with
maroon spots
 As pretty as any Asian lily
 humming birds, butterflies
love it
 Seeds: flat seeds in tough,
oblong pod (typical for lilies)
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/NorthAmericanLiliumTwo

44. © Project SOUND
Wetland lilies for a
woodsy garden
 In dappled shade with ferns
 For bog gardens, rain gardens
 As an attractive pot plant – do
great in shady containers
 Shady moist areas around patios
and sitting areas, arbors, etc.
http://www.calfloranursery.com/pages_plants/pages_l/lilpar.html
© 2009 Barry Rice

45. © Project SOUND
*Washington Lily – Lilium washingtonianum
© 2008 Vernon Smith
Very fragrant flowers

46. © Project SOUND
Dryland Lilies: more
like local bulbs
 Soils:
 Texture: well-drained
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to very light shade
 Water:
 Winter: plenty; even flooding
 Summer: quite drought-
tolerant once established;
Zone 2 or 2-3 during
flowering then taper off
 Fertilizer: OK with organic
mulches and soil amendments –
fine in garden beds
 Other: leave them in place in the
garden – don’t like being moved
© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College

47. How many native CA species of ‘garden
bulbs’ are there?
 Alliums (onions) – 48
 Calochortus (mariposa lily) - 45
 Camassia (camas lily) – 2
 Chlorogalum (soap lily) – 5
 Fritillaria (fritillary) – 21
 Lilium (lilies) – 12
 Oxalis - 5
 Bloomeria – 3
 Brodiaea – 19
 Dichelostemma – 5
 Erythronium (fawn lily) – 16
 Odontostomum (doll lily) - 1
 Triteleia (tritelia) - 15
© Project SOUND
True bulbs
 Epipactis (stream orchids) - 1
 Iris – 14
 Sisyrinchium - 8
Corms
Rhizomes/rhizome-like

48. Bluedicks – Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum
http://biology.csusb.edu/PlantGuideFolder/DichelostemmaCap/DichelostemmaCapPlant800.jpg

49. © Project SOUND
* Wild Hyacinth – Dichelostemma multiflorum
J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

50. © Project SOUND
Wild Hyacinth is a typical Dichelostema
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 < 1 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Perennial from a corm
 Dies back to corn in dry
summers; re-sprouts with the
fall/winter rains
 Foliage:
 Strap-like leaves
 Leaves start to die back before
spring flowering
 Corm: can be baked & eaten like
new potatoes
Mark W. Skinner @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Image:Dichelostemma_multiflorum2.jpg

51. Dichelostema are easy & reliable from corms
 Plant bigger corms 3-4 inches
deep and smaller corms 1-2 inches
deep
 Plant in
 well-drained soil; garden or pot
 in full sun (plants can tolerate
afternoon sun)
 in the autumn – just before the
rains
 Space the corms 1-6 inches apart.
 If gophers are a problem, dig a
hole and line it with chicken wire
mesh or make a cage for corms.
 Water the plants (wet, not soggy)
and then wait for the winter rains.
© Project SOUND
© 2002 Christina Raving
http://www.serg.sdsu.edu/SERG/restorationproj/woodlandgrassland/pen
can/penasquitos_final.htm

52. To succeed with California bulbs, follow
these simple rules: beware of pests
 Gophers, skunks, even pesky
squirrels love bulbs
 In the ground, protect bulbs be
caging with chicken wire
 In pots, use a chicken wire insert
(you can cover it with mulch); bulbs
grow through it.
 Guard against snails and slugs.
Except for alliums, most California
bulbs are extremely attractive to
these garden pests.
 White-crowned sparrows and other
birds may eat the leaves of some
bulbs in spring
© Project SOUND

53. Dichelostema (and other ‘bulbs’) can be started in pots
 Plant as usual; cover lightly
 Water seedlings through the spring.
 At the beginning of hot weather, when
leaves start to yellow, cease watering
 During summer:
 Move pots to a darker area, such as a
carport, garage or dry shady spot outdoors
 Keep a screen on pots to keep out foraging
animals.
 When the weather cools down again, move
the pots back outside and go through a
full rain or watering cycle once again.
 Will take several years (usually 3) to
reach flowering size

54. © Project SOUND
Dichelostema brighten
the spring garden
 As an attractive pot plant
 Tucked around summer-dry shrubs
 In prairie/grassland planting
 Be sure to include in spring bouquets
© 2004 Carol W. Witham
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clairewoods/3552292585/
CA native bulbs/corms are
perfect for those difficult to
water areas of the garden

55. © Project SOUND
* Firecracker Flower – Dichelostemma ida-maia
J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

56. © Project SOUND
Design tricks for using bulb/corms
Bulbs are invisible 6 months of the year, so place them around existing shrubs,
perennials, and bunchgrasses; they’ll command interest when bulbs go dormant.
Or plant bulbs/corms in a cache pot (pot within a pot); you can then swap out the
bulb pot during the dormant season
http://www.flickr.com/photos/morabeza79/favorites/page21/
http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/dichelostemma-ida-maia-images-large-134271/
http://ele-
middleman.at.webry.info/200606/article_37.html

57. Common Golden Stars – Bloomeria crocea

58. Common Golden
Stars in nature
 Found primarily on dry flats,
hillsides in grasslands,
Coastal Sage Scrub,
chaparral and open woodlands
 Often found in heavy, clay
soils
 Can grow in grassy areas –
competes well
http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/plants/Themidaceae/Bloomeria%20crocea.htm
http://coefire2007.info/research/ld1.html

59. Why consider Goldenstars?
 Attractive yellow flowers in late
spring (April-June)
 Flowers are long-lasting and make
nice cut flowers; attract butterflies
 Naturalizes well in well-drained soils
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Bloomeria

60. How do perennials with underground
reproductive organs know when to sprout?
 Environmental conditions
trigger the transition from one
stage to the next
 Most CA native bulbs respond
to winter rains by commencing
growth; others also need warm
temperatures
 Many CA native bulbs
commence to flower when soils
begin to dry out
© Project SOUND

61. © Project SOUND
CA native bulb
calendar
 Feb-Mar
 Blue Dicks/Wild Hyacinth
 Local Onions (Allium)
 Sisyrinchium begins
 Early Calochortus
 Mar-April
 Sisyrinchium
 N. Coastal Onions
 Goldenstars
 Calochortus
 Iris
 May-June
 Calochortus
 Lilies
 Tritelias (if not earlier)
 Brodieae
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atweed/4406640979/

62. © Project SOUND
Ithuriel’s Spear – Triteleia laxa
http://www.prod.bulbsonline.org/ibc/en/publiek/collection.jsf/Information/spring-blooming-bulbs/triteleia-laxa;jsessionid=AC136357DA08D01EBB6BF2ED0434206D
Favorite garden ‘bulb’ for long time

63. © Project SOUND
http://www.csuchico.edu/biol/Herb/curator/bidwell_park_03-30-05/Slopes_above_Day_Camp_3-30-05.htm
Ithuriel’s Spear in nature – clues to its use

64. © Project SOUND
Ithuriel’s Spear is one
of our easiest bulbs
 Soils:
 Texture: any but heaviest clays
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to quite shady – best
full sun to light shade
 Fine under high trees
 Water:
 Winter: adequate while leaves
are actively growing
 Summer: start tapering off
water when flowering stalks
appear. Needs summer/fall
rest – Zone 1
 Fertilizer: none to light dose (in
pots)
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TRLA16

65. © Project SOUND
Versatile native corms
 Some of the best plants for
pots/containers –pair with
native annual wildflowers for a
great show even on patios
 Massed as an accent plant –
remember that they need
summer/fall dry
 With native grasses in a
natural meadow or prairie –
remember, our native prairies
were not just grasses
 In rock gardens or along paths
 In pollinator/butterfly gardens
http://www.notsogreenthumb.org/shows/chelsea_flower_show/chelsea_flower_show2003_page3.htm
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Triteleia_laxa

66. © Project SOUND
 Available from native plant sources &
Holland bulb companies
 Large, intense purple-blue flowers
 Grows well in gardens
‘Queen Fabiola’
http://www.americanmeadows.com/SpringFlowerBulbs/Others/Trite
leiaQueenFabiolaFlowerBulbs.aspx
http://www.marthastewart.com/plant/triteleia-laxa-
queen-fabiola
http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2011/06/june-bloom-day/
https://tanglycottage.wordpress.com/tag/brodiaea-queen-fabiola/

67. © Project SOUND
‘Corrina’
 Violet flowers with violet-
purple tips & veins
 Very showy in early summer
http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Triteleia_laxa_'Corrina'
http://www.millergarden.org/garden/summer/summer-8.jpg

68. © Project SOUND
*White brodiaea – Tritelia hyacinthina
Flowers are sweet (literally)

69. © Project SOUND
Must-have Tritelia
 In the scented garden – wonderful!
 In pollinator garden – for butterflies &
small insect pollinators
 Fantastic in containers or rock garden;
alone or with annual wildflowers
 White accent; lovely massed
©2010 Barry Breckling

70. Brodiaea
 genus with sixteen species
restricted to western North
America
 Differentiated from
Dichelostemma by:
 a flowering stem that is generally
straight not curved or twisted,
 an umbel that is typically open, not
dense
 genus considered to be a member
of many different families in the
past. Recent work is now placing it
in a new family, Themidaceae
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/earthbrodiaea.html

71. © Project SOUND
* Harvest Brodiaea – Brodiaea elegans
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Brodiaea/Brodiaea_elegans_br3.jpg

72. © Project SOUND
Brodiaeas: easy
to please  Soils:
 Texture: best in heavy clay soils
 pH: any local
 Light:
 Full sun to part-shade
 Water:
 Winter: needs good moisture
when leaves are growing – storing
nutrients for next year
 Summer: cut down water as
flowering winds down – dry after
that.
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Other: may need to provide support;
thin corms every 3-4 years – when
flowers become smaller
© 2009 Terry Dye
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BREL

73. © Project SOUND
Brodiaea – easy later
color for the garden
 Excellent late color when massed –
really spectacular for 3-4 weeks
 In native prairie/grassland
plantings – take your cues from
Mother Nature
 As an attractive pot plant – plant
with Clarkias or Gilias
 Along walkways; in a rock garden
 In those ‘small, difficult to water’
areas with Penstemons, native
grasses
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Brodiaea
SpeciesOne

74. Douglas Iris: native from rhizomes
 Dig up/divide rhizomes
in fall or winter
 Divide with knife or
shovel
 Set in prepared site,
water and shade for
several days
http://uk.dk.com/static/cs/uk/11/clipart/sci_plant/image_sci_plant023.html
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/department/f
aculty/wmiller/bulb/rhizome.gif
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/b944-w.htg/B944-3.gif

75. * Douglas Iris - Iris douglasiana

76. © Project SOUND
Douglas Iris
 Shady borders
 Around ponds, pools; in wet areas,
including rain gardens
 Vernal swales, meadows
 In shady places under trees
 As an attractive pot plant
http://www.pacificcoastiris.org/spcni_photojournals/pj_douglasiana_ranchosan
taana.html

77. Gardening hints for Douglas Iris
 Very easy to grow – once you
find the right place for it
 Does fine in alkali soils and
maritime conditions
 Prefers light to medium shade –
full sun is too much even in
inland Long Beach
 Needs little summer water
 Prune flowers after blooming
 May need to thin every 4-5
years
 Long-lived
Note: leaves and rhizomes toxic if eaten
(humans and animals)

78. ‘Pacific Coast’
hybrids
http://wildsuburbia.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html
http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/pacific-coast-iris-2/
http://www.matilijanursery.com/
 Range of colors: white to
purple, magenta
 Readily available
 Routinely planted in CA gardens

79. Western Blue-eyed Grass - Sisyrinchium bellum

80. Western Blue-eyed Grass - Sisyrinchium bellum
 Not a grass at all – a member of the Iris
family (smallest member of the Iris family)
 Distribution: Much of CA, OR
 Habitat:
 Open, generally moist, grassy areas
 Woodlands
http://www.watershednursery.com/nursery/plant-finder/sisyrinchium-bellum/
http://camissonia.blogspot.com/2010/04/treks-on-santa-rosa-
plateau-vernal-pool.html

81. © Project SOUND
Yellow-eyed Grass – Sisyrinchium californicum
http://www.baynatives.com/plants/Sisyrinchium-californicum/
http://www.gardenbythesea.org/mcbg-plant-collections/coastal-bluffs-marine-zone/
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101895

82. Blue-eyed Grass and Douglas Iris have
similar requirements
 Sun: Full sun to part shade
 Soils: any texture, pH; good
drainage
 Nutrition: low needs
 Water:
 Rain water usually adequate in
winter
 water twice a month during late
spring/summer to keep foliage
green
 With-hold water during late
summer to allow seed maturation,
dormancy
 Increases modestly by rhizomes

83. © Project SOUND
Garden uses for
 Rock garden, meadows, mixed
borders; lovely with wildflowers
(California Poppy, Blue Flax and
Clarkia and others)
 Nice in containers
 Useful for filling in around
plantings of shrubs and trees

84. Blue-eyed grass
 Clip dried flower stalks
 Sow seed in small pots in winter
 Good germination; easy from seed or
rhizome
 Divide and grow up; flowers 2nd year

85. What we’ve learned
today
 California has a wide array of
native bulbs, corms &
rhizomatous perennials
 Many are lovely and useful
 Some are very easy to grow – and
many of those naturalize by both
offsets & seeds
 More are becoming available
© Project SOUND

86. What else we’ve learned
 Native ‘garden bulbs’ are adapted to our
mediterranean climate:
 Are one adaptation to our hot, dry season
 Are planted after the first fall/ winter
rains – be sure to order in summer
 Many bloom in spring/early summer
 Most need to be dry after they bloom &
set seed – for many summer & fall
 Species from N. CA tend to be a bit more
tolerant of summer water
 When in doubt, mimic natural conditions
for the place the plant grows naturally
© Project SOUND
http://www.phytoimages.siu.edu/taxpage/0/0/79/binomial/B
rodiaea%20elegans.html

87. Native ‘bulbs’ can be grown in
pots or in the ground
© Project SOUND

88. Look for more on native bulbs at
Mother Nature’s Backyard blog
© Project SOUND

89. Where can you find a place for these
little jewels in your own garden?
© Project SOUND
http://science.halleyhosting.com/nature/gorge/3petal/lily/brodiaea/harvest.htm