Perfect Perennials - Notes

1/6/2013

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Perfect Perennials
California Native Perennials for a
Colorful Garden

C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSUDH & Madrona Marsh Preserve

Madrona Marsh Preserve
Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants April 7 & 11, 2012
Project SOUND – 2012 (our 8th year)
© Project SOUND © Project SOUND

So darned many perennials – where to begin? Our challenge today: the maturing garden

We’ll be considering CA native herbaceous
perennials in the next few classes
© Project SOUND
Time to assess what’s missing
© Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

What is a perennial? Herbaceous
 A perennial plant or simply
perennial (Latin per, "through",
perennials
annus, "year") is a plant that
lives for more than two years.  Live more than 1 year
The term is often used to
differentiate a plant from  Have soft/succulent above-
shorter lived annuals and ground foliage
biennials.
 Usually are medium to small
 Technically, perennials include: size - < 3-4 ft
 Woody plants  Have a dormant period –
 Sub-shrubs often die back to the
 Herbaceous perennials ground during that period
 Bulbs
 Ferns http://www.flickr.com/photos/eastbaywilds/6083877815/

 Perennial grasses
Wild Ginger - Asarum caudatum
http://howdone.info/hd-shade-perennial-flowers-for-colorado © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

What is the difference between Herbaceous perennials usually have a
herbaceous perennials & sub-shrubs? dormant period
 Perennial sub-shrubs:  Drought-induced
 Local S. CA herbaceous
 Part-woody; woody part extends at perennials like Diplacus
least partway up the stem
 Plant goes dormant and
 Usually don’t die back all the way – dies back in summer
re-sprout from wood
 Cold-induced
 Often the ‘juicy parts’ are eaten  Usually plants from
back in the wilds – but not in our colder climates than ours
gardens; that’s why we have to cut – N. CA; S. CA mountains
them back ourselves in the fall
What happens when we grow  Plant goes dormant in
 Some S. CA native plants are these plants in our local gardens late fall/winter
difficult to categorize – continuum – and don’t have drought- or
between herbaceous & woody cold-induced dormancy?

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1/6/2013

Native herbaceous perennials in S. CA Herbaceous perennials: might enhance
gardens may be a bit different, but… our maturing garden

So, you go to your favorite
source of inspiration …
© Project SOUND http://www.thisoldyard.net/tag/books-about-trees/ © Project SOUND

…and feel like you fell These clearly are not
down the rabbit hole ‘New California
Gardens’…

http://www.redcedargardens.com/class/gardening-with-suzi-30/

http://www.hilltowntreeandgarden.com/portfolio-cottage-garden-goshen-stone-
pathways.html

…but they are sort of
pretty and interesting

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1/6/2013

How do we apply the inspiration from Where do herbaceous perennials fit into
‘non-California’ perennial gardens to our the ‘New California Garden’ design?
own gardens?
 The ‘perennial bed’ has been
out of fashion for a while – but
that’s changing (as the new
books suggest)
 The classical perennial bed is
http://www.mjmgardendesign.com/consult2.html
much more suited to colder
climates than ours
http://www.landscaperesource.com/articles/5-tips-designing-california-
native-gardens.htm

 It’s difficult to build an entire
bed/garden around just CA
native perennials – they just
aren’t ‘backbone plants’
http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/salutation_garden

Native herbaceous perennials can be And that’s where the new books on perennial
used in several ways in our gardens gardens can be a source of inspiration

 Use them as filler plants
 In a new garden – until the
larger woody plants grow
 In mature gardens – to fill
gaps or ‘difficult’ places

 Use them as ‘fitted plants’
that provide specific
additions to the mature
garden – the plants are
carefully chosen for their
attributes

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1/6/2013

What can herbaceous perennials bring to Lessons from the new perennial garden
the garden? books (for the New CA Garden)

 Flower color 1. Learn to ‘read the pictures’ –
what is it I like about the
 Specific foliage attributes – colors, feel of this garden?
shapes, textures

 Sun and (especially) shade tolerance 2. Try to ‘capture the spirit’ -
 Habitat value: particularly food
not duplicate the plants
(nectar, pollen, seeds, even foliage)
3. Take the time to choose the
 Attractants for beneficial insects right native plant for the job
 Food & medicinal plants
4. Choose ‘value added’ native
 Other: dyes, fiber, scents
plants that still capture the
spirit of the image you love

Our mission: find the perfect perennials
for this shady garden

http://www.gardenlady.com/favorites_2004.html

http://www.anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/search/lst.srch.asp?prodid=1055&sr
ch_term=tellima

http://allanbecker-gardenguru.squarespace.com/journal/2012/1/12/plant-a-perennial-garden-
Delicate bloom spikes – succulent leaves
© Project SOUND that-flowers-for-eight-months-a-boo.html © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Heucheras are only one possibility
Saxifragaceae - The Saxifrage Family
 ~ 1250 species in 80 genera

 Found worldwide, many from
northern temperate regions.

 Mainly perennial herbs and
shrubs, some evergreen, with only
a few annuals or small trees.

 Includes many common garden
plants;
 Hydrangea
 Astilbe
 Bergenia
 Heuchera
 Escallonia

* Fringe Cups – Tellima grandiflora * Fringe Cups – Tellima grandiflora
 Central to N. CA north to
AK, MT, including coastal
areas

 Cool, moist woods & rocky
places below 5000 ft.

 Redwood Forest, Mixed
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_cpn.pl?TEGR2 Evergreen Forest, Yellow
Pine Forest

© 2007 Matt Below
© 2003 Craig Smith

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1/6/2013

Fringe-cups: a woodland plant Flowers are enchanting
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall – flowers to 3 ft  Blooms: spring - usually April-
May in S. Ca
 spreading 2-4 ft wide
 Flowers:
 Growth form:
 Like Heuchera – but fancier;
 Herbaceous perennial
fringed petals
 Mounded – like Heuchera
 Start pale, age dark pink
 Foliage:  Long bloom season – flowers
open in succession
 basal clump of toothed,
shallowly-lobed, rounded,  Sweet fragrance
hairy, long-stalked, dark green  Hummingbirds adore them
leaves
 Leaves, twigs, and seeds  Seeds: tiny – like fine pepper
inside fleshy berries are all
 Vegetative reproduction:
poisonous if eaten, and
spreads by thick underground
potentially fatal to small © 2007 Matt Below

rhizomes
© 2004, Ben Legler:
child, animal
© Project SOUND © 2007 Neal Kramer © Project SOUND

 Soils: Fringe-cups: perennial delight
Plant Requirements  Texture: most
 pH: any local, though likes  Groundcover for shady moist
slightly acidic, well-drained spots – under pine or
redwood trees
 Light:
 North-facing exposures
 Light shade to quite shady
 Mixed beds
 Typical woodland plant
 Rain garden or pond edges
 Water: http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/competitions/online-
show/2009/view+of+a+grouping+of+Alpine+plants+in+a+garden/606/

 Winter: supplement in dry
spells
 Summer: regular water (Zone
2-3 to 3); older plants may
tolerate Zone 2

 Fertilizer: likes organic soils;
amendments/compost fine

 Other: use organic mulch

© 2008 Steve Matson © Project SOUND http://www.anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/general/lst.gen.asp?prodid=1055
© Project SOUND
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Tellima_grandiflora

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1/6/2013

Our mission: find the perfect perennials
‘Forest Frost’ for this shady garden

 Has variegated leaves –
otherwise no different
from straight species
http://www.rainyside.com/plant_gallery/perennials/
Tellima_grandifloraForestFrost.html

© Project SOUND © 2007 Matt Below © Project SOUND
http://www.perennials.com/plants/tellima-grandiflora-forest-frost.html

Something a little taller, bolder – with Common Cowparsnip – Heracleum maximum
white flowers to brighten the area

http://www.hilltowntreeandgarden.com/portfolio-ashfield.html

http://naturalmidwestgarden.com/archives/1090

Are their any choices that would also attract
butterflies? George G. Hawxhurst © California Academy of Sciences


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1/6/2013

Common Cowparsnip – Heracleum maximum The Apiaceae – Carrot Family
 Throughout continental U.S.  Formerly called Umbelliferae
except the Gulf Coast; locally in
the San Bernardino Mtns  Commonly known as carrot or parsley
 In a variety of habitats including family
woodlands, forest openings,
 Mostly aromatic plants with hollow
grasslands, and riparian areas
(wet meadows, stream terraces,
stems.
alluvial benches, floodplains, and
 Large (16th largest flowering plant
stream and lake margins.
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_cpn.pl?HEMA80 family) - more than 3,700 species/
434 genera

 Includes many well known plants:
 Angelica
 Anise, caraway, coriander/cilantro,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Apiaceae_Pimpinella_anisum.jpg
cumin, dill, fennel
 Carrot, celery, parsley, parsnip
Many make excellent habitat
plants for home gardens  Hemlock, lovage, Queen Anne's Lace
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences

Common Parsnip is ‘back of the bed’ big Flowers light up
shady areas
 Size:
 3-8+ ft tall  Blooms: spring/summer usually
 2-4 ft wide May-July

 Growth form:  Flowers:
 Herbaceous perennial; winter  Small and white
deciduous  Sweetly scented – many
 All parts large, robust butterflies are attracted
 Stems succulent, hollow  In dense to more open
umbels – like a starburst –
 Foliage: typical of the family
 Medium green
 Leaves very large, coarsely
 Seeds:
toothed & lobed – sort of  Flat, ribbed seeds typical
like Acanthus leaves for the family

 Roots: stout taproot and/or  Vegetative reproduction: ??
© 2005 Robert Sivinski
fibrous http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Heracleum_lanatum_07269.JPG
http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/twins-exploring-108-pictures.htm

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1/6/2013

Common Parsnip  Soils:
 Texture: well-drained best – but
Deadheading  What is deadheading?
Likes water adaptable Perennials  Removing spent flowers/seed heads after
 pH: any local except very alkali the plant stops flowering

 Clipthe stalk back to the first set of
 Light:
healthy leaves below the flower stalk;
 Part-shade best leave the clippings as mulch/food
 Takes over with full sun & lots of
water  Why deadhead?
 To make the plant look more attractive
 Water:
 Winter: supplement in dry years  To prolong the bloom season/encourage a
 Summer: likes moist soil second bloom season

 For many native perennials, and a few
 Fertilizer: adaptable; does well in
shrubs, a decent deadheading may be all
amended soils
the pruning they need! Plants that have a
woody base but produce lots of lush growth
 Other: Always wear gloves when cutting,
each season, such as Monkeyflowers and
breaking stems – the juices of all parts Penstemon seem to respond especially well to
contain a phototoxin that can act on
http://www.gapphotos.com/imagedetails.asp?imageno=47016
this technique.
contact with skin and exposure to
Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
ultraviolet light © Project SOUND
 Must I deadhead? no © Project SOUND

Big habitat plant Our mission: find the perfect perennials
 Large filler plant in shady areas for this shady garden
 Woodland gardens
 Shady slopes
 Butterfly gardens
 Pond/poolside, other moist areas
http://camissonia.blogspot.com/2011/04/spring-has-spring-despite-schizo.html  Medicinal uses

© 2004, Ben Legler

© Project SOUND © 2007 Matt Below © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

* CA Lomatium – Lomatium californicum * CA Lomatium – Lomatium californicum
 Central & Northern CA from ];
Ventura and Kern Cos to S. OR

 Wooded or brushy slopes to
5500', chaparral and foothill
woodlands

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?329,426,428

J. E.(Jed) and Bonnie McClellan © California Academy of Sciences

CA Lomatium: shrubby perennial Flowers are pretty
 Size:
 2-5 ft tall  Blooms: spring-summer; usually
May-July
 4-5 ft wide
 Flowers:
 Growth form:
 Typical for the carrot family
 Many, small yellow flowers
 Shrubby-looking; clumped © 2007 Matt Below

 In a rather open umbel
 Dies back to short
stem/root in drought  Flowers attract a wide range
of insect pollinators,
 Foliage: including butterflies
 Usually blue-green
 Seeds:
 Looks like celery – and
 Flat, winged seed – typical of
smells like it too!
Carrot family
 Larval food – Anise
 If growing from seed, rinse
Swallowtail
several times in water –
 Roots: taproot stout, thickened takes several days
© 1998 Dean Wm. Taylor © Project SOUND © Project SOUND
© 2009 Vernon Smith

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1/6/2013

Garden uses for
Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: any well-drained
Lomatiums
 pH: any local  Accent plant – dry shade
 Light:  In a mixed planting with
 Part-shade; morning sun or grasses, annuals
dappled shade best  In dry parts of the
vegetable/medicinal garden
 Water:
 Winter: adequate
© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College

 Summer: let plants dry out
after flowering

 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils

 Other: cut back almost to
ground in fall (or whenever you
can’t take the dead branches any
more!)

© Project SOUND http://www.baynatives.com/plants/Lomatium-californicum/ http://jay.timetotrack.com/ccal/lomatca2.htm © Project SOUND
© 2010 Jean Pawek

Lomatiums:  Spring leaves, stems and roots eaten

useful plants
raw or cooked as greens We’ll introduce some other great habitat
 Leaves used as seasoning : perennials in the next few months
 Pick it before it blooms for a more
even, mellow flavor, or during or after
the bloom for a stronger flavor.
 Shade dry it in a warm spot with good
ventilation, turning the leaves over
every day or two. The flavor resembles
celery.

 Medicinal
 Root chewed for sore throat; dried
root smoked or decoction of roots
taken for colds – makes at least 4
compounds with antibacterial action
 Used as poultice for rheumatism Angelica hendersonii
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/ofp/lom_cal.htm
Lomatium utriculatum
Native CA hunters chewed plant  Ceremonial uses
to conceal their scent when
hunting

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1/6/2013

In another part of our shady backyard… * California Hemp – Hoita macrostachya

© 2009 Lynn Watson

http://knechts.net/weblog/post/270/

* California Hemp – Hoita macrostachya Characteristics of CA Hemp
 Western CA (except Great  Size:
Central Valley)  4-6 ft tall
 4-6 ft wide
 Locally Long Beach, LA River,
Santa Monicas, San Gabriels  Growth form:
 Wetland-riparian between 0  Erect to sprawling
and 5000 feet; in many plant
 Looks like a large shrub, but
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_cpn.pl?HOMA4 communities (Yellow Pine dies back in fall
Forest, Foothill Woodland,
Chaparral, Valley Grassland,  Foliage:
Coastal Prairie)  Medium to blue-green
 Leaves compound (3-part),
 ho-IT-tay – Maidu name for
sparse on stems
this genus
 Roots: nitrogen-fixing (nodules)
 AKA: Psoralea
© 2012 Aaron Arthur

© 1994 Lee Dittmann http://sbwildflowers.wordpress.com/wildflowers/fabaceae/hoita/hoita-macrostachya/

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1/6/2013

Plant Requirements  Soils:
Flowers are fantastic
 Texture: just about any
 Blooms: spring/summer usually  pH: any local
May-July in S. CA
 Light:
 Flowers:  Best in light- to part-shade
 On a club-like stalk that
 Water:
elongates
 Winter: fine with flooding;
 Flowers pea-like
supplement if needed
 Color is lovely: shades of
 Summer: regular water (Water
purple/pink/magenta
Zone 2-3); taper off after
 Beautiful contrasts – flowers blooming
& foliage
 Fertilizer: not picky; likes poor
 Seeds: soils but OK with some fertilizer,
 Bean-like amendments
 In hairy, pea-like pods
 Other: cut off old, dead branches
in late fall
© 2003 Michael Charters
http://www.researchlearningcenter.org/bloom/mobile/species/Hoita_macrostachya.htm

Garden uses for Fall/Winter tasks: native herbaceous
 As a soil stabilizer along a perennials
 In general, these plants are
sunny stream, in a marsh or at
the ponds edge. low maintenance: properly
placed they come back year
 As an accent plant for shady after year
parts of garden

 Plant near or around trees
 Many need cutting
back/removing dead
© 2009 Lynn Watson © 2003 Michael Charters

such as alder, sycamore, box
elder, and dogwood for a material in fall/winter
woodland garden retreat
 Be sure you know which
 Practical uses: roots perennials need to be
 Fibers
handled with care:
 Yellow dye
 Eaten (raw or cooked)  Toxicities
 Pulverized for salve/poultice  Rashes/allergies
for sores, skin ulcers

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1/6/2013

Why do the perennials Now a little something low to fill in…
produce such interesting
chemicals?
 Plants in the genus Hoita produce
furanocoumarins;

 These substances can cause a
serious photosensitive rash in
some people

 Precautions
 Wear gloves, long sleeves
 Be careful not to get plant juices
on skin – wash off immediately if
you do with soap & water
 Always wash skin and clothes
after pruning
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hoita_macrostachya_(PSor
alea_macrostachya)_Edwards's_Bot._Reg._21.1769.1836.jpg

Native Honeysuckles make good * Orange Honeysuckle - Lonicera ciliosa
groundcovers (as well as vines) for shade


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1/6/2013

We could use Woodmints (Stachys spp.) Now a little something low to fill in…

http://www.northcoastgardening.com/2012/01/perennial-plant-2012-jack-frost-brunnera/

* Creeping Leather-root – Hoita orbicularis * Creeping Leather-root – Hoita orbicularis
 California Floristic Province
(except Great Central Valley) S.
to Baja

 Locally: very occasionally in San
Gabriels – more common in San
Bernardino Mtns
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=28327
 Many plant communities including
Yellow Pine Forest, Foothill
Woodland, Chaparral, Valley
Grassland up to 4-5000‘ ft
elevation

 In moist places: meadows, stream
sides, moist hillsides, pond edges,
seeps
© 1995 Lee Dittmann

© Project SOUND http://jay.timetotrack.com/socal/lethrc.htm © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

The flowers & Creeping Leather-root: it creeps (of course)
 Size:
leaves give it away  < 1 ft tall
 1-3 ft wide
 Growth form:
 Proud member of the Pea
Family - Fabaceae  Winter-dormant
 Prostrate habit
 Foliage:
 Leaves a trefoil – like a giant
clover (2-4” across)
 Edible (young); used to fevers
 Roots: N-fixing (nodules); produce
yellow dye

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hoita_orbicularis_(Psoralea_orb
icularis)_Edwards%27s_Bot._Reg._23._1971._1837..jpg © 2012 Jean Pawek http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/psoralea-orbicularis

Easy plant in the  Soils:
Flowers:clover on steroids  Texture: most
right place  pH: any local except > 8.0
 Blooms: spring - usually May-
June in western L.A. county  Light:
 Part-sun to shade
 Flowers:  Good under trees or N-facing
 On long spikes – up to 2-3 exposures
ft long; flowers open up
sequentially  Water:
 Each of the many flowers is  Winter: fine with extra winter
up to 1” long, pea-like, and water
generally a shade of light  Summer: regular water keeps it
to medium purple in color. looking best: Zone 2 to 3
 Very showy for a ground-
cover – like the Woodmints  Fertilizer: not picky; OK with a
little fertilizer, compost, organic
 Seeds: in a small, hairy pea-like mulch
pod
 Other: cut back old (dead/dying)
foliage in fall
© 2011 Barry Breckling © Project SOUND © 2011 Barry Breckling © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Creeping Leather-root works And that’s not all…
well in shade gardens
 As a groundcover – alone or mixed
 In rain gardens, infiltration swales
 In pots and planters (incl. ‘mini-bogs’)
 On slopes
 Shady areas in a butterfly garden
 Edges of vegetable or medicinal
garden

© 2011 Barry Breckling

© 2012 Jean Pawek © Project SOUND © Project SOUND
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hoitaorbicularis.jpg
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/psoralea-orbicularis

Round leaved boykinia – Boykinia rotundifolia Round leaved boykinia – Boykinia rotundifolia
 endemic to southern California,
where it grows in shady forested
areas near streams in the
mountains

 Locally: Santa Monica Mtns
(Malibu Cyn); more common in San
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?7088,7093,7096 Gabriels

 Boykinia:
 Dr. Samuel Boykin (1786-1848), an
eminent field botanist - did the
majority of his collecting in
Georgia.
 He was one of the many collectors
who sent significant numbers of
plant samples to John Torrey and
© 2011 Neal Kramer
Asa Gray
© 2008 Thomas Stoughton

18

Perfect Perennials - Notes

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