tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34911802227225027062024-03-04T21:56:00.079-08:00Gardening with a Wild HeartJudith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-26943010727033945782013-08-07T09:18:00.001-07:002013-08-07T09:18:33.551-07:00In Bloom Today: August 2, 2013 <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_graphics/backyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_graphics/backyard.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larner Seeds Demonstration Garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
It's been a very long time since I've updated our Garden Journal on our website,
but the remarkable late summer bloom has inspired me. In bloom today: August 2,
2013.</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
It's
hard to believe how much is in bloom at the beginning of August in the coastal
Larner Seeds Demonstration Garden, but here goes: </div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span class="tab">
</span>Annual wildflowers are heavy on the clarkias, including <em>Clarkia
rubicunda</em>, <em>Clarkia amoena</em> 'The Real," <em>Clarkia amoena</em> 'The Unreal,' and <em>Clarkia
unguiculata</em>. Also, <em>Trifolium wormskioldii</em>, springbank clover, is responding to
a bit of extra moisture with a whole new round of flowers. </div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span class="tab"> </span>This interesting clover is one of the few native clovers
that are perennial, its roots are an important rootfood in the northwest, and it
lives up to its name of springbank clover by growing on banks with springs. We
also have <em>Trifolium gracilentum</em> in bloom, one of the tastiest native clovers.
This annual is available in 4" pots.</div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span class="tab"> The perennial coastal form of the Ca poppy is colonizing bare
areas created by a construction project. I love its look when young and flat
against the ground, the beautiful contrast of the silver-gray foliage with the
large, rich yellow blossoms. It provides six months of bloom at least.
Harlequin lotus, which used to grow in our famous Bolinas sewer pond lands next
to California oatgrass, is blooming in containers, and we have seed available
again. We also have a magnificent container planting of the rare &
endangered showy Indian clover, <em>Trifolium amoenum</em>. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span class="tab"> T</span><span class="tab">he blue elderberry is blooming late this
year, in full bloom right now, a few weeks later than usual. When I see its
large and luscious blossoms, I can never resist burying my face in them, to be
surrounded by their incredible addictive fragrance. Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman'
defies its usual twice a year bloom time and has barely been out of bloom for
months. We still have both Gilias, bird's eye gilia and globe gilia lighting up
the patio.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span class="tab"> We took down a jay-planted oak this year to open up some area for
a native prairie, which is now jam-packed with native grasses and wildflowers.
In bloom now is hayfield tarweed, <em>Hemizonia congesta</em> ssp <em>congesta</em>, which, in the
rich soil left by the oak, looks like its on steroids, as does the nearby
elegant tarweed, <em>Madia elegans</em>, over six feet tall! I hope they'll calm down
and be more normal next year. It's also a happy sight to see showy Indian
clover blooming away in the prairie, thought once to be extinct. We have seed
available and will have plants as well this fall. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="tab">We
still have mountain phlox, <em>Linanthus grandiflorus</em>, next to the threatened
clarkia called winecup,<em> Clarkia purpurea </em>var<em> purpurea</em>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span class="tab"> Also going to seed now is cobweb thistle, <em>Cirsium
occidentale</em></span>. This showy silvery biennial with large red blossoms is
beautiful for months, and I enjoy sending employees to collect the seed. Yes,
suffering can be part of this wonderful work. With each seed packet comes some
of our blood, pricked by the thistle thorns, bonus DNA.</div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span class="tab"> My favorite edible plant, Kellogg's yampa, </span><span class="tab"><em>Perideridia kelloggii</em>, is just starting to ripen seed. My intern,
Ildiko Polony, and I, with support from Kat Anderson, are doing an informal
<em>Perideridia</em> study group, and we are fascinated by all the different forms of
edible root this plant produces, from twisted together crowns to elongated or
pearl-like swellings all along the wiry stems. As well as edible leaves early
in spring, edible shoots a bit later, and edible seeds to use as an anise-y
seasoning. </span><br />
<span class="tab"></span><br />
<span class="tab">Sadly, these plants are not as common as they used to be, when
California Indians reported digging them by the bucketful from fields where they
grew thick as grass. We've collected tubers from near Paradise and also from
near Willits in Mendocino County, and we'd be thrilled to have any interested
<em>Perideridia</em> lovers swap tubers with us. We have a solid ID on the <em>Perideridia
kelloggii</em>, and we'd love to try <em>Perideridia pringlei</em>, <em>P. parishii</em>, or any
others. </span></div>
Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-62519300956783717082013-03-18T11:20:00.002-07:002013-03-18T11:23:59.377-07:00Here Comes California’s Heavenly Season...... FAQs<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G65c9q4xrSbC45RlzdkOoJb0PWGdvFtZVe8iuXQKyLu9bQHTa201GmpS6zaJ79SuRpctmGkdFowTobzhEjeALdQJe55FNQtZNMTYE3D_W4wv4hMtOgQ51HavtipPgdC-UKxcNd-sQnSK/s1600/282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="seedling photos" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G65c9q4xrSbC45RlzdkOoJb0PWGdvFtZVe8iuXQKyLu9bQHTa201GmpS6zaJ79SuRpctmGkdFowTobzhEjeALdQJe55FNQtZNMTYE3D_W4wv4hMtOgQ51HavtipPgdC-UKxcNd-sQnSK/s320/282.jpg" title="" width="157" /></a><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;">Wildflower
seedlings are now making good growth, having germinated with the
fall and winter rains. Soon, they will be bursting into bloom. </span><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><b>Tip</b></span><span style="font-family: Times, serif;">:
Rain in January and February is critical for a good spring bloom.
Since it has been a record-breaking dry spell, provide irrigation now
where and if you can. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Times, serif;"> We've
been asked if it's too late to sow in February and March. Not if you
are willing to provide irrigation for early germination and to make
good root growth. We sow wildflower seed in the ground as late as
April.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"> We've
frequently been asked to supply images of seed leaves (the first to
emerge from the seed) and true leaves (the first to assume the shape
of the plant's juvenile leaves) to facilitate weeding. We’re
slowly building up a seedling photo library. So look for them in our
<a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/seedlings.html">online catalog</a> and on our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/LarnerSeeds">Facebook page</a>. </span>
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Times, serif;"> They
frequently make a fascinating contrast – idea for new board game!
Matching seed leaves with the correct true leaves. Coming soon!
Looking for a good name!</span><span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><b>Horticultural
Play with Wildflowers</b></span><span style="font-family: Times, serif;">; </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"> We are hooked on
growing wildflowers in 4” pots. We started doing it as a form of
germination testing and as a way to help us and our clients to
distinguish the “good” plants in a wildflower sowing from the
weeds. Just 4-10 seeds per pot.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"> We use a cold
greenhouse till they germinate, but it’s not really necessary.
What is necessary, now that we’ve created such good habitat for the
winged creatures, is that we protect the tender seedlings with bird
netting, till they are a bit too tough to be appealing to the winged
creatures.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"> These 4” pots
can then be planted out, either in the ground or in containers. We
keep sowing and then planting through the fall, winter, and early
spring. The plants get confused enough that their bloom times are
changed and extended. It’s a way of mixing things up, creating
effects and combinations not seen in nature. Note in the image below, planted from 4” containers, that baby-blue –eyes is
blooming with Monterey Clarkia, a beautiful combination for this
entry garden. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9W1en4NXbU-VcUQLOJIv0qXrUlWasPyWFjHz6z2qwnDrEY3nfS8CpFdYEZojTv4hm_MDMV9b8eHCY8bA3L00pCL_Zo_hX7VZvXQJ3-DFrUebWrPsDV1s6u1B58WeMtvjEcPKnbSEeDpr/s1600/279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="baby blue-eyes, with Monterey Clarkia" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9W1en4NXbU-VcUQLOJIv0qXrUlWasPyWFjHz6z2qwnDrEY3nfS8CpFdYEZojTv4hm_MDMV9b8eHCY8bA3L00pCL_Zo_hX7VZvXQJ3-DFrUebWrPsDV1s6u1B58WeMtvjEcPKnbSEeDpr/s320/279.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"> Another example
is a planting of white baby blue eyes from last year. It started
blooming in January, months ahead of its scheduled bloom time, and is
just slowing down now. Planting through the fall and winter allows
us to play with wildflowers. Some odd behavior results….and it’s
fun.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;"> We’ve noted
that <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html#Birds_Eye_Gilia">bird’s eye gilia</a>, <i>Gilia tricolor</i>, hasn’t stopped
blooming since last year, in containers that received consistent
watering. <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html#Globe_Gilia">Globe gilia</a>, <i>Gilia capitata,</i> is almost as hardy and
long-lived. Once <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html#Showy_Farewell-to-Spring">Showy Farewell to Spring</a>, <i>Clarkia amoena,</i>
turned into the size of a small shrub and lived two years.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_graphics/_shrubs/_144/acer_circinatum-144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="vine maple" border="0" src="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_graphics/_shrubs/_144/acer_circinatum-144.jpg" title="" /></a><span style="color: #274e13;"> <span style="font-family: Times, serif;">We
offered shrub seeds again this fall and winter, and here are seed and
true leaves of the beauteous shrub <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/shrub_and_vine.html#acer_circinatum">Vine Maple</a>, </span><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><i>Acer
circinatum</i></span><span style="font-family: Times, serif;">. Just moved
here from Vermont and missing fall color? Try Vine Maple. Use
it where you might have planted Japanese Maple. It’s about the
same size, just as graceful, and the flowers, gorgeous when examined
closely, are very edible.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">
</span></div>
Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-9668585946795351152012-12-13T10:58:00.001-08:002012-12-13T10:58:13.462-08:00The Edible Greens of California’s Springlike Winter
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
It’s cold and
it’s rainy, here in the Bay Area, and I’ve just gotten out my
down parka. That means it must be winter. Oh wait, it’s sunny and
beautiful, open the windows.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
On the one hand,
seedlings are germinating like crazy, and native and naturalized
edible greens are starting to be at their succulent best. That also
sounds like spring. On the other hand, most of the deciduous trees
and shrubs have dropped their leaves. Sprinter, or Wring, let’s
just take it day by day.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82f-Z5aLSHFqH28J8InMxodLN4fO_uodvfOyRCHnZPHm0-s7_ziAI3T7dlghGGhvAwyRyrnyAAuLmOxTMVMqUZWvuJoQCYBgr7t9Y-_pXWwmbdUfiReB0TbmxQGIOQ9-vxYlwInb3fuAP/s1600/Sidalcea-calycosa-rhizomata.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82f-Z5aLSHFqH28J8InMxodLN4fO_uodvfOyRCHnZPHm0-s7_ziAI3T7dlghGGhvAwyRyrnyAAuLmOxTMVMqUZWvuJoQCYBgr7t9Y-_pXWwmbdUfiReB0TbmxQGIOQ9-vxYlwInb3fuAP/s320/Sidalcea-calycosa-rhizomata.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82f-Z5aLSHFqH28J8InMxodLN4fO_uodvfOyRCHnZPHm0-s7_ziAI3T7dlghGGhvAwyRyrnyAAuLmOxTMVMqUZWvuJoQCYBgr7t9Y-_pXWwmbdUfiReB0TbmxQGIOQ9-vxYlwInb3fuAP/s1600/Sidalcea-calycosa-rhizomata.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</a>A perennial ground-cover that offers
glossy-green round leaves and stunning deep pink to light pink
flowers (in real spring), it has become my favorite green this year.
In the mallow family, Pt. Reyes Checkerbloom, <em>Sidalcea calycosa ssp
rhizomata</em>, is endemic to the Pt Reyes peninsula, yet does very well
throughout the Bay Area, in full sun at the coast and part-sun or
shade elsewhere.
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In its natural habitat, it likes seeps
and springs, high water tables, even vernal pools. But it is quite
adaptable to my regular garden regime of almost no work.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
It’s amazing that
one plant could have so many virtues. Everybody likes a nice
groundcover, one that covers the ground without being obnoxious about
it, maintaining a fresh green color most of the year. (It could be
all through the year if you water, but why not give it a rest, for
the sake of our water supplies, and the joys of accepting
California’s seasons). The bright pink flowers are abundant and
show up for months.
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
As if this weren’t
enough, as I discovered when casually chopping it up and adding it to
a tomato salsa, the leaves are easy to like. No boiling or changing
of the waters is needed, for there is no bitter principle. A slight
hairiness appears as the season wears on, and perhaps the leaves
toughen a bit. But raw in a chopped salad or steamed or boiled, it’s
mild, tasty, and requires NO care.
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
In the garden, I
make a point of nibbling on it whenever I pass.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Other mallows, like
<em>Sidalcea malviflora</em>, are also edible, but the leaf is less
substantial; more will be required, and where I live, I’ve never
seen them in enough abundance to feel that I could harvest them.
Unlike the Pt Reyes checkerbloom, the upright checkerbloom goes
completely dormant and is reappearing with the….spring, winter,
December…..anyway, now.</div>
Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-26124024412268705802012-09-20T09:08:00.000-07:002012-09-20T09:16:44.238-07:00Yerba Buena Tea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08qZCxBC9hl-gnW5DZqeLA9L-zG818UvNofeupvfuL9H_es30Suycmou0UyHGxf8g8JHNqvOFKXHMzGp_GhQvD-9WVV7ZZC65U2mjq0bEG1vqa8YYipGxZ1haXym67uyyR2Xq0Gom6pGQ/s1600/!cid_2_735120445@web182202_mail_bf1_yahoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Yerba Buena" border="1" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08qZCxBC9hl-gnW5DZqeLA9L-zG818UvNofeupvfuL9H_es30Suycmou0UyHGxf8g8JHNqvOFKXHMzGp_GhQvD-9WVV7ZZC65U2mjq0bEG1vqa8YYipGxZ1haXym67uyyR2Xq0Gom6pGQ/s320/!cid_2_735120445@web182202_mail_bf1_yahoo.jpg" title="" width="213" /></span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-style: normal;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;">Last
week, we served Yerba Buena Tea to attendees at the Heirloom Expo in Santa Rosa,
and I was impressed anew by the subtly pleasing qualities of this easy-to-make
tea from the California native groundcover called <em>Satureja douglasii</em>. This
wonderful little plant from the mint family grows under oak trees, where it is
said to be difficult to find plants that survive, especially if you follow the
rule to avoid watering out of season under oak trees. This rule is important
because some diseases attacking oaks come from the unCalifornian combination of
moisture and heat, which is not normally occurring in a Mediterranean climate
like ours in California. Actually, I think it's easy to garden or plant under
oak trees, but that's another topic.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Yerba
buena also can be found thriving at the edge of chaparral and coastal scrub,
making a lovely neat chartreuse edging along paths and trails. In the early
days of our 30-year-old</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/bloom.html">Larner Seeds Demonstration Garden</a></span><span style="color: #38761d;"> in Bolinas, I couldn't
get yerba buena to do well. Now that "things," and by "things," I mean the many
qualities of shade and sun and soil that have developed through the years, have
changed, it takes off and seems to do well everywhere we put it, except where
outcompeted by native blackberry.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-style: normal;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;">So
I have lots of material for tea-making. For a crowd, I use approximately two
masses or clumps of stems and leaves that would fit in both my hands to make a
4-quart stockpot full of tea. This is always a matter of taste, but I prefer it
rather mild. Rinse it off and remove oak leaves that seem to always be caught in
it and pour boiling water over it. Let soak for ten or fifteen minutes. I've
also let it soak for a very long time, up to 12 hours, to make a concentrate,
such as for bringing to the Expo. Once there, I diluted the one quart of
concentrate with two to four gallons of filtered water. I also like to put some
sprigs of yerba buena into my drinking water at the beginning of a
hike.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-style: normal;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;">It
is so refreshing in its mild way, having nothing to do with caffeine, and it
seemed to be greatly appreciated by thirsty Expo-goers. One sampler called it
"amazingly hydrating." When frequently asked about its medicinal qualities,
since it seems we can't be bothered drinking something without a confirmed
health benefit, I repeated the simple instructions given us by Milton "Bun"
Lucas, Pomo Indian, who is no longer with us, but who left many of us with
treasured information. Bun said that he saved it for special occasions so as to
retain its efficacy, using it for colds, or, as at the Expo, for times of
unusual demands, which could describe a fair of 20,000 people. That was the
pre-estimated number, though I, of course, didn't serve yerba buena tea to that
many people.</span></div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-style: normal;">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;">But
I almost could have.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Y9Df_sM-6C_MTmskXmyn8ePZsTAKCJjJ9wB_p22QXhx3r8YmcCBG3052PqzyNqDZ9resClgRyrJ3E9I1gutrLzITV-dEJHXfnvoKWNI1I8nFjWnPuKjldgmXc2AYDeHn-yCBHNhyphenhyphenGc1t/s1600/!cid_1_735120445@web182202_mail_bf1_yahoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Yerba Buena" border="1" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Y9Df_sM-6C_MTmskXmyn8ePZsTAKCJjJ9wB_p22QXhx3r8YmcCBG3052PqzyNqDZ9resClgRyrJ3E9I1gutrLzITV-dEJHXfnvoKWNI1I8nFjWnPuKjldgmXc2AYDeHn-yCBHNhyphenhyphenGc1t/s640/!cid_1_735120445@web182202_mail_bf1_yahoo.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: tahoma,new york,times,serif; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-64938842858908114752012-09-17T14:37:00.005-07:002012-09-20T09:15:06.641-07:00Camassia quamashBlue CamasCamas is one of the most important indigenous root foods, covering many hundreds of thousands of acres throughout the west, from Montana to California, both in the Sierra, on the Modoc plateau, and even occasionally on the coast. Where it still flourishes, it is easily glimpsed in spring, when it turns the fields and prairies a glorious rich blue-purple color.<br />
<br />
It likes areas that are seasonally wet, drying out by late spring. It grows in wet meadows, swales, annual floodplains, and along ephemeral creeks, in sun or part-shade, and is found from two to eight inches below the surface.<br />
<br />
Like other edible members of the lily family, it was harvested in such a way as to allow for its enhanced and continued flourishing. The large bulbs, from 1” to 2.5” in diameter, were removed to be eaten, while the smaller bulbs clinging to its sides were replanted in the loosened soil to grow into next year’s harvest. Digging sticks used for the purpose were excellent at churning the soil and avoided the danger of destroying the bulbs while digging, which can happen with a shovel or trowel.<br />
<br />
A dense bulb with layers like an onion, camas contains inulin, a starch that is difficult to digest. Indigenous peoples were masters at the art of converting this substance to the digestible fructose, through long, slow cooking in an earth oven, as long as 36 hours but at least for two days. At this stage, the bulb starts to caramelize and turn brown, becoming very sweet in the process. Eating it before it turns brown may cause indigestion.<br />
<br />
In the absence of earth ovens, try a “slow-cooker.” Remove the thin dark outer skin and place them in a steamer in the cooker, or in the oven at 220 degrees, adding water to reach the bottom of the steamer. Cover and cook for 12 hours, then remove, salt, and fry in olive oil. Or let cook for the recommended 36 hours, adding water as necessary.<br />
<br />
For a luxurious dessert that reminds me of the E. Indian dessert called ras malai, I found a way to shorten the cooking time by boiling the bulbs for 30 minutes in water and then cooking them with cream and a small amount of sugar for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Use a pan large enough that it won’t boil over. Add rosewater and sweetener to taste. The bulbs become soft<br />
and almost disappear the longer you cook them, thickening the pudding and adding a delicious taste. None of those of us who ate it experienced indigestion.<br />
<br />
Camas is well worth growing at home, where you can become good at identifying its flowers and seed stalk. Note that it occasionally grows with another bulb that is toxic, called “death camas,” Toxicoscordion venenosum, which fortunately has very different white flowers, so only harvest from the wild if the flower or seed stalk is still attached and you are practiced at identification. The seed stalk is quite distinct in appearance, but never take a chance.<br />
<br />
A home harvest provides flowers, safe and delicious meals, and a chance to connect with a root-food rich in history and association with this continent’s humankind.<br />
<br />Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-5580777971082259762012-08-27T13:31:00.002-07:002012-08-27T13:37:17.772-07:00Ethnographies of the PastAn interesting quote from David Prescott Barrows, who wrote “Ethnobotany of the Coahuilla Indians” in 1900. He was describing the territory of the Cahuilla of southern California, who lived in a land much of which was desert, but many different kinds of desert:<br /><br />“There was really an abundant supply of wild food, far more than adequate, at nearly all times of the year, for the needs of the several thousand Indian inhabitants of former times, although hardly a score of white families will find a living here after all the Indians are gone.”<br /><br />He goes on to say, in this elegant treatise, “And the secret of this anomaly lies in the fact that the<br />Indian drew his stores of food from hillsides and canons, where the white man looks for nothing and can produce nothing.”<br /><br />His ethnograph is one of my favorites, if not the favorite, for his poetic and insightful writing as well as the information that is found nowhere else. If only people like Barrows had been available to write about all the different regions of California. <br /><br />We’ve been working very hard on a new edition of our booklet “The Real California Cuisine,” which will be available in a few weeks. I couldn’t resist including some of my favorite quotes from ethnographies of the past. We’ve added new species, including my favorite, Yampa, <em>Perideridia kelloggii</em>, whose tubers are so delicious, even raw.<br /><br />Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-70093728849233082802010-12-15T00:30:00.000-08:002010-12-15T00:37:07.085-08:00The San Joaquin Valley, California: A Pretty Good Place<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb9UvRWyPU0Xwsjgq28FdLkK1wCnQ_u5I-jsUQbBbuzOxxNugHlbr1pO3kn9CuRTmzO4FU9xqvzbDlNo-wAO7sBnBkjNTXGJCX5gOjAtU8KbxltfLhG9xsoyNBTCoukZpV1r4RHFKVnt9/s1600/stroft-144W.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 144px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 187px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550824833986453250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb9UvRWyPU0Xwsjgq28FdLkK1wCnQ_u5I-jsUQbBbuzOxxNugHlbr1pO3kn9CuRTmzO4FU9xqvzbDlNo-wAO7sBnBkjNTXGJCX5gOjAtU8KbxltfLhG9xsoyNBTCoukZpV1r4RHFKVnt9/s200/stroft-144W.JPG" /></a> Some of us have an insatiable craving to understand the land around us. Sometimes, amazing books come along to help in this task. One such is Robert Edminster’s <strong><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/books.html#Streams_of_the_San_Joaquin">Streams of the San Joaquin</a></strong>. Written about California’s “El Valle De Los Tulares,” the San Joaquin Valley, this self-published gem reflects a lifetime of scholarly, on the ground observation of his home place, a part of California not often appreciated. Almost every point he makes is accompanied by an illuminating color photo.<br /><br />There’s understated poetry in his story about his uncle’s dislike of the family farm, saying to his father, “Jack, Jack, why did you move to this godforsaken country?” I wondered about this as a boy because, not knowing anything else, I thought it was a pretty good place….Now, after more than 50 years of research…, I still think of the wet marshes and dry alkaline plains of the San Joaquin as “a pretty good place.”<br /><br />If only there had been a Robert Edminster for every part of California.Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-29109965611060039282010-12-04T15:06:00.000-08:002010-12-04T15:08:48.508-08:00California's Fading Wildflowers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYZMCH6iqoPAeD016YFx81OUv8nlGdbGFjJy-SqZJxPd43Ra5YyyEiXfNUkHqfrRPksNOwItCYNJd-rJn5I8-giahCyYxnTPVqMYlN-Sbj02JwYAHVjT0auu3erfHVHewfcKsIJyMzBEw/s1600/fading_wildflowers-144.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546967704137268610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtYZMCH6iqoPAeD016YFx81OUv8nlGdbGFjJy-SqZJxPd43Ra5YyyEiXfNUkHqfrRPksNOwItCYNJd-rJn5I8-giahCyYxnTPVqMYlN-Sbj02JwYAHVjT0auu3erfHVHewfcKsIJyMzBEw/s200/fading_wildflowers-144.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">An <strong>intriguing new book</strong> in the field by Richard A. Minnich, is called <strong><a style="COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="mhtml:{1018FA38-3E96-4E1D-B0EB-6351BF19F48B}mid://00000195/!x-usc:http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=qvnqc6bab&et=1103940736365&s=716&e=001B3wWPbQZagrIgA0O2K6pR6GMuHWR8rAcq4xw_0kmVlB7tTinMeL-VfHufapZbSM96nsSpDT2h26WYUdEaHgcHp-3sSd49Gm0EnrTlvEh-rKFy17FKmKZR0zjdPDmVJPVedsRUvPdwrdzciq9X6DHJgAemCo_VfSOZujyuq6IzOXKemeqscmjR7cUh8F8k3CY" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">California's Fading Wildflowers; Lost Legacy and Biological Invasions</a></strong>, hardback . Literally crammed with information, this heady book condenses a vast amount of firsthand information about southern California's wildflower fields of the past and present. Minnich promotes the viewpoint that wildflowers were even more prevalent than was previously thought. It's fascinating to read the many newspaper accounts of impressive bloom times. He makes it clear that we are not the first to worship California's wildflowers - "Many Los Angeles suburbs celebrated annual flower festivals as late as the 1920s." </span></div>Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-84147235297863022172010-12-04T15:04:00.000-08:002010-12-04T15:05:12.904-08:00The Grain FieldsSince many wildflower seeds were used as food, (roasted and ground to make pinole), it makes sense that harbingers of a good seed harvest in the form of beautiful flowers produce an unconscious but palpable positive response."Permaculture" in California had a unique face because for many indigenous tribes, the seeds of ephemeral wildflower seeds were a crucial source of sustenance. A wildflower field was an unplowed, unmowed, unfertilized, untilled, unpesticided, unwatered, always returning grain field - part of <strong>the California definition of permaculture.</strong> Given our nitrogen addiction, and its dire consequences, it's thought-provoking to walk through this very lean, low humus, low nitrogen field with its intoxicating abundance of food-producing bloom.Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-66035940659141368562010-12-04T14:56:00.000-08:002013-08-07T09:25:26.447-07:00Wildflower Rant<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBFFK2nMsS4qDgWBs1KA4GsRBW17jjNWYgBse61WSImrr6eruSlHon8SMFfoUneTVnhF1oEneqUYyb8ivoirzSqSXuHKrJbtSGsKdsGP_d8KzJcFMAG7R_DGd7J3rodUtRzDB6rp9CMGu/s1600/183.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546966485269539250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBFFK2nMsS4qDgWBs1KA4GsRBW17jjNWYgBse61WSImrr6eruSlHon8SMFfoUneTVnhF1oEneqUYyb8ivoirzSqSXuHKrJbtSGsKdsGP_d8KzJcFMAG7R_DGd7J3rodUtRzDB6rp9CMGu/s400/183.jpg" style="height: 263px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">Wildflower Field in Central California, with Owl's Clover</span><br />
As I roam the wildflower fields in the spring, I speculate that humans have an actual biochemical response to wildflower fields. I fancy that these beautiful flowers stimulate powerful bursts of serotonin, chemicals surging through the blood that allow the ignoring of painfully strong winds or baking heat or scratchy seed-laden socks, as we search and wander, continually amazed. The places that still sing this song of annual wildflowers are fewer all the time. They teach us what we need to know, so that <strong>wandering through wildflowers</strong> might happen at home too.<br />
Last spring was a particularly inspiring wildflower season. In a favorite central California flower field, where the wind howled, I filmed the wind in the wildflowers. Click here to <a href="mhtml:%7B1018FA38-3E96-4E1D-B0EB-6351BF19F48B%7Dmid://00000195/!x-usc:http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=qvnqc6bab&et=1103940736365&s=716&e=001B3wWPbQZagrT2dJliFcWt-2ym0W3nmrpN1U3e_YCvbJxLcg28ZLMc69xIHBpIEpGsAP57mnlgEhZM_26x_Ji_fmpwEJ9roKtkpaVY3vEtJ_ppsXjco9PSHGUsRjIz_AovG23iFoS5io=" linktype="link" shape="rect" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank" track="on">view the video</a>. It was amazing how frequently the mix changed, to different proportions of species or different species altogether. The soil in this field was lean and sandy, even white in some places. Some "dry creeks" of pure sand ribboned through the field, and they too carried their full freight of wildflowers. Every year, as well, the <strong>mix of species changes</strong>, and the reasons for this variation are both obvious and obscure, an under-investigated arena. <strong>Speculating while wandering</strong> is an important part of the wildflower experience.Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-16115044612387365572010-12-04T14:51:00.000-08:002010-12-04T15:10:33.841-08:00Quick Biology LessonAnnuals are those species that go through an entire life cycle, from birth to flower to seed production to death, in one season. In California, that means that they germinate with the rains in the fall and winter, make good root growth through the rainy season, then begin bloom with the sun in the early spring to mid and late summer. Wildflowers go to seed through the summer,which waits for the fall rains to begin the cycle again. The gardener can go along with this ancient pattern, or choose "horticultural play," manipulating bloom time by manipulating the time of sowing.Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-44018301702580334922010-08-15T19:20:00.000-07:002010-08-16T00:50:17.042-07:00A Dazzle of Clarkias<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyZ8D_O3Jb9hcV528relJ5FM35kj-z0fscLIlkhwBJyy2dA30yYR8mlFqkxewHkmRl0d1f405YMu5owG3lxQQKY86FQOH2kgD3AJRUuUFd7FqVGeThBb6CE6qV-4Xc14W4GbCXrERWt70/s1600/168.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 274px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505836155914040946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyZ8D_O3Jb9hcV528relJ5FM35kj-z0fscLIlkhwBJyy2dA30yYR8mlFqkxewHkmRl0d1f405YMu5owG3lxQQKY86FQOH2kgD3AJRUuUFd7FqVGeThBb6CE6qV-4Xc14W4GbCXrERWt70/s320/168.jpg" /></a> <span style="color:#000000;">This time of year, the Larner Seeds Demonstration Garden is giddy with<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>7 different species of clarkias, thriving in numerous situations. COME VISIT! </span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><a style="COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html#farewell_to-spring" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on" linktype="link">Clarkias</a> as much as any native California genus lend themselves to horticultural frivolity and play. Sturdy and tough, easy to grow, they are adaptable in containers,or to broadcasting in the ground.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;">In nature, different species of clarkias thread through golden grasses on dry hills throughout California, their vivid colors intoxicating, and their survival a reminder that the dry time in California is not naturally a drab one. Far from it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#000000;">We grow them in ceramic containers, in large wooden boxes, under trees, shaded by buildings, in full sun or partshade. They can be watered and coddled, or neglected and treated to tough love. Every part of California has its own suite of clarkia species, so use them as part of a restoration garden or as a horticultural celebration. We can't say enough about this genus, so we'll let the pictures speak for themselves. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#000000;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfLlwtHaN5qlKaGNafVRnlA2A6xsEacx63M4SrnjAcNDXF5ItL4j5N1EioChN138SBQ9WEMK5hH_1TNqi__ZZ0AY1pionWwrT-rErSwQXu_8yE4dT5KJZveRvCJ1r0eHwCpPWe0CQXu2z/s1600/170.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 259px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505836642879480738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLfLlwtHaN5qlKaGNafVRnlA2A6xsEacx63M4SrnjAcNDXF5ItL4j5N1EioChN138SBQ9WEMK5hH_1TNqi__ZZ0AY1pionWwrT-rErSwQXu_8yE4dT5KJZveRvCJ1r0eHwCpPWe0CQXu2z/s320/170.jpg" /></a></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i>Clarkia amoena</i>, farewell to spring</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrvv1o1RmtaTqRZVPpSOAYgEiwHzIyQgLBDfAAOnjmDiZWHQg0P-y5WmrqOlBcbAuhpk29ojBy9_5YUd8PCsSqWAoRR4GrWXmdLI8vUKhW5MKQ16Iy7E1VcErOxmDOej7sMaUWrlkmqfP/s1600/167.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 214px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505836967557711026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrvv1o1RmtaTqRZVPpSOAYgEiwHzIyQgLBDfAAOnjmDiZWHQg0P-y5WmrqOlBcbAuhpk29ojBy9_5YUd8PCsSqWAoRR4GrWXmdLI8vUKhW5MKQ16Iy7E1VcErOxmDOej7sMaUWrlkmqfP/s320/167.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i>Clarkia rubicunda</i>, Ruby chalice clarkia</span><br /><br /><strong>Clarkia identification tips:</strong><span style="font-family:georgia;color:#000000;"><strong><br /></strong><br />First note whether deeply lobed, like <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Clarkia concinna, </span>or not, like <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Clarkia amoena</span>. Then note presence of markings and their locations, such as at the base, (<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Clarkia rubicunda</span>) or in the middle of the petal (<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Clarkia amoena</span>). Note whether buds are upright (<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Clarkia amoena</span>) or drooping (<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Clarkia rubicunda</span>). Don't get confused by the term "godetia." - an old common and botanical name no longer in use. </span><br /><br /><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%;font-size:12;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyQ61hwc0ypk6iNx60aCMES8VA-q-epWzqkIb-AEyhxmOQzWS3FaxHW49EXeqs1HDzccjF4NuJ4dcX2Ms8UYugcqYJN5t0DDbLpl1TNJRePiwt6rLEDpUD8uoqon_8AUvnln0Pez2b5m5/s1600/169.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 318px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505903347052219410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyQ61hwc0ypk6iNx60aCMES8VA-q-epWzqkIb-AEyhxmOQzWS3FaxHW49EXeqs1HDzccjF4NuJ4dcX2Ms8UYugcqYJN5t0DDbLpl1TNJRePiwt6rLEDpUD8uoqon_8AUvnln0Pez2b5m5/s320/169.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ELfyRZFrY9Zr5aFvXSbuN6QgSCOPkwhWJ8zLzgOcBL1zpWaReM30od0_WYz3_vQwGzW5IISQJpm5HbePgFIQTXXONsGZ6QcTYlMYH_MOy9g_b2TVHTDcffbmB9vkrPtoZzVeUkGP_7nn/s1600/169.jpg"></a></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i>Clarkia unguiculata</i>, mountain garland</span><br /><br /><br /><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 226px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505910039879553794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxqTt5C2EtdjT0I0yqR4r4La4yji88HaK-LAxnYoW1UIAr2Y5YHn7I3C0yBmT2p7UTruBueUMqV8DGLTr8LOzJ58pMv4C5xSwWaPcT5ANOc9NKaQm8btMOSc-AjuGJJ2u2sBqjK6Fcl4S/s320/171.jpg" /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i></i></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i>Clarkia amoena,</i> farewell to spring</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxqTt5C2EtdjT0I0yqR4r4La4yji88HaK-LAxnYoW1UIAr2Y5YHn7I3C0yBmT2p7UTruBueUMqV8DGLTr8LOzJ58pMv4C5xSwWaPcT5ANOc9NKaQm8btMOSc-AjuGJJ2u2sBqjK6Fcl4S/s1600/171.jpg"></a>Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-24349265917458825392010-04-15T09:59:00.000-07:002010-04-16T19:00:58.693-07:00The Most Beautiful Oak Tree in CaliforniaMaybe it would help our local oaks, struggling against SOD, if we had a contest to declare which, among the many beauties, is the most beautiful oak in the world (of California). In this way, they might sense that they are valued, thought of, praised, admired, and the object of our constant gratitude, that, as we do for family, we long for their health and longevity.<br /><br />The tan-oak, reviled for years as a “junk tree” disliked by the timber industry, is now largely extinct in Marin County and some of Sonoma. To the Pomo, it was known as “the beautiful tree” and valued for its acorns, favored above all other kinds. Let’s stop the disaffection.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u71NSPz7uPPRfF62_Gb_KxMQZKEjQoBiXC_rPTMfgzspUVa6YLWTww8dCBW3AVw1YHjFpSAbV13qYiLzEmhUhq_GOqQmxqZOec4lCt4tC2yPATpu6NYWiGRywN3HkfHYUmdHArp8vLZO/s1600/oak1-ds.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXf8t1Xyw79xHKABprx2HjYIPvcFyAcMW8oNJxy9vNd03kwBRLe7M9WPQWFbbkWPkdxYJ_m7ifXzu24pBDA6FpDlSBF0o2yGreKPu4hp3vEWsF0xCKPJYEhxoHfBH4uUDl9PU1kNSoBCSn/s1600/oak-01.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 219px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 217px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460425974409856978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXf8t1Xyw79xHKABprx2HjYIPvcFyAcMW8oNJxy9vNd03kwBRLe7M9WPQWFbbkWPkdxYJ_m7ifXzu24pBDA6FpDlSBF0o2yGreKPu4hp3vEWsF0xCKPJYEhxoHfBH4uUDl9PU1kNSoBCSn/s320/oak-01.jpg" /></a>I would like to enter our jay-planted oak, now about 15 years old. Inconsistent with my constant iteration to my customers, clients, and friends to keep forest trees away from homes, it is much too near our rental cottage, called The Quail House, where it hospitably allows roosting quail to spend the night. The way it frames the hip roof is friendly and beautiful, though sadly, not something that can go on forever.<br /><br />From inside the Quail house, it displays silvered limbs and trunk and rich green leaves at every window of the northwest facing wall (there are three). It absorbs the northwest winds, sucks them up with its naturally rounded form and dense crispy foliage. Also, the redwood siding on that shaded, protected side of the house displays rich color still, while the other sides of the house, which is always cool, have been bleached by the sun.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlG90hljx00PcADsXQq6BAX3slmKVBx8c02d8wYpz3Ue58Fu6d4b_v7nSJ6kxr-ockAebcpsWU7LUo_mc83xAM0lhUrLnTsss2Xeg1k26yUkZ-u0onNEAylvbniJ0DcxcCEy8MRbFa1n9C/s1600/oak-07.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 146px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460427834272329986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlG90hljx00PcADsXQq6BAX3slmKVBx8c02d8wYpz3Ue58Fu6d4b_v7nSJ6kxr-ockAebcpsWU7LUo_mc83xAM0lhUrLnTsss2Xeg1k26yUkZ-u0onNEAylvbniJ0DcxcCEy8MRbFa1n9C/s200/oak-07.jpg" /></a>I submit that this tree has the most graceful form, the healthiest foliage, and the strongest, cleanest claim to vigor and the life force of any I know. Every spring, numerous seedlings, its offspring, appear, and I have selected one to someday take the place of its parent, situated in a more advantageous distance from the Quail House.<br /><br />Please submit pictures of YOUR oak tree . The winner will receive one 4” pot of <a href="http://larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_perennial.html#Peppermint_Candy_Flower">peppermint candy flower</a> (<i>Claytonia sibirica)</i>, one 4” pot of <a href="http://larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_perennial.html#Point_Reyes_Checkerbloom">Pt Reyes checkerbloom</a><i> (Sidalcea calycosa rhizomata)</i>, and one 4” pot of meadow rue (<i>Thalictrum polycarpum)</i>. We have found that all these species do well under oaks, requiring no summer water and blooming freely<br /><br />These must be “home yard” oaks, that live with people. Contest ends May 15, 2010<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><br /></p>Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-27028109321367161492009-02-14T12:24:00.000-08:002009-02-17T00:06:00.532-08:00Simplifying California Native BunchgrassesIt’s clear from the questions and orders we’ve been receiving that interest in California native bunchgrasses is at an all time high. And why not? They’re beautiful, drought-tolerant, important for wildlife, good forage, erosion resisting, and among other things, uniquely Californian. We’d like to answer some of the most frequently asked questions here.<br /><br /><ol><li>Yes, this is a good time to plant native grass seed in the ground. You may have to supplement with irrigation if the rains stop before the seeds have germinated and made good root growth.<br /><li>Which <b><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/native_grass_seed.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#003399;"><i>grasses</i></span></a></b> should I plant? The wonderful thing about California is that we have so many different ecosystems; the challenging thing about California is that we have so many different ecosystems. It’s impossible for us to know definitively which particular bunchgrasses used to grow or may still grow at your particular site, but to make the best guesses possible, we recommend the following: </li><ul><br /><li>Bestcase scenario is to have bunchgrasses already on the site that you can augment through proper mowing or grazing techniques.<br /><li>Next best is to have a nearby site with native bunchgrasses and similar elevation, aspect, and soils, that you can use as a model.<br /><li>After that, go to sources such as our pamphlet <b><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/books.html#Distribution_of_Native_Grasses_in_California" target="_blank"><span style="color:#003399;"><i>Distribution of Native Grasses of California</i></span></a></b>, by Alan Beetle, $7.50.<br /><li>Also reference local floras of your area, available through the <b><a href="http://www.cnps.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#003399;">California Native Plant Society</span></a></b>.<br /></li></ul><li>The single greatest problem growing bunchgrasses is non-native invasive species, particularly alien grasses. Ways to knock them back are addressed in our “Notes on Natives” series, the pamphlets both on <b><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/books.html#notes_wildflowers" target="_blank"><span style="color:#003399;">Wildflowers</span></a></b> and on <b><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/books.html#Notes_on_Native_Grasses" target="_blank"><span style="color:#003399;">Grasses</span></a></b>.<br /><li>Have realistic expectations. In hot sunny dry situations, most bunchgrass species will usually go at least partially dormant in the summer. Don’t expect a bright green lawn. Some species can maintain partial greenness with supplemental water. BUT remember, “Brown’s’s the New Green,” so relax and perceive the subtle beauty of these fascinating plants.<br /><li>For background on the ecology of native bunchgrasses, see our <b><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/books.html#Notes_on_Native_Grasses" target="_blank"><span style="color:#003399;"><i>Notes on Native Grasses</i></span></a></b> or the chapter “The Land Wore a Tufted Mantle” in Judith Lowry’s <b><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/books.html#GWWH" target="_blank"><span style="color:#003399;"><i>Gardening with a Wild Heart</i></span></a></b>. </li></ol><p><b>Container growing:</b> We grow seedlings in pots throughout the season, but ideal planning for growing your own plants in pots is to sow six months before you want to put them in the ground. Though restorationists frequently use plugs and liners (long narrow containers), and they may be required for large areas, we prefer growing them the horticultural way: first in flats, then transplanting into 4" pots, and when they are sturdy little plants, into the ground. Our thinking is that since they are not tap-rooted but fibrous-rooted (one of their main advantages as far as deep erosion control is concerned) square 4" pots suit them, and so far our experiences have borne this out. </p><p>In future newsletters, we will be reporting on the experiences and opinions of Marin ranchers Peggy Rathmann and John Wick, who are working with UC Berkeley researcher Wendy Silver on a study of carbon sequestration and bunchgrasses. So far, it’s very promising. But more on that later. For now, I’ll end with a quote from Peggy, who grows, eats, nurtures, lives, and sleeps bunchgrasses, for the health of their land and the benefit of their cows.</p><div align="center"><p><b>“It takes a while. But it’s so worth it.”</b></p></div>Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-16244096799435195802008-10-02T10:07:00.000-07:002008-10-02T10:14:51.775-07:00Clovers<div align="center"><blockquote>"In former times we gathered clover."<br />-Carolina Welmas (Cupeno Indian), 1973</blockquote></div><br />Once so common as to be an important food source for the indigenous Californians, the native clovers of California are now rarely seen. Once, they inhabited the bare spots between bunchgrasses, fixing nitrogen for the bunchgrasses with which they intertwined, or shared the wildflower fields with other annual wildflowers. Most are extremely attractive, both in flower and foliage, and quite varied. Low-growing, they make good "front of the border bloomers", and are delightful in containers.<br /><br />Normally, they are sown in the fall and bloom in early spring to mid-summer, but we have had successful grow-outs sowing both later and earlier. See picture below: Sowing the seed in flats in February, we transplanted into 4" pots in April, into the ground in June, and still have them blooming in September, both in containers and in border plantings. <a style="FONT-STYLE: italic" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bszCNZwKXDQazNXAJe1dTY96DW-rTlGGOtEjT5zHWrL1djuqibF2kSPVNQ7sZefRteqKXGZ3bNIw9eCnsC6sObI7OkhJ7dwXPnxgALT0T6CRJyaDOst-pRy8AZkwynXRciN7vvtCDYWdSKF3I9Simrj80GrbQ94GjdyE_74KicYm3cN7j_cFbQ==" target="_blank" linktype="link" track="on">Trifolium albopurpurpeum</a>, delicately beautiful, with deep purple and white markings and long, narrow, elegant leaves,<br /> <br />Clovers are both nutritious, delicious, and TOXIC. WARNING: All clovers have toxic principles, so please don't eat them till we know more. The indigenous technology of "clover eating," precious knowledge, is not readily available to us. Consider yourself warned. For now, till we know more, please grow for their beauty, interest, and wildlife value. Note that in 1902, V.K. Chesnut in his classic ethnobotany, <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bszCNZwKXDS947XBU5DP8-zl4YEnQJyfga6lpri2q9Ke1kzvmVQovA7Bl2Scg4Lz4h99mUTVCGoNGC0-CO4mBdYySKuzTDrIXAK69xHl7VHB_k2c8awo-DzCiaMLSDTH_hC6kuhycmIEJ3cWWoe4JDIwe16FmjV85e6LgPWdyPc=" target="_blank" linktype="link" track="on"><em>Plants Used by the Indians of Mendocino County</em></a> discusses the importance of clover-eating. He also mentions that in Round Valley, an Indian woman died, reputedly from eating too much native clover. <br /><br />The Queen of Clovers<br />Showy Indian clover, <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bszCNZwKXDR1-7qeP0X4IdBB-6o3kuR19S33VAZm_zbxIW8Ia-HORgYc2a9W6P4orHdCTFf3jgzgw_Gxzwks4vGGPbup-OLqoOLm_ybTju56QNGT4dj4L5FzekbgUns0L_hEz0aIpy8gI6Cl3hcysNeCRaVOyc3oHQS1aCeWcwxq6cOu5B--nw==" target="_blank" linktype="link" track="on"><em>Trifolium amoenum</em></a>. In 1993, a single plant of <em>T. amoenum</em>, presumed to be extinct, was about to be bulldozed next to a road near Occidental in Sonoma County. Rescued in the nick of time, those precious seeds have been carefully passed around for grow-outs. This year, we grew twenty plants, and are listing this seed for the first time in VERY limited quantities.Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-76148635129326178932008-09-05T13:55:00.000-07:002008-09-16T23:23:40.454-07:00Grindelia stricta - Gumplant<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0Py2TU27Tz8mx3s578MT92Zw0K6tLqo1-nalaLc1yn2FhdPVzZ2DnpxkTlGAmZNjyW7mPhVcIY0rVEV_zz3X_s-hswgK1mEym7crHgp98ZNc05LJqXYEOLd2oJaD8fSDxsyL_3UdIGUN/s1600-h/grindelia_stricta-144W.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246872109011809058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0Py2TU27Tz8mx3s578MT92Zw0K6tLqo1-nalaLc1yn2FhdPVzZ2DnpxkTlGAmZNjyW7mPhVcIY0rVEV_zz3X_s-hswgK1mEym7crHgp98ZNc05LJqXYEOLd2oJaD8fSDxsyL_3UdIGUN/s320/grindelia_stricta-144W.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZXqZUEM7gAu5BhBNwOjHppZWG7PsF4lWSv5qed-B6KiUitAsBy1HQ72iZnflaPSXtrCRLhaqnGCMGHtu2BmQ92FeytRY5aHLA44knr3DQtZN3wVubHPUzSQcsoBfPmpWtgwqsv9Nh7O-/s1600-h/grindelia_stricta-144W.jpg"></a> What a year for <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_perennial.html#Salt_Marsh_Gumplant">gumplant</a>, <em>Grindelia stricta</em>, this has been. It started blooming early August and is still going strong in September. The blossoms are large yellow daisies, easily 3” across, which make good cut flowers. They are frequented by masses of European honeybees (this is data, they’re still around as of August 2008) and many interesting though unnamed native pollinators. Butterflies love it.<br /><br />I’m always surprised to see it growing around the lagoon, where it is lanky and scrawny compared to the magnificent plants that now appear in new places in our garden. Deep green leaves and stunning flowers, and we don’t help it out much, no water and no fertilizer. Seems to like wood chip mulch. Maybe it is our appreciation that makes it so healthy. Cut about four inches above the ground in late fall. Appreciate.</div>Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-18683725050867443412008-09-05T13:01:00.000-07:002008-09-16T23:21:17.530-07:00Scrophularia californica - California Bee Plant<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXEPbTM4bC3ExvEPxrsb0iX3h3UeD2ViOKwy8FUZmFbdqtCJczg_s6e7brfA5cFWzBOyhyphenhyphenjF_eIdmnafJrJE0ywUy1RIvQ3w7uPDYBP57mC_6HY9f8PWBbKZScRPYMGUaymTzfyrQKx_H/s1600-h/scrophularia_californica-144W.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246871471440918146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXEPbTM4bC3ExvEPxrsb0iX3h3UeD2ViOKwy8FUZmFbdqtCJczg_s6e7brfA5cFWzBOyhyphenhyphenjF_eIdmnafJrJE0ywUy1RIvQ3w7uPDYBP57mC_6HY9f8PWBbKZScRPYMGUaymTzfyrQKx_H/s320/scrophularia_californica-144W.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicICvXbIz18EQc2RhfJpM4-yeFx2MAM73_3RrAP_jxkbIhMuY920yS_jdliaHU0be4R8kA6WMA8GqpgtHc-88jSeLOyQwJKTalPzmfE0KJJuHdf2hiDqEV7jvJLXBfun3OmQVp919wz4I2/s1600-h/scrophularia_californica-144W.jpg"></a>Today (September 4), we collected the fine black seed of California figwort, or <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_perennial.html#Bee_Plant">California bee plant</a>, <em>Scrophularia californica</em>. In the class of large perennials that go dormant in the late summer/early fall, California bee plant astounds me with its ability to rise up through the most trying circumstances, such as a smothering cover of cape ivy, that nasty vine considered the kudzu of the west, which easily eliminated shrubs and trees in the vacant lot next to our Demonstratiion Garden. The only other plant in sight was California bee plant.<br /><br />When bee plant turned up in my courtyard garden, it was so attractive, with its large fresh green leaves and small but beautiful deep red flowers that I allowed a mass to flow around an old stump. I cut it to the ground every fall and enjoy its return with the winter rains. It spreads through underground rhizomes as well as seeds, but is easily contained by simply pulling unwanted plants straight out of the ground. They give up in a mannerly fashion.<br /><br />The flowers backlit glow ruby-red, and though not usually considered for the native plant garden, it should be. Maybe the seeds are edible, as the seed of so many native species are. (I’ll let you know). Easy to grow, and the bees will thank you.”</div>Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-63634216989911154742008-08-31T10:48:00.000-07:002008-09-05T14:08:42.489-07:00Achillea millefolium - White Yarrow<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240741725364633714" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmlpP2_3HMDltCxHyhNNt9ebl909yfHruvLxZKCfDg4ootFi8ix4nl35Vb8vSh4xYiT8yqasnNisDHB0b65ffIjppSCTA5AeQYhikyPick_Wqb4tg1zherkIsZaSW-FiiPtF6fZ-KB3hJ/s400/achillea_millefolium-144W.jpg" border="0" />Part of the sunflower family, <em><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_perennial.html#White_Yarrow">Achillea millefolium</a></em> grows in full sun, but if used for a lawn substitute, usually is more satisfactory through the summer with a bit of shade, unless on the coast. As it is soft to the touch and spreads through rhizomes, we are experimenting with using it as part of a grassless “coastal lawn,” with other low-growing native herbaceous species, like coast strawberry, <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_perennial.html#Point_Reyes_Checkerbloom">Pt. Reyes checkerbloom</a>, and <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_perennial.html#Coast_Lotus">coast lotus</a>.<br /><br />For light traffic, not a soccer field. Cut every few months, don’t allow to go to seed. Leaves are aromatic, and foliage color ranges from dark green to silver gray. If let bloom in spring and early summer, its flowers will attract bees and butterflies. It is also found in Europe, and in California, local forms should be treasured.Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-42508507359222687442008-08-21T22:36:00.000-07:002008-09-05T14:09:14.370-07:00Tarweeds and the Fifth Season<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_niBe-pLC9lAzU8N4YkFRmEN5B3K_1S2dXcGnEfn2O_EbE3uq8wLSD37Nw79OG008CnORBocpDKXDaEs4ohtHg2LYfNimQfVIjTrcMmJqUOaBuMklWC0NV23swK5R5E8C_4UZtSc245I/s1600-h/Tarweed_Gatherer.JPG"></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4aT9D0lkzSBGftI11uV4kVVUr3-8N3bNUqbfEdd6JkXC7FjKqttA6vOdDCmit-5ZMksIydDy_CoQMp9IdpNuYPuWNEoMKB98EeoGwx63dHZEsWShnEnhSwl6Mrz4yYhzT709lK0w9eZc/s1600-h/CitizenMadia.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237231803091671250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4aT9D0lkzSBGftI11uV4kVVUr3-8N3bNUqbfEdd6JkXC7FjKqttA6vOdDCmit-5ZMksIydDy_CoQMp9IdpNuYPuWNEoMKB98EeoGwx63dHZEsWShnEnhSwl6Mrz4yYhzT709lK0w9eZc/s400/CitizenMadia.JPG" border="0" /></a> Deep in the dense fogs of August, I see in the garden outside my study window a multitude of sunny yellow disks floating disembodied in the pervasive gray. Their scanty stems and petioles are scarcely visible, so that the blossoms themselves, with no visible means of support, seem suspended in midair. To say they are a cheering sight doesn't begin to express the impact of the native wildflower called elegant, or common, tarweed <em>(Madia elegans),</em> blooming in the days of fog.<br /><br />California's unique "fifth season," the time when the true aridity of our region most expresses itself and no immediate hope of rain exists, is supposed to be quiet, restrained, and without much bloom, as befits a Mediterranean climate. Yet tarweed's drought-evading strategies allow it to blossom when the soil dries and cracks, days are long, and rain only a distant memory. The clay soils preferred by tarweed may retain sufficient moisture at depth to retard desiccation till seeds have set. An unusual mucilaginous substance in the leaf tissue also aids in water retention.<br /><br />Elegant tarweed's lemony-yellow petals, yellow with just a hint of green, are fully open only at the beginning or the end of the day, or when we are enshrouded in fog. I say to garden visitors on a sunny day, "Oh, if only you had been here before the sun came out." In years when it has reseeded around my house, I can wander in a tarweed forest, inhaling its complex soapy fragrances, with their intriguing undertone of kerosene. It's a deep-summer-in-California smell, fresh and bracing. Hayfield tarweed (<em>Hemizonia congesta ssp. congesta</em>), found in fields between Bolinas and Olema, has a sharp, compelling odor and turns our midsummer coastal fields to gold.<br /><br />I share my love of tarweed with a plenitude of insects. Once I collected seed from the hayfield tarweed mentioned above. In doing so, I disrupted bug paradise, a heaven of insect life going on in those seed heads. The collecting basket into which I beat the seeds was soon teeming with a diverse mass of insects madly trying to escape, now that they had been dislodged from their snug seed homes.<br /><br />In August-to-October the small black seeds of elegant madia, beloved by finches, rest in the dried flower heads, the stalks forming a delicate tracery of gray. I find the fine blur of their crisp stems, holding on through the fall, to be quite gardenworthy, especially when planted in a relatively large area, at least one hundred square feet. Studies have shown that pollinators prefer such a patch to smaller, scattered populations one of many examples where good garden design creates good habitat.<br /><br />A homeowner in Los Gatos, looking for a groundcover for the slopes around her new house, went to a nearby hillside to collect seed of <em>Hemizonia congesta ssp. luzulifolia</em>, a tarweed with pure white petals. It thrived and was attractive at all seasons, becoming the keynote plant of her garden—a good example of both a creative use of tarweed and the rewards of turning to local species for garden solutions. This gardener earns an honorary membership in the Tarweed Appreciation Society.<br /><br />For native Californians, the beauty of wildflowers was literally mouthwatering. Linked with hopes for a bountiful seed harvest from which to make pinole (roasted, ground seed food), tarweed, with its rich and oily seeds, was an important component of the indigenous diet. In Grace Carpenter Hudson's painting <em>The Tarweed Gatherer</em>, held in the collection of the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, California, a member of the Pomo tribe is depicted carrying a seed beater and gathering basket with which to harvest tarweed seed.<br /><br />Indigenous land management practices fostered flourishing wildflower fields. One writer from the early 1900s referred to tarweed as "wild wheat," saying that the Indian's autumn begins when "the lemo- lo sap-o-lil (wild wheat or tarweed) had all been gathered and winnowed and the whole countryside could now be baptized with fire." Containers of tarweed seeds have been found in archaeological digs. Some of us are eating them again. If we partly owe their presence now to the management practices of West Marin's indigenous peoples, thank you for that. Thank you for tarweeds.</div><div></div><div></div><div><blockquote><br /><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yHosL4OdexL32eYcQksxgGQYLBPG7gDAtC3nnYQAnzu3dIP1U49r1JirjCrBxNvebSsT3YQq-hGqnPx0oT0czbz4F84WA4_LTN7S3nUVzSJVsINEWJutgzR0jBup6mofJdIBJDgezOGg/s1600-h/Tarweed_Gatherer.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237236177233746498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yHosL4OdexL32eYcQksxgGQYLBPG7gDAtC3nnYQAnzu3dIP1U49r1JirjCrBxNvebSsT3YQq-hGqnPx0oT0czbz4F84WA4_LTN7S3nUVzSJVsINEWJutgzR0jBup6mofJdIBJDgezOGg/s400/Tarweed_Gatherer.JPG" border="0" /></a>The Tarweed Gatherer</em> by Grace Carpenter Hudson (1865–1937), a painter well known for her more than 600 portraits, mostly of Pomo people. Her anthropologist husband John was an outstanding scholar-collector of basketry and other ethnographic artifacts. This reproduction is courtesy the Grace Hudson Museum, Ukiah, California (www.gracehudsonmuseum.org);<br />special thanks to curator Marvin Schenck.<br /></blockquote></div>Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-88116282248286749422007-07-17T22:23:00.000-07:002008-09-05T14:12:13.475-07:00More, Much More, about PoppiesThere is much to say about the <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html#California_Poppy">California poppy</a>. One botanist from UC Berkeley found 70 different subspecies in different parts of California, each varying slightly from the others. The Jepson Manual, the most current California flora, lumps them all together, because they do cross and mingle characteristics. But losing the subspecies particular to different regions is a loss of biodiversity, and ALSO of possibilities for the native plant gardener.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_graphics/_blog/34.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Coastal form, California Poppy" src="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_graphics/_blog/34.jpg" border="0" /></a>I used to wonder (frequently out loud) why so many orange poppies were found in my coastal region, where I knew the type was yellow with an orange blotch at the base, or no orange blotch. Giving a talk at a garden club on that topic, I saw a woman waving her hand at the back of the room. "I grew up at the ranch that is now Audubon Canyon Ranch," she said. "Every year my father planted a huge sack (I forget now if it was 50 or 100 pounds, but a significant amount) of the orange California poppy." "Oh," I said. Mystery solved.<br /><br />Throughout California, literally tons of the orange-flowered annual type most frequently thought of as THE California poppy, and possibly originating in Antelope Valley in souther California, were sown by Boy Scouts, by garden clubs, by landowners, by gardeners, inadvertently swamping out the individuality of each area's own form of the California poppy. Some were even dropped from airplanes, as "beautification" measures.<br /><br />It has been so interesting to grow our own form on the coast. As a perennial, it behaves quite differently from the annual inland orange form (I am referring to them as "forms" since the subspecies have been eliminated taxonomically, at least for the moment). The tap root can get immense, as long as two feet, and thick as a baseball bat (which we have experimentally used it as).<br /><br />In dry years, it flourishes, and I used to worry that it was too aggressive, eliminating other wildflowers. Then I observed that in wet years, it was substantially knocked back, because it doesn't like wet feet. Now I just relax, counting on an ebb and flow of the coastal form of the California poppy, so that it is only one element among many in the garden.<br /><br />The bouquets must be seen to be believed. Some flowers open 4" wide by the end of their time in the vase. Many songs have been written in praise of the California poppy, but none seem to mention the distinction between <i>Eschscholzia californica</i> and <i>Eschscholzia californica var. californica</i>, formerly, <i>var. maritima</i>. It probably doesn't scan well.Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-11755657513143396732007-06-09T16:41:00.000-07:002008-09-05T14:13:59.230-07:00The Coastal Form of the California PoppyThough the orange, annual, upright <em>Eschscholzia californica</em> is part of everyone's image of the classic California landscape, the type first collected by the Russians is actually the one pictured here, now called <em>Eschscholzia californica var. californica</em>.<br /><br />It was once thought there were 70 subspecies of the California poppy all over California. Boy Scouts and others have spent years spreading seed from one gene pool in southern california, but local subspecies still do exist, and it is one good way of locating ourselves more specifically where we live, to foster those in our gardens.<br /><br />It's always surprising and exciting to see how local natives adapt to local garden situations - and the possibilties are endless, and practically untapped. The native species regularly seen in nurseries are just the beginning.Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-47475504615373207022007-05-17T09:07:00.000-07:002008-09-05T14:22:10.703-07:00NemophillasAs I queried in our May newletter, breathes there anybody with soul so dead as not to love <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html#Baby_Blue_Eyes">baby blue eyes</a>. Low-growing, good for the front of the flower border, and stunning in large containers, baby blue eyes is a universal favorite.<br /><br />Seed can be sown this time of the year in the midwest and east coast; Californians and West Coasters would have to supply the necessary irrigation for germination and early growth, and a part-shade spot would be preferable. My large mass of nemophilas, blooming full on now May 17, was sown in late January, here on the north-central coast.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html#Five_Spot">Five spot</a> is equally delightful; there is no choosing between the two. I have sat for hours on a chair in the middle of our planting, watching native bumblebees and other pollinators go after the nectar these open cupped flowers freely offer. They take longer on each flower than on other nearby wildflowers, like <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html#chinese_houses">Chinese houses </a>or <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html#Sky_Lupine">sky lupine</a>, perhaps because there is more to get.<br />I sowed one stand in part-shade and one in the open in rich soil, another in the open in less rich soil, with more undigested woody material. I'm fond of the latter space because all the wildflowers are small, reminding me of how they look in certain wild places on very lean soil.<br /><br />Because I have spent years describing plants, I am always appreciative of those botanists of the past who have allowed themselves to wax eloquent about our California natives, fleshing out the dry taxonomical description with their own emotional reactions to the plants. Isn't that what it's all about?<br /><br />I agree with herbalist Stephen Buhner, whose wonderful book, <em>The Lost Language of Plants</em>, we offer. I take his philosophy to mean that a way a plant makes you feel - that is that plant's medicine. Masses of yellow composites, such as <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html#tidy_tips">Tidy Tips</a> <em>(Layia platyglossa),</em> and <a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/wildflower_annual.html#Goldfields">Goldfields </a><em>(Lasthenia glabrata),</em> lift my spirits - hence, they are anti-depressants. It's a tangible physical and mental phenomenon. Baby blue eyes makes me think that life is, indeed, sweet.Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3491180222722502706.post-22575925598759584282007-05-17T08:03:00.000-07:002008-08-31T11:24:24.027-07:00Baby-Blue-Eyes, sweet soul of spring<a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_graphics/_wildflowers/_144/nemophila_menziesii-144W.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 144px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_graphics/_wildflowers/_144/nemophila_menziesii-144W.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_graphics/_wildflowers/_144/nemophila_maculata-144W.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 144px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_graphics/_wildflowers/_144/nemophila_maculata-144W.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />As I queried in our newletter, breathes there anybody with soul so dead as not to love baby blue eyes? Low-growing, good for the front of the flower border, and stunning in large containers, baby blue eyes is a universal favorite. It can be sown this time of the year in the midwest and east coast; Californians and West Coasters would have to supply the necessary irrigation for germination and early growth, and a part-shade spot would be preferable. My large mass of nemophilas, blooming full on now May 17, was sown in late January, here on the north-central coast.<br /><br />Five spot is equally delightful; there is no choosing between the two. I have sat for hours on a chair in the middle of our planting, watching native bumblebees and other pollinators go after the nectar these open cupped flowers freely offer. They take longer on each flower than on other nearby wildflowers, like Chinese houses or sky lupine, perhaps because there is more to get.<br /><br />I sowed one stand in part-shade and one in the open in rich soil, another in the open in less rich soil, with more undigested woody material. I'm fond of the latter space because all the wildflowers are small, reminding me of how they look in certain wild places on very lean soil.<br /><br />Because I have spent years describing plants, I am always appreciative of those botanists of the past who have allowed themselves to wax eloquent about our California natives, fleshing out the dry taxonomical description with their own emotional reactions to the plants. Isn't that what it's all about?<br /><br />I agree with herbalist Stephen Buhner, whose wonderful book, <em><a href="http://www.larnerseeds.com/_pages/books.html#lost_language">The Lost Language of Plants</a></em>, we offer. I take his philosophy to mean that a way a plant makes you feel - that is that plant's medicine. Masses of yellow composites, such as Tidy Tips (<em>Layia platyglossa</em>), and Goldfields (<em>Lasthenia glabrata</em>), lift my spirits - hence, they are anti-depressants. It's a tangible physical and mental phenomenon, with a chemical basis. Baby blue eyes makes me think that life is sweet; here's what some other botanists of the past have said about it:<br /><br />"When skies are smiling and the earth is already clothed with a luxuriant and tender herbage, we find upon some balmy morning that the baby-eyes have opened in gentle surprise upon the lovely world. The spring breezes blow over no more beautiful and ethereal flowers than these. Companies of them open together, dotting the sward and luring us on from one to another, the one just beyond always seeming a little brighter blue or a little more captivating than those near at hand, till we are beguiled into filling our hands with them.<br /><br />These delicate blossoms vary greatly in size and color. The largest and finest I ever saw grew upon the flower-sprinkled slopes of Lake Merced, near San Francisco."<br />From the campanulate, half-opened buds, it has been called "California bluebell," and among the Spanish-Californians it is known as "Mariana."<br />Mary Elizabeth Parsons, The Wild Flowers of California," 1955.<br /><br />Any botanists of San Francisco still seeing "Mariana" on the slopes of Lake Merced? These descriptions tell us what was where once, and also, what might be restored. The custom of common naming flowers after women and women after flowers persists in many cultures. We have Rose, Daisy, Lily, the Spanish had Mariana, and the Coast Miwok, where I live, named some women Silai, after checkerbloom, <em>Sidalcea malvaeflora</em>. Other examples out there?<br /><br />Here's Leslie L. Haskin, writing in 1934 in <em>Wild Flowers of the Pacific Coast</em>, about baby blue-eyes: "They are among the most delicate and charming of our flowers, an epitome of modesty and purity. Compared with the size of the plants, the flowers are very large, often one to one anda half inches across. They are reaised on slender peduncles well above the foliage, so that in a breeze they nod and flutter like white butterflies."<br /><br />Writing in more modern times is John Thomas Howell, whose beloved Marin Flora is due to be republished in updated form this August: Certainly this (<em>Nemophila menziesii</em>) is one of the most beautiful and best-beloved wildflowers of the spring,a high favorite with everyone...In low wet fields and on springly slopes in the hills a quite different form with white corolla dotted with black or dark blue is sometimes locally abundant. This type is <em>N. menziesii var. atomaria</em>..."<br /><br />Once some years back we did a small grow-out of the above variety of baby blue eyes,<em>Nemophila menziesii var. atomaria</em>, white with black or blue spots, and were able to briefly add it to our seedlist. It was also delightful in containers. Doing these small grow-outs is my delight, but I can never keep up with all that I would like to be able to offer. Any seed collectors out there who would like to barter - we'd love to hear from you.Judith Larner Lowryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03734512607620656471noreply@blogger.com2