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© Project SOUND

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants Project SOUND - 2010

© Project SOUND

Pools, Ponds and

Streams

C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake

CSUDH & Madrona Marsh Preserve

Madrona Marsh Preserve

June 5 & 8, 2010

S. California has many different kinds of

wet places

Estuarine—marsh* Estuarine—mudflat Estuarine—open water Estuarine—submerged aquatic vegetation Vernal pools & swales (always seasonal) Depressional wetlands except vernal pools &

swales—marsh and unvegetated flats* Depressional wetlands except vernal pools &

swales—open water* Seeps and springs wetlands* Playas—marsh* Playas—open water* Lakes—marsh Lakes—open water Streams and rivers—channel* Streams and rivers—riparian habitat*

Local wetlands – what do they look like?

Western L.A./Orange County (lowlands) Wetlands associated with

depressions Vernal pools (Madrona Marsh)

Freshwater marshes - vernal or year-round (Madrona Marsh)

Wetlands associated with moving water Year-round streams (San

Gabriel & Santa Ana Rivers)

Seasonal streams (Gardena Willows Preserve)

Madrona Marsh – seasonal marsh

Gardena Willows – seasonal stream

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Local wetlands – a little farther away –and a

bit more topography

Local Mountains (Santa Monica & San Gabriel Mtns.)

Seeps & wet meadows

Ponds & lakes

Year-round creeks, streams & rivers

E. Fork, San Gabriel River

Malibu Creek

Two key elements that determine plant

life in freshwater systems

Is the water still or moving?

Is the water year-round or seasonal?

http://walkingboots.wordpress.com/

These two elements will

also determine the types

of pond/pool/creek side

plants appropriate for your

garden

What do you have in mind? Types of

water features in home gardens

Seasonally wet places (rain garden; vernal swale)

Moist ground year-round (splash zones around fountains or irrigation)

Wet soil year-round (wet meadow/bog garden)

Ponds/pools/puddles (standing water year-round)

Streams/creeks (running water at least part of the year) – may be natural or constructed

http://greenlifeinsocal.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/my-veggie-

garden-in-january/

Perhaps you’ve fallen in love with the Madrona Marsh…

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…and want to have a little bit of the marsh

in your backyard

http://back40feet.blogspot.com/2009/01/winter-in-blake-garden.html

Three water habitats in garden ponds/pools

Habitat 1 – shallow water (less than 1-2 ft)

Habitat 2 – pond edge – very shallow water/ muddy soils

Habitat 3 – upper bank

http://www.mabaquascapes.co.uk/portfolio.htm

http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/a-garden-set-in-stone.aspx

Some ponds have just 2 of the habitats

You can create a mini-pond in your

garden…complete with pond plants

http://www.penick.net/digging/index.php?s=wildflower+center

Any water-tight container will do: a watertight half wine barrel; large ceramic pots or bowls ; galvanized tubs or horse troughs, etc.

Use ceramic or terra cotta pots set upon bricks or cinderblocks, adjusting them to the level of the top edge of the pond container.

Depending upon the size of your container, you can select about three to five plants for your little "pond".

Be sure you deal with mosquito larva – mosquito fish or chemical means "mosquito dunk"

Relocating a water garden is a challenge. It's best to begin in the right location: in the sun and away from trees and plants dropping debris.

Madrona Marsh provides excellent examples of local pond/marsh plants

Tules dominate the wettest parts of the marsh

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Tules – Schoenoplectus (formerly Scirpus)

Six local species:

Schoenoplectus acutus – Tule

Schoenoplectus americanus – Chairmaker’s Bullrush

Schoenoplectus californicus – CA Tule

Schoenoplectus pungens var. badius - Common Threesquare

Schoenoplectus robustus – Sturdy Bullrush

Scirpus microcarpus – Small-fruited Bullrush

Note: the terms Tule and Bullrush are used

interchangeably

The trouble with Tules …

They are large – to 8 ft. tall

They are active spreaders

They are tough

They require active management

They can take over a garden pond

© Project SOUND

Southern Cattail – Typha domingensis

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

© Project SOUND

Warm temperate and tropical areas, worldwide

In CA - most areas, with proper conditions

Almost anywhere soil remains wet, saturated, or flooded most of the growing season, including : wet meadows, marshes, fens, pond and lake margins, floating bog mats, seacoast estuaries, roadside ditches, irrigation canals, oxbow lakes, and backwater areas of rivers and streams.

Southern Cattail – Typha domingensis

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=222000445

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?9383,9390,9392

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Genus Typha – the Cattails

Members of the cattail family (family Typhaceae); the only genus in the family.

Aquatic or marsh herbs with creeping rootstocks, long, narrow leaves

Tiny flowers crowded in terminal spikes, with the male (staminate) ones at the top and female (pistillate) below.

~ 18 species all occur in temperate and tropical regions.

Local species: Typha latifolia – Broadleaf Cattail Typha dominguensis – Southern Cattail ?Typha angustifolia – Narrowleaf Cattail

(definitely from San Gabriel Mtns)

Typha latifolia

Typha angustifolia http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/where/ponds/p/ap/guide/emergent/typhaa.cfm © Project SOUND

Characteristics of Southern Cattail

Size: 3-6+ ft tall

spreading – many ft wide

Growth form: Like a very large sedge; upright

Foliage: Long, strap-like leaves

Leaf width ( ~ ½ inch) between that of Broad- and Narrowleaf Cattails

Roots: Rhizomes stout, to 27" in length

and typically ¾"-1½" in diameter

Can be eaten raw, cooked or dried and made into flour

http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/aquatics/typhaan.html

© Project SOUND

Distinguished from the

closely related Common

Cattail (Typha latifolia) by:

narrower, deeper green leaves on a less robust plant

fruiting spikes showing clear separation between the male and female sections - staminate above the pistillate

leaves typically extending beyond the spike.

http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=3281

http://www.opsu.edu/Academics/SciMathNurs/NaturalScience/PlantsInsect

sOfGoodwell/plants/pasturefiles/pasture119.html

© Project SOUND

Flowers are unusual

Blooms: Late spring/summer - usually May-July

Flowers: Typical for Cattails

Flower structure a dense, fuzzy, cylindrical spike on the end of stem

A distinct gap of 1"-3" of naked stem between the upper, male portion (staminate) and the lower, female (pistillate) portion.

Male flowers lighter brown; female flowers often green during bloom turning dark brown during seed maturation.

Seeds: fluffy, small – typical Cattail; wind-distributed

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Many uses of cattails and tules

Roots & young stalk – eaten as food; used as diuretic

Young female flowers – eaten raw or cooked like corn on the cob

Pollen – eaten raw or cooked; often added to flour to increase nutrition

Seeds – used to stuff pillows

Leaves: Medicinal: diuretic and

haemostatic (stops bleeding For constructing shelters,

hats, mats, etc.

http://practicalsurvivor.com/wildedibleplants © Project SOUND

Cattails like water… Soils:

Texture: any

pH: any local including quite acidic (to pH 3.0)

Light: full sun

Water: Winter: flooded

Summer: Tolerates continuous inundation, seasonal draw-downs, and brackish waters. Can grow in water to 24" deep. Great for boggy pond margins

Fertilizer: light fertilizer

Other: Less water = less invasive

http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/science/Evolutionary_Ecology_Research/Ecology_of_Cumbe

rland_Plain_Woodland/woodland_plants/typha_domingensis

© Project SOUND

Cattails – not for every garden/gardener

Interesting container plant – can control spread and conditions

In seasonally wet areas – rain gardens, vernal swales

Around/in ponds & pools

Bank stabilization around ponds, streams, rivers.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1248/702390298_0a32a0a4cd.jpg

http://homepage3.nifty.com/plantsandjapan/img698.gif

What makes water plants so invasive?

Fast-growing when conditions are optimal (water; temp.; pH, nutrients)

Most expand through an extensive rhizome system which is responsible for the maintenance and expansion of existing stands.

Most will also reseed – if conditions are right

http://brg.cma.nsw.gov.au/uploads/images/ih_CumbungiBoomi.jpg

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Why the need for vegetative propagation

in wetland species?

Conditions are not always optimal – needs to be able to maximize growth in optimal times

Seed reproduction is iffy – small seeds must quickly germinate on moist soil, which often doesn’t occur

Disturbance – plays a key role in both removing and disbursing wetland plants

In the absence of disturbance, cattail dominates marshes in dense, single-species stands, out-competing other species.

© Project SOUND

Managing cattails/rushes/etc. in the garden

setting Many not suitable for

growing in small areas – choose appropriate species

Fast-spreading species need to be managed yearly or will take over: Cut back stems in

dormant season Remove ½ to 2/3 of

mass Replant

Best contained in large, strong, bottomless container.

http://www.jardin-mundani.org/typhaceae/typha.jpg

http://www.westcarlston.com/aquatics_Plants_Lists.htm

© Project SOUND

In garden ponds, you must be the ‘disturbance’

http://greenlifeinsocal.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/my-veggie-garden-in-january/

Smaller choices for habitat 1(shallow

water) & 2 (pond edge) areas

Scouring Rushes - Equisetum

Spikerushes – Eleocharis species

Some rushes – Juncus species

Some sedges – Carex species

Flat-sedges – Cyperus species

Fiber-optic grass - Isolepis (Scirpus) cernuus

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Giant Scouring Rush – Equisetum hyemale ssp. affine

http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/equ/equisetum_hyemale.htm

Equisetums are well suited to moist

container gardening

Soils: Texture: any from sandy

or gravelly muds to clays

pH: any – prefers 6.5 to 7.5

Light: full sun to shady

Water: can tolerate prolonged wet

conditions, but should not be totally submerged nor allowed to dry out

Best in cool moist soils or pots submerged up to 4”

http://www.vanbloem.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/PLANTS.plantDetail/plant_id/363/index.htm

© Project SOUND

Pale Spikerush – Eleocharis macrostachya

http://www.joesnowaquaticplants.com/plant%20list%20with%20links.htm © Project SOUND

Pale Spikerush –

Eleocharis macrostachya

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id

=1&taxon_id=242101136

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Eleocharis+macrostachya

Common Spikerush –

Eleocharis palustris

Jepson treats them as one species – but there are some slight morphologic differences

Classification is currently undergoing revisions

Challenge – widely disbursed world-wide (as are many wetland species

http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=9080&flora_id=1

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Spikerushes grow at the edges of ponds or in

vernal wetlands – seeds germinate under water

http://www.cnps.org/programs/vegetation/Table_Mountain/images/16_Eleocharis-Sagittaria-Paspalum_JT.jpg

Eleocharis (Spike Rushes) in the wild

Seeds can germinate under water

Do best with fluctuating water levels in streams, vernal ponds/pools – can even grow in ponds (or aquariums)

Short, delicate stems - bright green color in spring/early summer

Form large meadows in vernal pools

Have great little flower spikes that tower above the leaves

Attractive to bees when flowering

Attractive stems even when dry – looks like a silvery-brown meadow

Eleocharis Spike Rushes in the garden

Rain gardens and vernal swales

On the edges of ponds/pools

In pots in freshwater pools

As a “natural lawn” – needs water to stay green, but needs no mowing

Good for erosion control

Good habitat - birds eat the seeds

Improves useable soil nitrogen

http://www.greenthumbinternational.com/ponds/images/Eleocharis_m

ontevidensis_jpg.jpg

Spike rushes need more water than many rushes & other sedges

Juncus, Carex and water-tolerant perennials are

useful for spanning Wetland Habitats 2 & 3

http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/a-garden-set-in-stone.aspx

http://www.csupomona.edu/~biotrek/tour/tour03.html

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Juncaceae: Rushes (Wire-grasses)

Characteristics: stiff narrow stems with tiny flower clusters at tips or on side of stem

“Rushes are rounded but sedges have edges”

Juncus – large genus with > 200 annual and perennial species

Rushes form an extremely important component of wetlands, rivers and estuaries

Rushes reproduce by seed, but many species set little viable seed; form large clonal colonies through underground spread of rhizomes.

http://www.biology.iastate.edu/Courses/Bot364%20Aquatic%20B

otany/Genera/Juncus/Juncus-line.GIF

Blue Rush: adaptable to a

wide range of water

schedules

Seasonal flooding in winter

Prefers moist summer soil but will take:

Growing in water in a pond (grow in a pot)

Regular watering

Occasional (every few weeks) watering

No added water – and still looks greenish

http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/spreadingrush.html

Some local rushes – and there are others

Baltic Rush

http://plants.montara.com/ListPages/FamP

ages/Junca1.html

Leopold’s Rush Common/Blue

Rush Mexican Rush Iris-leaved

Rush

Juncus in

the garden

Accent plant in/around pools

Planted among stones

As a container plant

Erosion control – along streams

In moist areas in general – bio-swales, wet areas in lawns

Good nesting, hiding cover for birds

http://www.cjb.unige.ch/BotSyst/APG2/Commelinid/100_JUN_13.jpg

http://www.paradiseenvironments.com/images/New/POND

S-GRIFFITH%20JUNCUS.JPG

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Uses for Carex species in

the garden

In vernal swales

In rain gardens

Along banks of ponds and natural pools

In full sun or in shade under trees

In watered rock gardens

As an ornamental “grass”

Carex tumulicola

http://www.alamedacreek.org/Join%20-

%20Volunteer/FOTA/GNG%20plants.pdf

Carex spissa

http://www.smgrowers.com/imagedb/Carex_spissa.jpg

© Project SOUND

Water Smartweed – Polygonum hydropiperoides

http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/where/ponds/p/ap/guide/emergent/polygonumh.cfm

© Project SOUND

Water Smartweed – Polygonum hydropiperoides

Much of N. America

Locally – Madrona Marsh & other local wetlands

Shallow water along the margins of lakes, ponds, and streams

Smartweeds are members of the buckwheat family (family Polygonaceae).

Stems commonly have swollen nodes. (The family name refers to this, deriving from Greek words meaning many knees.)

http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=92773&flora_id=1

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?5936,6248,6270 © Project SOUND

Smartweed is different… but kind of interesting

Size: 2-4 ft tall

3-4+ ft wide, spreading

Growth form: Herbaceous perennial

Many erect to leaning stems – clump-forming

Dies back in winter – nice fall color

Foliage: Long narrow leaves

Young leaves and be eaten – also important as an antiseptic medicine

Roots: Rhizomes; stems also root where

they touch the ground

http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/where/ponds/p/ap/guide/emergent/polygonum

h.cfm

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© Project SOUND

Flowers are showy

Blooms: Summer into fall

Usually July & Aug or later – depends on available water

Flowers: Clustered on slender

flowering stems

Many small pink-white flowers –old-fashioned look

Seeds: Small, dark brown/black

Food for many birds – waterfowl & songbirds

Steve Hurst @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

http://www.backyardnature.net/n/h/swamp-sm.htm © Project SOUND

Plant Requirements Soils: Texture: any

pH: any local, acidic to alkali

Light: Full sun to part-shade (good in

filtered shade under trees)

Water: Winter: takes winter flooding

Summer: wet to moist; can grow in shallow water, but also in seasonally dry areas

Fertilizer: leaf mulch; ok with light fertilizer

Other: may need to be replaced when starts looking raggedy – every 3-4 years

© Project SOUND

Garden uses for

Smartweed

As a pond plant – in shallow water; can grow in pot in a pond

As a pond-side plant

As an attractive pot plant – good for wet/bog containers

Other moist areas of the garden

http://www.backyardnature.net/n/h/swamp-sm.htm

http://bhushandalvi.wordpress.com/tag/polygonum-hydropiperoides/

Container gardens allow us to create the

conditions needed by selected plants

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Yerba Mansa – Anemopsis californica Garden uses for

Yerba Mansa

As an attractive pot plant, particularly for mini ‘bog gardens’

In containers placed in the ground

Around ponds

In water gardens

As a turf substitute or ground cover

Under birdbath or other moist areas of garden http://www.mswn.com/Plant%20Info%20Sheets/Anemopsis%20californica.pdf

Musk Monkeyflower – Mimulus moschatus

J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Cardinal Flower: a garden perennial

Size:

2-6 (usually 2-4) ft tall

2-3 ft wide

Growth form: Herbaceous perennial; winter

dormant

Upright growth

Short-lived but re-seeds well

Foliage: Leaves: most basal, alternate

Light to deep green; often with bronze tinge

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOCA2

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Cardinal Flower is a

great Zone 3 plant…

Great candidate as a container plant; bog garden plant

Moist meadow, rain garden, anywhere that gets a little extra water

Flowers make nice cut flowers

Fine at back of conventional (regularly watered) beds

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOCA2

Yellow-eyed Grass – Sisyrinchium californicum

http://www.soquelnursery.com/perennials_Santolina_Sutera.html

http://www.efloras.org/fl

orataxon.aspx?flora_id=

1&taxon_id=242101895

Yellow-eyed Grass – Sisyrinchium californicum

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?8185,8222,8224

Pacific coast from central California to s. British Columbia -

Primarily in moist-wet peripheries of ponds, bogs, marshes, lakeshores, moist grasslands and other moist sites near the coast

Genus Sisyrinchium In the iris family, Iridaceae. Between 70 to 150 species,

all native to the New World.

Yellow-eyed Grass – like Blue-eyed Grass

Size: 1-2 ft tall

1-2 ft wide, spreading

Growth form: Herbaceous perennial from

rhizomes (like Iris)

Foliage: Grass-like (or mini-Iris-like)

leaves

Pale to blue-green; dry to black

Roots: rhizomes

Gerald and Buff Corsi © California Academy of Sciences

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Flowers are lovely

Blooms: Spring/summer usually Apr-

June in our area

Long bloom season with good water

Flowers: Like Blue-eyed Grass –

except bright, cheery yellow

Delicate, star-like - on stem above the foliage

Open in morning; close by midday

Seeds: Pod is 3-chambers – like Iris

Small, angular dark seeds

Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences

© 2001 Tony Morosco

© 2007

Ron Wolf

Likes a drink in spring Soils: Texture: any – sand to clay

pH: any local

Light: Full sun best; will tolerate light

shade

Water: Winter: adequate moisture

Summer: moist to wet conditions in spring - somewhat drier conditions in midsummer through winter. Needs dormant period

Fertilizer: not picky; poor to medium-rich soils

Other: Divide every 3rd year

Re-seeds well; deadhead to prevent

http://www.geoffhandley.com/Gardening/flowergallery/siscalifornicum.jpg

http://www.anniesannuals.com/signs/s/sisyrinchium_californicum_yeg.htm

So now we’re feeling confident about

planting a small garden pool….

© Project SOUND

http://www.wiseacre-gardens.com/pond/pond_matt2.jpg

But maybe you really wanted more of a

streamside look…

Malibu Creek - Santa Monica Mountains

http://www.calflora.net/wildplaces/index.html

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There’s something special about a

lowland riparian woodland…

© Project SOUND

*California Boxelder – Acer negundo var. californicum

http://trees.stanford.edu/ENCYC/ACERneg.htm

© Project SOUND

*California Boxelder – Acer negundo var. californicum

Several nice specimens at the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve © Project SOUND

*California Boxelder – Acer negundo var. californicum

Species: moist areas of U.S… including much of east

var. californicum: CA Floristic Province (W of Sierras) from OR to Baja

Locally in Santa Monica & San Gabriel Mtns

Introducing into nursery trade by Theodore Payne

Species widely planted as a street tree

http://na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/acer/negundo.htm

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?256,257,0,264

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© Project SOUND

CA Boxelder: large shrub/ small shrubby tree

Size:

30-60 ft tall – usually 30-40

20-30 ft wide

Growth form: Woody shrubby tree –irregular

shape w/ several trunks – dark/red bark

Winter deciduous

Fast-growing first 15-20 yrs; lives ~ 75 years

Produces Maple syrup

Foliage: Leaves similar to Ash

Foliage light, bright green in spring – fall color (yellow)

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=acne2

http://www.laspilitas.c

om/nature-of-

california/plants/acer-

negundo-californicum © Project SOUND

Flowers are subtle

Blooms: In spring; usually Mar-Apr

in our area

Flowers: Trees are dioecious (sep.

male and female trees) – unique for Maples (but common in riparian plants)

Female flowers – on long, drooping stalks

Male flowers – in clusters

Neither is particularly showy

Bee pollinated

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-

california/plants/acer-negundo-californicum

© Project SOUND

Seeds are definitely

Maple seeds

Seeds: Winged samaras – single wing – in

fall

Wings help in seed dispersal - seeds are wind distributed continuously until spring

Seeds produced each year on individual trees beginning at 8 to 11 years of age.

The samaras are borne on drooping racemes.

Seed eating migratory birds (like Cedar Waxwing) devour them

Vegetative reproduction: Re-sprouting from stump, roots

http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Acnegundo.jpg&filetimestamp=20071026225348

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/acer-negundo-californicum

© Project SOUND

Boxelders are

stream bank trees

Soils: Texture: just about any

pH: any local except > 8.0

Light: Full sun to light shade

Water: Winter: can take brief periods of

flooding – but best on banks above flood-line

Summer: regular when young – then fine with occasional (Zone 2) to regular water – probably best Zone 2 to 2-3 – susceptible to fungal diseases

Fertilizer: likes leaf mulch

Other: easy to prune/shape, but often needs little; reseeds on moist ground

http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Acer_negundo_var._californicum

1/6/2013

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© Project SOUND

Boxelder provides quick shade

Often planted as a street tree – but wood can be weak with over-watering

Nice shade tree if pruned up

Excellent for screen or natural hedgerow

Great for stream bank stabilization or for swales

Ornamental – fall color; looks vaguely Asian

Don’t plant too near buildings or water/sewer lines

© Project SOUND

Boxelder provides the look of riparian woodland

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Acer_negundo_JPG2a.jpg

Other native riparian trees…all large

CA Sycamore – Platanus racemosa

Native Cottonwoods

Black Cottonwood - Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa

Fremont Cottonood - Populus fremontii

Native Willows

Goodding’s Black Willow - Salix gooddingii

Red Willow - Salix laevigata

Arroyo Willow – Salix lasiolepis

Shining (Pacific) Willow - Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra

California Sycamore

Black Cottonwood

Most S. CA native riparian trees are

simply too large for most home gardens

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Narrow-leaf Willow – Salix exigua Narrow-leaf willow in the garden

Locate away from water lines (invasive roots) and buildings (20+ ft)

Containment: probably best in contained area in most smaller gardens

Great along stream-banks, moist slopes – soils stabilizer

Super habitat plant: butterflies, birds, mammals

Nice in a moist garden with sedges, rushes

Lovely color; good contrast with darker greens, grays

© Project SOUND

Four riparian plant zones

waters edge

low terrace

upper slope

top of bank

http://www.californiawaterscapes.com/blog/

http://www.fivestarponds.com/

Same plants

as for ponds &

pools in

garden

© Project SOUND

Lowland riparian/pond gardens can utilize riparian

species from our own and desert regions

http://www.naturamediterraneo.com/Public/data6/Angelo47/DSCF1193%20per%20forum.jpg_20071016205646_DSCF1193%20per%20forum.jpg

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© Project SOUND

* Desert False Indigo – Amorpha fruticosa

© Project SOUND

* Desert False Indigo – Amorpha fruticosa

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?3691,3713,3717

http://aces.nmsu.edu/riparian/AMFR.html

Many areas of west – including the coast of CA & Baja

Locally in San Gabriels, mountains of San Diego, Riverside & San Bernardino Counties

Along stream banks, canyon bottoms to 5000', coastal sage scrub, chaparral

© Project SOUND

Western False Indigo: almost tropical-looking

Size: 6-15 ft tall; usually 10-12

5-15 ft wide; usually 5-10

Growth form:

Leggy, irregular form

Multiple upright woody stems – exotic-looking

Most of leaves on top 1/3

Foliage:

Green, compound leaves with many leaflets – typical Pea family

Resinous, sticky

Roots: nitrogen-fixing (with symbiotic soil bacteria)

http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=17605

© Project SOUND

Flowers are amazing!

Blooms: Late spring - usually May-July

Flowers: Thousands of tiny flowers on

dense flowering stalks – very showy, unique

Individual flowers pink-purple with prominent yellow stamens

Open from base to tip

Vanilla scent; butterfly plant

Seeds: bean-like in small pod; seeds disbursed by water over months – can float on water 1 wk

Vegetative reproduction: from broken stems

http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=17605

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Amorpha_fruticosa

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© Project SOUND

False Indigo – many human uses

http://www.wnmu.edu/academic/nspages2/gilaflora/amorpha_fruticosa.jpg

Crushed fruit is used as a condiment

Resinous pustules on the plant contain 'amorpha', a contact and stomachic insecticide that also acts as an insect repellent

The stems are used as bedding.

The plant contains some indigo pigment and can be used to make a blue dye. It is only present in very small quantities - not enough to harvest commercially

True indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) is also in Pea family

True Indigo http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/7823 © Project SOUND

False Indigo adapts Soils: Texture: well-drained ; light to

medium texture

pH: any local

Light: Full sun to part-shade

Water: Winter: needs adequate

Summer: best with some to regular water (Zone 2-3 to 3);

But has long roots - quite drought tolerant

Tolerates fluctuations in water – flooding to drought

Other: Prune heavily in late winter

Will spread via seeds if happy

Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils

© Project SOUND

False Indigo – for

moist areas

Along stream banks – popular

In regularly watered beds, near lawns

Pruned as a small tree

In rain gardens

As hedge/windbreak plant

http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=17605

http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/loeb_library/information_systems/projects/E_vue/pl

ants/amorpha_fruticosa.htm © Project SOUND

Big Sycamore Canyon - Santa Monica

Mountains

http://www.calflora.net/wildplaces/index.html

http://www.cnps-sgm.org/gallery/GP-WestFork.html

Perhaps a mountain stream is what you had in mind

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© Project SOUND

A shady yard lends itself well to a ‘mountain

steam’ theme – even in the lowlands

Use the correct type of rocks/boulders

Have areas of light and shade

Use the a combination of wetland & upland plants – some of which are mountain species

http://homepage.mac.com/cjbowdish/GaviotaHotSpringsTrail042107/large-55.html

http://www.pacificoutdoorlivingofgeorgia.com/waterscapes.htm © Project SOUND

* Giant Stream Orchid – Epipactis gigantea

G.A. Cooper @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

© Project SOUND

* Giant Stream Orchid – Epipactis gigantea

Western U.S., Mexico

California Floristic Province (except Great Central Valley, s Channel Islands)

Locally Santa Monica & San Gabriel Mtns.

Seeps, wet meadows, streambanks , ledges

May occur in riparian woodlands

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101585

http://www.wnmu.edu/academic/nspages2/gilaflora/epipactis_gigantea.html http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?8695,8709,8710 © Project SOUND

Giant stream Orchid is, well … an orchid

Size:

1-3 ft tall

2-5 ft wide clump

Growth form: Herbaceous perennial

Winter dormant

Very woodsy looking

Foliage: Glossy, strap-like leaves –

medium green

Roots: short rhizomes – can form

dense, spreading clump (like Day Lilly)

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

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© Project SOUND

Flowers: beautiful orchids

Blooms: in spring - usually Mar-May in our area.

Flowers: On wand-like stalks – up to 30+

flowers per stalk

Flowers ~ 1 inch across

Color: 2 forms

Maroon and white (may actually be more pink)

Orange/yellow/gold

Significant variation between individual plants

pollinated by Syrphid flies, beneficial flies that feed on aphids.

Seeds: many, small. Difficult to grow from seed (unless you’re and orchid fancier)

© 2007, G. D. Carr

© Project SOUND

Flowers: beautiful orchids Blooms: in spring - usually Mar-May

in our area.

Flowers: On wand-like stalks – up to 20+

flowers per stalk

Flowers ~ 1 inch across

Color: 2 forms

Maroon and white (may actually be more pink)

Orange/yellow/gold

Significant variation between individual plants

Pollinated by Syrphid flies, beneficial flies that feed on aphids.

Seeds: many, small. Difficult to grow from seed (unless you’re and orchid fancier)

Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

© Project SOUND

Easy to propagate

from divisions

Divide in late winter/ early spring

Divide pot-grown plants yearly

http://culturesheet.org/orchidaceae:epipactis

© Project SOUND

Stream Orchids love water Soils: Texture: most local soils

pH: any local (5.5 to 8)

Light: Part-shade to quite shady;

needs shade during hot part of day

Water: Winter: very wet fine –

stream’s edge

Summer: needs regular water – flowing/moving water best – stream’s edge

Fertilizer: likes a good leaf mulch; could give ½ strength fertilizer

Other: pretty easy to grow; may be dormant for a year or so.

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

Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

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© Project SOUND

Stream Orchids are a showy

addition to a water feature

In a seep or bog garden

On edges of ponds or stream banks (including manufactured streams) or in moist ground near fountains

Grow in large pots – much as you would cymbidiums

Plant with Scarlet Monkeyflower to fill the space when Stream Orchid is dormant

The lower lip and tongue move when the flower is touched or shaken; hence the alternate name Chatterbox Orchid.

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

http://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16440&view=previous&sid=e49e5e49a4aff386a3dd309d17e0215d © Project SOUND

Cultivar

‘Serpentine Night’

Natural cultivar from just north of the Bay area

A bit more difficult that the straight species

Foliage emerges jet black in spring

Blooms are typically greenish purple.

Slower to spread than the straight species.

http://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16440&view=previous&sid=e49e5e4

9a4aff386a3dd309d17e0215d

© Project SOUND

* Mountain Mint – Pycnanthemum californicum

© 2001 Jeff Abbas

© Project SOUND

* Mountain Mint – Pycnanthemum californicum

Foothills of mountain ranges from OR to Mexico

Locally in the San Gabriels

Moist sites of chaparral, oak woodland, and coniferous forests

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?4745,4861,4862

The genus Pycnanthemum - in the mint family, Lamiaceae.

Most species are very strongly scented and pungent

Most are used in cooking and in making herbal tea.

All species in this genus are native to North America.

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© Project SOUND

CA Mountain Mint – a typical mint

Size: 1-2 ft tall

Spreading to 4+ ft wide

Growth form: Herbaceous perennial

Stems erect (for the most part)

Fast-growing (like Stachys)

Woodsy looking

Foliage: Attractive gray-green color – may

be fuzzy or not

Simple, lance-shaped leaves

Make a nice tea

Roots: Spreading via rhizomes

© 2006 Dean Wm. Taylor, Ph.D. © Project SOUND

Flowers are tiny & sweet

Blooms: Summer - usually June-Aug

in our area

Flowers: In ball-like cluster typical of

Mint family

Flowers are small

White, usually with lavender spots

Very old-fashioned look

Seeds: Many tiny seeds – can shake

them out of dried clusters

© 2009 Neal Kramer

© 2001 Jeff Abbas

© Project SOUND

Easy to please Soils: Texture: any, very adaptable

pH: any local

Light: full sun to part-shade

Water: Winter: takes seasonal flooding –

good for wet parts of garden

Summer: needs regular water – Zone 2-3 to 3.

Fertilizer: would do best with some added humus or leaf mulch

Other: treat like other mints – rip out parts that are growing where you don’t want it (pot up and give new plants away – people will be happy to get them!)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3421/3922100003_85f1edee51.jpg

© Project SOUND

Use Mountain Mint in

wet areas

Under a birdbath or fountain

Places where the neighbor’s water makes the soil damp

In bog gardens

In large, moist-soil containers

In the vegetable garden

Moist areas along walkways – smells wonderful when stepped on – and it doesn’t mind a bit!

Around ponds/pools

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/29/97463864_abe4a596f8.jpg?v=0

© 2001 Jeff Abbas

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Combine Mints with grasses for a nice

stream bank planting

Poa secunda ssp. secunda

Bromus carinatus var. carinatus

Elymus multisetus

Agrostis pallens

Vulpia microstachys var. microstachys

Koeleria macrantha

http://forbesontech.typepad.com/my_weblog/forbes_fablesfishing_

strategies/

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/4242808

Get out and look at our local streams, creeks and wetlands for inspiration Good luck with your water garden!