If you enjoy 
and beautiful blooms, you can have them both when you plant vines. Vines use little space, add color to bare walls and fences, cover free-standing arbors, provide shade and extend the garden skyward. Vines are amazing plants.
If your trees aren’t big enough to provide shade yet , vines on a pergola or lattice work can cool a west facing patio. They can also block the wind making your garden more comfortable. Vines with large, soft leaves can soften sounds that would otherwise bounce off hard surfaces. Birds will love you for your vines. They offer shelter for many species and nectar for others.
Creating an outdoor room with vines can make your yard feel cozy. They readily provide the walls to enclose the space. Views from one part of the garden may be partially open, framed by vines or blocked entirely. Shrubs can also be used to create garden rooms but vines form a thin living wall that is quickly established. Creating boundaries with vines also adds vertical design elements to an otherwise flat landscape.
Hide something unattractive with a covering of vines. A dog house, old stump, or rock pile can become a pleasant view when covered with vines. Disguising a concrete block retaining wall with a climbing hydrangea will reward you with a great show of flowers each spring. A native vine like Roger’s Red wild grape or Boston ivy will provide fall color on the same wall.
Planting vines in containers or planters on a deck, balcony or paved area can add beauty to these areas. Remember that large containers offer more root space than small ones and require less frequent watering and transplanting. Vine need support for them to climb. A small lattice structure or netting stretched between posts works well for vines such as clematis and pink jasmine. The structure doesn’t need to be in the container.
Combining vines can have twice the effect. A classic combination is to plant a large flowering clematis like Jackmanii with a rambling rose. I’ve seen these on arbors and split rail fences and the look is breathtaking.
For a vine with long lasting interest, try trumpet creeper which blooms from midsummer to early autumn. Hummingbirds love it. Growing in sun or shade, it can tolerate wet or dry conditions and is generally pest free. Give it lots of space to grow.
Climbing hydrangea has showy white spring flowers and bright yellow autumn color before the leaves fall. During the winter months the peeling bark provides interest. It thrives with a bit of shade and regular moisture. This is an excellent choice for masonry walls and the trunks of mature trees. It will clothe a wall with white flowers and turn a dull trunk into a floral masterpiece.
Plant vines for fragrance in your garden. Evergreen clematis bears showy white fragrant flowers clusters above shiny dark green leaves in spring. Clematis montana is covered with vanilla scented pink flowers in spring also. Carolina jessamine‘s fragrant yellow flowers appear in masses throughout late winter into spring.
Star jasmine is a wonderful vine for sun or shade and it’s intense fragrance near a patio or open window will delight you. It is easy to grow and is generally not troubled by pests. Pink jasmine blooms mostly in the spring but sporadically through fall with showy, sweet scented pale pink flowers. It grows fast to 15 feet and is tolerant of drought. It can also be allowed to cascade over a wall or from a hanging basket.
Other vines that are beautiful and easy to grow are the native honeysuckle, lonicera hispidula with its translucent red berries in the fall. Violet trumpet vine, white potato vine, passion flower, Lady Banks rose, hardenbergia, Chilean jasmine and wisteria.
The above vines are just a few of the wonderful vines that do well in our climate, in a wide range of soils and conditions. They are pest resistant and need little fertilization or care other than pruning to control size if needed. Look around your garden for a spot that would be enhance by a beautiful vine.
Category Archives: California Native Plants
Quail Hollow & the Gene Pool
Few things can compare to walking on a scenic woodland trail lined with wildflowers. Now that it’s officially spring I recently took a hike in Quail Hollow Ranch County Park to see what I could find. One of the unique aspects of this park is the number of rare plant and animals that make this valley their home. It didn’t take long to find the threatened Silver-leafed manzanita although it wasn’t blooming yet. The sandhill ecosystem where it grows among ponderosa pine is found in Santa Cruz county and no where else in the world.
Once upon a time, this land was under water, part of an ancient ocean, which uplifted to form the Santa Cruz Mountains about three
million years ago. According to the Santa Cruz Department of Parks, the silt, sand and mud that had been deposited in that shallow sea later turned into the shale, sandstone and mudstone that make up Quail Hollow today. The diversity of this special place is mirrored in the patchwork of 15 habitats that are located in this small, secluded valley. Mixed evergreen forest, redwoods, grasslands, and a pond with surrounding riparian ecosystem mix with hot, dry chaparral and sandhill environments. The sandy soils here have eroded from the Santa Margarita sandstone and serve as an aquifer for the San Lorenzo Valley.
Hiking the trails among the blooming mimulus ,large-leafed lupine, Western Hound’s Tongue, manzanita and ceanothus made me think about the impact of our own gardens on the populations of native plants like those here.
Are we contaminating the native gene pool if we plant a mimulus, for instance, from southern California or a hybrid in our own garden?
The genes of all native plants have been sorted out over a very, very long time scale and they’re finely tuned to their environment. When you introduce an exotic gene – exotic meaning not of this place- it could be from a neighboring county, we don’t know the long term effect they’re going to have. If you live next to a wild population of a certain plant, like ceanothus, you should try to plant locally collected and propagated plants and seed. They are harder to find but local growers do collect seed and identify the source. On the other hand, ceanothus is a fire-dependent species and does not regenerate from seed except in the presence of fire or some other disturbance. If in doubt you could substitute a drought tolerant Mediterranean shrub that wouldn’t interbreed with local native plants.
It is probably not a problem for the home owner who lives in a neighborhood and wants to plant a couple of those cool, new sticky monkey flower hybrids in his own garden. If they do interbreed with the native population, in time whatever genetic pollution there is will probably die out. The home gardener is not planting fields of one type of plant that will interfere with the wild population.
There are many philosophies about planting California natives. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to this subject. One thing for sure, we all want to preserve our wild areas like Quail Hollow.
Allergy-Free Gardening
Mea culpa. It was brought to my attention by a reader who suffers from pollen allergies that blooming . Acacias are largely pollinated by insects and have heavy pollen that doesn’t tend to become airborne. It’s the non-showy, quiet ones you have to watch out for. Warm temperatures earlier in the year are already creating havoc for those who have to deal with seasonal allergies.
About 25-30 popular landscape plants are responsible for the majority of plant-related allergies in California. During the height of the pollen season- from late February to June- there are often thousands of pollen grains in every cubic meter of air. One can breathe hundreds of them with every breath. Though pollens can travel many miles, the majority tend to stay in the general area of their origin.
Redwoods, oaks, alders, ashes and other wind pollinated trees like olives, birch, box elder, cypress, elm, juniper, maple, fruitless mulberry, pine, walnut, willow and privet are the major source of spring pollen. Most native plants are good in the sneezeless landscape but if you have bad allergies or asthma it best to avoid wind-pollinated ceanothus, elderberry and coffeeberry.
You may not be able to avoid these culprits growing on other’s property but you can get the most out of your own backyard by creating a sneezeless landscape. Replacing existing plants may be impractical but planning future plantings with these things in mind will save you a lot of headaches down the road and let you enjoy the sunshine outside in your garden.
Flower type is a good way to judge plants. The best looking flowers usually cause allergy sufferers the fewest problems. Plants with bright, showy flowers are usually pollinated by insects, rather than by the wind. These flowers produce less pollen and their pollen is larger and heavier and sticks to the insect rather than becoming airborne and lead to sneezing, a runny nose and watery eyes.
Some trees that are good for anti-allergy gardens are apple, cherry, dogwood, magnolia, pear and plum. Shrubs like azaleas, boxwood, lilac, Rose-of-Sharon, hydrangea and viburnum are also not likely to cause problems. Good flower choices include alyssum, begonia, clematis, columbine, bulbs like crocus, daffodil, hyacinth. Also dahlia, daisy, geranium, hosta, impatiens, iris, lily, pansy, petunias, phlox, roses, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower , verbena and zinnia. Lawns of perennial rye grass, blue grass and tall fescue blends are usually OK as they will not flower unless allowed to grow to 12" or higher. Bermuda grass, on the other hand, can pollinate when the lawn is very short, sometimes as quickly as a few days after mowing.
Hopefully, this cooling trend will not cause problems for allergy sufferers. Symptoms may become worse if the body reacts to the disappearance of the pollen following its initial appearance only to have to have more of it later in the spring. According to Dr. Stanley Fineman, an allergist with the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic, "You become sensitized to it, so when you’re…re-exposed, you can get an even more violent allergic reaction."
Here’s to a sneezeless spring for you allergy sufferers.
Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve
Recently I went to the moon. At least it seemed like it. Walking through a portion of the 600 acres of burned out vegetation from the , I couldn’t help but think of it as a moonscape. The misty fog was lifting after a night of rain and milky sun warmed us as we walked through the burned out trees. It was surreal and made even more so by nature’s valiant effort to regrow and fill the void left by the fire. At ground level the earth was bursting with life. Every inch of sandy soil was growing or sprouting something alive. You could almost hear it if you listened closely.
The fire destroyed 3 hom
es and severely damaged another. About 60% of the Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve burned. It’s amazing to see the recovery already taking place. The bracken ferns came first, followed by the endangered Bonny Doon manzanita some of which have sprouted from their bases while 6" tall starts from seed are everywhere. The burned gnarled trunks rendered the landscape otherworldly and magical. Pockets of manzanitas that were spared by the fire were in full bloom dripping with clusters of delicate, white urn-shaped flowers. This manzanita is endemic to the Santa Cruz sandhills and does not occur anywhere else on the planet. Did you know that manzanita leaves are still used in Russia in the tanning industry due to their high tannic acid content?
Golden chinquapin sprouted from the bottom of their mother tree and around the base are scattered the burr-like spiny bracts that contained a sweet tasting nut. California broom, so unlike the invasive Scotch broom, blanket the ground. They are one of the first plants to colonize an area after a fire and their quick growth can aid in erosion control as well as soil enrichment, through their relationship with the nitrogen producing bacteria, Rhizobium, in their roots.
Large stands of Bush poppies were growing in between the huge manzanita trunks. Bush poppies are common in sandy or rocky soils, often in burned out areas. These plants were taller than I’ve seen elsewhere in this area reaching 4-5 ft Come spring they are going to be spectacular when they bloom in April-July but they also flower a bit in all seasons.
Silver-leafed lupine were doing their part to help the soil both by stabilizing with their deep roots and building up the nitrogen supply with the bacteria in its root nodules. Warty-Leaved ceanothus grew in large patches and were getting ready to bloom with their deep purple flowers.
Yerba santa were plentiful being an opportunist in the area and finding lots of open areas. They easily sprout from from the roots after the fire as well as seeding themselves.
This area is a fire ecology and will come back just fine. It’s an extraordinary maritime chaparral habitat with a dense concentration of unique endemics that have emerged here in response to tens of thousands of years of periodic fires.
New Year’s Resolutions for Gardeners
Last year I was brave and published my New Year’s resolutions– at least those that pertain to the garden. It’s now the day of reckoning. Let’s see how I did and which ones I’ll keep for 2011. In the garden, as in life, simple changes can make a big difference over a long time. I’m adding a couple new ones that are important, too.
Learn something new every day. Whether it’s something new in the garden or elsewhere, keep learning. I’m starting to learn about local mushrooms. They come up in the most beautiful places. I’m looking forward to the Fungus Fair in January.
Enjoy the simple things. Laugh often. Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. Everyday is a gift, that’s why we call it the present.
Of the 16 gardener’s resolutions I made last year I can honestly say I achieved half of them.
I did pay more attention to the size that plants grow and believed the tag when it said "spreading habit". But I also found that pruning shears are life savers when you just have to have that new foliage plant that just came out.
I started making garden journal entries in February instead of January as I resolved. But then I tried to make up for it in March, May, June, October, November and December. I missed 5 out of 12 months. I get a "C-".
I added more pollen-producing flowering plants to attract beneficial insects which kept the good guys around longer to eat the bad bugs. And I learned what quite a few of the good guys look like. ( That counts as two resolutions )
I sat in my garden and enjoyed it, not jumping up to rearrange containers. (This one was easy)
I applied to get my little garden certified as a wildlife habitat with the National Wildlife Federation by making sure I provided food sources, water, cover, places to raise young and used sustainable gardening techniques.
I fertilized my perennials a couple of times this year with organic compost and fertilizer instead of just once and boy were they happy. The trees and larger shrubs really only need a light dose once a year so I was good there.
I wore sunscreen everyday. (My doctor wants a hat, too. Maybe this year I’ll wear one.)
The other half of last year’s resolutions are being recycled as they’re still good ones:
I will not buy a new flower, shrub or tree until I have a plan for it in the garden.
I will sharpen and clean my garden tools so they look spiffy and work better.
I will start a worm bin with my kitchen scraps and a compost pile for leaves and plant debris. (I have so many raccoons it’s like a party out there at night but I’m going to come up with a critter-proof solution.)
I will weed regularly- not waiting until they’re so tall they swallow up my gardening tools when I lay them down.
I will accept a few holes in my plants but tour the garden regularly to identify if a problem is getting out of control and I need to break out an organic pesticide.
I will prune my maples, transplant my overgrown containers and divide my perennials when I’m supposed to.
I will plant more things to eat. Edibles anywhere in the garden feed the body and the soul. (This summer was so cold I didn’t have much luck in my partial shade.)
I will stop rationalizing my plant habit is better than gambling, clothes shopping or smoking.
I will do better to practice what I preach in this column.
Happy New Year in 2011 from The Mountain Gardener
Happy Holidays in the Santa Cruz Mountains
If my plants could talk they’d have a long list of requests for Christmas. A lot of people tell me they talk to their plants but I don’t. Hopefully we are in sync without any words spoken by either of us. I do know they have some needs and wants so here are few of what made it to their .
From the fruit trees: All I want for Christmas are my two prunings per year, my two prunings per year, my two prunings per year. Gee, if I could have one each summer and winter, I’d produce lots of fruit each year. And Santa, I’d also like some nitrogen from composted manure or an organic fertilizer in March, then after I’ve set fruit in June and again after harvest. Also don’t forget to water me regularly and deeply during the dry months.
From the California native plants: All I want for Christmas is a place in the landscape. Here in California we are blessed with thousands of plant species, many found nowhere else on Earth, that have evolved with our unique climates, soils and fauna. Renew and rediscover the value we provide to conservation and habitats. Plant some of us to connect you to the land. And remember we need water and pruning, too, just on our own schedule.
From the houseplants: All I want for Christmas is a little light in the winter, not much fertilizer, if any and to dry out a bit between waterings. Also who likes cold drafts from the front door? Dust my leaves occasionally and don’t repot me during the winter and in return I’ll keep your indoor air cleaner and healthier.
From the birds in the garden: Please Santa, send me some berries to eat. I like redtwig dogwood fruits and also elderberries, toyon, wax myrtle, mahonia and coffeeberries. My hummingbird friends would like some flowering currants, manzanita blossoms and any salvias you happen to have in the workshop.
From the perennials: All I want for Christmas is the right growing conditions for me. If I’m a sun lover don’t try to grow me under the trees and if I like it cool and moist put me where I’ll be happy winter and summer. I’ll thrive and bloom and be happy and healthy and you won’t waste valuable time and money. If I could talk I’d also ask for some fresh compost in the spring and a light haircut would be nice, too.
From the spiders among the plants: We’re in all healthy gardens and we’re good for them. As important predators of pests we reduce insect damage on plants. We eat more insects and other invertebrates annually than the weight of all humans combined. All we want for Christmas is a pesticide-free garden so we can do our work.
From me to you: All I want for Christmas is for everyone to have a Happy Holiday.