Photo of the Day: Western Columbine

Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa) now blooming in the garden

A partly sunny bed of natives

Clumps of Douglas Iris hybrids encircle a currant shrub

The backyard is divided into various collections of plants based on their sun exposure. Some receive full sun, some part sun, and some full shade. Some are on drip irrigation, some are not. Typically these "islands" of plants feature a centerpiece shrub, raised on a berm, surrounded by colorful perennials. 

This particular plant grouping is shaded much of the day by a large avocado tree, but does receive sun at various times of the morning and afternoon. The specimen shrub of the "island" is a 3 year old 'Barrie Coate' pink-flowering currant that begins flowering in January and continues into early April. It is surrounded by several Douglas iris hybrids ranging in color from dark purple to white. These begin flowering in late February and continue to mid April. This space is also shared with two western sword ferns that lie on either side of a bird bath and California polypody plants that appear seasonally from Fall to late Spring. Finally, two 'Point Reyes' groundcover manzanitas are situated inbetween the bird bath and a step stone path. The foliage of the manzanitas is dark green, providing a nice contrast with bright green of the neighborning ferns. The manzanitas are covered with small white/pink flowers in late Winter. This bed of plants is outfitted with drip irrigation for those times of extended drought. I give them 5 minutes of water a couple times a week, just to keep them looking fresher.

Iris douglasiana 'Canyon Snow,' the first of the irises to bloom this year

Western Sword fern, Poystichum munitum

Pt. Reyes bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Pt. Reyes'

California Polypody, Polypodium californicum

Ribes sanguineum glutinosum 'Barrie Coate' in February

Fall visit to the Regional Parks Garden

Impressive manzanita specimens flanking a trail in the garden's Foothill section

Aimlessly wandering around the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Berkeley is one of my favorite lazy day activities. Unfortunately, living on the Peninsula makes accessing the park a chore with the traffic and hassle of navigating through Berkeley. Recently I found myself with a few hours to spare in the East Bay, so I decided to pay the native plant sanctuary a visit. Crowds were sparse (yipee!) thanks to a recent shower and cold, cloudy conditions.

Big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum)

In addition to some peace and quiet, I sought inspiration for this Fall's home garden reboot. Aside from lingering blooms of fuchsia, goldenrods and buckwheats, not much was blooming this time of year. Still, there was plenty to enjoy on this visit, including the Fall leaves of the big leaf maple, vine maple, dogwoods and deciduous oaks.

I also spent a lot of time admiring the extensive collection of manzanitas throughout the garden. They have such a wide variety of specimens from various parts of the state. Scenes from the garden:

Creeping sage (Salvia sonomensis) with manzanitas

Red-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) and Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Beautiful branching on this Alameda manzanita (Arctostaphylos pallida)

Lots of shades of green and yellow at the garden

Colonies of redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana) and wild ginger (Asarum caudatum) come together at the base of sword ferns (Polystichum munitum)

The 2015 Going Native Garden Tour

Such a wonderful sight to see visitors admiring your work

We recently opened up our gardens to the public as part of the 12th annual Going Native Garden Tour www.gngt.org, a celebration of California native plants in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. This was our second year on the tour, and once again we were the only San Mateo representative. This may change for next year, however, as several folks from surrounding neighborhoods expressed an interest in participating in the near future. 

Over the course of six hours, we received 117 visitors, up from 100 last year. California's current drought crisis could be responsible for the increased traffic, as people begin to consider drought tolerant alternatives to their lawns. There were lots of questions about the best way to remove a lawn and I detailed my experiences converting our front and backyards from crab grass into thriving native landscapes. Sheet mulching worked extremely well for us and I will continue to advocate this method of lawn removal. One day I hope to create a blog post `explaining the sheet mulching process.

A view of the front yard during the Garden Tour

Feedback from visitors was overwhelmingly positive. It is extremely gratifying to hear kind words from so many strangers. As a novice gardener, I am often filled with doubt and insecurity. Encouraging words go a long way in bolstering confidence and providing the drive to continue advocating for native gardening. 

A special thanks to all those friends and family that helped make this possible; especially my wife for sacrificing her Sunday and for her daily encouragement. 

My lovely wife and biggest supporter

creek dogwood thriving in a wine barrel

Creek dogwood (Cornus sericea) is a large deciduous shrub that can spread aggressively in the wild under favorable conditions. I don't have room for it in my backyard, so I chose to grow it in a large wine barrel with an underplanting or yerba buena (Satureja douglasii). It is highly suitable to container life, where its size can be held in check and its moderate water requirements met with the help of drip irrigation. The creek dogwood is attractive in spring with its fresh green leaves and white/cream flowers. However, this plant truly shines in the winter when it has shed its leaves exposing the attractive red limbs.

December 2014

after a rain

March 2014

Giant Coreopsis or mini Palm tree?

The giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea) in this blue pot has awakened from its summer dormancy and transformed into a pair of mini palms. Large yellow daisy-like flowers will soon make an appearance.

Summerwinds in Fall

Early October is the perfect time for a native gardener to blow into Summerwinds nurseries. Around this time every year, they have their huge 40% of all plants one gallon and up sale. Summerwinds has multiple locations in the South Bay, many boasting a sizable native selection. Though plant quality varies by location, generally speaking the plants are well-maintained and some gems can be found. In particular, great deals can be had on 5 gallon containers of shrubs such as manzanitas, ceanothus, coffeeberries, toyon and others. I'm partial to the Palo Alto location because it is closest to San Mateo and has the largest selection. Additionally, the caretaker of the native section is a sweet lady with a passion for natives.

My Summerwinds haul, eager to be planted and loved

From my experience, you need to go early in the sale for best selection. So, early on Thursday, the first day of the sale, I made the trek southward to three different Summerwinds locations: Cupertino, Mountain View and Palo Alto. I came away with a decent batch of plants including manzanitas, wire grass, ferns, huckleberry and some buckwheats. With the recent closure of Blue Sky Farms, it's nice to know that Summerwinds has my back. Check 'em out.