California Garden, Vol. 92, No.4, July-August 2001

32 Pages·2001·3.3 MB·English

by  San Diego Floral Association

rma,
DEN
JULY-AUGUST 2001 Volume 92 No. 4 $2.00
HORTICULTURAL CALENDAR
June 15-July4 July20Fri.
DELMARFAIRFlower&GardenShow SANDIEGO ZOO OrchidOdysseyExhibit.
"EndlessSummer." 24-hourinformationline Rare orchidsfromNewGuinea, Central and
858/793-5555. SouthAmericaandChina. 10:00a.m.-2:00p.m.
June30-July 1 Sat.-Sun. Free withadmission.
SANDIEGO BROMELIAD SOCIETY Show July22 Sun.
andSale. Sat. 12-4p.m.; Sun.10a.m.-4p.m. QUAILBOTANICAL GARDENS Summer
BalboaPark, Casadel Prado, Room 101. Free. Concertfeaturing Silverwood, CelticMusic. See
June30-July 1 Sat.-Sun. July8 fordetails.
THEHUNTINGTON NationalCactusand July28Sat.
SucculentShow. Over 1000award-winning QUAILBOTANICAL GARDENS Workshopon
plants. 10:30a.m.-4:30p.m. bothdays. "NaturalPestControlGardening." 10:00a.m.-
1151 OxfordRoad, SanMarino. 626/405-2141. 12:00p.m. intheEckeBuilding, 230Quail
GeneralAdmission. Gardens Drive, Encinitas. 760/436-3036for
July7Sat. registrationorinformation. Members $5.00, non-
*SANDIEGO FLORAL ASSOCIATION members $10.00.
LIBRARYopenfrom 10:00a.m.-3:00p.m. July28-29Sat.-Sun.
Mon.-Fri., alsothefirstandthirdSaturdays. SANDIEGO COUNTY ORCHID SOCIETY
Members ofSDFAcancheckoutbooks. SummerShow. Sat. 12:00p.m.-4:00p.m.; Sun.
(Membership $10ayear, includesmagazine.) 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m. BalboaPark, Casadel
BalboaPark, CasadelPrado, Room 105. Prado, Room 101. Info: 619/232-5232. Free.
619/232-5762. August4Sat.
July8Sun. *SANDIEGO FLORAL ASSOCIATION
QUAILBOTANICAL GARDENS Summer LIBRARY willbeopen. SeeJuly7 fordetails.
ConcertfeaturingPeter Sprague, LatinJazz August4-5Sat.-Sun.
Group. 5:00-8:00p.m. $18members, $20non- SANDIEGO DAHLIA SOCIETY Show. Sat.
members. Seriesticketsforallfourconcerts are 1:00p.m.-5:00p.m. Sun. 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m.
$72. Ticketpriceincludeslightsupper, dessert BalboaPark, Casadel Prado, Room 101. Free.
andcoffee. No-hostbaravailable. Attendees are Information858/672-2593, ore-mail
requestednottobringbeverages, food, chairs, [email protected], attn: Dahlia.
blanketsorcoolers. Ticketsavailableatthe August4-5 Sat.-Sun.
Gardens' GiftShopandtheEckeBuildingoffice. SOUTHBAYBROMELIAD ASSOCIATES
230QuailGardensDrive, Encinitas. Forinfo: AnnualShowandPlantSale. Show, Sat. 12:00-
760/436-3036orwww.qbgardens.com. 4:30p.m. andSun. 10:00a.m.-4:30p.m. Sale,
July9Mon. bothdays 10:00a.m.-4:30p.m. Rainforest
SANDIEGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Flora'snewlocationat 19121 HawthorneBlvd.,
Monthlymeeting "PrivateRestorations: An Torrance, CA90503. Free. Forinformation:
UnconventionalApproachto Native 818/366-1858ore-mail [email protected].
Landscaping." 6:30p.m. attheSatelliteWagering August5Sun.
FacilityoftheDelMar FairgroundsonJimmy QUAILBOTANICAL GARDENS Summer
DuranteBlvd. Free. Info: 760/630-7307. ConcertfeaturingFlipOakes, TraditionalStraight
July 14-15Sat.-Sun. UpJazz. SeeJuly8 fordetails.
NONBOCLUB ShowandSale. Bothdays 10:00 August 13Mon.
a.m.-5:00p.m. BalboaPark, Casadel Prado, SANDIEGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
Room 101. Information619/530-2319. Free. MonthlymeetingwithSteveBeimel speaking
July21 Sat. aboutJapaneseGardens. 6:30p.m. attheSatellite
•SANDIEGO FLORAL ASSOCIATION Wagering FacilityoftheDel Mar Fairgroundson
LIBRARYwillbeopen. SeeJuly7 fordetails. Jimmy DuranteBlvd. Free. Info: 760/630-7307.
(continuedonpage 100)
98 JULY-AUGUST2001 CALIFORNIA GARDEN
.
California s,nce ,9°9 SanDiegoFloralAssociation
GARDEN MAIL-1650ElPrado#105
SanDiegoCA92101-1622
seeusatCasadelPrado,
^COWORaj^ ATLreIrBlaRenAgpRehYrosOnGFeuiClO6dN1GC9Rh/EmS2.S36N21O-.9/5I4S7S36N52-0080087-19116 MRoon1o0dm:a0y100at5mhrBtoaoulg3bh:o0aF0rPpiamdraky
J910.
Publishedby VOLUME92 NUMBER4
SanDiegoFloralAssociation THEMAGAZINEFOR THEHANDS-ON GARDENER
for91Years
JULY-AUGUST2001
PUBLICATIONSTAFF
EDITOR
JacquelineColeman
FEATURES
CALENDAREDITOR 102 SomePalmsAroundtheBotanicalBuildinginBalboaParkR. Cox
LindaBerger 104 CarnivorousPlantBogGarden J. Mellein
NOWMIaSrTiaHnEneTDI.MTEruEbDyITOR 110056 BNiarttihveosfaanPdltahnetsLmoanngHotSummer P.SP.aBwrliogwshkaim
108 GardenSculpture R. Horwitz
AFFILIATELISTINGEDITOR 109 Encelia Californica B. Newton
LynnBeyerle 110 LilacsfromMyAuntMary's Garden J. Ray
BOOK&VIDEOREVIEWEDITOR 111 GrowingLilacs B. Jones
RosaleenCox 116 EatingFreshIsEatingBest L. Ball
118 SummerVegetableGarden A. Macdonald
TOURSEDITOR 118 Growing VegetablesinSunsetZone24 A. Dawson
AnnWaters 121 Gerberas S. Cope
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENTS
JacquelineColeman
98 HorticulturalCalendar L. Berger
RENEWALS 101 Gleanings B. Jones
JoanRoman 112 NowIstheTime M. Truby
122 BookReviews R. Cox
MAILING 124 Affiliates L. Beyerle
LynnBeyerle 127 BookOrderBlanks
EDITORIALADVISORYBOARD COVERIllustrationby James Dery, DBF Photographic, oflilac, Syringa
MortBrigadier
vulgaris
RobertHorwitz
BarbaraS.Jones Claimsandopinionsexpressed byadvertisersdonotnecessarily
BettyNewton reflecttheviewsoftheeditorandpublisherofCaliforniaGardenmagazine.
PatPawlowski
Wewelcomearticles,photographs,drawings,andideasfrom Copies of CalifornSiianglGeacrodpeinescoafnthbeecuorrrdeenrteidssbueyofmaCialliffoorrni$a2.G0a0rdpeenrmcaogpayzinpelus $1.00 postage.
a20mtahteoufrJsanourarpyr,ofMeassricohn,alMs.ayD,eaJdullyi,neSsepftoermabenre,xatndisNsuoeveamrebetrh.e canbepurchasedforadonationof$2.00atthelocationslisted.
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CALIFORNIA GARDEN JULY-AUGUST2001 99
"HORTICULTURAL CALENDAR", CONTINUED CUYAMACA COLLEGE WaterConservation
FROMPAGE98 GardenLandscapeSeminaron2nd Saturdayofeach
month. 9:30a.m. Docenttours Sat. 10:30a.m. and
Sun. 1:30p.m. 619/660-0614. Free.
August 18 Sat.
*SANDIEGO FLORAL ASSOCIATION Deadlinefor submissionto
LIBRARYwillbeopen. SeeJuly7 fordetails. HORTICULTURAL CALENDAR for SEPT/OCT
August 18-19Sat.-Sun. issueisJuly 15. SANDIEGO FLORAL
SANDIEGO FERNSOCIETY Showand Sale. ASSOCIATION isnotresponsibleforAchangesthat
Show, Sat. 12:00-5:00p.m. andSun. 10:00a.m.- are submittedlateby theorganizations.
5:00p.m. Salebothdays 10:00a.m.-5:00p.m.
BalboaPark, Casadel Prado, Room 101. Free. ARTISTIC
August 19Sun.
QUAILBOTANICAL GARDENS Summer GARDEN oob\
ConcertfeaturingValley BlueGrassBoys, Blue CONSULTANT jo
Grass. SeeJuly8 fordetails. -OJJ
August25-26Sat.-Sun.
SANDIEGO TURTLE & TORTOISE
IN
SOCIETY Show, Sat. 10:00a.m.-5:00p.m. and <o
Sun. 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m. BalboaPark, Casadel <
Prado, Room 101. Free.
C2t
BALBOA PARK Si
SANDIEGOJAPANESE FRIENDSHIP GARDEN uJ
OpenTues. thruSun. 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m. O
a
Docenttourswithreservations. Fee. <
619/232-2721. PLACEMENTof oo
OFFSHOOT TOURS Rangerguided. Varioustopics. OBJECTS&PLANTS
Saturdays 10:00a.m. MeetatVisitorsCenterin
PlazadePanama. 619/235-1121. Free.
INTERPRETIVE WALKSRanger guided. History SAN DIEGO COUNTY
orientedtopics. MeetatVisitorsCenterinPlaza ORCHID SOCIETY
dePanama. TuesdaysandSundaysat 1:00p.m.
Free. /VOWisthetimetojoinl Learnhoweasy
and fun itisto grow orchids. Meet the experts
through society activities including lectures,
ONGOING EVENTS tours, openhouses, and classes.
QUAILBOTANICAL GARDENS GardenTours& every mTohnethsoactieCtaysamedeetlsPrthaedofiirnstBTalubeosadaPyar'ko.f
Events. 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m. 230QuailGardens Culturalclassesstartat 6:30p.m. inthelibrary,
Drive, Encinitas. 760/436-3036or followed bythe regularmeeting at 7:30 p.m. in
www.qbgardens.com. General Admission. room 101. Refreshments,orchiddisplay,andan
BLUE SKYECOLOGICAL RESERVE Walks. orchid rAalflfltehifsolalnodw tahegrmeeaettimnogn.thly newsletter
Poway. Sat. &Sun. 9:00a.m. 858/679-5469. for only $10.00 (single membership) or $12.50
WALKABOUT INTERNATIONAL Local Guided (dual membership) peryear. Don't delay, make
Walks. Newsletter. 619/231-SHOE. Free. yourcheckouttodaytothe SDCOSandmailto:
THEHUNTINGTON isopenTuesdaythroughFriday Vivian Follmer
noonto4:30p.m., Saturdayand Sunday 10:30 a.m. to SDCOS Membership
4:30p.m. ClosedMondayandmostholidays. $8.50 13127Roundup
adults, $8 seniors, $6 students (12-18), under 12and San Diego, CA 92129
members free. Grouprate(10+) $7. FirstThursdayof [phone]
eachmonthfreetoallvisitors. 626/405-2100or
www.huntington.org.
100 JULY-AUGUST2001 CALIFORNIA GARDEN
Gleanings
gatheredbybarbarajones
TERMITES . . . onripeningafterbeingpicked, and grass isnotattractive.)
Termites are attracted to dead whichwillnot?
growth on shrubs and trees. Even Berries, cherries, grapes, citrus, WATERTRIVIA
mulching too near your home can watermelondonotripenafterbeing U.S., Canada, Au.st.ra.lia use the
attract the termites. Experts picked. most water per capita. In North
recommend thata safety marginof Avocadoswillnotripenuntilthey America mostofthe water isused
at least 18 inches should be left arepicked. to grow food. Water usage: 70%
around the building. In other Apricots, melons, figs, peaches, agriculture, 20% industry, 10%
words—no ground cover, no plums,persimmonswillcontinueto domestic. Only2.9 % oftheearth's
shrubs, no trees, no mulch. It is ripenafterbeingpicked. water is fresh waterand mostofit
suggested that inedible alternatives Apples, pears, kiwis, mangos, is frozen in polar ice and snow.
such as rocks can be used. One papayas continue to ripen after Experts estimate that everyone
should make sure the grounds beingpickedandevengetsweeter. needs 13gallonsofcleanwaterper
slopes away from the foundation, Bananas will ripen either picked dayforcleaning,cooking,drinking.
too. It is also recommended that orontheplant. Manycountrieshavemuchless.
largetreesbegrownnocloserthan Manyfruitspurchasedinmarkets
20feetfromthehome. awrheesntilglrneoetn.r)ipeA. (wTahyeyttoragveeltbsettotnere LFoUrCtKhYe pBaAstMfBeOwOye.a.rs. there has
HUNGRYDEER . . . fruit and pears to ripen and get been a lot of 'Lucky Bamboo' for
Many homeowners near canyons sweeter is to enclose them in a sale in oriental and flower shops.
and in rural areas complain about paperbagwithanapple. Thesecharmingbamboo-look-alikes
the damage done by hungry deer. Most fruits do not taste as good areusually soldtiedinclumps and
Deerlovetenderyoungrosebushes. after being refrigerated, but standing in pebbles in low
Vonnie has found a cure. She cuts refrigeration does not bother ripe decorativecontainersorinnarrow-
Irish Spring soap into fourths and melons, apples,pears, ormangoes. necked vases. The green bamboo-
ties them to her prize rosebushes. like stems are from about8 inches
She says the bushes look a bit WATER . . . to 3 feetlong. Clumps ofbamboo-
strange, but she now has lots of The SanDiego—area isclassifiedas like leaves grow on these stems.
roses. (Several ofher bushes have a semi-desert we don't have The stems must be kept in water
beendestroyed.)Thegreencolorof much water. Our local supply is and shortwhite roots soonappear.
the soap will fade, but it is still very low, and we exist with They are disease free, need little
effective. importedwater. Everyyearweget sun, and will liveoverayearwith
more people and more lawns and frequentwaterchanges. (ThemanI
JULYPLANTING . . . we do not get more water. Plus purchase mine from obtains his
July is the best month to plant that, thepricegoesup. Youdonot plants from Taiwan.) There are
subtropical and tropical plants. By haveto liveon adirtpile, because stems available that have been
Julytheweatherwillbewarm, but it is possible to have beautiful trainedintocircularforms.
nottoohotduringtheday, and the landscaping thatcanbe maintained 'LuckyBamboo'isadracaenanot
nightswillstaywarm. BeforeJuly, onlittlewater. Tostartanyplant, it a bamboo. The scientific name
particularly near the coast, the sky takes water but after being accordingtotheWallStreetJournal
canbeovercastmostofthedayand established, many plants survive (5/10/01) isDracaenasanderana.
thenightswillbefairlycool. well with little water. Now is the AChineselegend isthatagiftof
time to start slowly changing your bamboo for a holiday brings good
RIPE FRUIT . . . garden over to one that uses little fortune. Hence the name 'Lucky
Everwonderwhichfruitswillkeep water. (A front yard full of dead Bamboo' forthisfauxbamboo.
CALIFORNIA GARDEN JULY-AUGUST2001 101
SOME PALMS AROUND THE BOTANICAL BUILDING
IN BALBOA PARK, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
BY ROSALEEN COX
THEREIS ANINTERESTINGgroupofpalms around Syagrus also located around the building is the long,
the Botanical Building. Some are familiar and some glossycrownshaft (abaregreen stretchoftrunktwo to
unusual, some are fan palms and some are feather threefeetlong,justbelowthecrownofleaves).
palms. Youwill noticethatthe three featherpalms can A group offive Howeaforsteriana (2) are at the
bedescribedinmuchthesameway: tall, solitary,trunk southwest corner ofthe building. This feather palm is
gray with ring scars, leaves pinnately compound and identifiedbyitsdownturnedleavesandtheringscarson
reduplicate (folding downward), and leaf size ten to the trunk. Another group is also located on the west
twelvefeet. Sincetheyhaveidentifyingmarkers, itisa side ofthe Casa de Prado Theatre. They are native to
goodplacetocomparethem. Thedifferences inthefan LordHoweIslandoffthecoastofAustralia.
palms stand out so they are more easily recognized by Trachycarpusfortunei (3) is a fan palm native to
thecasualobserver. Asia. Called either the Chinese or Japanese windmill
palm it grows to twenty-five to forty feet. One ofthe
hardiest palms, it is capable of withstanding a severe
freeze, growingout-of-doorsalongthecoastasfarnorth
asVancouver. Theslendertrunkiscoveredwithcoarse
fibers and old leaf bases. The fan-shaped leaves are
nearly round, dividedmore thanhalf-way to base. The
petiolehasteethonmarginsandthetrunktapersslightly
atthebase. Therearegroupsofsixplantedontheouter
side of each entrance. Another Trachycarpus, T.
martianuscanbe seenatQuailBotanicalGardens.
The two low growing fan palms near the eastern
end of the building are Bismarckia nobilis (4). These
willmaturetoaheightofoverthirtyfeet. Thisnativeof
Madagascar has huge leaves, sometimes to ten feet in
diameter. Thefoliageisblue-greenandmakesastriking
contrastto many otherpalms, butitis thehugeness of
theleavesandtheresultingmassiveappearancethatmay
identifyit.
Galixcy
iwll mis
> 1
Starting at the west end near the front are two
Florida royal palms, Roystonea elata (1). This is a
feather or plume palm growing to over fifty feet and
nativetotheswampsofFlorida. TheFloridaroyalpalm
was notidentifiedas adistinctspecies until 1949when
L.H. Bailey described it. Roystonea has about twelve
Gspeenceireasl,RalolyocSctuornrei,nganinAmheurmiicdatnroepnigcisn.eIetrwkansonwanmfeodrhfiosr Ontheleft: Trachycarpusfortunei,
workinPuertoRico.Twothatarecommonlyseenwhen rightareBismarckianobilis
traveling in Florida are R. elata and R. regia, Cuban Two ofour more popularpalms in San Diego are
royalpalm. They arenotalways easilydistinguishable. here onthe southeastend ofthe building. Both are old
OnewaythispalmisdifferentfromtheHowea andthe plantings and you mustlook high in theairtosee the
102 JULY-AUGUST2001 CALIFORNIA GARDEN
Laccospadixaustralasicainabedofbromeliads Licuala ramsayi across path from new (June 1st)
tops ofthepalms. These are Washingtoniarobusta (5), succulentgarden
a fan palm and Syagrus romanzoffianum (6) a feather andAcoelorrhaphearepalmate(withouttheextension).
palm. Washingtonia robusta is from Mexico and may InsidetheBotanicalBuildingyou willfindanumberof
grow to one hundred feet, taller than the W. filifera unusual or seldom seen palms. One is Laccospadix
(which is the other washingtoniayou are likely to see australasica (10), a slender feather palm from the
along San Diego streets.) It may not be suitable for a mountainrainforestofAustraliawhereitgrowsaspart
yard, but used in parks or as a street tree it is very oftheunderstorey. There areonly one orpossiblytwo
effective. Syagrus is aBraziliannativegrowingto fifty species. Usually itgrowsno tallerthantwelvefeetand
feet. Anotherpalmusedasastreettreethereisarowof has multiple trunks, but may be solitary. The
them along Village Place west of the Natural History inflorescence is an unbranched spike about three feet
Museum. long,atfirsterectandthendrooping.Youngplantsmay
Amongthesetreesatthesoutheastcornerofthebuilding becomparedwithHowea. Therearetwoplantings, one
aretwoBraheaedulis,(7)fromGuadalupeIslandoffthe near the west end in the raised bed of bromeliads is
westcoastofMexico, whereitisanendangeredspecies. solitary, and the other one east ofthe entrance in the
Thisfanpalm reaches aheightofthirty-fivefeet, has a centeroftheraisedbedrunningeastandwestcontaining
browntrunkringed with scars butno leafbases. Often mostlyferns isaclusteroffour.
youcan see clusters oftheplumpblack fruitthatgives Anotherpalm, Licuala ramsayi(11), isafanpalmwith
it its name, edulis. Across the driveway is a small almost circular leaves and wedge shaped leaflets with
Braheaarmatacv. 'Clara'. (8)Braheaarmataisknown blunttips.Thesegmentsmaybeundividedwhenyoung.
as the blue hesper palm, because of the blue-green The leaflets will remind you of those of Rhapis.
leaves. As the name implies the petiole is armed with Fortunately itisplantednexttoR. humilisso itiseasy
downward pointing teeth. The cultivar 'Clara' has a toseethelikeness. Ourspecimenisaboutsixfeethigh
more slender trunk and most noticeably has droopier and is located in the bed along the north wall almost
leaflets thanthespecies. directly across from the westernmostentrance. This is
TherearetwoclumpsofAcoelorrhaphewrightii(ahsee alsofromAustralia, nativetoQueensland.
lorafe) (9) ateitherendofthelilypondinfrontofthe One other palm, Chambeyronia macrocarpa (12), a
Botanical Building. This palm is a multistemmed fan featherpalmgrowing toperhaps sixtyfeethas aringed
palm(oronethatgrowsinclusters.). Theslendertrunks trunk and a green crownshaft. It is anotherpalm from
growclosetogetheratthebase. Itisanotherpalmnative high altitudes with a lot of rainfall. The distinctive
toFlorida,WestIndies, andCentralAmerica. Onlyone feature of this palm is the emerging leaves that are
species in this genus, the maximum height is about reddish before becoming green. It is a palm to check
twenty-fivefeet. Theslendertrunkiscoveredwithfiber each time you visit the Botanical Building to catch it
and leafbases. withnew growth. It is nativeto New Caledonia. There
Sometimes fanpalms are described asbeingpalmateor aretwogroupsofspecimens ontheeastwall.n
costapalmate. Palmate means fan palms with no
extension of leaf stem (petiole) into leaf blade. The Rosaleen Cox, a retired cost engineer, is the SDFA
costapalmatehavetheextension.Lookingatthesepalms LibrarianandadocentatQuailGardens.
you can see the difference. Bismarckia nobilis and
Brahea edulis are costapalmate whilethe Trachycarpus
CALIFORNIA GARDEN JULY-AUGUST2001 103
"
CARNIVOROUS PLANT BOG GARDEN
BY JOHN MELLEIN
SEEFOURGENERAOFcarnivorousplantsatthenew Northern Hemisphere, and a few grow in South
boggardenattheBalboaParkBotanicalBuildinginSan America. They are small plants that usually trap gnats
Diego. Many of these plants are just coming out of and other tiny insects. The genus name means, "little
winter dormancy and are blooming in May and June. greasyone." Theyhavetinygland-tippedhairsontheir
ThedisplaywillincludeSarracenia, Drosera, Dionaea, surface, and theglandsproduce astickyglue. Whenan
andPinguicula. insectistrapped by the glue, sessileglandsbeneaththe
The typical habitat of American pitcher plants, insectfillwithdigestivejuicesanddissolvepartsofthe
Sarracenia, is the southeastern coastal plain of the insect. These glands then absorb the resulting nutrient
UnitedStates. Thisgenusattractsinsectsbythecolorof soup.
thepitcherand scent ofthe nectar. The nectarcontains Thesefourgeneragrowinswamps,bogs,andother
apowerfuldrug,coniine, thatconfusesorparalyzesthe wetareaswhereslowly-movingwatercarriesawaymost
insect. Theunsuspectingpreythenfalldownaone-way ofthenutrientsnecessaryforplantgrowth. Carnivorous
trap lined by slippery downward- plants have adapted to this kind of environment by
pointing hairs into a bath of
digestive acids and enzymes. This
nutrient-rich soup is then absorbed
bytheplant.
Sundews, Drosera, are found
all over the world. To attract
insects, the surface ofthe leafhas
manytentaclestippedwithsparkling
color and a sweet-smelling nectar.
Thisnectarisalsoapowerfulglue.
The victim's struggle sets off an
electrical signal in the leaf, and
nearby tentacles slowly begin to
move toward the insect. The
tentacles secrete digestive juices,
and, after the insect is partially
liquefied, they then absorb the
resulting soup. The leaf and
tentacles thenmoveback intotheir
originalpositionsandawaitthenext CarnivorousPlantB°8Garden; inbackPritchardiahillebrandii, lou-louorlelopalm
meal. luring, trapping, and digesting insects and other small
Venus fly traps, Dionaea, are native only to the animals forasourceofneedednutrients.
coastal plains of southeastern North Carolina and The carnivorous plant bog garden was created by
northeasternSouthCarolina. Insectsareattractedbythe the staff ofthe Botanical Building in cooperation with
color and sweetnectar. The interiorsurface ofthetrap the San Diego Carnivorous Plants Society. For more
has tiny trigger hairs. Ifthese hairs are touched twice information on this society, check their web site at
withinafewseconds, anelectricalcurrentisreleasedto www.sdcps.com. An excellent book on cultivating
cause the outer cells to double in size in less than a carnivorous plants is The Savage Garden by Peter
second. Thissnapsshutthejawsofthetraptocatchthe D'Amato.n
insect. Digestive juices are then secreted, and the JohnMelleinistheBalboaParkNurserySupervisorand
nutrient soup absorbed. The trigger hairs have to be in chargeoftheBotanicalBuilding. Hehasadegreein
touched twiceto insurethata raindrop ortwig doesn't Agriculture and Natural Resources Managementfrom
trigger the trap. Within four to ten days, the trap SanLuis ObispoState Universityandhastaken classes
reopensandisready forbusinessagain. intreesurgery,pestcontrol, andothers. "Everyplantis
Butterworts, Pinguicula, grow throughout the ofinterest.
104 JULY-AUGUST2001 CALIFORNIA GARDEN
BIRTH OF A PLANTSMAN
BY STEVE BRIGHAM
THECURSE OF THE SPECIALISTis oftento get so practicallynon-existentinthelocal nurserytrade. Even
involved in esoterica that they lose perspective of the experiencednurserymenwerestumped. (Butalsorather
whole. That is something I have tried to avoid in my embarrassedwhenIpointedoutthatitwasintheSunset
career, for as a nurseryman myjob is to reach outto Western Garden Book\) Somewhere in California, I
gardeners of all types—especially the beginners. thought, someonemustbegrowingthisplant.
AlthoughIhavespentsometwenty-fivefuriousyearsas
aplantsman (with, I hope, another thirty-fiveto go), I
oftenthinkbackto thoseinnocentdays whenItoowas
a beginner. My storymay notbe all that special, butI
hope it will interest you. If you're already way into
gardening, perhaps you can identify with my story by
rememberingthattimeinyourlifewhenplantssuddenly
became a passion, notjust an interest. Ifyou arejust
now gettingreally interested inplants, perhaps you are
curious as to how the mania begins. No matter what
yourexperiencelevel,allofusasgardenershaveagreat
opportunity to get others interested in plants and
gardening. Perhaps what worked for me will work for
them, too.
Conventionalwisdomteaches us thatapassionfor
something is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.
While that may be true in the long term, every
passionate plant collector can remember moments of
100% inspirationthatchangedtheirlives. Inmycase, I
hadlongbeeninterestedinvegetablegrowingsinceearly Andso I wenttomyprofessor, Ray, andtoldhim
childhood, andalsointerestedinlandscapegardeningas howmuchIlovedthetrumpettree. RaycouldtellIhad
ayoungadult. Ihad studiedtheSunsetWestern Garden anew-foundinterestinsubtropicalflowers, andtoldme
Book, andknewmany ofthemostcommonornamental of the large collection of trumpet trees at the Los
plants. Butas acollegestudentI foundmyselfworking AngelesArboretuminArcadia. Healsotoldmeabouta
asagardenerattheUniversityofCalifornia, SantaCruz book, which I promptly found at the library. More so
Arboretum—andthatwaswhenthingsbegantochange. even than the trumpet tree, this one book really did
Tending a large collection of proteas there made me changemelife! Thebookwas ColorfortheLandscape,
realize thatthere was more to the world ofplants than edited by Dr. Mildred Mathias ofUCLA. It has since
what was commonly available in nurseries. (My been revised and reprinted as Flowering Plants in the
professor, the estimable Dr. Ray Collett, had by then Landscape, Mildred E. Mathias, editor, University of
already established an enormous collection of many CaliforniaPress, 1982—butunfortunatelymaybeoutof
kindsofunusualfloweringplants, andIwasjustgetting print. ColorfortheLandscapewasacompilationoffive
toknowthem.) Andthenithappened. color booklets that had beenproduced in the 1960s by
Oneday, I wentintoone ofthegreenhousesto do the finest horticulturists in the Los Angeles area. It
someweeding—andIcouldnotbelievewhatI saw! An featuredpageafterpageofbeautifulcolorphotosofthe
enormous, spectacular bright yellow flower had been finest subtropical flowering trees, shrubs, vines,
producedbyasmalltreeIhadnevernoticedbefore. The perennials,andnativesforCaliforniagardens.Itookthis
next day, there were more flowers, and more after bookto several Bay Area nurseries, butwas oftenmet
that—and I was captivated! What I was seeing was with blank stares—practically none ofthe plants in the
Tabebuiachrysotricha,thegoldentrumpettree—aplant bookwereavailable for sale. This onlymade me more
that would change my life. I decided to do some determined to find them—even if it meant a trip to
homework, and soon found out that although this tree (gulp!) LostAngeles!
couldinfactgrowoutdoors incentralCalifornia, itwas (continuedonpage 120)
CALIFORNIA GARDEN JULY-AUGUST2001 105
NATIVES AND THE LONG HOT SUMMER-
BY PAT PAWLOWSKI
SUMMERTIME AND THE LIVING is easy (or it Just recently at our house, one butterfly/bird
should be). Many times, however, we make things enthusiast (me) and three others, somewhat new to
harderthantheyhavetobe;forexample,wemaydecide wildlifeappreciation, sat onmy patio. Itjusthappened
to "brightenup" thefrontyardby grabbinganycheap, tobethedaythatallthepaintedladybutterfliesflewby.
colorful, eyeball-entrancingplantthatwehappentorun Every few seconds, adozenwouldwendtheirwaypast
across while out shopping. Sometimes we fail to our view. California quail showed up, somewhat
considerhowmuchthatprettyplantwillcostusinwater bashfully, for a quick drink from the bird bath. A
andtime. Time is money, and these days, water is not swallowtail butterfly landed on an erigeron blossomto
exactlycheapeither. siphonup nectar. A hummingbirdcame by to sipfrom
Allweknowisthattheplanthasprettyflowers. So one ofthe sages. And there we sat, imbibing our own
we plunk down our cash, take the plant home, spend versionofnectar, takingitall in.
timeandefforttoinstalltheplantintheyard, neglectto Then, anewcomer showedup, abirdwithbrilliant
wateritoftenenough, andeventuallywewatchitdie. aqua-colored head feathers. "What's that?" we wanted
Andbackwegoto squareone. to know, as thebinoculars gotpassedbackand forth. I
Togettosquaretwo(wherethelivingiseasier),we dashed inside to get the birdbook and flipped through
shouldconsiderincludingdrought-tolerantnativeplants thepages.Meanwhile,thenewcomersashayedbackand
inthegarden. Foronething,landscapingwithunthirsty forthamongthebranchesofashrub,givingmeachance
natives will save you money. You won't have to shell to locate itspictureinthebook. Itwas alazulibunting
outmorecashtoreplaceyourplantingseachyearor, in (Passerina amoena); I passed the book around for the
extreme cases, each month. And you won't have to others to see and in that moment I felt very close to
fertilizetheheckoutofthenatives, likeyouhavetodo them. Itwas the sharingofthatexperience, inaddition
withsomeexotics. tothebeautifulbird, thatmade itespeciallywonderful.
Landscaping with native perennials, shrubs, and
treesalsowillsaveyoutime. Insteadofcrawlingaround ... ifyouknowthebloomtimes ofnative
on your hands and knees inpuddles ofperspirationas plants, youcanhaveagardenthat
youreplacethoseexpiredexotics, you'llberelaxingon neverlooksdead
the patio with friends, in a nice comfy chaise lounge
(you may want to provide separate seating for the As urbansprawlcontinues sprawling, many native
others), watchingallkindsofinterestinganimal life. plants that sustain our wildlife are lost and thus,
eventually, the wildlife itself, leavingus witha sterile,
unfriendly,boring environment. SanDiegoCountyhas
suchahuge, fascinatingvarietyofplantandanimallife;
it would be a shame to lose all that by neglecting to
includenativesinthegarden.
However, landscapinganyareathatisvisibletothe
sometimescriticaleyesofotherscanbetricky. Someof
our native plant species are summer-deciduous, which
means that they lose many of their leaves in our dry
months, in order to save energy until the winter rains
refresh and stimulate growth. Naturally we want our
frontyardstobevisuallypleasingyeteasytomaintain.
Unfortunately, the landscaping expectations of many
peopleareraisedunnaturallyhighbyourpublicspaces,
Goldenrod(Solidago) Lobelia{Lobeliacardinalis) whichtoooftenhavebeenoverplanted,overcolored,and
overcontrolled. For example, visit a shopping center,
Which brings us to several other reasons for resort or business park. Chances are youreyes will be
introducingnativesintoyoursurroundings:entertainment exposedtoblazingexpansesofsearinglybrightplantings
andenvironmentalsensitivity. (many exotic annuals), all looking perfect, in neat
106 JULY-AUGUST2001 CALIFORNIA GARDEN