Another List

Seed started this year:

Allium haematochiton NN

Aquilegia eximia G

Aquilegia formosa G

Calochortus argillosus BW

Calochortus plummerae BW

Calochortus superbus G

Calochortus umbellatus G

Calochortus vestae BW

Calochortus weedii var. weedii BW

Coming up (PBX 294 via NN; I've pasted in Ron's original descriptions from old NNS lists):

Calochortus bruneaunis [NNS 05-122] Sweetwater Mtns., Mono Co., CA. 8350' (Y) This, like many populations at higher elevations, has pale purple and tan shadings on the outer surface of the pertals. Coarse granitic soils. Mountain mahogany/pinyon pine/antelope brush community.

Calochortus striatus [NNS 05-157] Antelope Valley, Los Angeles Co., CA. 2300' (N) Mojave Desert, Los Angeles Co., CA. 2300'. 40 seeds $4.00. 75 seeds $7.00. A mariposa lily closely related to CC. palmeri and splendens. Here the conditions may be moist in late winter/early spring, but by flowering the alkaline clay flats have become dried and impenetrable. The 1&1/2", broadly bowl-shaped, bright rose-violet perianths have fine, red-violet striations, extending almost to the petals edge, and white, wispy hairs, that appear to hover over the inner surface. The large, fat anthers are a bright red-purple. Growing under the protection of small, spiny saltbush shrubs that provide some relief from dessication and grazing.

Calochortus venustus [NNS 04-82] Central Sierra Nevada, Fresno Co., CA. 5640' (Y)

Calochortus venustus [NNS 05-171] San Emigdio Mtns., Kern Co., CA. 6000' (Y) Flowers here are a stunning dark red to dark reddish purple with a velvety plush texture to the petals. Several have yellow streaking around the gland and at the edges. The outside is pearly white with red-violet markings/striations varying in degree from flower to flower. So far this is the only site where I have found this red-colored form. Edges of Jeffrey pine woodland with sparse grasses and sagebrush. Fine gritty granitic soil.

Fritillaria affinis - wild collected, Ukiah, CA - (W)

Another List

Bulbs from seed sown 2007-2008 that survived long enough to get repotted this year.

*=already rooting out before first rain on 9/23

Allium amplectens*

Babiana ringens AA

Babiana villosa

Calochortus catalinae

Calochortus dunnii*

Calochortus kennedyi

Calochortus umbellatus

3 mystery Calochortus spp.

Freesia refracta

Freesia laxa

Freesia hybrid

Fritillaria eastwoodiae (1)

Fritillaria recurva (1)

Geissorhiza radians AA

Geissorhiza splendidissima

Lachenalia orchioides var. orchioides*

Romulea monadelpha

Romulea sabulosa

Romulea unifolia

Triteleia hyacinthina*

Whoa

Wow, I have actually forgotten how to use blogger. I can't believe they still don't have a table tool! Anyway, I got way too many bulbs this year:

JUNE

Boophone disticha KB

xBoopharyllis (!) KB

Brunsvigia litoralis KB

Cyrtanthus falcatus KB

C. falcatus x (elatus x montanus) KB

JULY

Boophone haemanthoides T

Brunsvigia marginata T

Erythronium oregonum T

Tropaeolum tricolor T

SEPTEMBER

Brunsvigia Gregaria UCBG

NOVEMBER

Ammocharis coranica PBS(JS)

Calochortus venustus BB

Cyclamen peloponnesiacum RH

Cyrtanthus obliquus PBS (JS)

Erythronium 'white beauty' BB

Tecophilaea cyanocrocus BB

Trillium kuryabayashii RH

Maybe someday I'll motivate to list the seeds I started too.

Springtime

It's not really spring yet -- you can tell by the insane raking light in this early afternoon photo. But I celebrated our first real winter rain with a long night of rendering lard, preserving lemons, and starting this year's seed. I'm trying "the paper towel method" for stratification for the first time; it just seemed easier than trying to sterilize peat. Also, I had kind of a lot of seeds.

The "storm" was negligible here, but we got a nice accumulation of ~3.5 inches, which I figured out no thanks to the NWS, which has apparently abandoned its bay area weather stations. I also learned that we've had 400+ chill hours already this year, twice normal, which explains why my @#*! gas bill is so ridiculous, but not why the 'Double Delight' rose is still blooming when I should be doing its dormant pruning.

*

Anyway, although html tables aren't the best place to keep track of my germination rates, I'm too lazy/stupid to use Excel, so you can stop reading now. Unless you too are a huge dork. All from Northwest Native Seed.

sp.	AN	soak	strat.	germ.	Notes
Calochortus bruneaunis	NNS 05-121	1/6	1/7-2/5	2/3
C. dunnii	NNS 04-65	1/6	1/7-2/16	2/15
C. howellii	NNS 05-136	1/6	1/7-3/8	y***
C. invenustus	NNS 05-137	1/6	1/7-3/8	y
C. simulans	NNS 05-155	1/6	1/7-1/27	~1/26
C. striatus	NNS 05-157 (2)	1/6	1/7-1/20	~1/18
C. venustus	NNS 05-171	1/6	1/7-2/5	2/3
Dicentra formosa ssp. oregana D*	NNS 07-159	1/6	1/7-3/8	almost?!	3/8: seed coat split and radicle visible, though not yet emerged
Dicentra formosa ssp. oregana W*	NNS 07-159	n/a	n/a	[potted up 1/20 because of apparent mold on elaisosomes]
Castilleja applegatei var. pinetorum**	NNS 06-120	1/7	1/8-3/8	y
Dodecatheon poeticum**	NNS 07-169	1/7	1/8-3/8	? (too small)
Fritillaria biflora	NNS 05-345 (2)	1/7	1/8-3/8?	1
F. eastwoodiae	NNS 07-250	1/7	1/8-3/8	y
Ipomopsis aggregata var. aggregata	NNS 07-277	1/7	1/8-3/8	y
Lilium rubescens x L. bolanderi	NNS 06-338	1/7	1/8-	n
Lupinus microcarpus var. densiflorus	NNS 03-405	1/7	1/8-1/17	~1/14
Penstmon labrosus	NNS 05-548	1/7	1/8-2/5	2/3

* half the seeds stored dry, the other half moist and refrigerated (W). W moved to wet paper towel on porch for bright indirect light & diurnal temp var. 1/7

** damp sand in ziplocs; too small for paper towel.

Hope falls eternal

The first rains mean work, lots of it. I had to make time in a weekend of college football apocalypse to plant the last bulbs, cut back almost everything (or cut down: I put the final monster pelargonium out of my misery), and, especially, to start seeds. Half of these are the things I started last spring, the other half I ordered mostly from Silverhill before realizing how poorly I did with the first batch. Hopefully nature will do a better job than I did.

Sowing these seeds I ordered six months ago, I had to wonder: what the fuck was I thinking? 5 Romuleas? I have no idea. On the other hand, it made sense to order those from Silverhill, since they are unusual and hard to come by, unlike Ornithogalum. It's a mystery.

Babiana villosa	Silverhill
Erythronium californicum 'White beauty'	paintbrush
Freesia alba x purple stripe	paintbrush
Freesia refracta	Silverhill
Geissorhiza splendidissima	Silverhill
Hesperantha coccinea	Silverhill
Lachenalia orchoides var. orchoides	Silverhill
Ornithogalum maculatum	Silverhill
Lilium bolanderi	Alplains
Romulea amoena	Silverhill
Romulea hirsuta var. hirsuta	Silverhill
Romulea monadelpha	Silverhill
Romulea sabulosa	Silverhill
Romulea unifolia	Silverhill

Satiety

All of a sudden, the garden seems full. My strategy all along has just been to buy interesting plants, stick them in somewhere, and see how they did -- and how I liked them. "Design" was something that would work itself out eventually (much to my long-suffering wife's chagrin).

Well, the first of the fall bulbs arrived today, and they (mostly) have to go into the bulb bed -- which you may be able to discern under the California fucshia to the right -- and I'm pretty much out of room.

Sure, I can stick a few more things in a few more borders, particularly if I ever tackle that thuggish pelargonium, but the die is cast. Now I have to start moving things around.

The bulbs:

• Calochortus simulans*
• Calochortus umbellatus
• Corydalis solida 'G. P. Baker'*
• Colchicum cilicicum 'Glory of Heemstede'*
• Crocus cartwrightianus
• Crocus gargaricus
• Crocus pulchellus 'Zephyr'
• Crocus sativus 'Cashmerianus'
• Cyrtanthus elatus x montanus
• Fritillaria affinis 'Wayne Roderick'
• Fritillaria purdyi striata*
• Gladiolus debilis
• Lachenalia aloides var. quadricolor
• Lachenalia liliflora
• Nerine sarniensis var. corusca major
• Tulipa clusiana

* D'oh! Just because you order 'em, doesn't mean you get 'em.

Patience again

So much of learning to garden consists of learning patience. For various reasons, I had a certain level of anxiety about the return of two winter-dormant plants: the "oriental" lilies and the stream orchid, Epipactis gigantea. This weekend the latter finally poked up through the camellia flower carpet-bombing campaign, as seen to the right, and the first lily was spotted as well (not as picturesque as this L. regale).

Just as last year, though, seeds generate the most anxiety. So for (my own, I know you couldn't care less) future reference, the germination update:

(All seeds stratified in ziplocs of moist peat in the vegetable crisper the penultimate weekend of January, except the Alliums, which went in a week later. Bulb seeds in 4" plastic, everything else in flats. Timing info came mostly from Alplains.)

Aquilegia eximia	Two seedlings in the same cell immediately after germination, 3rd just appeared (in same cell).
Allium amplectens	Sown after one month, without sign of germination, back into fridge after about a month to try to get something started.
Allium bisceptrum var. bisceptrum	Sown after c. 2 months, without sign of germination, no action yet.
Calochortus catalinae	germinated quickly and thoroughly, looking good.
Calochortus kennedyi var. kennedyi	Same as above, a week or two later.
Erythronium helenae	Same as Allium amplectens.
Erythronium tuolumnense	Recommended stratification not finished.
Fritillaria recurva (4 populations)	All germinated, planted out 10 days ago, sending up cotyledons now.
Lilium bolanderi	Nothing yet.
Lilium pardalinum ssp. pardalinum	Germinated after c. two months, planted out, presumably getting hypogeal.
Penstemon eatonii var. eatonii	Germinated, sending up cotyledons now.
Penstemon grahamii	Nothing yet.
Silene californica	Secondary leaves going up now.
Triteleia hyacintha	A single cotyledon appeared after planting out, up to 5 now (maybe I let it dry out too much?)

Overall, I'm pretty happy about these results, assuming that the Alliums and Erythroniums will work out eventually.

Street trees

So the city wants to put a Ginko in front of the neighbors' house. It's not my favorite, but considering the options and limitations (power lines), I can live with it (we've been assured it's will be male). But I know very little about this category of plant, so I wanted to see what Chuck and Trey have to say. And you!

Cercis canadensis	Eastern Redbud
Lagerstroemia indica x L. fauriei	Crape Myrtle
Photinia fraseri	Photinia
Prunus cerasifera ‘Thundercloud’	Purple Leaf Plum
Pyrus kawakamii	Evergreen Pear
Rhus lancea	African Sumac
Tristania laurina ‘Elegant’	Water Gum
Acer buergeranum	Trident Maple
Aesculus carnea ‘Briotii’	Red Horsechestnut
Alnus cordata	Italian Alder
Eriobotrya deflexa	Bronze Loquat
Geijera parviflora	Australian Willow
Ginkgo biloba ‘Saratoga’ or ‘Autumn Gold’	Maidenhair Tree
Koelreuteria bipinnata	Chinese Flame Tree
Koelreuteria paniculata	Golden Rain Tree
Laurus nobilis ‘Saratoga’	Saratoga Laurel
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Saint Mary’	Saint Mary Magnolia
Maytenus boaria ‘Green Showers’	Mayten Tree
Metrosideros excelsus	New Zealand Christmas Tree
Pyrus calleryana ‘Aristocrat’	Aristocrat Pear
Sapium sebiferum	Chinese Tallow Tree
Eucalyptus microtheca	Coolibah Tree
Fraxinus oxycarpa ‘Raywood’	Raywood Ash
Gliditsia [sic] triacanthos inermis ‘Shademaster’	Thornless Honey Locust
Nyssa sylvatica	Sour Gum or Tupelo
Pistacia chinensis‘Keith Davey’ or ‘Pearl Street’	Chinese Pistache
Platanus acerifolia‘Yarwood’	London Plane
Podocarpus gracilior	African Fern Pine
Quercus rubra	Red Oak
Quercus shumardii	Shumard Red Oak

Note: not a single native, and no habitat trees (as far as I can tell). Habitat = "messy" of course. Some of these are pretty disease prone. Some good resources for street trees, especially in California, are Cal Poly's selectree and the Palo Alto "urban" Canopy. This is zone 9/17.

Plants I have killed

So far:

2005
huckleberry	Vaccinium ovatum	insufficient hydrogen ions
lenten rose	Helleborus x nigersmithii "Ivory Prince"	?
passion flower	Passiflora edulis "Black Knight"	Passifloraceae
2006
western redbud**	Cercis occidentalis	(bareroot never rooted)
anemone	Anemone multifida	shade?
poppy	Papaver orientalis cv.	temperature?
tuberose	Polianthes tuberosa	summer water?
2007
agave	Agave attenuata	cold
--	Deppea splendens	cold

I know, how do you kill a Hellebore? Soggy soil?

Shit, I almost forgot I murdered a clivia baby (i.e., offset) while transplanting the mom last weekend. I'm trying to get it to root though.

Plant list

Plants in the ground so far. *inherited; **in the front. No annuals, at the moment.

flowering maple**	Abutilon sp. (orange)	Malvaceae
flowering maple	Abutilon sp. (red)	Malvaceae
yarrow	Achillea millefolium	Asteraceae
anise hyssop**	Agastache [foeniculum?] "wildfire"	Lamiaceae
grass aloe	Aloe cooperi	Asphodelaceae
kangaroo paw	Anigozanthos “bush garnet”	Haemodoraceae
*arum	Arum italicum	Araceae
asphodel	Asphodelus albus	Liliaciae/ Asphodelaceae
beschorneria	Beschorneria rigida	Agavaceae
bougainvillea	Bougainvillea cvv. (2)	Nyctaginaceae
angel’s trumpet	Brugmansia x candida cv.	Solanaceae
mariposa	Calochortus splendens	Liliaceae/ Calochortaceae
mariposa	Calochortus venustus	Liliaceae/ Calochortaceae
bottlebrush (dwarf)	Callistemon viminalis "Little John"	Myrtaceae
*camellia	Camellia japonica cvv. (2)	Theaceae
Inca flower	Cantua buxifolia	Polemonaceae
key lime	Citrus aurantifolia	Rutaceae
*Meyer lemon	Citrus x meyeri	Rutaceae
clivia	Clivia miniata	Amaryllidaceae
crinum?	Crinum bulbispermum	Amaryllidaceae
pink	Dianthus “fancy knickers”	Carophyllaceae
*carnation	Dianthus carophyllis cv.	Carophyllaceae
fire-cracker something	Dicelostemma ida-maia	Themidaceae/ (Alliaceae/ Liliaceae)
blood red trumpet vine	Distictis buccinatoria	Bignonaceae
Cali. fuschia	Epilobium canum [Zauschneria californica] "Catalina"	Onagraceae
stream orchid	Epipactis gigantea	Orchidaceae
fawn lily	Erythronium californicum "white beauty"	Liliaceae
euphorbia	Euphorbia characias (dwarf)	Euphorbiaceae
euphorbia	Euphorbia "Red Martin"	Euphorbiaceae
fatsia	Fatsia japonica	Araliaceae
freesia	Freesia alba	Iridaceae
*freesia	Freesia x hybrida	Iridaceae
?	Fritillaria meleagris	Liliaceae
*fuschia	Fuschia x hybrida (2)	Onagraceae
*gardenia	Gardenia augusta cv.	Rubiaceae
paintbrush	Haemanthus albiflos	Amaryllidaceae
mariposa	Hedychium coronarium	Zingiberaceae
coral bells	Heuchera sanguinea “torch”	Saxifragaceae
hydrangea**	Hydrangea macrophylla cvv.(2)	Hydrangeaceae
Douglas iris	Iris douglassiana	Iridacea
?	Ixia viridiflora	Iridaceae
climbing penstemon	Keckiella cordifolia	Plantaginaceae (Scrophulariaceae)
red hot poker	Kniphofia uvaria “flamenco”	Asphodelaceae
lantana**	Lantana spp. (3)	Verbenaceae
bay	Laurus nobilis	Lauraceae
pincushion	Leucospermum "scarlet ribbons"	Proteaceae
*lion's tail	Leonotis leonurus[?]	Lamiaciae
lily	Lilium x hybrida "Casablanca"	Liliaceae
firecracker vine	Manettia luteorubra	Rubiaceae
scarlet monkeyflower	Mimulus cardinalis	Scrophulariaceae
calamint	Nepetella?	Lamiaceae
marjoram	Origanum majorana	Lamiaceae
oregano	Origanum vulgaris	Lamiaceae
*geranium	Pelargonium [x domesticum?] cv.	Geraniaceae
scarlet bugler	Penstemon centranthifolia	Plantaginaceae (Scrophulariaceae)
beardtoungue	Penstemon sp.	Plantaginaceae (Scrophulariaceae)
cape fuchsia	Phygelius capensis	Scrophulariaceae
king protea	Protea cynaroides	Proteaceae
pomegranate	Punica granatum "wonderful"	Punicaceae/ Lythraceae
?	Puya venusta	Bromeliaceae
*rose	Rosa ("double delight" and one other hybrid tea)	Rosaceae
salvia**	Salvia chamaedryoides	Lamiaceae
salvia**	Salvia chiapensis	Lamiaceae
*salvia	Salvia [coccinea?]	Lamiaceae
salvia**	Salvia greggii "Coral"	Lamiaceae
salvia**	Salvia greggii "Desert blaze"	Lamiaceae
salvia**	Salvia x jamensis "Sierra San Antonio"	Lamiaceae
*salvia	Salvia leucantha	Lamiaceae
sage	Salvia officinalis	Lamiaceae
?	Satureja mexicana	Lamiaceae
winter savory	Satureja montana	Lamiaceae
blue-eyed grass**	Sisyrinchium bellum	Iridaceae
Marmelade bush	Streptosolen jamesonii	Solanaceae
tulip	Tulipa linifolia	Liliaceae
thyme	Thymus vulgaris	Lamiaceae
*nasturtium	Tropaeolum majus cv.	Tropaeolaceae
viburnum**	Viburnum opulus "Roseum"	Caprifolaceae
wisteria	Wisteria sinensis “Texas white”	Fabaceae
*calla lily	Zantedeschia aethiopica	Araceae

Wants list

More a list of things to look into further.

California fawn lily	Erythronium californicum	done
California peony	Paeonia californica	(too ugly. try P. cambessedesii instead)
NZ tea tree	Leptospermum scoparium	meh.
flowering quince	Chaenomeles sp.
Cape honeysuckle	Tecomaria capensis
Waratah	Telopea speciosissima	also. hybrid "Braidwood Brilliant"
?	Crinum procerum "splendens"	?
Scarlet feather	Verticordia grandis
?	Erica plukenetti
?	Tigridia orthantha	(Chiapan cloud forest)