Coloring the Drought

Keeping a lawn alive requires watering throughout the year; having a burst of spring wildflowers requires giving the plants an extra bit of water in late winter and early spring.  In the context of our ongoing drought, what we should do is pretty clear . . .

California Poppy and Bird's Eye Gilia

Baja Fairy Duster

I went to Theodore Payne nursery on Saturday, and among the plants I brought back to Bakersfield were three more Baja Fairy Dusters.  Known in Mexico as Zapotillo, Calliandra californica can grow up to five feet tall and wide and is native to San Diego County south to Baja California and Mexico.  The plant loves sun and heat and because it is used to monsoonal summer moisture, it thrives on getting some water in July and August (which might kill other California natives).  The plant in my front yard attracts hummingbirds like crazy, and while it died back in last winter's hard frost, it looks as good as new this summer.  The leaves are interesting, almost like a mesquite, and the flowers themselves are evocative of bottlebrush.  The plant I have blooms year-round, unless a hard frost takes a bite out of it.

All in all, this is a great plant for Bakersfield gardens.

 
On the entryway to our house.

A swallowtail butterfly enjoying the flower.

A close-up of the flower.

Connecting Prisons With Nature

Here's a great video on Connecting Prisons With Nature.

In Washington State, the Stafford Creek Corrections Center is using sustainability and a connection to green employment to further the inmates' education and job prospects.  It's great to see people connecting disparate fields and rehabilitating both people and land.

Managing the Neighbors

My house is the only one on our street with non-traditional landscaping (i.e., no front lawn).  As such, I've had friendly neighbors ask me about the plants, and I've had unfriendly neighbors file a complaint with the city.  The official complaint read, "Please remove the overgrown grass and weeds from your property," and the ordinance description reads, "D. Overgrown, dead, decayed, diseased, or hazardous trees, weeds, and other vegetation."  The letter ended with a threat to fine me for the cost of hiring a landscape crew to come in and remove the "weeds."  When I spoke with the inspectors from the city and informed them of the planting (and could name the "weeds"), they voided the citation.

In an attempt to ward off future complaints, I took a two-pronged approach.  First, I removed the plants that looked the wildest: unfortunately, that meant I removed all the sages from the front of the garden.  The sages were the most difficult for me to keep looking aesthetically pleasing during the dry months of summer, so I had to sacrifice them.  Second, I added some garden decorations to try to make the garden look more like a garden.  I have tried not to cross the line into "tacky," and since I put up these decorations, there have been no complaints.  Correlation does not equal causation, but still, something is working. . .

I made all these stepping stones myself.  This one is right in front, next to the sidewalk.

Here's a barn owl to scare off any disgruntled thoughts.

And here's a desert tortoise statue with a bird bath to greet anyone walking up to the front door.

In Memoriam : Bert Wilson

It is with great sadness that I learned this week of the passing of Bert Wilson, one of the founders and architects of the great nursery Las Pilitas and its all-embracing website.

I visited Las Pilitas when I first began converting my home landscaping from lawn to native garden, and based his recommendations, I planted Bladderpod, and Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat (two plants that have thrived for me).  Thanks to Bert, there are gardens like mine throughout California (not to mention all the rehabilitated landscapes through government contracts).

According to my religious beliefs, we have one duty / obligation / holy mission in life: to leave this world better than we found it.  By this standard, Bert Wilson's life has been an overwhelming success.

Bakersfield Before Bakersfield

What was the original native vegetation of Bakersfield?  Unfortunately, due to invasive species like the tumbleweed and cheatgrass, truly native landscapes are rare in the Bakersfield area.  Originally, the native vegetation would be a California Shadscale or alkali sink plant community.  In other words, as CSUB Biology professor David Germano argues in his paper "The San Joaquin Desert of California: Ecologically Misunderstood and Overlooked," Bakersfield was originally part of The San Joaquin Desert.

If you're looking for remnants of this landscape, you can see it in the lonely sentinels of Honey Mesquite, and patches of Saltbush and Quailbush.

A List of Native Bakersfield Plants

Here is a list of plant species approved for the Kern River Parkway; these are the only plants "permitted for projects within the Kern River Parkway area [including] streetscape and parking lots."  The City of Bakersfield used to have this list posted online as an official document (the document is dated 2005), but they have since removed it. Depending on the size and type of your home or business landscaping, these species would be excellent choices for a native planting.  I have organized the list by type, but some species --like the redbud -- can be a shrub or a tree, depending on how it is trimmed and shaped.

KERN RIVER PARKWAY PLANT LIST

Scientific Name, Common Name,  Type

Trees

• Acer macrophyllum, Bigleaf maple
• Acer negundo ssp, californicum, California box elder
• Aesculus californica, California buckeye
• Alnus rhombifolia, White alder
• Amelanchier pallida, Western service berry
• Cephalanthus occidentalis, Buttonwillow
• Cerciduim floridum, Blue palo verde
• Chilopsis linearis, Desert willow
• Fraxinus dipetela, Foothill ash
• Fraxinus latifolia, Oregon ash
• Fraxinus velutina, Arizona ash
• Fraxinus velutina "coriacea," Leather leaf ash
• Pinus sabiniana, Gray pine (digger)
• Platanus racemosa, California sycamore
• Populus fremontii, Fremont cottonwood
• Populus trichocarpa, Black cottonwood
• Prosopis juliflora, Mesquite
• Quercus douglassii, Blue oak
• Quercus dumosa, Scrub oak
• Quercus engelmannii, Englemann oak
• Quercus kellogii, California black oak
• Quercus lobata, Valley oak
• Quercus wislizenii, Interior live oak
• Salix exigua, Narrowleaf willow
• Salix goodingii, Tree willow
• Salix hindsiana, Sandbar willow
• Salix laevigota, Red willow
• Salix lasiolepedis, Arroyo willow
• Sambucus caerulea, Blue elderberry
• Sambucus mexicana, Elderberry
• Umbellaria californica, California bay

Large Shrubs (usually grow to be around six feet tall in Bakersfield)

• Artemisia californica, Coastal sage
• Arctostaphylos glauca, Bigberry Manzanita
• Arctostaphylos manzanita, Manzanita
• Atriplex lentiformis, Quailbush
• Baccharis glutinosa, Mulefat 
• Calycanthus occidentalis, Western spice bush
• Carpenteria californica, Tree anemone
• Castanopsis spp., Chiquapin
• Ceanothus cunneatus, Buckbrush
• Ceanothus griseus, Carmel Ceanothus
• Ceanothus integerrimus, Deer Brush
• Ceanothus leucodermis, Whitebark Ceanothus
• Ceanothus purpureus, Hollyleaf Ceanothus
• Ceanothus thrysiflorus, Blue blossom
• Cercis occidentallis, Western redbud
• Cercocarpus betuloides, Mountain-mahogany (birchleaf)
• Cercocarpus ledifolius, Curl-leaf mountain-mahogany
• Fremontia californica, Flannel bush
• Fremontondendron, Flannel bush
• Garrya elliptica, James roof silktassel
• Heteromeles arbutifolia, Toyon
• Prunus ilicifolia, Holly-leaf cherry
• Prunus lyonii, Island cherry
• Rhamnus californica, Coffeeberry
• Rhus integrifolia, Lemonadeberry
• Rhus ovata, Sugar bush
• Romneya coulteri, Matillja poppy

Medium-sized Shrubs (usually grow up to four feet tall in Bakersfield)

• Arctostaphylos parryi, Snow Lodge Manzanita
• Baccharis pilularis ssp. consanquinea, Coyote bush
• Cowania mexicana stansburirna, Cliff rose
• Dendromecon rigida, Bush poppy
• Diplacus species, Monkey flowers
• Encelia californica, California bush sunflower
• Encelia farinosa, Desert encelia
• Encelia virginensis, Mountain bush sunflower (brittlebush)
• Eriogonum arborescens, Santa Cruz island buckwheat
• Fallugia paradoxa, Apache plume
• Isomeris arborea, Bladder pod
• Lupinus albifrons, Lupine
• Mahonia aquifolium, Oregon grape
• Mahonia nervosa, Lingleaf
• Mahonia nevinii, Nevin's barberry
• Mahonia pinnata, California grape holly
• Rosa woodsii ultramontana, Desert rose
• Salvia apiana, White sage
• Salvia clevelandii, San Diego sage
• Salvia leucophylla, Purple sage
• Salvia mellifera, Black sage
• Simmondsia chinensis, Jojoba Shrub

Low Shrubs / Groundcovers / Perennials (usually grow up to two feet tall in Bakersfield)

• Arctostaphylos densiflora, Harmony Manzanita
• Baccharis pilularis, "Twin Peaks" Dwarf coyote bush
• Ceanothus gloriosus, Heart's Desire Mountain Lilac
• Eriogonum crocatum, Conejo buckwheat, Saffron buckwheat
• Heuchera maxima, Island alum root
• Iris douglasiana, Coast iris
• Mimulus aurantiacus, Shrubby monkey flower
• Penstemon azureus, Azure Penstemon
• Penstemon centranthifolius, Scarlet Bugler
• Penstemon eatonii, Firecracker Penstemon
• Penstemon heterophyllus, Foothill Penstemon
• Penstemon palmeri, Palmer's Penstemon
• Penstemon pseudospectabilis, Desert Penstemons
• Penstemon spectabilis, Showy Penstemon
• Solanum xantii, Purple nightshade
• Stanleya pinnata, Princes plume
• Trichostema lanatum, Wooly blue curls
• Zauschneria californica, California fuchsia
• Zauschneria cana, California fuchsia

Vines (will grow as tall as their support)

• Vitis californica, California Wild grape
• Vitis girdiana, Desert Wild grape

California Native Plants in a Bakersfield Landscape : California Pizza Kitchen

Another site to see native plantings is along the bike path, especially near California Pizza Kitchen and Elephant Bar (the corner of Old River Road and Stockdale Highway).  When these restaurants first arrived, they seemed to landscape with California natives exclusively.  However, in the past few years, they have been replacing the native plants with more traditional landscaping (with roses and annuals).  Even so, a few of the native plants continue to do well.

Here is the landscaping by their take out door, with White Sage (Salvia apiana) and a Blue Palo Verde (Cercidium floridum).  White sage can get quite rangy; the landscaping crew here has been trimming it to a tight bush.  The white sage has both beautiful grey foliage as well as a fragrant scent.

Many of their planters are lined with Oregon Grape / California Barberry (Mahonia pinnata).  This plant has brilliant red flowers and shiny red-green, serrated, holly-like leaves, but it does not like harsh trimming, so it could look much nicer than it does here if the landscapers would leave it alone a bit (and not plant it in such narrow strips).

On the ramps leading from the parking lot to the bike path, one can find Dwarf Coyote Bush (Baccharis pilularis pilularis).  This is a great ground cover for Bakersfield, but it doesn't have the colorful blooms or interesting foliage of some of the other native plants.  On the other hand, the birds love this plant for the cover from predators it provides.

California Native Plants in a Bakersfield Landscape Setting : Wind Wolves Preserve

There are a number of sites within and surrounding Bakersfield that feature California natives landscapes.  One such locale is Wind Wolves Preserve at the southern foot of the San Joaquin Valley.  This is a fantastic preserve that showcases California native plants and animals as well as some historical Native American sites.  Their visitor center presents one example of what a landscape featuring native plants would look like.  First, there is no bare ground; instead, a mulch covers the ground to prevent weed growth, to keep the soil cooler than if it were baked by the sun, and to keep moisture from evaporating so quickly.  The mulch can be organic (such as cedar or redwood bark) or inorganic (such as gravel or lava rock).  The plantings here at Wind Wolves showcase one of California's golden natives: the unfortunately named Bladderpod (Isomeris arborea).  This plant has bright yellow blossoms in February and March (and later with a bit of water) to which the bees and hummingbirds will both come.  The plant gets its name from the seedpods, which look like . . . bladders (apparently).

 Here's my son in front of a bush in bloom.

Here are two bushes in the landscaping at Wind Wolves.

Here's a closeup of the blossom.

And here's an Anna's Hummingbird on the daily rounds.

Wind Wolves is a great place to hike, to meditate, to commune with the wild, and to see some native landscaping in action, especially the bladderpod.

Bladderpod is a perfect native plant for landscaping in Bakersfield.  It can take the heat, it doesn't mind being trimmed or shaped if it gets unruly, and it is a magnet for bees and hummingbirds.  If there were an official city plant, this would be it.

Purchasing California Native Plants

When selecting native plants, it's essential to find plants grown the "right" way; these plants will have been grown naturally from seed or cuttings and will not be spurred to artificial growth through the use of fertilizers and hothouses. Furthermore, the best nurseries will use soil that has beneficial bacteria "partners" to foster healthy growth and immune systems. Here is a list of the nurseries that I recommend:

Las Pilitas is off of Highway 58 near Atascadero. They're only open for retail on Fridays and Saturdays, but you can order online, and they are fantastic about answering questions. They have the largest selection of California plants of any nursery.  They also have a superb website --encyclopedic in scope-- that lets you search by zipcode or select criteria to find the perfect plants for your site.

Theodore Payne is located just over the Grapevine in Sun Valley. Their plants are generally a little bigger than the plants at Las Pilitas, and they have an extensive indoor gift shop of art, seeds, and books related to native California plants. They also have tours and classes for anyone wanting to learn about specific aspects of native gardening.