FALL BLOOMING NATIVE

Baccharis pilularis or Coyote Bush is a California native shrub growing in California up into Oregon.  A beautiful and carefree evergreen native it is an excellent shrub for urban landscapes as well as for restoration and erosion control projects.  Coyote Bush provides pollen and nectar for predatory wasps, native butterflies and flies which depend on this supply of food to survive winter hibernation.

 

Pictured here is the erect form of Baccharis pilularis. This particular plant was a volunteer to our garden last year. Look at the size of it (almost 5’) in one year! It does receive Summer water from our drip system though it is set on a weekly ½ hour schedule without a direct emitter.

 

Baccharis pilularis will grow prostrate in coastal windswept areas and erect in inland regions (the latter is shown here) but both being the same species of B. pilularis. It is moderately fire tolerant and also a deer a resistant shrub. 

 

Coyote Bush is dioecious meaning that the flowers are born on two different plants. The male flowers on one and the female flowers on a separate plant altogether. The flowers pictured here are female; note the elongated flower which will in a few days ‘go to seed’ and be dispersed by the wind. 

 

Coyote Bush commonly supports galls created by the host- specific midge Rhopalomyia californica (the midge requires Baccharis pilularis for its life cycle success). A gall is formed by plant cells which grow around a wound, generally from a puncture for depositing eggs by a parasitic insect.

 

PERMEABLE PAVING

The permeable paving system shown below (on the right of the impervious asphalt) is Drivable Grass®, manufactured by Soil Retention, Inc.   A concrete or asphalt substitute Drivable Grass® is durable and plantable.  It functions as an effective way to reduce erosion and stormwater runoff on driveways and parking lots and more.  Shown here at a local storage facility the Drivable Grass® and surrounding landscape has been planted in native and drought tolerant plants combined with a drip irrigation system and rain sensor for increased water conservation.

SUNFLOWERS

Sunflowers brighten our day with their beauty and graceful upturned faces.  Use of the sunflower dates back more than 3000 years to Native American peoples.  Sunflowers are native to North America and have been used for centuries for food, fiber, dyes and oils all across the globe.  

Sunflowers are easily grown from seed in the spring. Make sure the soil has plenty of compost then bury the seed about 1-2 times its size into the soil. Water regularly til sprouted then once or twice a week depending on how hot it is. The Mammoth sunflowers are truly remarkable to behold. 

It is amazing to capture a photo of a sunflower with the sun behind it. Sunflowers are heliotropic plants which mean the flowers track the sun as it moves through the sky. The sunflower genus is named Helianthus for this reason: HELIOS after the Greek Sun God and ANTHOS meaning flower.  

 

Sunflower seed is one among very few North American native plants grown for its global importance. The seed grew in popularity in the last century mainly through it's favor in Russia; it had importance to religious activities so was grown to become the 'Mammoth' sizes we see today.  

 

Birds love to eat sunflowers seeds but did you know that the Goldfinch loves the leaves even more? So do our dogs and parakeet! The leaves contain a high amount of essential vitamins and minerals essential for good health. Though they make a skeleton of the leave the plants never seem to fail.

ECHINACEA

This amazing herb comes from east of Rocky's originally.  Echinacea purpurea is from the far eastern U.S. while the species Echinacea angustifolia is from the central U.S. east.  Though this plant is not native to California its benefits far outweigh its origin. 

The uses for this herb are recorded in history from the Dakota, Cheyenne, Lakota and more Native American peoples.  Most often the root was chewed for toothaches and mouth sores while the leaves and stems were infused for tonics and headaches. 

Echinacea is widely known today to aid the immune system in a battle over the common cold.  Cultivated easily this herb deserves its grace in our gardens.