Culinary and Medicinal Herbs

Culinary and medicinal herbs have been a part of human heritage for thousands of years.  Many herbs used by indigenous peoples have been studied and found to be greatly important in our discoveries of past cultures and their daily life.

Herbs can mean many things to many different people; culinary plants like Thyme and Parsley, shown above, offer a staple place in the garden.  Other plants like Calendula and Feverfew, also shown above, are enjoyed for their medicinal qualities as well as their beauty.

All around the world people enjoy the grace and diversity of herbs.  Let us help you build an herb garden today!

Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are migratory birds visiting our region from September through May.  They are 'intensive foragers" of fruit; up to 90% of their diet!  Waxwings are incredibly beautiful birds having red tips to their wings and a band of bright yellow on their tail feathers.  They are nomadic birds in constant search for fruit.

Grow native shrubs and trees that bear fruit for these migratory birds rather than an invasive plant like Privet.  While waxwings love the berries the spread of invasive species should be reduced. 

Fruit bearing native trees and shrubs include coffee berry, elderberry, toyon, hackberry, currants and also the vine California grape.

 

Cedar Waxwing

ROSE HIPS

Displaying its holiday colors, the non-native Rosa rugosa (pictured above) is an attractive and habitat friendly addition to your landscape.  It happily provides shelter and food for birds, insects and more.

Historically Native Americans made tea and a vegetable like dish from the hips (fruit) of a variety of native Rose species.  Extremely high in Vitamin C and bioflavonoids rose hips can be used fresh or dried.

Be careful with Rosa rugosa shrubs in particular, they will take over a 10' x 10' area within a few years.  While a gorgeous plant and carefree it is not native to California.  Cutting it back each season is important to prevent its spread into California's wild places.

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.