Why are some plants drought tolerant?

'Garden of Dreams' (CSUDH) features local native drought tolerant plants

 

After four years of serious drought and water restrictions, most California gardeners are concentrating on drought tolerant solutions.  But what makes one plant drought tolerant and another water-loving?   The answer is more complex than you might imagine.  

To learn more see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/10/how-things-work-plant-drought-tolerance.html

 

 

 

  

    

 

Aches and Pains? Mother Nature May Have a Cure for That

Making a tincture from Telegraph Plant.  This is a great medicine for aching hands!

California native plants are useful as well as attractive.  In fact, many have significant histories as medicinal plants. This should not surprise us; plants produce a wide range of chemicals for their own protection.  It turns out that some are also effective against human pathogens and conditions. 

Western medicine is just beginning to discover the benefits of chemicals produced by locally native plant species.  There is also increasing interest in the many practical uses of California native plants.   That’s one reason why we created Mother Nature’s Garden of Health at the Gardena Willows Wetland Preserve  (http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/03/our-new-garden-mother-natures-garden-of.html).

Most of us suffer from joint and muscle aches every so often. Pain medications can cost a lot – and have serious side effects.  What if there were an inexpensive alternative that could be applied externally to help reduce the aches?  

It turns out that several native plants have long been used to ease painful muscles and joints, usually in combination with warm water.  If you grow these plants, you may want to try them to see if they work for you.  They may provide a useful complement to Western medicines, working in concert with them.

 

 

For more, see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/10/garden-of-health-making-tincture-for.html

Shade Trees for a Changing Future Climate

Blue Elderberry tree once provided needed shade in Garden of Dreams,
 CSU Dominguez Hills

The past few years have been sobering for anyone concerned with our planet’s future.   In Southern California, the effects of four years drought can be seen in nearly every garden and wild place.  Record-breaking heat and winds have also plagued us, compounding the effects of the drought.   Climate change is happening right now – and we’d best be planning for more to come.

In 2014, we gave a talk on Climate Change and the Southern California Garden.    We discussed the climate models, their predictions for Southern California and the implications for local gardens.  Two conclusions are clear: 1) overall temperatures – and the number of high heat days (> 95° F; 35° C) – will increase in S. California over the next century; 2) the frequency of extreme precipitation years (both drought and greater than normal precipitation) are also likely to increase. For more predictions see our 2014 talk: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/climate-change-2014.

Our gardens must provide more shade in the future.  Hardscape features like patios, arbors and awnings are one way to create shade.  But ‘living shade’ – that provided by trees, shrubs and strategically placed vines – has additional benefits.  Plants cool the surrounding areas by evaporative cooling; that’s why the shade under trees feels cooler than the shade under a patio roof.  Plants also release oxygen, clean the air of contaminants and provide habitat for numerous creatures.  If chosen carefully, shade trees and shrubs provide colorful flowers, edible fruits and a green oasis in summer.

 

Toyon (Heteromeles arbulifolia) - pruned as tree

 

Ideally, shade-producing plants are long-lived – 50 or more years is ideal.  That means that shade trees planted now must be tough enough to thrive in the climate of 50 years and more in the future.  We’re betting strongly on California natives, including some trees and shrubs that already grow in the Los Angeles Basin.   Locally native survivors are appropriate for our soils and provide key habitat for local creatures.  So we should use the local natives when appropriate.

But the choice of trees that can survive and thrive into the future is anything but straight forward.  To learn more - and for a list of suggested trees and shrubs - see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/09/sustainable-gardening-trees-for.html

Pruning California Native Plants – Don’t Use a Bulldozer

Garden of Dreams Native Plant Garden - CSU Dominguez Hills
Good example of how not to prune native plants

Many California native plants require yearly pruning.   The best timing and methods differ depending on the type of plant.  But a bulldozer is NEVER the right tool for the job.    For more on the proper ways to time and prune native plants see:

·        http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/11/maintaining-your-new-california-garden_15.html

 

·        http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2012/11/pruning-common-native-plants.html

Surviving the Drought

Plenty of summer flowers, seeds and fruits for bird & pollinator habitat:
 Garden of Dreams, CSUDH, in July, 2015 (after 4 years of drought)

The past four years of drought have been tough on gardens and gardeners.  Even water-wise native plants are showing signs of stress.  For some practical ideas on surviving the drought see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/07/surviving-drought.html




Water-wise native plants from the Channel Islands stand up well to the drought. St. Catherine's Lace (Eriogonum giganteum) and Catalina silverlace (Constancea nevinii) with background of Mulefat (Baccharis salicifolia) and Southern Island mallow (Lavatera assurgentiflora)



Bee Flies – the family Bombyliidae

Bee Fly (Villa lateralis):  a species seen at CSU Dominguez Hills

While most people think of bees when they hear the word ‘pollinator’, in fact a wide range of animals function as pollinators.  To learn more about pollinators in general see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/06/life-friendly-gardening-planning-for.html).

Among the bee-like insects that serve as pollinators are the Bee Flies.  The Family Bombyliidae is a large family of flies with literally hundreds of genera and thousands of species worldwide. The exact number of species is currently unknown, due to a significant lack of research on this family.  For a good review of the main types of  flies seen in Southern California see: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/redmite6.htm

 

To learn more about Bee Flies and their role as beneficial insects, see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/06/bee-flies-family-bombyliidae.html


 

Celebrate National Pollinator Week (June 15-21, 2015)

National Pollinator Week (the 3^rd week in June each year) celebrates the importance of pollinators for all life on earth. Eighty percent of food crops, as well as many ornamental plants, require insect pollinators.    Life without living pollinators would be very different, indeed.

Here are some things you can do to celebrate National Pollinator Week:

 

Learn more about the key role of pollinators: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2013/06/life-friendly-gardening-planning-for.html.

Learn more about specific S. California pollinators:

·        Metallic Green Bees: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2012/09/metallic-green-bees-genus-agapostemon.html

·        Yellow-faced Bumble Bee: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/06/yellow-faced-bumble-bee-bombus.html

·        Western Tiger Swallowtail: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/07/western-tiger-swallowtail-papilio.html

·        Duskywing Butterflies: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2015/05/duskywing-butterflies-genus-erynnis.html

 

Create pollinator habitat in your garden: http://www.slideshare.net/cvadheim/planning-for-pollinators-brochure-2013

 

Register your garden as part of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge (MPGC):  http://pollinator.org/MPGC.htm

Participate in National Pollinator Week activities: http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2015.htm

 

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