2017 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

That caenothus looks amazing. I've only seen the blue ones here and not come across a fragrant one. Has anyone been hybridising? I'd like pure blue but that form and fragrance!

Hi Gail,

The fragrance of some Ceanothus species is very sweet, pollen-like, not sweet like Daphne. Having said that, the fragrance of various Ceanothus species can fill the air in a large areas. While driving up to Peavine Ridge the whole canyon is filled with the fragrance of Ceanothus integerrimus on a warm day. At lower elevations, Ceanothus cuneatus fills the chaparral with fragrance.

I am very disconnected with the horticultural scene in California. I have no idea if anyone is currently breeding Ceanothus. There is certainly much potential and many possibilities. In the past many selections were chance seedlings from botanical gardens or selections from plants found in the wild. Some are still around and are excellent selections. Maybe someone out there has knowledge of current breeding activities with the Genus Ceanothus.

[johnralphcarpenter]

That caenothus looks amazing. I've only seen the blue ones here and not come across a fragrant one. Has anyone been hybridising? I'd like pure blue but that form and fragrance!

I have a white one in flower at the moment. I'll have to see if I can find the label.

[Robert]

A few more scenes from Peavine Ridge, El Dorado County.



Good forms of Ceanothus prostratus var. prostratus have bright blue flowers. Some have washed out flowers. It is quite the gem, but unfortunately it can be difficult to cultivate. Perfect drainage is essential i.e. a rock garden could be perfect.



Ceanothus cordulatus is another Ceanothus species seen on Peavine Ridge.



The foliage is glaucous-gray and quite attractive. This species has wicked thorns, or more like short stout twigs with a wickedly sharp point.



With strong convection, the clouds can build quickly.



In a hour or less small cumulus clouds can build into a thunderstorm. This storm formed in less than an hour and was producing lightning as I was photographing it.

[Robert]

A number of nice bulbous species were in bloom or budded.

Allium campanulatum is a very common species in the Sierra Nevada. This species prefers growing on soil derived from granite. A short distance to the south on the volcanic rhyolite based soils, Allium obtusum is encountered more frequently.



Quite a few specimens of Fritillaria micrantha can be found growing under the Jeffrey Pine (Pinus jeffreyi). There is a surprising degree of variation in the flower color at this site.



Later in the season Lilium washingtonianum ssp. washingtonianum will come into bloom. I have found a few sites where they grow by the thousands on forested slopes. They have a nice clove-like fragrance. When they bloom in quantity their fragrance fills the whole forest.



Deer like the lilies too.



At another nearby site Calochortus leichtlinii grows in the rocky rubble. Peavine Ridge is near the low elevation limit of this species. They are much more common at higher elevations.

[Robert]

Very nice late blooming forms of Primula (Dodecatheon) hendersonii grow on Peavine Ridge. Some are quite fertile, unlike populations found at lower elevations. I grow forms from various elevations in the Sierra Nevada. They all bloom at different times in our Sacramento garden. In addition, they appear to be obligate out breeders, i.e. they will not self pollinate. A batch of seedling can show considerable variation in a number of traits.



The annual, Lupinus stiversii is one of many Lupine species found on Peavine Ridge. Lupinus stiversii is found throughout the Sierra Nevada at various elevations.



Where the soil holds some moisture sheets of Mimulus bicolor are blooming.



Mimulus torreyi prefers sites that are a bit drier. They are often seen blooming on dry, rocky flats.



Calyptridium monospermum is a very common species throughout the Sierra Nevada. It too likes sunny, dry, rocky sites.

[Robert]

Occasionally I encounter the perennial vetch, Vicia americana ssp. americana. A small patch grows at one site on Peavine Ridge.



There are some wonderful views of the Crystal Range from Peavine Ridge.



Pyramid Peak is the southern most peak of the Crystal Range. Mount Price is the next peak to the north. Lake Sylvia is located at the base of Pyramid Peak. Lyons Lake is located at the end of a glaciated valley at the southwest base of Mount Price. A creek flows west from Lake Sylvia. Shortly after leaving Lake Sylvia, another creek, descending a steep granite slope from Lyons Lake, joins it forming Lyons Creek. Eventually Lyons Creek flows into Silver Creek.

[Maggi Young]

There are some wonderful views of the Crystal Range from Peavine Ridge.

There certainly are!  But then again, you show us fascinating views  every time, Robert!

[hamparstum]

Robert, your mountain views could look like any around home. Also since Jeffrey's pine is so commonly planted here and also grows from self sown seed, those pine lands are a very commonplace sight. What I've realized that we miss, are all  the wonderful understory plants i.e Alliums, Lilies, Ceanothus and that incredible Pussy Paws. It could be a gem in a rock garden! One other prostrate Ceanothus is C.pumilio. Is it also associated with your general area? The prospect of growing different prostrate bushes in the rock garden is one of my hort goals. There's a huge potential in that section too! Thank you for your lovely photos they are so inspiring....!

[Robert]

Maggi,

The peaks of the Crystal Range are like home. My father brought me to Lake Sylvia in 1960, I was 5 years old. I still remember parts of that "outing". Some time around 1965 my father built a cabin near Tells Peak, the most northern peak of the Crystal Range. Before 1960, my father would get off work on Friday and we would drive to Yosemite to camp for the weekend. Back then one could drive into Yosemite Valley on Friday evening and find an open camping site and spend the weekend. I grew up looking at Yosemite Valley and other parts of the Sierra Nevada. There is no end to the learning, which is a actually such a blessing. Here I am, 62, and there is so much to learn - just the plants that grow on Peavine Ridge. I find and discover something new constantly. Folks that travel to China, the Middle East, Turkey, Patagonia, and elsewhere only scratch the surface on their outings. We will never be bored by a lack of new plants for our gardens, or endless possibilities of design and arrangement within our gardens. I enjoy and learn a get deal on my outings and enjoy conveying what I can through my diary on the SRGC forum. Just for the record.... I have zero interest in Facebook. You can find me right here on the SRGC forum. 

Arturo,

Ceanothus pumilus grows in Northwestern California and Southwestern Oregon. Unfortunately, Ceanothus pumilus has been confused with Ceanothus roderickii and plotted as growing in El Dorado County where C. roderickii grows (by the way this is very close to the El Dorado County farm) on the Calflora web site. The Calflora web site is fantastic. Anyone can post information on the Calflora site, but sometimes it is not accurate. In my world this is okay, Calflora is still excellent. I add data to the Calflora web site and some of my data is purposefully inaccurate!    Many of the plants that I plot on Peavine Ridge are shown to grow in the middle of the pavement at the junction of Peavine Ridge Road and Ice House Road. I learned this lesson from Wayne Roderick himself. Sadly, one has to be very careful about disclosing the location of certain plants, or in my case, on going projects.

There are so many outstanding plants in the Sierra Nevada. There are also endless possibilities within each species. There can be considerable genetic variation, both as expressed in the phenotype as well as hidden in the genotype. Our Sacramento garden is turning into an educational "classroom" to learn what I can about the possibilities of our California native flora. I still grow species from other parts of the Earth, however there are many native species. What I grow in my garden is certainly different from what others grow in there garden. We can all learn from each others experiences and share ideas. Pretty good if you ask me!       

[hamparstum]

It takes quite a lot of deep breathing and sighing to acknowledge that there are out there people that will use information for dishonest behaviour and actually contribute purposefully to the decline of diversity! You've been blessed with an incredible diversity. What would be known as a diversity hotspot. My ancestral homeland in northern Turkey and Caucasus one other. Its always intriguing to speculate why such hot spots exist. There are quite a few high altitude alpines even here in Patagonia; yet they've not reached cultivation. They are quite difficult to multiply even under specialized growing conditions. Marcela Ferreyra a local very knowledgeable botannical guide innocently showed where some ground orchids grew' till her next visit proved that they had disappeared much to all our dismay! Still I believe that bringing into cultivation wild species reduces the risk of overall extinction...
PS I've been using Calflora website as you post your different pics. I'm gradually understanding your incredible flora with their information added to your postings. As you can imagine I'm way behind... 

[Robert]

Arturo,

For me it is important to be extremely mindful about my attitude about wild plants. I always try to encourage folks to learn how to grow and maintain pure seed lines. There seems to be a craving to grow "the real species", which can lead to the despoiling of nature. Wild plants want to live in their home habitat and are to often unhappy in our gardens. Species can be encouraged to adapt to our home garden, but this is best done through growing our own seedlings (i.e. Ian Young is constantly trying to impress this upon us in his bulb log!). I do gather tiny amounts of seed from the wild (from very common species), but only as a start. For me it is much more important to maintain a population of a species in my garden and then let them evolve and adapt to my garden through generations of seedlings. When I farmed and breed vegetable I needed to know how to maintain pure lines. It is not that difficult, however it does take some know how, especially if one is growing species that easily cross with each other.

I am against the commercialization of seed gathered in the wild. The making of money too often clouds ones judgement. This is not to say wild seed should not be available. Unfortunately I do not have an answer how best to accomplish this, but I do think that a win-win situation can be found where wild populations are maintained or even increase and thrive, while new genetic material is introduced and horticulture can thrive and prosper with a never ending supply of new and exciting plants. Humans have a tremendous ability to create good. We can do it and do it well.

[johnralphcarpenter]

I have a white one in flower at the moment. I'll have to see if I can find the label.

Here it is - Ceanothus 'Snow Showers'. Don't know which species it derives from.

[Robert]

Ralph,

'Snow Showers' must be quite nice. I am not familiar with this variety. It is most likely very common? Does anyone know its parentage? 

[hamparstum]

Robert, in your just above post you present a very interesting set of issues. Some are quite difficult to answer. In the latter part of my career as conservation officer I was often faced with problems of conservation beyond the boundaries of protected areas. My often raised question was how effective is a protected area if the rest of the land can be used irresponsibly? Is reasonable land use compatible with conservation of diversity? Some say no. I do think that if we can behave with very clear minds while we are trying to achieve and are ready to listen in the inner world, the word enough...then we can be guided to the right proportion of everything. My interest in bringing into cultivation wild plants also is in response to a rather narrow choice of plants that  is set by a generally accepted way a garden "ought " to be. A garden is a cultural artifact and so is agriculture and our eating habits. Gardening is influenced by the ecosystems where this development occurred in Europe, mainly in England, France and Italy which established the mode worldwide in temperate regions. Once one departs from those wet low lying lands into different types, then the available diversity is considerably reduced. My region is much nearer to yours than that of where the Chelsea Flower show is now running! Of course one can create microsystems emulating the English conditions, however at a great expense of energy, water, and labour all which are becoming extensively scarce. So that is where a judicious search for other wild plants is reasonable. There's also something about the way hort breeding has evolved as we search for "natural or wilder" forms. When I was working at National Parks I was confronted with a very differing view of what nature conservation meant in the Old world vs the Americas. Still in this part of the world we can find primeval land. Not so in the other continents except Australia. There is growing awareness about the value of such "wilderness" in spite of climatic change that affects everything. Outstanding men like Henry Thoreau or John Muir didn't show up just because, nor just anywhere. In my country, Francisco P.Moreno, was the equivalent and he bequeathed a large tract of land that was given to him in payment of his extensive work as surveyor of the border between Argentina and Chile in very difficult terrain. That became the core donation of the first national park (1901): Nahuel Huapi N.P including the lake N.Huapi which I oversee from my farm. I live beyond the boundaries of a protected area but I'm faced with the challenge of what to grow and how to do so in such a way that it is environmentally sound and sustainable along time. This is where my interest starts searching for other sources.
   

[Robert]

Arturo,

Conservation of the natural elements of our Earth certainly presents challenges. Imperfection is inherent in humanity, but despite this positive and beneficial actions can be taken. Self-regulation and mindfulness are productive first steps that can be taken to help conserve seed stocks of wild plant species, both common and rare or endangered. There are always those that are lost in darkness that cannot be relied upon to act wisely. What and whom we choose to support can have a beneficial effect. Non-cooperation with those that plunder nature can be highly effective. Government intervention generally becomes necessary when we fail to govern ourselves. Government can certainly be very effective when dealing with the violent and bullies. I was always grateful for CAMP and/or the sheriff’s department when they dealt with marijuana growers on wild lands. Unfortunately, government cannot always be relied upon to act wisely.

It can be useful to improve how government perceives horticulture. Horticultural collecting is often sited as one cause for the decline of a rare or endangered species. In some cases this is true, but more often, at least in California, development, logging, and other large-scale commercial activities are extremely detrimental. Very sadly, government has, too often, a perverted concept of economic activity. I agree with Scott Nearing 100% when he stated that the purpose of economic activity should be livelihood, not “making money”. Lust for money has created so much suffering on this planet. The ill effects of this misguided concept, base on desires to cope with insecurity, reverberate through humanity and all parts of our physical world. I know of individuals that gather wild seed to secure livelihood. They are very mindful of their activities and aware that if they plunder the seed stocks they will have nothing to return to the next time. Their activities can be very beneficial, raising awareness not only of our wild plant species, but also the benefits of “right livelihood”. I can support activities like this. Sadly we know of those that plunder and abuse nature based on acting upon their base dark desires. It is best if such things are not supported. Government is less likely to take action that is harmful to horticulture if we are perceived as self-regulating in a beneficial way. This forum can certainly be a vehicle toward improving horticulture’s image, as well as promoting responsible actions. It already is! Let’s keep on, keeping on.