Robert’s Crystal Range Project – Year 2, 2020

[Robert]

Hi Trond

Yes, some of the early germinating seedling (still in the cotyledon stage) can endure consistently freezing overnight temperatures. Over the past week, in the Lyons Creek Basin, low temperatures have been below freezing. It was 19 F (-7.2 C) on the morning of 2 March. It would be interesting to find the low temperature limit for these early germinating species. By the way, the pictured seedlings were most likely Navarretia leptelea ssp. leptelea. Dried remains of last year’s plants were found in close association with the germinating seedlings. I will follow up this spring with the definitive identification.



The native species, Horkelia fusca var. parviflora, is one of the toughest perennial species in the Lyons Creek Basin. This species can endure extreme desiccating cold with out snow cover. During the late autumn, I have seen this species frozen solid in rock hard deeply frozen ground with no snow cover. Upon returning in the spring immediately at snowmelt I found thriving plants coming into new growth. I was expecting to find many black dead plants. I did not find even one! It is amazing to see this species still green after being buried by snow for months and then immediately go into active growth.

Phacelia hastata ssp. compacta comes through the winter looking good, however this species waits for additional cues before coming into growth. I did find one group of Potentilla gracilis var. parviflora coming into growth the other day. This is very early for this species. They were growing at the base of a rock, undoubtedly soaking in some extra solar radiation/heating. On the topic of solar radiation, over the past 4 days or so, incoming shortwave radiation in the Lyons Creek Basin has been peaking at about 815 Wm² each day. To put this in perspective, the days have been clear and at this elevation the atmosphere holds much less water vapor.



This is a good view of the trail into the Lyons Creek Basin with Pyramid Peak in the distance. There were not many areas free of snow at this time. Where there was open ground I did not find any of the usual early emerging perennial species in active growth. Ranunculus alismifolius var. hartwegii, and Viola bakeri are two examples of species that emerge quickly after snowmelt. Clearly they have not received the appropriate cues, yet. With snow cover, the 15 cm soil temperature is very stable at 32 F (0 C). Next season I hope to have a soil temperature data logger deployed in an area where the snow melts and recedes early in the season.

In a few locations the snow had melted away from sites where Lupinus lepidus var. sellulus, Eriogonum incanum, Eriogonum nudum, and Orthilia secunda were exposed. Early in the season immediately after snowmelt these species, despite looking somewhat “green”, will take a week or more before they begin active growth. This serves them well in a number of different ways.

Another winter storm is forecasted to arrive tomorrow. Although precipitation amounts are expected to be fairly light, snow will bury the plants again. They are well designed to survive these conditions. If the snow lingers the out come for the newly germinating annuals is in question. Stay tuned on this one.

Before signing off…

Currently, our seasonal precipitation total stands at 13.47 inches (342.14 mm). Just to reach the 2014-15-drought season total of 20.82 inches (528.83 mm) we will need an additional 7.35 inches (186.69 mm) of precipitation before the end of the precipitation season. Average precipitation for this remaining time period is ~ 9.35 inches. Despite a few storms passing through our region, the current prospects of reaching the 2014-15-drought season total are not good. Stay tuned on this one too…

[Robert]

It looks like we are going to have a change in our weather pattern. The likelihood of significant rain, low mountain snow levels, and much below temperatures is encouraging. At this point any precipitation is welcome and will help, however the shift in the weather is unlikely to alleviate the drought conditions.

Cold temperatures and low snow levels will most likely impact our native flora. Many species have broken their dormancy and are well advanced in their growth. A few higher elevation annual species have even started to bloom. A killing frost could prune back some of the native deciduous species that are in active growth and some of the annuals may temporarily suffer. Such events are rare, but have occurred in the past. Unless something new and very unusual occurs with the weather the native plants will recover from the freezing temperatures and snow. At this point drought and a permanent trend toward a drier climate in the Sierra Nevada and California is much more of a concern. Statically there is a shift in this direction, however at this point it is difficult to differentiate whether this is due to climate change or decadal oscillations in the Northern Pacific Ocean, or a bit of both.

[Hoy]

Robert, I hope you get some rain and not too cold temperature!

This photograph shows what happened last spring at our mountain cabin. The winter was mild and the snow melted early. Then we got very cold weather for a couple of weeks. Almost all the plants were frost burnt. They sprout from the ground so during the summer most had recovered.

[Robert]

Hello Trond,

I found your photograph and comments very interesting.    I am always interested in this sort of report. 

Things have turned very busy for me. There is a great deal for me to comment on regarding climate change and the impact it has on gardening everywhere. I will get back to this diary as I can as there is much to report.

It looks like we are going to get a good dose of mountain snow and precipitation in the valley over the next week. This will not change the developing drought conditions, but it certainly will not hurt either. 

[Robert]

A bit of an update on our weather…

The precipitation totals from our last storm were impressive. The Placerville farm received 5.71 inches (145.03 mm) of precipitation. This is equal to the average precipitation for the whole month of March. The bad news is that our precipitation totals are still 70% of average to date and only 57% of average for the whole precipitation season. The good news is that another storm is forecasted to arrive early next week. This storm has the potential to produce an equal amount of precipitation in our region. The storm is forecasted to become cut-off from the general westerly flow, so it exact trajectory is difficult to forecast. All we can do is hope for the best.

Snow totals in the Sierra Nevada Mountains were also impressive. At the higher elevations of the Crystal Range there is now ~ 9 feet (269.24 cm) of snow. At locations such as Peavine Ridge, where there was no snow prior to the storm, there is now 2.5 to 3 feet (76.20 – 94.44 cm) of snow. Snow level also dropped to low elevations ~ 2,000 feet (610 meters).

It will be very interesting to observe the impact this snow will have on our local flora.



On Telephone Ridge (~ 4,800 feet 1,463 meters), I took this photograph of Nemophila heterophylla in bloom a few days before the snow arrived. The plants are now buried under 2.5 to 3 feet (76.20 – 94.44 cm) of snow. At lower elevations of the Sierra Nevada this species can be routinely buried by late season snow when in bloom. However, the late season snow cover is generally of a short duration. How long the snow cover will remain on Telephone Ridge this season is unknown at this time. If the next storm pans out as forecasted there will be additional snow in the Sierra Nevada, including Telephone Ridge. The next storm is forecasted to be cold with more snow at the lower elevations. There is a possibility that we might get a mini March Miracle. The prospects of ending the overall dry conditions are still remote, however anything is possible.

[Robert]

Parts of our Sacramento, California garden are gorgeous right now. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are currently blanketed with snow, so I will take this opportunity to share some photographs from our garden.



Our goal is to have a beautiful garden. We are much more interested in having a beautiful display and a pleasant design to our garden. It is fun to grow unusual and interesting species; however growing a large collection of individual species is not our gardening choice. Desirable plants are allowed to seed around and many plants of a given species are frequently planted throughout our garden. In this scene Lupinus albifrons var. albifrons can be seen with Triteleia laxa in the foreground.



In our garden, Triteleia laxa is one of the easier to please species. I have grown seedlings from various geographical locations throughout California. In our garden, there is enough genetic diversity that there is now an extended blooming period for this species. They put on a nice show, so this is a welcome addition.



Eschscholzia caespitosa is a California native annual poppy species. It is getting well established in our garden now. I never sow seed, I just let the ripe seeds scatter on their own and enjoy the plants wherever they germinate and grow. This aspect of growing annuals creates a new tapestry of color each season, especially when other native annual species join in.



Triteleia ixioides ssp. scabra is another native geophyte. Once again I grow many forms and a number of different subspecies.



Lupinus albifrons var. albifrons looks great throughout the year. The large flower trusses are very showy and the silver foliage is attractive during all the seasons. I have very carefully attempted to duplicate its natural growing environment in our garden. Being attentive to its specific needs is critical for successful cultivation. Our efforts have paid-off well, as we now have strong, attractive, long lasting plants that have started to seed around in our garden.

[Hoy]

Your display looks great, Robert! It is like a mid summer blooming in a flower meadow here

[WSGR]

So summery! I love the yellow star with striking stripes at the back!

[Robert]

Trond and WSGR

Thank you for the comments! 

Our garden may look "summery", however temperatures have been well below average for the last 14 days or so. As you might imagine our "summer look" is very different.

Some more photographs to share while I have a chance... 



Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum is another easily grown California native geophyte. We grow a number of different forms in our garden. Lavender-blue is the most common flower color, however we grow white forms and I have seen pink flowering forms in the wild. Once again we grow plants from seed gathered over a wide geographical range. Our late blooming forms have flowering stems that are just beginning to extend beyond grow level. They will most likely be in full bloom in about 10 to 14 days, depending on the weather.



Our stand of Camassia leichtlinii ssp. suksdorfii becomes increasingly impressive each season. It is a species that we will continue to spread throughout our garden.



In our garden, lupines are our one of our favorite solutions to biological nitrogen fixation. California has a great variety of species, both annual and perennial. This is a very unusual variant of Lupinus benthamii (an annual species). A chance seedling germinated during the summer (very unusual!). The seedling survived the summer and began to grow well with cooler temperatures during the autumn. Late in the autumn it began to bloom and this specimen has been blooming non-stop since then. Needless to say, I will be gathering seed from this plant.



This is a nice specimen of Calochortus amabilis getting ready to bloom.

We grow a number of Calochortus species in our garden. The genus seems to have a reputation of being difficult to please in cultivation. Yes, many species can be very exacting in their cultural demands. However, success can be achieved by a thorough understanding of how the various species respond to environmental variables. How a species responds to a specific monochromatic flux density of solar radiation, or seasonal heat fluxes within the top 20 cm of the soil (and many other environmental details) may not be what anyone wants to hear about, however it is through this type of comprehensive study and attention to details that has made cultivation of demanding Calochortus species (and many other demanding California native species) possible in our garden. Far too many cultivation myths have been created regarding the genus Calochortus that have no basis in scientific facts.



This is a first generation hybrid seedling consisting of Ranunculus occidentalis var. ultramontanus as one parent. Nobody is likely to pursue this breeding pathway, however I enjoy the small bright yellow flowers held on long stems of many California native Ranunculus species. My goal is to create easy-to-grow hybrids that perform well in our garden, are long lived, and create the “look” that I desire.

[Hoy]

Trond and WSGR

Thank you for the comments! 

Our garden may look "summery", however temperatures have been well below average for the last 14 days or so. As you might imagine our "summer look" is very different.

Some more photographs to share while I have a chance... 

................

Robert,

When the temperature "over there" is below average in spring it is more like our summer temperature I suppose!
Have you mentioned how big your garden is? Seems you grow a lot of plants!

The Lupin looks great as do the other plants too! I grow Camassia quamash in my garden and it performs well. Some perennial Lupins are banned here in Norway (Lupinus polyphyllus, nootkatensis and perennis). I think it is too late though. They have been grown for a long time and naturalized several places. Other Lupins are still legal to grow.

Crossing different Ranunculus species is nice. hope you get some interesting results!

[Robert]

Trond

You have some interesting comments and questions I want to address. I will not forget! 

I have one more posting after this one. It has the precipitation graphic that I mentioned in a previous posting. I will answer the questions with additional comments when I make the last in this series of postings.

Great to hear from you and others. Hope everyone is staying healthy! 



Work continues with several breeding lines. This is a photograph of newly germinating seeds of an advance generation Primula hendersonii line. Progress is slowly being made to extend the color range, and a number of other interesting characteristics.

For years I have been told that Primula hendersonii is impossible to grow in Sacramento. Not only do our plants grow, but also they thrive and multiply both by seed and division. This species is actually very easy to maintain and is long-lived. If attention is paid to the details their growing environment in the wild and these conditions are met in the garden, cultivation of this species is quite easy.



Many more challenges need to be overcome to successfully cultivate Viola douglasii. These emerging plants are entering their fourth season. We are hoping for a successful seed crop this season. We are hoping that multi-generational plants will eventually become easier to cultivate.



I have the same hopes for this third year specimen of Viola sheltonii.



Pseudotrillium rivale is also thriving in our garden. The young plants bloom every season and set seed. We also grow a few other California Trillium species. They have not reached blooming age, however the young plants are very thrifty in their third and fourth year of growth in the garden.

Many of the western North American Erythronium species (not pictured) thrive in our garden. I was told that these were also impossible to grow in Sacramento. Well our plants have not heard the news. They thrive, multiply and set seed every season. Our first colony is getting a bit large now producing 20 to 30 flowers each season. Other groups grown from seed from a variety of geographic locations are now getting established, with a specific set of future breeding goals in mind. Next year I hope that I have time to post photographs when they are in bloom. I have posted photographs in previous seasons.



I passionately grow California native annuals. Here is a nice colony of Leptosiphon ciliatus. This tiny species produces tiny, long tubed, up facing pink flowers.

New for me this year, are a few of our late season xeric annuals, Lessingia leptoclada and Calycandenia truncata. In our garden, combined with Madia elegans they have the potenial to extend our California native annual flowering season into September and October with minimal or no irrigation needs.

We have a lot to look forward to this season.

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, I hope the snow melt, when it comes, brings much needed water to the area.

[Robert]

Robert, I hope the snow melt, when it comes, brings much needed water to the area.

Hi Ian,

Yes, I too hope that we have a good snow runoff season this year. Unfortunately, our snow-precipitation outlook is not very encouraging at this time. I have projected a snow-precipitation trend into early June for our region. My modeled atmospheric-oceanic dynamics do not appear encouraging for any meaningful snow-precipitation events in this time frame.  At this point our precipitation total at the Placerville farm is running 67% of average to date (27 March). I do not expect this percentage to change much between now and the end of my precipitation season, June 30.

Robert,

When the temperature "over there" is below average in spring it is more like our summer temperature I suppose!
Have you mentioned how big your garden is? Seems you grow a lot of plants!

Trond,

Our backyard garden plot is 21 x 16.5 meters, and the front is 16.5 x 8 meters, including a driveway/packing space. At this time only 35% is intensely planted, so there is a great deal of room for additional planting of small perennial type species and geophytes. I am wanting a beautifully designed garden that provides interest and color throughout the year. I am in no hurry and I am not interested in planting out just anything. Currently, I spend a great deal of time maintaining the 35% - wanting it to look pleasing. Each year Jasmin and I plan another new and small area to develop. This year it was a bulb bed on the hot, dry west facing side of our house. It is planted with appropriate Calochortus species, other California native geophytes, and a variety of California native annuals, with various xeric California Native perennial species. I am hopeful that it will start looking good in 2 to 3 years.

As for our recent temperatures –

At the Placerville farm high temperatures have been running 58-55 F (14.4-12.8 C) for afternoon high temperatures and 43-32 F (6.1-0.0 C) for morning low temperatures.



Navarretia pubescens is another California native annual that we are working on getting established in our garden. This small colony can be seen growing at the base of one of our native shrub oaks, Quercus durata var. durata. To the right, in the foreground is another California native annual, Claytonia perfoliata ssp perfoliata. The Claytonia self sows itself without my help. The leaves are edible and make a tasty salad green, so I leave plenty in the garden to harvest and enjoy during the winter months.



I do grow non-native species. The Ixia maculata hybrids are easy, can be weedy, but they do brighten the garden. Right now we are getting along okay, but I do keep an eye on them so that they do not get out of control.



Geissirhiza radians is a real gem. The small cup-shaped flowers are beautifully marked. They are best enjoyed in a pot. Someday I hope to have a pot filled with this species.



These are specimens of Bromus diandrus, an invasive weed here in California. The two specimens on the left are drought stressed; the specimen on the right is normal. In the drought stressed specimens the leaves and vascular tissues are filled with anthocyanins and have a purplish cast to them, not seen in the normal specimens. Examining the leaves under a microscope is very fascinating. Many plants species produce anthocyanins in a response to various environmental stresses (not just drought). In this case the production of anthocyanins is a function of drought stress and can be modeled very easily. This type of simple model can then be incorporated into other appropriate models, such as climatic models.



A number of weeks ago I promised to post this graphic. The bar on the right represents our 34-year precipitation average at the Placerville, California farm. The bar on the left represents the average precipitation during the last 10-year period, 2009 to 2019. The 1.01-inch (25.654 mm) decline represents a 3% decline in our annual precipitation during this 10-year period, not a very significant percentage (California has its wet and dry precipitation cycles). If I consider the 150-year precipitation average kept in Placerville, which is an excellent proxy, close to the farm average, this trend represents a 4% decline in our average annual precipitation over this 10-year period. Factoring my projected precipitation total for this season, the decline then becomes close to 6%. This is a trend that I want to watch closely. Currently I am modeling projected annual precipitation totals out 10 years or so. I have some hypothesis of how this trend will develop based on other forecasting models and how native plant ecosystems might respond to future declines in the annual precipitation.

This is Fun stuff and is part of a method that allows one to progressively gain a better understanding of what is taking place.

[Hoy]

Robert,

you really have some beautiful flowers in your garden!

I wonder, what kind of rocks/sand do you have in the garden? It looks very volcanic. Is it just a kind of mulch?


Here are two plants flowering in my garden now. Neither are native though. Soldanella alpina and Shortia uniflora. We lack the typical native spring plant (Hepatica nobilis) here at the west coast.

 





Regarding snow. This is from a ski resort not very far away. It is more than 11m of snow on the upper slopes but no skiers now due to the pandemic.

[Robert]

Trond,

  The plants you grow in your garden are very beautiful and very different from those that like to grow in our part of California. Thank you for sharing the photographs. 

The photograph of the snow looks like the snow on Sonora Pass a few years ago when we had a great deal of snow in the Sierra Nevada. There was, more or less, an equal amount of snow. It was one of the few wet years in the past decade. If one removes 2 or 3 years of extremely wet years from the statistic of the last 10 years, it has been extremely dry in California. I believe this matches a forecasted climatic pattern shift for our region. This could be a worrisome trend and it needs to be watch and studied closely.

The native soil in our garden is a clay-loam, more or less, excellent class I farm soil. It seems a crime that class I farm soil is growing housing developments, but that is a different issue. To create suitable soil conditions for many of the plants we grow in our garden I use scoria (a volcanic rock) to aid drainage and diffusion of air into the soil. I also have raised beds, tubs, and other types of containers where I use different proportions of sand, scoria, clay, and organic material to grow specific plants under specific conditions. At one time I used one generalized soil mix for my entire container grown planting mix. This might have worked well for general commercial nursery plant production, but this did not work well for plants with specific and demanding needs. Now I modify my soil mixes to match the specific needs of each species. There are plants growing in pure sand, others in scoria and sand, and still others with a high percentage of clay. The results have been excellent. As a side note, I now never use nitrogen-based fertilizers, organic or inorganic. Many wild plant species are native to N limited ecosystems. Under my growing conditions, the addition of N, organic or inorganic, creates imbalances that are detrimental to the species I am attempting to grow. Biological N naturally derived from bacteria (sources in addition to the symbioses with legumes) has resulted in strong plants that are resistant to many forms of environmental stress. The plants may grow slowly, but they are very strong and well adapted.