Merritt College Plant Sale Spring 2016

Merritt College just held their annual spring plant sale on the weekend of April 30^th and May 1. The plant sale is part festival and part marketplace, and a great venue for mingling with fellow plant lovers and knowledgeable horticultural students. You can find healthy, well-rooted California native, drought-tolerant, and organic vegetable starters to purchase. For best selection, get there early on Saturday (but I have found great plants even late on Sunday).

The Horticulture Club and associated volunteers grow the starters on premise, in the green house and planting beds. The Horticulture and Sustainable Agriculture departments team up to experiment with interesting ideas for raised beds, using natural materials. They also propagate many varieties of native plants, and heirloom produce and trees.

Approaching the Plant Sale on the Merritt College campus

This year I found several new plants to try. I purchased a couple of interesting cherry tomato plants, and a few shade-loving plants and ground covers for my "white garden". The pink dianthus is for a hot, sunny location in the garden. I already planted a few of the plants, and look forward to getting the rest planted soon.

The Spoils - ready to plant

The Merritt College plant sales coincide with the ideal planting times here in the East Bay—in the Fall (right before the wet season, so that roots can go deep and become established), and in the Spring (at the end of the wet season, when the soil is still soft and moist). These are great sales for stocking up on beautiful plant starters.

Where to Shop: California Natives

In the last few months we've decided to swap out our lawns for a drought tolerant alternative; researched native plants that thrive in Bay Area conditions; and spotted interesting dry garden examples. Now we need some plants. Luckily, we have some excellent native plant sources here in the Bay Area. Nurseries are one option.

Nursery	Details
Berkeley Horticultural Nursery	This nursery has been at the same Bay Area site since 1922, and has grown along with its community. "Berkeley Hort" carries a full line of plants, including California natives. Check the website for new arrivals, edibles, speakers, demonstrations, and plant care information. Address: 1310 McGee Avenue; Berkeley, California 94703; (510) 526-4704 Web: http://berkeleyhort.com/index.html
Annie's Annuals and Perennials	Annie Hayes, a former Berkeley Hort employee, started this nursery in the 1980s. They carry annuals and perennials, from all over the world, and California. Plants are sold in four-inch starters, to insure healthy roots, and useful plant care information is available.   Address: 740 Market Avenue; Richmond, CA 94801; (510) 215-3301 Web: http://www.anniesannuals.com/
The Watershed Nursery	This small nursery specializes in native plants, and restoration projects. They grow their plants in deep containers for healthy roots. Plant lists are published on their website. Check availability before you go, or order plants online and pick them up once they are available.   Address: 601 A Canal Boulevard; Richmond, CA 94801; (510) 234-2222 Web: http://www.watershednursery.com/
Bay Natives Nursery	This nursery, on Pier 96 in the Port of San Francisco, offers rare and endemic plants from the Bay Area, and drought tolerant plants from across the state. View their extensive online catalog for ideas, and order plants for pickup. They do not ship, but can deliver large orders (and they have parking)!   Address: 10 Cargo Way; San Francisco 94124; (415) 287-6755 Web: http://www.baynatives.com/

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Another source is the native plant sales held periodically at colleges, universities, and botanical gardens. For example, Merritt College hosts spring and fall plant sales, as does University of California, Berkeley. San Francisco Botanical Garden offers a plant sale most months.

Even hardware stores and nurseries offer native plants. You may need to march past the brilliant petunias and marigolds that beckon, to the back of the plant section, where you find the small-leaved, muted colored natives. But that is changing as gardeners get savvy about the drought, and distributors begin to offer exciting drought-tolerant plants.

Plants for Clay Soil: Annuals and Bulbs

In this post I am adding annuals and bulbs to the list of plants that thrive in clay soil and partial sun, and are native/Mediterranean, drought-tolerant, and deer-tolerant. Annuals grow for one season, but often reseed themselves and return season after season. Bulbs, corms, and rhizomes typically bloom for a season, then go dormant and store up food for their next blooming cycle. In either case, this is my kind of plant! Their flowers are often showy and colorful.

Bulbs

• Colchicum (Autumn Crocus, Meadow Saffron) – 4-12 inches, with 6 inch spread. Bold pink flowers that resemble crocus, with broad strap-like leaves. Some bloom in spring, others in fall. The fall blooming types frequently grow leaves in spring. Propagates from bulbs. No summer water. Native to the Mediterranean and central Asia. Colchicaceae family (but has been reclassified to the lily family).
• Dietes (Fortnight Lily) – 2-3 feet, with 2-3 feet spread. White flowers that resemble iris, with patterns of yellow and lilac; evergreen, iris-like leaves. Grows in sun or part shade, with little to no water. Deer resistant. Native to Africa. I have several clumps of these and love their blooms. They can grow with very little water, but produce more blooms with some water. Propagates from rhizomes. Iridaceae family.
• Freesia (Freesia) – 6-12 inches, with 6 inch spread. Spikes of fragrant, tubular flowers on wiry stems, with leaves in a fan similar to iris. Hybrid flower colors range from white, to yellow, lavender, purple, pink, red, bright yellow, or orange. Propagates from corms. They like full sun, and do not need water. Native to South Africa. I have a patch of these that have reverted from strong yellow, to very pale yellow. They have a heavenly scent, and bloom with Muscari. Iridaceae family.
• Hyacinthoides hispanica, sometimes sold as Scilla campanulata (Spanish Bluebells) – they grow in clumps as the bulbs divide, with blue (sometimes white or pink) flower bells well-spaced on strong upright stems to 18 inches. Blooms in March and April, with winter sun and often after a good rain. Grows under deciduous trees and shrubs, and propagates freely from bulbs and seeds. This Mediterranean plant is native to the Iberian Peninsula. In my garden, they bloom in early spring, then dry up and disappear during the dry summer months. Asparagaceae family.
• Muscari spp. (Grape Hyacinth) – they grow in clumps as bulbs divide, with blue or white flowers that resemble hyacinth on 8-12 inch spikes, with slim, fleshy leaves. Blooms in early spring after the first rains. Full sun to part shade with winter light, no summer water. Native to Mediterranean and Asia. In my garden, they require no care. They start blooming in early February, giving hope to the winter-weary gardener! Asparagaceae family.

 Muscari

 Spanish Blue Bells

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Annuals

• Clarkia spp. (Clarkia) – 12-30 inches, with 12-18 inch spread. Pink, white, purple, or red flowers (single and double) that resemble California poppy. Small lanceolate leaves are distributed on the stems. Propagate from seed in the fall to take advantage of winter rain. Tolerates clay soil. Native to North and South America, including California. C. rubicunda (herald of summer) is from the Central Coast. Species is named after Captain William Clark, of Lewis and Clark fame. Onagraceae family.
• Gilia tricolor (Gilia, Bird's Eyes) – 6-12 inches, with 8 inch spread. Small, blue-violet flowers with five petals and pale blue pollen; and feathery palmate leaves. Blooms in spring and into summer. Propagate from seed in the fall to take advantage of winter rain. Self-sowing. Does well with occasional water. Native to western North America, including California. Polemoniaceae family.
• Lupinus microcarpus var. densiflorus (Yellow Bush Lupine, Coastal Bush Lupine) – 1-2 feet, with 1-2 feet spread. Clusters of yellow, lilac, or white flowers on tall spikes, with evergreen leaves. Blooms in spring. Does well with occasional water. Native from California to British Columbia. Fabaceae family.
• Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-Mist) – 12-18 inches, with 12 inch spread. Blue flowers and distinctive papery seed pods. Blooms in spring, and then dies back to the ground during the summer. Threadlike leaves, similar to dill. Self-sowing. My gardening buddy, Ruth, gave me seeds from her garden. No water. Native to Mediterranean. Ranunculaceae family.
• Phacelia campanularia (California Dessert Phacelia) – 6-18 inches, with 6-18 inch spread. Deep blue, bell-shaped flowers in spring, with narrow, coarsely-toothed, gray-green leaves. Flowers grow on one side of a coil-shaped stem - resembling a scorpion tail. Attracts butterflies and bees. Native to the California desert, so adapted for dry conditions (but does not like frost). Hydrophyllaceae family.

Good Sources:

• Annie’s Annuals and Perennials: http://www.anniesannuals.com/
• Las Pilitas Nursery (Santa Margarita): http://www.laspilitas.com/
• Telos Rare Bulbs: http://www.telosrarebulbs.com/

Plants for Clay Soil

I have been threatening to redo my front planters for several years now, and never seem to get around to it. Too busy exploring the wide world of gardening to actually do some! For these two planters, I want to do more than pick up a few attractive plants from the nursery. I have a purpose – to create a native (or Mediterranean), drought-tolerant, deer-tolerant entrance to the house, with seasonal interest, low maintenance, and consideration for the garden’s historical roots.

Ceanothus spp. - I love the blue flowers of this Ceanothus that thrives down by the beach in Alameda, but the plant is five feet tall, with a 15 feet spread! It would cover both of my planters in no time. I'm on a quest for something similar but shorter. 

A previous owner of our house established the garden, working with her friend and neighbor sharing plants and ideas; and planting the maples, Chinese elm, and oak tree that are now mature. Our garden has an Asian feel to it, being under the care of a wonderful gardener who excels in “big bonsai.” I’d like to retain that feel, but start using plants that require less water than plants in the Asian palette, and that can thrive in the clay soil and partial shade of the south-facing aspect. I realize that native plants often take several years to become established, and are often picky about where they thrive, so my plan must take the long view. Plant the bones (such as shrubs and woody perennials) first, and then plant a succession of plants to fill in while they become established.

Arctostaphylos spp. - we discovered this low, shrubby Manzanita in Bryce a couple of years ago. I love the way the light filters through the upright leaves, and am searching for something similar for the Bay Area.

With these goals in mind, I will be researching several categories of plants over the next few weeks, including low shrubs, perennials (both woody and herbaceous), annuals, and bulbs. I am also looking for local nurseries that specialize in native plants that thrive in the San Francisco Bay Area. Native plants are sometimes scarce and difficult to find in stock, so Fall and Spring Plant Sales held by local botanical gardens are a good source. The upcoming San Francisco Garden Show is another good source for native plants. I will be ready, with plant lists in hand.