NativeNative GrassyGrassy PlantsPlants forfor thethe GardenGarden
Slide #1 BarbaraBarbara EisensteinEisenstein Consultant,Consultant, writer,writer, photographer,photographer, andand enthusiastenthusiast ofof sustainablesustainable gardeninggardening withwith CaliforniaCalifornia nativenative plantsplants www.weedingwildsuburbia.comwww.weedingwildsuburbia.com [email protected]@gmail.com
Slide #2 OverviewOverview
• Background
• Grass in the garden
• Bonus slides (grooming bunchgrass)
• References
Slide #3 I’m going to try to convince you that plants that make flowers like those on the left…
Slide #4 …are as worthwhile for your garden as plants that make flowers like the one on the right.
Slide #5 BackgroundBackground
What is grass? (www.dictionary.com)
1. Any plant of the family Gramineae, having jointed stems, sheathing leaves, and seedlike grains.
2. Such plants collectively, as when cultivated in lawns or used as pasture for grazing animals or cut and dried as hay.
3. The grass-covered ground.
4. Pasture: Half the farm is grass.
5. Slang. Marijuana.
Slide #6 BackgroundBackground
What is grass? (wikipedia)
“Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses,” of the Poaceae (or Gramineae) family, as well as the sedges (Cyperaceae) and the rushes (Juncaceae).”
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/ bio1082l/sprouts%20intro.htm
Slide #7 BackgroundBackground
Why are grasses important?
1. Feed the world (wheat, barley, rice, oats, corn)
2. Feed animals that feed the world: grain and rangeland
3. Basketweaving (www.deborahsmall.wordpress.com)
4. Wildflowers grow in some grasslands
5. Important habitat (birds, grazing mammals, etc.)
Slide #8 GrassyGrassy FactsFacts
• Grasslands covered 1/7 of state (SBBG)
• Over 300 species of native grasses (http://www.cnga.org/)
• 90% of California's rare and endangered species inhabit the state's grassland ecosystems. (http://www.cnga.org/)
• Grasslands also have a relatively high proportion of birds considered of “conservation concern.” (The Nature Conservancy)
• Nearly all of our grasslands are impacted by annual weeds, grazing, or development
• Less than 1% of the standing grassland crop is comprised of native species. (Sheila Barry, et al.)
• California native grasslands are a mystery
• Non-native grasslands are replacing coastal sage scrub and chaparral
Slide #9 Grassy Facts http:// Grassy Facts drmgoeswild.com/the- culms-have-all-the- nodes/olympus-digital- • Sedge (Cyperus Family) is not a grass, and it has edges. camera-46/
• Rush (Juncus Family) is not a grass, and it is round.
• True grasses (Grass Family) have nodes (knobby knees)
• Grasses are wind pollinated and therefore don’t need showy flowers to attract bees and other pollinators.
Grasses have knobby knees up and down to Sedges have edges Rushes are round the ground Slide #10 WhyWhy UseUse ThemThem inin thethe GardenGarden
• Beautiful
– Structure; Motion; Sound; Color • Habitat
• Easy to grow
– Can accept wide range of conditions (clay soil, sun, shade, dry, wet)
• Fill in quickly
• Some are long lasting
• They belong here
Slide #11 GrassyGrassy PlantsPlants forfor thethe GardenGarden
• Clumping vs. running grasses
• Warm-season vs. cool-season
• Annual vs. perennial
• Invasive non-native vs. native (some native grasses are invasive too)
Slide #12 GrassyGrassy PlantsPlants forfor thethe GardenGarden
Knowing seasonal growth pattern allows for better care. When to water, when to cut back, when to fertilize (if needed).
• Warm-Season
– Grow best in high temperatures (late spring)
• Cool-Season
– Grow best in cooler temperatures (winter to spring)
Slide #13 AA DozenDozen GrassyGrassy PlantsPlants
1. Deergrass Muhlenbergia rigens 2. Canyon Prince giant rye Elymus condensatus ‘Canyon Prince’ 3. Alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides 4. Purple three awn Aristida purpurea 5. Needle grasses Stipa pulchra, N. cernua 6. Fescues Festuca californica, F. idahoensis 7. Blue Fescues Festuca cult. (Blue Note, Siskiyou Blue) 8. San Diego sedge Carex spissa 9. Rush Juncus species 10.Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis 11.Clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis 12.Creeping red fescue Festuca rubra
Slide #14 DeergrassDeergrass Muhlenbergia rigens
Slide #15 DeergrassDeergrass Muhlenbergia rigens
Form and color: Large clumping grass with green leaves, tawny-colored in winter (dormancy), 3-4 ft. tall and wide. Flowers to 5 ft. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Water: Medium to low water, drought-tolerant. Soil: Any. Care: Can cut back in spring, right before plant starts growing. If sheared earlier plant will have “shorn look” until new spring time growth. Rake out dead blades to clean up anytime of year. Warm season grower. Distribution: Much of California, southern CA, Sierra foothills, desert ranges, typically below 7,000 ft. Ecology: Streams, meadows, dry hillsides, oak woodlands, riparian woodlands.
Slide #16 Slide #17 Slide #18 Slide #19 Slide #20 Slide #21 Slide #22 CanyonCanyon PrincePrince RyeRye GrassGrass Elymus condensatus ‘Canyon Prince’
Slide #23 CanyonCanyon PrincePrince RyeRye GrassGrass Elymus condensatus ‘Canyon Prince’
Form and color: SBBG introduction with striking blue foliage on mature plants. 2 – 3 ft tall, clumping to spreading by rhizomes. Exposure: Prefers sun, gets leggy in shade. Water: Adaptable. Soil: Adaptable. Care: Cut to ground every 2 – 3 years. Cool season grower. Distribution: Selection from Prince Island (near San Miguel Isl.) Species found in southern California, Mojave Desert, central-western CA, below 4,500 ft. Ecology: Species found on dry slopes, open woodland.
Slide #24 Slide #25 SeptemberSeptember 20082008
Slide #26 MarchMarch 20082008
Slide #27 Slide #28 Slide #29 Slide #30 Slide #31 AlkaliAlkali SacatonSacaton Sporobolus airoides
Slide #32 AlkaliAlkali SacatonSacaton Sporobolus airoides
Form and color: Clumping to 3 ft. tall and wide. Green blades in summer, dormant in winter. Open airy panicles of flowers form in summer. Reseeds. Exposure: Sun to part shade. Water: Low water need, though accepts summer water. Prefers occasional soaking. Soil: Any soil. Care: Can rake out dormant blades to clean up. (I haven’t tried cutting to ground.) Warm season grower. Distribution: Southern California, deserts, Central Valey, Great Basin below 6,500 ft. Ecology: Seasonally moist alkaline areas.
Slide #33 Slide #34 Slide #35 Slide #36 Slide #37 Slide #38 Slide #39 PurplePurple Three-awnThree-awn Aristida purpurea
Slide #40 PurplePurple Three-awnThree-awn Aristida purpurea
Form and color: Clumping grass to 2.5 ft. tall, spreads by seed. Flowers all year, new awns have purple color which gets deeper as they mature and then fades to tawny. Exposure: Sun Water: Low water, doesn’t tolerate soggy soils. Soil: Prefers good drainage. Care: Cut back when it gets to large. Groom by raking out dead blades. Can be a nuisance with seeding around. Warm season grower but actually grows all year. Distribution: Southern California and desert. Ecology: Sandy to rocky soils, slopes, plains.
Slide #41 Slide #42 Slide #43 Slide #44 Slide #45 Needlegrasses:Needlegrasses: PurplePurple andand NoddingNodding Stipa pulchra Stipa cernua
Slide #46 Needlegrasses:Needlegrasses: PurplePurple andand NoddingNodding Stipa pulchra Stipa cernua
Form and color: Cool season grower about 18” tall with long showy awns. Exposure: Sun to part shade. Water: Low water. Soil: Prefers good drainage but is adaptable. Care: Cut back in summer. Seeds around. Cool season grower. Distribution: Most of western California and Sierra Nevada foothills. Ecology: Dry grasslands, oak grasslands, chaparral, coast sage scrub
Slide #47 Slide #48 Slide #49 Slide #50 Slide #51 Slide #52 Slide #53 FescueFescue Festuca californica, F. idahoensis
Slide #54 FescueFescue Festuca californica, F. idahoensis
Form and color: Smaller clumping cool season growers. Idahonensis often has striking gray-green foliage, californica usually greener. Exposure: Part shade in hotter areas. Water: Some water. Soil: Adaptable. Care: Groom occasionally with rake or fingers. Doesn’t last as long in hotter, drier So. Cal. Distribution: Both found in central and northern California. Ecology: Californica found in open forest, chaparral. Idahoensis found in dry, open or shady places.
Slide #55 Slide #56 Slide #57 BlueBlue FescueFescue CultivarsCultivars Festuca cultivars Blue Note, Siskiyou Blue, Elijah Blue
Slide #58 BlueBlue FescueFescue CultivarsCultivars Festuca cultivars Blue Note, Siskiyou Blue, Elijah Blue
Form and color: From 6 to 12 inches, fine blades, striking blue color. Exposure: Part shade, afternoon shade, in hot inland areas Water: Moderate water Soil: Adaptable Care: Groom occasionally. Doesn’t last as long in hot, dry areas. Distribution: NA Ecology: NA
Slide #59 Slide #60 Slide #61 Slide #62 Slide #63 Slide #64 SanSan DiegoDiego SedgeSedge Carex spissa
Slide #65 SanSan DiegoDiego SedgeSedge Carex spissa
Form and color: Large (to 5 ft. tall and wide), coarse clumping perennial with striking blue-gray leaves. Sharp margins. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Prefers some shade in hotter areas, has better color with some shade. Water: Prefers constant moisture, though drought-tolerant when established. Goes dormant when drought-stressed. Soil: Most soils including clay. Needs more frequent water in well-drained soil. Care: Thin and remove dead blades after a few years. Be careful of the sharp leaf margins. Distribution: Central and South Coast to Baja Ecology: Waterways
Slide #66 Slide #67 Slide #68 Slide #69 Slide #70 RushRush Juncus species and cultivars
Slide #71 RushRush Juncus species and cultivars
Form and color: Stiff blades, vary in color and size depending on species and selection. Makes excellent container specimen. Carmen’s Gray striking deep blue-green blades, Quartz Creek has rich green color. Exposure: Sun to shade. Water: Moderate water (though drier than you would think) Soil: Adaptable Care: Nothing! Distribution: Many species found throughout California Ecology: Generally moist areas.
Slide #72 Slide #73 Slide #74 Slide #75 Slide #76 Slide #77 BlueBlue GramaGrama Bouteloua gracilis
Slide #78 BlueBlue GramaGrama Bouteloua gracilis
Form and color: Warm season, fine textured, green-gray color, forms clumps up to 2 ft. tall. Can be mowed. Seed heads look like eye lashes. Exposure: Sun. Water: Low water needs. Soil: Any Care: Seeds germinate quickly during hot weather. Self-seeds. Can be planted from plugs. Mow for turf, don’t mow for more natural meadow look. Distribution: Found in San Bernardino Mts & desert mts of CA. Dry plains of US. Ecology: Sandy to rocky slopes, drainages, woodlands, scrub.
Slide #79 Slide #80 Slide #81 Slide #82 Slide #83 Slide #84 CaliforniaCalifornia FieldField SedgeSedge Carex praegracilis
Slide #85 CaliforniaCalifornia FieldField SedgeSedge Carex praegracilis
Form and color: Low growing, deep green sedge, spreads by rhizomes. Nice lawn substitute Exposure: Sun or shade. Water: Moderate water. Goes dormant in summer without water. Soil: Any. Care: Mow for turf-substitute. Leave unmowed for meadow. Use plugs for lawn. Distribution: Much of California Floristic Province. Ecology: Common in moist, alkaline sites.
Slide #86 August 2008 Carex species
Slide #87 February 2009 Carex species
Slide #88 Slide #89 Slide #90 Slide #91 CreepingCreeping RedRed FescueFescue Festuca rubra
Slide #92 CreepingCreeping RedRed FescueFescue Festuca rubra
Form and color: Low growing, cool-season grass. Spreads by rhizomes. Green to blue-green color. Exposure: Part shade, especially in hot climate. Some cultivars accept more sun and drought. Water: Moderate. Soil: Any. Care: Mow occasionally. Doesn’t take much traffic. Distribution: Found in much of US and Europe. Central and Northwestern CA, Sierra Nevada and local mts. Ecology: Sand dunes and grasslands.
Slide #93 Slide #94 Slide #95 Slide #96 GrassyGrassy GardensGardens
Slide #97 MayMay 20092009
Slide #98 NovNov 20142014
Slide #99 MarchMarch 20122012
Slide #100 AugAug 20102010
Slide #101 Slide #102 Slide #103 Slide #104 Slide #105 Slide #106 Slide #107 BetterBetter ChoicesChoices
NEVER EVER EVER USE USE INSTEAD • Pampas grass San Diego Sedge, Giant Rye Grass
• Fountain grass Deergrass
• Mexican feather grass Purple Three-awn
Slide #108 Slide #109 Slide #110 CanCan wewe affordafford this?this?
Slide #111 Slide #112 WhyWhy notnot this?this?
Slide #113 IfIf mymy talktalk hashas notnot convincedconvinced youyou toto givegive CaliforniaCalifornia nativenative graminoidsgraminoids aa placeplace inin youryour garden,garden, maybemaybe thisthis will.will.
Slide #114 Slide #115 Slide #116 Slide #117 http://deborahsmall.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/basket-sumac-rhus-trilobata/
Slide #118 Basket by Abe Sanchez http://deborahsmall.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/open-weave-juncus-baskets/
Slide #119 IsIs therethere anyany reasonreason toto havehave turf?turf?
Slide #120 Slide #121 http://wildsuburbia.blogspot.com/2010/03/groming-bunchgrasses.html Slide #122 http://wildsuburbia.blogspot.com/2010/03/groming-bunchgrasses.html Slide #123 http://wildsuburbia.blogspot.com/2010/03/groming-bunchgrasses.html Slide #124 ReferencesReferences • California Invasive Plant Council. http://www.cal-ipc.org/ • California Native Grasslands: A Historical Perspective A Guide for Developing Realistic Restoration Objectives. Barry, Sheila; Stephanie Larson, and Melvin George. Grasslands. Winter 2006. • California Native Grasslands Association. http://www.cnga.org/ • The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses. Darke, Rick. 1999. • Creating a Native California Meadow. David Amme. 2003. http://www.waterwisegardendesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/CreatingANativeCaliforniaMeadow2008.pdf • Deborah Small’s Ethnobotany Blog. http://www.deborahsmall.wordpress.com • The Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses. John Greenlee. 1992. • Fremontia. April 1981. Issue dedicated to native grasslands • Grasses in California. Beecher Crampton. 1974. • Grooming Bunchgrasses. Eisenstein, B. http://wildsuburbia.blogspot.com/2010/03/groming-bunchgrasses.html/. • Jepson Manual (on line). http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/interchange/I_treat_indexes.html • Meadows. Bornstein, Carol, David Fross, and Bart O’Brien. Pacific Horticulture. Vol. 72, no. 1, 2011. • Nassella Notes. http://www.cnga.org/library/NassellaNotesAmme2003.pdf. David Ammes.2003 • A Sedge by Another Name … Is Confusing. Curto & Fross. Pacific Horticulture. vol. 67, no. 3, 2006. • Wild Lilies, Irises and Grasses. Gardening with California Monocots. Nora Harlow, Kristin Jakob, ed. 2003. • Working with Native Perennial Grasses. David Amme. 1991 (reprinted in Winter 2011, Grasslands). http://cnga.org/Resources/Documents/Grasslands%20Journal/Grassland%20Issues/2011/GrasslandsWinter11BandW.pdf
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