SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Where passionate gardeners meet to share knowledge and learn from each other. socalhort.org November 2013 Newsletter OUR NEXT MEETING SCHS WELCOMES NEW SHARING SECRETS QUESTION IN THIS ISSUE MEMBERS September Meeting Recap In anticipation of our by Steven Gerischer............... 2 Thursday, November 14 Shannon Ahern December meeting, the Sharing Sanford Davidson Secrets question for November Sharing Secrets ..........................2 Friendship Auditorium is: ”What is the best garden Green Sheet by James E. Anne Haque related gift you have ever 3201 Riverside Drive, Los Henrich......................................3 received?” You can answer on Roberta Kato and Joachin Arias Horticultural Happenings Angeles CA 90027 our MemberLodge website or June Scott by Bettina Gatti ........................5 7pm. Social Hour e-mail your response to: Upcoming Programs..........6 Robert van de Hoek [email protected] by Friday, Meeting begins at @ 8pm. November 15. Leon Van Der Holst The November Meeting exists, we can then add these layers to the CHAVEZ RAVINE/ELYSIAN PARK FIELD TRIP: Bernard Trainor: design.” THE EUCALYPTI On a beautiful Sunday morning in early Landprints Raised on the Mornington Peninsula along October, over thirty members and friends of Australia’s rugged southeastern coast below Thursday, November 14, 2013 the Southern California Horticultural Society Melbourne, Bernard developed a lasting met in Elysian Park for the third installment awareness and appreciation of native of The Trees of the Chavez Ravine landscapes. Following an apprenticeship in Arboretum. Our focus was the many horticulture and design studies, he was varieties of eucalyptus planted there. Our awarded a scholarship that allowed him to guides, as with the previous two excursions study in England under the famed in the park, were our tree experts, James E. plantswoman and garden designer Beth Henrich, Bart O’Brien and Matt Ritter. Chatto. Her regionally appropriate approach further developed Bernard’s design The original idea on the first visit was to philosophy. In the years that followed walk around this arboretum/public park, Bernard completed a Diploma of Landscape and discuss the many different trees Design while studying at the Chelsea Physic represented there. We did not even cover a Garden. He arrived in Northern California third of the park on our first visit as there is in 1995 and fell in love with the region. so much fascinating information to take in The November meeting of the Southern Drawing on thirty years of passionate from three different expert viewpoints, and California Horticultural Society will feature commitment to the study and practice of then the many questions that brings up from internationally renowned landscape landscape design, Bernard is the founding the participants. Our second visit was more architect Bernard Trainor, who will present a principal and design director of Bernard focused, looking specifically at the palm range of his current projects in addition to Trainor + Associates, based in Monterey. The trees planted there. With this third those featured in the recently published studio’s award-winning projects range from installment we concentrated on the monograph, Landprints: The Landscape town-scaled gardens to extensive rural eucalypti. Our guides gave us an overview Designs of Bernard Trainor, authored by Susan properties, and have been featured in of the genus (and its closely related kin, Heeger. Bernard will also explore how his numerous books and publications, including complete with the botanical confusion inspiration from natural design patterns, The New York Times, Vogue Living and Garden brought on by renaming familiar trees). We plants, and sense of place is interpreted and Design. translated into the modern details of his also discussed the first uses of eucalyptus in work, forming a connection between people California and the accumulation of and the identity of the land. As Bernard misinformation and downright myth that describes his methodology, “I spend time followed the trees into our landscapes. (I observing locations before I begin the was interested to know that lumber from creative process. With this information the trees that normally are good timber trees in ultimate goal is to then tap into natural Australia is considered poor here is that the systems and enrich the built landscape in an tree are logged at a far younger age.) abstracted way. By observing the fabric that (Continued on page 2, column 1.) OCTOBER MEETING & MORE Modena Asbell’s List Bob Sussman’s List * Calliandra californica – red fairy duster; Baja * Abutilon palmeri – Indian mallow. Flowers Matt Ritter distributed a booklet he wrote fairy duster. 4-6 ft. x 4-6 ft. from early spring through fall. and illustrated containing a guide to Blooms year round with mimosa-like red * Galvezia juncea ‘Gran Canyon’ – Gran cultivated eucalyptus species, as well as line flowers. Canyon Baja bush snapdragon; Cedros drawings and information on identification. * Asclepias fascicularis – narrow-leaf Island snapdragon. Red flowers early Matt showed us how to look at an milkweed. The ONLY host plant for spring through late fall. Hummingbird and unfamiliar tree and using clues such as leaf Monarchs. bee favorite. color, and characteristics of bark and flower 3 ft. x 2 ft.; very upright in sun; sprawling in * Iris 'Spinning Sarah.' A fairly durable structures, to narrow down the possibilities shade with fewer flowers. Pacific Coast iris; a cross of 'Canyon Snow' x until we could identify the tree from the * Linanthus (Leptodactylon) californicus – 'With this Ring'. lists. We will have a limited number of the prickly phlox. A challenge for the gardener; * Malva assurgentiflora – island mallow. Rose useful booklets at the next meeting. requires no summer water once established. to lavender flowers early spring into late * Clinopodium (Satureja) mimuloides – fall. monkeyflower savory. Fragrant foliage and * Lilium pardalinum - leopard lily. Large orange-red flowers in summer/fall. orange flowers with maroon spots. * Aristida purpurea – purple three awn. Fine Woodland species, often found near texture moves gracefully in the breeze. streams. Keep soil uniformly moist during * Verbena gooddingii – southwestern mock the growing season. vervain. Lavender flowers age to blue. * Rosa californica – California wild rose. One Attracts many butterflies and is host for the of our California native roses. Can flower Grey Hairstreak. spring through fall with fragrant, pink * Eriogonum arborescens – Santa Cruz Island flowers. wild buckwheat. Tough and beautiful * Salvia 'Bon Bon'. Hybrid between Salvia buckwheat, compact and easy to grow. clevelandii and S. leucophylla; open bee cross. * Atriplex canescens – four-wing saltbush. Blue/purple flowers. Extremely salt and drought tolerant. * Salvia spathacea – California hummingbird * Ceanothus ‘Concha’ Flowers are dark blue sage. Low-growing, spreading ground cover with yellow anthers. for shaded areas. Flowers are generally After the walk we had a picnic lunch of * Arctostaphylos ‘Ian Bush.’ Tolerates heavy magenta (not always) that occur in spring, chicken and beef tacos with wonderful soil and garden water. Grows quickly to 4 and can occur again in fall. salads and desserts provided by our ft.; tops out around 5 ft. * Sphaeralcea ambigua – desert globemallow. members. Special thanks to Laura Bauer, Jill Orange flowers from early spring through Vig, and Al and Pat Steen for arranging the Bart O’Brien’s List late fall. Very good for bees too. picnic particulars and main course-and to * Agave ‘Blue Flame’ Blooms in seven years * Verbena lilacina 'De La Mina' Cedros Island everyone who brought such delicious food at Rancho Santa Ana. verbena. Will flower from early spring to share. Thank you to all who helped make * Eriogonum crocatum – conejo buckwheat. through early winter. this fun and informative outing possible. White foliage; acid-yellow flowers. * Eriogonum umbellatum var. polyanthum We would like to thank our speakers for a -Steven Gerischer ‘Shasta Sulphur’. American River sulphur fun and informative evening learning about flower. Unlike many buckwheats, the some of our useful native plants. Thank you flowers on this one drop cleanly. as well to all who helped organize and set * Heuchera ‘Rosada’. This and ‘Wendy’ are up this meeting, as well as those who October Meeting among the most durable of the heucheras. always help run the meeting and clean up Recap * Hosackia crassifolia var. otayensis Otay afterwards. Mountain hosackia. Red and white flowers. See you at Friendship Hall for our The October meeting of the Southern Deer don’t like it. November meeting, Bernard Trainor: California Horticultural Society was a panel * Perityle incana – Guadalupe Island rock Landprints. discussion called Native Plant Growers and daisy. White dissected foliage. Cut back by featured a trio of panelists representing the one-third each year to maintain a compact -Steven Gerischer Theodore Payne Foundation, Rancho Santa shape. Ana Botanic Garden and Matillija Nursery. * Phylla nodiflora (Lippia repens). Foot-tolerant SHARING SECRETS Each panelist was asked to speak about ten ground cover; handles trampling by In October, we asked you to answer “What different native plants for the garden, children and dogs. is the best piece of garden design advice you whether it be a favorite of theirs, or just * Pycnanthemum californicum – mountain have ever heard or read?” and here are some wonderfully suited to