Attractive annuals 2013

4/6/2013

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

Gardening with California Native Plants in Western L.A. County
Project SOUND – 2013 (our 9th year)
© Project SOUND

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4/6/2013

Attractive Annuals
our most attractive annual
wildflowers & how to use them

C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSUDH & Madrona Marsh Preserve

Madrona Marsh Preserve
October 8, 2013

© Project SOUND

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My Gardening Philosophy – circa 2013
1. Knowledge is power
2. It’s better to understand how something works rather
than to just follow rules
3. It’s easier to work with the physical conditions in a
garden (soil characteristics, light, etc.) than to try to
change them dramatically
4. California native plants from the local area are often
http://www.the-philosopher.co.uk/ the best suited for local gardens
5. Look to Mother Nature and Native Californians for
gardening advice
6. Make a garden plan – even tho’ it may change over time
7. Choose plants based on their suitability for your needs
and garden conditions
8. Save ‘Heritage’ trees and large shrubs – unless there’s
a good reason to remove them
9. Choose plants for their habitat value
10. Choose plants for their usefulness (food; dyes; etc.)
© Project SOUND

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What are
 Complete their entire life cycle in
‘Annual plants’? a year or less (one growing season)

 Only the dormant seed bridges
the gap between one generation
and the next.

 Because they only grow a short
time, most have an economical
form: short, herbaceous, just
enough leaves, etc.

 Some plants can behave as an
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/87191-product.html#.UV4KJ1Pn9D8
annual or a perennial depending on
local climatic and geographic
In the garden, annuals are growing conditions [examples:
particularly useful for providing pepper plants; CA Poppies].
seasonal color – and food

© Project SOUND

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It all starts with Pollination and Fertilization

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Schematic representation of Arabidopsis seed development and stages of the life cycle used
Seed development: a complex process
for GeneChip analysis.

Le B H et al. PNAS 2010;107:8063-8070

©2010 by National Academy of Sciences

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Notice the last step of
seed development
 Loss of water: up to 90-
95% of water is lost

 Important for:
 Putting embryo into (and
keeping it in) suspended
animation
 Keeping the seed
protected – hard,
protective coat

 That’s why important to let
plants dry out after they
set seeds

© Project SOUND

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The mighty seed: a time capsule into the
future

 Seed coat (testa) –
protection

 Embryo

 Provisions:
 Food (cotyledon)
 Hormones
 Other stored
http://generalhorticulture.tamu.edu/hort604/lecturesupplmex07/anatomymorphology.htm chemicals
(enzymes & other)

Everything the seed needs in order to be ready for germination
© Project SOUND

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Germination: rapid
re-animation
 Uptake of water: imbibation
 Turning on metabolism
 Activating enzymes needed to
break down food stores
 All this involves many plant
hormones; may also involve
http://images.tutorvista.com/content/feed/tvcs/germination-process-voandzeia.jpeg

outside signals (light; temp.)

http://www.seedbiology.de/images/hormgerm1web.gif
© Project SOUND
http://5e.plantphys.net/images/ch11/we1104a_s.jpg

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The annual lifestyle is a good adaptation
to our mediterranean climate

 Plants are dormant during long dry
period – they are in ‘suspended
animation’ in the seed

 The plants can weather particularly
dry years – wait for more favorable
rainfall conditions

 Plants grow during the season of
http://prairierosesgarden.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html abundant soil moisture; fast growth,
timed to rainfall

 Set seed as the soil dries out

© Project SOUND

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Timing is everything…

http://occnps.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/front.jpg
© Project SOUND

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The schedule of local Annual plants
 Seed germination – Fall/Winter
(after the first seasonal rains);
some require spring warmth;
generally quick (1-4 weeks)

 Plant growth – Winter (some)
Spring, Summer (some) – rapid in
warm days of Spring

 Flowering – Spring/Summer (a
very few in early fall)

 Seed production – Late Spring-
Summer

 Death – Spring (some), Summer
(most), Fall (a few)

© Project SOUND

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But how can I use annual wildflowers in
my garden?

http://www.gardensbygabriel.com/blog/2011/05/09/plant-of-the-month-lupine/

© Project SOUND

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Annuals are often used to add a ‘spot of
color’

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/companion-plants-annual-flowers-43553.html

http://garden-designs.org/2011/07/04/perennial-garden-design/

© Project SOUND

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Dark background that’s gloomy (or boring)
in spring – need something to liven it up

A little bit of yellow might add
some cheerful ‘sunshine’
http://gardensofpetersonville.blogspot.com/2012/06/little-heat.html

© Project SOUND

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Tidy-tips and Goldfields are old standbys

© Project SOUND

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But maybe we want something a little
bigger that is pure golden yellow

© Project SOUND

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The genus Coreopsis: the Tickseeds

 Scientific name is derived from the
Greek word koris, meaning Bedbug.

 Flowers: usually yellow, toothed tips.

 Primarily native to North America.

 Many cultivars are available for gardens;
used world-wide as ‘yellow daisies’.

 Coreopsis species are used as food plants
by the larvae of some Lepidoptera
species
Family: Asteraceae

© Project SOUND

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The Asteraceae: the sunflowers

http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-iii/angiosperm-families/family-asteraceae.php

 The flowers, also called florets, are nearly always clustered
into heads, with each subtended by a whorl or whorls of
modified leaves called bracts (the involucre).
© Project SOUND

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Asteraceae – two forms of flowers

©2006 Larry Blakely

http://www.anbg.gov.au/PLANTFAM/AUST1F.HTM

 A disk flower, in its most complete form, has five petals fused
into a tube, with a tube of five fused anthers inside the petal tube

 A ray flower (a "petal" of a daisy) is similar, except that some of
the fused petals extend on one side into a flat strap-like ligule.

 Flower heads may have only ray flowers or disk flowers, or both.
© Project SOUND

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Asteraceae – reproduction & seeds

http://www.anbg.gov.au/PLANTFAM/AUST1F.HTM

 Flowers may be ‘complete’, unisexual or sterile, lacking either or both
"male" and "female" sexual parts. Each functionally "female" flower,
whether ray or disk, has a single inferior ovary with a single ovule.

 If the ovule is fertilized, it will develop into a single seed in a special
dry fruit called an achene.
© Project SOUND

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Bigelow coreopsis – Coreopsis bigelovii

©2005 Brent Miller

© Project SOUND

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Bigelow coreopsis – Coreopsis bigelovii
 Transverse Ranges (Santa Monica Mtns),
Tehachapi Mountain Area, s Sierra
Nevada Foothills, Mojave Desert, n
Sonoran Desert
 Open woodlands, grasslands, deserts, dry
gravelly hillsides to about 5000', creosote
bush scrub, joshua tree woodland,
chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodland
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?609,1008,1009

©2006 Larry Blakely © Project SOUND

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Bigelow Coreopsis: mostly flowers
 Size:
 12-18 inches tall
 12-18 inches wide

 Growth form:
 Annual wildflower

 Foliage:
 Leaves mostly in basal rosette
 Leaves often divided into linear
lobes – likely more substantial in
garden
 Color: varies with water/light
availability
 Leaves used extensively as
raw/cooked vegetable by CA
native desert tribes
©2006 James M. Andre
© Project SOUND

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Flowers are glorious
 Blooms:
 In spring: usually Feb-Mar
to May in our area

 Flowers:
 In typical ‘sunflower heads’ –
usually one per stalk

 Both ray & disk flowers
yellow – disk often a little
darker gold
 Broad liguled ray flowers
 Attract a wide range of
insect pollinators

 Seeds: dry achenes typical of
sunflowers; wind distributed;
edible (mostly by birds)
© Project SOUND
http://www.hazmac.biz/050221/050221CoreopsisBigelovii.html

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Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: any – coarse in wilds
 pH: any local

 Light:
 Full sun to light shade

 Water:
 Winter/spring: to establish
 Summer: taper off after
flowering ceases

 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils

 Other:
 Gravel mulch or none if you
want them to re-seed
 Easy from seed – no pre-
treatment

©2006 Larry Blakely http://xasauantoday.com/category/diablo-range/ © Project SOUND

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Uses for Coreopsis
 In a desert garden or rock
garden with other desert annuals,
grasses, shrubs

 As an attractive container plant

 And much more
©2010 Thomas Stoughton

With desert plants

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3335/4606895484_8a18c3a140_z.jpg SOUND
© Project
http://www.delange.org/DesertCoreopsis/DesertCoreopsis.htm

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Coreopsis: where ever a little
spring sunlight is needed

http://millernursery.com/image/plantPicFiles/SmallWebPics/coreopsisVerticillataM
oonbeamS.jpg

http://www.ehow.com/info_8306523_do-marigolds-
keep-insects-away.html

http://www.mahoneysgarden.com/perennial/tickseed-
coreopsis-little-sundial

http://www.gardennj.com/images/zagreb1.JPG

http://www.robsplants.com/plants/CoreoAuric
© Project SOUND

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* Common Madia – Madia elegans

Summer bloomer

© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College

© Project SOUND

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Yellow Coreopsis combine well with other
bright spring colors

http://wwwrockrose.blogspot.com/2010/05/they-have-to-go.html

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/scs_in_nj/sets/72157604353309858/
© Project SOUND

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We’ve often hyped the ‘blue & gold’ color scheme

© Project SOUND
http://www.resimsite.com/img144.htm

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Mother Nature’s CA wildflower gardens abound
with complementary color schemes
 Blue/purple with yellow/gold
schemes are the most common
 Probably because our flowers
evolved along with their insect
pollinators – many of whom ‘see’
yellows & blues

http://www.humanflowerproject.com/index.php/weblog/comments/feral_flowers_cult
ured_eyes/ © Project SOUND

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Phacelias provide a wide range of purples & blues

Sticky Phacelia – Phacelia viscida Parry’s Phacelia – Phacelia parryi

Tansey-leaf Phacelia – Phacelia tanecetifolia
Caterpillar Phacelia – Phacelia cicutaria © Project SOUND

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* California Bluebell – Phacelia minor

©2003 Guy Bruyea

© Project SOUND

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* California Bluebell – Phacelia minor
 S. CA from Santa Monica Mts. to edge
of desert
 Dry disturbed places like burns and
road-sides below 5000', coastal sage
scrub, chaparral
 AKA: Wild Canterbury Bells; Whitlavia

© Project SOUND
©2009 Robert Steers

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CA Bluebell: surprisingly large leaves
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 1-2 ft wide

 Growth form:
 Herbaceous annual
 Low, dense clump of blue-green,
scalloped leaves with branched
flower stalks above

 Foliage:
 Most leaves in basal rosette
 Leaves large – to 4-5 inches
 Leaves toothed, crinkly, oval or
rounded blades borne on long
petioles (leaf stem)
 Stiff glandular trichomes (hairs)
– cause skin rash in some
© Project SOUND

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Flowers are velvety
purple-blue
 Blooms: in spring; usually Mar-
May in S. Bay

 Flowers:
 Fantastic rich blue-purple;
generally no white on petals

 Relatively large – to 1 ½ inches

 Petals fused into a bell-shaped
corolla (petal) tube; fairly
broad for Phacelia – may have
a narrower ‘neck’

 Really beautiful

 Seeds: many small, hard seeds
©2010 Thomas Stoughton © Project SOUND

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Delicate-looking – but tough in fact
 Soils:
 Texture: likes a coarse, well-
drained soil – can take others
 pH: any local

 Light:
 Full sun

 Water:
 Winter/spring: keep moist
while developing
 Summer: dry after flowering


 Other: gravel mulch – like in the
photograph
© Project SOUND

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CA Bluebell: color & more
 Wonderful massed – alone or
with contrasting yellow or
white flowers

 As an attractive pot plant

 On dry slopes or water-wise
gardens – let it naturalize

© Project SOUND
http://blog.anniesannuals.com/tag/phacelia-minor/
http://biology.csusb.edu/PlantGuideFolder/PhaceliaMinor/PhaceliaMinorStand.jpg

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Choose native annuals for double duty as
‘pollinator plants’

All other things being equal

1. Choose plants for their
habitat value

2. Choose plants for their
usefulness (food; dyes;
etc.)

http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/plants/Boraginaceae/Phacelia%20minor.htm

© Project SOUND

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Why are Phacelias such good pollinator plants?

 Many flowers per plant; long
bloom period
 Make it worthwhile for the
pollinators to visit

 Open flower structure (some):
 Nectar accessible to many
types of pollinators

 Abundant nectar production
 Evolved with insect pollinator
species
 Note: many have markings to
attract pollinators to the
nectar (‘nectar lines’)

©2003 Kristin Szabo

© Project SOUND

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The tale of two Phacelias

http://tchester.org/plants/analysis/phacelia/minor_with_spots.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phaceliaminor.jpg © Project SOUND

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Parry’s Phacelia – Phacelia parryi

 Waterleaf family (like
Baby Blue-eyes)
 Named for Charles C.
Parry (1832-1890) –
botanist with the Pacific
Railway Survey
 Grows in S. CA south to
Baja CA

© Project SOUND

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Flowers are lovely…

 Blooms Apr-June in
South Bay

 Flowers bell-shaped,
with very open,
http://www.gardengates.info/Phac.%20par.close.jpg

spreading petals, borne
on erect stems

 Color: rich purple-blue
with five pure-white
spots, white anthers

http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/phacpar4.htm
© Project SOUND

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Some CA Bluebell plants appear to have
characteristics of both Phacelias
 Phacelia minor
 Uniform color – no white spots
or streaks
 Long cylindric corolla tube
 Phacelia parryi
 White spots
 Very short/no corolla tube
 Often more blue than purple
 ‘unusual’ P. minor
 Occur w/in 10 mi. of P. parryi
populations
 Always within P. minor
populations
 White spots/streaks
 Shorter tube
http://tchester.org/plants/analysis/phacelia/minor_with_spots.html © Project SOUND

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Conclusion?  Introgression with P. parryi;
i.e., some specimens are hybrids
with P. parryi, whereas other
specimens are "pure" P. minor.

 It is also possible that this
simply represents intrinsic
variation within P. minor.
 rDNA evidence : either
hybridization or a recent
divergence between P. parryi
http://tchester.org/plants/analysis/phacelia/minor_with_spots.html

and P. minor

 Take home message:
 Evolution is still occurring
 Role of humans in plant
evolution
 Responsibility of gardeners
© Project SOUND

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* Desert Bluebells – Phacelia campanularia

© Project SOUND

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* Desert Bluebells – Phacelia campanularia
 Mojave Desert & N. and W.
Sonoran Desert of California
 Open dry, sandy or gravelly places
below 4000 ft.


© Project SOUND
Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

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Desert Bluebells – an annual desert wildflower
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 1-2+ ft wide

 Growth form:
 Mounded to somewhat
sprawling shape - attractive
 Stems often red-purple in
color

 Foliage:
 Rounded, coarsely-toothed
leaves – somewhat like
Heuchera
 Whole plant hairy/sticky – may
cause mild skin allergies, so
wear gloves to handle
http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/1886/phacelia-campanularia-desertbells/
© Project SOUND

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Flowers are a bright,
pure blue
 Blooms: in spring - usually Feb-Apr. in
our area, but may be later

 Flowers:
 Small-medium size (to 1 inch)
 Bell-shaped – typical for Phacelia
 Bright, intense true blue – iridescent
http://www.hortmag.com/article/desertbluebells/

– difficult to photograph

 Seeds:
 In dry capsules
 Relatively easy – no pre-treatment;
just plant in place in fall/winter –
germinate in spring
 Serial sow for longer bloom season
 Will reseed – but not extensively –
http://www.delange.org/BlueBells/BlueBells.htm
usually must re-seed © Project SOUND

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 Soils:
Plant Requirements  Texture: any well-drained; sandy
& gravelly soils great
 pH: any local

 Light:
 Full sun (best) to light shade

 Water:
 Winter/spring: need plenty of
water during active growth
 Summer: occasional deep water
extends blooming; taper off as
flowering ends

 Fertilizer: fine in poor soils, OK
with light fertilizer (like any of our
annual wildflowers)

 Other: seeds need bare soil/light
gravel mulch to germinate; require
http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Phacelia_campanularia_var._campanulari
dim light as germination cue.
a&printable=yes&printable=yes © Project SOUND

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Annual ‘Pollenator Plants’
can be tucked in anywhere
 Spilling out of pots & planters

 Along garden paths – often
short

 Massed for spring color – pair
http://back40feet.blogspot.com/2008/06/friday-night-botanical-garden.html
with Tidy-tips or CA Poppy for a
real zing!

 Between native shrubs & sub-
shrubs

 Mixed with native desert
grasses

 In a rock or gravel garden

 Fine in hot places
© Project SOUND

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Sticky Phacelia – Phacelia viscida

Good for shady spots

© Project SOUND

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Growing Phacelia is easy

 Soil: any well-drained soil
 pH: any local
 Light: most like full sun to
part-shade
 Water: average needs; can
take irrigation during dry
spells
 Plant fall/winter - be sure
that seeds are lightly covered
(germinate in darkness or dim
light)
http://home.pi.net/~vries796/plantslides/phac_par.htm

© Project SOUND

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Other advantages of annual wildflowers:
their small size & adaptability

http://queerbychoice.livejournal.com/643809.html?t
hread=4226785

http://www.gardensbygabriel.com/blog/2011/05/09/plant-of-the-month-lupine/

© Project SOUND

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Even the smallest garden has a place for
wildflowers

http://www.penick.net/digging/index.php?s=wildflower+center

Annual wildflowers are the ultimate
‘tuck-in plants’
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/215/502812583_c943310b50.jpg
© Project SOUND

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There’s something
refreshing about
purple & white

http://tiltshifttheworld.blogspot.com/2012/04/not-just-belfast-titanic-belfast.html http://www.nihonsun.com/2009/05/22/meiji-jingu-iris-garden/

© Project SOUND

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* Mojave Pincushion – Chaenactis xantiana

©2009 Stephen Dowlan

© Project SOUND

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* Mojave Pincushion – Chaenactis xantiana

 Desert mountains and
foothills: s. Sierra Nevada,
South Coast Ranges,
Transverse Ranges, Great
Basin Floristic Province, w
Mojave Desert

 Slopes in Chaparral, Pinyon-
Juniper Woodland, Sagebrush
Scrub, between 1400 and
7000 feet

 Open, deep, loose sandy
(rarely gravelly) soils,

© Project SOUND

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Mojave Pincushion: a petit sunflower

 Size:
 1 – 1 ½ ft tall
 1-2 ft wide

 Growth form:

 Foliage:
 Leaves mostly in basal rosette
 Leaves slightly fleshy; deeply
lobed into very narrow
segments
 Color blue-green due waxy
scales
 Foliage often dies back before
©2009 Stephen Dowlan or with flowering in wild

© Project SOUND

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Flowers are pale

 Blooms: in spring usually Mar-
June in western L.A. County

 Flowers:
 Flowers in dense, compact
heads that look somewhat
©2011 Neal Kramer
like a pincushion
 Color: white to pale pink –
hence another common name
‘flesh-color pincushion’
 Cute

 Seeds:
 Dry; rather showy
 Wind dispersed

© Project SOUND

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Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: well-drained best
 pH: any local

 Light:
 Full sun to part-shade

 Water:
 Winter/spring: adequate for
development
 Summer: none after
blooming


 Other: gravel mulch

©2012 Jean Pawek
© Project SOUND

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Garden Pincushions
 In mixed ‘color bowls’ - as a
contrast plant with other,
more colorful native blooms
 In a desert garden
 Tucked into narrow, dry
places in the garden
©2010 James M. Andre

© Project SOUND
http://166.78.84.170/taxa/57925-Chaenactis-xantiana

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Yellow Pincushion (Chaenactis
glabriuscula) – local version
 Size: 1-2 ft tall; < 1 ft wide
 Blooms:
 Spring: usually Mar-May for 2-4 wks
 Composite flower:
http://www.callutheran.edu/wf/images/des/des-658.jpg  Larger flowers to outside
 Smaller inside
 Looks like a pincushion
 Color: bright to golden yellow
 Usually several head per stem
 In wilds are often massed – ‘carpet of
gold’
 Excellent butterfly plant
© Project SOUND
http://www.nps.gov/archive/pinn/images/flowers/large/yellowpincushion.jpg

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‘Sunflowers’ are easy
to grow from seed

 Plant at the right time – in
winter, just before a major rain
cycle
http://www.ransomseedlab.com/aboutus/asteraceae/examples_lastheni  Just lightly rake in the seeds –
a_californica.htm
need light to germinate
 Be sure the young seedlings get
adequate water
 Taper off water after flowering
 Let plants reseed – and/or
collect dry seeds, dry a week or
two, store in cool, dry place
(paper bags, envelopes or glass
jars)
http://www.nps.gov/plants/sos/bendcollections/images/Lasthenia%20ca
lifornica_JPG.jpg
© Project SOUND

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What’s the deal about gravel/crushed rock mulches?
 You may have noticed that many
annual wildflowers like to grow
in decomposed granite
 Why?
 Similar to natural conditions for
some wildflowers
 Well-drained
 Warms up well
 Easy for small seedlings to grow
through; and protects them
 Seeds can avoid predation

 Other advantages
 Looks neater than bare ground
 Looks quite natural

An inorganic mulch ~ 1 inch deep or less
works well – you will have to weed © Project SOUND

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Another advantage of CA native annuals
is that they ‘naturalize’

© Project SOUND

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Advantages to letting plants naturalize

 Saves money – sometimes
can just start with a few
plants – or a packet of seed

 Saves effort – let Mother
Nature do the work

 Looks ‘natural’

 Helps to tie the garden
together – a theme that
runs through the garden

© Project SOUND

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Combine them with some formal hardscape

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53351976@N02/4964811573/

http://www.comfortinnselinsgrove.com/privacy-policy.htm

© Project SOUND

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Or use them in a more
formal landscape
design

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/knot%20garden

http://phillipoliver.blogspot.com/2009/04/birmingham-open-gardens-tour-part-2.html

© Project SOUND
http://www.silive.com/homegarden/index.ssf/2012/09/plants_are_a_passion_at_well-s.html

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Combine informal annuals with more
formal non-natives for a fresh look

Native annuals brighten
up a knot garden – the
basic structure can be
designed with non-native
perennial herbs

http://wreathfactoryonline.com/2012/08/19/from-cheryls-garden-riverside-international-friendship-
gardens/

© Project SOUND

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*Desert Dandelion – Malacothrix glabrata
 San Joaquin Valley, Outer South Coast
Ranges, Western Transverse Ranges,
East of Sierra Nevada, Desert - to
Oregon, Idaho, Utah; Mexico
 Creosote Bush Scrub, Joshua Tree
Woodland, Shadscale Scrub: 0-6562 ft
 On coarse, sandy, gravely or rocky soils
in open areas or among shrubs

© Project SOUND
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences ©2008 Steve Matson

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A Dandelion taken to a whole new level

 Size:
 < 18 inches tall
 1-2 ft wide

 Growth form:

 Foliage:
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences
 Leaves primarily in basal
rosette
 Leaves somewhat fleshy
 Deeply divided – segments
almost thread-like – very
unusual for genus
 Color: medium to gray-green


© Project SOUND

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Flowers: small zinnias
 Blooms: spring – usually Mar-
June depending on rains

 Flowers:
 In large (to 2 inch) dandelion-
like heads
 Many blunt-tipped, strap-like
©2008 Neal Kramer ray flowers – somewhat like
zinnia
 Color: yellow, often darker
towards center; young head
may have dark orange center

 Seeds:
 Like super dandelion – quite
pretty w/ long silky pappus

© Project SOUND
http://www.answers.com/topic/dudleya

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 Soils:
Need rain – but tough  Texture: any
 pH: any local

 Light:
 Full sun to part-shade

 Water:
 Winter/spring: need good winter
rains (or irrigation)
©1988 Gary A. Monroe
 Summer: dry


© Project SOUND

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Versatile Desert Dandelion
 As habitat: birds, pollinators,
tortoises
 As an alternative to tidy-tips in
hot, dry gardens
 In un-watered, out of the way
places
©2008 Neal Kramer
 To ‘soften’ more formal plantings

©2009 Ron Wolf
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Malacothrix_glabrata
© Project SOUND

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Adaptations common
in desert annuals
 Seeds only germinate in wet
years – will be more regular in
http://www.worldbotanical.com/chaenactis.htm
our area

 Quick growth

 Small size; ‘play well together’

 Often spare, narrow/dissected
leaves – or fleshy to hold water

 Leaves in basal rosette – no
resources wasted on leafy stems

 Flowers often on stems above
foliage – to increase chances of
http://www.abdnha.org/pages/03flora/family/asteraceae/m pollination
alacothrix_glabrata.htm
© Project SOUND

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Hybrid zinnias provide little in the way of
habitat

© Project SOUND
http://sparklingyogini.wordpress.com/2011/07/30/july-favorites-2011/

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Another good use of annuals is as ‘filler plants’

http://ochereeingreenwood.wordpress.com/2010/05/

© Project SOUND
http://wwwrockrose.blogspot.com/2009/04/easter-garden.html

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Something tall and colorful while the
shrubs fill in

http://www.jeckels.com/photoDetail?PhotoId=2148&ReferringCategoryId=281 © Project SOUND

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When it comes to filler plants, the Clarkias
are garden favorites throughout the world

http://gardenpuzzle.com/projects/show/49848

http://tmousecmouse.blogspot.com/2012_08_01_archive.html

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/s
howimage/1758/

© Project SOUND
http://norahwilsonwrites.com/wordpress/?tag=alice-gaines

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And many are California native annuals

http://back40feet.blogspot.com/2009/07/filoli.html

© Project SOUND

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Clarkias – Evening Primrose family

 Genus named after
William Clark
 41 annual species
 72 species and sub-
species native to CA
 Include garden
varieties sold by seed
companies

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Clarkias have long been used in gardens
 The Clarkias have been
used in gardens since 1840,
when seeds were sent back
to England for cultivation
 Most garden forms were
derived from Elegant
Clarkia, Clarkia amoena, and
Ruby Chalice Clarkia Clarka
rubicunda
 Nurseries sometimes carry
something they call
"Godetia", which will usually
© 2004 Norman Jensen
be a Clarkia.

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Clarkias: two types (for garden design purposes)
Robust & bushy types Wand-like types

Purple Clarkia – Clarkia purpurea

Elegant Clarkia – Clarkia unguiculata
© Project SOUND

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Clarkia’s: dramatic
when massed
 Make bold, colorful
statement – sometimes for
months at a time

 Allow you to appreciate the
differences between the
different species

 Planting several may allow
you to extend the
flowering season into
summer – some tend to
bloom later than others

http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com/wildflower_watch_wk13.htm © Project SOUND

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Confusion over Clarkias

 Many Clarkia were mistaken for
other genera such as Godetia
 Even within the same species
there is much variability
 Interbreeding between sub-
species
 Some populations are isolated –
tend to diverge from others even
within a species
 In the 1950s, the genus Clarkia
became the object of intensive
genetic and taxonomic studies at
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/purpleclarkia.html
UCLA

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* Godetia/Farewell-to-spring – Clarkia amoena

http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com/images/garden_weekly/amoena_cu1_wk12_big.jpg
© Project SOUND

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* Godetia – Clarkia amoena

 CA and OR coast north
of San Francisco Bay
 Generally open, drying
places, < 1500 ft.
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-
bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?5263,5341,5343
 Found in coastal scrub,
prairies and dry open
coastal slopes & bluffs
 A staple of cottage
gardens world-wide
since the 1800’s

© Project SOUND
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences

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Godeta is a robust type of Clarkia – like
Elegant Clarkia
 Size:
 1-3 ft tall
 1-2 ft wide

 Growth form:
 Upright, branched form

 Foliage:
 Leaves simple
 Typically blue-green to gray-
green – may be tinged with red
or magenta

© 2002 George Jackson © Project SOUND

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Flowers: like C. purpurea
on steroids
 Blooms:
 Spring/summer: usually Apr-June
in our area but may be later into
summer with water – 2-4 months

 Flowers:
 Glorious two-toned colors: usually
http://www.americanmeadows.com/godetia-seeds?___store=default

featuring magenta, but may be
more purple or more pink
 Incredibly showy – like Elegant
Clarkia but larger and often more
bright
 Attracts butterflies,
hummingbirds

 Seeds: many small seeds in capsules –
will reseed on bare ground or
gravel/crushed rock mulch; edible
© 2002 George Jackson http://www.rampantscotland.com/colour/supplement070818.htm © Project SOUND

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Using robust-type
Clarkias
 Lovely in containers – with bulbs
and other annuals
 Massed on slopes with grasses
 In mid-beds for cottage garden
 To fill in spaces that need a
http://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/tips/clarkias.php little color – short- or long-term

http://back40feet.blogspot.com/2011/08/larner-seeds-demonstration-garden.html
http://tmousecmouse.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html © Project SOUND

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Ruby Chalice Clarkia – Clarkia rubicunda
 Central Coast, San Francisco Bay
Area

 Grassy slopes and openings in
Northern Coastal Scrub, Mixed
Evergreen Forest and Chaparral,
0-1600 ft. elevation


©2008 Neal Kramer © Project SOUND

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Ruby Chalice Clarkia: open & slender

 Size:
 2-4 ft tall
 1-3 ft wide

 Growth form:

 Foliage:
 Similar to Purple Clarkia
 Slender, upright stems
 Often many-branched
 Long, slender leaves
 Foliage gray-green – may be
red- or purple-tinged

©2011 Margo Bors

© Project SOUND

97

Attractive annuals 2013

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