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Compositae (Asteraceae)

Feverfew is a member of the Compositae Family.

Kansas may not have the most unusual state flower, but it has the most, in the form of a sunflower. Only black eyed Susan of Maryland, sagebrush of Nevada, and Goldenrod of Kentucky and Nebraska have similar composite flowers, which are actually composed of many minute flowers known as ‘florets’. Yet, none are as large, and therefore not as abundant as the sunflower of Kansas.

Bluebonnet, yucca, lilac and red clover, the state flowers of Texas, New Mexico, New Hampshire and Vermont respectively all bloom with flower trusses that support many individual flowers. Composite flowers of the family Compositae are somewhat more efficient, with their individual florets so tightly arranged that they seem to be individual flowers. Sagebrush and goldenrod actually take this technique a step further, by producing trusses that support many composite flowers; an abundance of abundance!

Composite flowers are so efficient that they actually assign specific tasks to their various members. The outer florets around the margins of larger composite flowers are the ‘ray’ florets that function as petals. They are big, flashy and colorful, to attract bees and other pollinators, but are typically sterile, so can not produce seeds.

The smaller central ‘disc’ florets actually do the work of getting pollinated and producing seed. Because of the efficiency of the ray florets, they do not need to attract attention. They are low and dense, ideal landing pads for bees delivering and collecting pollen. They literally get pollinated as they get trampled.

The showiest composite flowers have disproportionately large ray florets, like chrysanthemums, dahlias, daisies, cosmos, black eyed Susans and  echinacea. Some of the bulkiest and boldest chrysanthemums actually lack disc florets, and produce only colorful but sterile ray florets. The smaller and more colorful sunflowers have more prominent ray florets than the humungous and mostly yellow sunflowers that have more prominent and abundant disc florets.

Other composite flowers impress their pollinators in a more subdued style, by instead producing more appealing disc florets. Lavender cotton and some marigolds actually lack ray florets. Most composite flowers that use this technique are yellow or orange, and quite compact.

There are not many composite flowers that lack aromatic foliage. Daisies and chrysanthemums are actually objectionable to some. It is a wonder than there are insects that eat them! Feverfew and chamomile are instead appreciated for their aroma and flavor.

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Chameleon

What color is this? It looks pink to me. A day earlier, though, it looked peachy orange. At various times last year and the year earlier, this same angel’s trumped bloomed more orangish orange, yellow and even white. I can not remember its schedule now, but I know that it has been weirdly variable. It is one of four cultivars of angel’s trumpet here, but the only one that will not decide on a color for its bloom.

One of the other four angel’s trumpets here blooms with double white flowers. My favorite, although relatively diminutive, blooms with single white flowers. The most vigorous is ‘Charles Grimaldi’, which blooms with single yellow flowers. A formerly fifth cultivar with big single pink flowers unfortunately rotted without replacements over winter a few years ago.

This particular angel’s trumpet grew from scrap that I took from a green waste pile at the curb of a job site in eastern San Jose several years ago. I took it because I found the pastel orange foliar color of the specimen that it was likely pruned from to be appealing. I had no idea that it would bloom with so many other comparably appealing floral colors.

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Chilean Rhubarb

Chilean rhubarb is a grand perennial.

Only riparian and aquatic vegetation tolerates sustained soil saturation. Chilean rhubarb, Gunnera tinctoria, almost qualifies as such. It enjoys such generous irrigation that it may perform well on a bank of a pond or stream. However, it should be sufficiently high on its bank to avoid constant saturation. Otherwise, it can rot, likely during its winter dormancy.

Chilean rhubarb is a spectacular foliar plants. Its humongous lobed leaves may grow six feet wide and eight feet tall. Although they succumb to mild frost, they regenerate quickly from rhizomes for spring. Leaves and petioles have a rather raspy texture, with small soft spines. Odd conical floral spikes that bloom about now might grow nearly three feet high.

Although not related to real rhubarb, Chilean rhubarb is as edible as its name implies. Its big petioles only need peeling to remove the raspy exteriors. Locally, Chilean rhubarb is more of a striking ornamental perennial. It is as appropriate to woodsy gardens as it is to sleek modern gardens. The absence of its bold foliage for winter is the main disincentive for its usage.

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Soil Saturation Can Drown Roots

Only riparian species tolerate sustained saturation.

Irrigation must adapt to weather. It was unnecessary for exposed vegetation during rainy winter weather. It became necessary through drier spring weather. Now, it must adjust for increasingly warm and dry summer weather. This is not as simple as application of more water more frequently. Excessive irrigation causes soil saturation, which damages roots.

Soil saturation is unfortunately common within landscapes that gardeners maintain. The risk of desiccation is more of a concern to gardeners than wasteful irrigation. Desiccation is certainly more apparent than symptoms of saturation. Besides, gardeners assume the costs of neither water nor damaged vegetation. Chronic damage can become significant.

Soil saturation is less common within gardens that lack gardeners, but is not impossible. Soil within pots can become saturated if vigorous roots clog drainage holes. Water which lingers too long in saucers under pots maintains saturation. Irrigation that is too frequent, too generous or both maintains saturation. Of course, different soil types drain differently.

Soil saturation deprives roots of the aeration that they need to survive. A few species are somewhat tolerant of saturation, but fewer tolerate it for long. With few exceptions, newer roots avoid saturation, so disperse shallowly. For trees, this limits stability and increases their likelihood of displacing pavement. Even shrubbery might develop buttressing roots.

Roots that dispersed prior to saturation are vulnerable to rot as soil saturation increases. This not only destabilizes trees, but also compromises their health. Formerly healthy turf grass and ground cover become chlorotic. Some turf grass becomes infested with fungal pathogens, and perhaps moss. Flowers and fruits might shrivel before they develop fully.

It is impossible to prescribe ideal irrigation schedules and application rates for every site. Climate, soil type, slope, exposure and vegetation types are all considerations. Moisture requirements change seasonally and as vegetation matures. Only direct observation can help determine appropriate irrigation frequencies and rates. It is a very involved process.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 10 Comments

Six on Saturday: Not Yet Summer Bloom

Too much is blooming now for pictures of foliage, bark, trees, vines, shrubs or any other horticultural subject matter. I got these pictures before yesterday, so they are technically still spring bloom.

1. Gladiolus X hortulanus, gladiolus looks silly alone. It was the first to bloom. All others are in small colonies that developed from reliably perennial bulbs, which were originally components of a mixed batch. I would not have expected any to be so reliably perennial.

2. Lavandula angustifolia, English lavender has similarly lasted longer than expected. It was already a few years old several years ago, when I predicted its natural demise within two years. A feral specimen of Spanish lavender coincidentally grew from a seed nearby.

3. Antirrhinum majus, snapdragon is also feral. All within its colony bloom white. Those of another feral colony all bloom yellow. However, the parents of both colonies bloomed with mixed colors of the same variety. I can not complain, but I wonder what happened.

4. Celosia argentea, plumed cockscomb blooms with these red, orange or yellow flames. The chartreuse foliage in the background is coleus. They are a good example of why I do not procure annuals at work. I have difficulty with such striking color, texture and form.

5. Abutilon X hybridum, Chinese lantern is an awkwardly lanky shrub that will not stop blooming. I would like to prune it down to perhaps improve its density, but do not want to interfere with its bloom schedule. It has been here for many years, and might be feral.

6. Canna ‘Cannova Mango’ canna is not my favorite cultivar, but has too many attributes to discredit. It begins blooming before any other canna here. It blooms more abundantly than any other canna here. I know of no one else who dislikes this color as much as I do.

This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/

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Sawara False Cypress

Sawara false cypress cultivars do not develop into real trees.

Just like other types of false cypress, the Sawara false cypress, Chamaecyparis pisifera, naturally gets much larger than its many cultivars that are sometime grown in gardens for their colorful and interestingly textured foliage. Although not large trees, they can get nearly thirty feet tall in wild groves in Japan. Most garden varieties stay less than ten feet tall, and some stay much shorter.

‘Cyano-Viridis’ (‘Boulevard’), with feathery blue green foliage, is one of the more popular cultivars. It grows slowly to more than six feet tall and broad. ‘Filifera’ has very different foliage, with tightly fitting scale leaves on limber cord shaped branches. It stays a bit shorter but can get a bit broader. ‘Mops’ is similar to ‘Filifera’, but stays about a foot and a half tall and broad. ‘Filifera Aurea’ and ‘Golden Mops’ are just like ‘Filfera’ and ‘Mops’, but with yellow foliage.

Reflected glare or harsh exposures can burn foliage. Full sun is not a problem, unless enhanced by glare from surrounding pavement or lightly colored walls. Partial shade is not a problem either, but compromises foliar color, particularly yellow.

Shearing or major pruning deprives false cypress of their naturally appealing forms and textures. They should therefore get plenty of space for their mature size, and get trimmed lightly for shape only when necessary.

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Boinkification

Dwarf Alberta spruce needs to know its place.

Many dwarf plants are very practical. The many different dwarf cultivars (cultivated varieties) of false cypress that are grown for their interesting forms, textures and foliar colors are much more proportionate to home gardens than similar specie in the wild, which are big enough to get harvested for timber. Oranges are easier to reach on dwarf trees than on standard trees, which get as big as shade trees.

However, not all plants should be bred to be dwarfs. Dwarf Southern magnolias certainly have their appeal for tight spots, but do not make as much shade as larger trees do. Compact cultivars of crape myrtles (although not actually dwarfs) take too much time to grow above truck traffic to be practical as street trees.

Many classic annuals and perennials are likewise bred to be too compact to be as practical as they were in the past. Annie of Annie’s Annuals in Richmond refers to this all too common practice as ‘boinkification’. It makes many blooming plants more marketable and resilient to shipping and installation, but deprives them of their natural form and elegance.

Short annuals and perennials certainly have their place. Lobelia, sweet alyssum, dwarf marigolds and petunias are fine along walkways and in pots with other larger plants. They also work well as bedding plants for a profusion of color. Yet, there is all too often too much of a good thing. Some flower beds are simply so big and plain, that it would be just as colorful to paint an area orange instead of planting so many marigolds.

Taller flowering annuals like nicotiana (flowering tobacco), cosmos and zinnias add depth behind lower growing annuals. Dahlias are perennials that can accomplish the same thing. Some of the older and less common varieties of familiar bedding plants that have not been so boinkified also work well. There are even petunias that can get two feet tall and wide! These taller plants also provide cut flowers; which is something that boinky plants are not so good at.

Boinkification also compromises fragrance and aroma. Bedding dianthus have almost no fragrance at all; unlike the old fashioned dianthus and carnations that had such distinctive spicy fragrance. Modern zonal geraniums are more colorful than classic varieties, but their foliage is not quite as aromatic.

Not only does increased foliar density of boinky plants promote the proliferation of many diseases and pests; but the genetic violations necessary for boinkification interfere with resistance to diseases and pests!

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Almond / Almond

Pote-8-o or pote-aht-o? Tome-8-o or tome-aht-o? Ape-ricot or app-ricot? Pee-can or pi-kahn? What about “almond”? This is different from the distinction of plums and prunes. It is a matter of pronunciation. Is “almond” pronounced like “salmon” or “common”? Those who grow them, and likely know better than the rest of us, commonly pronounce it like “salmon”. Most of the rest of us pronounce it like “common”. The nuts are harvested by machines that shake them from their trees, which supposedly shakes the ‘ell out of them, which sort of makes sense. Although the “l” is silent within both pronunciations, it might be slightly more so within the “common” pronunciation. Everything associated with almonds prior to harvest, such as their orchards, trees, bloom, unharvested nuts and their collective industry, commonly employs the “salmon” pronunciation, in which the “l” may be slightly less silent. Everything associated with harvested and processed nuts and their products, which are what most of us are familiar with, more commonly employs the “common” pronunciation. For the pair of trees in my garden, I use the “salmon” pronunciation. For their nuts, I use the “common” pronunciation.

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Mint

Mint is very easy to propagate.

Propagation is not a problem for mint, Mentha spicata. It grows very easily from cuttings, even in water. Alternatively, it grows efficiently from division of its dense network of basal stolons. A more likely problem is its potential invasiveness. It spreads everywhere it finds water, even into other vegetation. Therefore, it is more popular in pots than in the ground.

Mint is as popular for its herbal or culinary application as for its aesthetic appeal. Various cultivars and hybrids provide various flavors and aromas of mint. It is handsome alone in pots, or can mingle nicely with annuals, perennials or herbs. It is a traditional component of mixed window boxes. With containment it can be a splendid small scale ground cover.

Mature growth is generally less than a foot high. It can sprawl almost three feet high onto low shrubbery, though. Occasional shearing, particularly after winter, maintains tidier and lower growth. Paired evergreen leaves are about two inches long, with serrated margins. Slender floral spikes of tiny white or pink flowers may get slightly shabby during summer if not shorn.