Tag Archives: ceanothus

Design trends

Lessons from the Fire

First year California yerba santa with lupine after the fire.

My house in Bonny Doon burned down on August 19, 2020. I know this because my neighbor sent me a photo the next day after the fire had moved on down the slope. The next spring quite a few of my plants were making a valiant effort to regrow despite being burned to the ground. I saved about 75 plants that I now call “pets” at my new place in Boulder Creek. So this is a story of survival and renewal.

Mother Nature has millennia to recover from a forest fire. Us, not so much. Much of the 86,000 acres burned in the CZU Lightning Complex fire is now covered densely with the pioneer native plants yerba santa and Ceanothus thyrsiflorus that thrive in disturbed soils like after a fire. The land will sort itself out in the decades to come. The ceanothus will feed the soil enabling trees to regrow. But for now it might seem too much of a good thing especially for those rebuilding after the fire. These are some of the things I’ve learned about fire and renewal.

Ceanothus is so beautiful in the spring, forming lovely cluster of blue and white flowers that produce many seeds. Birds and other wildlife love them. The heat from the fire triggered dormant seeds in the soil to germinate in large numbers. The post-fire conditions, with plenty of light and minimal competition, are ideal for the growth of woody shrubs and this dense shrub layer has rapidly grown over your head in many areas, especially Big Basin.

As a native species, ceanothus plays an important role after a fire but it may also increase wildfire risks. It is relatively short lived. Observations after the 2009 Lockheed fire show that the death of ceanothus as the canopy thickens leads to a significant accumulation of dead woody material in the forest understory. Management will be necessary especially around homes, old growth trees and other important natural resources.

If you are interested in monitoring or managing ceanothus on your property you can reach out to Brian Woodward of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. He has a blog where I found out this valuable information.

Around my old property in Bonny Doon as well as Boulder Creek, native California yerba santa has taken over. It germinates from seed during the first post year growing season. Seeds that have lain dormant in the soil for decades will germinate following a fire. It’s possible that their hard coated seeds will not germinated except when scarified. So fire may break the seed’s dormancy by burning off the litter layer and exposing the seed to sufficient light to allow germination.

It does provide some forage for our black-tailed deer especially in the winter when more desirable plants are scarce. Deer consumption increases during the first two years following a fire. But now at year 4 after the fire, yerba santa has grown to its full height of 8 feet and is hard to control. Spreading by seed and underground runners it’s taken over many burned properties. The leaves secrete flammable resins and waxes which build up and make the leaf surface gummy. The branches are also glutinous. Older, resinous leaves are dropped during summer producing highly flammable litter.

With shallow roots within the top 8 inches of soil and multi branching rhizomes every 8-10 inches yerba santa is hard to control. It is a diminished survivor and plants gradually die out, however, as the community matures and is displaced in climax communities by chaparral, ceanothus cuneatus, and manzanita.

An interesting fact is that Native Californians used the leaves of yerba santa in the form of a tea to treat respiratory sickness, colds and stomach aches.

Foxglove that self sowed in a Mexican Weeping Bamboo that survived the fire.

Back here in my little garden, my surviving “pets’ are blooming and happy. It took a couple of years for the roots to recover after being burned so badly but the stems eventually re-sprouted. I lost all my maples and other trees as only the redwoods survived but I’m happy that I have flowers for the hummingbirds and what more can you ask for?

Design trends

Ceanothus- The Most Valuable Plant

Ceanothus ‘Heart’s Desire

When the huge numbers of California Tortoiseshell butterflies showed up around here on June 10th, I learned a lot about the different species of ceanothus and how dependent we are on this plant. Because most of us live near or in a Wildland Urban interface we are aware of the benefits of ceanothus and other native plants. From erosion control to habitat, to seed and nectar for pollinators, birds and butterflies, ceanothus is a most valuable plant. A visit to any local nursery will tempt you to get one of each for your own garden. But are cultivars or “nativars” of ceanothus as valuable as native ceanothus?

Research is ongoing but there are only a few studies comparing the nutritional value of straight native species to culivars or nativars. Many may have as high en ecological value as native species but this is not absolute. Dark foliage, for instance, does not provided the nutritional value for leaf-eating larvae. There is so much that we need to study.

A cultivar of Carmel Creeper groundcover, Diamond Heights is good for erosion control.

The groundcover varieties I have used in landscape include Anchor Bay, Carmel Creeper, Heart’s Desire, Centennial and Diamond Heights. If deer frequent your landscape you should stick with Anchor Bay, Heart’s Desire and Centennial but the others are great in protected areas.

One of the upright types growing everywhere in the Santa Cruz Mountain is ceanothus thysiflorus. It’s one of the earliest native shrubs to bloom in our area. It grows along a narrow band close to the coast from Monterey to southern Oregon. There are many nativars of this variety. I like Julia Phelps with those electric blue flowers. It’s a hybrid of Wartleaf Ceanothus and Santa Barbara Ceanothus It’s similar in appliance to another popular nativar called ‘Dark Star’.

A great variety I often use when designing a garden is Ceanothus ‘Concha’ because it will accept summer water more forgivingly than most and tolerates clay soil more than other species. Joyce Coulter ceanothus also tolerates clay, summer irrigation and shearing better than other cultivars. It’s a good bloomer, drought tolerant and is covered in spring with wildly fragrant blue three-inch flower spikes.

Ceanothus is often said to be short lived. Most varieties need good drainage, little summer water and don’t need soil amendments. In their wild conditions ceanothus plants have a natural life cycle of 10-15 years although some live longer.

Several members of the ceanothus family can form a symbiotic relationship with soil micro-organisms and fungi, forming root nodules which fix nitrogen. This is a reason why fertilizing is not normally recommended. Adding fertilizer might kill off the good micro-organisms. Ceanothus are better left fending for themselves.

Carmel Creeper

Ceanothus provide excellent habitat for birds and insects. They are good for attracting bee and pollinators and are the larval host plants for the beautiful ceanothus silkmoth. Ceanothus seed is readily eaten by many local birds. Planting a ceanothus is an important step to attracting more birds and wildlife to your garden.

Early California Indians used the fresh or dried flowers of some varieties for washing, lathered into a soap. it has been said to relieve poison oak, eczema and rash.

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What’s Not to Love about Ceanothus?

Ceanothus growing near the Covered Bridge in Felton

They grow quietly for most of the year – their seed feeding many kinds of birds, their flowers providing nectar for hummingbirds and bees and their foliage offering good nesting sites. They?re fast growing, fragrant, beautiful and they?re in full bloom right now.

If I had to choose one plant to grow that would provide the most benefit for all wildlife it would be ceanothus. Hands down, it?s the best and here are some of my favorite varieties.

Ceanothus ‘Heart’s Desire’

The groundcover varieties I have in my landscape are Anchor Bay, Carmel Creeper, Heart?s Desire, Centennial and Diamond Heights. If deer frequent your landscape you should stick with Anchor Bay, Heart?s Desire and Centennial but the others are great in protected areas. And maritimus ?Valley Violet? is another great looking deer tolerant groundcover, too. Most of these types grow quite wide and are good for erosion control.

One of the upright types I have is ceanothus thyrsiflorus. It?s one of the earliest native shrubs to bloom in our area, is fragrant and self sows. Ceanothus thyrsiflorus grow along a narrow band close to the coast from Monterey to southern Oregon. I also grow Julia Phelps with those electric blue flowers and Ray Hartman.

A friend of mine grew a new cultivar – ceanothus ?Celestial Blue? – with flowers that looked like blueberry sherbet. With a light fragrance, described as grape tart, it made a good screen. This cultivar is probably a hybrid of Julia Phelps and Concha. A horticultural cultivar is simply a plant variety that’s been selected specifically for gardens. Celestial Blue flowers 9 months a year especially in the summer when it explodes with rich purplish blue flowers.

Another cultivar I often use when designing a garden is Ceanothus ?Concha? because it will accept summer water more forgivingly than most, tolerate clay soil more than other species and is possibly one of the most beautiful species you can grow in your garden.

Carmel Creeper ceanothus

But are ?nativars? as good for wildlife as wild types for the ecosystem? Well, it depends. More on this in another column. It?s complicated.

Joyce Coulter ceanothus also tolerates clay, summer irrigation and shearing better than other cultivars. It?s a good bloomer, drought tolerant and is covered in spring with wildly fragrant, blue three-inch flower spikes.

Ceanothus is often said to be short lived. Most varieties need good drainage, little summer water and don?t need soil amendments. In their wild conditions ceanothus plants have a natural life cycle of 20-25 years although some live longer. There are some on my property that are older. These receive no summer water although I have some that are at least 15 years old that get occasional summer irrigation, so go figure. I?ll keep you posted when they pass.

Members of the ceanothus family can form a symbiotic relationship with soil micro-organisms and fungi, forming root nodules which fix nitrogen. This is a reason why fertilizing is not normally recommended and they grow so fast. Adding fertilizer kilsl off the good micro-organisms. Ceanothus are better left fending for themselves.

Ceanothus provide excellent habitat for birds and insects. They are good for attracting bee and fly pollinators and are the larval host plants for the beautiful ceanothus silkmoth. Ceanothus seed is readily eaten by many local birds. Planting a ceanothus is an important step to attracting more birds and wildlife to your garden.

Early California Indians used the fresh or dried flowers of some varieties for washing, lathered into a soap. it has been said to relieve poison oak, eczema and rash.