Pretty Face, Triteleia ixioides Sunny starry yellow, Pretty Face is sometimes called Golden brodiaea or Golden Stars, and is native to California, appearing only slightly beyond the borders, according to CalFlora. This variety, found on our place and all through the Oakhurst Yosemite area, may be Triteleia ixioides ssp. scabra or Foothill Pretty Face. This pretty bulb first shows up…
Much about Miner’s lettuceIt may seem a weed in many California gardens, but you’ll find that miner’s lettuce, or Claytonia, is beautiful, useful and edible!
Claytonia parviflora is a species of wildflower in the Purslane family known by the common name Streambank Springbeauty or Miners’ Lettuce. It is very closely related to Claytonia perfoliata which is also commonly known as Miners’ Lettuce.
Mentioned in the Lewis and Clark Herbarium, a specimen of Claytonia parviflora was collected along the lower Columbia River probably in Columbia Co., Oregon, on 26 Mar 1806.
“The Claytonia perfoliata, a close ‘relative’ was discovered on the northwest coast of America, by Mr. Archibald Menzies, and introduced by him into the Kew Garden, in the year 1796, where it has maintained itself ever since, and whence it has been communicated to most of the Botanic Gardens in the kingdom.
Flowers nearly all the summer; and in a moist soil, not too much exposed, will sow itself, and the young plants will come up in the spring, requiring no other care than to prevent their being choked by more powerful weeds, or cut off by that destructive instrument the hoe. Our drawing was taken at Mr. Salisbury’s Botanic Garden, Brompton.” Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, 1811 *
Miner’s lettuce is the most recognizable wild edible plant now.
The genus, Claytonia, had been named for 18th century botanist , John Clayton**, by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. ‘Perfoliate’, means having a leaf with the base united around, and apparently pierced by, the stem.…
Recently identified, four CA natives on the property are ‘new to me.’ If you read this blog very much, you know that I’ve been compiling a sort of natural history of the California natives on the place. After ten years here and five years since the house was built, I have thought I knew all the…
Oh, Joy!
Dill is a versatile herb, one that I really use in cooking. First planted in 2005, I’ve never had to buy another plant. I love volunteers, but this is different! This monster dill has found a place it loves.
The Dill, looking somewhat Dr Suess-y
This dill seeded itself next to the potted mother plant, stashed there during Fall patio cleanup. When Tractor Man isn’t tractoring, he looks out this west-facing window and the wispy feathery leaves have been growing up this early Spring to peek in at him. They don’t call it weed for nothing.…
It’s California Native Plant Week and I’m profiling a different California native each day that is on my particular wish list. Today is a favorite, Blue-eyed grass.
“Out of the clover & blue-eyed grass
He turned them into the river-lane;
One after another he let them pass,
Then fastened the meadow-bars again.”Driving Home the Cows
by Kate Putnam Osgood,
b. 1860
Blue Eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium bellum is a primitive iris
Blue-eyed grass or Western blue-eyed grass, Sisyrinchium bellum, is native to California and other areas west of the Sierra Nevada. A perennial meadow wildflower related to the iris family, it hides among the other grasses until the clear blue flowers appear in April or May.…
It’s California Native Plant Week and I’m profiling a different California native each day that is on my particular wish list.
The first is Coulter’s Matilija poppy, Romneya coulteri.
The flowers of the tall and dramatic Matilija poppy, Romneya coulteri, look eggish, growing atop an 8-12 foot plant. A perennial, this grey-green leafed California native, prefers dry, disturbed soil near road cuts and along rocky streams.
Matilija poppy, 7 inches wide, Shelter Cove, California
In my area, it’s found beside the Merced River along Hwy 140 going into Yosemite, but I’ve seen it in Monterey, CA in the median strips and planting areas along the roadsides and as far north as Shelter Cove, CA. In my neighbor’s garden, it grows rampantly with sprinklers going summer long and suckers madly, multiplying in all corners of the place.
Matilija poppy stands 8 feet tall or more
This photo was taken in Shelter Cove, CA where the Matilija (Ma-TILL-a-ha) grows wildly beside a gas station parking lot. Named for the Matilija River in Ventura County, CA, it was discovered in the 1860’s by Irish botanist, Thomas Coulter, who named it after his friend, John Thomas Romney Robinson, an astronomer. Coulter, collected and studied plants in Californa and Mexico.…
Ceanothus ‘Dark Star’
I only set my cup down for a minute. Seeing that the morning light was diffused, and remembering my ‘too contrasty’ photos of the miniature daffodils I took yesterday, I walked out into the day and set my steaming cup on the arm of the bench by the front door. Climbing the hill I was…
After much discussion and agonizing decisions, we have embarked on big changes here at my Sierra Foothill Garden! In this day of slow economy, we’ve had to look into turning our property into more of a money making operation, so I’m announcing that we have joined up with FTD flowers wholesale division and Cal Poly San…
Blue Flax, linum lewisii, a CA native, introduced in my garden
Blue Flax, linum lewisii, not native to my property, but wildish
Blue Flax in the meadow
…
Another post on weeds… Judith Larner Lowry in ‘Gardening with a Wild Heart’ says “Somewhere in all this activity (of discovering CA native gardening), the gardener notices that most of the work involved is weeding. The story of gardening in California, and indeed the whole world, is the story of weeds.” Do not let…
Inspired by a sunbeam. At 7:15am, as the sun peeks over the mountain peak, it focused on the petals of the daffodils, rescued from the past week’s snow. My interest is piqued and I reach for the camera, the small one, set it for no flash and macro setting. Welcome, sun! Fun! Daffodils are Ice King, Ice…
peacock
The Shinzen Friendship Garden’s Spring Blossom Festival and Bonsai Show originally scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday, March 26-27 has been cancelled due to weather. What better way to make up for this watery fact than to provide a little color from photos I took at last years’ event. There is a slideshow of all the photos at the end.
koi pond view
In the beginning, the idea was proposed to create a Japanese garden complete with stone lanterns and a teahouse to be dedicated to Fresno’s Sister City Kochi, Japan, as a symbol of friendship and international brotherhood.…
This snowy, drippy day…what else to do but check on past projects. Getting rid of Mexican Primrose 10-15-2010 Invasive plants and impatience in the garden March Update: There are a few sprouts coming up of the Mexican primrose which confirms that it’s the right decision not to have replanted the plants I removed from the front…
The objective is to plant shrubs and trees as foundations for the beds. Here are the first plants put in.
Our first spring here has been rainy for the last ten weekends, then we left for a trip to Moab. When we returned it was spring finally, sunny and warm and everyone in town is planting in front of their homes and businesses , I notice as I drive past.
May 23-28, 2002 Memorial Day! Madeline had her prom (Derek’s senior prom) so we went up alone. Jolie was working at Claimjumper so she stayed home. It was to be a laying out weekend, 4 days of riding for Larry, so no big projects. Just relaxing for me. Friday, Larry and Russ went out riding,…
