tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19560573235678376302024-02-20T23:32:23.716-08:00Gardening Where You Are-The Garden CompanyDedicated to those who garden with purpose, in the Sierra Foothills and beyond.The Garden Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066670178433029436noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1956057323567837630.post-60071646288165862872016-01-17T13:48:00.000-08:002016-01-17T13:48:36.690-08:00Seen Blooming Now...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqMiX9U6VrHWG1kVSMimyIEP3r0ds7R9bPKw51dkqCXSt3GXqYBW_Qv3zV3l98yCo6Qjt5cVSuJ5O13PXqgYxkGGNE2HB0skYd-DhEzWicI-70Y_ZQOCDrwJ-t6Q8eac1bwLJtkjO78k/s1600/arctostaphylos_patula.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Common Manzanita" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqMiX9U6VrHWG1kVSMimyIEP3r0ds7R9bPKw51dkqCXSt3GXqYBW_Qv3zV3l98yCo6Qjt5cVSuJ5O13PXqgYxkGGNE2HB0skYd-DhEzWicI-70Y_ZQOCDrwJ-t6Q8eac1bwLJtkjO78k/s400/arctostaphylos_patula.jpg" title="Arctostaphylos manzanita" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Manzanita in full bloom</span></td></tr>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Arctostaphylos sp.-</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Manzanita</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dotted with their dangling clusters of shell pink to snowy white bells, Manzanitas situated at lower elevations are stopping shows now in mid-January. While their ubiquity allows us to take these tough-as-nails evergreen shrubs for granted at many times of the year, the sight of their early blossoms as a reminder of spring-yet-to-come is a heart warming sight to many. As much a representative of California's flora as the golden California Poppy, Manzanitas, in all their various shapes and sizes, provide a graceful backdrop for the many later blooming wildflowers. But for now, in the quiet before spring, it is their turn in the limelight. Beautiful.</span>The Garden Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066670178433029436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1956057323567837630.post-46172980577701456942016-01-03T18:48:00.000-08:002016-01-03T18:48:46.450-08:00Nothing Wrong With Natives...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Pqr5HxISbcBPg_hW9TLiTx9dcbo6VR2JtNH_0eutOUdpFLntj5gf8g_Gs8N7TRPOoiaTqbKSGKUEk_FUk-70i5yDDM9_SHCXgVJTiCve9VtuRbeTnO8_iFQj_hwIH05s_46QkEsLivc/s1600/ribes_sanguineum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pink flowering Currant" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Pqr5HxISbcBPg_hW9TLiTx9dcbo6VR2JtNH_0eutOUdpFLntj5gf8g_Gs8N7TRPOoiaTqbKSGKUEk_FUk-70i5yDDM9_SHCXgVJTiCve9VtuRbeTnO8_iFQj_hwIH05s_46QkEsLivc/s320/ribes_sanguineum.jpg" title="" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Pink Flowering Currant</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Some early blooming native shrubs...</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Now, in the quiet following the holiday season, our hunger for pretty blossoms slowly grows until we are practically bursting at the seams by March. It is always a delight to see the landscape begin to swell and bud and break out in bloom. To help you get your fix, here are some native shrubs you may not have yet considered for your garden. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">While many California native shrubs require a certain fixation on subtlety to appreciate, Pink Flowering Currant (<i>Ribes sanguineum</i>) in full bloom is not one of those plants. While each dangling blossom is indeed tiny, the whole plant in bloom is quite a showstopper. This lovely is great for a cool winter climate, tolerating clay soil and a goodly amount of dryness. Beloved by hummingbirds in bloom as early as February, its nectar supplies much needed calories in the early part of the season, while the currants are gobbled by those feathery folk with a bit larger gape. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Blooming a bit later, the little-known, Littleleaf Mock Orange (<i>Philadelphus microphyllus</i>), an under-used California native shrub. With far lower water needs than its cousin, Lewis' Mock Orange, it is a a good slight more amenable to dry gardens. Ours grows in partial shade with little summer irrigation. Not heavily scented like many in its genus, this one's somewhat diminutive blossoms warrant a close look and a close sniff; it's delicacy in form and perfume is a delight. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And, of couse, Mahonia (Berberis, to some), in any of it's specific epithets are tough characters providing blossoms for the bees and butterflies and berries for the birds. Drought tolerant and adaptable, they are deservedly a staple for any native landscape planting. We love them in the dappled shade of a woodland garden.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Just a few to hopefully inspire...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVImXUIIj8wCeInOWUH2SCZC_wm-vMtXE6HaZBA76qOk-ydXLqqGJlpz9uEL_ItqChcV9ce9c6C30A4WNnUlp3POtnmdQ62QOYrCFNDG8Q8hjk-57GLuqREgz8bBYqiQXP1Q6PmlS28k/s1600/mahonia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Creeping Mahonia" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVImXUIIj8wCeInOWUH2SCZC_wm-vMtXE6HaZBA76qOk-ydXLqqGJlpz9uEL_ItqChcV9ce9c6C30A4WNnUlp3POtnmdQ62QOYrCFNDG8Q8hjk-57GLuqREgz8bBYqiQXP1Q6PmlS28k/s320/mahonia.jpg" title="" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Creeping Mahonia in the wild in a rock crevice</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_9LiJ-ggVOFbHfi9g1IFep2fyPe6pBDXDQipqjGRw1oHDQ1AkCiDyzjUoslFkquryiJZ5Yqg2M37KrgF8BGrb9ZfBR99JtUOxVMtf-r_Z0EfxwAfd21vzK-vicCTwQOd-qlkLQ_WkHU/s1600/philadelphus_microphyllus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Little Leaf Mock Orange" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_9LiJ-ggVOFbHfi9g1IFep2fyPe6pBDXDQipqjGRw1oHDQ1AkCiDyzjUoslFkquryiJZ5Yqg2M37KrgF8BGrb9ZfBR99JtUOxVMtf-r_Z0EfxwAfd21vzK-vicCTwQOd-qlkLQ_WkHU/s320/philadelphus_microphyllus.jpg" title="" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Littleleaf Mock Orange</span></td></tr>
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The Garden Companyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10066670178433029436noreply@blogger.com1