Pools & ponds 2010 a

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants
Project SOUND - 2010
© Project SOUND

Pools, Ponds and
Streams

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

Madrona Marsh Preserve
June 5 & 8, 2010
© Project SOUND

S. California has many different kinds of
wet places
 Estuarine—marsh*
 Estuarine—mudflat
 Estuarine—open water
 Estuarine—submerged aquatic vegetation
 Vernal pools & swales (always seasonal)
 Depressional wetlands except vernal pools &
swales—marsh and unvegetated flats*
 Depressional wetlands except vernal pools &
swales—open water*
 Seeps and springs wetlands*
 Playas—marsh*
 Playas—open water*
 Lakes—marsh
 Lakes—open water
 Streams and rivers—channel*
 Streams and rivers—riparian habitat*

Local wetlands – what do they look like?

 Western L.A./Orange County
(lowlands)
 Wetlands associated with
depressions
 Vernal pools (Madrona Marsh)
Madrona Marsh – seasonal marsh  Freshwater marshes - vernal or
year-round (Madrona Marsh)

 Wetlands associated with
moving water
 Year-round streams (San
Gabriel & Santa Ana Rivers)
 Seasonal streams (Gardena
Willows Preserve)

Gardena Willows – seasonal stream

Local wetlands – a little farther away –and a
bit more topography

 Local Mountains
(Santa Monica & San
Gabriel Mtns.)

E. Fork, San Gabriel River
 Seeps & wet meadows
 Ponds & lakes
 Year-round creeks,
streams & rivers

Malibu Creek

Two key elements that determine plant
life in freshwater systems
 Is the water still or
moving?
 Is the water year-round
or seasonal?
http://walkingboots.wordpress.com/

These two elements will
also determine the types
of pond/pool/creek side
plants appropriate for your
garden

What do you have in mind? Types of
water features in home gardens
 Seasonally wet places (rain
garden; vernal swale)
 Moist ground year-round
(splash zones around fountains
or irrigation)
 Wet soil year-round (wet
meadow/bog garden)
 Ponds/pools/puddles (standing
water year-round)
 Streams/creeks (running
water at least part of the
http://greenlifeinsocal.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/my-veggie- year) – may be natural or
constructed
garden-in-january/

Perhaps you’ve fallen in love with the Madrona Marsh…

…and want to have a little bit of the marsh
in your backyard

http://back40feet.blogspot.com/2009/01/winter-in-blake-garden.html

Three water habitats in garden ponds/pools

http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/a-garden-set-in-stone.aspx

Some ponds have just 2 of the habitats
http://www.mabaquascapes.co.uk/portfolio.htm

 Habitat 1 – shallow water (less than 1-2 ft)
 Habitat 2 – pond edge – very shallow water/ muddy soils
 Habitat 3 – upper bank

You can create a mini-pond in your
garden…complete with pond plants
 Any water-tight container will do: a
watertight half wine barrel; large ceramic
pots or bowls ; galvanized tubs or horse
troughs, etc.

 Use ceramic or terra cotta pots set upon
bricks or cinderblocks, adjusting them to
the level of the top edge of the pond
container.

 Depending upon the size of your container,
you can select about three to five plants
http://www.penick.net/digging/index.php?s=wildflower+center for your little "pond".

 Be sure you deal with mosquito larva –
mosquito fish or chemical means "mosquito
dunk"

 Relocating a water garden is a challenge.
It's best to begin in the right location: in
the sun and away from trees and plants
dropping debris.

Madrona Marsh provides excellent examples
of local pond/marsh plants

Tules dominate the wettest parts of the marsh

Tules – Schoenoplectus (formerly Scirpus)
Six local species:
 Schoenoplectus acutus – Tule

 Schoenoplectus americanus – Chairmaker’s
Bullrush
 Schoenoplectus californicus – CA Tule

 Schoenoplectus pungens var. badius -
Common Threesquare
 Schoenoplectus robustus – Sturdy
Bullrush

 Scirpus microcarpus – Small-fruited
Bullrush

Note: the terms Tule and Bullrush are used
interchangeably

The trouble with Tules …
 They are large – to 8 ft. tall
 They are active spreaders
 They are tough
 They require active
management
 They can take over a garden
pond

Southern Cattail – Typha domingensis

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Typhadomingensis.jpg
© Project SOUND

Southern Cattail – Typha domingensis
 Warm temperate and tropical
areas, worldwide
 In CA - most areas, with
proper conditions
 Almost anywhere soil remains
wet, saturated, or flooded
most of the growing season,
including : wet meadows,
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=222000445
marshes, fens, pond and lake
margins, floating bog mats,
seacoast estuaries, roadside
ditches, irrigation canals,
oxbow lakes, and backwater
areas of rivers and streams.

© Project SOUND
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?9383,9390,9392

Genus Typha – the Cattails
 Members of the cattail family (family
Typhaceae); the only genus in the
family.
 Aquatic or marsh herbs with creeping
rootstocks, long, narrow leaves
 Tiny flowers crowded in terminal
spikes, with the male (staminate) ones
Typha latifolia
at the top and female (pistillate) below.
 ~ 18 species all occur in temperate and
tropical regions.
 Local species:
 Typha latifolia – Broadleaf Cattail
 Typha dominguensis – Southern Cattail
 ?Typha angustifolia – Narrowleaf Cattail
(definitely from San Gabriel Mtns)

Typha angustifolia http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/where/ponds/p/ap/guide/emergent/typhaa.cfm

Characteristics of Southern Cattail
 Size:
 3-6+ ft tall
 spreading – many ft wide

 Growth form:
 Like a very large sedge; upright

 Foliage:
 Long, strap-like leaves
 Leaf width ( ~ ½ inch) between
that of Broad- and Narrowleaf
Cattails

 Roots:
 Rhizomes stout, to 27" in length
and typically ¾"-1½" in diameter
 Can be eaten raw, cooked or
dried and made into flour
http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/aquatics/typhaan.html © Project SOUND

Distinguished from the
closely related Common
Cattail (Typha latifolia) by:

 narrower, deeper
green leaves on a less
robust plant
 fruiting spikes
showing clear
separation between
the male and female
sections - staminate
above the pistillate
 leaves typically
extending beyond the
spike.
http://www.opsu.edu/Academics/SciMathNurs/NaturalScience/PlantsInsect
sOfGoodwell/plants/pasturefiles/pasture119.html

http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=3281 © Project SOUND

Flowers are unusual
 Blooms: Late spring/summer - usually
May-July

 Flowers: Typical for Cattails
 Flower structure a dense, fuzzy,
cylindrical spike on the end of stem

 A distinct gap of 1"-3" of naked
stem between the upper, male
portion (staminate) and the lower,
female (pistillate) portion.

 Male flowers lighter brown; female
flowers often green during bloom
turning dark brown during seed
maturation.

 Seeds: fluffy, small – typical Cattail;
wind-distributed
© Project SOUND

Many uses of cattails and tules

 Roots & young stalk – eaten
as food; used as diuretic
 Young female flowers – eaten
raw or cooked like corn on
the cob
 Pollen – eaten raw or cooked;
often added to flour to
increase nutrition
 Seeds – used to stuff pillows
 Leaves:
 Medicinal: diuretic and
haemostatic (stops bleeding
 For constructing shelters,
hats, mats, etc.

http://practicalsurvivor.com/wildedibleplants

Cattails like water…  Soils:
 Texture: any
 pH: any local including quite
acidic (to pH 3.0)

 Light: full sun

 Water:
 Winter: flooded
 Summer: Tolerates continuous
inundation, seasonal draw-downs,
and brackish waters. Can grow in
water to 24" deep. Great for
boggy pond margins

 Fertilizer: light fertilizer

 Other: Less water = less invasive

http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/science/Evolutionary_Ecology_Research/Ecology_of_Cumbe
rland_Plain_Woodland/woodland_plants/typha_domingensis
© Project SOUND

Cattails – not for every
garden/gardener
 Interesting container plant – can
control spread and conditions

 In seasonally wet areas – rain
gardens, vernal swales

 Around/in ponds & pools

 Bank stabilization around ponds,
streams, rivers.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1248/702390298_0a32a0a4cd.jpg

http://homepage3.nifty.com/plantsandjapan/img698.gif © Project SOUND

What makes water plants so invasive?

 Fast-growing when
conditions are optimal
(water; temp.; pH,
nutrients)
 Most expand through an
extensive rhizome system
which is responsible for the
maintenance and expansion
of existing stands.
 Most will also reseed – if
conditions are right

http://brg.cma.nsw.gov.au/uploads/images/ih_CumbungiBoomi.jpg

Why the need for vegetative propagation
in wetland species?

 Conditions are not always
optimal – needs to be able
to maximize growth in
optimal times
 Seed reproduction is iffy –
small seeds must quickly
germinate on moist soil,
which often doesn’t occur
 Disturbance – plays a key
role in both removing and
In the absence of disturbance, cattail disbursing wetland plants
dominates marshes in dense, single-
species stands, out-competing other
species.

Managing cattails/rushes/etc. in the garden
setting
 Many not suitable for
growing in small areas
– choose appropriate
species
 Fast-spreading species
need to be managed
yearly or will take
over:
 Cut back stems in
dormant season
 Remove ½ to 2/3 of
mass
 Replant
http://www.jardin-mundani.org/typhaceae/typha.jpg

 Best contained in
large, strong,
bottomless container.

http://www.westcarlston.com/aquatics_Plants_Lists.htm © Project SOUND

In garden ponds, you must be the ‘disturbance’

© Project SOUND
http://greenlifeinsocal.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/my-veggie-garden-in-january/

Smaller choices for habitat 1(shallow
water) & 2 (pond edge) areas

 Scouring Rushes - Equisetum
 Spikerushes – Eleocharis species
 Some rushes – Juncus species
 Some sedges – Carex species
 Flat-sedges – Cyperus species
 Fiber-optic grass - Isolepis
(Scirpus) cernuus

Giant Scouring Rush – Equisetum hyemale ssp. affine

http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/equ/equisetum_hyemale.htm

Equisetums are well suited to moist
container gardening
 Soils:
 Texture: any from sandy
or gravelly muds to clays
 pH: any – prefers 6.5 to
7.5
 Light: full sun to shady
 Water:
 can tolerate prolonged wet
conditions, but should not
be totally submerged nor
allowed to dry out
 Best in cool moist soils or
pots submerged up to 4”

http://www.vanbloem.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/PLANTS.plantDetail/plant_id/363/index.htm

Pale Spikerush – Eleocharis macrostachya

http://www.joesnowaquaticplants.com/plant%20list%20with%20links.htm
© Project SOUND

Pale Spikerush – Common Spikerush –
Eleocharis macrostachya Eleocharis palustris

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=9080&flora_id=1
=1&taxon_id=242101136

 Jepson treats them as one species –
but there are some slight
morphologic differences
 Classification is currently undergoing
revisions
 Challenge – widely disbursed world-
wide (as are many wetland species
© Project SOUND
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Eleocharis+macrostachya

Spikerushes grow at the edges of ponds or in
vernal wetlands – seeds germinate under water

http://www.cnps.org/programs/vegetation/Table_Mountain/images/16_Eleocharis-Sagittaria-Paspalum_JT.jpg

Eleocharis (Spike Rushes) in the wild
 Seeds can germinate under water
 Do best with fluctuating water levels
in streams, vernal ponds/pools – can
even grow in ponds (or aquariums)
 Short, delicate stems - bright green
color in spring/early summer
 Form large meadows in vernal pools
 Have great little flower spikes that
tower above the leaves
 Attractive to bees when flowering
 Attractive stems even when dry –
looks like a silvery-brown meadow

Eleocharis Spike Rushes in the garden
 Rain gardens and vernal
swales
 On the edges of
ponds/pools
 In pots in freshwater
pools
 As a “natural lawn” –
needs water to stay
http://www.greenthumbinternational.com/ponds/images/Eleocharis_m
ontevidensis_jpg.jpg green, but needs no
mowing
 Good for erosion control
 Good habitat - birds eat
the seeds
Spike rushes need more water  Improves useable soil
than many rushes & other sedges nitrogen

Juncus, Carex and water-tolerant perennials are
useful for spanning Wetland Habitats 2 & 3

http://www.csupomona.edu/~biotrek/tour/tour03.html

http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/a-garden-set-in-stone.aspx

Juncaceae: Rushes (Wire-grasses)

 Characteristics: stiff narrow stems
with tiny flower clusters at tips or on
side of stem
 “Rushes are rounded but sedges have
edges”
 Juncus – large genus with > 200 annual
and perennial species
 Rushes form an extremely important
component of wetlands, rivers and
estuaries
 Rushes reproduce by seed, but many
species set little viable seed; form
large clonal colonies through
http://www.biology.iastate.edu/Courses/Bot364%20Aquatic%20B
underground spread of rhizomes.
otany/Genera/Juncus/Juncus-line.GIF

Blue Rush: adaptable to a
wide range of water
schedules

 Seasonal flooding in winter
 Prefers moist summer soil
but will take:
 Growing in water in a pond
(grow in a pot)
 Regular watering
 Occasional (every few weeks)
watering
 No added water – and still
looks greenish

http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/spreadingrush.html

Some local rushes – and there are others
Baltic Rush Common/Blue Iris-leaved Leopold’s Rush Mexican Rush
Rush Rush

http://plants.montara.com/ListPages/FamP
ages/Junca1.html

 Accent plant in/around pools
Juncus in
 Planted among stones
the garden
 As a container plant
 Erosion control – along streams
 In moist areas in general – bio-
swales, wet areas in lawns
 Good nesting, hiding cover for birds

http://www.paradiseenvironments.com/images/New/POND
S-GRIFFITH%20JUNCUS.JPG

http://www.cjb.unige.ch/BotSyst/APG2/Commelinid/100_JUN_13.jpg

Uses for Carex species in
the garden

 In vernal swales
http://www.alamedacreek.org/Join%20-
%20Volunteer/FOTA/GNG%20plants.pdf
 In rain gardens
Carex tumulicola  Along banks of ponds and
natural pools
 In full sun or in shade under
trees
 In watered rock gardens
 As an ornamental “grass”
http://www.smgrowers.com/imagedb/Carex_spissa.jpg

Carex spissa

Water Smartweed – Polygonum hydropiperoides

http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/where/ponds/p/ap/guide/emergent/polygonumh.cfm
© Project SOUND

Water Smartweed – Polygonum hydropiperoides
 Much of N. America
 Locally – Madrona Marsh &
other local wetlands
 Shallow water along the
margins of lakes, ponds, and
streams
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=92773&flora_id=1

 Smartweeds are members of
the buckwheat family (family
Polygonaceae).
 Stems commonly have swollen
nodes. (The family name refers
to this, deriving from Greek
words meaning many knees.)

© Project SOUND

Smartweed is different… but kind of interesting
 Size:
 2-4 ft tall
 3-4+ ft wide, spreading

 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial
 Many erect to leaning stems –
clump-forming
 Dies back in winter – nice fall color

 Foliage:
 Long narrow leaves
 Young leaves and be eaten – also
important as an antiseptic medicine

 Roots:
 Rhizomes; stems also root where
they touch the ground
http://www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/freshwater/where/ponds/p/ap/guide/emergent/polygonum
h.cfm © Project SOUND

Flowers are showy

 Blooms:
 Summer into fall
 Usually July & Aug or later –
depends on available water

 Flowers:
 Clustered on slender
flowering stems
 Many small pink-white
flowers –old-fashioned look

 Seeds:
 Small, dark brown/black
 Food for many birds –
waterfowl & songbirds
© Project SOUND
http://www.backyardnature.net/n/h/swamp-sm.htm
Steve Hurst @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: any
 pH: any local, acidic to alkali

 Light:
 Full sun to part-shade (good in
filtered shade under trees)

 Water:
 Winter: takes winter flooding
 Summer: wet to moist; can
grow in shallow water, but also
in seasonally dry areas

 Fertilizer: leaf mulch; ok with
light fertilizer

 Other: may need to be replaced
when starts looking raggedy –
every 3-4 years
© Project SOUND

Garden uses for
Smartweed

 As a pond plant – in
shallow water; can grow
in pot in a pond
 As a pond-side plant
 As an attractive pot
http://www.backyardnature.net/n/h/swamp-sm.htm plant – good for
wet/bog containers
 Other moist areas of
the garden

© Project SOUND
http://bhushandalvi.wordpress.com/tag/polygonum-hydropiperoides/

Container gardens allow us to create the
conditions needed by selected plants

Yerba Mansa – Anemopsis californica

Garden uses for
Yerba Mansa

 As an attractive pot plant,
particularly for mini ‘bog
gardens’

 In containers placed in the
ground

 Around ponds

 In water gardens

 As a turf substitute or ground
cover

 Under birdbath or other moist
http://www.mswn.com/Plant%20Info%20Sheets/Anemopsis%20californica.pdf areas of garden

Musk Monkeyflower – Mimulus moschatus

J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Cardinal Flower: a garden perennial
 Size:
 2-6 (usually 2-4) ft tall
 2-3 ft wide

 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial; winter
dormant
 Upright growth
 Short-lived but re-seeds well

 Foliage:
 Leaves: most basal, alternate
 Light to deep green; often
with bronze tinge

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOCA2

Cardinal Flower is a
great Zone 3 plant…

 Great candidate as a container
plant; bog garden plant

 Moist meadow, rain garden,
anywhere that gets a little
extra water

 Flowers make nice cut flowers

 Fine at back of conventional
(regularly watered) beds

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOCA2

Yellow-eyed Grass – Sisyrinchium californicum

http://www.soquelnursery.com/perennials_Santolina_Sutera.html

Yellow-eyed Grass – Sisyrinchium californicum
 Pacific coast from central
California to s. British
Columbia -
 Primarily in moist-wet
peripheries of ponds,
bogs, marshes, lakeshores,
moist grasslands and
other moist sites near the
coast
http://www.efloras.org/fl
orataxon.aspx?flora_id=
1&taxon_id=242101895

 Genus Sisyrinchium
 In the iris family, Iridaceae.
 Between 70 to 150 species,
all native to the New World.


Yellow-eyed Grass – like Blue-eyed Grass

 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 1-2 ft wide, spreading

 Growth form:
 Herbaceous perennial from
rhizomes (like Iris)

 Foliage:
 Grass-like (or mini-Iris-like)
leaves
 Pale to blue-green; dry to black

 Roots:
 rhizomes

Gerald and Buff Corsi © California Academy of Sciences

Flowers are lovely
 Blooms:
 Spring/summer usually Apr-
June in our area
 Long bloom season with good
water

Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences  Flowers:
 Like Blue-eyed Grass –
except bright, cheery yellow
 Delicate, star-like - on stem
above the foliage
© 2007  Open in morning; close by
midday
Ron Wolf

 Seeds:
 Pod is 3-chambers – like Iris
© 2001 Tony Morosco
 Small, angular dark seeds

Likes a drink in spring  Soils:
 Texture: any – sand to clay
 pH: any local

 Light:
 Full sun best; will tolerate light
shade

 Water:
 Winter: adequate moisture
 Summer: moist to wet conditions in
spring - somewhat drier conditions
http://www.anniesannuals.com/signs/s/sisyrinchium_californicum_yeg.htm

in midsummer through winter.
Needs dormant period

 Fertilizer: not picky; poor to medium-
rich soils

 Other:
 Divide every 3rd year
 Re-seeds well; deadhead to prevent
http://www.geoffhandley.com/Gardening/flowergallery/siscalifornicum.jpg

So now we’re feeling confident about
planting a small garden pool….

http://www.wiseacre-gardens.com/pond/pond_matt2.jpg

© Project SOUND

But maybe you really wanted more of a
streamside look…

http://www.calflora.net/wildplaces/index.html

Malibu Creek - Santa Monica Mountains

There’s something special about a
lowland riparian woodland…

*California Boxelder – Acer negundo var. californicum

http://trees.stanford.edu/ENCYC/ACERneg.htm
© Project SOUND


Several nice specimens at the Gardena Willows Wetland©Preserve
Project SOUND

http://na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/acer/negundo.htm

 Species: moist areas of
U.S… including much of
east
 var. californicum: CA
Floristic Province (W of
Sierras) from OR to Baja
 Locally in Santa Monica &
San Gabriel Mtns
 Introducing into nursery
trade by Theodore Payne
 Species widely planted as
a street tree

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?256,257,0,264
© Project SOUND

CA Boxelder: large shrub/
small shrubby tree
 Size:
 30-60 ft tall – usually 30-40
 20-30 ft wide

 Growth form:
 Woody shrubby tree –irregular
shape w/ several trunks – dark/red
bark
 Winter deciduous
 Fast-growing first 15-20 yrs; lives ~
75 years
 Produces Maple syrup

 Foliage:
 Leaves similar to Ash
 Foliage light, bright green in spring –
http://www.laspilitas.c fall color (yellow)
om/nature-of-
california/plants/acer-
negundo-californicum © Project SOUND

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=acne2

Flowers are subtle

 Blooms:
 In spring; usually Mar-Apr
in our area

 Flowers:
 Trees are dioecious (sep.
male and female trees) –
unique for Maples (but
common in riparian plants)
 Female flowers – on long,
drooping stalks
 Male flowers – in clusters
 Neither is particularly
showy
 Bee pollinated

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of- © Project SOUND
california/plants/acer-negundo-californicum

Seeds are definitely
Maple seeds
 Seeds:
 Winged samaras – single wing – in
fall
 Wings help in seed dispersal -
seeds are wind distributed
continuously until spring
 Seeds produced each year on
individual trees beginning at 8 to
11 years of age.
 The samaras are borne on
drooping racemes.
 Seed eating migratory birds (like
Cedar Waxwing) devour them

 Vegetative reproduction:
 Re-sprouting from stump, roots

http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=File:Acnegundo.jpg&filetimestamp=20071026225348 © Project SOUND

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/acer-negundo-californicum

 Soils:
Boxelders are  Texture: just about any
stream bank trees  pH: any local except > 8.0

 Light:
 Full sun to light shade

 Water:
 Winter: can take brief periods of
flooding – but best on banks above
flood-line
 Summer: regular when young –
then fine with occasional (Zone 2)
to regular water – probably best
Zone 2 to 2-3 – susceptible to
fungal diseases

 Fertilizer: likes leaf mulch

 Other: easy to prune/shape, but
often needs little; reseeds on moist
http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Acer_negundo_var._californicum
ground
© Project SOUND

Boxelder provides quick shade
 Often planted as a street
tree – but wood can be weak
with over-watering

 Nice shade tree if pruned up

 Excellent for screen or
natural hedgerow

 Great for stream bank
stabilization or for swales

 Ornamental – fall color;
looks vaguely Asian

 Don’t plant too near
buildings or water/sewer
lines
© Project SOUND

Boxelder provides the look of riparian woodland

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Acer_negundo_JPG2a.jpg
© Project SOUND

Other native riparian trees…all large
 CA Sycamore – Platanus racemosa

 Native Cottonwoods
 Black Cottonwood - Populus balsamifera
ssp. trichocarpa
 Fremont Cottonood - Populus fremontii

California Sycamore  Native Willows
 Goodding’s Black Willow - Salix
gooddingii

 Red Willow - Salix laevigata

 Arroyo Willow – Salix lasiolepis

 Shining (Pacific) Willow - Salix lucida
ssp. lasiandra
Black Cottonwood

Most S. CA native riparian trees are
simply too large for most home gardens

Narrow-leaf Willow – Salix exigua

Narrow-leaf willow in the garden

 Locate away from water lines
(invasive roots) and buildings (20+
ft)
 Containment: probably best in
contained area in most smaller
gardens
 Great along stream-banks, moist
slopes – soils stabilizer
 Super habitat plant: butterflies,
birds, mammals
 Nice in a moist garden with sedges,
rushes
 Lovely color; good contrast with
darker greens, grays

Four riparian plant zones
 waters edge Same plants
as for ponds &
 low terrace pools in
garden
 upper slope
 top of bank

http://www.fivestarponds.com/

http://www.californiawaterscapes.com/blog/ © Project SOUND

Lowland riparian/pond gardens can utilize riparian
species from our own and desert regions

http://www.naturamediterraneo.com/Public/data6/Angelo47/DSCF1193%20per%20forum.jpg_20071016205646_DSCF1193%20per%20forum.jpg
© Project SOUND

* Desert False Indigo – Amorpha fruticosa
 Many areas of west – including the coast
of CA & Baja
 Locally in San Gabriels, mountains of San
Diego, Riverside & San Bernardino
Counties
 Along stream banks, canyon bottoms to
5000', coastal sage scrub, chaparral


http://aces.nmsu.edu/riparian/AMFR.html
© Project SOUND

Western False Indigo: almost tropical-looking
 Size:
 6-15 ft tall; usually 10-12
 5-15 ft wide; usually 5-10

 Growth form:
 Leggy, irregular form
 Multiple upright woody stems –
exotic-looking
 Most of leaves on top 1/3

 Foliage:
 Green, compound leaves with
many leaflets – typical Pea family
 Resinous, sticky

http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=17605  Roots: nitrogen-fixing (with
symbiotic soil bacteria)
© Project SOUND

Flowers are amazing!
 Blooms:
 Late spring - usually May-July

 Flowers:
 Thousands of tiny flowers on
dense flowering stalks – very
showy, unique
 Individual flowers pink-purple
with prominent yellow stamens
 Open from base to tip
 Vanilla scent; butterfly plant

 Seeds: bean-like in small pod;
seeds disbursed by water over
months – can float on water 1 wk
http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=17605

 Vegetative reproduction: from
broken stems
© Project SOUND
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Amorpha_fruticosa

False Indigo – many human uses
 Crushed fruit is used as a
condiment
 Resinous pustules on the plant
contain 'amorpha', a contact and
stomachic insecticide that also
acts as an insect repellent
http://www.wnmu.edu/academic/nspages2/gilaflora/amorpha_fruticosa.jpg  The stems are used as bedding.
 The plant contains some indigo
pigment and can be used to make
a blue dye. It is only present in
very small quantities - not
enough to harvest commercially
 True indigo (Indigofera
tinctoria) is also in Pea family

True Indigo http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/7823 © Project SOUND

False Indigo adapts  Soils:
 Texture: well-drained ; light to
medium texture
 pH: any local

 Light:
 Full sun to part-shade

 Water:
 Winter: needs adequate
 Summer: best with some to regular
water (Zone 2-3 to 3);
 But has long roots - quite drought
tolerant
 Tolerates fluctuations in water –
flooding to drought

 Other:
 Prune heavily in late winter
 Will spread via seeds if happy
Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
© Project SOUND

False Indigo – for
moist areas
 Along stream banks –
popular
 In regularly watered beds,
near lawns
 Pruned as a small tree
 In rain gardens
 As hedge/windbreak plant

http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=17605

http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/loeb_library/information_systems/projects/E_vue/pl
ants/amorpha_fruticosa.htm © Project SOUND

Perhaps a mountain stream is what you had in mind

http://www.cnps-sgm.org/gallery/GP-WestFork.html

http://www.calflora.net/wildplaces/index.html

Big Sycamore Canyon - Santa Monica
Mountains © Project SOUND

A shady yard lends itself well to a ‘mountain
steam’ theme – even in the lowlands

 Use the correct type of
rocks/boulders

http://homepage.mac.com/cjbowdish/GaviotaHotSpringsTrail042107/large-55.html
 Have areas of light and shade
 Use the a combination of
wetland & upland plants –
some of which are mountain
species

© Project SOUND
http://www.pacificoutdoorlivingofgeorgia.com/waterscapes.htm

* Giant Stream Orchid – Epipactis gigantea
 Western U.S., Mexico
 California Floristic Province (except
Great Central Valley, s Channel Islands)
 Locally Santa Monica & San Gabriel Mtns.
 Seeps, wet meadows, streambanks ,
ledges
 May occur in riparian woodlands

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101585

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?8695,8709,8710 http://www.wnmu.edu/academic/nspages2/gilaflora/epipactis_gigantea.html
© Project SOUND

Giant stream Orchid is, well … an orchid

 Size:
 1-3 ft tall
 2-5 ft wide clump

 Growth form:
 Winter dormant
 Very woodsy looking

 Foliage:
 Glossy, strap-like leaves –
medium green
 Roots:
 short rhizomes – can form
dense, spreading clump (like
Day Lilly)

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=EPGI © Project SOUND

Flowers: beautiful orchids
 Blooms: in spring - usually Mar-May in
our area.

 Flowers:
 On wand-like stalks – up to 30+
flowers per stalk
 Flowers ~ 1 inch across
 Color: 2 forms
 Maroon and white (may actually
be more pink)
 Orange/yellow/gold
 Significant variation between
individual plants
© 2007, G. D. Carr  pollinated by Syrphid flies, beneficial
flies that feed on aphids.

 Seeds: many, small. Difficult to grow
from seed (unless you’re and orchid
fancier)
© Project SOUND

Flowers: beautiful orchids  Blooms: in spring - usually Mar-May
in our area.

 Flowers:
 On wand-like stalks – up to 20+
flowers per stalk
 Flowers ~ 1 inch across
 Color: 2 forms
 Maroon and white (may
actually be more pink)
 Orange/yellow/gold
 Significant variation between
individual plants
 Pollinated by Syrphid flies,
beneficial flies that feed on
aphids.

 Seeds: many, small. Difficult to
grow from seed (unless you’re and
orchid fancier)
Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database © Project SOUND

Easy to propagate
from divisions
 Divide in late winter/ early
spring

 Divide pot-grown plants yearly

http://culturesheet.org/orchidaceae:epipactis
© Project SOUND

Stream Orchids love water  Soils:
 Texture: most local soils
 pH: any local (5.5 to 8)

 Light:
 Part-shade to quite shady;
needs shade during hot part of
day

 Water:
 Winter: very wet fine –
stream’s edge
 Summer: needs regular water –
flowing/moving water best –
stream’s edge

 Fertilizer: likes a good leaf mulch;
could give ½ strength fertilizer

 Other: pretty easy to grow; may
be dormant for a year or so.
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=EPGI
© Project SOUND
Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Stream Orchids are a showy
addition to a water feature
 In a seep or bog garden

 On edges of ponds or stream
banks (including manufactured
streams) or in moist ground near
fountains

 Grow in large pots – much as you
would cymbidiums
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=EPGI

 Plant with Scarlet Monkeyflower
to fill the space when Stream
Orchid is dormant

 The lower lip and tongue move
when the flower is touched or
shaken; hence the alternate name
Chatterbox Orchid.
© Project SOUND
http://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16440&view=previous&sid=e49e5e49a4aff386a3dd309d17e0215d

Cultivar
‘Serpentine Night’

 Natural cultivar from just north
of the Bay area
 A bit more difficult that the
straight species
http://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16440&view=previous&sid=e49e5e4
9a4aff386a3dd309d17e0215d
 Foliage emerges jet black in spring

 Blooms are typically greenish
purple.

 Slower to spread than the
straight species.

© Project SOUND

* Mountain Mint – Pycnanthemum californicum

 Foothills of mountain ranges
from OR to Mexico

 Locally in the San Gabriels

 Moist sites of chaparral, oak
woodland, and coniferous
forests


 The genus Pycnanthemum - in the mint family, Lamiaceae.

 Most species are very strongly scented and pungent

 Most are used in cooking and in making herbal tea.

 All species in this genus are native to North America.
© Project SOUND

CA Mountain Mint – a typical mint
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall
 Spreading to 4+ ft wide

 Growth form:
 Stems erect (for the most part)
 Fast-growing (like Stachys)
 Woodsy looking

 Foliage:
 Attractive gray-green color – may
be fuzzy or not
 Simple, lance-shaped leaves
 Make a nice tea

 Roots:
 Spreading via rhizomes
© 2006 Dean Wm. Taylor, Ph.D. © Project SOUND

Flowers are tiny & sweet

 Blooms:
 Summer - usually June-Aug
in our area

 Flowers:
 In ball-like cluster typical of
Mint family
 Flowers are small
 White, usually with lavender
spots
 Very old-fashioned look

 Seeds:
© 2009 Neal Kramer

 Many tiny seeds – can shake
them out of dried clusters

© Project SOUND
© 2001 Jeff Abbas

Easy to please  Soils:
 Texture: any, very adaptable
 pH: any local

 Light: full sun to part-shade

 Water:
 Winter: takes seasonal flooding –
good for wet parts of garden
 Summer: needs regular water –
Zone 2-3 to 3.

 Fertilizer: would do best with some
added humus or leaf mulch

 Other: treat like other mints – rip out
parts that are growing where you don’t
want it (pot up and give new plants
away – people will be happy to get
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3421/3922100003_85f1edee51.jpg
them!)
© Project SOUND

Use Mountain Mint in
wet areas

 Under a birdbath or fountain

 Places where the neighbor’s
water makes the soil damp
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/29/97463864_abe4a596f8.jpg?v=0  In bog gardens

 In large, moist-soil containers

 In the vegetable garden

 Moist areas along walkways –
smells wonderful when
stepped on – and it doesn’t
mind a bit!

 Around ponds/pools
© 2001 Jeff Abbas

© Project SOUND

Combine Mints with grasses for a nice
stream bank planting

 Poa secunda ssp. secunda
 Bromus carinatus var.
carinatus
 Elymus multisetus
 Agrostis pallens
 Vulpia microstachys var.
microstachys
 Koeleria macrantha

http://forbesontech.typepad.com/my_weblog/forbes_fablesfishing_
strategies/

Get out and look at our local streams, creeks and wetlands for
inspiration http://www.panoramio.com/photo/4242808

Good luck with your water garden!

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