Cuttings Garden - Notes

1/6/2013

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
The Cuttings Garden

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

Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants Madrona Marsh Preserve
Project SOUND – 2011 (our 7th year) April 2 & 5, 2011
© Project SOUND © Project SOUND

Do you like cut-flowers? Cut-flowers make our lives more
colorful and interesting

http://www.paintingmania.com/young-girl-hat-
http://decor4you.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html decorated-wildflowers-9_6401.html


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1/6/2013

How do you want to use your cut-
Should you have a cuttings garden?
flowers  Light use
 Occasional arrangements
featuring plants that are
currently blooming
 To supplement non-native
flowers
 Won’t require as much planning

 Heavy use
 Regular (weekly) arrangements
 Special occasions that require
lots of flowers
 ‘flower-laden’ bouquets
 Will require you to think about
supply requirements
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atweed/4406640979/
http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/waterwise/images/03_Allium-unifolium2.jpg
http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2010/05/

Advantages to creating a cuttings Cuttings gardens need not be unattractive…
garden
 …but it’s sensible to locate them in
 Where flowers are used in large volume an area where they are not a focal
in the home, their removal from borders point when not at their peak.
and other landscaped areas may detract
from the intended effect.  Old-time gardeners often included
cut-flowers in the vegetable
 By providing a special cut-flower garden,
the gardener can plan for these needs garden where they could tend and
without diminishing landscape plantings. harvest them easily.
 The well-planned cutting garden also  Finer estates would sometimes
offers another very practical advantage: have a separate area devoted to
annuals and perennials may be
conveniently and efficiently grown in rows
producing the favorite cut-flowers
or raised beds/containers where they are of the family.
easily gathered and maintained.
http://www.sunset.com/travel/outdoor-
© Project SOUND adventure/bring-bainbridge-home-00400000016341/ © Project SOUND
http://www.french-gardens.com/gardens/chateau-de-bosmelet.php

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What makes a good cut-flower? The ‘traditional’ home grown cut-
flowers span the seasons
 Interesting flowers  Winter and early spring
 Nice shape
 Daffodils: October to April
 Large size
 Cymbidium orchids: January to June
 Pretty or unusual colors
 Late spring and summer
 Other characteristics  Tulips: May to June
 Scented flower or foliage Agapanthus: June to August
 Interesting foliage Lilies: June to August
Delphiniums: June to July
 Good ‘holding power’ Roses: June to September
Sweet peas: June to August
 Look good for at least 3-4
Dahlias: July to September
days if not longer
 Autumn
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/eschscholzia_californica.shtml  Chrysanthemums: Oct. to December
http://druidnetwork.org/ethical/articles/cutflowers
http://thegarden-remodel.blogspot.com/2009/08/wildflower-bouquet.html © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

An early spring bouquet Woolyleaf Ceanothus – Ceanothus tomentosus
Inspiration from the past…

© 2010 Barry Breckling
http://www.righthealth.com/topic/ceanothus_americanus/Images
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1959198/lilac_bouq
uets_the_scientific_method.html

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1/6/2013

Woolyleaf Ceanothus – Ceanothus tomentosus Woolyleaf Ceanothus is a large shrub

 Foothills and lower (< 3500 ft)
 Size:
elevations of Sierra Nevada,
 6-12 ft tall
South Coast, San Bernardino
Mountains, Peninsular Ranges  6-10 ft wide

 South into Baja  Growth form:
 Dense, woody shrub
 Scattered on dry, shrubby  Slender branches with
slopes in chaparral reddish bark
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?6586,6589,6649

 Moderate growth rate
 Introduced into cultivation in
California by Theodore Payne.  Foliage:
© 2009 Thomas Stoughton

 Leaves medium to gray-
 ‘"A medium sized shrub 4 to 8
green; shiny above, hairy
feet high, with rather slender beneath
branches and reddish brown
 Evergreen
bark. “

http://www.flickr.com/photos/codiferous/417993994/

Woolyleaf Ceanothus:  Soils:
Flowers: Ceanothus Chaparral species  Texture: well-drained, rocky
 pH: any local
 Blooms:
 Early spring - usually in  Light:
Feb-Mar or Apr in western  Full sun
L.A. Co.
 Water:
 Flowers:  Winter: needs good winter
 Color ranges from very light rains; supplement if needed
© 2009 Thomas Stoughton blue to bright blue – see it in  Summer: best with occasional
bloom before purchasing
© 2008 Chris Winchell

water (Zone 1-2; maybe 2 in
 Typical small Ceanothus very well-drained soils)
flowers in dense clusters –
make a wonderful bouquet  Fertilizer: use an organic mulch to
 Sweet scent supply additional nutrients
 Attracts bees
 Other: prune after blooming
 Seeds: in sticky capsule that period if needed/desired; can be
opens, releasing seeds trained to tree or hedge-sheared

© 2001 Michelle Cloud-Hughes http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/plants/cean-tom.html © Project SOUND http://www.worldbotanical.com/ceanothus.htm © Project SOUND

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Many ways to use Ceanothus is striking with other spring
bloomers
 As a large evergreen accent
shrub
 Trained as a small tree
 Espaliered along a wall
 In a hedge or hedgerow
 Etc.
http://mostlymedicinals.blogspot.com/

© 2010 Barry Breckling

http://www.westernhort.org/plant_notes200804%20.html
http://flowerbrained.com/2009/12
© 2001 George W. Hartwell /05/man-flowers/
http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ceanothus_tomentosus_var._olivaceus
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nSqhmSsqrKnvy1WCu96HnQ

The same color tricks we learned in
garden design also apply to Purples theme
floral arrangements – late spring

 Eriogonum
fasciculatum (or any
white-flowered
buckwheat)
 Eriogonum grande
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dballentine/3655531259/

rubescens
 Salvia clevelandii (or
any Salvia)
http://www.soenyun.com/Blog/tag/cut-flowers/

http://iometro.blogspot.com/2010/11/color-spotlight.html

http://decor4you.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

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1/6/2013

Common perennials have long been Bluedicks – Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum
popular as cut flowers
 Achillea millefolia
 Aster species
 Allium species
 Aquilegia
 Ascepias species
 Coreopsis species
 Dryopteris & other ferns
 Helianthus species
 Iris species
 Lilium species
 Penstemon species
 Spring bulbs
http://biology.csusb.edu/PlantGuideFolder/DichelostemmaCap/DichelostemmaCapPlant800.jpg
© Project SOUND

* Wild Hyacinth – Dichelostemma multiflorum * Wild Hyacinth – Dichelostemma multiflorum
 NW California, n Sierra Nevada,
uncommon in San Francisco Bay Area

 Open woodlands, foothill grasslands,
scrublands

 Formerly Brodiaea multiflora ; AKA
Wildtooth Snakelily

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1
&taxon_id=242101566

J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
© Project SOUND http://www.csuchico.edu/biol/Herb/curator/bidwell_park_04-02-05/Maidu_Trail_4-2-05.htm
© Project SOUND

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Wild Hyacinth is a typical Dichelostema Dichelostema are easy & reliable from corms
 Size:  Plant bigger corms 3-4 inches
 1-2 ft tall deep and smaller corms 1-2 inches
 < 1 ft wide deep

 Growth form:  Plant in
 well-drained soil; garden or pot
 Perennial from a corm
 in full sun (plants can tolerate
 Dies back to corn kin dry afternoon sun)
summers; re-sprouts with the  in the autumn – just before the
fall/winter rains
© 2002 Christina Raving

rains
 Foliage:  Space the corms 1-6 inches apart.
 Strap-like leaves
 If gophers are a problem, dig a
 Leaves start to die back before
hole and line it with chicken wire
spring flowering
mesh or make a cage for corms.
 Corm: can bed baked & eaten like  Water the plants (wet, not soggy)
new potatoes and then wait for the winter rains.
Mark W. Skinner @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Image:Dichelostemma_multiflorum2.jpg http://www.serg.sdsu.edu/SERG/restorationproj/woodlandgrassland/pen
can/penasquitos_final.htm

Flowers: showier than
Dichelostema are very easy to grow from seed
Blue Dicks
 Use seed collected from local sources
 Blooms: in spring - usually Mar-
 Best planted in fall – stratify (cold
April (but may be as early as Feb &
late as May)
exposure) if other

 Flowers:  Scatter seeds and rake them lightly
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/dichelostemma
into well-drained soil ; full or partial
 Typical small, trumpet-shaped
flowers of Dichelostema sunlight.
 Flowers in ball-like clusters at http://hazmac.biz/080421/080421DichelostemmaMultiflorum.html  Water the seeds after planting and
ends of long stalks water again when the surface is dry to
 Color: lavender or purple; may the touch. Water the seeds gently so
be more pink you don’t exhume the seed.
 Loved by Skipper butterflies
 Light sweet scent  Protect the seeds from animals and
cold, dry winds, and from weed
competition
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences
© Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Dichelostema (and other bulbs) can be started in pots Summer dry - required
 Soils:
 Texture: any well-drained
 Plant as usual; cover lightly  pH: any local

 Water seedlings through the spring.  Light:
 Full sun & warm; thrives on hot,
 At the beginning of hot weather, when sunny conditions, can plant near
leaves start to yellow, cease watering rocks, rock mulch

 During summer:  Water:
 Move pots to a darker area, such as a  Winter/spring: needs adequate
carport, garage or dry shady spot outdoors water through blooming period;
 Keep a screen on pots to keep out foraging taper off watering as blooms wane
animals.
 After blooming: Zone 1; must have
 When the weather cools down again, move summer dry for corm health &
the pots back outside and go through a good seed set
full rain or watering cycle once again.  Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Will take several years (usually 3) to  Other: thin corms every 3 years (or
reach flowering size when become crowded) in fall
© 2008 Steve Matson © Project SOUND

Dichelostema brighten CA native bulb  Feb-Mar
the spring garden  Blue Dicks/Wild Hyacinth
calendar  Local Oniona (Allium)
 As an attractive pot plant  Sisyrinchium begins
 Early Calochortus
 Tucked around summer-dry shrubs

 In prairie/grassland planting  Mar-April
 Sisyrinchium
 Be sure to include in spring bouquets  N. Coastal Onions
 Meadow Onion
 Coastal Onion
 Goldenstars
© 2004 Carol W. Witham
 Calochortus

 May-June
CA native bulbs are perfect  Calochortus
for those difficult to water  Lilies
areas of the garden
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atweed/4406640979/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/clairewoods/3552292585/ © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Some onions make good cut flowers The Wild Onions – genus Allium
 Over fifty species of Alliums growing in CA.
 Most are easy to grow & multiply rapidly in the
garden.
 Species that are native to the mountains or
moist meadows, such as Allium unifolium, prefer
full sun and regular watering all season.
 The majority of wild onions are from dry, rocky
habitats and need good drainage with summer
drought.
 Most Alliums are well-suited to rock gardens,
where they can be planted in colonies among
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22744855@N08/fa
vorites/page12/ short-growing Brodiaeas.
 Their lovely pompom blooms can also be
displayed to advantage when planted in groups
towards the front of the mixed, dry perennial
border.
Unfortunately, our local Allium haematochiton is not one of them

Meadow Onion – Allium unifolium
Two types of Alliums

 Allium species can be lumped into two types, those
that have true bulbs, and those that grow from
rhizomes with less-developed vestigial bulbs
attached to them.
 The bulbous alliums tend to grow and flower early,
then go completely dormant afterwards.
 The "rhizomatous" alliums tend to be season-long
growers and flower much later in summer.

© Project SOUND http://www.calfloranursery.com/images/pics/a_b/allium_unifolium.jpg © Project SOUND

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Meadow Onion: looks like an ornamental
Meadow Onion – Allium unifolium
onion  Size:
 Native to NW and western  1-2 ft tall; may need to stake
< 2 ft wide
central CA (down to Santa 

Barbara co.) – lower  Growth form: herbaceous
elevations perennial from a bulb

 Foliage:
 Grassy stream banks in pine
Medium to gray-green
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=8237&flora_id=1

or mixed evergreen forest  Leaves strap-like; remain green
in the coastal ranges through flowering (tips may
yellow)
 Sometimes on cliffs near http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/category/plants/california-natives-plants/bulbs/

the ocean  Bulbs: not what you usually think
of as an onion; small & rounded – at
ends of short rhizomes
 Usually in moist clay or
serpentine soils  Plant bulbs 2” deep in fall


Flowers: ooh-la-la!! Easy even in  Soils:
conventional gardens  Texture: well-drained
 Blooms:  pH: any local
 Spring-summer; usually May-
June but varies with weather
 Light: full sun to light shade; ½ day sun
works just fine
(heat; rains)
 Blooms for ~ 3 weeks  Water:
 Flowers:  Winter: needs good winter rains;
supplement if needed
 Super-showy; pink or lavender,
pastel  Summer: takes some summer water
 Typical for onions; small star- © 2007 Mike Ireland (Zone 2 or 2-3; let dry out in late
shaped flowers in open cluster summer/fall); other bulb species for
 Makes a lovely cut flower – summer water include Allium validum
sweet fragrance (Pacific/ Swamp Onion) and Triteleia
peduncularis (Marsh Triteleia)
 Seeds:
 Small, black seeds in papery  Fertilizer: fine with some fertilizer &
capsule organic amendments
 Easy to collect & grow  Other: may need to thin occasionally
© 2007 Neal Kramer
http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=6093442 http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2010/05/

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For garden or bouquet
Tricks for maintaining CA native bulbs
 As an showy container plant
 With non-native bulbs or natives
that require a little water
 In rain garden, swale or veg.
garden
 Sunny edges in a woodland garden
http://drystonegarden.com/index.php/2009/04/allium-unifolium/
 Will naturalize – lovely massed

 Maintenance tip: In early summer, remove the dried stalks
for neatness. Be sure to collect the seeds for propagation or
for trading with fellow gardeners.

Harvesting & preparing your cut-flowers Keys to Keeping Cut Flowers Fresh
 Harvest during the coolest time of day
when they are crisp and turgid—early  Give them water.
morning or late evening.

 Remove lower foliage that would remain  Give them food.
underwater in the storage container.
 Protect them from
 Cut stems with a sharp instrument,
making the cuts underwater if possible. decay or infection.
This prevents air bubbles from 'clogging'
http://www.finegardening.com/plants/articles/allur the stems.  Keep them cool and out
of direct sunlight.
e-of-lavender.aspx

 Place the materials in clean containers of
lukewarm water with preservative added
(room temperature up to 100 degrees F.).

http://www.fancypantsweddings.com/diy-wedding-flower-diaster-judy-hates-
© Project SOUND it/wilted-flowers/ © Project SOUND

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Cut-flower preservatives Making your own floral preservative –
experiment to see what works with
 Contain nutrients, preservatives different species
& disinfectants
 Can be purchased (probably  Cut Flower Preservative Recipe #1
better) or made at home  2 cups lemon-lime carbonated beverage (e.g., Sprite™ or 7-Up™)
(cheaper & probably OK)  1/2 teaspoon household chlorine bleach
 2 cups warm water
 Mix the floral preservative using
 Cut Flower Preservative Recipe #2
warm water (100-110°F or 38-  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or white vinegar
40°C) because it will move into  1 to 2 tablespoon sugar (use 2 with vinegar)
the stems more effectively than  1/2 teaspoon household chlorine bleach
cold water. Chlorine in tap water  1 quart warm water
http://www.hk94.com/B002SVJP5U.shtml
is fine, since it acts as a natural
disinfectant.

Managing your cut-flowers: cleanliness Designing flower arrangement is a
course in itself
 Always keep cut material in water while
designing. This will prevent wilt due to
the loss of water through transpiration.

 Always design in clean containers that
have been filled with preservative
water.

 After each use, clean storage
containers, vases, liners, and needle
point holders with a soapy Clorox
http://www.sunset.com/garden/flowers-plants/how-to-
design-hot-color-flower-garden-
00400000041320/page2.html

solution, to kill all bacteria.

 Use a floral preservative to provide
nutrients and to prevent bacterial http://onecharmingparty.com/2009/12/02/what-im-reading-jane-packers-guide-to-
http://treefalldesign.typepad.com/tree_fall/2006/04/flower_arrangin.html

growth. flower-arranging/

© Project SOUND
Good on-line resources, books and courses © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

A few simple tips from the pros
A few simple tips from the pros
 Four main components:
 A standard, mixed floral arrangement will
 Filler flowers: used to edge the
have four main components:
container or fill in any gaps in the
 Focal flowers : usually tall, large or arrangement. These flowers
unique flowers to grab your attention. solidify the color scheme and hide
Generally use only a few of these – one to unattractive stems. Use as many as
five, depending on the size of your necessary to complete the desired
http://www.hnfflorist.com/howtomakelargeflowerarrangements.html container. shape and balance.

 Intermediate flowers: one-third shorter  Filler plant materials: attractive
than the focal flowers or have smaller foliage pieces, grasses or even
flowers that fit the chosen color scheme. feather and bark pieces are used to
Use approximately two times the number fill in any gaps and provide balance
of these flowers in the arrangement. to the arrangement.
http://wildsuburbia.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html

http://www.soenyun.com/Blog/2009/05/11/interpreting-history-through-plants/

http://www.mauidriedflowers.com/silk_bamboo.html © Project SOUND
What does this arrangement lack? © Project SOUND

White Fairy-lantern – Calochortus albus *Diogenes' lantern (Yellow globelily) –
Calochortus amabilis

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAAL2
© Project SOUND http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Calochortus_amabilis_2.jpg © Project SOUND

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*Diogenes' lantern (Yellow globelily) – Diogenes' lantern: typical globelily
Calochortus amabilis
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall – usually ~ 1 ft
 Native to mountains north of the San
Francisco Bay Area - < 3000 ft. elevation  < 1 ft wide

 Isolated pocket of survivors on Vulcan  Growth form:
Peak in San Diego County.  Herbaceous perennial from a bulb
 Common, grassy hillsides and in open oak  Dies back to bulb after flowering
woodlands  Leaves grow back with winter rains
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora
_id=1&taxon_id=242101453
 Foliage:
 A few strap-like leaves
 Leaves persist through flowering

 Bulbs:
 Elongated to teardrop shape
 Can be baked or boiled and eaten
© 2002 George Jackson

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?8349,8461,8463 http://calochortus.blogspot.com/ © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

Flowers are super Plant Requirements  Soils:
 Texture: well-drained (most
local)
 Blooms: in spring: April-  pH: any local except > 8.0
June in our area
 Light:
 Flowers:  Part-shade best; morning sun
 Bright, clear yellow with or dappled shade ideal
orange-red markings
 Water:
Jo-Ann Ordano © California Academy of Sciences

 Shaped like a globelily;  Winter: needs adequate for
globe with wings (looks growth
like a lantern, hence the
common name) - ~ 1 inch  Summer: needs summer dry
after flowering – taper to
 In loose clusters – very Zone 1
unique, showy
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils.
 Seeds: in 4-chambered Organic mulches are fine.
pod; more oval than most
calochtus
http://www.summitpost.org/diogenes-lantern-calochortus-amabilis/516123
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/CalochortusSpeciesOne

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Let Diogenes’ Lantern spread a little light..
Let’s create a spring/ early summer
 In native prairie with summer-dry
grasses, annual wildflowers bouquet to celebrate our CA heritage
 Under oaks and other summer-
dry trees
 Lovely massed or naturalized  Suncups
 As an attractive pot plant; may
need support  Penstemons
 Useful accent or filler flower  Clarkias
 Globe Gilia
 Monardellas

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dballentine/3656336782/

Frithjof Holmboe © California Academy of Sciences © 2009 Barry Rice
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xerantheum/3533104440/

*Willow Mint – Monardella linoides ssp. viminea Mountain Monardella – Monardella odoratissima

J. E.(Jed) and Bonnie McClellan © California Academy of Sciences
© 2005 Jasmine J. Watts

15

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