Prudent Pruning - Notes

1/6/2013

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden
Prudent Pruning
Plants of the S. CA
Chaparral

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

Madrona Marsh Preserve
Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants November 6 & 9, 2010
Project SOUND - 2010
© Project SOUND © Project SOUND

The chaparral tells an interesting story, if you how to read it What is the chaparral plant community?

 Chaparral is California’s
most extensive plant
community.
 It is also the state’s
most characteristic
wilderness
 It dominates foothills
and mountain slopes
from the Rouge River
Valley in southern
Oregon to the San
Pedro Martir in Baja
California.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2789/


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1/6/2013

Chaparral Area in California by County (acres)*

San Diego 1,003,441
Los Angeles 553,789
Riverside 499,160
Santa Barbara 440,645
San Luis Obispo 417,718
Monterey 369,345 http://www.geo.arizona.edu/Antevs/biomes/ChaparalStaMonicaA.jpg

Ventura 326,447
http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/habitats/atstejnegerihabitatla508.jpg

San Bernardino 276,010 Santa Monica Mtns - mostly higher elevations Lower elevations - San Gabriels
San Benito 246,623
Santa Clara 188,427
Orange 111,550
Marin 37,566
San Mateo 36,152
Santa Cruz 32,328

*From Fried, J.S., C.L. Bosinger, and D.
Beardsley. 2004. Chaparal in Southern and
Central Coastal California in the Mid-1990's:
Area, Ownership, Condition, and Change.
http://www.californiachaparral.com/awheresthechaparral.html http://www.californiachaparral.com/awheresthechaparral.html

USFS Resource Bulletin PNW-RB-240
© Project SOUND Malibu State Park Cleveland National Forest © Project SOUND

How does chaparral differ from coastal
sage scrub?

Chaparral Coastal Sage
Scrub

1. Often (not always) slightly
higher elevation (500-4500 1. Often lower elevation &
ft) & further from coast nearer/on the coast

2. Hotter summers; winter lows 2. Cooler summers: fog – more
temperate in general
3. More rainfall: 20-40” per yr – 3. Less rainfall: 15-20”
some may even fall in mid-late
summer (summer monsoons)
4. Soil usually loam/clay
Chaparral looks somewhat like Coastal Sage Scrub…. 4. Soil often rocky

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1/6/2013

How do chaparral/coastal sage scrub differ? Why Sclerophyllous
Coastal Sage Scrub leaves?
Chaparral
 Small, Sclerophyllous leaves
are advantageous in a semi-
arid climate because they
reduce evaporation thorough
Xyloccocus bicolor a variety of traits including:
 waxy coatings

 thicker cell layers

5. More small shrubs (< 6 ft);  recessed stomata, the pores in
5. More tall shrubs (> 6 ft); soft-leaved (‘soft chaparral’) leaves permitting evaporation
sclerophyllous (hard-leaved) 6. Shrubs tend to be separated and the exchange of oxygen
6. Shrubs tend to grow together with space between – can
into a dense thicket walk though it and carbon dioxide
© Project SOUND Rhamnus ilicifolia © Project SOUND

How do chaparral/coastal sage scrub differ?
Chaparral Coastal Sage Scrub

http://interwork.sdsu.edu/fire/resources/san-diego-habitats.htm

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/communities/coastal-sage-scrub

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2789/

7. More complex understory:
7. Fewer understory plants – too perennials, grasses
dark under the large shrubs
8. Many summer-dormant
8. Fewer summer-dormant plants plants http://www.soenyun.com/Blog/tag/exotics/
© Project SOUND http://groups.ucanr.org/SAFE/Fire_in_Southern_California_Ecosystems/ © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Walking through chaparral requires a path The topography has an effect on vegetation
 The aspect of a hillside
makes a great difference in
the composition of the
chaparral.
 North facing slopes are a
lot moister
 Toyon, Manzanita, Scrub oak,
Pitcher sage, Kekiella , and
Poison oak.
 The south facing slopes are
arid:
Remember: aspect also is important  Dominated by Chamise, Black
in CSS – both are plant communities sage, Woolly blue curls and
Bush poppy, (Dendromecon
sensitive to topography (both have rigida).
http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/
‘sun’ and ‘part-shade’ plants)

How do chaparral/coastal sage scrub differ? Evidence that fire has played a key role in
Chaparral Coastal Sage Scrub Chaparral
 Even-age ‘stands’ of
vegetation – suggests
recruitment/sprouting only
after fire
 Long-lived seeds that require
fire/smoke to germinate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52509763@N00/310103199/

http://palosverdessource.com/tag/rancho-palos-verdes/
 Rapid regeneration from
http://www.desertmuseum.org/desert/habitats/chap/chapgallery.php?print=y specialized re-sprouting
9. Can remain as stable CSS organs – ‘burls’/lignotubers
9. Successional community – climax community for a long
tends to progress to Oak  Presence of fire-follower
time
Woodland or Pine Forest species – endemic to post-fire
10. Fire plays a key role in years/regions
10. Fire plays a key role in clearing out underbrush;
‘setting the successional clock’ lesser role in the setting
‘successional clock’ SOUND
http://www.desertmuseum.org/desert/habitats/chap/chapgallery.php?print=y
© Project © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Chaparral is a transitional community – at
least historically Does chaparral ever reach climax any
more in S. CA?
 The Chaparral is usually a successional
plant community that gradually moves
to oak and pine forest, if the soil
depth supports it
 Over time, just the presence of the
Chaparral can change the actual
characteristics of a site:
http://picasaweb.google.com/guidesharon/Spring#5274932832288037602
 change the pH one unit
 effectively ‘double’ the precipitation
 produce a litter layer (mulch layer of
leaves) in which the pines and oaks can
germinate.
 These changes only occur if the
chaparral doesn't burn for decades or
maybe centuries - no one really knows
the time line.
http://room42.wikispaces.com/Savanna+Climate

Recovery after fire Characteristics of chaparral plants
 Mainly woody shrubs
 Takes 3-4 years
 Chaparral communities in
 Depends on species – California occur from sea level to
first 2 years recovery high mountains. Each elevation has
by either re-sprouting its own mix of species
http://www.laspilitas.com/easy/easy_wildflower_picture.htm or seed  Plants like manzanita
(Arctostaphylos spp.) Ceanothus
 Soil moisture is (Ceanothus spp.) and chamise
important – higher (Adenostema fasciculatum) are
elevation and N-facing common themes in southern
slopes in lower California chaparral.
elevations do best
 All chaparral plants in California
 Ultimately, smaller are adapted to wet winters and
species are crowded dry summers, and they like well-
out drained soils.
http://interwork.sdsu.edu/fire/resources/Chaparral.htm

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/communities/chaparral

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1/6/2013

Chaparral plants are also good food Common large Chaparral shrubs: S. CA
 Several species of scrub oaks - Quercus
 Young plants and succulent foliage are berberidifolia most common and widespread.
always a temptation – and easier to  Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum)
access
 Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
 Ceanothus leaves are browsed by deer
year-round  Various Ceanothus species
 Rabbits, deer and other herbivores  Various manzanita (Arctostaphylos) species
can browse heavily in fall/ winter  Laurel sumac (Malosma laurina)
Deer eating Ceanothus
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/F7xecrsLEk2wFiIEETx41A
 Sugar bush (Rhus ovata)
 Holly-leafed cherry (Prunus ilicifolia)
 Spiny redberry (Rhamnus ilicifolia)
 Mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus
betuloides).
 Redshanks (Adenostema sparsifolia)
Chaparral comes from the
Spanish and means "having
 Silk-tassel bush (Garrya spp.)
Brush Rabbit
scrub oaks".
http://www.bentler.us/eastern-washington/plants/shrubs/rabbit-brush.aspx

Chaparral shrubs are lovely Chaparral plants say ‘buy me, buy me!’
 Evergreen foliage
 Most have abundant
springtime or summer
blooms.
http://dunncreekfarm.blogspot.com/2010/04/organic-farming-from-hell.html  Berries add color in the late
summer and fall when the
rest of the region is drab.
 Any given patch of chaparral
will contain several of the
common large shrub species
but one or two will be
predominant.
 And then there are the
showy smaller plants that
grow in sunny patches….
http://jimmundy.name/garden_album/slides/Ceanothus_looking_toward_front_door.html


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1/6/2013

And that’s how pruning figures into the story Buckbrush – Ceanothus cuneatus var. cuneatus


Buckbrush – Ceanothus cuneatus var. cuneatus You’ve likely seen it
in the wild…
 Western U.S. from
OR to N. Baja  Just another large shrub most
of the year
 In CA, common in  Covered with snow-like blossoms
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/botany/herbarium/projects/ceanothus/CeCu/index.html foothills except in in spring – some say reminiscent
deserts & Central of a cherry or apple tree
Valley http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/ceacun/all.html

 Common on dry,
rocky slopes, fans &
ridges, to 6000', in
foothill chaparral,
pinyon-juniper and
yellow pine woodland

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericinsf/2409689371/

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?6586,6589,6594,6595
© Project SOUND
N. CA Chaparral © Project SOUND
http://www.tulipsinthewoods.com/wild-plants/buckbrush-ceanothus-cuneatus/

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1/6/2013

Flowers: showy white
Buckbrush has many characteristics of ceanothus
Ceanothus
 Size:
 4-8 ft tall  Blooms:
 4-8 ft wide  Mar.-May or even later at
higher elevations
 Growth form:  Depends on the climate
 Fast-growing woody shrub patterns/ rain & temperature
 Form usually erect, multi-stemmed –
rarely prostrate  Flowers:
http://www.nwplants.com/business/catalog/shrubs.html#Cea_cun  May assume shrub or more tree-like  Usually pure white, but may be
form - may be variable because it a pale blue
hybridizes with similar species.
 Flowers quite large for
 Bark gray Ceanothus – note the
interesting shape - regular with
 Foliage: 5 alternating petals and sepals
 Small, simple leaves with waxy coat and 5 stamens growing opposite
 Color: green to gray-green of petals
 Roots: deep, much-branched taproot  Insect pollinated

http://www.tulipsinthewoods.com/wild-plants/buckbrush-ceanothus-cuneatus/

Fruits & seeds are Plant Requirements  Soils:
typical for Ceanothus  Texture: well-drained
preferred
 pH: any local
 Fruits are sticky,
rounded 3-lobed  Light:
 Full sun to light shade –
capsules with “horns” common for chaparral shrubs
near the top
 Water:
 Seeds are dispersed  Winter: needs good deep
when the capsule winter rains
explodes and propels  Summer: none to occasional
(Zone 1-2 probably best)
them some distance.
 Fertilizer: use an organic mulch
 Seeds remain dormant
 Other: resents being moved;
until a fire promotes plant out when small
germination
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/ceanothus-cuneatus

http://www.hazmac.biz/060410/060410CeanothusCuneatus.html

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1/6/2013

Buckbrush Ceanothus makes a good large shrub Human uses of Buckbrush (and other
 Wonderful for erosion control Ceanothus species
and naturalizing on slopes
 Good shrub for large-scale
plantings  Tea from leaves and flowers

 Good for dry, rocky hot sites –  Dyes: green from the flowers;
not for near the coast red from the root.
 Wonderful habitat plant:  Stands were burned & coppiced
 Bees love nectar to produce young, straight
http://natureshutterbug.com/wordpress/2010/02/17/a-different-kind-of-snowy-white-with-many-insects/

 Larval host plant for White- shoots for basketry material
streaked saturnia moth
(Saturnia albofasciata)  All parts of plant can be used
 Seeds eaten by bushtits, to make a mild, fragrant body
mockingbirds, quail and finches
soap or shampoo
 Cover for many wildlife species
including California quail, black-
tailed jackrabbit, brush rabbit,
and mourning dove http://www.calfloranursery.com/pages_plants/pages_c/ceacun.html


Pruning lessons from Ceanothus Chaparral shrubs
 Usually doesn’t need much – has a are very efficient
nice natural shape – if treated
correctly in the first few years
 For plant health, remove
 If a branch is no longer
dead/crossing branches – will likely
receiving adequate
sunlight, the plant can
have a few of these each year even
self-prune that branch
in a mature plant. - that is, allow it to die.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1120298861053871638LibNcZ
 The understory of the
chaparral is a tangle of
dead branches.
 If you don’t want that
look, prune out the
dead branches

http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/species/Ceanothus_cuneatus_cuneatus.htm

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1/6/2013

Pruning lessons from Ceanothus
 If you want to shape plants, start
in the first year – after the first
few years, the deer can’t get to
the leaves to ‘prune’ them
 Light tip pruning in the first few
years promotes fuller foliage
 Best not to cut out any wood
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/ceacun/all.html thicker than a pencil – no self-
respecting deer would eat
anything larger (and tougher) than
that
 Use selective pruning to remove
http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/species/Ceanothus_cuneatus_cuneatus.htm

entire branches that are
unwanted  Do light pruning right after flowering (summer pruning):
flowers occur only on previous year’s wood - so if you remove
that in fall – no flowers
http://www.tulipsinthewoods.com/wild-plants/buckbrush-ceanothus-cuneatus/ © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

Pruning lessons from Ceanothus Chaparral Mallow – Malacothamnus fasciculatus
 Can’t really limit size by
pruning – will only shorten life
 Choose an appropriate sized
plant for the space – you and
the plant will be happier

http://blass.com.au/definitions/malacothamnus
http://www.stylelist.com/?sem=1&ncid=bannadusstyl00000026
http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/buckbrush.html


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1/6/2013

Chaparral Mallow: feature
Chaparral Mallow – Malacothamnus fasciculatus
depend on the setting
 Many areas of CA that have foothills –
N. CA to N. Baja  Size:
 3-12 ft tall
 Common shrub throughout chaparral
and coastal sage scrub on dry slopes  4-12 ft wide; spreading
and fans to about 2500‘
 Growth form:
 Often seen on disturbed ground and  Woody shrub
along roadsides; fire-follower.  Stems are wand-like
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?5042,5073,5079  Fast to moderate growth
 May form a dense shrub or be
more tree-like – depends on
water, ‘pruning’, ?genetics

 Foliage:
 Gray-green (more green with
water) rounded leaves
 Softly hairy; pretty
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/plants/sdpls/plants/Malacothamnus_fasciculatus.html
http://teacher-us.com/young/prsnl_ed/field_photos.htm
© Project SOUND http://blass.com.au/definitions/malacothamnus © Project SOUND

Flowers like a picture… Typical chaparral plant  Soils:
 Texture: just about any, but
 Blooms: likes well-drained best
 Off & on from April  pH: any but very alkali (> 8.0)
through fall
 Light:
 Heaviest bloom usually in
 Full sun to part-shade
spring

 Flowers:  Water:
 New plant: treat as Zone 2
 Moderate size; ~ 1” across
 Established: needs little to no
 Typical mallow shape
supplemental (Zone 1 or 1-2);
 Color: pink (very light to
 Will lose leaves in drought
medium)
 Over-watering will make it
 Super attractive – lots of spread faster – and may kill the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Malacothamnus_fasciculatus_2.jpg
blooms along the wand-like plant
stems
 Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
 Vegetative reproduction:
suckers from roots © 2005 Janell Hillman

http://bugguide.net/node/view/295204/bgimage © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

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1/6/2013

Chaparral Mallow:
pretty & informal ‘Casitas’ cultivar
 Lovely as an informal hedge
 Upright habit
 Super choice for a wildlife garden:
 Nectar for: Hummingbirds, West
 To 6-8’ tall and
Coast Lady, Western checkered wide
skipper, and Large White Skipper
 Attractive gray-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mechanoid_dolly/4590614319/

 Larval food plant: Gray Hairstreak green foliage
 Cover and nesting sites  Selected for
 Would work well in a chaparral or garden use
Edwardian-themed garden
 Available – TPF &
 Large foundation plant others
 Slopes & hillsides

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malacothamnus_fasciculatus_1.jpg http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Malacothamnus_fasciculatus_'Casitas'

Watering lessons from Chaparral Mallow Pruning lessons from Chaparral Mallow
(that impact pruning/management) (and other suckering shrubs)
 Growth rate often dependent on
water – faster with more water  Watering practices
impact pruning
 Often growth rate is inversely
correlated with plant longevity:  Some plants will always
‘live hard & die young’ look informal – these are
not plants that take to
 Most mallows (and other spreading formal pruning, so choose
shrubs) are opportunists: they accordingly.
spread as much as water allows
 Even if you limit summer water,
 Work with – not against –
most will still spread – for example the plant’s natural
in wet winters. This is part of the tendencies
plant’s survival mechanism – growing  This plant will not ‘stay in
new shoots in areas where
competition for light/water are
place’ forever – needs to
less spread out
© 2009 Neal Kramer


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1/6/2013

* Creeping Sage – Salvia sonomensis * Creeping Sage – Salvia sonomensis
 Foothills of the Sierras
and coastal mountains of
central & N. CA – also in
the mountains of San
Diego Co. into Baja
 Chaparral, oak woodland,
yellow-pine forest
 Northern areas: dry, rocky
slopes below 6500 ft.
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Salvia+sonomensis  San Diego Co: in the
understory, with part-sun

Remember: dry, rocky slopes in N. CA are not like our dry, rocky slopes
J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Creeping Sage is a groundcover: true to  Soils:
its heritage as a ‘Mint’ Plant Requirements  Texture: likes a well-drained
soil – sandy or rocky best but
 Size: clay is fine if not over-watered
 1-2 ft tall  pH: any local
 4-10+ ft wide  Light:
 Growth form:  Best in light shade (dappled
shade under taller trees or
 Low to mat-like semi-woody shrubs) or morning sun.
groundcover
 Spreads with time – J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database  Water:
branches just keep growing  Winter: likes good winter
outward water; supplement in spring in
dry years
 Foliage:
 Summer: Zone 1-2 best after
 Grayish-green, elliptical
the first year; can wash off
leaves, woolly underneath
leaves
and puckered above
 Attractive and aromatic  Fertilizer: none; likes poor soils
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php
?id_plant=saso © Project SOUND © 2004 Christopher L. Christie © Project SOUND
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/salvia/msg0502361430447.html

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