tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41561463763960694712024-03-18T21:57:49.352-07:00I Need A Cup of TeaNew Plant Exploration with
Kenton J. Seth, Colorado, USAKenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.comBlogger243125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-61087647231841629482024-01-14T13:40:00.000-08:002024-01-29T08:18:00.831-08:00Plants so good it makes ya angry<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">This is a competition.</span></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgS2iuqV3T6GP8kSR88_MRAEvjUaFhrUx-YoiE0CNo2QmtQV1r-yHcyLJKd0oGdVVw1OuVNcW3OFPqMgIZpIXaR1i6R1s05KuvFZk1ms4cma7QwRkqIc8QwD7xYZ8U_Klmp9xMkrLJWut_aSC1SnTwwP_ps0NlLD7P-88AX2x8_S7giSBotXYoDjGzKLvvC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">Plants will be judged for ten years on three traits:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">-Longevity</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">-Rebloom</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">-Sex appeal </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">(to everyday people </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">and not botanists or nerds like me.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">This means these<b> three winning plants </b>will be ideal for </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">No-water Landscapes; </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">places where they can't hide in an ugly season. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgS2iuqV3T6GP8kSR88_MRAEvjUaFhrUx-YoiE0CNo2QmtQV1r-yHcyLJKd0oGdVVw1OuVNcW3OFPqMgIZpIXaR1i6R1s05KuvFZk1ms4cma7QwRkqIc8QwD7xYZ8U_Klmp9xMkrLJWut_aSC1SnTwwP_ps0NlLD7P-88AX2x8_S7giSBotXYoDjGzKLvvC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuG3c3797d0YTUIzR8nTa5fvOLkTbotor6WaLca2CnNv_V9Mcm5TgT0tjS45YfNCqDhrSLowJpbK9G1QTk-UhuHRkKK-hL-uIvyxzSWqIyxmJpPWP1AHYNBF0ahCZdsGiqB5ILdLjI36P10zUxLgj445CbbbOfYRePOOldOjhV7qVQWk0bu2GpZLE9sttz/s3168/Gaillardia%20amber%20wheels%20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3168" data-original-width="2467" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuG3c3797d0YTUIzR8nTa5fvOLkTbotor6WaLca2CnNv_V9Mcm5TgT0tjS45YfNCqDhrSLowJpbK9G1QTk-UhuHRkKK-hL-uIvyxzSWqIyxmJpPWP1AHYNBF0ahCZdsGiqB5ILdLjI36P10zUxLgj445CbbbOfYRePOOldOjhV7qVQWk0bu2GpZLE9sttz/w249-h320/Gaillardia%20amber%20wheels%20.JPG" width="249" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b>1. <i>Gaillardia</i> 'Amber Wheels'</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">The problem with allllll the other gaillardia is that they are barely perennial, living 1-4 years at best, but often just a couple. This one, selected from the wild in Colorado by DBG's Larry Vickerman, is FULLY PERENNIAL, and what's more: <i>rhizomatous. </i>Yes, folks, it can spread. Not wildly; nice and slow. It's available online from a few mailorders. Why isn't it in your local nursery? Because you need to tell them about it and buy more of it. I'm so sick of not being able to buy it easily that I'm growing my own. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">- - - - - </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgS2iuqV3T6GP8kSR88_MRAEvjUaFhrUx-YoiE0CNo2QmtQV1r-yHcyLJKd0oGdVVw1OuVNcW3OFPqMgIZpIXaR1i6R1s05KuvFZk1ms4cma7QwRkqIc8QwD7xYZ8U_Klmp9xMkrLJWut_aSC1SnTwwP_ps0NlLD7P-88AX2x8_S7giSBotXYoDjGzKLvvC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjupjrA9AoPN3tZRD8LFmG0n-tMnnA6vjYs-_rsEd-nwU5ulES4cFSwfebpbhHTwBFM54pF4yYo6SCkqTn6_ougzl2Va3pdQWWAX5DxkZL2k2Pkz3HKNKO6IN_luX5Vb4pUJE0UUsw-SA_F6UPIKZgqjQBGo8qg0ilYZUbxNJeZHARr5-AGMiW3X7OyanJC" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b>2. <i>Amsonia jonesii</i> , Desert Bluestar.</b></span></div></div><br />A once-bloomer for a few weeks in spring, but he's blue, which is not common in available xeric plants. He varies- the above plant is pale; and white happens. What he really scored for is being indefatigable, wiltless, nice dark green leaf all summer, which is much needed when it's 100F (38C) outside. The other high score is longevity; I was pretty impressed seeing plants in friends' Denver Gardens that are exactly as old as I am until I found a massive wild plant last summer that is about a century old.<div> <br />He is in PlantSelect but I never see him in any nursery except <a href="https://chelseanursery.com/">Chelsea</a>'s. That's messed up. We need to pester High Country Gardens and get the word out. It's slow from seed, so the few nurseries that do it usually go with cuttings. Here he is growing in nature in this weird red crap that even the cactus don't seem to like:<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgS2iuqV3T6GP8kSR88_MRAEvjUaFhrUx-YoiE0CNo2QmtQV1r-yHcyLJKd0oGdVVw1OuVNcW3OFPqMgIZpIXaR1i6R1s05KuvFZk1ms4cma7QwRkqIc8QwD7xYZ8U_Klmp9xMkrLJWut_aSC1SnTwwP_ps0NlLD7P-88AX2x8_S7giSBotXYoDjGzKLvvC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3968" data-original-width="2976" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNFdwVp44tFRg85s1wJHyS_T7iiNIXUJXxK2LHoP0IWivyUxOq9i2PR-Dn9MBBv5YX9jgD1LNnDZN2J5DkOFvgtYi32VPK45O8ZtAXXS-86VsQQmzkZ-LM9lcbErX-K7DRDySE7ZGOHw1PdHf-EeQvPNKwrPF46NCJZdCToWeSrKrFNdkXnmvmnh0G88UF=w240-h320" width="240" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">- - - - - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgS2iuqV3T6GP8kSR88_MRAEvjUaFhrUx-YoiE0CNo2QmtQV1r-yHcyLJKd0oGdVVw1OuVNcW3OFPqMgIZpIXaR1i6R1s05KuvFZk1ms4cma7QwRkqIc8QwD7xYZ8U_Klmp9xMkrLJWut_aSC1SnTwwP_ps0NlLD7P-88AX2x8_S7giSBotXYoDjGzKLvvC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyUD51DzEiHqkUDpsIB3ThzyllbZsg93k2lueEb6mk_YX4ol1McNrTEnu9NgBsLb49aPAWGgqT4SM0WTed1VcNp-F01Vi1lEq97e9XMrVBfkSSijA7US-pB4Q80G27hAIHGD_p01szi2IMi2lIfLkueH9HMqBD2HSua27Q72OwbSTFk2GtKikpTXI7ltOR" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Melampodium leucanthum. Blackfoot Daisy.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div>So, real talk here. I wondered if folks would give it a new common name in the way <i>Sorghastrum</i> isn't "indian grass" anymore- but I was making an assumption. This guy's name is because the seeds look like little black horse's feet. Checks out. <a href="https://www.westernnativeseed.com/wildflowers_M_O.html#melleu">Small lots of seed is also available online. </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />He scores middleville for longevity, but my rubric is merciless. He gets points back because he reseeds gently, and then he takes his win because he reblooms and reblooms, stays short and unthreatening, and does it all without irrigation. But this jerk has a problem- he's not commonly available. Time to knock on some doors. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgS2iuqV3T6GP8kSR88_MRAEvjUaFhrUx-YoiE0CNo2QmtQV1r-yHcyLJKd0oGdVVw1OuVNcW3OFPqMgIZpIXaR1i6R1s05KuvFZk1ms4cma7QwRkqIc8QwD7xYZ8U_Klmp9xMkrLJWut_aSC1SnTwwP_ps0NlLD7P-88AX2x8_S7giSBotXYoDjGzKLvvC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgT7Q6jR6U41sgAX4bjF8x5Ppyjz4AiNYQisK1-VmOe8NjJcnQK_xyPBGT5TluNOTyh8Vy02_OydgFsmwPkesIibrjOHmZ9OvKEq2jVpcpmCzx8vaJU0ka2XKgvVPOmT6ECo8OU7SjNg9cqZXAYepDMqa7bQkWa08BGqafEfKlswHhb8F_PRcnvC366_xPS" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">He's short- there he is at the heels of... anything else. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgS2iuqV3T6GP8kSR88_MRAEvjUaFhrUx-YoiE0CNo2QmtQV1r-yHcyLJKd0oGdVVw1OuVNcW3OFPqMgIZpIXaR1i6R1s05KuvFZk1ms4cma7QwRkqIc8QwD7xYZ8U_Klmp9xMkrLJWut_aSC1SnTwwP_ps0NlLD7P-88AX2x8_S7giSBotXYoDjGzKLvvC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1289" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkod1x6MvQEdNR3KP_1q8E49pL99mW3ofnrbkAM7vIixoNLTrGilcgOKHgzWix7x8n2mh8gn6aql_p6DYKO3kaiZxxThOjK801h_6TK0q9qp4iK951-ukCyu13lOFbM49PinsyrP7eIU4YbibamWTbJDbSXgNIPXhleJuaNUAapJvEt_Fuu2MliQcAiWtx" width="272" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Just look at him shamelessly dancing around this unwatered front yard off Littlepark Rd in Grand Junction. When I planted him in 2016 I put a dripper on him because he comes from the front range. Well that drip wasn't ever turned on and he reminded me that he is also from the desert, baby, and he gracefully replaced anything that died out over the last seven years. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">- - - - - </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Honorable Mentions go to:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCth5M2YO3pga2D-MRv_KXEd-T3fu_obRmZHPZSFwH7ncCP3UaPf89EaZJGw9EXfdmaT1HkNdDjvuL5M1W-JL8bOAhOoPdQu4RatiPdOA1vEXy0n3t1NzkSYi5ARBOS3YF5dENwo_ZnlPzV6BPBnh1V7i-cgnOIaxovPIhXcG2BfxdKUAKliHzD18dH-Q/s4032/IMG_3189.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCth5M2YO3pga2D-MRv_KXEd-T3fu_obRmZHPZSFwH7ncCP3UaPf89EaZJGw9EXfdmaT1HkNdDjvuL5M1W-JL8bOAhOoPdQu4RatiPdOA1vEXy0n3t1NzkSYi5ARBOS3YF5dENwo_ZnlPzV6BPBnh1V7i-cgnOIaxovPIhXcG2BfxdKUAKliHzD18dH-Q/w150-h200/IMG_3189.JPG" width="150" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Prarie Zinnia, </b>because she's got <a href="https://plantselect.org/plantstories/gold-on-blue-not-your-typical-zinnia/">marketing and recognition</a> before and heavens know I've sung her praises for too long. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4tRXyA6OajBFsYsz7UjmmC4ahAEK7FKVBf0McEXVXjSExWOyDvyXyKy6uzZHuXFXUdRU1dZjyipnZloZYHSxa8_7BYraIcnlG2iVUXANAcBQuifVzhaAacma4r3DUDGMdiDrmdd2kuxmT4GtXTFM0Bd1y_60TlIKUUuGUpsF-JBEjfD6RrxTTF58xBMP/s2974/phlox%20nana.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2246" data-original-width="2974" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4tRXyA6OajBFsYsz7UjmmC4ahAEK7FKVBf0McEXVXjSExWOyDvyXyKy6uzZHuXFXUdRU1dZjyipnZloZYHSxa8_7BYraIcnlG2iVUXANAcBQuifVzhaAacma4r3DUDGMdiDrmdd2kuxmT4GtXTFM0Bd1y_60TlIKUUuGUpsF-JBEjfD6RrxTTF58xBMP/w200-h151/phlox%20nana.JPG" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Santa Fe Plox </b>was very close in the running because it reblooms, it's not <a href="https://www.highcountrygardens.com/product/perennial-plants/phlox-nana-perfect-pink">available</a> enough, and seems to live a very long time. He gets a little crispy without water on the hotter side of the rockies, but he never dies. Note: this plant wasn't voted down because Kenton doesn't generally like pink. This one is definitely garish enough to appeal to him. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Please support Nurseries with the balls to sell good plants which perform in the landscape and feed insects and other great things but don't look snappy in retail containers, which is the driving force behind all the crap sold as "perennials" at big box stores. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for... spring.</i></div><br /><p></p></div>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-53625497173003058782023-11-17T10:11:00.000-08:002023-11-29T13:23:36.986-08:00Ten years of landscaping and gardening without irrigation: Another book in the works<p> Back in 2013 I started working for myself, and started hiring employees, with a nearly religious mission to make landscapes that use natives and need no water. ...And that get better with age and do ecologically good things, et cetera. Over the years, my landscaper era waxed and waned as I felt drawn to address crevice gardens and work away from my semi desert valley. But the mission remained.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu2YcjzPMKap_Q0BDUvIDescjR4Sgm8SKyt2wA2cWE_eGFmN_V4nMtcdKUeLzUkUcA3CkdSSLEjUt82xFu3NgWSYY0PsdTiN0vxYo0_UKtQx4bwqB5Vs8LEENd3AI6HTAfzOc2hn02EziFgb9508-neJOVCBC2ICSAqbyZ49MzXKYuE8xmwYvnB5SgAiA/s3968/P8316747.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2976" data-original-width="3968" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu2YcjzPMKap_Q0BDUvIDescjR4Sgm8SKyt2wA2cWE_eGFmN_V4nMtcdKUeLzUkUcA3CkdSSLEjUt82xFu3NgWSYY0PsdTiN0vxYo0_UKtQx4bwqB5Vs8LEENd3AI6HTAfzOc2hn02EziFgb9508-neJOVCBC2ICSAqbyZ49MzXKYuE8xmwYvnB5SgAiA/s320/P8316747.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>(circa 2015, those were honest times...)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">More recently, Especially during Covid, I found myself working increasingly as a "coach" for homeowners who were DIY xeriscaping their homes because of a shortage of available landscapers. There have always been hands-on people who prefer to do their own work, and those with budgets. It is deeply gratifying to equip folks with the knowledge they need to take charge of their yards and make things that make them happy. </div></span></div></div><p>After years of this, I of course find myself answering many of the same questions for people dealing with the same issues. I'd like to think I've gotten better with a decade now of practice in helping folks decide what they're going to do with a patch of earth. With a full ten-year scope, I've also reflected on the vast difference of then and now.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJ1GIuJHrFNRrEBtONmS5qwMVgunA1eT1SIjPtIqWI-Om0jgtjunHvQntkWeZSsoeb4x2uPtFgZcafbmPF-K-nD1J43PVTZcdifWG9fXaeb6xydvzYWrzRXiuJCpIvAXHltmZ4LoMAmm-ODhznCqGQTVPMNyLp7yc_8tVxPQaqNd9LSx0Czqz9HQYlhti/s3968/PA245715.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2976" data-original-width="3968" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJ1GIuJHrFNRrEBtONmS5qwMVgunA1eT1SIjPtIqWI-Om0jgtjunHvQntkWeZSsoeb4x2uPtFgZcafbmPF-K-nD1J43PVTZcdifWG9fXaeb6xydvzYWrzRXiuJCpIvAXHltmZ4LoMAmm-ODhznCqGQTVPMNyLp7yc_8tVxPQaqNd9LSx0Czqz9HQYlhti/w400-h300/PA245715.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><p>When I started I had little experience and native landscapes were a hard sell, a very hard sell, and I underbid in desperation for work. I ate a lot of beans and rice. Luckily I had a few great mentors like Bob, and <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/high-and-dry-robert-nold/1111908992" target="_blank">his integral book</a> back then. Now, I have to turn down work and I can barely keep up with the demand for it and am ever re-balancing what sector needs help the most to spread myself out most effectively. </p><p><b>Another thing that has changed is that I'm not alone. </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gI8NeWuxzeAtjOXtYp7Wjqe1xxyQv6HsW-vglyGDN8LVuAOLrBBkZV2AQcexYaXLINaO_LLXlS_jaut9zmsfy_ctyXn0XTlDGLgwtr0SBtyX8cF33INfyLvM42YMuYtQry9pqeDupOxgDSISk7DyDX6QKrs6rFKo-2Ypg52sCrAmXWAa2d-20WzRu8B1/s4032/IMG-7138.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gI8NeWuxzeAtjOXtYp7Wjqe1xxyQv6HsW-vglyGDN8LVuAOLrBBkZV2AQcexYaXLINaO_LLXlS_jaut9zmsfy_ctyXn0XTlDGLgwtr0SBtyX8cF33INfyLvM42YMuYtQry9pqeDupOxgDSISk7DyDX6QKrs6rFKo-2Ypg52sCrAmXWAa2d-20WzRu8B1/w640-h480/IMG-7138.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Early on, and I think still to this day, the finest book on no-water gardening is French. FRENCH! <a href="https://www.filbertpress.com/our-books/the-dry-gardening-handbook" target="_blank">Olivier Filippi's books</a> still have not been surpassed, and isn't that embarrassing in some way to us proud Americans? But in recent years I've found friends like Jo Wakelin in New Zealand (her garden above) and John Murgel of CSU's Douglas County Extension Office. He gave a mic-dropping talk to WildOnes a while ago that isn't available,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zACIglVJFTs" target="_blank"> but this parallel one is still up.</a> Treat yourself to it- a real foundation of ground-breaking principles- over lunch. </p><p>It feels like things are coming to a head. </p><p>Emboldened with the experience of writing <a href="https://www.filbertpress.com/our-books/the-crevice-garden" target="_blank">The Crevice Garden</a>, I'm writing one on Irrigation-free landscaping and gardening. With the momentum of an even longer experience than my crevice work, and aiming to address the biggest issues dry gardeners face, with the working title of:</p><p><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">"No Water, More Flowers: Gardening and Landscaping with little to no irrigation."</span></b></p><p>I think there are isn't an elephant in the room about dry gardening,<b><i> but a whole herd of them:</i></b> What can you really expect without irrigation? When is it just inappropriate <i>not </i>to water? Isn't that religiously dogmatic? How the heck can you possibly get what you need when you deprive yourself of such a tool? Where does this fit into ecologcal gardening? Aren't we just gonna desalinate the oceans and solve water shortages? What about fire? What plants can actually go without? Why do all these alleged xeric plants suck so bad at staying alive in drought when they were sold as "drought tolerant?" (I'm looking at you, Redbirds in a tree, Agastache, and Kniphofia!) </p><p>Well, I don't think I will be the last word on it but I want to start a conversation. Now I'm going to put my slippers on and turn into my writing den; see you next year...</p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-19466537117418453022023-03-17T11:11:00.005-07:002023-03-17T11:11:27.342-07:00a little TV coverage of crevice gardening in New Zealand<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJU92O3-WSG7s2-UqU6RuAaoKcpox8d6yf3Ik5Ge-X7xRgvEX8lP0Dbs8znyoKuh72fFAsxMRXWhV-67kn240_AHjLucENJcp6jaS-T3fHpvV5-TxPrFgJhUSFaQkM61nBELT3eBWHu-Si_h-E_JWHnXn0fQFpcB0qV_H1FLq7OILaVnEnp8nAQVuxw/s4032/IMG-6722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJU92O3-WSG7s2-UqU6RuAaoKcpox8d6yf3Ik5Ge-X7xRgvEX8lP0Dbs8znyoKuh72fFAsxMRXWhV-67kn240_AHjLucENJcp6jaS-T3fHpvV5-TxPrFgJhUSFaQkM61nBELT3eBWHu-Si_h-E_JWHnXn0fQFpcB0qV_H1FLq7OILaVnEnp8nAQVuxw/w640-h480/IMG-6722.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">When in New Zealand in February, it was lovely to see how the Christchurch Botanic's crevice garden was growing in. We made a day of it- a workshop and even Mr. Spurdle from local TV- Star News- showed up. He may have made the most succinct and understandable wee blurb on crevice gardens I've ever seen. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">It's also just really pleasant bathing in that kiwi accent:</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/star-south-today/crevice-gardening%C2%A0growing-locals%C2%A0"><b>Watch the segment here.</b></a></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguB-FYOpyMeiu0zI_IfIawhfX-M2616A6lFZ8ugthrTanCKEH2ur1TcLmPhoAhwyMJn8mPsmZa85sXlpMEarK6PQH6y9diDAGDZ3du5QTCwltaP-ulMKSyXtwdGeidIf_9tURaJKT_-vxPEyTk4zfmG0lwRckTPYpKz9ruGsonQgA7LLrP46Dxk0K9fA/s4032/IMG-6719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguB-FYOpyMeiu0zI_IfIawhfX-M2616A6lFZ8ugthrTanCKEH2ur1TcLmPhoAhwyMJn8mPsmZa85sXlpMEarK6PQH6y9diDAGDZ3du5QTCwltaP-ulMKSyXtwdGeidIf_9tURaJKT_-vxPEyTk4zfmG0lwRckTPYpKz9ruGsonQgA7LLrP46Dxk0K9fA/w400-h300/IMG-6719.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>A whole family of California Quail totter over the garden: daddy stands watch on top, upper right.</p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-39408878897610075602023-01-02T12:13:00.003-08:002023-01-02T12:13:52.451-08:00 Bruised Musings: A Prototype Passive Solar hoop-frame greenhouse.<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9U_OwNDsyRE1QJmN9SatdB-AgyL-f01Ytfcoa15w2xgILhbNlQLbK73NOE98vQDThzLJE-wbwhwDY3cfKmqq5CoBc_kgsquU3ut56r0ydw_97KZiPmdMxdDbnOJVHHDcsAWGNJwCVBNb-vk8CGXgC7oa8yRlJmNDUektGMzPuyNxXsMQ5GBZjdCrfyw/s4032/IMG-6179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9U_OwNDsyRE1QJmN9SatdB-AgyL-f01Ytfcoa15w2xgILhbNlQLbK73NOE98vQDThzLJE-wbwhwDY3cfKmqq5CoBc_kgsquU3ut56r0ydw_97KZiPmdMxdDbnOJVHHDcsAWGNJwCVBNb-vk8CGXgC7oa8yRlJmNDUektGMzPuyNxXsMQ5GBZjdCrfyw/w400-h300/IMG-6179.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">There is no better way to ensure you finish designing a new basket than to put all of your eggs in one.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This winter I have been building a 1000 square-foot (100m2) greenhouse to produce hardy native and rock plants and replace my backyard hoop nursery. I was unable to find anyone who has already tried to make a passive solar (self-heating and cooling) greenhouse but using traditional materials that nursery people are familiar with.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(Most passive solar greenhouses are serious things, framed in wood like a house or shed whereas most production greenhouses are metal frames wrapped in plastic film.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I aimed to create a hybrid: something <span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;">economical enough</span> for a business- like my own- to reasonably use. This means lighter materials. (versus concrete floors, glass roofs, et al, of a long-term and serious greenhouse). There are also no utilities on site, so being off-grid is not solely to prove a point.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The dark truth and problem with greenhouses is twofold: They consume prodigious amounts of energy to heat and cool<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(usually propane of natural gas). In America, the average greenhouse costs four times that of a house to heat/cool. Secondly, a traditional greenhouse is a needy, fussy, fragile bastard teetering on disaster all the time. A brief over/under-heating, usually from a power outage or vent catching or door left open, can result in damage or loss to everything in there. This shit kept me awake at night when I worked in commercial greenhouses.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>So the drive to create something better is both environmental and mental.</b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So we built it from scratch in the old-school way that the last generation of Colorado nursery-people did: bending fence rail into hoop ribs and building the ends by hand. A hoop-house on steroids kind of deal. It is inside of such things that my mentors have produced all of the cacti, native plants, and trees… where I worked for years and where for years later I have purchased the plants for my gardens.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>These humble greenhouses are the workhorses behind all the things we love.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Anyhow, I found myself inventing a wheel- a prototype and F.O.K: First of a kind. I have not finished and I don’t have the answers. Yet. But I want to share some main lessons so far.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Dfi0Ix7OlU7l0bQhVQt0aUc14yIMCElhs6qXUjf5LwlsF-sA4oNy8VOck9svLXNSxwYMEplhXWwDc1b6rLpAmRsYvB0ceJm-_nUUspbzIo0uMaO-CMftvBw-tkHr1AAtxCyPVqjRn5VvNuFldHnW92KCx14ZrXWJ0Uebhe3jYnXtT018eDwEEz-JNQ/s4032/IMG-5723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Dfi0Ix7OlU7l0bQhVQt0aUc14yIMCElhs6qXUjf5LwlsF-sA4oNy8VOck9svLXNSxwYMEplhXWwDc1b6rLpAmRsYvB0ceJm-_nUUspbzIo0uMaO-CMftvBw-tkHr1AAtxCyPVqjRn5VvNuFldHnW92KCx14ZrXWJ0Uebhe3jYnXtT018eDwEEz-JNQ/s320/IMG-5723.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Heating:</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For economy and sanity, it’s not dug in. It’s powered only by water. IBC totes. I hadn’t seen anyone use those before <i>so I’d like to take credit for that idea if nothing else and the rest of this folly ends in tears.</i> 20 of them gives me 5500 gallons (21,000L) of water as a north wall, well above (50%) the average used in passives. (per square foot of growing space).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Insulation:</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I was going to make a straw-bale wall as the north side’s insulation but that grew more painfully more complex than useful. Instead, there are 2”-thick rigid styrofoam boards (salvaged) which would have cost $600 new, half that of using straw. Next winter I want to try hanging infrared reflective foil behind the water totes and measure the efficacy.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One of the most heartening surprises has been how well the size, proportion, and two layers of film are working, getting me off the hook for further insulation. Usually, insulating the ground around the perimeter of a passive greenhouse is important, but the proportions of this one seem to be mitigating that. This is a huge win towards my goal of creating something that is not a complex pain for other growers to do.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00mKECAwH2dKQs5XEjSPJAPGIR0ltAFQNu0ncVYj_PkRmRRetapWyEY_0DkeYdd2txotj7PdTutDpS3uZcGZqNXUVkjgXTTRxXTc8rnUFe8f2QLV39dYIz6MFf9dr-Qm6DvuKMBcC_SzUFkSopqw5EboRqbQIcJxiQFC4-13SSbFKl4jNAyhiggZakg/s4032/IMG-5953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00mKECAwH2dKQs5XEjSPJAPGIR0ltAFQNu0ncVYj_PkRmRRetapWyEY_0DkeYdd2txotj7PdTutDpS3uZcGZqNXUVkjgXTTRxXTc8rnUFe8f2QLV39dYIz6MFf9dr-Qm6DvuKMBcC_SzUFkSopqw5EboRqbQIcJxiQFC4-13SSbFKl4jNAyhiggZakg/s320/IMG-5953.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The floor is simply black (heat absorbing) groundcloth on top of compacted gravel fines. Wherever possible, I’ve used salvaged, used, or free materials. While it’s an experiment, it needs to pay itself off some day.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Glazing:</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For sanity the outside skin is one whole piece, as it will have to be replaced every 4-8 (or 10) years. The proportions are about 50x25, (15x7m) so the ends are theoretically big enough to vent it without side or peak vents. There is no electricity, so no extractor fan per se, but I will try solar-powered circulation fans which can be directed toward aiding the convection cooling.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOoHDEo4tX0uMg-r4266mFXQa3kzp8_CVxmk4InAW1qQcZ9HHgG1uw1by891h_3d4AnQ1kEW6XPwAIuaFPgJA_f8nAqDOK_b9OFtx-2EltuZLb6IxOyXxa3WKH9tgMb-rQsjoU0bozviPddCgt-YBLHp9rzA9tvk82Q7E1Wpo8SCrhFOpTvVxYy82iQ/s4032/IMG-6192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOoHDEo4tX0uMg-r4266mFXQa3kzp8_CVxmk4InAW1qQcZ9HHgG1uw1by891h_3d4AnQ1kEW6XPwAIuaFPgJA_f8nAqDOK_b9OFtx-2EltuZLb6IxOyXxa3WKH9tgMb-rQsjoU0bozviPddCgt-YBLHp9rzA9tvk82Q7E1Wpo8SCrhFOpTvVxYy82iQ/s320/IMG-6192.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>The Biggest pain in the Ass and one tentative regret</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Two film layers. Traditionally these are laid together and a fan inflates them apart, operating perpetually for the whole life of the greenhouse, creating that critical insulating and structural airspace. Without electricity on site and a learned shyness to risk so much on electronics, I avoided that and had to build an interior wooden intra-structure to hang my second layer. It’s been a pretty flexible, easily adaptable system but a hell of a job to do: lots of hours and lots of exercise climbing ladders with a drill. I think if I were to do it over, it may have actually been <span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;">easier to engineer a solar-charged battery-powered blower fan,<i> </i></span>rather than engineer the whole greenhouse.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>The Regret?</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">At the moment, I feel that if I were to do it over, I’d use a kit greenhouse (without the heaters and motors) and retrofit one for ease of framing. But I’d shop around hard to see what brand or design would be sanest to retrofit. After all, more and more growers are not building their own from scratch but using modal kits. So far, materials have cost exactly what a kit greenhouse would cost of that size. ($6700) I’m taking that as a win. Hell, it’s bigger than our house.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Snowload:</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Most of the greenhouse sheds it fine, but there is one hoop whose curve isn’t right, and it accumulated a heavy snow in part also to an interior purlin acting as a dam. I’ve moved that purlin to solve my problem, but to any future builder I’d recommend going gothic shaped for any film structure wider than say 10’ (3m).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxt98oQ0G08UfkKKBfvcm8SIMoWJRqjwWEiliWipZg6iZ9U30E6tipNMTfsoP8CmcZcvkjDeYV6QoEi1q8SgE1exWlGacbeo_gyCWLa3aDfAsYzOOQ9bDM2XrGOMpZPIDoq4X3RQE5_bg2TSrUAJG66dT1SBk6OheKHwc_lYO_zrUlVV8JiCorXn4dag/s4032/IMG-6186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxt98oQ0G08UfkKKBfvcm8SIMoWJRqjwWEiliWipZg6iZ9U30E6tipNMTfsoP8CmcZcvkjDeYV6QoEi1q8SgE1exWlGacbeo_gyCWLa3aDfAsYzOOQ9bDM2XrGOMpZPIDoq4X3RQE5_bg2TSrUAJG66dT1SBk6OheKHwc_lYO_zrUlVV8JiCorXn4dag/s320/IMG-6186.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">-Ventilation is yet to be seen. I’m building these now, and their proving time is spring and summer. Stay tuned.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">-Cooling will be a multi-part thing. Wax-opener powered and convective Passive vents, shadecloth <span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;">(on the outside of the greenhouse- this is critical) over the growing area</span>, a shadow over the water wall, and we’ll see what evaporative cooling happens from plants and floors.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqUQOHXzJ3RT4wY38U8PBd-KrcVTSpmv7zhp_tgS-k8nNmwzoUR9BcNBiAwAqelIZ0mq3G4Fr6jy7Za0CQwTmJgm3PULngcHeA3ovy-VY54RlS_m83lINpKqC4U7jTA9xboz4HqLQxcE3UdxmS1sUOorV76rk4YZPD395uQf5NziEy1a5gp9lF68IOg/s4032/IMG-6047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqUQOHXzJ3RT4wY38U8PBd-KrcVTSpmv7zhp_tgS-k8nNmwzoUR9BcNBiAwAqelIZ0mq3G4Fr6jy7Za0CQwTmJgm3PULngcHeA3ovy-VY54RlS_m83lINpKqC4U7jTA9xboz4HqLQxcE3UdxmS1sUOorV76rk4YZPD395uQf5NziEy1a5gp9lF68IOg/w200-h150/IMG-6047.JPG" width="200" /></a></b></p><b>Good news so far:</b><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">All the water and two layers of plastic are doing the trick. Outside temps around 5F (-15) made it freeze inside the unfinished greenhouse, sending a tomato plant, a “canary crop”, to its maker. Even when unfinished and before I sealed air leaks, the greenhouse’s coldest was 22F (-6C), which to its credit is 20F (10C) warmer than a 2F(-16C) outdoor temperature, and no sun for days. It’s sealed up snugly now.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7cwW3avk2RLxbJiciZyQwfdAn3H8YSxiRewbC3EKqybU4TCr79EHWlH5j2lioXLW9AymPLbsydQTcrnCkKKABLN7j0GvUYTAmeQuWQbRQm1EO9EHllbNT3AaUFQ8e6iPJ1PBPk8UtupdAsWupl4ZCPd6cWRptmfCcLVv8TbsSGlrQo7cou8nwhjtYA/s4032/69309687705--7AC97AF5-9DDD-4731-BBEF-C6A5DD998B86.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7cwW3avk2RLxbJiciZyQwfdAn3H8YSxiRewbC3EKqybU4TCr79EHWlH5j2lioXLW9AymPLbsydQTcrnCkKKABLN7j0GvUYTAmeQuWQbRQm1EO9EHllbNT3AaUFQ8e6iPJ1PBPk8UtupdAsWupl4ZCPd6cWRptmfCcLVv8TbsSGlrQo7cou8nwhjtYA/w400-h300/69309687705--7AC97AF5-9DDD-4731-BBEF-C6A5DD998B86.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I wonder if it would have frozen had it been fully glazed. The water tanks have never frozen, lingering in the 40-50 (4-10C) range so far. A tray of cilantro is growing like a chia pet even through the solstice. Hardy woodies and semi hardy agaves are all sleeping like beauties so far. The greenhouse refuses to go below 35F(1C) which is pretty ideal for sleeping hardy plants. Without ventilation it peaks at 75/80F (24/27C) on a very sunny 45F (7C) winter day. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SdhIa_5I83jK8WFklrZoOcanG-NtS1viTaHM_JDpA90o6aH8TzmyQtibqQ7QHD1rib88JwjXACMDB0ufAU5CU9lvM6N9PYbIHCTfAAxFgMpZ7dVgi47MRRIo6XQqmeEMMEwP8-t2rL3at06jT-FNqEObeaWbOyGki2BNyczo37-PsYyG-OEfM34Buw/s4032/IMG-6235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SdhIa_5I83jK8WFklrZoOcanG-NtS1viTaHM_JDpA90o6aH8TzmyQtibqQ7QHD1rib88JwjXACMDB0ufAU5CU9lvM6N9PYbIHCTfAAxFgMpZ7dVgi47MRRIo6XQqmeEMMEwP8-t2rL3at06jT-FNqEObeaWbOyGki2BNyczo37-PsYyG-OEfM34Buw/w400-h300/IMG-6235.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTRcWwAdtFCUsUbCjXii46yWxFRP8KaOdva4iZLiknpOW6PTPGlBPiqqEltXJ4F9r3mVSsA7IAJnxYvf2vX9_dqa9Nr6_fZRTZHjZPRUtm7uk7qs0FD5UGoihnzmv3ZxSweTEaEgHKKp5emVhJHBtDoe8yBAyXfg5_4io4mpr96r9qmzGleArpEh6Ug/s4032/IMG-6188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTRcWwAdtFCUsUbCjXii46yWxFRP8KaOdva4iZLiknpOW6PTPGlBPiqqEltXJ4F9r3mVSsA7IAJnxYvf2vX9_dqa9Nr6_fZRTZHjZPRUtm7uk7qs0FD5UGoihnzmv3ZxSweTEaEgHKKp5emVhJHBtDoe8yBAyXfg5_4io4mpr96r9qmzGleArpEh6Ug/w150-h200/IMG-6188.JPG" width="150" /></a></p><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Cherries on top:</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The greenhouse project became a village affair to finish in time for snow and deep cold; I had some back trouble that required friends to help out a day or two now and again, which led to having a thank-you solstice party with the aid of my friend <a href="https://www.rootsmedicinegardens.com/blog/" target="_blank">Marla</a>, which in turn led to a sort of a decorative Altar/shrine (after all, it is a plant-church!).</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQhqUh3EA5yB4xa1Pqd3BqM43EplgWuvF49PGYyCRNRpsGjtT130oELMO_T9XN-yMZx4i221YhIY2uOYucJamqhAK1J6qpmNwfwRAB5VKQ52evyTwhvZo9svlQkmtsEmIUhQOZ1GZc0kHzj7cjE-UCPLWpUkYAysyEyUVZWBhUzFwDHNPvEEMIwyf_w/s4032/IMG-0514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQhqUh3EA5yB4xa1Pqd3BqM43EplgWuvF49PGYyCRNRpsGjtT130oELMO_T9XN-yMZx4i221YhIY2uOYucJamqhAK1J6qpmNwfwRAB5VKQ52evyTwhvZo9svlQkmtsEmIUhQOZ1GZc0kHzj7cjE-UCPLWpUkYAysyEyUVZWBhUzFwDHNPvEEMIwyf_w/s320/IMG-0514.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The greenhouse’s landlord insisted we re-use an old woodstove which had been sitting around gathering snow. While, for reasons of physics, a woodstove cannot actually heat a greenhouse in earnest, it will be useful to warm a corner of the greenhouse next to the potting bench on winter mornings (which might otherwise be 40F(4C) in there) to something comfortable for me to work sowing seeds and potting plants. It’s also just really nice.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>{Well, I say it’s no way to heat a greenhouse, but what organically came up in conversation and now sits in my mind like an inevitable, potent, explosive seed, is the concept of running a passive water radiator coil from the stove<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and through the water tanks, which could hold the BTUs of heat from a single stove firing for weeks... Yet another passive system with high payoff that may be too fun not to try, even though the greenhouse will probably not need additional heat… stay tuned for that madness next winter}</i></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I want to end with thanks: To my endlessly supportive greenhouse landlord. My ex-coworker did lots of tedious prep work on materials throughout her year working for me. I’ve also received generous advice on many occasions from folks including <a href="https://coldhardycactus.com/">Kelly Grummons,</a> <a href="https://harlequinsgardens.com/">Mikl Brawner</a>, Jeff O, Dare Bohlander, <a href="https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/greenhouse-gardeners-companion-growing-food-and-flowers-in-your-greenhouse-or-sunspace_shane-smith/270198/item/10427595/?mkwid=%7cdc&pcrid=77103417407098&pkw=&pmt=be&slid=&product=10427595&plc=&pgrid=1233652299428776&ptaid=pla-4580702892164497&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping+%7c+NEW+condition+books&utm_term=&utm_content=%7cdc%7cpcrid%7c77103417407098%7cpkw%7c%7cpmt%7cbe%7cproduct%7c10427595%7cslid%7c%7cpgrid%7c1233652299428776%7cptaid%7cpla-4580702892164497%7c&msclkid=ef49762a24b713f05f6b15991d4e25f6#idiq=10427595&edition=3830619" target="_blank">Shane Smith</a>, my neighbor orchid-Steve, John Stireman, the three musketeers of Minneapolis (you know who you are) and especially <a href="https://chelseanursery.com/" target="_blank">Tony Urschitz.</a> My bible has been a gift from my other neighbor Steve: the cookbook for making passive greenhouses, <a href="https://www.target.com/p/the-year-round-solar-greenhouse-by-lindsey-schiller-paperback/-/A-83582191?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012790841&CPNG=PLA_Entertainment%2BShopping%7CEntertainment_Ecomm_Hardlines&adgroup=SC_Entertainment&LID=700000001230728pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=s&device=c&location=&targetid=pla-4585100929127865&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=bing_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Entertainment%2BShopping%7CEntertainment_Ecomm_Hardlines&adgroup=SC_Entertainment&LID=700000001230728pbs&network=s&device=c&querystring=the%20year%20round%20solar%20greenhouse%20book&msclkid=08f11cc855801e4e9aff7f7b6fba638b&gclid=08f11cc855801e4e9aff7f7b6fba638b&gclsrc=3p.ds" target="_blank">Lindsey Schiller’s “The year-round Solar Greenhouse” </a>Thanks to that second Steve, as well as Iain, Trina, JC, Hannah, Eric, and my endlessly patient partner Tori for lending a hand when I really needed it. I owe you all plants now.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFRB-p8-ZEkdvWd3ukXbS4GZ195XR61wlweSH9tuuveflxh6xUQL6sBzDr-WCu3zsBkG5BrfOJvBMPkafp4a09Hggy_4C_uEmS5uPGz-ZEboyU9xUT9EdKTDEr6Az7YUYEO1k3SlPZGsS29V7-jXOk7GAafhk_30WYpANQRkEzq_eVigiMlHy-GgoSg/s4032/IMG-5909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFRB-p8-ZEkdvWd3ukXbS4GZ195XR61wlweSH9tuuveflxh6xUQL6sBzDr-WCu3zsBkG5BrfOJvBMPkafp4a09Hggy_4C_uEmS5uPGz-ZEboyU9xUT9EdKTDEr6Az7YUYEO1k3SlPZGsS29V7-jXOk7GAafhk_30WYpANQRkEzq_eVigiMlHy-GgoSg/s320/IMG-5909.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-74080889139855079092022-12-30T13:30:00.002-08:002022-12-30T13:30:20.582-08:00A Gallery of beautiful things<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWzwPzjZ7L5zBXO2yJAoddjo1IFktoPTng7GOTdva-pEAaYENTbduxAjQIoKZ8Y-C3NeChck83FR6wW8Gd4A_-LDO-CJ2ZLG1R64KBXcrYVVQQLTX-r-7WSfqKvino7YVIwK4HTEH0wZ0qOHUJQKstld1in2L9GkMxCF6uV8SCQbqCMCpKXegLUvESg/s4032/IMG-4845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWzwPzjZ7L5zBXO2yJAoddjo1IFktoPTng7GOTdva-pEAaYENTbduxAjQIoKZ8Y-C3NeChck83FR6wW8Gd4A_-LDO-CJ2ZLG1R64KBXcrYVVQQLTX-r-7WSfqKvino7YVIwK4HTEH0wZ0qOHUJQKstld1in2L9GkMxCF6uV8SCQbqCMCpKXegLUvESg/s320/IMG-4845.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Unwatered trial garden in Fruita. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gomphrena surprising everyone.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvbKAhPwx4nyNIj_zv0ctGh-l5y6VBNeLkQgK5-pDPphbG6TAN84VFBDCZIFeghMm3a4hlvI2wmp3hyFOYmoalJehL2WUgB4Mq5f62VH6GGbVuiF53hu7-qJ_3-lx2k7i-FCuMxjM5wyvcJUPEK1Pg7ezjdeIfiGFuCu0zI9p04oGjU__GGbvLO4FKg/s4032/IMG-4543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvbKAhPwx4nyNIj_zv0ctGh-l5y6VBNeLkQgK5-pDPphbG6TAN84VFBDCZIFeghMm3a4hlvI2wmp3hyFOYmoalJehL2WUgB4Mq5f62VH6GGbVuiF53hu7-qJ_3-lx2k7i-FCuMxjM5wyvcJUPEK1Pg7ezjdeIfiGFuCu0zI9p04oGjU__GGbvLO4FKg/s320/IMG-4543.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Four-month-old seeded habitat meadow</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnpCajXly_RR3za5fY5CiK0sX1AUaYPdOERNUh89emx4WHwSr8rHl-4AqMB_Eo6R_Ny_vwTVrw9T9o74CD4yuqNnMyD6H0qShNTKcZI8Dl-ZaQSKKK40J5BGM1j3TxZzd2sseyOTHN2LKNLswZ_TI-pfURhYeP0wl8kKBwILejy9yfFpPp4hiTs85Lg/s4032/IMG-4542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnpCajXly_RR3za5fY5CiK0sX1AUaYPdOERNUh89emx4WHwSr8rHl-4AqMB_Eo6R_Ny_vwTVrw9T9o74CD4yuqNnMyD6H0qShNTKcZI8Dl-ZaQSKKK40J5BGM1j3TxZzd2sseyOTHN2LKNLswZ_TI-pfURhYeP0wl8kKBwILejy9yfFpPp4hiTs85Lg/s320/IMG-4542.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Patridge pea, <i>Chamaecrista fasciculata,</i> is new to me- a native annual. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You should see the flowers.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZGd9Kem6wUTTwwMuH6aqG1SQLfxSOuaQkKYEaI_TJGLYch6cPXjCHc4ZsjTPNmP3KRYawiytBHeP2sWM8bxSQP5XJLYqFw7SZlw6IBQh7Ah3nyyUVY4um_OpiClawqxvnrf3fFTqJI0FUOaPBCeMfpNePLEP6-uDEqFra9Un2XXHh1zNHR-8YactwA/s4032/IMG-3831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZGd9Kem6wUTTwwMuH6aqG1SQLfxSOuaQkKYEaI_TJGLYch6cPXjCHc4ZsjTPNmP3KRYawiytBHeP2sWM8bxSQP5XJLYqFw7SZlw6IBQh7Ah3nyyUVY4um_OpiClawqxvnrf3fFTqJI0FUOaPBCeMfpNePLEP6-uDEqFra9Un2XXHh1zNHR-8YactwA/s320/IMG-3831.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nature still looks amazing even when it is wrecked land mostly clothed in invasives.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgh6shFRP3rf7uxjEzZv8oSTvWU94M59vFV83HmH4lmVymmKThZvbWIBb_-_Qb4gdHKEmtxT44O_zcDr5VjyRM87DELegtEuys6s7whE65dYGdXWGwSnMEdjwKksuTmWLHWtvPfdjcPBgDFgbCxbwo-dg6RPwh4cBecDVpgTdhztiitZ3oYQKhG2mmg/s3024/IMG-0077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgh6shFRP3rf7uxjEzZv8oSTvWU94M59vFV83HmH4lmVymmKThZvbWIBb_-_Qb4gdHKEmtxT44O_zcDr5VjyRM87DELegtEuys6s7whE65dYGdXWGwSnMEdjwKksuTmWLHWtvPfdjcPBgDFgbCxbwo-dg6RPwh4cBecDVpgTdhztiitZ3oYQKhG2mmg/s320/IMG-0077.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A newly Built crevice in Grand Junction, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mesa Verde Formation Sandstone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7deww_cHbCjyUqdVcfXouEbs7yXJN6wQKckj17KUeYuCrBnq_Ejmd0L7Xg48KZAf380f0EMal6IGptnG1HNQq3U1lA--iLPRXJ2GqWhR_9UNncFxHWMmfAkT4H2Noyr3JEPS1uIDzftoY70HeNqOJ0wwsilMsIJE013_dDBLqyp8IC_NIf-Nik5Idbw/s4032/IMG-4941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7deww_cHbCjyUqdVcfXouEbs7yXJN6wQKckj17KUeYuCrBnq_Ejmd0L7Xg48KZAf380f0EMal6IGptnG1HNQq3U1lA--iLPRXJ2GqWhR_9UNncFxHWMmfAkT4H2Noyr3JEPS1uIDzftoY70HeNqOJ0wwsilMsIJE013_dDBLqyp8IC_NIf-Nik5Idbw/s320/IMG-4941.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">crevice reno in vail</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJNvjp8ymZWtZ26ecj46pwR1cpE2496Krooeq-1eoc0tn9LT5xfbrnEAvwJzBSNNdUdVvSPYHp5oMkKUdsnhfSP0CHSClDywSrDommHta9dIv2L2uMCrpcCODuyhI0AwDSzsaAVmIn9TTPpBkxzYWaT4mfenwho8-1k9xq2aig8Ku32Y8Tx16JLu4ug/s4032/IMG-4478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJNvjp8ymZWtZ26ecj46pwR1cpE2496Krooeq-1eoc0tn9LT5xfbrnEAvwJzBSNNdUdVvSPYHp5oMkKUdsnhfSP0CHSClDywSrDommHta9dIv2L2uMCrpcCODuyhI0AwDSzsaAVmIn9TTPpBkxzYWaT4mfenwho8-1k9xq2aig8Ku32Y8Tx16JLu4ug/s320/IMG-4478.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The silver leaves are <i>Zauschneria/Epilobium 'Calistoga' </i>which wove well between clumps and tussocks.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNd1qA1aA8fxq0-AU5OlUme1befNOAtImia4VPE-zyEVGoYffDcDrFd31BCClHw26bjEDPw7PRFwZCgd8Q5vOYDUSqJdw-q209nYVMEjRDKUsq5o3Z0EG_JHPzE87dCqh2tSRn9TqwEaJORPsJHb5Wttu5ExEwpxwO379xxWDWosclYvGueHpCEt-mEA/s4032/IMG-4997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNd1qA1aA8fxq0-AU5OlUme1befNOAtImia4VPE-zyEVGoYffDcDrFd31BCClHw26bjEDPw7PRFwZCgd8Q5vOYDUSqJdw-q209nYVMEjRDKUsq5o3Z0EG_JHPzE87dCqh2tSRn9TqwEaJORPsJHb5Wttu5ExEwpxwO379xxWDWosclYvGueHpCEt-mEA/s320/IMG-4997.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A designed meadow- from plants and not seed, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">with the best instal I've ever done of Dogtuff grass; this is just four months old.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-49109498228672782662022-12-30T13:00:00.001-08:002022-12-30T13:00:30.660-08:00Lectures 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXOX01OasF1NZjSJ3IlD03cOtopkEbms_dwc5b8Q6uCqhrSvqhG6PC_OoHjVvigNq0blc3IauTbwnU-CqGAR9_jyLRogTyVnrX8XXYGdROPYVzVqmeKcduQCRWssmZBXltJmzq-_jMvFr2msousYk5nSg4HCpvzE57iT3NiPAfa7BFryJSLckZZkapQ/s4032/IMG-2033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXOX01OasF1NZjSJ3IlD03cOtopkEbms_dwc5b8Q6uCqhrSvqhG6PC_OoHjVvigNq0blc3IauTbwnU-CqGAR9_jyLRogTyVnrX8XXYGdROPYVzVqmeKcduQCRWssmZBXltJmzq-_jMvFr2msousYk5nSg4HCpvzE57iT3NiPAfa7BFryJSLckZZkapQ/s320/IMG-2033.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Next year I continue to spread the gospel of crevice gardening, often tailored to different climates. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>But also, a pleasant change, I get to talk about <b>no-water gardens/landscapes</b> to wider audiences as well as <b>meadow gardens</b>. I feel like I've done more dry landscaping work in my life than even crevices, and that I'm still as student of meadows, so its should prove to be just as educational to me .<p></p><p><br /></p><p>2023 so far:</p><p>Manhattan Chapter NARGS (Zoom) <b>Jan 16: </b><i>Crevice gardens but mostly plants </i>for them.</p><p>Utah Green Industry Conference (Salt Lake City)<b> Jan23</b>: Back to back <i>crevice and no-water </i>talks.</p><p>Christchurch Botanic, New Zealand, <b> Jan 27,</b><i> afternoon crevice workshop</i> in the Rock Garden with Grant.</p><p>Landscaping with Colorado Native Plants Conference (zoom) <b>Feb 25</b> R<i>eal Unwatered Landscapes</i></p><p>High Plains Landscape Workshop (Fort Collins, CO) <b>March 4</b> <i>Home Meadow Gardens</i></p><p>Durango Botanic's Gardening with Climate Change Seminar: <b>Mar 9, 11 or 16 tbd, </b><i>How to make a Future-proof Crevice garden</i></p><p>Spring Fever Symposium, Iowa Arboretum, Des Moines, IA <b>April 15</b> <i>2 talks:</i> <i>Crevice gardening for the midwest and favorite plants</i></p><p>Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society, Tucson, AZ <b>Nov 2: </b><i>Desert+Cactus Crevice Gardening</i> </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXcSQYzl2_zewp_1fCqOELXN-_7ucdJd9JN7y8zaJX4Pl8Gn5tI5-jGLaRqmYYEr43g3wa0uVUpS16yCFT5R24OmzuL9x6hnIkggpatteaF8XLNNPUHJ8EOGrtjF8nTykHaMQURosbU44XB7xXuTc0IS1vclVN7U10MObcwkBHtIlcPsA0I8Qcd_0NQ/s4032/IMG-2250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXcSQYzl2_zewp_1fCqOELXN-_7ucdJd9JN7y8zaJX4Pl8Gn5tI5-jGLaRqmYYEr43g3wa0uVUpS16yCFT5R24OmzuL9x6hnIkggpatteaF8XLNNPUHJ8EOGrtjF8nTykHaMQURosbU44XB7xXuTc0IS1vclVN7U10MObcwkBHtIlcPsA0I8Qcd_0NQ/s320/IMG-2250.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p>Buddies: Isaiah, Jacob, and John during conferences last year.</p><p><i><br /></i></p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-21722677036329815452022-08-22T13:18:00.005-07:002022-12-13T10:37:22.954-08:00Plants for the Unwatered Crevice<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn35WuXi8TB_11cTxe5201xkc0FdcGHQgrRq_MIvdXxO-SEC0vjpOvESbsYULvTts2fWVCnyWwZtAkFP6gr4NWV9f8PXLCmyPw7UPgfjH8FOQHuoRllBWoKQDhjBOuES6CTLeTNMa-eci8FXkUvwyLDuAx9Gi_YdF_lYTVqmdJ5o8nbrDYjMXj32Saqw/s3968/P5079015.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2976" data-original-width="3968" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn35WuXi8TB_11cTxe5201xkc0FdcGHQgrRq_MIvdXxO-SEC0vjpOvESbsYULvTts2fWVCnyWwZtAkFP6gr4NWV9f8PXLCmyPw7UPgfjH8FOQHuoRllBWoKQDhjBOuES6CTLeTNMa-eci8FXkUvwyLDuAx9Gi_YdF_lYTVqmdJ5o8nbrDYjMXj32Saqw/w437-h328/P5079015.JPG" width="437" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /> Several friends' inquiries made me realize this was needed. So here it is. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">These are species I have grown without irrigation, in crevice. I am sure there are more. There are a few things that seem to <i>require</i> being in either/both crevice and unirrigated. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Know that a "rock garden plant" is subjective, and usually comes down to size and habit being appropriate with your rocks. Plenty of these are too large for a small crevice garden with small rocks and are noted as such. As with any unirrigated garden, performance and show will vary with rain and weather year to year... just like nature. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Keep in mind that different parts of a crevice garden receive/repel more or less runoff, so plants specific to those are noted. Soil type effects things, too. Generally silt and clay hold more water longer. Also know that all plants will need supplemental (at least weekly) irrigation the first season to get established. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Also know <span style="font-size: 14px;">that </span><span class="s1" style="font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: underline;">Bob Nold’s ‘High and Dry” </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">is basically an encyclopedia of plants that can grow without irrigation in Denver (and this classic book has a rock garden plant chapter). We are a little more limited over here in the hotter/drier Grand Valley.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So here it is. <span style="color: red;">I'm listing possible sources after some and at the end listing several plant sources.</span></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Plants for the unirrigated crevice garden in Colorado.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(below 6000’asl, like Grand Junction and Denver)</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Flower power</span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Castilleja integra, sessiliflora. C. miniata in shade/wetter.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> (seed mailorder, or DBG sales)</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Physaria ovatifolia, fendleri, arizonica, and most others but alpina. (Harlequin, Alplains, Nargs)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Phlox nana (not a tiny plant, it creeps.) (High country, etc)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Phlox hoodii (tiny) (rare)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Scutellaria resinosa (in a wetter spot, Denver not GJ, not tiny) (wholesaled by bluebird)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Melampodium leucanthum (not tiny) Plants of the SW, etc.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Zinnia grandiflora (spreads a lot, large gardens only- it will eat your small CG for snack) Plant Select.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Arenaria desertorum hookeri (seems to like afternoon shade) (Nargs, Waterwise, Chelsea)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Astragalus utahensis (short lived with organics in soil) NARGS seed</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Astragalus spp, so many other western ones. Nargs, Alplains</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Heuchera pulchella, abrahmsii, rubescens, even ‘Firefly’ (in deep shade and or with good runoff)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ephedra minima/monosperma/regeliana in Denver, not GJ. Spreads by rhizome! (Chelsea, etc)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Liatris punctata- maybe too large for small gardens. Plants of the SW, seed, etc.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Phemeranthes (Talinum) brevifolium, parviflorum, calycinum, sediforme<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(capricious, sometimes brief.)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lewisia nevadense (Nargs, etc)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oenothera caespitosa (up to 1-2’, some forms are rhizomatous, most are short-lived)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oenothera howardii (up to 1’ wide) Alplains, Harlequin</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Atriplex corrugata (Hates water, ultimately a short shrub, plant in early/late winter) Chelsea</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20BqwpNdHjRJKYrnswB_otnZ4tqBbE1kyCBzQb6_zVO9ZWutqfmupQnvutoV0djAr2YooNvlhowXDVwepi3pgrLf75Iia-sVSIHitaFuv7GMHX7iAfWj0uuUlBZIxQLkt7l1YkjmJMbTCmwVmQK_Q-6ZU5ZH_PrDreEdEB-b8SKtrmh7cpSNtovJgjw/s3968/Physaria%20rollinsii.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3968" data-original-width="2976" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20BqwpNdHjRJKYrnswB_otnZ4tqBbE1kyCBzQb6_zVO9ZWutqfmupQnvutoV0djAr2YooNvlhowXDVwepi3pgrLf75Iia-sVSIHitaFuv7GMHX7iAfWj0uuUlBZIxQLkt7l1YkjmJMbTCmwVmQK_Q-6ZU5ZH_PrDreEdEB-b8SKtrmh7cpSNtovJgjw/w240-h320/Physaria%20rollinsii.JPG" title="Physaria rollinsii" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Woody lilies</span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yucca nana (mailorder)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Agave toumeyana bella (mailorder)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Agaves, most hardy sp, let’s be honest.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nolina greenei is the smallest/hardiest “Beargrass” but big: best <i>behind </i>the CG. (Coldhardycactus, high country, Chelsea, etc)</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lil yellow daisies</span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stenotus acaulis (seedexes)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Haplopappus armerioides (alplains, seedexes)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tetraneuris (Hymenoxys) acaulis, scaposa, and argentea</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Calylophus lavandulifolius, C. serrulatus </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Heterotheca jonesii (seed, nargs)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Heterotheca ‘GoldHill’ (available on front range of CO)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Erigeron liniaris (may need to be low/wette)</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lil other daisies</span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Townsendia hookeri (the best/longest-lived), T. glabella (big-ish), T. spathulifolius, T. incana, etc.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Erigeron tener (super) (nargs)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aster ericoides ‘Snow Flurries’ can be 2’ or more wide. (bluebird wholesales this)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Erigeron compactus (come. to. daddy.) Nargs</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Artemisia frigida- will get too big for some gardens.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> (seed, Little Valley, etc)</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QZ5Nnp1_ugg_J2tfeOrG7fwzMpmCCYH09WIft-OxHqYzCr9HNwrtAWYgIuak6gsBki_qicvGib6SiLO8aM0rkhhIlVuiQNBWnQNT9HtMubl2Q4IXcy0JRn4fKS14PQnsR-5GaXozc6_LV-jmJwqngPIUq2zMwGPOko21XNNhTj9wPX6Qy7GFSbercg/s4032/IMG_4151.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QZ5Nnp1_ugg_J2tfeOrG7fwzMpmCCYH09WIft-OxHqYzCr9HNwrtAWYgIuak6gsBki_qicvGib6SiLO8aM0rkhhIlVuiQNBWnQNT9HtMubl2Q4IXcy0JRn4fKS14PQnsR-5GaXozc6_LV-jmJwqngPIUq2zMwGPOko21XNNhTj9wPX6Qy7GFSbercg/s320/IMG_4151.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Buckwheats Yo</span></b><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Eriogonum caespitosum, kennedyi, wrightii (small ssp), jamesii, pulchrum, and more. (NARGS, Harlequin, Waterwise, etc)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Eriogonum umbellatum (ie Kannah Creek) in wetter/shadier spots in Denver (commonly sold)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Eriogonum ovalifolium, all spp except niveum. (seed)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Eriogonum heermanii (ie, var sulcata) - fantastic.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> (nargs, alplains)</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Some Eurasians for ya</span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Acantholimon spp, especially blue leafed ones, not alpine or green-leafed spp. (nargs, wrightman, etc)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Limonium minutum (nargs seed)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Goniolimon sp that fit in size. (harlequin, nargs)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">There are surely countless others species yet to be tried…</span></i></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMh-pNF7hGxp0O1tKd3pcUBm--Xi5DEeUPmothdpvsaoh1lKiPBdk56q1A2ilImZobb_1ub268fjqTWGL4R8eClFZh7pM1cPL7p4Kj5-ahQXbUP87XLLYpJ1iDf2ASkotQ34p1YvybO1o28hdZYPRyuP33bfKfMw1MWln5Oy91TFphACzwks7lEa4iw/s3968/P8106563.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2976" data-original-width="3968" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMh-pNF7hGxp0O1tKd3pcUBm--Xi5DEeUPmothdpvsaoh1lKiPBdk56q1A2ilImZobb_1ub268fjqTWGL4R8eClFZh7pM1cPL7p4Kj5-ahQXbUP87XLLYpJ1iDf2ASkotQ34p1YvybO1o28hdZYPRyuP33bfKfMw1MWln5Oy91TFphACzwks7lEa4iw/s320/P8106563.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Limonium minutum</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Africans for the right spot: usually wetter</span></b><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aloinopsis spathulata (Ethical Desert, etc) </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nananthus transvaalensis</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiiAj4QGkAux4QwRPiWNnRFkXoBaVk5hljOaFthaLNNfcVmdS4h9Z_HN-K-AqAJy3f9GTJR5xIsRxVcXwK5lrJ_VsFUS_volxaGe-qtcs4kifXcWr07HiaufCrv0NoRZzltyuAq8WP_zSQRf6gweWUsRqs3wl-_AZ-cIoG_Ad3sbjg_yEUQPihq468zw/s4032/IMG_2658.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiiAj4QGkAux4QwRPiWNnRFkXoBaVk5hljOaFthaLNNfcVmdS4h9Z_HN-K-AqAJy3f9GTJR5xIsRxVcXwK5lrJ_VsFUS_volxaGe-qtcs4kifXcWr07HiaufCrv0NoRZzltyuAq8WP_zSQRf6gweWUsRqs3wl-_AZ-cIoG_Ad3sbjg_yEUQPihq468zw/s320/IMG_2658.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Escobaria sneedii (v leei)</span></i></div><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Lil Cactus duh</span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Escobia sneedii, leei, orcutii, villardii, and probably any hardy sp. (Coldhardy Cactus.com, etc)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Escobaria missouriensis, vivapara especially. (many cactus retailers)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mammillaria heyderi/maeiacantha (cactus retailers)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Echinocereus, most sp, where they fit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> In Denver and wetter places, a slope or a rise help keep these drained. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Opuntia fragilis, small forms like the “potato cactus” </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Coryphantha sulcata- delicious.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">I know there are more small cacti. South Americans tend to want irrigation.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpiFcKPEwgNXGXB9c31eDSE-IQ3xeMZ2X-obQ8yWBe9v9FjSt8eDGj45yGz1qmedxZxELForVe3KAJx1489nznLbAMbS8wFTjSg4zjhGlmvcwIim2hRIgnzercTi_KGCfWRxaz8qgN4cNcVqFGpy1CIuyhGSO8L9fTwi-2Kygx11PN84hoJwv5uk8ZQ/s4608/DSCN1155.JPG" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpiFcKPEwgNXGXB9c31eDSE-IQ3xeMZ2X-obQ8yWBe9v9FjSt8eDGj45yGz1qmedxZxELForVe3KAJx1489nznLbAMbS8wFTjSg4zjhGlmvcwIim2hRIgnzercTi_KGCfWRxaz8qgN4cNcVqFGpy1CIuyhGSO8L9fTwi-2Kygx11PN84hoJwv5uk8ZQ/s320/DSCN1155.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">P. pachyphyllus</span></i></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Penstemon</span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">P. laricifoius, tiny, long-lived, hard to find. (Alplains, mailorder)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">P. alamocensis, barbatus, - big plants with wee shadows<span class="Apple-converted-space"> (Plants of the SW, etc)</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">P. moffatii (nargs?)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">P. pachyphyllus (alplains?)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">I know there are many more...</span></i></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Choice things/Crown jewels/hard to source/Oddballs</span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Astragalus spathulifolius (rare, seed)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Castilleja scabrida (rare, seed)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Penstemon acaulis- don’t you dare go pester this in nature.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Leptodactylon spp. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">(rare, seed)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lepidium nanum </span><span style="font-family: arial;">(rare, seed)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Chaetopappa ericoides- good luck, witches.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sphaeralcea caespitosa</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Chaemachaenactus scaposa- long lived, hard to find seed.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Linum kingii- way cool.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hoffmanseggia (Caesalpinia) repens.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cymopteris bulbosus. Takes years, <span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;">hates</span> water.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Worth a shot, I haven’t tried them (enough).</span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lewisia rediviva (NARGS)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Artemisia assoana. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Erigeron elegantulus (NARGS)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Penstemon linarioides. (NARGS, penstemon society?)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stachys, fuzzy ones</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sideritis sp.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> (plant select...)</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Salvia… most fuzzy asian ones will probably do, but most are too large</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pterocephalus spp. Not in GJ.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Petrophytum caespitosum of desert provenance.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Convolvulus boisseri, tragancanthos, etc.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Phlox ‘Lemhi Gem’</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Achillea, miniature spp. like serbica, ageratifolia.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Penstemon petiolatus- perhaps on a north side as it happens in nature.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">I have not trialled enough Grasses</span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bouteloua hirsuta (Denver, not GJ?)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bouteloua ‘Zig Zag’ very worth a shot in Denver. (Waterwise, High Country)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lycurus pheoides (oh no, this one is good) (seed)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Muhlenbergia torryi, pungens. (seed from reveg folks in TX, etc)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Eremeoruruefurususus something. Fluffgrass. Annual or nearly so.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aristida purpurea/longiseta. Often short lived and bad in dog fur. (seed) </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Acnatherum hymenoides (1-2’ if you have space. Great. It’s been weedy for a rare few) (seed)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hesperostipa comata- big translucent plant, no shadow.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Buffalograss can work as a “skirt” but will invade/cover rocks in a rainy summer.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">I know, I know, there is ruby muhly at Apex, but there is ample space and it gets a little water.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Koeleria macrantha - someone should try it</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Things you’d expect to go without water but won’t (usually)</span></i></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Arenaria ‘Wallawa Mtn’ (it’s alpine and probably European, actually!) </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Arenaria alfacariensis </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Delosperma (with some exceptions… or they look bad when stressed. They need sun to be happy but need regular irrigation to be in sun…)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thyme</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sedums (lanceolatum, and a few others allegedly have done it)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sempervivum (also been a report or two but I am dubious. They are usually alpine plants)</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Half the Mesembs/Aizoaceae/Iceplant family, generally. They just haven’t persisted without regular, if minimal, irrigation.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Erigeron scopulinus</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Manfreda maculosa</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Zauschneria (Epilobium), generally. I wish they did.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ94q8d3ckmDd2XN247Z09_XBbkrL0FrUyD_OY4yAPIr0haKutwl6WADA6NaflV-ovV-AqCguGWWlEeHCjLCJxMbT_yrk6nRpeoxqT0rzJxN2evjjhKebvD_vUrN9tE_lsmUDlnbWX6F5i-o8YUuFpNhXFiA0A3_5o8htQsic39QNNb3ZVenc4JNfKWw/s3968/P3298214.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2976" data-original-width="3968" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ94q8d3ckmDd2XN247Z09_XBbkrL0FrUyD_OY4yAPIr0haKutwl6WADA6NaflV-ovV-AqCguGWWlEeHCjLCJxMbT_yrk6nRpeoxqT0rzJxN2evjjhKebvD_vUrN9tE_lsmUDlnbWX6F5i-o8YUuFpNhXFiA0A3_5o8htQsic39QNNb3ZVenc4JNfKWw/s320/P3298214.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Chamaechaenactis scaposa</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Rock Garden retailers, plant and seed:</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></div><div style="font-weight: bold;">Brick-and-Mortar</div><div>Harlequin's (Boulder) </div><div><br /></div><div>Perennial Favorites (Rye, CO)</div><div>Aguafria Nursery (Santa Fe)</div><div>Plants of the SW (Santa Fe)</div><div>Waterwise Gardening (Santa Fe)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Mailorder</b></div><div>Alplains.com </div><div>(Best source of special native seed, he's paring down, so don't take him for granted)</div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: "Helvetica Light"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Coldhardycactus.com CO (Mailorder)</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: "Helvetica Light"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Ethicaldesert.com, CO Mail-order</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: "Helvetica Light"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">High Country Gardens (mailorder)</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: "Helvetica Light"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Arrowhead Alpines (MI, mailorder)</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: "Helvetica Light"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Wrightman Alpines,(NB, Mailorder)</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: "Helvetica Light"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">NARGS seed exchange (every Dec 15th)</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: "Helvetica Light"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Edelweiss Perennials, Canby, OR (mailorder)</span></p></div><br /></span>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-12636904462698808982022-01-12T17:31:00.005-08:002022-02-07T09:28:34.846-08:00Kenton's Lectures 2022<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">Some of these are not pinned down for exact time or event yet.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">Kenton’s Lectures</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">2022</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Jan12:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Boulder City NV Garden club,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">online 8pm MST</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">the Modern Crevice Garden</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Feb 1-3:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">ProGreen<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Denver, CO</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Crevice garden construction for professionals</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;">Sead Meadow panel discussion with Ross Shrigley and John Murgel</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://www.nargs.org/nargs-rocks-rock-gardening-does-meadows">Feb 19: NARGS Rocks: Meadow Gardens conference, host.</a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://www.nargs.org/nargs-rocks-rock-gardening-does-meadows">Click to visit page and buy tickets!</a></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">March 16: Home Garden Club of Morristown, NJ? online?</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">March 19:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Watnog Chapter NARGS, 10:30 EST online:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">the Modern Crevice Garden</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">April 13:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Evergreen Arboretum: 7pm online</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">the Modern Crevice Garden</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">April 4-8<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Far Reaches Conservancy</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Pt. Townsend, WA</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Crevice garden annex build</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Possible program TBD?</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">June 9</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Plant Select, Denver</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">June 11th</p><p class="p3" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">Berkshire Chapter NARGS</span><span class="s2" style="font-kerning: none;"> with Paul Spriggs</span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-kerning: none;">The Crevice Garden</span></p><p class="p4" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span class="s2" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-kerning: none;">June 20-24</span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-kerning: none;">APGA: Crevice Gardens<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-kerning: none;">with Paul Spriggs and Jeremy Schmidt</span></p><p class="p3" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-kerning: none;">Workshop/Build at Cistus Nursery</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">September 14-16</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Urban Growth Conference, Malmö Sweden</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Modern Crevice Gardens & Hardy Succulents</p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-76663137891742056762022-01-06T11:30:00.007-08:002022-02-15T07:02:35.194-08:00Meadows Versus Rock Gardens. Cagematch or Team Fantastic?<p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDtg4VmvMOexb1zNE5X3VlE-sD0uqpX64lxtQN2vpo19EwyBmFVtJdksDY4zSjwq_icsnsFxDlCkL3ATirp9WKGHmhJIPxQHgrWdWq-fe9VURNqdB5y0sdKfxBilqw2kmM-t3pst3UO-VlJRMcKQxJRVY62hQPt6sjvZAoEm83AvmOuFLMSTQLuJAd0g=s3024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDtg4VmvMOexb1zNE5X3VlE-sD0uqpX64lxtQN2vpo19EwyBmFVtJdksDY4zSjwq_icsnsFxDlCkL3ATirp9WKGHmhJIPxQHgrWdWq-fe9VURNqdB5y0sdKfxBilqw2kmM-t3pst3UO-VlJRMcKQxJRVY62hQPt6sjvZAoEm83AvmOuFLMSTQLuJAd0g=s320" width="320" /></a></p><p>NARGS Rocks: Rock Gardening Does Meadows</p><p>A webinar hosted by Kenton Seth. </p><p>Feb 19: 10:30am-4p, MST </p><p><a href="https://www.nargs.org/nargs-rocks-rock-gardening-does-meadows" target="_blank">Tickets Here.</a></p><p>Yet another in the varied, successful, and wonderful series created in the last year by <a href="https://www.nargs.org/">NARGS</a>, I am hosting the meadow-garden themed webinar. I am stunned by the caliber of speakers, and especially excited to expose listeners to a few certain folks whom I’d call sleeper talent- amazing geniuses perhaps not known in wide circles. </p><p>A meadow is not a new idea- arguably the classic border and cottage garden is a meadow- it’s really any garden dominated by herbaceous plants. But recently it’s come to mean more grasses and plants grown for wildlife forage or habitat, including bugs. In the zeitgeist of the alarmism of climate change shifting to action, gardeners are broadly embracing their opportunity to genuinely mend the world, starting in their front yard. </p><p>We’ll start with <a href="https://www.landscapeconference.com/2018-conference/workshops/cassian-schmidt/">Cassian Schmidt</a>, Director of Hermannshof Gardens in Germany, exemplifies the deepest history in Germany if not the first examples of meadow-style garden concepts. The infamous ornamental grass Karl Foerster is named after one of the great trailblazers from that country. The germanic innovation continues today.</p><p>Several more notable public gardeners follow him- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c712bIsFUo">Lisa Roper</a>, who has long tended the gravel garden at Chanticleer in PA. (And thus directly inspired dang near everyone gravel gardening in the US. When I was quietly hunting for speakers, most of my prospective folks all showed slides of her garden as the example that inspired them to do what they are doing). <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/28/travel/great-dixter-england-garden.html">Fergus Garret</a> is an established mogul at the Great Dixter- it means a lot when a storied and historical garden not only deeply embraces but pushes the forefront of invertebrate-minded gardening. <a href="https://cornellbotanicgardens.org/about/team/staff/krissy-boys/">Krissy Buys</a> from Cornell in NY will talk about two native “lawn” projects of hers, which lay the groundwork for a future of native and threatened plants genuinely being used to replace unused turf. </p><p>My friend <a href="https://www.prairiecreekseed.com/Kyle.html">Kyle Dallefeld</a> will ring in from Des Moines, Iowa, heart of the tallgrass prairie and some of the richest soils on earth to give us a perspective of rock gardening and tall herbaceous systems- from wild to farmland. Lastly, an old friend Erik Fleischer, of<a href="https://www.instagram.com/symbiostudio/?hl=en"> Symbio Studio</a> in Victoria, BC, will bring it all down to earth to talk about practical home-sized garden projects of the front yard scale, and where rock garden techniques have influenced modern seed-grown and habitat-creating garden approaches.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6_ah40G4eISBesdz5-zE3Qn2Q1anNSPzDGtqNDxu5SXAgi_Hggv3bXJeacmjgkhqDk_jD47UrgxApaA6pO4y22f1EtnODmZ1EQa1FmB9tcSZ9FFeS9pCgf64Xltm3xZc19XKr7Pzhdr1FzGKdFVH-w9bzUXUTS3_Iw5RMxkcqCtdEQwTeGz4Y1koCKQ=s4608" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6_ah40G4eISBesdz5-zE3Qn2Q1anNSPzDGtqNDxu5SXAgi_Hggv3bXJeacmjgkhqDk_jD47UrgxApaA6pO4y22f1EtnODmZ1EQa1FmB9tcSZ9FFeS9pCgf64Xltm3xZc19XKr7Pzhdr1FzGKdFVH-w9bzUXUTS3_Iw5RMxkcqCtdEQwTeGz4Y1koCKQ=s320" width="320" /></a></p><p>I see a powerful teaming up between the rock garden and meadow worlds, aided by a de-facto blending that has always been there: both rockeries and meadows are totally inspired by nature, representing archetypical biomes of earth. The botanical sophistication of rock garden culture empowers any mission towards biodiversity. Meadows work in larger areas where rockeries aren’t tenable, and rockeries fit into the increasingly small and topographically awkward garden-able spaces of cities and suburbs. Together they will make the world a better place for both humans and our other living friends. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG58h_IP4ub2O4wNPBXFMiA76iqCbyhJFIhMNzn_wgBE9ibvBN7JRC0_0nAXe-QQNbKPgjqMv1DU_7cpUON1z64ZDYiZklcD7iDC6FSF5VtTCkcH52Spdu0qEIZ0AKO37uG5EBKUpvnHXFfYyAkK2HqUDKc_Y5wmHz3Vs53uuZR9UjqLQMbqZIcaFzkA=s3024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG58h_IP4ub2O4wNPBXFMiA76iqCbyhJFIhMNzn_wgBE9ibvBN7JRC0_0nAXe-QQNbKPgjqMv1DU_7cpUON1z64ZDYiZklcD7iDC6FSF5VtTCkcH52Spdu0qEIZ0AKO37uG5EBKUpvnHXFfYyAkK2HqUDKc_Y5wmHz3Vs53uuZR9UjqLQMbqZIcaFzkA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-67189906297043421952021-08-01T19:57:00.004-07:002021-08-01T20:02:26.191-07:00The Warm-blooded Touchy Carrot Clan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkpEqiBOngYU2eA7h8VAhDlN1U11iUsvzTWk3nlIf4dM0I9jk51Go1DrcaU-ao6b3p8VAOXwNI9CJo2Dv4mw0BTreY-vfZZHgrTC5clQwS4Q2Q2Z8ZYK7gjnqw29zlG2dwDK7xj2A5COQ/s2048/IMG-3106.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkpEqiBOngYU2eA7h8VAhDlN1U11iUsvzTWk3nlIf4dM0I9jk51Go1DrcaU-ao6b3p8VAOXwNI9CJo2Dv4mw0BTreY-vfZZHgrTC5clQwS4Q2Q2Z8ZYK7gjnqw29zlG2dwDK7xj2A5COQ/w400-h400/IMG-3106.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Ipomoea leptophylla,</i> five years without water.</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">In context of establishing great plants into gardens, I have come to know a certain motley crew of remarkably unrelated and excellent plants that all seem to have the same problems- problems which may explain some of them being so absent in gardens. Lassoing them into a group in my mind has made it easier to deal with their funky personalities, and so I want to tell you who they are, and my trick to skipping the bull and enjoying them at their best.</span></div></blockquote><p>-Most hate transplanting- some usually die from it.</p><p>-They have significant taproots, often hate being in pots, and hate overwintering in a pot even more.</p><p>-They don't emerge until it's freaking hot outside: no-shows of spring but kickass bloomers in summer. </p><p>-They are usually big and herbaceous, leaving big old holes when you clean up their great freaking skeletons. A challenge to design with...</p><p>-They are too awesome, once in the garden, to give up: They tend to bloom in the worst of summer heat and all will grow without water for me in Western Colorado.</p><p><b>They all look so very different, but if you close your eyes and consider how they behave, I swear they are all the same damn plant. So</b><b> who are these rascals?</b></p><p><u>-Coyote Gourd, <i>Cucurbita foetidissima.</i></u> This one REALLY hates transplanting.</p><p><u>-Desert Four-o-clock,</u> <i><u>Mirabilis multiflora. </u></i> Many gardeners have noticed that volunteer plants are always tougher than their mom. Probably the least fussy of the lot and comes up a bit earlier.</p><p><u>-Jimsonweed/Moonflower, <i>Datura wrightii,</i> </u>Hardy to say zone 6, it's a classic alley plant in Grand Junction and hardy in hot spots in Denver. </p><p><u>-Bush Morning Glory, </u><i><u>Ipomoea leptophylla.</u> </i>This one is rarely in commerce but lives foreverrrrr when it does get a big ol' root down. With flowers like that you know that it's looks are not the reason it's not popular. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIcCBIUKfhPJFQirYpNp_GF7WxWdJlanwLAVbttmnQVnLakiEu-EWDu4IMknJNPaEmamg58_YEWSJhLzFBZ5qHBGwzqnbkaV6giV2WAzRM3QyQMcTTbgmLZ3TypDx2tnRO_2pwuNdp9S2/s2048/IMG-3187.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIcCBIUKfhPJFQirYpNp_GF7WxWdJlanwLAVbttmnQVnLakiEu-EWDu4IMknJNPaEmamg58_YEWSJhLzFBZ5qHBGwzqnbkaV6giV2WAzRM3QyQMcTTbgmLZ3TypDx2tnRO_2pwuNdp9S2/w400-h300/IMG-3187.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><p><i>Cucurbita foetidissima </i>is a giant octopus with shark fin leaves - it needs room!</p><p><br /></p><p>Now, many of us have tamed them into air-pruning pots, bands, whatever, to grow them in the nursery. Some folks are very careful with the fussy roots. I have had good luck taking half or most of the leaves off of newly planted plants to reduce the root stress- it works really well. But there is an even better way. </p><p><b>1. Sow them directly in their spot as seed. </b>(no compost or amendments!)</p><p><b>2. In summer </b>(like June/July). </p><p><b>3. Defend the seedlings from crawling chewing bugs</b> (like with a metal collar made from a beer can) and </p><p><b>4. Water the living crap out of them </b>when it's hot so they grow big and fat and fast to be a nice size by fall to overwinter with big legs and a full belly. (This means a good soak 1-2x a week when it's above 70F, and stop in fall.)</p><p>They will come up strong the following season and be a mature blooming plant without supplemental water or bug defense, far outpacing a plant that was planted and may not have overwintered anyway. The other great advantage is that the taproot is allowed to shoot down uninterrupted like a drill and yield a perfect root system with no traumatic history- no need to re-grow the taproot a year after planting. </p><p>The challenge designing with them? I'm not sure I have a perfect answer- but simply having room to be placed behind other small shrubs or herbs will hide their spring-empty seats from view. It helps if those plants in front can tolerate shade when the thugs do come up and cast a broad summer umbrella over their neighbors. As for their big dead skeletons, chop them up, stomp on them, or grab them like a giant dead bouquet to haul off in one massive load. If you grow the four-o-clock you know what I mean. </p><p>I think the story behind these guys is that most come from light soils whose water drains deeply and quickly (and they chase it with their taproot) and that these plants all specialize on monsoonal summer moisture. Where I live, summer rains don't always happen, so the native populations don't recruit newbies on those years, like <i>Mirabilis glandulosa</i><i>. </i>This year of course we are getting hammered with lovely summer rain which has turned the river to mud and is washing away highways like it's California or something, making all the <a href="https://www.nargs.org/">NARGS</a> folks detour on their way to the <a href="https://www.durangonargs.org/">meeting</a> in Durango next weekend. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSXW7QzobOh5bBk8o49piAQmgdqgOD6MZUgfyuLFhqSOznh-ayN7e3XggsXMPpGIXpwBtxKX4PEqKqEy9q96pIhsO9Hl1P78HKUpb1-caBP8iCuxEafWU_0Sc14CnQJ3PATAOSuSqlCZQ/s2048/IMG-3189.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSXW7QzobOh5bBk8o49piAQmgdqgOD6MZUgfyuLFhqSOznh-ayN7e3XggsXMPpGIXpwBtxKX4PEqKqEy9q96pIhsO9Hl1P78HKUpb1-caBP8iCuxEafWU_0Sc14CnQJ3PATAOSuSqlCZQ/s320/IMG-3189.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The handsome late July leaves of a datura, in bud, that I sowed in early June.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I feel like there are few more of these kids I forgot to name by species- (help me out and tell me who I forgot) You know how to identify them now and what to do to tame these marvy tigers in your native dry garden. <p></p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-23298517140666090522021-02-06T10:58:00.003-08:002021-02-06T10:58:31.244-08:00Sources of Expanded Shale and such<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hKbkruvl6RpKmeGp3uLuOWXNiUVg-_fH7_XI7jpzs_8mTlV2z4alcGKd4ZGn3Z4KWZp1QPjUJfgfywuVOoKi2V0HW00745hYR-lxJvgSGhkX3Am0zUpdVzersMWWdfKohznzcpCXZgas/s2048/P9120012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hKbkruvl6RpKmeGp3uLuOWXNiUVg-_fH7_XI7jpzs_8mTlV2z4alcGKd4ZGn3Z4KWZp1QPjUJfgfywuVOoKi2V0HW00745hYR-lxJvgSGhkX3Am0zUpdVzersMWWdfKohznzcpCXZgas/s320/P9120012.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">There has been discussion among rock gardeners, roof gardeners, bonsai growers, and the crevice people about sourcing expanded shale and other permeable aggregates. These materials are like porous gravel, holding water and nutrients without organic material- which is very useful mixed into crevice garden soil media and in containers to grow alpine or rock plants.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Here is a list I've been compiling:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgop3JefaXvQmwZWDmHBx_ZSoX_G32_-L1gpuFuhID_DmvQ2_MzJ_5CnQNOpW5iGHuPOP1x_bAPdCXDNSKkjdcbRXTm0pG7g3SWmZhew5cshnvKcHWrL5xGUhg6mbPJnybA2jSCDJ89fKCz/s2048/P8281016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgop3JefaXvQmwZWDmHBx_ZSoX_G32_-L1gpuFuhID_DmvQ2_MzJ_5CnQNOpW5iGHuPOP1x_bAPdCXDNSKkjdcbRXTm0pG7g3SWmZhew5cshnvKcHWrL5xGUhg6mbPJnybA2jSCDJ89fKCz/s320/P8281016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Haydite</b> (Ohio) </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Seramis</b> (Germany/Europe/UK)</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Permatill </b>(by Stalite) North Carolina</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Turface </b>(actually calcined clay) or “Pro’sChoice” brand</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Trinity</b> Expanded Shale (Golden, Colorado)</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Utelite</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(Utah)</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Soil Mender</b> brand Expanded Shale (Texas)</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Cat litter/“Oil-Dri”-</b> coming in bags at the pet or automotive store, these occasionally turn out to be useful expanded shale, calcined clay, or diatomaceous earth, but most of the time are just clay clods- adding water will quickly reveal the truth. A source for desperate times. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Broken pots- </b>Terra-cotta, porous pots have the absorbent qualities of all the above, but this is not true for vitrified stoneware pots which are fired hotted and not porous. Broken terra-cotta may have been used for a very long time historically by rock gardeners in-the-know! Not a bad plan-B if nothing else is available or you want to dispose of old pots.</span></p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-22861151565973698942021-01-28T19:06:00.004-08:002021-01-28T19:06:21.482-08:00Secrets of Dogtuff, Eryngium leavenworthii, and Amber Wheels<p> Ever find out something about a plant that sure as hell isn't in the books about them?</p><p>Like <a href="https://www.highcountrygardens.com/perennial-plants/gaillardia/gaillardia-aristata-amber-wheels">Gaillardia 'Amber Wheels' </a>being rhizomatous. Oh yeah.</p><p><b>Surprise #1</b></p><p>Hard-blooming Gaillardias are anything beyond a short-lived perennial. Usually you get seedlings off the mother plant before she dies. But last year, when I was planting bulbs in a high elevation flower bed designed by <a href="https://www.penick.net/digging/?p=42103">Scot Ogden,</a> I saw shallow rhizomes everywhere. I keep an eye on that bed to keep certain nasty rhizomatous grasses out. But these white threads- I followed them back to the plants. Whaaaaaat? I emailed Scot to find out that the Gaillardia was<a href="https://www.jelitto.com/index.php?stoken=C9D54678&force_sid=n5n3c7hnnus3nmrolh3s43lb51&lang=0&cl=search&searchparam=amber+wheels"> Amber Wheels,</a> a seed strain based on a wild collection by <a href="https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/rocky-mountain-pbs/denver-botanic-gardens-works-through-snow-elk-fights-and-covid19-ahead-of-fall-season/">Larry Vickerman</a> of Denver Botanic's <a href="https://www.botanicgardens.org/chatfield-farms">Chatfield</a> campus.</p><p>Just to make sure, I took root cuttings. They worked. </p><p>The original plants have been humming along since 2016 with no sign of getting tired. Fantastic.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Surprise #2.</b></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzHjyzwD3V5Caxu2K35XoPdTHXjKmsfQ4hnbAwnSkyDf_fxJaoEigDb_7TL2_aT0m2zepZyObe5zae9dvBbfzDb0tsFvEAo9rhPFNkKbgeLfHKM18c5w6RuSaEnDqFmy2A1jDeuj4M_V3/s2048/IMG-1911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzHjyzwD3V5Caxu2K35XoPdTHXjKmsfQ4hnbAwnSkyDf_fxJaoEigDb_7TL2_aT0m2zepZyObe5zae9dvBbfzDb0tsFvEAo9rhPFNkKbgeLfHKM18c5w6RuSaEnDqFmy2A1jDeuj4M_V3/s320/IMG-1911.JPG" /></a><i>Eryngium leavenworthii</i>- a Texas version of sea-holly. I had to try it because some of the <a href="https://www.rhrhorticulture.com/">coolest designers</a> I know have use it. It's listed universally as an annual. So I got seed in winter, like you do, sowed it in the greenhouse, and planted it out in spring. And it slooooooowly established. I watched those tiny puddles of plants do nearly nothing all year. As the season wore on I grew more sure they sucked for my garden, or sucked in my climate, or I sucked at growing them, and then winter came. And they lingered.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQeMqjROluaCsKtIgHU9rF3EfBLW75haRHVFQFeZDIaLgvEguf1WyjmsJateMszSLOns2bPAY5t1jzfuZPgPbma1jPZWuJx_0Wpzix2u7I8kJ-uPQomDn23YO6HStK7d7yrSF9PijVGtmu/s2048/IMG-1913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQeMqjROluaCsKtIgHU9rF3EfBLW75haRHVFQFeZDIaLgvEguf1WyjmsJateMszSLOns2bPAY5t1jzfuZPgPbma1jPZWuJx_0Wpzix2u7I8kJ-uPQomDn23YO6HStK7d7yrSF9PijVGtmu/s320/IMG-1913.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>Because they are biennial for me- and a friend in Iowa told me he has the same experience. What the heck? I'm grateful. Just to write it down somewhere: <i><b>Eryngium leavenworthii</b></i> is biennial if it isn't annual. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Surprise #3.</b></p><p>I'm usually pretty careful about adopting new plants too fast because I hate to discover some plant's weakness or worse- its dark secret on a client's dime and in their garden. My friends and Chelsea (native) Nursery are even better about that. The reality of the cutting edge is that it's R&D- it's messy and unknown until tested well.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zofrLIEAJGCF-3HVJ0LewV6p5m9H2rMhPUVdzDZrylHHEVsh2xX0px0nzhEFerD02GTFPTD_91XZJem1gK4tE7X-VkC9K3gzantAdDxMrlpY9Ks71p3TJU7y_L_yevNyQif9_l5Taufe/s2048/IMG_5917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zofrLIEAJGCF-3HVJ0LewV6p5m9H2rMhPUVdzDZrylHHEVsh2xX0px0nzhEFerD02GTFPTD_91XZJem1gK4tE7X-VkC9K3gzantAdDxMrlpY9Ks71p3TJU7y_L_yevNyQif9_l5Taufe/s320/IMG_5917.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>So I was slow to fully embrace <a href="https://dogtuffgrass.com/">dogtuff</a>, the amazing bermudagrass that is all the rage in cutting-edge gardens in the cold dry American west. <i>(Cynodon transvaalensis)</i> It is native to Africa, was mysteriously found on a ranch in CO, passed between many plantsman's hands until <a href="https://the-cactus-man.myshopify.com/collections/all">Kelly Grummons</a> found the ideal use for it as a super xeric, no-mow, dog-proof turf. </p><p>I was mostly leery because I was raised in a valley where bermudagrass is a horrible bane to gardens and landscapes. The typical mongrel bermudagrass has ridiculously deep rhizomes, going an average of 18" (45cm) deep invading beds and swallowing your groundcovers with its coarse leaves and dagger-sharp stolon tips and rhizomes that jamb into your feet and easily punctures sweed-cloth. Why would I risk planting a short greener version of that crap?</p><p>So I have tested it and been on a mission to find out how badly it spreads underground. I have awkwardly asked to dig post-holes in friend's gardens. Well, whaddya know. It doesn't. Not that I have found. Before I was comfortable with that, I installed a patch for a client who wanted it, but not without containing it with a deeply buried bamboo barrier. In the end that was totally unnecessary. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDiO7EhFiPuVeMN9kOKfpKMna9wQ03Rgif2BLoBtyU3z_4TIS9WyaqxmwAKmptWa23hfW6PXx9U07oi3YOvB2lHQLFBp-igQ_YF1BeKnRPOfQDS8FCdiIGtOPLNfJrF_pk6JPUsNbmkQW/s2048/IMG_5434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDiO7EhFiPuVeMN9kOKfpKMna9wQ03Rgif2BLoBtyU3z_4TIS9WyaqxmwAKmptWa23hfW6PXx9U07oi3YOvB2lHQLFBp-igQ_YF1BeKnRPOfQDS8FCdiIGtOPLNfJrF_pk6JPUsNbmkQW/s320/IMG_5434.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p>Trench and bamboo-proof vest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-T8ziweQLg9rhxuvSK8vfQ8VK0uquH-DUMPrnr41i7WZVH_J2m-zxJ8SZxBQ-JGNy2ABn-Xx5WxrAj8He4xa91ceTZY0d2PXBIZ5nFuVZaU6Ha9GOwdfVz8shBDRXI912f5HM1JiawO6d/s2048/IMG_7338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-T8ziweQLg9rhxuvSK8vfQ8VK0uquH-DUMPrnr41i7WZVH_J2m-zxJ8SZxBQ-JGNy2ABn-Xx5WxrAj8He4xa91ceTZY0d2PXBIZ5nFuVZaU6Ha9GOwdfVz8shBDRXI912f5HM1JiawO6d/s320/IMG_7338.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just a month after planting plugs.</div><p>What is more- I planted it in our back garden to give us a whopping 6' (2m) wide "lawn" where several paths intersect, and that doesn't require we own a lawnmower at all. We don't. And so on principal, I've never mowed it. In fact, I didn't cut back the dead material last spring to see what would happen and.... nothing. It greened up as per usual. Lastly- here's the biggest surprise. For fun, I watered it once in 2020. May. One good soak. And I decided to not water it until it looked stressed out, so I could test just how dry it can grow. </p><p>I waited. And waited. In August, at noon, one part looked almost imperceptibly stressed. I waited. Green again until frost.</p><p>What!? Kelly told me that during a wet summer in Denver he didn't have to water it. But in Fruita? In 2020 we got 105F (40.5C) with only 5" (125mm) out of our usual 9" (230mm) precip. Our dogtuff grass was satisfied with groundwater- which is 8' (2.3m) down and only in the summer. Wow. It doesn't have rhizomes but somehow the roots can get to water that far down?</p><p>I estimate it would be perfectly beautiful with a consistent 2 week watering schedule on any sunny soil. Now, if only I could find a basic irrigation control box that could be programmed to water that little.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vA6ZiCklQxHKYO1eSH4Xw7gdUQ4jUD3lzg2u6Y6JOsMUsx6dERAsmIrsHzhqs79o0qT10kHrMxY86EqGPysYPj5ICSfPJXLIWTJ2MAIlPIayPRxRUJj7UV7nlty7L61LHe6nXoCRpqfR/s2048/P8230318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vA6ZiCklQxHKYO1eSH4Xw7gdUQ4jUD3lzg2u6Y6JOsMUsx6dERAsmIrsHzhqs79o0qT10kHrMxY86EqGPysYPj5ICSfPJXLIWTJ2MAIlPIayPRxRUJj7UV7nlty7L61LHe6nXoCRpqfR/s320/P8230318.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dogtuff is good. It doesn't run.</div><br /><p><br /></p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-30996980895104784662021-01-17T10:18:00.004-08:002021-01-17T10:18:34.027-08:00 A Flame in the Tinderbox: Crevice Gardens in California (and Earth, Generally)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoIeKUwjvKeKVtYeTQZaMjxjakBULBJe0u2aQKmlqObQ5duRUsOtB2tcyGQ_4lNOWIFzbtTy-HfrQqIhz-KOwAo96D5CH0IyLdmyV62BLQwhDC3ZquOgxiGOi_EL8DNtHPC8RoWRFfDWU/s2048/tilden+cg+close+Michael+Uhler.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoIeKUwjvKeKVtYeTQZaMjxjakBULBJe0u2aQKmlqObQ5duRUsOtB2tcyGQ_4lNOWIFzbtTy-HfrQqIhz-KOwAo96D5CH0IyLdmyV62BLQwhDC3ZquOgxiGOi_EL8DNtHPC8RoWRFfDWU/s320/tilden+cg+close+Michael+Uhler.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photo: Michael Uhler</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Forced by writing a book on crevice gardens, I started to think about crevice gardens in all climates, which highlighted where they are (or would be-) most useful. The things that make them powerful- biodiversity, recycling, and microclimate creation- have different weights in different places.</span></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Most of this thinking was informed by watching them take off here in Colorado. So, to myself, I predicted the next hot spots: California, because of its longer history of water-use awareness, native gardening, and a big population of gardeners and plant collectors. Then Arizona- one of the recent fastest growing suburban places in the west, but very limited in water. They have an established “desert” aesthetic that liberally embraces new hardscape styles. I think aesthetics may be a big driver there. Then perhaps Texas, with its amazing natural biodiversity and its own gardening identity.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">What I am more blind to, like a typical american, is the rest of the world. The Japanese have a perfect score of adopting something and elevating it into and art and science, while putting their own stamp on it: Aquariums, cars, whatever. A genus of plants is a genus of plants- like Morning glories or Chrystanthemum, until it goes to Japan. It comes back an entirely different thing. They just have a culture of honing, dedicating, and perfecting skill. Can you imagine what they will do with crevice gardens? They’ll leave us looking like cavemen. Get ready to be an old hat.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I think that crevice gardens (can I just call them CGs now?) will continue to fill in within the intermountain West, Midwest and eastern US, where they are already scattered. Same for the UK, Canada, Ireland, Scotland and New Zealand, places all within the well-connected english-speaking rock garden world. I don’t know much about CGs in Australia yet. CGs have been around western places a while and will steadily grow. Same for Europe. But South America, Africa, middle Eurasia, and all the islands- I have only the vaguest of guesses. I think we’ll see isolated and adapted use of CGs in tropical places, since <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chasmophyte">chasmophyte</a> plant forms can shift seamlessly into epiphytes there. The middle east could be incredible- it’s already a strong influencer connected climactically to Arizona and Mexico.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I don’t know enough about China to know when and how things will develop there. The most populous country on earth, I’m sure it will be big. The second biggest? I’m afraid to betray my own biases, but I don’t expect anything big and soon in India. I have no doubt private gardeners or isolated innovators and geniuses will create amazing things, but the country as a whole suffers from a lot of status quo and a glut of sinecures (easy prestigious jobs with high pay and little work or skill). All the public gardens I personally saw there unfortunately suffered from that weight. The hashtag #rockgarden in India is saturated with narcissistic teen selfies at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Garden_of_Chandigarh">Chandigarh</a>.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I also guessed that Turkey was deeply unlikely to see crevice gardens anytime soon- and boy was I wrong. I lived one summer in Turkey, so the place is a certain home to me. The first public CG is at the Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanical Garden in İstanbul. It’s big, and they feature turkish endemics in a sophisticated way. Then, in SE Turkey: Antalya’s Mediterranean University reached out to Paul and I to build one in <i>marble</i>, no less, but the plan was snuffed by the pandemic.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbUELLLpcDdoy6FOiJIRD6Io69zjaRSh-Ia3WV7rQmi4uobc7Updk0uxzvNEIKdRjG3S6ZltqwxV_TSK-gxHYSQfEfWa6pqvollY7qgq70ZwM8zF4mxoSrmR0mIIotjTqQhg0q_1akuiG/s2048/20190529_114234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1155" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbUELLLpcDdoy6FOiJIRD6Io69zjaRSh-Ia3WV7rQmi4uobc7Updk0uxzvNEIKdRjG3S6ZltqwxV_TSK-gxHYSQfEfWa6pqvollY7qgq70ZwM8zF4mxoSrmR0mIIotjTqQhg0q_1akuiG/w400-h225/20190529_114234.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>The Crevice Garden in İstanbul's NGBB.</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Photo courtesy of Mike Smedley, future host and de-facto ringleader of June’s NARGS annual conference.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But I’d like to swing all the way back to my first prediction: California. I was keeping my ear to the ground when Panayoti was the first to let me know it was happening.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Tilden Regional Park, on the foothill-ed edge of Berkley, CA, specializes on California natives, honoring the most floristically diverse state in the union. I was generously filled-in by gardener/builder Michael Uhler and director Bart O’Brien there about their project. In the last two years, they’ve set tons of a glorious rock they call “Mariposa Slate.” They have taken a slow, focused and deliberate approach to maximize and leverage the best of what a CG can do to grow specific plants. Let’s be frank- most of us build something cool and see what we can grow in it. They have taken a more <span class="s1">thoughtful path </span>with a focus on Sierra Nevadan alpines. Here is a link to a preliminary <a href="https://mailchi.mp/nativeplants/november-2020-newsletter-4807386?e=18648df902">newsletter article</a> on it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The next issue, Vol 25:1 (2021) will feature a meaty and wonderful article by Michael about the whole history of the crevice garden and a deep look at the plants it was designed to host and their origins.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFpTOSnIX6As5r7WEszJmfoQOXjH_UMnQZdqgyNsmCt6mn1ih8Ilm3_Lc3SwgHXR2he95uiOSyXn4Q-MhzlTasUjCzv9_2vz0xTpbDz4QpC_hHys85k3VDRXmT_bP7xpAdfrMIqNow5Gz/s2048/tilden+cg+wide+Michael+Uhler.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFpTOSnIX6As5r7WEszJmfoQOXjH_UMnQZdqgyNsmCt6mn1ih8Ilm3_Lc3SwgHXR2he95uiOSyXn4Q-MhzlTasUjCzv9_2vz0xTpbDz4QpC_hHys85k3VDRXmT_bP7xpAdfrMIqNow5Gz/w640-h480/tilden+cg+wide+Michael+Uhler.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: center;"><i>Photo courtesy of Michael Uhler</i></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Bart says that there are now at least three private crevice gardens that were influenced, spurred, or otherwise affiliated with Tilden Park project. I am reminded of the time when Denver Botanic’s Mike Kintgen put in the <a href="https://www.highcountrygardens.com/gardening/rock-gardening-creating-a-crevice-garden">first two at Denver botanic</a>. That was the spark that ignited interest in Colorado and well beyond.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">I am holding onto my seat and grabbing for the seatbelt to see what is about to happen in California. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-80376972184847974102021-01-15T10:40:00.005-08:002021-01-22T21:39:39.394-08:00Is this the first? Crevice Garden conference/study day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTnWi3wJCf4rdur7Hv2tMkdbe25oBw_XjvAydHRBtDDRZrKEweOR-lHnFKUPoWQMfIgOc9MraqgZb0xoHfej5OwcbXbUkXeJ3VKWpzedxfyweQVWcwX4VKWDEsjzM5CS_SQcLUl_ZXnLl/s2048/2019-07+Barb+Gorges.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTnWi3wJCf4rdur7Hv2tMkdbe25oBw_XjvAydHRBtDDRZrKEweOR-lHnFKUPoWQMfIgOc9MraqgZb0xoHfej5OwcbXbUkXeJ3VKWpzedxfyweQVWcwX4VKWDEsjzM5CS_SQcLUl_ZXnLl/w400-h225/2019-07+Barb+Gorges.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This may be the first all-crevice rock garden event I am aware of. NARGS is hosting an all-day zoom conference: S</span><span style="font-family: arial;">aturday Feb 6th.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">11am-5:30pm EST (you can watch it later if you are in a different time zone, luckily!</span></p></span><p></p><p><u><a href="https://www.nargs.org/nargs-rocks-crevices-gardening-vertically-and-horizontally-virtual-study-day" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">The CREVICE GARDEN VIRTUAL STUDY DAY</span></a></u></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">$25 for members, $50 for non-. My talk is mere business and pales in comparison to the diverse fun coming from the other five presenters, including the anticipated lecture debut of <a href="https://inkandpenstemon.tumblr.com/">Susan Sims</a>. Also, Talks will be nice and bite-sized. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The nice thing about online events is that you can pick your own booze or snacks, and whether you wear pants or not.<span style="color: #38761d;"> I enjoyed a green cocktail (gin and chartreuse) to honor a cactus club meeting last night. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jamworth/video/6914329143672835333?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgow3mxRXVKl7R1Vu06DCSggWE6FFTATN6sqCZKSO4ZttUN%2FAZmYdIdyCNkZeCE9yGjkGgA%3D&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAaAb38iM8SK4qPA5X0NPinDCqiT-mzZ_0eavj8tEgeWP25PMRhpzUpruEI8AGC0j9&share_app_name=musically&share_item_id=6914329143672835333&share_link_id=f071412a-1475-4699-a0bf-db9292e725bc&timestamp=1610096229&u_code=defc34cibe16ee&user_id=6874072472024843269&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=android&utm_source=messenger&source=h5_m">What will you bring to the event? </a></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-family: arial;"><i>(click above if you have not decided)</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD3yWp1aUc9OHtOv-FW5lVNcS4XAC1Jv_7hdN2cD2zLYeP9hdJDC4QeY03hgopkcU1PhFDxcJGLkI7L_Z4AQDn92dxQF9djAW0Rwr2W_2C2jHHSageNx-uFvdIJ3lb95rKQ4LZOfdJFxNQ/s2048/IMG_3366.JPG" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD3yWp1aUc9OHtOv-FW5lVNcS4XAC1Jv_7hdN2cD2zLYeP9hdJDC4QeY03hgopkcU1PhFDxcJGLkI7L_Z4AQDn92dxQF9djAW0Rwr2W_2C2jHHSageNx-uFvdIJ3lb95rKQ4LZOfdJFxNQ/w200-h200/IMG_3366.JPG" width="200" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></span></p><p><br /></p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-6583864328076304382021-01-01T09:42:00.001-08:002021-01-01T09:42:51.298-08:00The Psychological War in the Garden<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">I feel like all of my gardens are a war. A war between two concepts: peace and excitement.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Peace is: meadows, grasses, harmony, unity, relaxation, comfort, the steppe, grain fields, being able to see far. Safety, order.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But excitement- it’s variety, color, surprise, being busy, nooks and crannies, jarring contrast, a messy plant zoo unified by nothing but lust.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I think this battle has not always gone well: it’s worst collateral damage being the failure of the general design of a garden I’ve made, where the plant collectorship gets out of hand and the space has no spirit of its own. Or, if the other side decisively wins- something that is pretty, giving you an immediate inviting feeling, but basically boring beyond that, functioning like an agreeable background to whatever non-botanical activity you are doing like an overly quiet and polite host with no opinion of its own.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It’s taken me years of making gardens that some folks enjoy but leave me cold to realize this. Finally knowing the exact problem has made creating solutions fairly easy.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3h7pIyv9yZUh5PtGwQIyuLM1nvzsgox2D2MM3cNPSLNvGk63B6x8XmQY-wGTGoxGYF-ql3gr6pAkEPsq9j75fiJCI2GwBdMz7TcxqCdrvVq6_5H5ooBzsrSk6xS3vdC8DJpM4C9BCmbPk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1486" data-original-width="2048" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3h7pIyv9yZUh5PtGwQIyuLM1nvzsgox2D2MM3cNPSLNvGk63B6x8XmQY-wGTGoxGYF-ql3gr6pAkEPsq9j75fiJCI2GwBdMz7TcxqCdrvVq6_5H5ooBzsrSk6xS3vdC8DJpM4C9BCmbPk/" width="320" /></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I don’t think that it’s about a “balance” between peace and excitement, but perhaps layering them. Or fostering their coexistence. Like oil and water- a hackneyed metaphor we take for granted: “yes, yes, oil and water don’t mix, shouldn’t be mixed” we say, but I ask- what is butter!? Glorious! Certainly you wouldn't defame butter? A natural phenomenon, a mixture of oil and water, thanks to emulsion, a brilliant mechanism that brings the two together. What is the mechanism to marry two disparate impulses?</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Here’s one for gardens. Just my basic go-to at the present. Lay on the harmony/unity heavy enough (to make peace/space) that you can lace it pretty liberally with variety. In a meadow, this can mean a matrix (which doesn’t mean a network, it means a womb) of one or two types of grass, interspersed with a variety of bulbs and herbs. In a rock garden, harmony can be solidly established by a heavily used single kind of rock, and plants can basically be anything you want, but the accident that they are all smaller or cushion-shaped will, as a byproduct, create a certain unification among all the different little guys.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For a lawn, that means a totally predictable, 100% safe monoculture of turf with no room for any variety or anything dangerous like excitement, and that is dead boring and you know it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAlw89p9PAcJOcH1PXrAJlRzzdrZJYlmSYBTDDiQmwlPgC5_hBzZV37vaiEJpJiladMDvxu2jFsvcSbBuBSULgPU45y2TSK1_q1vZ-L6VwV-pVdhvfnd4IDuOKALnPvbnZVobj8j9uEp1/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAlw89p9PAcJOcH1PXrAJlRzzdrZJYlmSYBTDDiQmwlPgC5_hBzZV37vaiEJpJiladMDvxu2jFsvcSbBuBSULgPU45y2TSK1_q1vZ-L6VwV-pVdhvfnd4IDuOKALnPvbnZVobj8j9uEp1/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Another example of meshing variety/fun and unity/order:</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In pure numbers, this can mean a garden rugged-out with three dozen Mexican Feathergrasses, peppered by half a dozen accenting bunchgrasses like Muhlenbergia or something, an ephemeral underplanting of two hundred muscari, all of those creating a super solid foundation, a vibe, and then finally, start getting interesting or varied with a dozen Echinacea, ten Eryngium, twenty Kniphofia. Lastly, the variety can be represented and solidified with say fifty different species in quantities like onesies and foursies, who are embedded in the grasses like gems on a crown. If there is only one emerald among the mixed gemstones on that otherwise golden crown, will it look like it belongs. And these plants for variety get even better if they are seasonal- appearing at certain times, creating surprise, keeping you interested. The fun part here is that if you take out flowers over the years or try a new one the rest of the garden won’t notice. It won’t disrupt the vibe. The party will go on while dancers come and go.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In understory or forest-like plantings in shade, it’s too easy to make harmony, because in nature, the understory is often dominated by sheets of one shade-tolerate ground-cover for acres and acres. What is tricky is variety, which might just come down to the long game of hunting down a variety of plants that will put up with shade and provide temporal, color, or textural variety. Shade gardens are the hardest for me because I’m a plant nut, a life devotee of that botanical variety, and as a result I think over the years I’ve become careful of where and how many trees to plant.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJv5eHIxeihDTnhBzybpqE7eMeqYSHYDZXgCyjRd_6LTqnwjL8VhggXQUQiVGE6T9Zj7pMp3X55qRRr0flBAdSR-PPCNiLCRNtR4zg5YKeYe6KiorD-gKWBE8pwvs3wHGExfHlKSrlopL/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJv5eHIxeihDTnhBzybpqE7eMeqYSHYDZXgCyjRd_6LTqnwjL8VhggXQUQiVGE6T9Zj7pMp3X55qRRr0flBAdSR-PPCNiLCRNtR4zg5YKeYe6KiorD-gKWBE8pwvs3wHGExfHlKSrlopL/" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Back to rock gardens, because we like those. They’ve always struggled to have unity. Their potentially jarring disarray of plants lovingly kidnapped from every godforsaken rocky spot on earth have repelled the more sensitive gardeners of fragile design tastes for years. How do we deal with that? Why don’t natural rock gardens feel as jumbled? I already mentioned that an abundance of stone is a solid, foolproof way to nail down unity in a rock garden so you can garden with shameless taxonomic plant-lust for ever after and get away with it artistically.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But what if you don’t have a large area or the luxury of truckloads of rock? You have a few other choices. The unity doesn’t have to be the species of plants- it can simply be their form or color. For instance, you could unify a rockless garden of rock garden plants by repeating the bun-form: seventy different species, never two of any type, say, of Acantholimon, mesemb, cactus, Dianthus, Campanula, Eriogonum, Draba, Arenaria- but all with that same half-dome form. They will have an undeniable harmony and familiar resemblance, lend the garden a very solid, specific feeling, while providing a total buffet of botanical eye-feast and brain-treat.</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrhKU6f2dIXjZ-gRsUGATDOzbhJeknYffBOTn3hRF_q96AMZW81q99_pVV142-yJ62Iv2s1ng6UBgQI9Oh90dnm-qJJBVaaQZVB39HxleeTr3UBuEEPbTBHFXtN6JVt5zj9W16w64i0e4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrhKU6f2dIXjZ-gRsUGATDOzbhJeknYffBOTn3hRF_q96AMZW81q99_pVV142-yJ62Iv2s1ng6UBgQI9Oh90dnm-qJJBVaaQZVB39HxleeTr3UBuEEPbTBHFXtN6JVt5zj9W16w64i0e4/" width="320" /></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Crevice Garden at Denver Botanic Gardens</i></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I think I’ve barely begun to let myself think of ways to extract variety and calm, the purveyors of excitement and peace in a garden, and make them happy bedfellows. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to garden with not only plants of the rarer beauty in nature, but to create spaces that evoke natural landscapes of rare beauty?</p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-40046975045460167572020-11-04T16:20:00.003-08:002020-11-04T16:20:44.373-08:00Introducing my Newest Mistress: the Dry Seed Meadow<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRo_L1fw2omWfRycB1DZVm6AyROEiB1y1AwtWQPS8a6Yy48sOF_NLqh7pd5ekdtJpJyViwldvS6-B4RsPsawKoUFsRrnaYL-veazB1-lhL6GQepSUWjTsbMfLtpiMI43kuy9viOWPh9Fnz/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRo_L1fw2omWfRycB1DZVm6AyROEiB1y1AwtWQPS8a6Yy48sOF_NLqh7pd5ekdtJpJyViwldvS6-B4RsPsawKoUFsRrnaYL-veazB1-lhL6GQepSUWjTsbMfLtpiMI43kuy9viOWPh9Fnz/w640-h360/P5200299.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><i>(Penstemon eatonii, Hesperostipa comata</i>, and the wrong kind of thistles.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Now, why get sucked into meadows?</b></div><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Wild grassy expanses have long sung a siren’s song to me, perhaps for reasons brought up in the <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/steppes-michael-bone/1120007873">Steppe book</a> having to do with humanity’s pre- and post- agriculture relationship with the steppe biome. It has called to me like a silent, logical truth, too, for years when I have experimented with irrigation-free native plantings: I found that so many patches of earth seem unstable, drawn away from what I tried to plant, until they are clothed in the resplendent robes of grasses and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forb" target="_blank">forbs</a>. I’d plant yuccas and xeric ground-covers, but thick galleta grass would take over, rich as a wheat field. Weeds in the gravel would tell me that “there is room here yet- these plants are not enough.”</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMylr3feWPfPjKE8s5X0LHQYU93K-G8bY07YrngfEo1TbUkkq6JRFSQiqw3TYJezApUCSk1SmbHMcdV5O3Axsd3cM-eQbao202BwGpwt7f93wruMVe1GgcgDAPJIUKkt9J-yC-V4AgXLa/" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMylr3feWPfPjKE8s5X0LHQYU93K-G8bY07YrngfEo1TbUkkq6JRFSQiqw3TYJezApUCSk1SmbHMcdV5O3Axsd3cM-eQbao202BwGpwt7f93wruMVe1GgcgDAPJIUKkt9J-yC-V4AgXLa/w400-h300/P7123589.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjhlrtX6EGxuwqzwSVqKkL_kJF0KPaR3-dCjKHsZvofmTEubcO1fPbmaYMun2rA-8RMGZKA9fU35Vrk6_45-l3GQARaGFyzKHvcWY2A-GG1ua_4KQZuOlRmqIPZcj-AMhwEcIdjc0vOb-/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjhlrtX6EGxuwqzwSVqKkL_kJF0KPaR3-dCjKHsZvofmTEubcO1fPbmaYMun2rA-8RMGZKA9fU35Vrk6_45-l3GQARaGFyzKHvcWY2A-GG1ua_4KQZuOlRmqIPZcj-AMhwEcIdjc0vOb-/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjhlrtX6EGxuwqzwSVqKkL_kJF0KPaR3-dCjKHsZvofmTEubcO1fPbmaYMun2rA-8RMGZKA9fU35Vrk6_45-l3GQARaGFyzKHvcWY2A-GG1ua_4KQZuOlRmqIPZcj-AMhwEcIdjc0vOb-/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I spent a few winters on research-benders to find out a few amazing things. One, that there is such a thing as a desert grassland, <a href="https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/the-desert-grassland" target="_blank">one book</a> having the most enlightening pages about them, and two, that my hometown, with its break in oral history between the original locals and the new ones that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meeker_Massacre " target="_blank">suddenly replaced them</a>, is nestled in a dusty valley that was early desertified, almost certainly by overgrazing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Why would tall grasses want to dominate front yards in my desert hometown? Turns out that the desert grassland ecology teeters on the edge of being possible- Ours was established by a bygone climate and is largely not able to be restored because the climate is too dry now, and has become even <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/climate-environment/climate-change-colorado-utah-hot-spot/" target="_blank">dryer in the last lifetime</a>. But in a front yard, we can totally bring it back because it sits on a forgotten foundation of nutritious soil from years of lawn, agriculture, or irrigation. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5v7Gyiizi3I8_eS8DC7zEyvPVmy6OHqK7eZyoppef0N_1gEjfQJ1kpgVvsK0YkTKubkfLXdgBsM9BUSkdA6xzvt7KR-EXbccjaFYLXOlnvRz0qKZnxdRWCZET52wrgAsN48hStHju2q2m/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5v7Gyiizi3I8_eS8DC7zEyvPVmy6OHqK7eZyoppef0N_1gEjfQJ1kpgVvsK0YkTKubkfLXdgBsM9BUSkdA6xzvt7KR-EXbccjaFYLXOlnvRz0qKZnxdRWCZET52wrgAsN48hStHju2q2m/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I realized that if I wanted to plant something that would last the longest, be the most resilient and permanent, it had to honor the soil and climate that was there. And honor it closely, or it would always try to change on its own.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Now, they’ve been doing meadows in Europe for a long time. Having trashed most of their pristine nature literally thousands of years ago, and the machissimo high of domination having worn off,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>they crave to bring nature back into their cities.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Americans are getting on board, too- John <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-american-meadow-garden-john-greenlee/1114272051" target="_blank">Greenlee</a> wrote one of the most influential books I’ve read on it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Very recently, <a href="https://dirt.asla.org/2017/05/15/sowing-beauty-a-guide-to-designing-meadows/">James Hitchmough</a> has been testing not only starting entire large, expansive, perennial gardens from seed, but also public/human response to them. Now that’s a scientific way to ensure people like your gardens! He’s truly bridging the most-feasible with the most-ecological. He’s got a special planting system that is working super well in the UK, and a few other places. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Now, I, like most Colorado gardeners, are weary of any foreign planting advice because it usually doesn’t work. But I had accidentally discovered in some of my own plant projects that there is the possibility of a Coloradoan twist to this seeded meadow thing:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AazQISLWB9eoMWopaezzgrc-edPWTicH1F92bTHpkCkkDdTAbAWWCJ6ItEXIZiRVWZ4-xfNGjX3NaLHuQU9T5mZdkqvqqB_iQwNUM-1zedLnDIP1gwsU_5f0XFUKF0gPTrl4PkY0x08Z/" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AazQISLWB9eoMWopaezzgrc-edPWTicH1F92bTHpkCkkDdTAbAWWCJ6ItEXIZiRVWZ4-xfNGjX3NaLHuQU9T5mZdkqvqqB_iQwNUM-1zedLnDIP1gwsU_5f0XFUKF0gPTrl4PkY0x08Z/w300-h400/IMG_2128.JPG" width="300" /></a></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">As an accident of a project in 2017, I used a few dumptrucks worth of clean, screened dirt to overdress the whole area before I seeded it with dog-friendly dry natives.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">Turned out that was what Hitchmough would call a “sowing mulch” and it really works.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">And then it all sunk back, with less attention, to the murky depths of my mind.</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPMMeForbz3H4K7kdmL_xfASsxJcQZ2PoBVoyUNT6DsTtvzcFokGzVCwBqwQ2NUoYZq5RYN9Y2g5bkP-8d0l_0eYbA9xXHOhfZfuGk-nLvMuXwMicoZYRzpmbadoU_ECSHlQIT1Yqca9D/" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="2048" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPMMeForbz3H4K7kdmL_xfASsxJcQZ2PoBVoyUNT6DsTtvzcFokGzVCwBqwQ2NUoYZq5RYN9Y2g5bkP-8d0l_0eYbA9xXHOhfZfuGk-nLvMuXwMicoZYRzpmbadoU_ECSHlQIT1Yqca9D/w200-h113/July+2018.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Until we bought our place, and just goofing around, I threw out several bags of old seed from old reveg projects.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPMMeForbz3H4K7kdmL_xfASsxJcQZ2PoBVoyUNT6DsTtvzcFokGzVCwBqwQ2NUoYZq5RYN9Y2g5bkP-8d0l_0eYbA9xXHOhfZfuGk-nLvMuXwMicoZYRzpmbadoU_ECSHlQIT1Yqca9D/" style="display: inline; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUH4BcXrpL5EixjP7X0SzlnQkq-6QfMyY82KdfNBSloyK5ef4EGr8v5unpbXgOQUcmPeatQPA5_eNJb3c6AD4ngIRr5yK3rizRm9ZSJ3qrdvAoBwPWs3_R8AYo-8LF9sQ6k3shA7TJxTv/" width="200" /></a></div><div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMknSpS54kRNHwRfD_9kUVCNZkWAcwASAdV1RsfxUXez4MimP_dA9gkxsENmnJ2-stxKzikwyLHgc7PpeH65fANFFynr0gwk3jX5iI_XStZDesv-HFUlgeB95BMdbO2PJecoSbAPuWKBg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1302" data-original-width="2048" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMknSpS54kRNHwRfD_9kUVCNZkWAcwASAdV1RsfxUXez4MimP_dA9gkxsENmnJ2-stxKzikwyLHgc7PpeH65fANFFynr0gwk3jX5iI_XStZDesv-HFUlgeB95BMdbO2PJecoSbAPuWKBg/w200-h127/april+2019.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(April 2019)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUH4BcXrpL5EixjP7X0SzlnQkq-6QfMyY82KdfNBSloyK5ef4EGr8v5unpbXgOQUcmPeatQPA5_eNJb3c6AD4ngIRr5yK3rizRm9ZSJ3qrdvAoBwPWs3_R8AYo-8LF9sQ6k3shA7TJxTv/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUH4BcXrpL5EixjP7X0SzlnQkq-6QfMyY82KdfNBSloyK5ef4EGr8v5unpbXgOQUcmPeatQPA5_eNJb3c6AD4ngIRr5yK3rizRm9ZSJ3qrdvAoBwPWs3_R8AYo-8LF9sQ6k3shA7TJxTv/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqdKi08ngtuRa-mnUie2MGGlVMHE8aeFPCdVn0LmW5orUdb7y8Vrm11kpQjHbbm_BtPkSl48n_FiwTM8xnaG-JCbEUhSR46b3X4Kl4QNQPy6cJHYy9wUxkJM3POwuVUeK9mdT4efLpNZh/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqdKi08ngtuRa-mnUie2MGGlVMHE8aeFPCdVn0LmW5orUdb7y8Vrm11kpQjHbbm_BtPkSl48n_FiwTM8xnaG-JCbEUhSR46b3X4Kl4QNQPy6cJHYy9wUxkJM3POwuVUeK9mdT4efLpNZh/" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(August 2019)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiweXLeoxR_QEzS9l3cnm_dNIB5fQHMEtkz9DXH-kpWZtw926WFdbB524Hww50IWXP-R_twqVJdYwgVRV4_efsp71vyl9wZrHraMVWOz9qXcnDsnNyZHV44amfiRqcPqWekVfdIwXnJnKK1/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiweXLeoxR_QEzS9l3cnm_dNIB5fQHMEtkz9DXH-kpWZtw926WFdbB524Hww50IWXP-R_twqVJdYwgVRV4_efsp71vyl9wZrHraMVWOz9qXcnDsnNyZHV44amfiRqcPqWekVfdIwXnJnKK1/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">And without water for two years, it did this:</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoW5zEdxMlfkKJUnWjj_OUBfodSnI8rq6GSaqvAAq0KbjF_tPfE7F8w2_YaNTBP03ebXVMAZn8KvuXfcd03W1yl9q4MbNF0Uz4OeTAp0yIuJ7am8ctH_IiETBYQuMQDllYVlyS0Df2yTs/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoW5zEdxMlfkKJUnWjj_OUBfodSnI8rq6GSaqvAAq0KbjF_tPfE7F8w2_YaNTBP03ebXVMAZn8KvuXfcd03W1yl9q4MbNF0Uz4OeTAp0yIuJ7am8ctH_IiETBYQuMQDllYVlyS0Df2yTs/w400-h400/IMG_1733.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(Baileya multiradiata, Mirabilis albida, Gaillardia aristata, Sporobolus airoides, Cucurbita foetidissima)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eiohjnKu9TvKL56m_dTBHbTCeGu97oCMyzNC97-mSHo_4o235MJUNgOFD1nMt5e1L-WU_j9TDKhuylkibsq4twfeQm7QKBk22w692w6E5_CsRoJLSHug4nt2PkbVb6BgcXDkVwkjwf8S/" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1eiohjnKu9TvKL56m_dTBHbTCeGu97oCMyzNC97-mSHo_4o235MJUNgOFD1nMt5e1L-WU_j9TDKhuylkibsq4twfeQm7QKBk22w692w6E5_CsRoJLSHug4nt2PkbVb6BgcXDkVwkjwf8S/" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">(Late May 2020)</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsE5UeeVOfCqT_ZtWmqAx_E-uh_ocBEhEiTRHOIq0chyphenhyphenhV2DdGMoBLXvRFz22ovrEUqtUHmiHp2z0vDbwbzSnT8-2SAg_mBHtF3ThPofWTa88uimvmEdqgPOI0taBudjmdwH7Kp2JuIwh/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsE5UeeVOfCqT_ZtWmqAx_E-uh_ocBEhEiTRHOIq0chyphenhyphenhV2DdGMoBLXvRFz22ovrEUqtUHmiHp2z0vDbwbzSnT8-2SAg_mBHtF3ThPofWTa88uimvmEdqgPOI0taBudjmdwH7Kp2JuIwh/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(September 2020, no rain since April.)</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">Then I noticed.</span></p></div></blockquote><div><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">You may say “There is a hitch. There is a trick, there must be a catch- because Fruita, Colorado only gets nine inches (230mm) of natural annual precipitation.” And you may be right- I’ve stared down into the bottoms of deep holes dug for nearby power lines, lamp-posts, and basements to see standing water about 6-8 feet (2-3m) down. Healthy trees growing without irrigation on occasional vacant lots are also testament to groundwater. So yes, I think there is some available to even surface plants.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Still, I am impressed when they bloomed right through a record hot summer. And I must know where the limits are.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Can it be made to work, reliably?</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Instead of this idea remaining a back-burnered fascination I’d dabble in from time to time, it lurched forward full-throttle. Several friends and clients, having seen our front<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>yard, asked me to try the same at their places this fall, and then I was overjoyed to find that the CSU Hort agent for Douglas County, John Murgel, is creating trial plots to investigate the feasibility of adapting the Hitchmough planting system to Colorado, to be left unirrigated, to boot. John reached out to me because he found I was the only one around crazy enough to be sinking so much time into testing this stuff out. So we’re comparing notes and he’s patiently teaching me spreadsheets as we bravely march into uncharted meadows.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">But at this point, we are three: our friend Kevin Williams, Horticulture Specialist, at Denver Botanic Gardens was probably the first forerunner in Colorado to precisely execute this sowing system three years ago along Josephine St, exposing the most critical adaptations that will be essential to make seeded meadows a thing in Colorado. </span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BgteAVPtpcuNEq9P6J8o0W4CjD1M9sRig6swj4Fc28HHstNOprfAqKy75qDcNUahlLa26E3coGWv0UazRoQDCWSoBwE9Lo_U3EJl3YYzGpuiPFkGozpazKA5mj2VYMxS8E24l_s0siLy/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BgteAVPtpcuNEq9P6J8o0W4CjD1M9sRig6swj4Fc28HHstNOprfAqKy75qDcNUahlLa26E3coGWv0UazRoQDCWSoBwE9Lo_U3EJl3YYzGpuiPFkGozpazKA5mj2VYMxS8E24l_s0siLy/" width="240" /></a></div><p></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">There is one huge crossover with crevice gardens.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">Planting media. I’ve been on the intensive search for years to find the perfect “goldilocks” mixture or perfect soil-replacement media to be the compost-free “dirt” to use within crevice gardens. It’s been a long trip. And I won’t wade into the details, yet. And I won’t tell you what I’ve found so far. But it seems like the perfect crevice garden media may also be the perfect "sowing mulch" for dry seed meadows.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Now, I’m not withholding latest discoveries in the best way to do these things- I’m choosing to not give unripened advice yet because these adapted techniques are still new and I’ll remain dubious of them until they truly prove themselves. But don’t worry, we’re working on it. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Why is this so damn exciting?</b></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Let’s face it, people don’t do stuff until it’s the easiest thing to do. Many studies and <a href="https://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/Departments/OSE/Categories/Landscape/garden-garden-2013.pdf">research projects</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> have shown that meadows beat lawns hands down, but successfully pressuring landowners and contractors to bother themselves to learn a new skill to build and maintain a meadow is only possible when the savings are <i>staggering enough. </i>You know it. Humans can be real sticks in the mud and cling to regression like a wart to a lip.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It is so early in the test phases that at least locally, I can only report my own back-of-napkin math:</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">An experimental plot I just did for a friend was <b>$2.51/square foot.</b> The average fancy xeriscape I did as a landscaper years ago ran about <b>$4.50/square foot.</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And I hardly made a living back then…</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Xerces Society reports that out East, a seeded meadow is 2/3 the cost to install, and less than a seventh of the maintenance cost, compared to turf: <a href="https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/19-052_MidAtlantic_Meadow_guidelines_web.pdf">Meadows versus Lawns</a> </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">If we can find a way to pull this off, this could save open-minded homeowners- not to mention city municipalities and corporate landscaping- tons of money.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>As a byproduct, which is of course what drives us biophiliacs: it’ll increase biodiversity, feed insects (and as a result, birds and other wildlife), reduce fossil fuels, and increase general goddamn beauty in these parts.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This could mean that there is an immediate monetary incentive to rip out large expanses of turf, especially in HOAs, road verges and municipal medians, and replace them with flower-filled crowd-pleasing bug buffets. There are real reasons that this hasn’t been done already, and this new planting system will weaken those reasons. Now that’s why I’m more than a little excited for it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">I think it’s what the dirt wants.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTsqVYsxrHR33XVWwsAAywLWPQr0X6iXI0K1BOfe0vajslIN0lKdp4clUoWpBLU8IQ_OGZl0-7PBhAZjn_gho7HSOgliJUrmXuSmzCPMPEYFbpDb4Z1u-JqbJKoxhp26ROp84d8EAwf1m/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTsqVYsxrHR33XVWwsAAywLWPQr0X6iXI0K1BOfe0vajslIN0lKdp4clUoWpBLU8IQ_OGZl0-7PBhAZjn_gho7HSOgliJUrmXuSmzCPMPEYFbpDb4Z1u-JqbJKoxhp26ROp84d8EAwf1m/w400-h225/P5080242.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p></div>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-90991673113781390092020-09-03T15:42:00.000-07:002020-09-03T15:42:08.381-07:00The Art of an Annex: Crevice Innovation in New Zealand<p> I told you so. </p><p>That the New Zealand rock gardeners would take crevice gardens into their own hands and innovate right away. While I was there, we did make plans for an extension of the crevice garden to span across the main path from its main seat in the heather garden to include a corner of the main rock garden which needed renovating anyhow, so we rationed some stone for that future project.</p><p>My friend Hamish sent me these pictures of what they recently did, and I'd like to point out some specifics of good art in its design, and some opinions of mine. All photos are his. There is a thorough write-up that recently came out in the printed <a href="https://www.nzags.com/">NZAGS</a> bulletin on the project. </p><p>They've also put out a really great<a href="https://befc5352-6846-4bd1-8f1a-41ae4e4e862c.filesusr.com/ugd/5751a4_9b4a2441c5b748dea5f68edc1248b556.pdf" target="_blank"> "How to make a small crevice garden" brochure</a>, something the world really needed (and why I hadn't done it already? I'm an idiot.) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBA_3plsBD5-8cH5-FBs4L2gszTQrSXn02KtRe7-DO2_JcQYCrbGJaoJ-mCUP_Tz2nZgQkqqq_U5FNAIL0ZNjVIqlx2s-RmZJfqpVoX1xh99qhc5NZ7taNVXmn8gmqolbJoQ84DE2u_7N/s640/IMG_3538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBA_3plsBD5-8cH5-FBs4L2gszTQrSXn02KtRe7-DO2_JcQYCrbGJaoJ-mCUP_Tz2nZgQkqqq_U5FNAIL0ZNjVIqlx2s-RmZJfqpVoX1xh99qhc5NZ7taNVXmn8gmqolbJoQ84DE2u_7N/w400-h300/IMG_3538.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So, this is the main Crevice Garden at the Christchurch botanic- the new annex is visible in the background next to the blue figure. (Looks like they've got some temporary ropes to keep folks off the bed- I've seen this so often that a new crevice garden is climbing-candy until plants have well grown and make it obvious that it's not a toy!)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VecMtMoeUzJkozZi7RqNJnUAcOS9u8l4bfWNca36fgPYwIarl6gFf06sBPHTecZteaTQW49NsjVbCmnx0UJuFqL943dQ77e_pl_Z-57AXsu3V0QulJvGE7PB1qWb8ryPK-SIQQWWGrcU/s640/IMG_3540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VecMtMoeUzJkozZi7RqNJnUAcOS9u8l4bfWNca36fgPYwIarl6gFf06sBPHTecZteaTQW49NsjVbCmnx0UJuFqL943dQ77e_pl_Z-57AXsu3V0QulJvGE7PB1qWb8ryPK-SIQQWWGrcU/w400-h300/IMG_3540.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">New annex in foreground, main installation in back.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpaIiI2-8wTdjklGoCpG2LnxMahqNIUPBqe9Bb5UY_ahwe1jaOtR3C3jIxCOj5Q17avgypYd9mHRzQLiut5-0ecu4_dVkUtFs901uyvhmh3ijh9u_01uk7dFknkYJS9lXPQSNLIoE95kg/s640/IMG_3543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpaIiI2-8wTdjklGoCpG2LnxMahqNIUPBqe9Bb5UY_ahwe1jaOtR3C3jIxCOj5Q17avgypYd9mHRzQLiut5-0ecu4_dVkUtFs901uyvhmh3ijh9u_01uk7dFknkYJS9lXPQSNLIoE95kg/w500-h375/IMG_3543.JPG" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What I wanted to discuss was this. Notice how it is :</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. Oriented with the "strata" of the other garden.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. the Annex is a massive shape that is about the same size and form as the big historic stones</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. The flat-topped stones in the path follow the logic...</div></blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbB0_4zfLqbiu_n1QjJxyjm7f_yry_tztGlsvNDHEpkyvqwDrGd0ON31x-tWYLB9fbbUNGAg3O-VnD7aVOyEx7dAsWBIZ9iju_OB0cwpuTJ95Jw5QBU3VDJD6fL-sRB8CQM9UQ0oXJ9XAi/s640/IMG_3546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbB0_4zfLqbiu_n1QjJxyjm7f_yry_tztGlsvNDHEpkyvqwDrGd0ON31x-tWYLB9fbbUNGAg3O-VnD7aVOyEx7dAsWBIZ9iju_OB0cwpuTJ95Jw5QBU3VDJD6fL-sRB8CQM9UQ0oXJ9XAi/w500-h375/IMG_3546.JPG" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now the path treatment is what I wanted to get editorial about. I love this. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>There has long been discussion on the ZZ-style of setting stones in the path through a crevice garden, oriented with the strata, but whose tops are flat for good foot use. The idea is that it looks like a human roadcut has been made through solid stone. It also offers great stability, adding a solid "footing" for rocks that make the base of the garden. It's also super useful as steps within a sloping crevice garden. It was my favorite part of my <a href="https://kentonjseth.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-new-crevice-garden-in-vail.html?m=1">last Vail project</a>, in fact.</div><div><br /></div><div>I agree with the concept, but what has bothered me is that it often appears in places that meet otherwise naturalistic, eroded-looking faces that "return" to the ground. And I would argue that in nature, an eroded cliff face like that dives underground and is buried by soil, not by mechanically cut rock surfaces. I've never liked where a nice crevice cliff meets a flat-creviced path. If a cliff did meet a cut path, then by that logic, the vertical cliff, too, would have been clean-cut (and in the few gardens where I've done this, that is how I treated it). Basically I feel that the path paved with stones is cute, and in-keeping, but not strictly really natural or necessarily artistic. If it were, it would have irregularity or some cue that it, too, is a naturalistic stone, rather than a novel patio paving that sort-of matches the rock garden. It usually looks to me like there were leftover rocks that needed disposal. </div><div><br /></div><div>BUT, here is where it works for me. And very well. Here, the natural cliffs return to the ground and it meets gravel chipped surface, suggesting the rest of the form is buried underground, but where we see the path-grade flat crevice surface, it look every bit like it was a solid mass- that was cut for the path. It's even the shape of a big sliver of rock. I love this so much. It's so well done. What is more (bonus art points as far as I'm concerned) it functions in the design of the garden as an eye-catch for the passerby on that wide main path who is looking at the ground and cruising through the park on their way to work. (Wide/strait paths lend themselves to fast walking) It catches the ground-level eye and draws a shoe-staring viewer to look at the garden that flanks them welcomely. I love it. </div><div><br /></div>We're going to have to get to work, and hard! - the New Zealanders are putting us to shame!Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-78528769911666964612020-08-26T18:17:00.002-07:002020-08-26T18:17:49.489-07:00The Prickly Thrift seed problem<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4d3tiduXjXrWjCvc2Dr_yw2oM1RCSdc1YS-wIgYI5sCpcsFcWBUA2ZmwXiGdp4xK-1kRKuORBqTCfL16E36eG1G4MByZJoDFjqFZej4IDZOKjLtvhqV-lw2_UUK7hhAOia7G9ZA7vMRz/s2048/IMG_3485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4d3tiduXjXrWjCvc2Dr_yw2oM1RCSdc1YS-wIgYI5sCpcsFcWBUA2ZmwXiGdp4xK-1kRKuORBqTCfL16E36eG1G4MByZJoDFjqFZej4IDZOKjLtvhqV-lw2_UUK7hhAOia7G9ZA7vMRz/s640/IMG_3485.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Acantholimon caesarium, </i>sold by <a href="https://arrowheadalpines.com/">Arrowhead Alpines</a> and growing at <a href="https://kentonjseth.blogspot.com/2019/06/big-news-plural.html">APEX</a>.</div><p></p><p>As a drooling young rock gardener, I was told time and time again by the old timers that <i>Acantholimon </i>seed was always 95% empty, infertile seed, for some mysterious reason. I even saw a botanical illustration once that pointed to the dried out flower and called it the seed. Everyone has a story about it: never growing from seed they got from exchanges, only growing from certain czech seed hunters' seed, et cetera. And everyone had a different explanation for why they were rare from seed, leaving most to be grown from cuttings. And yet you'd see the odd seed volunteer plant appearing here and there in folks' gardens.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXugR7GBFyiNOUANJwNoXRxYhBBFyV4rySD6RAzLXwPBPbBqEkvO5dX15eBHIeTpWCckDggBcEbzG-M_oJ4YauuyKwsq37GG2lWn165OkrkTTkaHfe1Fp32-hJvmILaxVaTsanCbVhbnOI/s2048/a+armenum+clifton.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXugR7GBFyiNOUANJwNoXRxYhBBFyV4rySD6RAzLXwPBPbBqEkvO5dX15eBHIeTpWCckDggBcEbzG-M_oJ4YauuyKwsq37GG2lWn165OkrkTTkaHfe1Fp32-hJvmILaxVaTsanCbVhbnOI/s640/a+armenum+clifton.JPG" /></a></p><p>(Soft pink flowers of <i>Acantholimon armenum</i> are gracefully replaced by similar white clayx which are generously full of lies and disappointment. None of these have been fertile, ever.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Fifteen years later:</p><p>I've beat my head into this wall for long enough to share this:</p><p>Some plants produce mostly good seed, others none. Most produce little. I expect it is a pollination thing- is there a bug with the right sized lips or tongue or whatever to do the deed? When I looked into it, I found just one paper in turkish about sweat bees pollinating them, but at APEX, <i>Acantholimon halophilum </i>is covered with mostly honeybees and a few others. Those plants usually produce loads of good seed, last year was an exception. Also, perhaps importantly, it may be necessary for there to be more than one <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonesome_George">lonesome-george </a>plant so they can pollinate one another. This is conjecture. </p><p>Whatever the case, the good news is this: you can check and see if seed is viable- with a plump embryo and endosperm. You need a pudgy parachute. Rumour and oral history says a czech seed hunter used the term "pregnant ballerinas" to describe the look of a good seed. It's just visible. But even better, just smush off the papery calyx from the seed and see if it has the goods:</p><p>A thing that looks the size, shape, and color of a black rice grain. Now you know. I wish I'd known years ago.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_5H4l0XVqwu-fR_WGUuy-bPXWCazJtg5PC1PM5UiE0fAXxcPe17gTNZdWmBQXefM6z92Bm2z7Q8KZkJtq81Q6pZ3uz4Ae04hOVIUSG5qtRlGq3cfAgQkf3WGRwCxE29p37wejqHRAylZ/s2048/P1010039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_5H4l0XVqwu-fR_WGUuy-bPXWCazJtg5PC1PM5UiE0fAXxcPe17gTNZdWmBQXefM6z92Bm2z7Q8KZkJtq81Q6pZ3uz4Ae04hOVIUSG5qtRlGq3cfAgQkf3WGRwCxE29p37wejqHRAylZ/s640/P1010039.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><i>Acantholimon </i>seed. See two good ones and something that isn't, on the left. On the right, three familiar entire seed contraptions- two look full and promising and the middle/lower one looks empty. <br /><p>That's it.</p><p>Thanks to <a href="https://www.indefenseofplants.com/podcast/2019/5/5/ep-211-the-botanical-treasures-of-steppes">Mike Bone</a> at DBG for being the last person I bugged about this and confirming what I thought I'd figured out.</p><p>Now you can grow out sweet little pots of seedlings like Bill Adams' in the picture, or avoid empty pots resulting from empty seed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdt0TBlVw_E4GMKSz13m0s8BnmWfINBA6NQneHlVhBb5WfYFGp05GRzGB4ezvJHY90OoDgnPIlmAJTL1ZXizrE5tJ8ZqvzS80ZgNApl3duQRY73QQ4kzG2u47H_2HIPwi04_LmRdbeJccJ/s2048/IMG_3888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdt0TBlVw_E4GMKSz13m0s8BnmWfINBA6NQneHlVhBb5WfYFGp05GRzGB4ezvJHY90OoDgnPIlmAJTL1ZXizrE5tJ8ZqvzS80ZgNApl3duQRY73QQ4kzG2u47H_2HIPwi04_LmRdbeJccJ/s640/IMG_3888.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-85521286118050193842020-08-26T17:33:00.002-07:002020-08-26T17:46:22.931-07:00Seven Recipes for Baking your Ornamental Fescues<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> Do you love ornamental fescues? The garden varieties are wonderful little clumps of evergreen softness. They seem like the perfect entourage for any meadow plants, and I’m really into meadows right now. So I need that. Like a sweet tooth.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But I’ve long observed large commercial plantings of Festuca ‘Boulder Blue’ and his brothers just die off after a few years- they just don’t seem to live very long, especially down here in a hot desert valley. It seems they do better in the mountain towns of Colorado, and even Denver and Fort Collins. But I cannot live without some fescue action. Lots of it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So here let me share what I’ve learned about them. For reference, all of these I'm comparing are irrigated once a week in summer, less in spring/fall, no exceptions. Here are the seven taxa I’ve tried in this oven we call the Grand Valley:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Festuca ovina</i></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Festuca arizonica</i></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Festuca saximontana</i></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Festuca amethystina</i></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Festuca glauca '</i>Beyond Blue'</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Festuca mairei</i></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Festica ovina </i>‘Eiler’s Beauty’</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylfdnTCZpu0OtubMbZnB_esmos-hOqI88OFVo-rEL1zR_8fFoiVu0TL5iKVfhtpAylgu_goQWhsUXrYbzm9ezJYXL4W-q0omEw5_FRcS_p-xow1i0_Jc2ouapfndAqk8olDleLQLpcJoN/s2048/IMG_1270.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylfdnTCZpu0OtubMbZnB_esmos-hOqI88OFVo-rEL1zR_8fFoiVu0TL5iKVfhtpAylgu_goQWhsUXrYbzm9ezJYXL4W-q0omEw5_FRcS_p-xow1i0_Jc2ouapfndAqk8olDleLQLpcJoN/s640/IMG_1270.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Festuca ovina seems to do well with dryness and part shade. Its seed is cheap. It has a lovely delicate stature just under a foot. I was even a star performer in unwatered landscapes in their first year. But year 2 or 3.... POOF! Gone. It doesn't replace itself with seedlings reliably enough for that not to be a serious problem. In the mountains it has been a stalwart weed suppressor and living for years and years.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1CvEcKGsrIsM5WXatFDw2aqwNX5rVSZ-J5j4S6NjXlmD1Oqk4TbmDH-3Z0M08vXbjJvXHhKXimDHATa2COchqZo_uI1NoERqiI-9iBJ-tyGZ4Tg1QORYA15yiHQEpPZq2d8yVcpHvHdn/s2048/IMG_1269.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1CvEcKGsrIsM5WXatFDw2aqwNX5rVSZ-J5j4S6NjXlmD1Oqk4TbmDH-3Z0M08vXbjJvXHhKXimDHATa2COchqZo_uI1NoERqiI-9iBJ-tyGZ4Tg1QORYA15yiHQEpPZq2d8yVcpHvHdn/s640/IMG_1269.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is <i>Festuca saximontata,</i> seed grown, at its best year two. It's being useful inside the compost bin about now. The thing is, Grand Junction, I believe, crosses a threshold of heat that is just too much for some plants. If it does not outright kill them, it slows them way down, keeps them from ever amounting to much, or slams the gas pedal down on their aging process. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This species might be the worst one for dying young in this climate.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Dry" in the mountains means something different than "dry" down here when it is 100F (38C) for weeks, and no rain for months. And I am certain plants notice. <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK8ghnjYy-EBLpNbfR3_tDNidyjuH2XLX6dqQItjaSu7FSZAIPUaT_GscW2uJByFENP52375rVy5wCfeKoq09_duNKdIvD-Wvj5VBhdb-SXiz-DSI6vLbiPku-OT3sdkC4Kfm14ss90aE/s2048/P8250335.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK8ghnjYy-EBLpNbfR3_tDNidyjuH2XLX6dqQItjaSu7FSZAIPUaT_GscW2uJByFENP52375rVy5wCfeKoq09_duNKdIvD-Wvj5VBhdb-SXiz-DSI6vLbiPku-OT3sdkC4Kfm14ss90aE/s640/P8250335.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">It's easy to get <i>Festuca amethystina </i> mixed up with <i>ovina</i>; but this one has a certain purple cast to the leaves. It's still in its youth, so I'm avoiding a love affair with it until it proves itself. I do like the sparser blooming so that colorful neighboring flowers or its own rich leaves are not hidden.<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Say a little prayer for the lifespan of tufted fescue.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt19dbOfbuTF8GAc07Trq3-_JYiK4Xe2vESG1TLtJqFB3JYw0_P7-D9CohOKEbBFJHXLZp84b1fY_wxTb6p_SHj69Wgb24hU-lkCdlcVag_c9G10UGH79PU6lcXYuwF2hyphenhyphenqzsyaReusZp3/s2048/IMG_1271.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt19dbOfbuTF8GAc07Trq3-_JYiK4Xe2vESG1TLtJqFB3JYw0_P7-D9CohOKEbBFJHXLZp84b1fY_wxTb6p_SHj69Wgb24hU-lkCdlcVag_c9G10UGH79PU6lcXYuwF2hyphenhyphenqzsyaReusZp3/s640/IMG_1271.JPG" width="640" /></a></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But lo! Who is this handsome beast!?</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7lgOv5RHFDzkYLBnEtEyAw2U2FW1ciHKuZIE1Vj4NrV6x_Oq5UekJ1wx9qvYuOTJB6fYNZj1FZF3gUjyyjnAd9i0pYrmYEUf-v32CkcBwHTzZNKdF9Pp7K3A7C4t0ue1i3xxFLIpuhxG/s2048/P8250336.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7lgOv5RHFDzkYLBnEtEyAw2U2FW1ciHKuZIE1Vj4NrV6x_Oq5UekJ1wx9qvYuOTJB6fYNZj1FZF3gUjyyjnAd9i0pYrmYEUf-v32CkcBwHTzZNKdF9Pp7K3A7C4t0ue1i3xxFLIpuhxG/s640/P8250336.JPG" width="640" /></a><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Who is this generous fountain of flower, this urgent urchin, this dense denizen, this total rockstar? This is a selection of <i>Festuca ovina </i>from Turkey called 'Eiler's Beauty.' </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIir7_4TReDFMBqYkuyo7FGULHuQM3dwRiyALuSZ2MwjrfIKwngD0vvM0P1-K_jJ4FPeSNGEX3tcqn2_PDdfVy5rDTfeEnCG4t6VXd7rmXDqGebmQDbu4RAUjU0wBmn2K5Heqpa8gQAzG/s2048/P8250337.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIir7_4TReDFMBqYkuyo7FGULHuQM3dwRiyALuSZ2MwjrfIKwngD0vvM0P1-K_jJ4FPeSNGEX3tcqn2_PDdfVy5rDTfeEnCG4t6VXd7rmXDqGebmQDbu4RAUjU0wBmn2K5Heqpa8gQAzG/s640/P8250337.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just compare 'Eiler's Beauty' (left) to a regular sheep fescue <i>Festuca ovina </i>(right). So much flower power.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So far, this guy has not died yet. It's now two years past the cutoff point that throws the others in the bodybag. I really hope it keeps going. If it dies at seven years, I think I'll be OK with that.</div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWcA4aHaOIy8DCZhO18ZxpTveBFq6aZKUsFIFxZza7Am3MwaF1kxV-97HLs399bwuWakV0JvR8DgNxPh7R6vdjcAO-lzAlRTSPFab8hfzbBf0XnxLsP6Cyr0BmL9qvMIhoMrC4nf76hHz/s2048/P8250340.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWcA4aHaOIy8DCZhO18ZxpTveBFq6aZKUsFIFxZza7Am3MwaF1kxV-97HLs399bwuWakV0JvR8DgNxPh7R6vdjcAO-lzAlRTSPFab8hfzbBf0XnxLsP6Cyr0BmL9qvMIhoMrC4nf76hHz/s640/P8250340.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Its smallness has made it my first grass to trial as a steppe garden/rock garden transition grass, because it can cast tiny shadows on cushion plants huddled under it without smothering them. I have long wanted to replicate the conditions of a wild steppe with the open spacing between clump grasses, wondering if it created a special environment for some of the more elusive steppe plants, especially rot-prone geophytes. </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4UqgxzuwmqOPTfKbg23bNpB3wLZhBsj_QZwoLlSTpbTbMITbklLGbFlyXpmor0lAKKHK4qscH1PwvsASS_dq49dO8OnHdTMKxPrNpS-NysZfeRSFoHL5x0fzgzSdErjQ74b_UHoNpErk/s2048/P8250341.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4UqgxzuwmqOPTfKbg23bNpB3wLZhBsj_QZwoLlSTpbTbMITbklLGbFlyXpmor0lAKKHK4qscH1PwvsASS_dq49dO8OnHdTMKxPrNpS-NysZfeRSFoHL5x0fzgzSdErjQ74b_UHoNpErk/s640/P8250341.JPG" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Festuca glauca <a href="https://ecgrowers.com/blog/two-fescues-the-roots-of-the-blues/">'Beyond Blue'</a> </i> is indeed more blue that other blue urchin things widely on the market. I don't know that we really need yet another, bluer blue, brighter light, louder speaker, faster car, bigger house, taller skyscraper, oranger orange, longer johnson or whatever to make life better- the <u><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmfzwwrCrrU" target="_blank">wizards</a></b></u> are always at work. Whatever. It does of course compliment orange Kniphofia (probably 'Papaya Creamsicle' or yet another over-the-top ridiculous name for a decent plant as seems tradition.) </div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaECiEF7oL1U6oitDoU4u070PWGlgXQUqtQk-rqwatGN0M_nNvNsjFi3XBwwH170ie9Q91MchoKwkXRS-krt7Tm6NiLUvKzlrpFIpLQHBYAQmOUhS-JkAsAx1X9unQ679UUiP_uA605d1/s2048/P8250344.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaECiEF7oL1U6oitDoU4u070PWGlgXQUqtQk-rqwatGN0M_nNvNsjFi3XBwwH170ie9Q91MchoKwkXRS-krt7Tm6NiLUvKzlrpFIpLQHBYAQmOUhS-JkAsAx1X9unQ679UUiP_uA605d1/s640/P8250344.JPG" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oooooo, oh lordy. The first season for <i>Festica arizonica, </i>it develops a very fine, very clean limey-green tussock of leaves that makes the common Mexican Feathergrass (<i>Nasella tenuissima) </i> seem like an unrefined mutt. For a month or more, everyone asked what it was, in a garden of hundreds of plants. Then the flowers come out, looking a little wilder and natural and less formal, sending the plant dancing into the garden's background with arms waving comfortably in light breezes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdF396PIZkpJjmky_5qD7plNOKVM1P-4Cafl7rmqLdsh1xuuOWuV_h82U9Njam5OrT1tfwBh6Uao3J1whZ4B26ygkek_9_MC8SwmprYIb1w1O38lBOntrJYqMkI7jsPS8l2umIzKHhuQU8/w184-h328/P8250338.JPG" style="text-align: left;" width="184" /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But then, year 2 or 3, the ratio of dead to living leaves slides down that slippery slope... </span><span style="font-family: arial;">But you love it and you remember its glory days, so you keep it </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">just in case it's still alive.</span></div><br /></blockquote><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjrfHFCGQgIXC7vMTwPpgN2_SH2YHTgXS-exjVYB-xTRafehq9qGWEhC602h5OjjvCppSi7GiE8DpIhiif1k6h3sqTv_bzOPQZwwo8X8soPOPqJhOXUrLzG5BAtXCnSWV62DLktoj0Hta/s2048/IMG_8653.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjrfHFCGQgIXC7vMTwPpgN2_SH2YHTgXS-exjVYB-xTRafehq9qGWEhC602h5OjjvCppSi7GiE8DpIhiif1k6h3sqTv_bzOPQZwwo8X8soPOPqJhOXUrLzG5BAtXCnSWV62DLktoj0Hta/s640/IMG_8653.JPG" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I assumed it was fully winter dormant here, but in the third spring when fescues are supposed to turn green, this, the specimen that originally hooked my heart to them, did not wake up. I tried burning a few to see if that would stimulate something. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cute. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">No. Dead is dead.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They've all eventually done this. Damn.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiQ9T0rHAdcoxekaYPGI_kXJF84fVGeOdWMbdW8okiL27xIq5GiaL_vPoV9OMUdwdbzOn1fQXzUr-PjtM7NKxjuONSBK5bJrkXevnhyphenhyphen3EYmB9LrlC6TBN8iH7cHjy2rtfJu26U2c2sY4V/s2048/P8250334.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiQ9T0rHAdcoxekaYPGI_kXJF84fVGeOdWMbdW8okiL27xIq5GiaL_vPoV9OMUdwdbzOn1fQXzUr-PjtM7NKxjuONSBK5bJrkXevnhyphenhyphen3EYmB9LrlC6TBN8iH7cHjy2rtfJu26U2c2sY4V/s640/P8250334.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luckily, there is one more reliable species to discuss in this otherwise mostly disappointing poop show. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But it's big. 3' (1m) or more wide. </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Festuca mairei </i><span style="font-family: arial;">is the Atlas Fescue. Basically a green and improved version of blue oat grass </span><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=helictotrichon+sempervirens&sxsrf=ALeKk03BlWFaBdVsB5orgbR_-ntK0Q0sUg:1598487210339&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwirlObyjLrrAhWHHDQIHX1rDaoQ_AUoAXoECBcQAw&biw=1591&bih=993">(Helictotrichon sempervirens)</a> </i><span style="font-family: arial;">It lives forever, it's evergreen, it tolerates dryness, and tolerates shade better than any other grass I've grown in Colorado. It is a graceful thing that my photo doesn't betray, and gets more graceful with age. It is a structural backbone plant that holds the garden together like the bass and cellos in an orchestra, never standing out with the bright melody. Being evergreen, there is no room for weeds or little flowers under it, only things like tall lilies or foxtail lilies. Why it is rare in commerce is beyond me.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, I have grow <i>F. idahoensis</i> and a few others like it in the past and I need to try them again and pay attention to their longevity. I'll let you know what happens. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Until then, seek out the Atlas Fescue if you need a shrub-like grass, and let's cross our fingers that 'Eiler's Beauty' keeps jammin' on:</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSRCjIzkR_aEOe2VST5SP2Ciuzh5r96XYhsb99bCepKLGnvPIL-e0CIMqbT3gtlokg4l6djg3pMQ59beu0kSOdxGVbuVSmsas1Mz0YLHeNabzKWnsZMBrLzz2neB6xfjQI7_-wEo8_iA5/s2048/P8250346.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSRCjIzkR_aEOe2VST5SP2Ciuzh5r96XYhsb99bCepKLGnvPIL-e0CIMqbT3gtlokg4l6djg3pMQ59beu0kSOdxGVbuVSmsas1Mz0YLHeNabzKWnsZMBrLzz2neB6xfjQI7_-wEo8_iA5/s640/P8250346.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p></div></div>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-78482323401464266432020-05-30T12:22:00.004-07:002020-05-30T12:40:26.884-07:00A new Crevice Garden in Vail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZA2majn-EpsUFY_nOnJ7_FbcTK9n50pMZuHuUmkTQRYRp-3f9eanx6D2JJ2N7nZrMcKtPzT4OQzmVrXYSGhHYdkWZiJmcDeZoxsI-A2qjmQ-fSPDMDaxfTrnRrGBjNduHnKiWqJdqjMy/s1600/IMG_0074.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZA2majn-EpsUFY_nOnJ7_FbcTK9n50pMZuHuUmkTQRYRp-3f9eanx6D2JJ2N7nZrMcKtPzT4OQzmVrXYSGhHYdkWZiJmcDeZoxsI-A2qjmQ-fSPDMDaxfTrnRrGBjNduHnKiWqJdqjMy/s400/IMG_0074.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Many gardeners are deeply familiar with the small yet rich, dramatic, and beautiful <a href="https://bettyfordalpinegardens.org/">Betty Ford Alpine Garden</a> just off of I-70 in Vail, CO.<br />
<br />
It was the first place I saw a crevice garden- a small, low feature, but it still stuck with me.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3DomTfJU2YaOOaxxQgu7tImRRiewFEGjm_FWlZX49wALQIK7GKuwwD0guH1_YWuryiwHLrQVovcWH29TPT_UID7GO0hk6LfAR6nl8bkOaPLAJyq7uHRZUJc7UZc1Tl3DJZeBuFusR2Eq/s1600/IMG_9965.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3DomTfJU2YaOOaxxQgu7tImRRiewFEGjm_FWlZX49wALQIK7GKuwwD0guH1_YWuryiwHLrQVovcWH29TPT_UID7GO0hk6LfAR6nl8bkOaPLAJyq7uHRZUJc7UZc1Tl3DJZeBuFusR2Eq/s200/IMG_9965.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
The stinging Caiophora coronata in their alpine house.<br />
<br />
Now, working for their curator Nick Courtens, I got to collaborate in putting in a new Caucasus Mts themed Crevice Garden.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7MSNic5BfpJsr2aJBk4FQLsE1MHIoIZEAh56bFP2TOZIHdGPzQGn-x4Y4YiHqD5RZFU-Fky2auNsrpc0pXvZA3Z49RG6fuESsKjcJwiLf38FxvDH9lpxeit-JTl7fwZrQ-qqdMwbkHu-/s1600/IMG_0045.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7MSNic5BfpJsr2aJBk4FQLsE1MHIoIZEAh56bFP2TOZIHdGPzQGn-x4Y4YiHqD5RZFU-Fky2auNsrpc0pXvZA3Z49RG6fuESsKjcJwiLf38FxvDH9lpxeit-JTl7fwZrQ-qqdMwbkHu-/s320/IMG_0045.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We used around 15 to 17 tons of surface sandstone harvested from far southeast Colorado. We also used a silty soil mix with a little compost and a a lot of chipped gravel to help lock it into the deep crevices we created. The largest stones weighed a bit over a ton, and these were brought in by small front-end loader and mini excavator. A one-ton sandstone boulder is much larger than a granite one.<br />
<br />
I tried to challenge myself in a few ways with this- to use forced perspective to make the garden appear even deeper and longer than it is by placing the largest stones closer to the main path. We also integrated steps for a bit of a goat path that connects visitors to a small forested path up slope in back and the nearby Japanese-style contemplation garden with its iconic "floating rock." I loved the "goat paths" in czech rock gardens which allow the able-footed to embed themselves within the garden.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jVwkjXCPCJzPc73xgTUZvX5hyphenhyphenONR6Xh-4vduwgObxnDUDKtrqu_Hnm0oCAo48VB85v1OIiSLpsJpT3zYAKzGjxUJWEBbPa-Ik1kFM_I96lXMpgxidlRTTBidXNodbc27ReLVzK24T-5O/s1600/IMG_0056.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jVwkjXCPCJzPc73xgTUZvX5hyphenhyphenONR6Xh-4vduwgObxnDUDKtrqu_Hnm0oCAo48VB85v1OIiSLpsJpT3zYAKzGjxUJWEBbPa-Ik1kFM_I96lXMpgxidlRTTBidXNodbc27ReLVzK24T-5O/s320/IMG_0056.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<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/AVvXsEinl5739bF1wHAv9z0TAbzjVRvcI9KfwIt_CIc5UKYVv7OjrBBWF20D92jGgads3DEP1yPUYWKhZQkjUpBk1eSqDNYKPIDMBZzhIHP16prW4iUzZ9yMtqglolOhdm3EgEleyC6ntxCMO1Bf/s1600/IMG_0082.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinl5739bF1wHAv9z0TAbzjVRvcI9KfwIt_CIc5UKYVv7OjrBBWF20D92jGgads3DEP1yPUYWKhZQkjUpBk1eSqDNYKPIDMBZzhIHP16prW4iUzZ9yMtqglolOhdm3EgEleyC6ntxCMO1Bf/s320/IMG_0082.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> (Socially-distanced!) </span>Group photo courtesy of Nick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our very mixed crew was wonderful, including <a href="https://prairiebreak.blogspot.com/2020/01/rock-gardens-rock.html">Domenique</a> from Colorado Springs, who provides the garden with its recent excellent sturdy concrete troughs (I have two Dom troughs myself) . His german background infuses him with a genuine european rock garden culture and we loved having his volunteer help.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
In a similar effort to the Christchurch, NZ, design, here were were trying to incorporate a new exhibit into and existing garden, and so I used some similar strategies. We left large pockets of open soil between mounds to blur the line between crevice and open soil. We also created forms which look like giant boulders themselves so that there could be stand-alone mounds nearby and across paths that relate. These softly rectangular shapes were inspired by the eroded rock itself, trying to suppress what might otherwise be the over-strong linear pattern of vertical crevice design in the context.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vYRjuIrzPEs6vqhyi01p52QQUzzrAGbYMGcFdXuqndMiU1RKQwWZarW9O9qlgjxsuVjJ0lK0hx6HrkHRABVbSQk7sQCB0kFHbzFwGmuDartZHqKKSmfZaLh-GRZL7Sf5F5xhHoqoQPpl/s1600/IMG_9971.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vYRjuIrzPEs6vqhyi01p52QQUzzrAGbYMGcFdXuqndMiU1RKQwWZarW9O9qlgjxsuVjJ0lK0hx6HrkHRABVbSQk7sQCB0kFHbzFwGmuDartZHqKKSmfZaLh-GRZL7Sf5F5xhHoqoQPpl/s320/IMG_9971.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwa6WnAWbzVDRxBeL3CL-LQQv8ZQfvZgwCqWNhGR7Kfizzopfk7dgVTA70zkqHiY34CMDlxD6bjK82Nh48lkMhLR-YTis7Y5KubwxvSD0UQFdfHeSyCCGzSy-aloKoJhjyYN3QCQMobccA/s1600/IMG_9977.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwa6WnAWbzVDRxBeL3CL-LQQv8ZQfvZgwCqWNhGR7Kfizzopfk7dgVTA70zkqHiY34CMDlxD6bjK82Nh48lkMhLR-YTis7Y5KubwxvSD0UQFdfHeSyCCGzSy-aloKoJhjyYN3QCQMobccA/s320/IMG_9977.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZskDjAyYj2cw6CDc1vYoqPmYjH8EGD0G6OKx7FkoOhhNJEPY2As3CUUFpW2FA9SkkR460xEx-fOT6YtueXDt7XIHhScxaMffElcNhWuEzoLmdqFdHyvZ7EZ9MALpoPH_GEI90eO10AAMq/s1600/IMG_9982.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZskDjAyYj2cw6CDc1vYoqPmYjH8EGD0G6OKx7FkoOhhNJEPY2As3CUUFpW2FA9SkkR460xEx-fOT6YtueXDt7XIHhScxaMffElcNhWuEzoLmdqFdHyvZ7EZ9MALpoPH_GEI90eO10AAMq/s320/IMG_9982.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfZrK6RZJ0SINDxphn-ghVhd9cvp3XeEXo-jzCkPf37mxgg3bJYRBiTjl5ctJsH3-aulNImXuEO3UKvZG-PjrHB0n0AUfURDqafOb2eTr01O7UOu2ViwD5kMxqEjpPOT5vL8HuK5iiekv/s1600/IMG_9985.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfZrK6RZJ0SINDxphn-ghVhd9cvp3XeEXo-jzCkPf37mxgg3bJYRBiTjl5ctJsH3-aulNImXuEO3UKvZG-PjrHB0n0AUfURDqafOb2eTr01O7UOu2ViwD5kMxqEjpPOT5vL8HuK5iiekv/s320/IMG_9985.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDi9AwhxjRZI427F_qnFkQiEvLOZvgkdwI9YuKKKqwq0wBzNloz8SBaUjjsgzOSJ_y9y2GkgJ2PlYqET3R0WNeMt9hzWKZbHWJwS3QBKXa8OvAzbAUZYnsvQ01Q_myS4f0PeVDQFktMA5/s1600/IMG_0060.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDi9AwhxjRZI427F_qnFkQiEvLOZvgkdwI9YuKKKqwq0wBzNloz8SBaUjjsgzOSJ_y9y2GkgJ2PlYqET3R0WNeMt9hzWKZbHWJwS3QBKXa8OvAzbAUZYnsvQ01Q_myS4f0PeVDQFktMA5/s320/IMG_0060.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We built a wide variety of crevice sizes, from paper-thin ones formed by the mere texture of the rock, to 6" (15cm) wide slots. Some are two feet deep. I expect for such deep crevices filled with a true silty soil, there will be wild settling next winter.<br />
<br />
Of course, you can't put in a garden without hitting your main irrigation line and having to repair it.<br />
And there must be at least one inconvenient rain.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WCKMPIYbU2unHJj_mtS4c7P6IzJHPgjrDHotpH7amE6YxZltiefa2TNRx9I5Xweun7y1ng0bTvAqCZdK9G46h754XyhOEBFyqvVij-1qJk7Uy9-OWPuKK9ZPcLJvR30P9LZ2vjFEbz-9/s1600/IMG_9973.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WCKMPIYbU2unHJj_mtS4c7P6IzJHPgjrDHotpH7amE6YxZltiefa2TNRx9I5Xweun7y1ng0bTvAqCZdK9G46h754XyhOEBFyqvVij-1qJk7Uy9-OWPuKK9ZPcLJvR30P9LZ2vjFEbz-9/s400/IMG_9973.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"The Silk Road" Garden</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The Betty Ford already has a handful of Floristically regional gardens- South Africa, Silk Road, and Himalayan, for example. The Caucasus are not the most fashionable places where seed is hunted and flowers are celebrated right now, but they have been in the past. The Caucasus is the epicenter of the richest diversity in the bellflower family.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitqZgMTqUckggpxDNnma2HC0_8QQfzZSMNbmgPO7ffvHzHnP-tSFBcro_72XM7XeUUAdIzUcrIX95SOaj5nwryXZc_fGhm9SZYgZA8QMOKQKP1aHjt2nqMC7v7XYNMsxzbW61hqlztjXxQ/s1600/IMG_9494.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitqZgMTqUckggpxDNnma2HC0_8QQfzZSMNbmgPO7ffvHzHnP-tSFBcro_72XM7XeUUAdIzUcrIX95SOaj5nwryXZc_fGhm9SZYgZA8QMOKQKP1aHjt2nqMC7v7XYNMsxzbW61hqlztjXxQ/s320/IMG_9494.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I myself even brought back <i>Campanula petrophila</i> seed from my time there exactly ten years ago. I identified it using a volume of an old Israeli-translated "The Flora of the USSR" in the Denver Botanic's library.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEKj3EgndxgYt86mhmHduvrHKSvXvQ4LI8SMe7A0F1SPjMlTo_pue2U7ESMrw4QpYMi_FVao79oBPbTEbQ4_HZf0zRUl44SfqcZlIFrTzPHs7R9Lj8dwTpTT3-Q1VWSvT8eHUzAkP5oj1/s1600/IMG_0065.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEKj3EgndxgYt86mhmHduvrHKSvXvQ4LI8SMe7A0F1SPjMlTo_pue2U7ESMrw4QpYMi_FVao79oBPbTEbQ4_HZf0zRUl44SfqcZlIFrTzPHs7R9Lj8dwTpTT3-Q1VWSvT8eHUzAkP5oj1/s200/IMG_0065.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Collin pays homage to the Czechs!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3GIfzZPWMz_ZY2LhLHg2bt2ru41zxmRfQgx1MmahT79JfdiSSwBPTXaGVMgudL3IbFfwE-MmdD-YNCmNU-N57E9TrH2ShGczjPgtw2YCL9UkR7IIjsShQ1lhPwFRB0rRxPXYO-XGEsQE/s1600/IMG_9964.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3GIfzZPWMz_ZY2LhLHg2bt2ru41zxmRfQgx1MmahT79JfdiSSwBPTXaGVMgudL3IbFfwE-MmdD-YNCmNU-N57E9TrH2ShGczjPgtw2YCL9UkR7IIjsShQ1lhPwFRB0rRxPXYO-XGEsQE/s200/IMG_9964.JPG" width="200" /></a>I expect Nick's newly implemented cold frames will provide the bulk of plants over the years for this garden.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Until then, treat yourself and visit to the ever-changing Betty Ford Alpine Garden.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxon6w980exrVM0IeUizRa3uCQcDSJ06ZjTGMxUKZCvNTrz2FSs7GinXjM13s7Ci2V-YF10IuPxqlbA24rWug' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-16979786623637599922020-04-16T23:01:00.004-07:002020-04-16T23:02:42.592-07:00A Short Dogma of Growing Paintbrush<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3rRikyOS87SFtdCK1z5iNTexYtnQhE54GSpZw3RpoSPKoJdnW8cu1RCh5a-RI5TPtVKxwZI2h2l5-utsvPLudAXnOCE3kBO8GCfIVw1li6Sek-r367f9JSrRGX3x4dPX8lgRCqE3a_-T/s1600/IMG_20170725_141008_551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3rRikyOS87SFtdCK1z5iNTexYtnQhE54GSpZw3RpoSPKoJdnW8cu1RCh5a-RI5TPtVKxwZI2h2l5-utsvPLudAXnOCE3kBO8GCfIVw1li6Sek-r367f9JSrRGX3x4dPX8lgRCqE3a_-T/s400/IMG_20170725_141008_551.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
Castilleja miniata in the Aspen. (<i>Populus tremuloides)</i></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
I named my late landscape company after <i>Castilleja</i>: Paintbrush Gardens LLC. Now that name refers to my micronursery that supplies my garden designs and also expresses my demented whims in personal plant tastes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Here is the way I grow paintbrush myself. There are other ways. I’ll list a few at the end.</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
1. Chose a species that is native to a similar climate as your own. For example, <i>C. applegatei </i>and <i>latifolia </i>have been good for growers in Washington, Oregon, and the UK. I’ve grown many from the lower elevations of Colorado but struggle with our alpine species.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBln1QfPtEPNAuLMgSeSYuqznlrUNruh6UKq_W7Zp40LYLv4WD-8yR34St44cot1yaXSGC5BHOI687gK-fIvf8I4s3W6U3JewF5bnoIBkwtSWgwsJu85qgGIKHLu2t3iuB2yerv070KC8/s1600/IMG_4287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBln1QfPtEPNAuLMgSeSYuqznlrUNruh6UKq_W7Zp40LYLv4WD-8yR34St44cot1yaXSGC5BHOI687gK-fIvf8I4s3W6U3JewF5bnoIBkwtSWgwsJu85qgGIKHLu2t3iuB2yerv070KC8/s400/IMG_4287.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<i>Castilleja sessiliflora</i> is so boring it blends right in while in full bloom. Pollinators still find it. It’s one of the easiest to grow and some forms are pink and/or white.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
2. Collect your own seed. For whatever reason, I find my own seed from the last year or two or three germinates better than anything I buy. Usually. Commercial seed is perhaps old or stored poorly. An exception has been the superb seed from Western Native Seed here in CO.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
3. Screen that seed. A decent set of screens makes this really fast, or you can do creative things with folded paper (winnowing) or scraping with a credit card (reenacting Pulp Fiction).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
4. Store seeds in Fridge until you are ready to sow.</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
5. Sow out in fall, say October. Just two months of cold strat may not be enough. Three is more reliable.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Do it like traditional rock garden plants- low fertility and high porosity soil mix, a fine (not too deep) gravel grit topressing. Use a small 2”-4” pot. (5-10cm)</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
6. Pull into greenhouse in Jan/Feb. This gets the seedlings going to be big enough to plant this spring, rather than next fall. Bright light and good air movement. Look out for slugs.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Fertilize but gently. I grew half a dozen paintbrush species before I had my little greenhouse, so don’t let this step exclude you.</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
7. Prick out from one another, pair up with host. Letting the roots touch one another so the Castilleja finds the host easily, putting this unhappy couple in their own pot in March/April. I like to use one year old seedlings of subshrubs or other tough, long-lived and deep-rooted plants so they make a sturdy host. <i>Eriogonum</i> have been shown to be one of, if not the best. Use something easy that likes you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If I have enough seedlings, I’ll often put two tiny 1/2”(1cm) plants of paintbrush per host for better odds at having one take. Also obviously pair up with a host that likes similar conditions to the species of Castilleja you are growing. I personally only bother to differentiate between mountain species and desert species. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
There was a great study done by Love and McCammon in Idaho, published in <span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Native Plants </span>Magazine, which had at least two big takeaways: Use eriogonums and germinate the hosts and paintbrush separately.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>One friend of mine feels that seedlings may parasitize one another.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCX2ibcwzlSYVnffwjmv9pdqdz4b5s2Ypb_4juczGgF0fLJv1YJj_pc8e3NUV915F7yDJSIxCtaCTMKkRN9NcN2UIlwWsu76-uO_eU6LL6K8_JDbkUEXjryKIaZqdxwWKl4zjvXPlx1v9N/s1600/IMG_9053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCX2ibcwzlSYVnffwjmv9pdqdz4b5s2Ypb_4juczGgF0fLJv1YJj_pc8e3NUV915F7yDJSIxCtaCTMKkRN9NcN2UIlwWsu76-uO_eU6LL6K8_JDbkUEXjryKIaZqdxwWKl4zjvXPlx1v9N/s320/IMG_9053.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Recently I put tiny <i>Castilleja miniata</i> with <i>Penstemon davidsonii</i>, something that happens in nature.<i> </i></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtxbb9oRKKwbeG8Iv4Widxqc0wAnBDg-_UrxatxwzMt9MCcbyuFDSNOMXCB_f77554RbCOrnWLC8OXwgBUnZ3ZDMT4GB_0FfQpdlPscrdwwbgnHVkRE9djobYIMFJkQXj6qQ5JsZdDmbC/s1600/pen.+davidsonii+by+david+sellars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdtxbb9oRKKwbeG8Iv4Widxqc0wAnBDg-_UrxatxwzMt9MCcbyuFDSNOMXCB_f77554RbCOrnWLC8OXwgBUnZ3ZDMT4GB_0FfQpdlPscrdwwbgnHVkRE9djobYIMFJkQXj6qQ5JsZdDmbC/s320/pen.+davidsonii+by+david+sellars.JPG" width="320" /></a><i></i></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
I remember this better because a friend, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Zt8Y_6iLA">David Sellars</a> took a candid shot of me looking at this.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<i></i><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcy3o1ACFDIhTiakbY2eqylpghaaM3C9DcCEKq9jH3lEP5_6FYABNkl7WpbWeImyJgSzNx-vAXG8UugJWvGwUQl4p-esIHv2XAqkewl5IbOtl4tiXdoRfV9UwUPFWHmLg9mCnK2oU8bCdy/s1600/IMG_3482+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcy3o1ACFDIhTiakbY2eqylpghaaM3C9DcCEKq9jH3lEP5_6FYABNkl7WpbWeImyJgSzNx-vAXG8UugJWvGwUQl4p-esIHv2XAqkewl5IbOtl4tiXdoRfV9UwUPFWHmLg9mCnK2oU8bCdy/s200/IMG_3482+copy.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Short but rugged <i>Eriogonum porteri</i> makes a great adaptable host for a number of dry american <i>Castilleja </i>from pot to crevice garden.<i> </i>Nurseries have long used <i>Artemisia frigida</i> or<i> Bouteloua gracilis</i> for <i>Castilleja integra</i>, which is one of the easiest species.</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
8. Plant out, barerooted, in April/May/June when the plants are still in active growth but before summer heat (And therefore potential semi-dormancy) has set in. If the plants are pretty leafy and grown when you do plant, I suggest pruning half of their tops off to reduce stress to their roots. Water and watch closely as well as protect from chewing bugs who will take away the other half of the plant. I like to shade them for at least two weeks until they show growth.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Now, water sparingly or to match their homeland rainfall.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
9. Enjoy and boast to friends. Really, savor it. Because plenty of species are not terribly long lived or just don’t persist in gardens.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Many species are only permanent in fairly exact conditions in nature, or in disturbed soil which inevitably settle and mature, excluding those pioneer plants.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Castilleja</i> from dry places often go summer dormant, so don’t freak out if they turn brown in summer. That dryness and sleep might be what keeps them safe from rotting.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9nf7u9-_0IVTJo0O5ZYGhqV-q1Ko2g1kN4sUS4B-xcTQiThnDxYVgh4A05qq1OrbQpX25sYuP3fDhYfE6KblJKRp9dsPq3oVZhQprQY5gBizN5C5O2D4pDvZbpheDJWNk4xAw-xq-xjn/s1600/PA067615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9nf7u9-_0IVTJo0O5ZYGhqV-q1Ko2g1kN4sUS4B-xcTQiThnDxYVgh4A05qq1OrbQpX25sYuP3fDhYfE6KblJKRp9dsPq3oVZhQprQY5gBizN5C5O2D4pDvZbpheDJWNk4xAw-xq-xjn/s320/PA067615.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<i>Castilleja flava</i> lived for three, bloomed for two. Maybe I let it get too dry?</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Or:</div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Alternately, you can grow them alone until they are sturdy little lone seedlings and you pair them with a host when you plant them in ground in April. I also like to plant them next to multiple plants to give them diverse backup. Seems to help.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiAtyurktFqT6xX2gVPG9Qe4JZYV28EAO8aJAzRBRVkNZeXrQqcXPodirzg_mpWyWzY0WeAipwpDJGN_5cDTRpoTJ1vwyyMacC5apAfNSFLE3qCwROOZRwRjbg6LXHBRi7MPOxLaIinpa/s1600/IMG_5248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiAtyurktFqT6xX2gVPG9Qe4JZYV28EAO8aJAzRBRVkNZeXrQqcXPodirzg_mpWyWzY0WeAipwpDJGN_5cDTRpoTJ1vwyyMacC5apAfNSFLE3qCwROOZRwRjbg6LXHBRi7MPOxLaIinpa/s320/IMG_5248.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<i>C. integra </i>with <i>Echinocereus triglochidiatus</i>. Seems the cactus is not happy about this.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Also alternately, if you do not have a greenhouse or cold frame, you can do your pricking and pairing just a few months later where they grow outdoors, and plant them either the next fall or spring. I think they don’t like life in a pot so that’s why I shoot to get them planted as soon as possible.</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMY5xagHAHm0z8-i35v_JzoL2kJIyhKTH-8bblFWig_DDaWhX5llK6ZJABSwrOprG2ta117oZHdHHezO6eWKdkKfFlXQr9m5-_evNBqVNDn9WlIfH1OuO5xCwnx5dMAGvKuKAx4VVEqnK/s1600/IMG_2204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMY5xagHAHm0z8-i35v_JzoL2kJIyhKTH-8bblFWig_DDaWhX5llK6ZJABSwrOprG2ta117oZHdHHezO6eWKdkKfFlXQr9m5-_evNBqVNDn9WlIfH1OuO5xCwnx5dMAGvKuKAx4VVEqnK/s320/IMG_2204.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
I almost hoed this poor volunteer paintbrush. Don’t worry, an earwig ate it a few days later.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Direct sowing. This works if that seed is absolutely ideally suited to your site.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I cannot underscore enough the danger that slugs and chewing bugs pose on paintbrush- they must be as uniquely tasty as they are uniquely beautiful. One night and one slug can take out my entire year’s crop of seedlings if I’m not religiously vigilant. Troughs or crevice gardens seem particularly helpful in accommodating species from dry climates and mineral soils.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Some folks have used GA3- gibberelic acid- to bypass cold stratification. I’ve never been good with acid. Some folks use the fridge, but you must watch them carefully in there.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Paul Cumbleton in the UK wrote a great article for <i>The Plantsman </i>about growing them without a host, by taking good care of the plants from the early stages, forcing them to make their own food, and having them live and bloom this way.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1O-iMiZYh2T9aRl3GheQpaELcQJhZTLP7uzpdtpMPgsMFvf2IcSzF26RBZxo-bTC2Rpd4YYs408_DNkrvXvK-RYvnhl9DYifS7x-tTxwyriR7iUSwDAh_ylA3WE8tMoTelYDx1xImkiCk/s1600/IMG_4236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1O-iMiZYh2T9aRl3GheQpaELcQJhZTLP7uzpdtpMPgsMFvf2IcSzF26RBZxo-bTC2Rpd4YYs408_DNkrvXvK-RYvnhl9DYifS7x-tTxwyriR7iUSwDAh_ylA3WE8tMoTelYDx1xImkiCk/s400/IMG_4236.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Nothing like a big, wild, unapologetic Rimrock Paintbrush. <i>Castilleja</i> <i>scabrida.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
As hemiparasites, they all seem to have half the root system a plant should have, so they are just more delicate against any kind of stress you give them. In the end, they are elusive for a reason- wonderful and wild. And in <span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau">wildness is the preservation of the world</a></span>, right?</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLFFDcLt-fQtrCiGOpiE4b9tyLhDrcvmclbaxj8vHBYWC6N8Nuh_5ia9Lr72IrLTjazaB4rdXmrYPAKBTHAwVzjw7AEXNa-I775SrV9uIC9IR4GIIKTDSfy1uTllKFYuCRmca7Pcs50_J/s1600/APEX+Castilleja+integra-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLFFDcLt-fQtrCiGOpiE4b9tyLhDrcvmclbaxj8vHBYWC6N8Nuh_5ia9Lr72IrLTjazaB4rdXmrYPAKBTHAwVzjw7AEXNa-I775SrV9uIC9IR4GIIKTDSfy1uTllKFYuCRmca7Pcs50_J/s200/APEX+Castilleja+integra-5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="p6" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<i>(Castilleja integra </i>reseeds around the APEX crevice garden, photo by Tom Freeth)</div>
<div class="p6" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p6" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-73706164509014151112020-04-09T11:48:00.000-07:002020-04-09T11:48:04.399-07:00A Crevice Garden in Christchurch, NZ<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJJ47-Y_dYF6k02rndbxXk_552Rjs5iaUteH9t2d-q1_cYqiwNQeBOK2WE40csXpt7f6pfHHsbTNR5-6bgXNAPvA22yxfhhoPdBN2fjmIZ32E5fjo-fXoPzGoRuVTB53W2kmaGoz_GGqX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-04-09+at+12.22.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="1600" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJJ47-Y_dYF6k02rndbxXk_552Rjs5iaUteH9t2d-q1_cYqiwNQeBOK2WE40csXpt7f6pfHHsbTNR5-6bgXNAPvA22yxfhhoPdBN2fjmIZ32E5fjo-fXoPzGoRuVTB53W2kmaGoz_GGqX/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-04-09+at+12.22.27+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
The largest city on New Zealand’s South Island wraps around a historical and expansive botanic gardens and park, which itself is outlined by the Avon river like the bezel for a jewel.</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaofcZcaEW__g8PfVSVFxWQc2kjCClNJjh3vSDDkyZofcC11bk22pn3NOqTcVUM7Gfvu22MEefX8uq4xGaGhkVmoKR8NOZyTBdd4dkBkYGQAEBd0htiK0XL-8mkyEXgjWTZ1XnB-vIcBv/s1600/IMG_8252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaofcZcaEW__g8PfVSVFxWQc2kjCClNJjh3vSDDkyZofcC11bk22pn3NOqTcVUM7Gfvu22MEefX8uq4xGaGhkVmoKR8NOZyTBdd4dkBkYGQAEBd0htiK0XL-8mkyEXgjWTZ1XnB-vIcBv/s320/IMG_8252.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
There is a new curator, Grant, (above) for the rock garden, and the local alpine plant club, <a href="https://www.nzags.com/">NZAGS</a> <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238);">is eager to aid him in the complex nuances of Rock Gardens. In turn, Grant has an amazing breadth and depth of horticultural knowledge and experience to infuse into his work and the alpine club. The visionary director of the Christchurch Botanic, Wolfgang Bopp (previously of Hiller Garden in the UK) encourages this connection and exchange between serious hobbyist clubs (which are repositories of expertise) and public gardens; a wise move that many botanics don’t make. I liked the guy instantly because he wore a tiny vase as a jacket pin with fresh flowers in it.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238);"> </span></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Anyhow, the finest way to solidify a working relationship between club and botanic was with work: to collaborate on a<a href="https://www.nzags.com/60th"> new exhibit </a> (see link for video, etc) and renovation in the rock garden- which is where I was fortunate enough to play my role as designer/builder for a crevice garden in the Christchurch Botanic. Crevice gardens are relatively few and new in New Zealand, only in the back garden of alpine gardeners like <a href="http://prairiebreak.blogspot.com/2016/11/a-garden-near-lake-tekapo.html">Michael in Lake Tekapo</a>- but not in public gardens yet.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXczkDvhMIi4-FoGwgcDT0t-fDx3Or_JN3JQzeP8vaevz2iEjJbUhxHQaqbFAFGyso3SZTAlXFVvFQB32vKn_XP_LX2myHLUs17HQBZgDlHAtp44twD0VccLogM2mpQHyz1OhZasJ6jcdw/s1600/IMG_7745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXczkDvhMIi4-FoGwgcDT0t-fDx3Or_JN3JQzeP8vaevz2iEjJbUhxHQaqbFAFGyso3SZTAlXFVvFQB32vKn_XP_LX2myHLUs17HQBZgDlHAtp44twD0VccLogM2mpQHyz1OhZasJ6jcdw/s400/IMG_7745.JPG" width="400" /></a>We took some time determining how to add a bold new feature without it looking out of place, (“Like a pimple” as Wolfgang said- I like that) and honoring the existing design of the rock garden at large. We wound up siting it partway into the middle of a recently renovated heath and heather collection (Erica/Calluna) but with a few “island” beds across a path, and plan for a few to actually bisect the main path and appear within the alpine garden itself across the main path.</div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
A collection of slivered stones has always looked horrible next to massive boulders to me, so this was just the second time ever (this being crevice garden #41 for me) I’d dealt with that- the solution being to create masses and shapes with the small stones that echo the size and character of nearby large stones. Luckily, the new and old stones are also similar in color. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JaB9sYWLnXnODHwXuWAvTz3x5yqNX1VQoD7tblXpJfOKt_G8Fh5-drY8abij8bVpALNkFPw5mYy8FN5s7tMJJ8YRt3Dtr8ybg94hc_mSwHtl-SVELCdXf8o-PEGvafqpVb92WUYQON1_/s1600/IMG_8264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JaB9sYWLnXnODHwXuWAvTz3x5yqNX1VQoD7tblXpJfOKt_G8Fh5-drY8abij8bVpALNkFPw5mYy8FN5s7tMJJ8YRt3Dtr8ybg94hc_mSwHtl-SVELCdXf8o-PEGvafqpVb92WUYQON1_/s400/IMG_8264.JPG" width="400" /></a>The alpine plant club, NZAGS blew me away. They were as serious as any Scottish or British club but more diverse in their plant interests, and were my introduction to the indescribable hospitality, humour, level-headedness, craftiness, and hard-working dedication of New Zealanders. I got to know all of them individually on a plant-chasing field trip, so I felt like I had friends in them by the time we worked together on the rock garden.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGfzKdAQzNUqLs74HZsAbYmR4RniJ-rCPipkEO1sT61r1qCBECW2C3krJM_PbPqNta0rMJO_gkXQFU7kQim5o4TwnubmRxpaB6hmj8bVeHx6-td7YDCUCIzvtUjs7bJU3bO76Z0ureQ4W/s1600/IMG_8268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGfzKdAQzNUqLs74HZsAbYmR4RniJ-rCPipkEO1sT61r1qCBECW2C3krJM_PbPqNta0rMJO_gkXQFU7kQim5o4TwnubmRxpaB6hmj8bVeHx6-td7YDCUCIzvtUjs7bJU3bO76Z0ureQ4W/s200/IMG_8268.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
What I was not prepared for was that the club would take what they learned from my lecture so quickly and bravely start setting rocks- diving fearlessly headlong into learning a skill that I have admittedly failed to be able to teach people time and time again. But they learned it. Oh yes. It was my job to ensure the garden design was cohesive and that is was structurally sound as well as practical to grow plants in, so I could hardly keep up with them in not only answering their questions while they all fast-tracked their new skill, but also to guiding the character of the garden to maintain a motif that made it look whole and unified.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmviKRqLTdN4FOh1ij3T-yr0ETs4RWYZMLz6yUYaxD49vYqK5SdoUKs2jj7eTDAA2f5AIMqcDK7t2RCKxhJQv0isJlb6YLouGQd3j3OeapTTPY5mk5xxgBnREEs3BLaOVlkkinTVxFGI9q/s1600/IMG_8267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmviKRqLTdN4FOh1ij3T-yr0ETs4RWYZMLz6yUYaxD49vYqK5SdoUKs2jj7eTDAA2f5AIMqcDK7t2RCKxhJQv0isJlb6YLouGQd3j3OeapTTPY5mk5xxgBnREEs3BLaOVlkkinTVxFGI9q/s400/IMG_8267.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Suzanne, above, did some awesome work in and out of the garden- I realized late-game that she's already written a blog on the project that is better than mine! Check it out <a href="https://www.nzags.com/post/crevices-the-way-to-the-future-for-alpines">here</a>. I reckon she will build her own and I won't be surprised if she does some innovation no one has done before. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtn7SZTMJ_lTv_bciCzpPiBJGKE7e5RbUu1nFDr_dp576TmPEDNW3hEHXWbvaErbk06WWCsTdLZDqPewJXCVAv1t0WdkOZP57yoTypsbM1Hr-V16CScgztZnOH_j8TXTxf_HfEAf1BfBBP/s1600/IMG_8272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtn7SZTMJ_lTv_bciCzpPiBJGKE7e5RbUu1nFDr_dp576TmPEDNW3hEHXWbvaErbk06WWCsTdLZDqPewJXCVAv1t0WdkOZP57yoTypsbM1Hr-V16CScgztZnOH_j8TXTxf_HfEAf1BfBBP/s320/IMG_8272.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
I have a lot of experience imagining 3-D objects and spaces in the garden setting; I can envision a crevice garden, finished, in my mind, before a project starts. I must- it is my job. But when we swept the sand and dust off of the stones, and washed it off, I was startled by the beauty of what I saw.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Truly, the quality of the detail of the rock work across the installation- thanks to each volunteer- was far better than if I had been left to do it alone and even spent weeks on it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I was so humbled by watching in real-time: my passing of a baton of my tricks and experiences to not one person, but a group, and watching them sprint off with finesse ahead of me. I had never experienced that kind of synergy even with people I’d paid as staff for years when I had a landscaping business. It was exhausting and it was amazing. I left with my head spinning and my heart exploding.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88hGvpvcJgVynOrhPj8YjTdw-OqfnEaQhvRqPKeoBXIX-SGzsoaHUE-f8fn-fQspSygHjP1birU2Tv0smcaPA7SV2yBI91uHXOxOkf6pY8-y3xhgnDbDh5zF8hDbOV0CWjYszuvOiP6oa/s1600/IMG_7895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88hGvpvcJgVynOrhPj8YjTdw-OqfnEaQhvRqPKeoBXIX-SGzsoaHUE-f8fn-fQspSygHjP1birU2Tv0smcaPA7SV2yBI91uHXOxOkf6pY8-y3xhgnDbDh5zF8hDbOV0CWjYszuvOiP6oa/s400/IMG_7895.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrPkk6sXSytyDwMtHJs9oluBXLHttAvRy9lMOJHrbrXPTt4BoXRq-j_ex6-_0b-IFfJ31QgNqpf5df2zj7T7C6WqJuEMZPfE3ep18pwXKQoAXvSFiw88yJBQEnwXDgwdJT3PYg1Z4yuhn/s1600/IMG_7792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrPkk6sXSytyDwMtHJs9oluBXLHttAvRy9lMOJHrbrXPTt4BoXRq-j_ex6-_0b-IFfJ31QgNqpf5df2zj7T7C6WqJuEMZPfE3ep18pwXKQoAXvSFiw88yJBQEnwXDgwdJT3PYg1Z4yuhn/s320/IMG_7792.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Special thanks go to Joe and Ann Cartman, who were the perfect people to answer all the obscure things I wanted to know about the ecology, plants, animals, and people of NZ, and who also took me to see a wonderful case study of the complexity of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VZSJKbzyMc">disturbed ecologies and the resilience</a> of natives.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOFXPCOlCxEtHLOs5KH-rOJ_W44QdpfE16Aa_mKycGS3le3Jccd8hKPadbbdOHvbmsrXvD7VJkNh4f-kH5bh5hklQDLDPl-vV-6fviZZA9f5swvu-4onIFF73Qn4gVMaynS85PD2jDaki/s1600/IMG_8242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOFXPCOlCxEtHLOs5KH-rOJ_W44QdpfE16Aa_mKycGS3le3Jccd8hKPadbbdOHvbmsrXvD7VJkNh4f-kH5bh5hklQDLDPl-vV-6fviZZA9f5swvu-4onIFF73Qn4gVMaynS85PD2jDaki/s320/IMG_8242.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Hamish Brown is the current prez of the club who instils a supercharged combo of smoothness and energy into all happenings. He and I were not above hijacking the golf carts at the botanic. I am indebted to him for helping me during my hurried exit from the country to return home due to the virus. His family and growing style deserve an article on their own.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4x95rOZyecHircgv3BBKR_PvyhDoNANqXHH8rsTIgLpTqHB2QojXBkNWLfl-xodlI3HYA6Sv-CYbxWPOHakJWeCD7IikuB-vL1l85nKmc8di6QrkX-Bz5scpJZeb4Db0xRYwgGWhmxRsh/s1600/IMG_7789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4x95rOZyecHircgv3BBKR_PvyhDoNANqXHH8rsTIgLpTqHB2QojXBkNWLfl-xodlI3HYA6Sv-CYbxWPOHakJWeCD7IikuB-vL1l85nKmc8di6QrkX-Bz5scpJZeb4Db0xRYwgGWhmxRsh/s640/IMG_7789.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
A bit on crevice gardening in New Zealand: Sand, rock, and climate.</div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
For americans, it’s best to imagine a coastal California or Washington climate- Eucalyptus and pines thrive. Dryness happens more in summer, but proximity to the ocean means dry is never so extreme as the world’s big continents. There is also a mildness of winters and summers that is not unlike the UK.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Of course, the north island is even milder; (reminded me of the Carolinas) and the interior can be drier than the coasts.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Their Mountains- not small things- create some Mediterranean-dry places and valleys almost as cold as Western Colorado- where my familiar landscapes of vineyards and orchards appear.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And of course- the mountains are shouldered with a real montane weather, and peaked with true alpine.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Local Alpine gardeners have found that good old sand is an ideal growing medium for troughs, raised beds, and mounds, providing enough mineral nutrition without gravel fines, and not fatally drying out in summer. So this is what we used in the crevice garden on top of an old loam.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggSewEyLemzCCY7kG-O2yTmMScieSUsuWFIxat5G9Kq0oq-aTVFoNmexN1UuAA61UjVEqdFq484KEMYaGSuICgSqW1w9myANl6SwhXec2T_rh26qzRfBJ4YvP1imNHC0lUShfYa_Ho5DP/s1600/IMG_7758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggSewEyLemzCCY7kG-O2yTmMScieSUsuWFIxat5G9Kq0oq-aTVFoNmexN1UuAA61UjVEqdFq484KEMYaGSuICgSqW1w9myANl6SwhXec2T_rh26qzRfBJ4YvP1imNHC0lUShfYa_Ho5DP/s400/IMG_7758.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
The historic Hallswell Quarry, source of our glorious rock.</div>
<div class="p5" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcw9qZpXLFsPemMj_7_v4tHUZVHxQr38dKTwljvJ7ieWL7l4lww3b6TaEzZn8f1AUG7210ysQdPLljIG94qzAgs0qnxi3zgHnu1Ng1Sl6p2K8v_P8bwRPmBdn1o5scePjChj3tuoRb7P9D/s1600/IMG_8236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcw9qZpXLFsPemMj_7_v4tHUZVHxQr38dKTwljvJ7ieWL7l4lww3b6TaEzZn8f1AUG7210ysQdPLljIG94qzAgs0qnxi3zgHnu1Ng1Sl6p2K8v_P8bwRPmBdn1o5scePjChj3tuoRb7P9D/s200/IMG_8236.JPG" width="150" /></a>While sedimentary rock exists around New Zealand, and even a few outcrops of limestone, the place is mostly dominated by volcanic and metamorphic rocks clothed in acidic soil.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The Crevice garden was privileged enough to use the much coveted Halswel stone, which was used historically all over town, but is no longer quarried- the botanic had special permission to gather new stone from the quarry on account of being used to renovate something historical (the rock garden) and that both are council holdings. (The city government manages both the botanic and the quarry as open spaces/parks.)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Someone said our stone is an andesite; it really did feel and sound like a rhyolite I have used in Colorado. It slivers in irregular wedges characteristic of things like related basalt, which is what the large boulders in the rock garden are.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> We used most of the 13 tons (12 metric tonnes) that was gathered for it. </span></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RLnY-geLqR5KnYE3vJJbzRRAMIK6Fm9qfLOXeZArg_VTBgxeGgXvWApGtSRKHueCc4QhGdjLsBpPOWVUB1lZvFecfPvv7340CUJ4PoCiQCj37faBOjsuaRYrU-5olrRelwlakPnPhTc8/s1600/IMG_8248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RLnY-geLqR5KnYE3vJJbzRRAMIK6Fm9qfLOXeZArg_VTBgxeGgXvWApGtSRKHueCc4QhGdjLsBpPOWVUB1lZvFecfPvv7340CUJ4PoCiQCj37faBOjsuaRYrU-5olrRelwlakPnPhTc8/s320/IMG_8248.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">Gotta love that incredible leopard print rind. </span></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3428jm6iGkWUzmu_fqRpwtE7IWK-FJrz2_tWEYVbjnY2fYC3HCVn51KfYW1utHyb3-4txrBFdZ09q1C5NS7DHcZjnE728rRZ5ujxnLak8n-G14RhZtf93QhSpQEzU-LxmZUsvA64bEi1/s1600/IMG_8312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3428jm6iGkWUzmu_fqRpwtE7IWK-FJrz2_tWEYVbjnY2fYC3HCVn51KfYW1utHyb3-4txrBFdZ09q1C5NS7DHcZjnE728rRZ5ujxnLak8n-G14RhZtf93QhSpQEzU-LxmZUsvA64bEi1/s640/IMG_8312.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE5E2RdaFA22LDv9GcWsQlW9UOjeGiim0XP7CDiGJFR6uKL1g1sUDMDrdXaL7su282KtHnXEEcEw0-gY707N1LeLbgYgO8E5jQ-FXTnSm1bP11UDlhek18lBHB4m32r_bEdQWx7CUN16p/s1600/IMG_8290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPE5E2RdaFA22LDv9GcWsQlW9UOjeGiim0XP7CDiGJFR6uKL1g1sUDMDrdXaL7su282KtHnXEEcEw0-gY707N1LeLbgYgO8E5jQ-FXTnSm1bP11UDlhek18lBHB4m32r_bEdQWx7CUN16p/s320/IMG_8290.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xBW6iw2nxS2WpT9MesT2ArhFAfEJsGJ4rM7X59yugiy_Jrx8iyeMDluz3RgalSQermHy3Pb229X44eHWKVldeqed3d3X9e7HLHvXwJvhwZckAhb5QnT9Y6izqPNhdkPsOrbUgiCD_JCJ/s1600/IMG_8299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xBW6iw2nxS2WpT9MesT2ArhFAfEJsGJ4rM7X59yugiy_Jrx8iyeMDluz3RgalSQermHy3Pb229X44eHWKVldeqed3d3X9e7HLHvXwJvhwZckAhb5QnT9Y6izqPNhdkPsOrbUgiCD_JCJ/s200/IMG_8299.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiklIOuWQEw0NAtfv3q2z2JMcQ5BDhtU36iH2rtzhoZEckuXfB1ni2YmRdandn5NFp8d4J4SOL6NHoPdGGG_u4SyUhx0nFIffJvYaWSW0Fy62U25f-18emZk6UTszd8yU_Lq7NlwWYy8WDI/s1600/IMG_8301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiklIOuWQEw0NAtfv3q2z2JMcQ5BDhtU36iH2rtzhoZEckuXfB1ni2YmRdandn5NFp8d4J4SOL6NHoPdGGG_u4SyUhx0nFIffJvYaWSW0Fy62U25f-18emZk6UTszd8yU_Lq7NlwWYy8WDI/s400/IMG_8301.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I can't wait to come back in a year or two and see what they plant, how things grow, and what they discover a crevice garden offers to gardening in New Zealand.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh3Bur-JA8rEamwbs8Fc5m2piT06Qw8RVoiiDDuGbKNLRP7WkV_D9FbXjl-BBvJ4gUqQkSHv6d_zOtEkdgOZXo3tIEWiIAeYlNv4yR5-px1LZmHg6NShK2yv4B9pPKiLTHJ8wa6xeFSfp/s1600/IMG_8313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJh3Bur-JA8rEamwbs8Fc5m2piT06Qw8RVoiiDDuGbKNLRP7WkV_D9FbXjl-BBvJ4gUqQkSHv6d_zOtEkdgOZXo3tIEWiIAeYlNv4yR5-px1LZmHg6NShK2yv4B9pPKiLTHJ8wa6xeFSfp/s640/IMG_8313.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Time for a cuppa tea.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zQM3suz8DpqwSFOeNv7JFAVvWUC79BmlkY3ld4AXlrrl90q2mcj-m5nhzethyphenhyphenDBqZ5USQqUEv-0TyG0KhqDOH6jDXDZCSRlpbP7ysCtNKdpoM4StUEv_Zxl50AvSE45rRIWnA6j5Jziz/s1600/IMG_8232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zQM3suz8DpqwSFOeNv7JFAVvWUC79BmlkY3ld4AXlrrl90q2mcj-m5nhzethyphenhyphenDBqZ5USQqUEv-0TyG0KhqDOH6jDXDZCSRlpbP7ysCtNKdpoM4StUEv_Zxl50AvSE45rRIWnA6j5Jziz/s200/IMG_8232.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"></span></div>
<div class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 46, 238); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-81226415251874785742020-04-09T11:03:00.001-07:002020-04-09T11:03:51.787-07:00Overlooked Native Dandy: the Circus Onion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLBK_XlTdJbsrOPSt-MXJ2w6ZpJecOzeLJyiY4c1XEhXDtHSe34lmRvr6CZ1uL4AhxnQY2hOjTrgLMtFSDEFWesTIX1CiroFhW6UapavHUhilgAoeDsLjJ3xnRqIob72qV58LLxGR_kcU/s1600/P4263779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLBK_XlTdJbsrOPSt-MXJ2w6ZpJecOzeLJyiY4c1XEhXDtHSe34lmRvr6CZ1uL4AhxnQY2hOjTrgLMtFSDEFWesTIX1CiroFhW6UapavHUhilgAoeDsLjJ3xnRqIob72qV58LLxGR_kcU/s400/P4263779.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
One of the first wild things to bloom in lowland Western Colorado (aside from Lomatiums) is <i>Allium macropetalum. </i>I still I cannot think of it by any other name than what my friend <a href="http://dirtanddogs.blogspot.com/">Trina</a> calls it.</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dRYlcZlY5Jmx9lTSQ1DaLTgzJQ3br9GDvBAl9qtCFUM-FwjvIm8NBMcmbcNJGJsIjisN0hL5aOak-gbQ6Wa2DEicFw8qvoU0ovERWhcrjG2RuxWIhqfPlVZkDMB8IEDjlph-Jjfzvwac/s1600/IMG_8217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dRYlcZlY5Jmx9lTSQ1DaLTgzJQ3br9GDvBAl9qtCFUM-FwjvIm8NBMcmbcNJGJsIjisN0hL5aOak-gbQ6Wa2DEicFw8qvoU0ovERWhcrjG2RuxWIhqfPlVZkDMB8IEDjlph-Jjfzvwac/s320/IMG_8217.JPG" width="320" /></a>We once dug handfuls of “Circus Onion” from some land to be developed on the north end of town that sits on clay barrens.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A humble little bulb- one of about 4 local desert species of <i>Allium</i> around here. </div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
(Like <i>A. nevadense,</i> which makes fat dense creampuffs and a single spiral leaf, or <i>A. acuminatum,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i> which explores the color affinity to highlighter markers) Since then I’ve learned a bit more about this completely ignored native darling.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuIdVzwK8YUtCTfSJlAwjx-tA49CZVKY68khj-u7CScQreTFVowe666WQHh3UEpp0_kVkW5miUezo2xjofS7-iTAKcDsXtLZQntIgONc2hBC7mmFCJqQNJwsQRdBzkRYq9YwIiEhCtoo2/s1600/IMG_3745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuIdVzwK8YUtCTfSJlAwjx-tA49CZVKY68khj-u7CScQreTFVowe666WQHh3UEpp0_kVkW5miUezo2xjofS7-iTAKcDsXtLZQntIgONc2hBC7mmFCJqQNJwsQRdBzkRYq9YwIiEhCtoo2/s640/IMG_3745.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
It grows like a champ in nasty unirrigated clay soil, or even nice garden soil. And multiplies. It leafs out in fall and winter, and blooms for a long period in early April, standing no more than 4” (10cm) tall. They vary from pure white to mostly rose, with most being a striped intermediate. Some are not fragrant, some smell like an outhouse.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But just a few individuals have a heavenly fragrance!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Making those distinctions with your face a few inches above the dusty earth and your hands on the ground is really... special.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUVfBW7vkC6KcqQcrN4lDXmTWkBqqW3ZSX7WQEA67dylWR1yTlrp69Dyecia1LNwMfPrpPn1uql1pJe21M5MHtpH4EghGsqSoFbO3D6yIelZtfShcS-T4CippHowMFVfT8s8K0ZINkwuM/s1600/P4118374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUVfBW7vkC6KcqQcrN4lDXmTWkBqqW3ZSX7WQEA67dylWR1yTlrp69Dyecia1LNwMfPrpPn1uql1pJe21M5MHtpH4EghGsqSoFbO3D6yIelZtfShcS-T4CippHowMFVfT8s8K0ZINkwuM/s320/P4118374.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
We fell in love with it. It multiplies well from year to year and, just as in nature, makes a wonderful, non-competitive, non-aggressive understory bulb to appear before taller plants, showing up to bloom when their successors are barely emerging. They politely and thanklessly fill an empty niche of early native bulbs for the super super dry garden when it is too dry for <i>Muscari</i>, <i>Scilla</i>, <i>Galanthus</i>, species tulips, and the like. While Denver is usually moist enough for the above, it is too dry in or unwatered cactus gardens of the Great Basin. Some of us don’t like to water our cactus gardens because that just means weeding in between all those spines.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Knowing we’d not have the windfall of just digging up patches of bulbs in future, I tried to propagate them in pots from seed and bulb division.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They hated it. That is to say, they almost died out entirely, so I frantically planted them in the ground to save them. They hated pots. This happens with some truly wild natives- the best ones.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But what also happens is that genetics from a certain population will break the rule. That is why some wonderful natives you could never buy suddenly appear in the nursery one year.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And it turns out that an <i>Allium</i> I gathered in Las Cruces grew up nicely in a pot, bloomed this spring, smells like cat pee, and turns out to be <i>Allium macropetalum</i>- looks like it has a wide range across the mid southwestern US.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQRNjXpHOraReAND8xQluX1gAB2z2Rv-G6I2fSxhBZolQSnFOFzJueee1i_rCqRwTMTm-MO5gask447rabylKAlruudbHiEOGQFk8yu1zrsphHDRvlX0EJ7hOBkH20ZRLrTA0sxtGA528/s1600/all+mac+las+cruces+form.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQRNjXpHOraReAND8xQluX1gAB2z2Rv-G6I2fSxhBZolQSnFOFzJueee1i_rCqRwTMTm-MO5gask447rabylKAlruudbHiEOGQFk8yu1zrsphHDRvlX0EJ7hOBkH20ZRLrTA0sxtGA528/s320/all+mac+las+cruces+form.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="Apple-converted-space">The Las Cruces form of <i>Allium macropetalum.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Most Alliums are very easy from seed- they need a few months of winter to wake the little seeds for spring germination and a couple years in a pot before being blooming size. They sleep fine through the summer in their pots in the West, better than most bulbs that get too dry or fry or rot. Mountain and alpine species are the easiest, and desert/steppe species can be a little trickier (or not)- but you don’t know until you try. Throwing the seed strait into your garden is even easier. Pests and grazers will usually avoid eating them. So I encourage any hikers and naturalists out there to look for their local Allium- they are usually secretive cherubs and harbingers of spring- and collect some seeds and welcome them home in your native garden.</div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThGM1thKKSQgbR7m-HQqczsZpJbfTYkGLh-YKS4XGbBlyV6o8uXkHnVknk3F6g9pywCyyAtsK8TtYfHm7ECKMvfPwpTWJQh3H08hNUObamylLV9dL74_rqMeMPTr-_qbzT40jiNzPPcu6/s1600/IMG_3699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThGM1thKKSQgbR7m-HQqczsZpJbfTYkGLh-YKS4XGbBlyV6o8uXkHnVknk3F6g9pywCyyAtsK8TtYfHm7ECKMvfPwpTWJQh3H08hNUObamylLV9dL74_rqMeMPTr-_qbzT40jiNzPPcu6/s320/IMG_3699.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-22598552514131465372020-03-01T09:51:00.004-08:002020-03-01T09:52:23.111-08:00Power Plantlists on Request<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
From the Colorado Natives in Landscaping conference, hosted by the Colorado Native Plant Society. It was a lovely event with a great crowd of 400; I learned a lot yesterday about green roofs, insects, and seed biology.<br />
<br />
As requested by someone in the room, here are the handful of short plant lists from species that were in the slides as they responded to specific locations.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkaAuqV_G1V8KR_dPkJi8ZTM_tOsH1E-Vu99Ov-TM_COUFkRB0NMy_Uiq725TsuaA-g7CzcVQrFsb-nfKK_TWMFwcbncvLi7GnW-3ohEb4qeL88MtR5kd22BC_r6repJpJpGJEzHG51DUt/s1600/P7123589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkaAuqV_G1V8KR_dPkJi8ZTM_tOsH1E-Vu99Ov-TM_COUFkRB0NMy_Uiq725TsuaA-g7CzcVQrFsb-nfKK_TWMFwcbncvLi7GnW-3ohEb4qeL88MtR5kd22BC_r6repJpJpGJEzHG51DUt/s320/P7123589.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>Julie’s Yard: </b><br />
Galleta grass (Pleuraphis jamesii)<br />
<i>(grow direct from seed, not plants)</i><br />
Yucca faxoniana x rostrata<br />
Artemisia cf. frigida (asian form?)<br />
Atraphaxis sp.<br />
Ptelia trifoliata, Quercus turbinella<br />
(all unirrigated)<br />
Shaeralcea monroana<br />
<br />
<b>Only surviver from windy weed disaster:</b><br />
Giant Sacatongrass (Sporobolus wrightii)<br />
Ephedra equisetina<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Happy in Gravel garden: </b><br />
Zinnia grandiflora,<br />
Rhus trilobata ‘Autumn Ember’<br />
Opuntia phaecantha<br />
Stanleya pinnata<br />
Cylindropuntia spp.<br />
Berlandiera lyrata<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi148AzjOKMKoySEAVDJLAXjPl9emdhUI3DEoCKv8nfzofVogPyL4uMMqHJ_PQIjB0HztzUUUpJkEJg23iqBVkx4l0IUksLrCkilCSX1C4aaYXBdW1HDalRPzDrzHGAwNmjY-z8zop_-xup/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-03-01+at+10.50.55+AM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi148AzjOKMKoySEAVDJLAXjPl9emdhUI3DEoCKv8nfzofVogPyL4uMMqHJ_PQIjB0HztzUUUpJkEJg23iqBVkx4l0IUksLrCkilCSX1C4aaYXBdW1HDalRPzDrzHGAwNmjY-z8zop_-xup/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-03-01+at+10.50.55+AM.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<b>A nice dry, reliable, colorful, long-lived simple palette:</b><br />
Prairie Zinnia (Z. grandiflora)<br />
Jones’ Bluestar (Amsonia jonesii)<br />
Alkali dropseed (Sporobolus airoides)<br />
Woodward Juniper (PlantSelect)<br />
Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)<br />
<br />
Use bareroot planting and temporary irrigation…<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi092hGpliKB4B_mimA1DhyphenhyphenCEic3Y8smAdrbwWQv2VJUdlDgS_3kl5hDwynljKa3bBTWRVU7fIyIbgz1PT44ibjBRzMCZmJ1teAxGnvTSh08s1lMmyba7qkyQ9O7Yh92IAJ1EP8DSugJRiM/s1600/DSCN1489.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi092hGpliKB4B_mimA1DhyphenhyphenCEic3Y8smAdrbwWQv2VJUdlDgS_3kl5hDwynljKa3bBTWRVU7fIyIbgz1PT44ibjBRzMCZmJ1teAxGnvTSh08s1lMmyba7qkyQ9O7Yh92IAJ1EP8DSugJRiM/s320/DSCN1489.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<b>My pet fav Unirrigated shade tree: </b><br />
Western Soapberry (Sapindus drumondii)<br />
Also: hackberry, netleaf hackberry,<br />
<br />
<b>Meadows:</b><br />
Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis)<br />
<br />
<b>A full landscape with very very very salty soil:</b><br />
Fourwing (Atriplex canescens)<br />
Winterfat (K. lanata)<br />
Babby rabbitbrush, Ephedras x3,<br />
Amelanchier utahensis<br />
Cylindroputnia kleniii<br />
No big sagebrush!<br />
Artemisia filifolia (sand sage)<br />
Cupressus arizonica<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZNU6xx8p1IwsP6AsqCeHDGcS48_cQ99Gv_IhSefU5hBtIfwg0GGlXk0jkDuZeaNtaykQDxiBU3c_m19opC8yK-y7ErJj48a3bax5-mtXmkuv2QalZCBcuAG-6XFNyoOa7zCLqN2HoS80/s1600/IMG_1979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZNU6xx8p1IwsP6AsqCeHDGcS48_cQ99Gv_IhSefU5hBtIfwg0GGlXk0jkDuZeaNtaykQDxiBU3c_m19opC8yK-y7ErJj48a3bax5-mtXmkuv2QalZCBcuAG-6XFNyoOa7zCLqN2HoS80/s320/IMG_1979.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>Great to fill in by seed in bare dirt/gravel:</b><br />
Penstemon eatonii, P. palmeri<br />
Baileya multiradiata<br />
Gaillardia aristata<br />
Sphaeralcea monroana (best /reliable sp)<br />
Berlandieria lyrata (Chocolat daisy)<br />
<br />
<b>Superdry southfacing slope in GJ:</b><br />
Nolina microcarpa<br />
Babby rabbitbrush<br />
Sand sage<br />
Coyote Gourd (Cucurbita foetidissam)<br />
Grusonia clavata<br />
Alkali dropseed<br />
<br />
<b>Specialties from seed for gravel and rock gardens:</b><br />
Hymenoxys scaposa and caespitosa,<br />
Castilleja integra<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmv0IFd0n_ODXcVVBTkbHySBrY4C2-gySnl057zrj4PDiTEsQkO71oRrmNeTQKkbYkCUV2hVJuEJFv08pVtV1i4fyHmGGQmghtT3jur_S2Z_5wqiiG6aKq3OmuyeisT-hSzwujVQiz9Mp/s1600/P4218655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmv0IFd0n_ODXcVVBTkbHySBrY4C2-gySnl057zrj4PDiTEsQkO71oRrmNeTQKkbYkCUV2hVJuEJFv08pVtV1i4fyHmGGQmghtT3jur_S2Z_5wqiiG6aKq3OmuyeisT-hSzwujVQiz9Mp/s320/P4218655.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>Dry (unwatered shade)</b><br />
Nolina greenei, N. microcarpa<br />
Ephedra viridis, teorreaya, equisentina, nebrodensis, major.<br />
Mahonia repens (best with a little water/snow/shade/North)<br />
Yucca baccata, harrimaniae (yes really)<br />
Alkali dropseed (S. airoides)<br />
<br />
<b>More Great plants get introduced over time:</b><br />
Baby/Miniature Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa v nauseosa)<br />
Letterman’s Ironweed (Vernonia lettermanii)<br />
future: Manfreda maculosa<br />
<br />
<b>Plant/Seed Sources:</b><br />
Harlequin Gardens, Boulder<br />
High Plains Environmental Center, Fort Collins<br />
Chelsea Nursery, Grand Junction<br />
Southwest Seed, Dolores, CO<br />
Western Native Seed, CO<br />
High Country Gardens (.com)<br />
Granite Seed (.com)<br />
Prairie Nursery (.com), WI<br />
<br />
Wholesale:<br />
Wildthings: Pueblo, CO<br />
Fort Collins Wholesale CO<br />
Bluebird Nursery, NE<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
</div>
Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4156146376396069471.post-76279939588286757402020-02-19T11:06:00.003-08:002020-02-19T11:06:41.209-08:00A Real Life Crevice Garden Formula, version 1.0 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<i>The following is an email to <a href="http://prairiebreak.blogspot.com/2016/12/november-snapshot-of-plantsmans-garden.html">Hamish Brown</a>, a wonderful New Zealand plantsman whom I’m working with to build a crevice garden at the <a href="https://ccc.govt.nz/parks-and-gardens/christchurch-botanic-gardens">Christchurch Botanic</a>. I realized that his prompts and my responses became a very useful and succinct formula to the secrets of creating a crevice garden. Stay tuned in March and see how the garden turns out! (All photos courtesy of Brown)</i></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIG1h7nWD7JXhJMV9T7KnAb5jLMgf48q7IQArLa_BHkOWsOYdoTnP19y1BiQ0-6XIR8lB5RzwIdGHa2J04jR2l1pyLBxeG_vqvFMO0XiCi7BDNbm-zrIz5p2oD5F63LC7NVb_tlDAdmm3Z/s1600/image001.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1016" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIG1h7nWD7JXhJMV9T7KnAb5jLMgf48q7IQArLa_BHkOWsOYdoTnP19y1BiQ0-6XIR8lB5RzwIdGHa2J04jR2l1pyLBxeG_vqvFMO0XiCi7BDNbm-zrIz5p2oD5F63LC7NVb_tlDAdmm3Z/s400/image001.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Dear Hamish;</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<b>Site:</b></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
My gut says to pick the sunnier spot away from the trees (their shade and root competition and leaf drop,) unless in the context of the rockery’s current collections, it is most lacking plants or sites for cool saxatile plants from shadier/drier/forested places.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_5c2d1Hx_njPY2qPDno71Agc5Fz1DocJ9noDGdDV-XBd7znVJeOvieL_Az71hYKxZvYv8LX9VABlOAZj5fSNdG0NoYrLgugXiK-nfwtKktoC-pExdcHg_I_pnoJoZV91mpG0euaEmXYT/s1600/IMG_2358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_5c2d1Hx_njPY2qPDno71Agc5Fz1DocJ9noDGdDV-XBd7znVJeOvieL_Az71hYKxZvYv8LX9VABlOAZj5fSNdG0NoYrLgugXiK-nfwtKktoC-pExdcHg_I_pnoJoZV91mpG0euaEmXYT/s200/IMG_2358.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9jnOeq_diKIJZp44VJrB1cyfmA5EzNGfQVlq7quQb2OQ21gM1t_0UeOKYE1DAJ5Krt7XePRJl_mpIDRtpGfFcCdShG7eoWOiyveiKbodPsSBwKWFZyEOrbQxdTNGQ_XNhB2h4QFFAqXU/s1600/IMG_2360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9jnOeq_diKIJZp44VJrB1cyfmA5EzNGfQVlq7quQb2OQ21gM1t_0UeOKYE1DAJ5Krt7XePRJl_mpIDRtpGfFcCdShG7eoWOiyveiKbodPsSBwKWFZyEOrbQxdTNGQ_XNhB2h4QFFAqXU/s200/IMG_2360.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<b>Tonnage/amt of stone:</b></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
I just came up with a formula for stone weight needed- it’s been needed forever and every project/stone is so different, everyone has always just eyeballed a guess! -Including me, for some 40 crevice gardens over the years… Anyway: I have figured 4-6 tons (american) for a 100 square foot unit/area.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Which is 3.5-5.5 tonnes per 9.23 sq meters.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The range is wide because granite can weigh almost double what a light sandstone does. Further complicating the range is that very flat stone buried deeply will use up so much more than more shallowly buried, chunky or less-plate like stone. Third complication is that a flat-topography garden (like a paved patio) will use much less stone than that of a high-mounded one which literally has much greater surface area. This is the reason I’ve been dragging my feet so badly that it’s just a blank page in the manuscript of our book on crevice gardens!</div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Anyway, I hope that is a little helpful and not overwhelming.</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Thanks so much for organizing the timings and roles for this project.</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<b>On enlarging the planned crevice garden:</b></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
You talked about going larger- perhaps at our Friday morning meeting (I can have looked at the site and prepared some data/ideas for the group to work with) we can talk about the design of the site, deciding if that is the case, we<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>can design it in such a way for it to be the first stage of a larger exhibit- I am more than happy to create drawings and notes for this and lend support for a future person executing it. There are also some tricks we can use to ensure that a new feature blends into the existing garden without being a sore grey thumb.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Staged build has worked well for other private/public gardens because it allows them to adjust soil mix/design informed by how things worked in early phases- for example, if the soil mix turns out to be no good for most plants, the rest of the garden can then use a better choice. Or, if you find that the plants you aimed to grow only truly prosper on just a north aspect, the future phases of garden design can change so as to maximize north aspects, and so on. This has been most helpful in areas with zero history of crevice gardening and when we had no idea how crevice/soil and local climate would interact. I guess, to make a long story short- a phased build lets one test out and dip a toe in the water before diving deep and committing to certain specifications.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
I’m happy to build as large as we can in the time I’m there, too, should ya’ll need it.</div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihc4_KB2Exe8-8EP8yPy051S48dBQuI7DrkS5tdDhfqyxXv1GRKYLKIXaiZeehJyzA1OmEpOzMnW-15mMm-4gSzLyLQzc8tJB7loDSst3QyNbEAjfhe0li-BQpsjuXn6NxmsQBvOnODw2X/s1600/IMG_2588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihc4_KB2Exe8-8EP8yPy051S48dBQuI7DrkS5tdDhfqyxXv1GRKYLKIXaiZeehJyzA1OmEpOzMnW-15mMm-4gSzLyLQzc8tJB7loDSst3QyNbEAjfhe0li-BQpsjuXn6NxmsQBvOnODw2X/s400/IMG_2588.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
<b>Rock type/size:</b></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Hamish, that quarry is<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>delicious. Is this New Zealand’s greywacke hard sandstone? It has superb character. It looks somewhat basaltic/rhyolite in shape.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Mmm, love those irregular but sharp shapes.</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
You are right in seeking out different sizes. I like to use a full spectrum from largest to smallest, with no discernable size being obviously dominant or scarce. The largest one could be whatever we as a group (or armed with a tractor!) can move- maybe 1 m at the longest measurement. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If you can, make sure there is a gradient of sizes down from the biggest to smallest. Each size doesn’t have to be equally represented, just enough to be seen. In a perfect world, we’d have some little chunks (maybe 10% or less of the total rock) that are the size of the gravel topdressing to be used- a perfect gradient of size with no missing sizes will unify a garden in a magic and powerful “je ne sais quoi” sort of way. If the rock is hauled dirty and bulk in a dump-truck, the little bits appear are the result of rocks breaking when they are loaded/dumped.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Convenient. Other times, little chunk are impossible- and that’s ok, too.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
You are lucky to have a loader to pick them up! If there is a part of the pile with very rectangular, brick-ish stone, avoid those- let stonemasons have that. Irregular edges (which are the faces that show in a finished garden) and irregularly parallel cleavage make for the best gardens. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
I see thick chunky guys and slab/plate-like shapes in that pile. Go for a mix and with intermediates.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Generally, gather more than you think we need.</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Lastly- after all this thinking and planning, we’re going to organically wing it and it’s going to be great!</div>
<div class="p2" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 16px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Very much looking forward to this!</div>
<div class="p1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
Kenton</div>
</div>
Kenton J. Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15209610027180966470noreply@blogger.com0