NINJA GARDENING

IMAGE ABOVE: A nearly monolithic stand of Sorghastrum nutans aka Indiangrass at a road cut on my way to work. It surrounds an area of exposed bedrock where the soils are so shallow and dry that very little, if much of anything, is able to survive aside from the Indiangrass.

Sorghastrum nutans - Indiangrass
Zone: 3-9
Purchase from:
Agrecol Native Nursery, Everwilde Farms, Garden Harvest Supply, Grimm's Gardens, Morning Sky Greenery, Prairie Nursery, Prairie Moon Nursery, Shooting Star Nursery, Toadshade Wildflower Farm, Yellow Springs Farm Native Plant Nursery

I'm still amazed at the diversity of habitats in the few miles of my short bike ride to work. You'd never guess by the pictures of above, but these were taken only a few miles from downtown Cambridge, MA. In the twenty minutes it takes me to get to work I get a small sampling of nearly all the non-coastal habitats in northeast Massachusetts. Yet it is this diversity that not only astounds me, but reminds me of the complex interconnected matrix upon which species diversity, population health, and sustainability relies. Yet, with each passing year, this matrix becomes increasingly patchy and disconnected, particularly in the coastal US.


IMAGE ABOVE: When examined discretely, development and general population growth are damaging to the genetic diversity of local populations, but when you take into account the affect that such impediments and barriers have on gene flow and the ability of a population to gradually migrate overtime, the cumulative affect of such factors may affect the long term sustainability of any given population.

We may like to disassociate and project "environmental villanism" to far away virgin tropical rainforest (cue b-reel of some rando buzzing through a tree), but the reality is every time we decide to clear some local parcel for a nice water guzzling invasive monoculture, aka lawn, we are much more guilty than that guy with the chain-saw. He's doing it to make a living.... so what's our excuse?

So faced with this not so nice reality I've decided to take it upon myself to act as a modern day Noah, aka human corridor (see diagram above), ferrying what would otherwise be isolated, often endangered plant populations to un-populated habitats ripe for colonization. Such areas are often diversity barren due to the fact that they themselves have been ecologically sterilized by means of human induced isolation. I realize there are many valid arguments against this, the first and foremost being my own lack of expertise. However, in my attempt to aid in the healthy diversity of these isolated habitats and ecological communities I don't plan on trekking through virgin ecosystems and digging up rare or endangered species and relocating them, but rather collecting the local seed of common (or the occasional not so common) wildflowers I find on the side of the road (or perhaps ordering a seed or two from a nursery), and introducing them in areas where they have a good chance of establishing long lasting, and sustainable populations.

And so for my first attempt at being a garden ninja the isolated stand of Indian grass I featured above (location undisclosed) seemed like a great place to start, and a perfect case study. Road bound on every side, and nearly a monoculture of S. nutans (with a few sporadic Andropogon mixed in) and not having a habitat equivalent for miles, I run the least risk of jeopardizing the genetic integrity of any nearby sensitive populations. Given how isolated this particular site is, and the fact that it's entirely man made to begin with, I also plan on experimenting with a few Western natives that might be able to thrive where the soils are simply too shallow and exposed for any of our locally endemic species to endure. Below is the list of natives (and native-ish) plants I intend to use, hopefully with at least some success (you may notice a trend with a lot of the plants I've selected.... what can I say, hummingbirds are f*@#ing awesome!!!).


NORTHEAST NATIVES


Aquilegia canadensis - Canada Columbine
Zone: 3-8
A few different cultivars available on the market including 'Corbet,' 'Little Lanterns,' and 'Pink Lanterns.' The straight species is still the most commonly sold form and is available from almost every nursery specializing in natives.
Purchase from: Nearly Native Nursery, Amanda's Garden, American Meadows, Bluestone Perennials, Everwilde Farms, Garden in the Wood of Grassy Creek, Grimm's Gardens, High Country Gardens, J. L. Hudson Seedsman, Lazy S'S Farm, Michigan Native Butterfly Farm, Niche Gardens, Prairie Moon Nursery, Prairie Nursery, Select Seeds, Grimm's Gardens, Shooting Star Nursery


Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly Weed
Zone: 3-9
Color variants exist, leaning from deep yellow to red-orange, but most of the material out there is derived from ecotypes found in sandy soils. If you garden in heavy clays (like me) a few nursery's offer material adapted to heavier soils.
Purchase from: Nearly Native Nursery, Accents for Home and Garden, Almost Eden Plants, American MeadowsAvant Gardens, Companion Plants, Deer Country Gardens, Everwilde Farms, Garden Crossings, Garden Harvest Supply, Garden Starts Nursery, Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek, Grimm's Gardens, High Country Gardens, J Lynn Nursery, J.L. Hudson Seedsman, Lazy S'S Farm, Logee's Greenhouses, LoneWillow Farm, Michigan Native Butterfly Farm, Niche Gardens, Prairie Nursery, Romence Gardens & Greenhouses's, Rose Franklin's Perennials & Herbs, Santa Rosa Gardens, Select Seeds Antique Flowers, Smart Seeds, Sooner Plant Farm, The Growers Exchange, Toadshade Wildflower Farm, Yellow Springs Farm Native Plant Nursery, Prairie Moon Nursery, Prairie Nursery


Ionactis linarifolia - Stiff Aster
Zone: Sources all over the place witht this one... 3-8?
Purchase from: Midwest Groundcovers, Prairie Moon Nursery, Shooting Star Nursery


Opuntia humifusa - Eastern Prickly Pear
Zone: 4-9
Purchase from: Nearly Native Nursery, Everwilde Farms, Fry Road Nursery, Romence Gardens & Greenhouses, Toadshade Wildflower Farm



MID-ATLANTIC/SOUTHERN NATIVES


Ipomopsis rubra - Standing cypress
Zone: (5)5-9, (BIENNIAL)
Purchase from: Nearly Native Nursery, Everwilde Farms, J.L. Hudson Seedsman, Onalee's Seeds, Select Seeds Antique Flowers, Smart Seeds


Manfreda virginica - False Aloe
Zone: 6-9
This isn't the best picture of this plant (all you can see is the tall flowering stalk in the center of all the people), but after growing this plant myself, and seeing it in this picture next to other moisture loving species in what appears to be a wet meadow I'm beginning to think this agave relative needs more moisture than the literature suggests.
Purchase from: Companion Plants, Lazy S'S Farm, Niche Gardens, Odyssey Perennials, Shooting Star Nursery



WESTERN NATIVES


Agastache rupestris - Sunset Hyssop
Zone: 5-9
Purchase from: Annie's Annuals and Perennials, High Country Gardens, J.L. Hudson Seedsman, Joy Creek Nursery, Lazy S'S Farm & Nursery, Michigan Native Butterfly Farm, Romence Gardens & Greenhouses, Sooner Plant Farm


Castilleja integra - Wholeleaf Indian Paintbrush
Zone: 4-8
C. coccinea is a more commonly available biennial that is unfortunately difficult to establish in cultivation. C. integra is one of the easier perennial species to start with.
Purchase from: Everwilde Farms, Cactus Store


Hesperaloe parviflora - Red Flowered Yucca
Zone: 5-10
Purchase from: Accents for Home and Garden, Almost Eden Plants, Annie's Magic Garden, Dancing Oaks Nursery, Eldon Tropicals's, High Country Gardens, J.L. Hudson Seedsman, Lazy S'S Farm, Niche Gardens, Smart Seeds, Sooner Plant Farm


Penstemon pinifolius - Pineleaf Penstemon
Zone: 5-8
High country gardens has selected several cultivars of this species for both color (ranging from a a clear yellow to deep red) and height.
Purchase from: Annie's Annuals and Perennials, Forestfarm, Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek, High Country Gardens, Joy Creek Nursery


Zauschneria spp. (arizonica/garrettii) - Hardy Hummingbird Trumpet
Zone: 5-9
Z. arizonica, syn. Z. latifolia var. arizonica
Purchase from: Forestfarm, High Country Gardens
Z. arizonica syn. Z. canum subsp. garrettii
Purchase from: High Country Gardens, Joy Creek Nursery, Romence Gardens

IMAGE SOURCES: MATRIX-PATCH HABITAT, A. CANADENSIS, A. TUBEROSA, I. LINARIFOLIA, O. HUMIFUSA, I. RUBRA, M. VIRGINICA, A. RUPESTRIS, C. INTEGRA, H. PARVIFLORA, P. PINIFOLIUS, Z. ARIZONICA

MORE HYBRIDS..... MORE FREEDOM!!!!

I was super excited to find this article on NPR last Thursday and although it might be hard to pinpoint the beginning of a trend, I'd like to think the Open Source Seed Initiative is at least a hint of a larger societal backlash to the over patenting of plant varieties, cultivars and hybrids. While patent law is limited when it comes to plants, it is also often overly complicated (see BiOS) and seems to be developing in such a way that it often trumps on the rights of small plant breeders and the general welfare of the global community in order to protect those of financially minded private interests and large agribusiness (see "History of Seed Patents"). While I've probably seen one too many biased documentaries (If you haven't seen The Future of Food please watch it!!!), this overly complicated network of patents, and increasingly complicated patent law acts as not only a barrier to horticultural innovation ("Roses Puncture the Case for Plant Patents" @ Daily Yonder), but flies in the face of thousands of years of agricultural and horticultural tradition.

07/20/2014 - UPDATE: Just came across this posting from the awesome Joseph Tychonievich that demonstrates the real world implications of plant patent law.

And so, in celebration and recognition of the Open Source Seed Initiative, here is my yearly post on ideas for hybrids this season, as well as some updates on last years projects.

Callisia rosea x Tradescantia longipes


While this definitely falls under the category of "because I want to" the result could yield a real workhorse of a garden plant. Granted both of these plants are pretty awesome, each have few drawbacks that are perfectly complimented by the strengths of the other. I actually wasn't even aware of the southeastern US genus Callisia until the release this past year of "Morning Grace". Unfortunately, C. rosea, while often listed as being hardy to zone 5, is most likely only reliably hardy through zone 6 (if that). In addition, C. rosea seems to have an affinity for sandy soils and sun. T. longipes on the other hand is very cold hardy (solid zone 4), is adaptable to part shade as well as a range of soils, but unfortunately becomes rather rangy by the time the heat of the summer roles around (as is the case with most Tradescantia). I still have yet to find a source for this. Assuming I can locate T. longipes, the two together have the potential to produce some pretty amazing children (assuming the pairing produces any viable seed).


Opuntia humifusa x Opuntia ficus-indica


I have attempted a few times to eat the fruit from our native prickly pear (O. humifusa) that I have growing in my backyard back home, but, while the little flesh that is left after carefully dissecting the oddly shapped reddish uuum, i guess you'd call it a berry?, is quite yummy and a brilliant reddish fuschia color, it's mostly spines (technically glochids) on the outside and lots of seeds on the inside. A cross with the real thing (O. ficus-indica, the cactus that produces the big prickly pears you buy at the grocery store when they feel like offering something exotic) has the potential to produce a marginally to fully cold hardy individuals (zone 5/6) with relative moisture tolerance as well as larger (relative to O. humifusa) seedless fruit.


Ruellia strepens x Ruellia humillis


The genus Ruellia has long been known in the south (R. brittoniana, R. simplex), but until recently the only species offered by the industry that can be grown in the northeast has been Ruellia humillis. Unfortunately it doesn't really perform well unless it has full unadulterated sun. Why R. strepens (which is much more shade tolerant) hasn't caught on here in the Boston area is beyond me, (but based on the bits and pieces of information that are out there it may actually be too adaptable). Again much like the C. rosea and T. longipes cross, I was hoping this union might produce a good, reliable garden performer; adaptable, but not overly so, and sterile which often equates to more blooms for us and the bees.


Sophora (Styphnolobium) japonica x Calia (Sophora) secundiflora


The likelihood that I'd ever have a chance to get my hands on both these species is pretty unlikely, and even more unlikely that its going to happen this season, not to mention that S. japonica and C. secundiflora bloom at different times (S. japonica, late summer and C. secundiflora, mid spring). While the chance this cross is possible is pretty unlikely, a cross between these 2 species could hold the potential to produce an excellent urban street tree for the south, and potentially further north. S. japonica is already used throughout the northeast as an urban tree and is, overall, a tough, long lived tree, but can sometimes become a bit too large for the confined spaces its often planted in. S. secundifolia is a southeast native evergreen large shrub/small tree (unfortunately only hardy to zone 7b), but with both amazing drought and heat tolerance and beautiful short hanging lavender/purple flower clusters akin to wisteria. The pairing could result in an astounding multi-stemmed tree, with exceptional drought and heat tolerance, just the right size for urban spaces.


Hybrid Update:
While none of my projects yielded any results last year they're all still in the works, and hopefully, given that all the material I started growing last season has all successfully overwintered, I might actually get some seed to work with this year. Even the Passiflora lutea, that did absolutely nothing for me the previous summer, has already started growing with abandon (inside of course) so hopefully I'll get some blooms from it this year. And in a serendipitous turn of events I stumbled across an article on storing Passion flower pollen this past week. Hopefully one of my projects yields some results this year (even if its just seeds).