Different types of lobelia can be used in gardens as edging, or in pots for a trailing effect. Most lobelia are purplish-blue or light blue.
Photograph by Shari Kaplan
Plants grown in one region may not do well in another
By Tony Tomeo
I remember the premise of a classic science fiction movie, that if an object moves fast enough, it moves backward in time. During a recent brief trip to Saint Helen's, Ore., I found this to be true.
Of the 54 rushed hours devoted to this trip, at least 24 were spent driving. While driving through the Willamette Valley, I noticed spring is only beginning, while here it is well under way. Dogwoods, cherries, apples and redbuds were in full bloom. It was rather cold and even snowing in the Klamath and Siskiyou mountains. Fortunately, I drove slower on the return trip and somehow arrived back here on April 15.
It seems that much of the nursery stock that comes from Oregon arrives here in such a hurry that it, too, is only beginning the active growth associated with very early spring. It also arrives in a clay growing medium that has been irrigated with slightly acidic water. Consequently, adaptation to the Santa Clara Valley can be somewhat stressful.
Since the horticultural and agricultural industries in this valley have been replaced by less appealing industries, almost all nursery stock is grown elsewhere. Some species are grown in more favorable climates to produce an optimum product that will not necessarily perform as reliably in a different climate.
For example, rhododendrons imported from Oregon and Washington may be very impressive in the nurseries because of their compact structure and profusion of bloom. However, adaptation to a new climate, soil and water (alkalinity) may be so stressful that such specimens may not perform similarly the following year. Most eventually recover, but never look quite like they did when new.
Most of the basic garden species are fortunately grown in Southern California or other areas of the West with similar climate and water quality. Minor differences are easily tolerated by the more resilient species. The more esoteric species are a concern, as they are more likely to have been grown in very different conditions or "forced" into bloom. Adaptation and recovery among these is more difficult.
Likewise, species that require considerably more attention than the large factory growers can justify are usually of inferior quality if not acquired from a specialized grower. For example, citrus should not be rushed. If grown simply to be marketed as quickly as possible, without sufficient time for the root systems to mature, inferior trees are produced. Incidentally, most of the citrus fruit available locally has been grown either by Menlo Growers in San Martin or Four Winds in Fremont and is of exceptional quality.
Items that have been imported bare-root while dormant do not experience such problems because all new growth originates after installation into endemic soil and climate. Therefore, nursery stock in cans that had previously been imported bare-root does not experience the same stress that actively growing stock is subjected to. Freshly canned bare-root stock should not be acquired now, but may be available later in summer.
Flower of the Week: Lobelia
Lobelia, Lobelia erinus, is actually a summer annual that can be planted about now for an abundant bloom by early summer. I wanted to feature lobelia not only because this is a good time to plant it, but also because those that I planted last year have survived through the winter and are currently quite impressive. They seem to have been wanting to get noticed for awhile.
Most lobelia is dense and compact and very appropriate for edging. Trailing varieties may be planted with other flowers in containers from which the lobelia may spill out. Foliage is finely textured and dense among the compact varieties, but somewhat sparser among trailing varieties. Individual leaves are mostly less than one inch long. With the exception of the variety "Crystal Palace," which exhibits bronze-green foliage, lobelia foliage is bright green.
The bi-symmetrical flowers are only about a half-inch wide, but are very profuse. Most lobelia ranges in color from bright purplish-blue to light blue, but some varieties exhibit white, pink or reddish-purple flowers. Lobelia prefers rich soil, regular irrigation and good sun exposure. The fine roots and stems easily rot if irrigation is too generous. Lobelia is available from almost every nursery. It is also easy to grow from seed, but matures slowly.
Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at 408.358.2574 or at LGHORTICULTURE@aol.com.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
