Willow Glen Resident

Gardening

Eye Popping: The Matilija poppy, or 'fried egg poppy', is a hardy, drought-tolerant California native that grows best in full sun. The bushy plants are known for their height as well as their large, floppy, bright flowers.

Some California trees refuse to burn, but some like it hot

By Tony Tomeo

California has always been a dynamic place, quite literally. The ecology throughout the state is adapted to regular cycles of burning and subsequent regeneration. With only a few exceptions, native plants do not expect to live very long, but instead plan for their own replacement. Several other plants from similar climates do the same. Unfortunately, the innate characteristics that allow them to do this sometimes present problems in the garden.

Flammability is obviously the most important concern. Redwoods and sycamores are among the few plants that survive fire by simply not burning. Most other native plants are very flammable and expect to burn at least every century or so, although few are truly "fire-dependent." (Fire-dependent species need to burn to disperse their seeds, or for their seeds to germinate.) Many of these like to use fire to their advantage, by burning hotter than their competitors can tolerate.

For example, Monterey pine and Monterey cypress burn so hot that many of the acorns of the coast live oaks that live with them do not survive. They also burn rapidly, so after the few minutes needed for their cones to open in response to the heat, the fire is not hot enough to burn all their own seed. As they mature, both pines and cypress get more flammable by collecting more dead material in their canopies. Trees that are too elderly or unhealthy to grow concentrate their efforts into cone production.

The native desert or California fan palm and the related Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia) use another tactic. They collect long beards of dead fronds that burn explosively, incinerating the willows and other trees around them. Although some of their own seeds also get burned, the palms actually survive to produce healthy new canopies as if nothing ever happened. They then bloom and produce seed as quickly as they can, hopefully before other plants move back in. What they do not know, though, is the willows also have a plan. New trees grow very efficiently from unburned roots.

Flammable trees unfortunately can be just as combustible in the landscape as they would be in the wild. They are unaware of buildings or anything else that happens to be in the area. It is therefore important to limit their accumulation of combustible material. Arborists accomplish this by "deadwooding" (dead wood removal), thinning or "crown cleaning" and, for fan palms, by removing long beards.

Another unpleasant quality of some native plants that expect to burn is that they have limited life expectancies, which is ironic since the oldest trees in the world are Californian. The flammable coast live oak can live for centuries if given the chance, such as those that lived in the Santa Clara Valley with only unthreatening grass fires. However, even without burning, Monterey pine can be elderly at 50 years old, and rarely lives to 80. Western redbud, ceanothus and many other natives do not get more than 15 years old. Their untimely deaths are natural and not attributed to bad gardening.

Flower of the Week:
Fried egg poppy

When wildfires burn through coastal hills and valleys of Southern and Baja California, the fried egg poppy, or matilija poppy, Romneya coulteri, becomes quite overcooked. Fortunately, its thick rhizomes are eager to regenerate vigorous new plants. Because wildfires are more than impractical for urban gardens, established plants can be pruned to the ground in late autumn to make them think they have burned. New growth begins after the first rain. Fried egg poppies are so well adapted to fire their seed prefer or may even need to be singed to germinate. It is easier to propagate new plants by division of rooted basal stems from the edges of large plants.

Mature plants can get more than 6 feet tall and spread much farther by rhizomes. Their aggressiveness can be a problem in refined gardens but is an asset for naturalization. The coarsely lobed foliage and stems are light grayish-green. The floppy, 6-inch-wide flowers have about five white petals arranged around a large yellow staminate "yolk" (composed of many stamens). Bloom continues through summer and sometimes even into autumn.

Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at 408.358.2574 or at LGHORTICULTURE@aol.com.