bri-k's Journal

The "pollinator garden" just North of the Main Gym between Revelle and Muir is rather lacking, to say the least. It's about 150 square feet of random, incoherent landscaping with the intention of promoting pollinators. While its intention may be good, its execution is definitely not. The choices of plants are hilariously misguided.

Here are some images of the garden:

And some highlights of particularly strange plant choices:

Invasive Echium candicans, which only supports similarly invasive honey bees.

A random cycad (Cycas revoluta?)? When I think of plants that support pollinators, cycads are definitely not the first that come to mind.

Why is there a Plumeria sp.?

Another strange choice is the orchid visible in the bottom-center of the second image, though I didn't get a picture of that in particular.

Some problems with this

While many of these plants are not particularly harmful (e.g. the cycad, Plumeria, etc.), many are. The invasive Echium candicans is one specific plant that comes to mind, but there are other examples. I counted two tropical milkweeds (Asclepias curassavica), which are likely more harmful for the endangered western monarch butterflies than having no milkweed at all (ideally, as a "pollinator garden," there would be plenty of the native Asclepias fascicularis and others). Additionally, the butterfly bush Buddleja davidii is potentially invasive in California and, though its common name might suggest otherwise, is not particularly beneficial to native butterflies. Like the tropical milkweed, if the goal is to support native butterflies, it should be replaced with a native species.
Ironically, the only native species I could find is the Erigeron canadensis, which probably wasn't even planted there intentionally. I'm not even entirely sure it is Erigeron canadensis.

Two mature cotton trees (Gossypium arboreum) and one mature Bradford pear tree (Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford'—invasive, I know, but still a good shade tree) were brutally and illegally eviscerated by several untrained employees of the City of Lomita today. I'm not sure where the city managed to dig up these dunces, but it's obvious that no trained arborist was involved in the process. Almost every green leaf was stripped from the G. arboreum, and there is severe damage to the bark of the P. calleryana from its numerous encounters with a carelessly wielded chainsaw. To top it all off, this butchering occurred just a couple of days before the worst heat wave of the year is expected to hit southern California, with temperatures exceeding 90°F and likely frying what's left of the trees as well as all of the native plants growing underneath what used to be their canopies.
This poorly thought-out action was entirely illegal as well. Lomita, California, city ordinance §9-2.30 states, "Pruning practices performed by city personnel or contracted by the city shall conform to the pruning standards that have been adopted by the International Society of Arboriculture and/or the National Arborists Association." Any violation of said standards is an unlawful misdemeanor, according to the ordinance, and "[any] person responsible for the illegal topping, pruning, or removal of any city tree shall be required to pay a restoration fee to the city or replace the tree(s) by replanting a tree of equal size, significance, and prominence" (§9-2.55. - Restoration of illegally removed and damaged trees: Fees and fines). Ironically, it was the city that was "responsible for the illegal topping, pruning, or removal" of the trees.
To illustrate the illegality of this pruning job, I've included some images of proper technique versus the technique used by the city's chainsaw-armed sadists:
The ANSI A300 standards by which Lomita requires tree care to be governed state the following:
•"An arborist or arborist trainee shall visually inspect each tree before beginning work." Unless one of the tree-massacring zealots who attacked these trees was an arborist or arborist trainee (and I sincerely fear for all of the trees in my neighborhood if that is the case), this requirement was not fulfilled.
•"A pruning cut that removes a branch at its point of origin shall be made close to the trunk or parent limb, without cutting into the branch bark ridge or collar, or leaving a stub," such as in the following diagram.

Unfortunately, almost every cut made on these trees left a stub, e.g.




•"A pruning cut that reduces the length of a branch or parent stem should bisect the angle between its branch bark ridge and an imaginary line perpendicular to the branch or stem."
Many cuts are made at random angles, e.g.

•"The final cut shall result in a flat surface with adjacent bark firmly attached."
On some cuts, the bark is left peeling and shredded, e.g.

•"Tree branches shall be removed in such a manner so as not to cause damage to other parts of the tree or to other plants or property."
The branches nearby some cuts have their bark damaged and neighboring twigs are broken and left hanging, e.g.

•"Not more than 25 percent of the foliage should be removed within an annual growing season."
These pictures are rather self-explanatory in terms of the lack of remaining foliage:


•"Topping and lion’s tailing shall be considered unacceptable pruning practices for trees."
Wikipedia defines tree topping as "the practice of removing whole tops of trees or large branches and/or trunks from the tops of trees, leaving stubs or lateral branches that are too small to assume the role of a terminal leader," as in this image:

The careless chopping endured by these G. arboreum, in my opinion, constitutes topping:

Additionally, a nearby Pyrus calleryana showing symptoms of entomosporium leaf spot and a possible viral infection was trimmed with the same equipment with no disinfection in between trees, so it is likely that hundreds of similar trees throughout the City of Lomita were just inoculated by these skilled "arborists."

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This is intended as a guide to propagating several California-native plants based on my experience with native horticulture.

Acmispon glaber—Most easily propagated from seed; collect seedpods when mature (usually between mid-April and mid-July) and keep in a cool, dry, and dark location until needed. Plant in late summer (if irrigation is available) or fall. Seeds may germinate on their own, but the germination rate is increased if the seeds are scarified and soaked in water. For scarification, place the seeds in a heat-resistant container (Pyrex® or other borosilicate glass cups work well), and pour ~180°F (~80°C)—not boiling—water over the seeds. Leave them to soak in the water for 8–12 hours. All the seeds should have sunk by the end of the soaking period; if any seeds remain floating, poke them to break the surface tension of the water and allow them to sink. Fill a cell tray, seed flat, or another container with well-draining soil, and press seeds onto the surface of the soil so they are flush with the surface of the soil. Sprinkle a very thin (~1 mm or ~1/32 inch) layer of fine compost over the seeds and water thoroughly. Keep the soil moist. Seeds should germinate soon and cotyledons should emerge after 6–14 days (Acmispon glaber germinates quickly compared to many other native plants).

Acmispon glaber seeds

Asclepias fascicularis—Most easily propagated from seed; collect the seeds and pappi from dehiscing fruit. Rub the seeds between fingers to separate the seeds from their pappi, and discard the pappi. Keep the seeds in a cool, dry, and dark location until needed. Cold stratification for three months can help with germination, but it’s usually unnecessary. In the spring or early summer, press seeds onto the surface of moist, well-draining soil (don’t cover them) and keep in part-shade. Seeds may take 2–8 weeks to germinate.

Asclepias fascicularis seeds

Epilobium canum—Propagate from rhizome. Carefully dig up suckers that emerge around a mature plant, and gently pry the rhizome out of the soil, keeping any roots if possible. If the rhizome doesn’t break, cut it near the edge of the parent plant. Handle the rhizome gently because the woody tissues of Epilobium canum are very brittle. Optionally, rooting may be improved by applying a rooting hormone (e.g. indole butyric acid) to each node on the rhizome. Place the rhizome in a suitable pot and fill around it with soil. Water the soil thoroughly and press soil toward the rhizome so as to force soil into contact with the plant. Keep moist in partial shade for several weeks, occasionally misting the foliage if the plants wilt. Unsuccessful rooting will be apparent after several days as plants that haven’t rooted will become dry and their foliage will droop and eventually dry out. Successfully rooted plants may wilt in extreme heat or sun but will regain their turgidity in the evenings and in cooler weather. After several weeks, healthy-looking plants can be gently tugged from the soil. If they hold fast, they may be planted in the ground.

Anemopsis californica—Propagate from stolon via layering. In spring and summer, plants will send out stolons. Direct the stolons so their nodes (wherever a group of leaves emerges from the stolon) are dipped in water or pressed into loose soil. When the stolon grows roots from each node, cut the stolon in the internode space and dig up each node’s roots. Place the rooted nodes in suitable pots and backfill with soil. Keep the soil saturated. Plants should be ready to transplant when roots begin to emerge from the drainage holes.

Anemopsis californica stolons growing in a pond

Cutting stolon internodes to plant rooted nodes

Peritoma arborea—Very easily propagated from seed. Collect dry mature bladders (usually in summer) and split them open and collect the seeds. Simply press seeds about ¼ inch (6.35 mm) into the soil and keep moist until the plants are ready to transplant. Germination may be aided by soaking the seeds in lukewarm water for 12–24 hours prior to planting.

Peritoma arborea seeds

Datura wrightii—Easily propagated from seed. Collect dry mature seed pods (wearing gloves to protect from the spikes and the poisonous scopolamine that is concentrated in the seeds) and store the seeds in a cool, dark, and dry location. Press the seeds into the soil and keep moist until the plants have reached about 4 inches (~10 cm) in height and are ready to transplant. For safety, always handle this plant with gloves, and don’t plant in an area frequented by children or pets who may eat it.

Datura wrightii seeds

Encelia californica—Easiest to propagate by seed; collect seeds by splaying open mature pseudanthia after they’ve gone to seed and dried. Pat seeds onto the surface of well-draining soil, but leave them uncovered. Keep moist until seeds have germinated and grown to a sufficient size to transplant (around 6 inches, or 15 cm).

Encelia californica seeds

Achillea millefolium—Easiest to propagate by seed; collect seeds by inserting a mature corymb on which most of the flowers have gone to seed (it’s obvious when a corymb has matured because it turns from white to a dark grayish-brown) into a bag and tapping it. The seeds easily fall from the flowers and can be collected in the bag. Pat seeds onto the surface of well-draining soil, but leave them uncovered. Keep moist until seeds have germinated and grown to a sufficient size to transplant.

Achillea millefolium seeds

Artemisia californica—Easiest to propagate by seed; collect seeds by pulling the pappi and seeds from mature pseudanthia after they’ve gone to seed and dried. Pat seeds onto the surface of well-draining soil, but leave them uncovered. Keep moist until seeds have germinated and grown to a sufficient size to transplant (around 4–6 inches, or 10–15 cm).

Artemisia californica seeds

Eschscholzia californica—Very easy to propagate by seed. Split dry seed pods and scrape out the seeds (the dry fruits dehisce violently when disturbed, so it helps to squeeze the pod shut at the base until you can put them in a bag, otherwise the seeds may be launched before they can be collected). Seeds are effectively grown by broadcasting, but for more foolproof germination they may also be sprinkled onto soil and covered with a thin layer of fine compost.

Eschscholzia californica seeds

Sisyrinchium bellum—Can be propagated from seed. Collect seed pods from mature plants in late spring and early summer when the lobed fruits turn dark brown. Pinch the seed pods until they split open and the spherical seeds fall out. Stratification improves the germination rate. Press the seeds into the soil and keep moist until the plants have reached a sufficient size to be transplanted.

Sisyrinchium bellum seeds and split seed pods

Typha sp.—Most easily propagated by rhizome. Mature plants prolifically produce pups that readily root and grow into new individuals. Cattails can be divided by cutting the rhizome with a sharp shovel, but it is equally as effective to firmly grab a pup and pull to uproot it. The new plant should be kept in a bucket full of water until it’s ready to plant in a pond or saturated soil.

Typha sp. showing many pups growing from a parent plant

Grabbing one pup of a Typha sp. and pulling to uproot it

Typha sp. uprooted

Typha sp. rhizome and roots in greater detail

© BriK