Category Archives: Native Plants

Update – Elderberries on Acid

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

Not much going on in the garden, and no precip for months.  Strange weather… A couple of months ago, I wrote about scarifying elderberry seeds with strong acid.  I checked the seeds this morning – they’ve been sequestered in the … Continue reading →

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Volunteer Bay

Posted on December 2, 2011 by

Umbellularia californica, to be exact.  There isn’t a whole lot of it at my elevation (~3k), but it’s fairly common elsewhere in these parts, usually at lower elevations, in stream and river canyons, closer to water.  That being said, at … Continue reading →

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Misery?

Posted on November 7, 2011 by

Mountain misery (Chamaebatia foliolosa), also know as bear clover and kit-ke-dizze, is one of the native ground cover plants throughout this part of the Sierra, and I have it in abundance on my property, including throughout the very sunny parts … Continue reading →

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“How about not doing that?” A Lesson from Fukuoka

Posted on October 18, 2011 by

To the north of the garden proper and the food forest is a nearly pure stand of Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menzeisii)  Very little sunlight reaches the ground here, and the forest floor is piled high with generations of madrone leaves, … Continue reading →

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Jerusalem Artichokes – Neither from Jerusalem, nor Artichokes

Posted on October 18, 2011 by

Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus), also called sunchokes, grow really well in my garden, and I’ve planted some in the food forest as well. I’ve grown them for a number of years – they don’t require much care, just a sunny … Continue reading →

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Gardening With Safety Goggles

Posted on October 6, 2011 by

I’ve been gardening for a number of years, but I can’t recall another time when I had to wear nitrile gloves to sow seeds. As mentioned in the prior post, I am interested in germinating a whole bunch of elderberry … Continue reading →

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Elderberries and Acid

Posted on October 5, 2011 by

Sulfuric acid, that is. I collected a pint glass full of Sambucus cerulea berries the from a big old bush on the side of the road a couple of days ago, and this evening I processed them to extract the … Continue reading →

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The Herbaceous Layer – Garden Sorrel

Posted on October 3, 2011 by

I’ve written about sorrel, Rumex acetosa, before.  It’s a perrenial herb that, once established, produces a whole lot of juicy, sour leaves that are great in a salad or soup.  They figure prominently in my food forest plans as one … Continue reading →

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Of Claimers and Disclaimers and Wild Plants

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

I’m reading Samuel Thayer’s excellent guide to edible wild plants, Nature’s Garden.  Not only is it a lovely book, full of wonderful photos and informative text, but the very first pages, consisting of a Warning followed by a Claimer (as … Continue reading →

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Citizens of the Food Forest

Posted on July 19, 2011 by

I’ve been working on selecting plants to fill out the various levels in the food forest.  I’m basing my selections on the following criteria: Prior history of local success.  That is, do the plants succeed in the garden proper, or … Continue reading →

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