Sevenoaks Native Nursery

Viola glabella-February 2012

Brenda Bennett — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:06:08 +0000

Viola glabella is readily seen growing underfoot in wet open forests of the Pacific Northwest. A familiar site on hiking trails that weave near rivers and waterfalls. It’s common name, stream viola, is therefore quite suitable.

The heart-shaped foliage stay close to the soil only reaching a few inches in height. Cute yellow flowers dapple the greenery with a bilateral symmetry. The lower petal acts as a landing pad, equipped with delicate pollination guide lines leading to the nectar spur. The fruit is an oblong three chambered dehiscent pod-opening when ripe-which release seeds resembling miniature speckled eggs.

The dehiscent pods open with a force as a result of the drop in water content on a warm sunny day. The difference in pressure results in the pod bursting open, discharging the seeds into many directions. The ability to throw seeds increases distance between parent and pioneer child, however it seems it would take several years to gain major distance for the overall species. Instead this dispersal tactic gives stream viola it’s ability to form a dense ground cover in only a few years.

Although beneficial for the disperser, dehiscent fruit makes it difficult for the seed collector. If we miss our opportunity to collect the pods prior to dispersal, they open up on their own casting small seeds amongst similar sized soil particles.

Stream viola is listed in Garden Smart Oregon as a great choice for a moist shady location in your garden. We sell Viola glabella bareroot when available, and in containers all year round.

Cynoglossum grande-January 2012

Brenda Bennett — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:22:58 +0000

Happy New Year! This month we introduce Pacific hound’s tongue, sometimes referred to as giant hound’s tongue. The large arrow-tip shaped leaves of Cynoglossum grande rise from the large taproot, forming a low growing mound. The flowering stalk protrudes far above the tops of the leaves, and the petite flowers congregate in small panicles. With a unique flower color, resembling that of forget-me-nots, giant hound’s tongue’s vivid blue corolla fades into a lovely lavender.

Cynoglossum grande is one of the first to bloom in summer, making it an early season hummingbird favorite. The distinct white ring of appendages surrounding the mouth of the corolla could have evolved to make the flowers appear more inviting to pollinators.

Pacific hound’s tongue displays an overt dispersal tactic. The fruit which can be up to a foursome of nutlets, have evolved hooklike appendages on the seed coat. These tiny hooks grab a hold of anything nearby, especially the fur of an animal, or the trousers of an explorer. This may be why we see it on the valley floor as well as at 9000 ft. in the Sierras.

We only have a few Cynoglossum grande in containers at the moment. As it is one of our new favorites, there will be more to come soon!

Styrax redivivus-December 2011

Brenda Bennett — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 04:37:22 +0000

As many of you might be waiting for that first snow to appear, we bring it to you in plant form: enter the snowdrop bush. Styrax redivivus is a nice specimen with delicate features and if pruned correctly a pleasant shape. Adding much to the garden year round, the large white flowers appear in the early spring, followed by yellow fruit which persist into the summer. In Autumn the leaves turn color before falling to the ground.

With snow-white buds the shape of droplets, the common name, snowdrop bush, is spot-on. The scientific name, Styrax redivivus, is not as easy to translate at first glance. Styrax takes its roots from a Semitic word meaning resin producing plant. The resin found in the bark of the genus Styrax has long been used in incense and perfumes. Found within the resin’s chemical makeup is a hydrocarbon, styrene that is used in producing Styrofoam. Redivivus has latin roots and means to restore or bring back to life. This could be referring to it’s early spring flowers.

Preferring partial shade, and it’s feet to be dry, it is uncommonly found in chaparral woodlands of California. When stumbled upon it is a sight to be seen, especially in the spring.

We have a limited amount of large containers available, and more coming soon!

Baccharis pilularis-November 2011

Brenda Bennett — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:15:55 +0000

Coyote bush is a striking sight in the dull winter months on the Oregon coast. Growing in two different forms, the coastal version is low and prostrate, while the interior form is upright and shrubby. The leaves are covered with resin glands, which vary the coloring of the shrub from dark green to gray. The flowers are dioecious, meaning the female and male flowers are on separate plants. As part of the Asteraceae family the inflorescences are composed of many disc flowers. The Oregon Flora Project has close-up photos of the female and male flowers.

An underused specimen in cultivation, B. piluaris is a simple, although valuable addition, as it can tolerate drought once established and is more deer resistant than most plants. In the garden, coyote bush can be used as a hedge, or in areas that are prone to erosion. It should be pruned back periodically simulating fires/grazing that would occur naturally in the wild. It has an extensive root system with the tap root growing up to 10 ft long, as well as forming many outward-growing roots. When planting, plant further apart then normal as the underground growth is much greater than that above ground.

In an excerpt from the book, Gardening with a Wild Heart: Restoring California’s Native Landscapes at Home, Judith Larner Lowry eloquently describes the benefits Baccharis pilularis provides it’s environment. These include, but aren’t limited to: habitat for birds, and other small animals; cover for native perennials to establish themselves; nectar for many insects. She finishes her excerpt by stating, “It is to coyote bush that I turn to when discouraged or in need of a reminder of all that is available to learn in my own back yard”

A truly easy to grow, and well loved shrub. We have a limited number of Baccharis pilularis available in containers

Trillium albidum-October 2011

Brenda Bennett — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:58:57 +0000

Giant white trillium, sometimes called giant white wakerobin is a common sight in shaded forests of Oregon and California during the early spring. Usually found growing in dappled light, on nutrient rich slopes, Trillium albidum appears elegant in low growing clumps of large green leaf-like bracts, and brilliant white flowers. The scientific name easily breaks down to give the plant a lot of meaning, “Tri” referring to the fact that T. albidum has all flower parts in threes; ”lilium” telling of it’s relations, the Lily family; “albidum” is latin for whitish, which refers to the flowers. The slightly mottled leafy bracts directly subtend the sessile white three-petaled flower, this is a good indicator of telling T. albidum apart from T. ovatum, whose flower rises above the leafy bracts. An aerial view of an individual plant resembles a triangle with the white flower in the center. The Oregon Flora Project displays most of these morphological attributes in a selection of photos.

Trillium is a very long lived genus, with some species known to live for multiple decades. In the wild most trillium species take 7-10 years to produce flowers from seed. Many species are endangered/protected, which could be related to the length of time it takes the plant to reproduce sexually, because of this some states make picking trillium flowers illegal. Trillium seed is mainly dispersed by ants who transport the seeds to their home in order to consume part of the seed coat, to read more in depth about this, visit the Botany Blog. As larger versions of ants, we harvest all of our seed in the wild and then grow the plants for 3-4 years. Last year we dug the 3 year crop and our rhizomes were considerably smaller than our current 4 year crop,which should be (crossing our fingers) full of bloomers!

Check out what we still have available.

Fritillaria affinis-September 2011

Brenda Bennett — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:11:51 +0000

We love Fritillarias! Especially this one, because of it’s modest beauty and easy temperament. We sell this species in containers throughout the year and as bulbs starting in the fall. If planting bulbs, it is best to plant this time of year, although they can overwinter in cold storage until the time of planting before summer warmth sets in.

Checker lily or sometimes called chocolate lily begin rising from the soil near the end of winter and can reach over 2 ft. (60 cm.) tall. The leaves on flower producing individuals are linear and slender in slight whorls climbing the flower stalk. These leaves differ greatly from the large basal leaves of the plants that aren’t mature enough to produce flowers. Flowers open between April and May. The mottled maroon/yellow tepals nod elegantly, until after pollination when the fruit begins to form, straightening out the flower stalk.

The coloring of the tepals of Fritillaria affinis can vary depending on sunlight, moisture, and elevation. The Oregon Flora Project has a great site with photos exihibiting the variation of the “checkered” flowers.

Fritillaria affinis is also sometimes called, “rice root fritillary”, referring to it’s nature to reproduce vegetatively through bulbs and many bulblets, which look similar to fat grains of rice. The indigenous people, native to the regions where checker lily occurs, consumed the bulbs as an important starch in their diet. They would dig the bulbs in the early spring before they started to produce leaves or in the fall after the return to dormancy.

We will begin digging Fritillaria affinis bulbs in the next two weeks, contact us to place your order.

Digger: “Helping the bulb go on”-Marty Wingate

Brenda Bennett — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:54:23 +0000

In the current edition of Digger, Sevenoaks was highlighted as one of the few nurseries that grow a variety of native bulbs. In the article, Helping the bulb go on, written by Marty Wingate, a well-known garden blogger, author and master gardener, she explains what an under valued part of the garden native bulbs are. To read the article in its entirety visit the online version of the publication and “turn” to page 13.

With a brilliant flash of color in the spring, native bulb flowers are what we see when we go for those hikes in May and June. Native bulbs are a great resource for the avid or amateur gardener, anyone can plant bulbs, and have a beautiful show of flowers in the spring and beyond. A Pacific Northwest xeric gardener would appreciate some bulbs in their garden, which don’t require the extra watering throughout the dry season, and will add some well-needed flare.
Recently we have sold bulbs that are being used less traditionally, in large-scale greenroof projects and on the more traditional end, in streamside restoration projects. The bulbs we offer provide the color that signals the end of the rain, which is a relieving sight in February and March. Starting early with Erythronium, Trillium, and Dodecatheon, the green leaves emerge from the brown soggy soil and finish with delicate flowers. Continuing into May, Camassia, Calochortus, and Dichelostemma provide a whole new spectrum of colors. Finally the Liliums begin flowering in late June lasting into July, with some species of Allium lasting into August. At Sevenoaks, we collect the seed from native bulb producing plants, plant them, and wait 3 to 5 years. Once they have had time to grow and build up to a size that will produce flowers, we hand dig them, and grade into sizes from x-small to x-large. We are getting to our bulb digging season, when the plants are dormant, and will start offering quantities and posting them on our availability.

State of Perfection-Digger

Brenda Bennett — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:05:53 +0000

This past January, Sevenoaks was featured in Digger magazine, in their “State of Perfection” series. To read the article, and view the video check out The Daily Digger blog.

Oplopanax horridus-August 2011

Brenda Bennett — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:18:47 +0000

A brutally spiny plant, Oplopanax horridus has been widely regarded as one of the most important plants, medicinally and spiritually, for the indigenous groups in its native range. For more extensive information regarding it’s ethnobotanical values, there is a great publication at HerbalGram, through the American Botanical Society. It’s common name, devil’s club, is most likely related to the fact that this plant was used in a spiritual sense.

Because Oplopanax is closely related to the genus Panax, ginseng, it has been overharvested in some areas, reducing the species population size. Oplopanax horridus takes many years to reach the age of maturity and reproduce via seeds, therefore large groups of this plant are hard to come by, and should be appreciated when they are.

Oplopanax horridus grows as an upright shrub up to 9 ft (3 m) tall, with massive palmate leaves. Leaves, stems and bark, are all covered in large yellow prickles. Flowers are small and greenish white, presented in a pyramidal cluster. Fruit are bright red, in a terminal spike, a delicacy for bears.

Devil’s club ranges from Alaska south to Oregon, mostly growing in moist, old growth forests. There is also a disjunct population in Ontario, Canada, and a few islands in Lake Superior.

Check out our current availability of Oplopanax horridus

Greenroof-Oregon State University

admin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:29:37 +0000

Recently we donated plants including wetland rushes and sedges, herbaceous perennials, and many flowering bulbs to a greenroof project at Oregon State University through the Crop and Soil Science Department. We assisted in the planting day, and have been back a few times to check on progress. Our plants have been used in other greenroofs before. To learn more about this project check out the local news’ link and video of the students building the structure. Soon there will be a website dedicated to tracking the differences between the classic half of the roof versus the greenroof. Once this is up and going we will have a new post with a link.