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Elisabeth C. Miller Library

Keyword: Festuca

Hardy plants for near the shore

Do you have some suggestions for hardy, lower growing plants that would do well near the water? Our house is on the south side of Whidbey Island. The main plantings will be behind the house, thus roughly 75-100 yards from the shore. This part of the yard has early morning sun and then some shade in the afternoon. And, since we have a large yard at home we are working toward very low maintenance at the beach.

The following plants are mentioned in April Pettinger’s book, Native Plants in the Coastal Garden (Whitecap, 2002):

SHRUBS

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnikinnick)
Gaultheria shallon (Salal)
Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen huckleberry)
Rosa nutkana (Nootka rose)
Holodiscus discolor (Oceanspray)
Symphoricarpos albus (Snowberry)
Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon grape)

NATIVE GRASSES

Festuca idahoensis (Idaho fescue)
Festuca idahoensis spp. roemeri (Roemer’s fescue)
Leymus mollis or Elymus mollis (Dunegrass)
Deschampsia cespitosa (Tufted hairgrass)
Festuca rubra (Red fescue)
Glyceria grandis (Reed mannagrass)
Muhlenbergia glomerata (Marsh muhly)

There are many other ideas in this book, which I highly recommend.

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landscaping around septic systems

We have a new house that we have to landscape around. The biggest problem is that we have to be careful what we plan due to the septic system. It is an evaporation system, with two huge cement tanks buried under the ground in the front of the house and plastic pipes running through the side yard. We are planting grass in a rectangle right above the biggest bunch of the plastic pipes, but what can go around it or by the cement tanks that will not grow long roots and dig into it? In looking at the planting information on the packages and in my Western Garden Book, nothing seems to mention root depth.

 

Below is an article entitled What to Plant Over the Septic System by Mary Robson (originally published in her Regional Garden Column for Washington State University Extension, December 6, 1998):

“As more and more people move into rural areas, questions about septic systems and landscaping have become quite common. This column deals with some of the basics. A new brochure from Washington Sea Grant called: Landscaping your Septic System, offers considerable detail on the subject and provided much of this material.

“First, be sure that the septic field is clearly identified, and you know where the reserve area is. Keep all construction away from these areas. Understanding the functioning of the system is vital. Get information. (Some of it is available in video form.) The drainfield will not work well if overloaded with extra surface water, so be certain that it is not in the path of downspout run off or irrigation systems.

“Sunlight and air circulation also help the drainfield perform properly. Avoid surrounding it with tall trees. (Some shade is fine, but you would not plant an oak on the edge of a drainfield.) Set up some barriers so that it is not compacted by frequent foot traffic. Occasional mowing or moving through the field to check the system is certainly fine, but you do not want the drainfield in the middle of a heavily used path.

“There are advantages to using plants over the drainfield. Plants do help provide oxygen exchange and contribute to evaporation necessary in the drainfield area. Choose plants with shallow, non-invasive roots. You do not want breakage or damage in pipes from root intrusions.

“Grasses are most commonly recommended for the septic area. Lawn can be attractive. Do not overload the system by watering it a lot. Meadow grasses or a mixture of turf grasses like perennial rye and some broadleaf flowers (such as yarrow) can also look good and require little maintenance. Several mixes sold as Eco-Turf or Fleur de Lawn have these components.

“Small, shallow-rooted ornamental grasses (for instance, Festuca ovina
\’Glauca\’ 4-10 inches) can also be good looking. Very tall grasses like Stipa gigantea are not appropriate. Avoid over-active plants like English ivy (Hedera helix), which is becoming a menace in forested areas by moving in and stifling trees.

“Edible crops are not suggested. Vegetable gardening requires frequent cultivation, and digging in the drainfield area is inadvisable. Also, the brochure notes that: Sewage effluent is distributed through the soil in the drainfield area. Any root vegetables planted in this area may be directly exposed to septic tank effluent.

“Other possibilities are low-growing ground covers. Some, such as bugle weed (Ajuga reptans) and vinca (Vinca minor) grow vigorously and would fill in quickly. The native kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) grows well in full sun but is slow to establish. A mulch around the plants may help with weed control while the plants spread.

“The green growing layer over the septic tank helps the system to function, adds to the appearance of the landscape, and should, ideally, be set up to allow easy monitoring and maintenance. Keep landscaping simple and straightforward, remembering that the object is the good performance of the system.”

To get more information on septic systems, contact your local health department. The brochure Landscaping Your Septic System (pdf) is available through the Sea Grant Program.

Here are links to publications that might also be helpful:

Mounds: A Septic System Alternative

Understanding and Caring for Your Sand Filter System

Care and Feeding of Septic Tanks

drought-tolerant native grasses

I am looking for a native, drought-tolerant grass for a small garden plot in Seattle. Can you suggest a grass that is 2-3 feet tall and at most 2 feet wide.

Native grasses that will do well in a dry meadow setting and grow 2-3 feet tall are:

Festuca idahoensis, Idaho fescue
Bromus carinatus and Bromus marginatus, brome grasses
Elymus glaucus, wild rye grass
Melica species, onion grasses
Calamagrostis nutkaensis, Pacific reedgrass

Each of these grasses grow in very distinct shapes–I recommend that you look at them before choosing which species to plant. Fescues are popular grasses for gardens because of their fine blades and pretty seed heads. Additionally, the Elymus and Bromus will grow much more quickly than the other species.

You can perform searches on each of these species at the USDA Plants Database by typing the plant name into the Plants Name search box–this database will give you additional information about the species and some pictures.

The Washington Native Plant Society website has a list of native plant vendors.

December pollen-producing trees

What could cause sinus allergy symptoms every December?

According to Thomas Ogren’s book, Allergy Free Gardening , the genera Alnus, Baccharis, Casuarina, Festuca, Pennisetum, Juglans, Poa, Tamarix, Taxodium, Thujopsis, Xylosma, Zelkova, and palm trees all produce pollen during December.

(Source: Ogren, T.L., Allergy-Free Gardening: The revolutionary guide to healthy landscaping , 2000, pp.262-265)

Also check out Allergy Free Gardening website. There are a number of articles on low-allergy gardening listed.

plants for a green roof

I am trying to select plants for a green roof on Lopez Island. I would like to use some native plants, and not have to do too much weeding. Can you help me?

The Miller Library has a booklist on green roofs which includes weblinks. With respect to weeds, as a former professional gardener I don’t believe there is a “maintenance-free” garden. However you may be able to come up with a freely seeding grass (Festuca ovina var. glauca comes to mind) that would do well and look good with other plants.

Regarding Pacific Northwest native plants (i.e., grasses), I recommend using a native plant book (such as Pojar and MacKinnon’s Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast) and searching for those which suit the conditions of the site. You may also find King County’s native plant
guide useful, as it is searchable by site requirements. Washington Native Plant Society offers a similar plant selection guide. There are also native species of Sedum.

The book Green Roof–a Case Study by Christian Werthmann (Princeton Architectural Press, 2007) evaluates green roof plants and planting techniques, and includes observations regarding soil depth, the factors affecting desiccation (i.e., metal edging and the planting medium/size of the plants used), and density considerations. Here are some of the conclusions of the case study:

  1. p.69-insects and other invertebrates need >6″ of soil to survive the cold;
    drought tolerance increases with soil depth; probability of seed germination also increases with soil depth
  2. p.76-erosion control (bird repellant?) made from a degradable straw mat (such a mat may be useful for preventing birds from pulling up the plugs)
  3. Plants:
    p.95-sweet fern Comptonia peregrine-not too vigorous, suffered from weed infestations
    p.96-prickly pear Opuntia fragilis-did well
    Phlox subulata, Silene caroliniana-did well
    Sedum telephioides, S. lanceolatum, S. stenopetalum-suffered from heat, drought, and birds-these were replaced with European sedums (S. album, S. reflexum, S. spurium, S. cauticola, S. sexangulare, S. floriferum, Sempervivum tectorum, Orostachys boehmeri) and not planted as plugs but as larger plants that started in the green roof substrate (reducing transplant shock)
    p.100-mixed prairie perennials with sedums (in 6″ soil), which filled in when perennials died-the architects note that there is no record of prairie plants doing well on green roofs, therefore the backup with succulents-they also note that metal roof edges speed up desiccationPerennials included ice plant (Delosperma nubigenum; my note: be careful about this, as it’s a noxious weed in California and if it spreads by seed, it might become a problem on Lopez); flameflower (Talinum calycinum); Eragrostis spectabilis; Allium schoenoprasum; Allium cernuum; Bouteloua gracilis; Elymus virginicus; Achillea millefolium; Tradescantia bracteata; Solidago nemoralis; Artemisia ludoviciana; Coreopsis verticillata; Asclepias tuberosa; Rudbeckia hirta

    p.105-in 3″ soil with nearby metal (and thus an overheating issue), they used proven sedum species; heat from metal can be reduced by using aluminum (proved cooler than wood)

    p. 108-conclusions: use a combination of indigenous plants with “successful green roof performers”-thin soil and high light “even overtaxed the hardiest succulents”-soil depth and temperature extremes made a big difference; even a slight difference in soil depth in a harsh environment can mean the difference between success and failure-continuous care and maintenance in the beginning is important for success-plugs grown in peat moss were less successful, since completely dried-out peat moss repels water-dense plantings (and/or rapidly spreading plants) important because bare soil gets hotter than soil covered by a plant.

Pseudovivipary in plants

I have grown Festuca glauca for many years. While they have an annoying propensity to seed themselves everywhere, I have never seen Festuca send off many little plantlets, as one of mine is currently doing. Of all the Festuca that I grew, this one got the least amount of sun, and was near other taller plants, and it was also probably exposed to the most humidity.

Is this really a sign of the Apocalypse, or just another result of a crappy summer?

We had lots of theories put forth by library staff and professional gardeners, but according to plant ecophysiology professor Soo-Hyung Kim, your plant is demonstrating vivipary (or in the case of plants like Festuca, which are in the family Poaceae, pseudovivipary). I found information about vivipary in an article by Thomas Elmqvist and Paul Alan Cox, published in Oikos, vol. 77, no. 1, pp. 3-9, October 1996.:
“Vivipary in flowering plants is defined as the precocious and continuous growth of the offspring when still attached to the maternal parent. Two main types, true vivipary (involving sexually produced offspring) and pseudovivipary (asexual offspring), may be identified. Vivipary has been described from slightly less than a hundred different species of flowering plants, of which we classify approximately 50% as having true vivipary, with the remaining species being pseudoviviparous.”

There is additional information in Flora of North America, vol. 24, p.392:
“Under adverse conditions, many species [of Festuca] may proliferate vegetatively, where leafy bulbils or shoots form in place of some or all spikelets. Some populations of Festuca are largely (or completely) sterile, reproducing almost entirely through such bulbils, a process termed pseudovivipary. Pseudoviviparous plants may be common or even abundant in certain areas and habitats.”

Some scientists (cited in Elmqvist and Cox article) suggest that pseudovivipary is an evolutionary response to a short growing season (as in arctic, alpine, or arid areas). Perhaps your plant is in its own microhabitat!