Water Talk

Climate and plant adaptation models show plants from hotter areas may be better adapted for the climate we will experience in the future. We should start growing plants adapted to the climate we will have, not the climate we have had. I’m kind of a prepper, this appeals to me. An example from a more southern native range, is bird’s eye gilia, Gilia tricolor. It has large white and lavender flowers with dark centers and turquoise anthers. They grow well in my garden and the flowers stand out against the dark reddish soil. Meadowfoam, Limnanthes species, is another example of drawing from warmer southern habitats. It has at least four subspecies in Oregon, but only one occurs wild as far north as Albany and many more are in California. They are low spreading species and all I’ve grown perform well in my garden.

While growing native annuals doesn’t rebuild the whole ecosystem it helps maintain biodiversity in a small way. And this isn’t limited to insect biodiversity. Native annual grow best without any irrigation, saving our common water supply for more critical uses. One of our tallest annuals, showy tarweed, Madia elegans, has large yellow daisies that close during the heat of the day in summer. It has very sticky, gland covered stems and foliage, so I'm careful to plant it where I can't brush my arms against it. Its seeds, similar to sunflower seeds, are loved by gold fiches. It grows on dry highway verges as a testament to its drought tolerance.

For quantity of pollinator visits Clarkia is worth growing, but that undersells its showiness. Farewell-to-spring, Clarkia amoena, has large flowers in pink shades that bloom into July. It is also one of the plants visited by leafcutter bees. Though finding a leafcutter bee in action is difficult, spotting leaves with circles cut out is a sure sign you are hosting a population of these beneficial native insects. Solitary bees use the leafy discs to build little nests for their larva. Seek out these species of clarkia with the showiest flowers: Clarkia amoena var. lindleyi, C. purpurea ssp. quadrivulnera, C. rhomboidei, C. bottae, C. concinna. They grow upright and knit well into the garden. Clarkia are noted among our native annuals for feeding the widest range of insects.

Bluehead gilia, Gilia capitata, is visited by our native, yellow-faced bumble bee, and is also hosts the larva of Adela singulella, a moth. It’s a tiny wispy moth with very long threadlike antae which I’d like a chance to see in my garden. A tall thin stemmed plant, bluehead gilia has round heads of blue flowers with turquois anthers. In late June and early July, I find them growing in the margins around Silverton. There are never many, so growing it your garden helps add food for the bumble bees and moths. Bluehead gilia are easy to grow.

There are many commercial flower mixes available that use the term native. But these rely on an overly broad definition, and often contain species from other bioregions. Many of these species aren’t helpful to local native pollinators or biodiversity. It is easy to have a successful flower garden that excludes nonnative annuals. Nonnative annuals such as bachelor buttons, red and crimson clovers, rudbeckia, calendula, true poppies, etc. are pretty but don’t offer the specific benefits that native annuals do.

The best success you will find is had by planting these annual seeds directly in the garden in autumn. Prepare early by ordering seeds in summer. Using Latin names, you’ll be able to find most of the seeds you might want. The species I’ve mentioned are easy to start with but there are many others worth searching out to include in your garden. You might even want to do a little guerilla gardening and buy a few extra packets to sprinkle in areas that should be hosting native annuals. You could also think of growing native perennials.

A rewarding part of growing native annuals lays in their ability to self-sow and come back the following year. Nonnative annuals don’t do that in my garden and if they do, they’re weedy. Let the annuals bloom and wither on their own natural schedule. Their seeds drop when mature. Clear away the debris in late summer or when unsightly. Harvest the plants when they are about half withered if you want to move them to new locations or collect seeds. Rubbing the dead plants, after thorough drying, in your hands should free any stuck seeds.

Last Month, in Solarizing in Silverton…

When the ice storm of ‘21 felled three giant Oregon white oaks near her house, Elyce assuaged her sadness with hope for a silver lining - maybe now her roof would get enough sun to collect the household’s power! After several out-of-town PV installers turned her down, she found a local installer who gave her a bid; however, their proposed system was so large, it raised a red flag for Seeds for Sol, the Corvallis organization partnered with Sustainable Silverton to make solar accessible for Silvertonians. It put the skids on the project. When we last left her, Elyce was gearing up for an in-home visit by Julie and Nancy with Seeds for Sol to find out why the home’s electricity usage was so high.

Father’s Day arrived. I had not brought up these problems to my dad, since I am always bringing him dad-problems to solve. I thought I’d try to work with the pros and give Dad a break. On Father’s Day, having struck out for an answer from the electrician, I gave in and told my dad what’s been going on. Like a whip, he cracked off these thoughts:

1- It wouldn’t be the circuit breaker. As long as the circuits trip when they should (they do) and an electrician measured that the amperage of each circuit was correct (he did), replacing the panel (price tag: $4,100) would not address the problem.

2- Houses of this age were often wired with aluminum instead of copper, which is much less conductive and requires more energy to push the electricity through. That could explain a higher than typical electricity use, to a degree. However, my dad had worked on my house enough to know that the wiring is copper.

Then I told him about the usage pattern, according to that smart PGE lady (extreme usage spikes about twice a day). In response, he asked about the age of my water heater (oh, 30+ years is all). To his next question, I replied: why yes, the upstairs fixtures are receiving very little hot water, and my dad quickly concluded that the water heater is the prime suspect.

“Change that out and see what that does to your electricity bills,” said my dad. “If that doesn’t do it, the next step would be to measure and sum the electricity use of your appliances and see how far off your total usage is from the sum of your appliances.” The water heater will be changed out soon; hopefully in time to report in next month’s installment the findings!

Now, for the surprise. The non-local PV installers had all declined to model solar for my roof based on the tree cover seen in the pre-storm aerial photos. They were unswayed by the news that three trees had come down in an ice storm. Then a Salem-based PV installer agreed to come look, and said they could do it if I took down four more oaks. Then a Silverton-based installer said they could do it without taking down any more trees.

On the beautiful, sunny day that Julie, Nancy and I stood looking up at my roof, Julie shook her head and said, “I don’t see how your roof is a candidate for solar even if you did take down more trees.” She has seen many a good candidate, and she has also had first-hand experience with what a little shade will do to a PV system’s productivity.

“However,” she continued, “have you heard of community solar?” I had not. Turns out, it is a brand new program that allows people to purchase panels on a solar farm.

Pros:

• You own the panels and all electricity they generate.

• You can sell the panels back to the solar farm owner at any time.

• You can move, and you don’t leave your panels back at your old house.

• Solar power suddenly becomes viable for renters or homeowners with too much shade.

• Seeds for Sol can still provide the grant money for the initial purchase; as with rooftop solar, you pay back the grant out of your savings on your electricity bill.

Cons: unclear if there are any.

This is a game-changer!

Will the new water heater fix the electricity drain? Join us next month to find out! In the meantime, if you would like more information about the community solar program, contact Dan Orzech at Oregon Clean Power Coalition - info@oregoncleanpower.coop .

Follow-up on Make a Difference Day (killing invasive Ivy)

Eric Hammond

Invasive species are the second leading cause of extinction since 1500 (Bellard et al 2016). Ivy isn’t native in North America. Invasive in Silverton, it is having a destructive and costly impact. Because it creeps along the ground and tolerates deep shade and severe drought it crowds out native plants. Its destruction multiplies across flora and fauna in our town. When ivy encounters a tree, it climbs, and its aerial vines produce fruit furthering the cycle. Growth on the ground doesn’t bloom. This unique feature is an entry for control.

On June 4, the first day of Make a Difference Week, Sustainable Silverton sponsored an ivy kill event at Coolidge McClaine Park. Seven volunteers from Silverton turned out in the warm rain to cut climbing ivy off at the ground. Cutting kills the aerial growth, flowers, and berries of the ivy. This saves trees and stops the further spread of this invasive species. English holly, also destructive for native ecosystems, was killed in the park. Over 25 hours of sweaty, wet time were volunteered to sustain Silverton’s ecosystem.

Silver Creek holds a lot of social importance for the city, but its route puts it in ecological peril. A volunteer invasive weed expert found false-brome growing on the creek in the park. This is a new infestation of this perennial European grass that could be quite destructive on the banks of the creek. We are waiting to hear from ODA about the best course of action for its removal.

The June 4 event was part of an international, weeklong event sponsored by the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER). Last year there were 144 projects across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas. And in 2022, 36 in the USA. It was exciting having Silverton on the SER website alongside those projects.

Bellard, C.; Cassey, P.; Blackburn, T. 2016 Alien species as a driver of recent extinctions. Biol. Lett.

Irrigate only in the morning, so the foliage can dry before nightfall. Do not over irrigate. Excessive irrigation may cause root disease and add plant stress that leads to increased foliage disease. You’ll see less powdery mildew on plants undergoing a little drought stress. It isn’t the best approach to grow vegetables under drought stress though because it reduces yield. In normal years, I don’t see powdery mildew infestations on squash until late summer and by then the crop is set, so there isn’t anything to worry about.

By Eric Hammond · Launched 2 years ago

Plants, Horticulture, Ecology in China and the Pacific Northwest.